Kaelen's pupils constricted violently, a suffocating knot forming in his throat.
She was right...
If he hastily arrested Fenris's squad, not only would he fail to catch the real culprit, he'd likely be playing right into their hands.
Whoever orchestrated the hit wanted security chasing ghosts while they quietly scrubbed the deeper data logs.
And if he continued to obsess over Fenris, it would only make the organization look incredibly guilty, as if he were deliberately covering up the internal breach.
His face dark with fury, he turned back to the engineering team. "Keep digging."
"Yes, sir!" the techs shouted, their fingers flying across the keyboards.
Inside The Observation Theater.
Specimen Seven remained locked in a kneeling position.
The hulking, over-engineered frame slumped forward, its heavy, ragged breaths echoing rhythmically through the sealed chamber.
Its previously bloodshot, hyper-aggressive eyes were half-closed, looking completely pacified—like a rabid beast that had its fangs violently extracted.
A few handlers slowly crept forward, trembling with every step.
They needed to transport the asset back to the med-bay for diagnostics.
But as they closed the distance, their minds kept flashing back to the horrific image of it pulverizing the Aegis Glass with a single punch.
That kind of primal terror couldn't be erased by a few green lines on a biometric monitor.
Their legs shook so violently they physically couldn't bring themselves to get any closer.
Truth be told, Kaelen was terrified too.
No one knew if the monster was going to suddenly snap and go feral again.
If they triggered it by getting too close, there would be absolutely no escape. He instinctively threw a pleading look in Serena's direction.
The handlers tasked with moving the asset also shot her desperate glances.
Serena rolled her eyes, annoyed that she even had to address them. "That last surge completely burned out its remaining neural activity and physical stamina." "Right now, it's essentially powered down."
A collective breath of relief swept through the crew.
The crushing anxiety finally dissolved, allowing them to function again.
Kaelen exhaled a shaky breath, his shirt soaked in a cold sweat. "What are you idiots waiting for!"
"Get 07 back to the med-bay for a full diagnostic scan! I want a deep dive on every single metric!"
The security detail finally steeled themselves and breached the containment zone.
They advanced cautiously toward the kneeling behemoth.
Only when they were absolutely was comatose did
engage
the heavy-duty restraint
locking it securely onto the transport rig. Conterit
Serena couldn't be bothered to watch them struggle. She simply grabbed her medical case and walked away.
Radiating absolute exhaustion at having to constantly clean up the syndicate's operational messes.
Nicholas stood off to the side, watching her sleek, fiercely independent silhouette retreat.
The depths of his dark eyes grew incredibly sharp.
Fenris...
The mercenary?
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Maybe everyone else in the room was too blind to notice, but he saw right through it.
Serena was blatantly protecting this
Fenriracter. Otherwise, she never would have wasted her arguing with the Director,
Fenris, huh.
He was very interested in seeing exactly what kind of man this mercenary was.
A slow, dangerous smile curved Nicholas's lips.
Then, slipping his hands casually his
intoets, he strode f
elegance et
with unhurried
right on Serena's heels.
They exited the preview hall one after the other.
The moment they stepped through the doors.
Serena spotted Jerrick and his squad still holding the perimeter at the security checkpoint.
The man stood tall and imposing in his sleek black tactical gear, radiating a lethal, frigid intensity.
Given the seismic chaos that had just erupted inside the theater, there was no way his team hadn't caught wind of it.
Especially Jerrick.
The instant Serena emerged, his eyes locked onto her.
Their gazes collided.
A knowing, enigmatic smile played on Serena's ruby lips.
Jerrick was razor-sharp; he instantly deduced that whatever disaster had just
unfolded inside had somehow implicated him.