...
The group retraced their steps down the corridor.
The heavy metal blast doors of the Sanctum Vault's Outer Perimeter sealed shut behind them with a heavy thud.
The freezing air was finally cut off.
Serena walked at the front, looking thoroughly exhausted, as if all she genuinely wanted was to crash in her bed.
But her fingers tapped a silent, rhythmic beat against the handle of her medical case.
In those brief ninety seconds, she had secured residual data from the bio-chamber interface, analyzed the structural security of the Inner Sanctum Gate, and confirmed that the specimen bearing her grandmother's sequence number was inside.
It was a massive haul.
And as for the mercenary...
Serena glanced out of the corner of her eye at the towering man in black walking beside her.
He got exactly what he came for, too.
This Gatekeeper Hound was proving to be a highly effective temporary ally.
But it could only be temporary.
After all, neither of them truly knew what the other was ultimately after.
Before they could fully exit the perimeter zone, her medical case had to be subjected to one final scan.
This time, the ship's security detail was noticeably more on edge than when she arrived.
She had just been in direct physical contact with Specimen Seven's Legacy Bio-Chamber.
Absolutely nothing from inside that vault could be allowed to leave undetected.
Director Kaelen looked at Serena, his eyes cautious.
Serena's dark, beautiful eyes held zero warmth. Too tired to argue, she rolled her eyes. "Your ship has too many annoying rules."
With a dramatic sigh, she slammed her medical case onto the inspection table. "Scan it."
She popped the latches open.
A ship guard stepped forward, but Jerrick's cold voice stopped him. "I'll handle this."
Director Kaelen didn't object.
Jerrick had done the initial scan anyway.
Plus, The Panacea seemed far more tolerant of the mercenary handling her gear than anyone else.

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