"And how come you know all of this?" Elena asked, giving Ricky a look filled with sharp suspicion. Her gaze was piercing, yet it didn't seem to affect Ricky at all. He simply gave a calm, dismissive shrug.
"Everyone has their secrets, and considering we are in immediate danger, this isn't the time to doubt each other," he said. With those simple words, he didn't just extricate himself from further interrogation; he inadvertently helped John by shifting the focus away from the 'how' and onto the 'now'.
"What I'm trying to say is that I heard this world is trying to absorb Earth itself, which includes the game devices supporting it. That is the true threat."
Ricky went silent after that, clearly finished with his contribution. John processed the 'Earth absorption' theory.
Then it was Cissel's turn to speak.
