Jerrick kept his face entirely expressionless, his large frame firmly blocking her path. "Madam Panacea, your contract is not complete. You cannot leave."
Serena looked up at him, a cold, mocking smile touching her lips. "My part of the contract is done. I gave you the diagnosis. If the ship refuses to cooperate, that's not my problem."
She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "Move."
Jerrick didn't budge. "You took the money. You fix the problem."
Serena scoffed. "I took the money to run diagnostics and repair the immediate damage, not to babysit a bunch of suicidal idiots."
"If you want me to fix it, cut the scanners. If not, figure it out yourselves."
Jerrick stood his ground. "The Vault operates on strict protocols. Until your task is complete, I'm not letting you walk out of here."
Serena laughed, a harsh, abrasive sound. "What? They refuse to let me work, and you expect me to drop to my knees and beg for the privilege?"
Jerrick stared her down coldly. "If Specimen Seven loses control before the preview, you'll be implicated just the same."
Serena's eyes darkened instantly. "Are you threatening me?"
Jerrick replied smoothly, "No. I'm stating a fact."
The distance between them closed.
Neither was willing to give an inch.
The tension in the air was so thick it was practically combustible.
Director Kaelen was sweating bullets. "Madam Panacea, Mr. Fenris, please, let's not
"Get out of my way," Serena snapped, her voice dripping with dangerous impatience.
Jerrick remained an immovable wall.
Serena smiled.
It was a smile laced with the unhinged madness that made The Panacea so infamous. "Mr. Fenris, did you forget? I violently despise people blocking my path."
Jerrick looked down at her. "Funny. I despise people abandoning a job halfway through in my jurisdiction."
The standoff dragged on.
Director Kaelen stood off to the side, hopelessly caught in the crossfire, unable to get a single word in.
The direct security officer looked furious but didn't dare intervene.
To the ship's crew, it looked like The Panacea and the ruthless mercenary captain were at each other's throats once again.
Director Kaelen was losing his mind.
One was the only medical expert who could save their auction, and the other was the man running the Vault's outer perimeter security.
Neither of them was someone he could easily boss around.
But if someone who actually knew them was watching, they would have seen right through the act.
This explosive confrontation was entirely superficial.
They both knew exactly what they were doing.
They were operating in perfect synchronization.
One was aggressively backing the ship into a corner to force a
blackout, while the other was
his 'duty' as an excuse to keep her from leaving, forcing the issue.
They hadn't exchanged a single word of planning. They didn't even know what the other's true objective was.
Yet, with seamless, terrifying chemistry, they had trapped Director Kaelen into making a choice.
"Madam Panacea..." Director Kaelen finally choked out. "Shutting down the active scanners is a direct violation of ship protocol."
Serena laughed, her expression freezing over. "Then stick to your precious protocols."
"I won't be the one going rabid during the preview, and I won't be the one facing The Sterling Sovereign's wrath."
"Tell your Gatekeeper Hound to get out of my way. I'm going back to bed."
Director Kaelen's face went deathly pale.
The preview.
The Sterling Sovereign.
Those words struck him right in his absolute worst fears.
They had just barely managed to
stabilize Specimen Seven, and the notified The
ship had already
Sterling Sovereign to prepare for his priority viewing.
If a Bio-Chamber glitch caused the asset to snap again-especially if it went berserk right in front of him losing a bonus would be
least of Kaelen's worries.
He would lose his life.
Director Kaelen ground his teeth and whipped his head toward the direct security
officer. "Ninety seconds. Can we do it?"