Howard rolls his eyes a little, although he tries to hide that from Cedric. He's heard it all before. He's tried to convince himself that those billions matter, but that's an abstract figure, a bunch of faceless, nameless strangers that don't elicit the same gut-churning, spine-chilling reaction that thinking about returning to his own world invariably brings. The only reason he cooperates at all is because there might be a third option.

He takes a step closer and flicks his gaze up, as if mentally checking that Stacy isn't listening in. In a low tone, he says to Cedric, "you know, a lot of the people here seem to think that if we set things right, we may get a chance to abandon ship before we have to go home. You know. Our homes with their arms spread wide for our hero's welcome, and our probably deaths."