A sickening crackle echoed as its thick knuckles popped under the strain.
The life-support tubes tethered to its body began to violently shake in tandem with the heavy, labored rising and falling of its chest.
The bloodshot eyes, previously half-closed, rolled upward incrementally.
It looked exactly as though something deep within its core was forcibly dragging it back into consciousness.
His face ashen, Director Kaelen whipped around to glare at Serena. "Your Excellency, deal with Specimen Seven right now!"
Serena simply smiled. "No rush."
Director Kaelen nearly choked on his own rage.
No rush?
If they dragged this out any longer and Specimen Seven broke loose, none of them were making it off this ship alive!
He ground his teeth together, the veins in his temples throbbing with fury.
This woman bled them dry every single time she opened her mouth!
She had already extorted a small fortune from Project Zero-Transit for stabilizing the other living assets.
Now, over a minor hiccup during the preview, she was demanding another payout!
And yet...
As he stared at the surging red line on the Biometric Monitoring Display, his stomach plummeted.
He couldn't risk calling her bluff.
The higher-ups had specifically moved Specimen Seven to the preview area to ensure The Sterling Sovereign witnessed its potential.
If the top brass came down on him for this...
The director's expression turned exceedingly grim.
He inhaled sharply, forcing the words through gritted teeth. "Your Excellency, you should trust in the sheer power of Project Zero-Transit. Money is the last thing we lack. Please, intervene immediately. The organization will ensure you are handsomely rewarded."
"Ten million dollars. Wired instantly. I need you to step in now and stabilize Specimen Seven."
The corner of Serena's mouth quirked up. "Deal."
Director Kaelen was just about to breathe easily again.
When she added, "Also, I need full access to Specimen Seven's Core-Data Clearance."
The director's face hardened instantly. "Absolutely not!"
He rejected the demand without a second thought.
Unsurprised, Serena said nothing. She simply watched him with that same mocking half-smile.
His expression dark, Kaelen lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "Your Excellency, the medical clearance you currently possess is already the absolute highest level Project Zero Transit grants to external consultants."
"Anything beyond that involves much more than just accessing a few treatment logs."
It meant unlocking the most classified information regarding the asset.
The complete experimental history, command interfaces, the core control code... everything would be handed to her on a silver platter.
There was no way the organization would ever surrender that kind of data to an outsider.
He pressed his lips into a thin line, a distinct warning edging his tone. "This is not about the money."
Serena shrugged, her posture radiating a lazy indifference. "Forget it, then."
The director's eyebrow twitched violently. "Do not push your luck!"
Serena met his gaze. On her stunning, pale face, the smile lacked even an ounce of warmth. "It's you people who are underestimating the Situation
She reached out, swiping a finger across the console. Several clusters primary
of data buried beneath the Cluste
neural wave were instantly magnified.
Serena tapped on a remarkably thin, anomalous frequency line. "Do you see this?"
Director Kaelen couldn't make sense of the readout and immediately looked to his technician.
The man leaned closer, his face draining of color. "W-what is that?"
Serena scoffed. "You're the technician assigned to Specimen Seven, and you're asking me?"
The technician swallowed hard, too intimidated to utter another word.
"That is not the Level-One Neural Prompt your team just initiated," Serena stated lazily.
Kaelen's pupils constricted. "What does that mean?"
Serena tapped the string of data. "It means someone has tampered with Specimen Seven."