On the surface, that line was a direct answer to his question, a blunt warning to the administration to stop letting incompetent fools interfere with Specimen Seven's
treatment.
But the true crux of the message was never "it won't die." It was the phrase "nobody touches."
If Fenris really was more than just a typical mercenary,
If he also had an ulterior motive regarding the cargo,
Then he would undoubtedly catch the secondary meaning.
Specimen Seven wouldn't just destabilize on its own.
But the moment someone tampered with its legacy bio-chamber or caused a spike in its data metrics.
The ship would have no choice but to beg The Panacea for help once again.
And the second she intervened.
That would grant both of them the perfect excuse to get close to the cargo once more.
This was the blade she was handing to Fenris.
Whether he recognized the weapon and had the spine to wield it was entirely up to him.
If that mongrel couldn't even grasp a hint this obvious, or lacked the nerve to act on it, then he was useless as an ally.
Time slowly ticked by.
Until the horizon outside the porthole was painted with a hazy grey dawn.
Inside the suite, the comms terminal violently lit up. Beep.
In the dead silence of the room, the noise was ear-splitting.
Serena kept her eyes firmly shut.
Seconds later, the terminal blared a second time.
She scowled, blindly snatching the device off the nightstand.
She accepted the call.
Director Kaelen's panicked voice exploded through the speaker. "Your Excellency!"
Serena grimaced, peeling her eyes open with all the ferocious annoyance of someone violently torn from sleep. "What now?"
Terrified she would hang up on him, Director Kaelen spoke in a breathless rush. "The
Specimen Seven's legacy
cryo-suppression infrastructure in et
bio-chamber is showing abnormal fluctuations! We desperately need you at the Sanctum Vault's Outer Perimeter to confirm if this will compromise the asset's stability before the viewing."
Serena's half-lidded eyes slowly fluttered all the way open.
A barely perceptible glint of amusement flashed in the depths of her gaze.
Fenris really wasn't a standard mercenary.
And he certainly wasn't an honest dog just working for a paycheck.
She had casually tossed him a hint, and not only had the man understood it
instantly, he had acted on it with brutal efficiency.
And his execution...
Brought them exactly where she wanted to go: the vault's perimeter.
Even if it was only the outer perimeter, it was dangerously close to the core, right on the doorstep of her ultimate objective.
A ghost of a smirk played on Serena's lips.
As long as their goals aligned for now, working with this watchdog might not be the worst idea.
None of this calculation showed on her face.
Her expression reflected only a lazy, brooding hostility and the explosive impatience, of being woken up. "Why dogs this daron ship have so many ssues only responsible for stabilizing Specimen Seven. Stop coming to me for every little thing!"
Director Kaelen-scrambled to explain. "Your Excellency, we truly did not want to disturb your rest. But we were showcase when the legacy bio-chamber spiked abnormally! The logs over there aren't matching the
Separing for the upcoming
data from the medical pod."
"We're terrified it'll destabilize Specimen Seven right before the buyers arrive.
There's simply too much riding on this showcase..."
Before he could finish, the call violently disconnected.
Glaring in absolute irritation, Serena chucked the terminal onto the mattress and yanked the blankets over her head.
Radiating an aura that promised a slow, agonizing death to anyone who dared interrupt her sleep again.
If she had jumped at the chance the second she heard 'Sanctum Vault's Outer Perimeter,' that would have been far too suspicious.