The interior of Project Zero-Transit was infinitely more chilling than its terrifying exterior suggested.
The Med-Tech entrance.
The heavy black steel doors slowly groaned open.
Serena, clutching her med-vault, followed the escort with a deadpan expression.
Wearing the face of The Panacea, her eyes held the vacant, unhinged stare of an underground doctor who spent entirely too much time in the darkest corners of the black market.
Just looking at her was enough to make someone's skin crawl.
The escort led her to the entrance of The Med-Tech Quarantine.
An independent security checkpoint stood at the threshold.
Flanked on both sides were over a dozen heavily armed guards in black tactical uniforms.
Two inspectors were already waiting by the scanner.
"The Panacea." One of the inspectors, wearing thick black gloves, stepped forward. His eyes immediately darted to the silver case in Serena's hand. His tone was relatively polite. "Per the regulations of Project Zero-Transit, your medical equipment must be inspected before you enter The Med-Tech Quarantine."
Serena lifted her chin.
Her pitch-black eyes swept over him coldly, betraying zero emotion.
The inspector paused, clearing his throat before adding, "Rest assured, we do not restrict weapons or narcotics on board. This inspection is purely to ensure your vault doesn't contain trackers, GPS devices, signal beacons, or external comms."
"After all, nobody who boards this ship wants their whereabouts broadcasted to the outside world."
Serena remained silent. She simply averted her gaze and placed her med-vault onto the steel inspection table.
The gloved inspector unlatched the case.
The interior was divided into multiple tiers.
The top tier housed rows of vibrantly colored vials and syringes, alongside a set of silver needles sealed in sterile tubes.
The middle tier was packed with hermetically sealed powders and micro-reagent testing kits.
Tucked away in the bottom tier lay a few completely unmarked metal vials.
They looked incredibly ordinary.
No labels, no descriptions, not even a basic chemical identifier.
The inspector's hand stopped hovering. He let out a sudden, mocking laugh.
It was a laugh layered with arrogance and a pathetic attempt at intimidation.
He looked up at the woman standing across from him.
She was alone, her frame thin and sickly.
The Panacea's reputation might be terrifying, but at the end of the day, she was just a woman.
He pocketed his scanning device, his tone turning blatantly disrespectful. "The Panacea, The Med-Tech Quarantine operates by its own rules."
"Any brought-in narcotics must be sampled and archived. It's the price of admission."
Serena's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was a beautiful pair of eyes, but under the harsh fluorescent lights, they radiated a sickeningly unhinged chill.
She stared dead at him. "Are you sure you want to touch my medicine?"
The inspector completely dismissed the warning, chuckling smugly. "Yes. That's the protocol here. I don't care if you're The Panacea—you're on Project Zero-Transit now. You follow our rules."

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