Vanquisher: The Remnant

Chapter 7

"You're sure you want to go through with this?" a hushed voice came from a room. The thick steely walls of the hall amplified this concealed voice.

"Keep your voice down or someone is going to hear us!" another voice came from the room. "We don't want word of this getting out."

"I understand that now answer the question!"

"I don't know. It might be a little too risky," the second voice replied hesitantly. The man that possessed the voice brought something from his pants pocket, lifting up the slight flap of cotton that ended his dress coat. The object he held in his hand was a small, inconspicuous box. To the average viewer the box might have just appeared to be a tin of mints, but the other man in the room seemed to take great interest in the object. He let out a whisper of admiration and took the box in his hands, prying it open cautiously.

"That's it?" the man asked disappointedly, looking upon the contents with disbelief. "I thought there would at least be a little more."

"That's all I could muster. Besides it's enough to get the job done," the second person replied.

The first man lifted the contents from the box. It was a small syringe-like object filled to the brim with a thick, mottled red liquid.

"When we get on that ship you find the captain as quickly as you can. If Khrelan or any of the others try to stop you you know what to do."

"Understood. I'll meet you in the hangar in twenty," the man nodded as he stood from the table he was sitting at. He turned and exited the room, attempting to conceal the syringe as he did so. He passed a few crew members along the way to the hangar who didn't seem to be suspecting of him. A creeping paranoia trickled over him as he passed person after person who all seemed as if they were silently judging him from afar.

"Good afternoon private," a voice called from behind him, startling him slightly. He turned around slowly, still clutching the syringe buried deep in his pocket. It was his commander who had called after him. "Where are you heading?"

"Good afternoon commander. I'm heading down to the hangar to participate in Nova's campaign against the Remnant,"

"Ah I see. And who allowed this?"

"Nova himself."

"May I speak to him?" the commander inquired.

"If you go down to the hangar but we ship out in thirty minutes. Just let me go, sir. I'll make it back," the private pleaded. He needed to carry out his task and not being able to attend the sabotage would hinder that.

"Why do you have your hand in your pocket, private? You know that's out of regulations," the commander's question caught the private completely off guard. His hand still wrapped the object, which is why he kept his hand in his pocket. He was surprised no one else had pointed it out, but now he had to fumble an excuse.

He took his hand out of his pocket laboriously, not wanting to release the serum for fear that someone eventually would discover it and he'd be swiftly and mercilessly reprimanded. He didn't expect that the court would be too happy with the explanation as to why he was carrying around a deadly, and not to mention illegal, concoction aboard a high security carrier. He glanced at the commander's stone-cold face, which in its own was demanding a response from the private. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just habit. It won't happen again."

"It better not. Alright, I'll let you go. Kick their ass for me, ok?" the commander said with a sudden change of tone.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," he nodded and turned back towards the hangar. That was odd. Thankfully he didn't ask if I had anything in my pocket.