The very second Serena spoke, Jerrick knew exactly what she was doing.
He arched an eyebrow, shooting her a fleeting glance.
With every single crew member distracted by her accusation, he casually flicked his wrist.
A microscopic, jet-black chip sailed silently through the air, sliding perfectly into a hairline gap beneath the side control console.
The movement was lightning-fast and utterly silent.
He had been waiting for the perfect opening to plant the Void-Tap inside the vault.
It was a passive frequency logger.
For the next thirty minutes, it would meticulously record every single access ping directed at The Inner Sanctum Gate.
If that gate opened for the preview, he would capture the exact frequency needed to bypass it.
Serena, of course, caught the subtle blur of his movement.
A knowing smirk ghosted across her lips. She tapped the side of the transit chamber and continued her act, her tone dripping with annoyance. "The port's been severely jammed, and the frequencies are a mess. No wonder the system was throwing errors."
Director Kaelen looked like he was about to faint. "Can you fix it?"
"You paid me, didn't you?" Serena drawled lazily. "Of course I can."
Thirty seconds left on the clock.
She reconnected the calibration needle, her fingers flying across the micro- diagnostic interface in a blur.
The violent red spikes on the Legacy Bio-Chamber's monitor slowly began to flatten out.
The red alert shifted to yellow.
Then, it settled into a calm, stable blue.
Director Kaelen's eyes lit up. "It's stable!"
The technician next to him let out a massive sigh of relief. "The data syncs perfectly. The treatment wing just confirmed normal vitals."
Serena retracted her needle, speaking slowly. "Don't celebrate just yet."
Director Kaelen's stomach plummeted right back down. "There's another problem?"
Serena looked up, her expression a mask of chilling apathy. "I only stabilized this specific chamber."
"But with all these assets crammed together, the scanning lasers, the cryo- suppressors, and the neural chips are all bouncing frequencies off each other. It's a powder keg. It's going to blow eventually."
Director Kaelen went deathly pale. He understood exactly what she was implying.
But it was an offer he absolutely could not accept.
It was way above his pay grade to authorize a freelancer to examine the rest of the highly classified cargo.
Serena hadn't expected him to agree anyway. She simply raised an eyebrow, flashing a wicked, extortionate smile. "Of course, if you're willing to write a bigger check, I wouldn't mind doing a sweep of the entire floor for you."
Director Kaelen was speechless.
In the end, it always came back to money with her.
But ironically, her blatant greed actually made him feel safer.
As long as she was just looking for a payout, she was manageable.
The countdown hit the final ten seconds.
Jerrick's voice cut through the room like ice. "Maintain your positions."
[Ten.]
[Nine.]
Serena lazily began packing up her medical case.
[Eight.]
Her fingertips brushed the edge of the interface. The Wraith-Node was securely fastened.
[Seven.]
Jerrick shot a final glance at the side console, confirming his Void-Tap was completely hidden.
[Six.]
Serena snapped the medical case shut.
[Five.]
She turned and looked at Jerrick, a teasing, enigmatic glint in her eyes.
[Four.]
Jerrick met her gaze with an unreadable, stoic expression.
[Three.]
Director Kaelen held his breath.
[Two.]
[One.]
[Active scanning restored.]
The brilliant red laser grids instantly re-illuminated the vault.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Serena picked up her case. "We're done here."
Director Kaelen rushed over to verify
the data. Seeing that the chamber's
frequency was perfectly flat, his
shoulders sagged with.
overwhelming relief. Madam
Panacea, thank you for your
incredible work."
"Save the thanks, it doesn't pay the
bills Serena said lazily.
me
the out of bed for a measly
is
the real tragedy here." .net>
Director Kaelen's mouth twitched.
She was complaining about six million dollars?
The Panacea's greed was truly boundless.
But he didn't dare say it out loud. He forced a polite smile. "Once the
preview concludes smoothne
the
ship will ensure you are heavily, compensated."