Moontey's Child - When Fire Meets Shadow

Baptism By Fall

The moment I stepped out of the airfield, I couldn't help but stare.

The Obsidian base wasn't just inside the mountain — it was the mountain. A labyrinth of endless halls, humming with energy, hidden in stone.

The air smelled faintly of ozone and oil, every surface scrubbed of personality. White walls. White LED strips casting sterile light down endless corridors. No warmth. Just practicality.

Takeda — no, Ainar — walked ahead with that calm, unshakable stride. I made a mental note to use his agent's name here. No sense getting him in trouble.

People moved out of his way, some nodding in quiet respect. A few female agents tossed him flirty glances.

The glances I got were different. Some sized me up. Others wore faint smirks. A few gave me the kind of pitying look you give someone walking into a storm they can't possibly survive. I just kept my eyes forward.

We reached the far end of the hall, where the white walls gave way to a black steel door — no handle, no engravings, nothing. Just an expanse of cold metal that looked like it could withstand a tank.

Before I could study it too long, it hissed open. Out stepped a woman about my height, warm blonde hair braided tight and reaching her mid-back, black stealth suit clinging like second skin. Piercings climbed both her ears, and behind her right ear, a small origami bird tattoo perched against pale skin.

Her enticing gaze locked on Takeda like I wasn't even there. "Welcome back, Ainar. Good luck with Pandora." Her voice carried a knowing curve, teasing.

"Thank you, Ava," he replied evenly. "Move like a ghost on your assignment."

She smirked. "Sure will."

Not once did her eyes turn in my direction — she walked past me and when she was close enough she whispered, "Don't die, Rocky," she smirked. "Wouldn't want to clean up your blood."

My frown was instant, but I didn't bite. I just followed Takeda, filing the comment away.

He stopped in front of the door. I glanced at the seamless metal, wondering how it opened — then caught a faint blink of red above. The light dropped into a scanning beam, raking him from head to toe.

A soft chime, the hiss of hydraulics and the door began to split apart.

He turned his head just enough for me to see the warning in his eyes. "Hold your ground in front of Pandora. If she smells fear or weakness, you won't even make it to the test."

I straightened up and nodded. Takeda's expression didn't change, but I caught the faintest twitch of approval.

The door finished opening, the light beyond spilling over us and we stepped inside.

Once inside, my breath caught. The room was made up of shadows and sharp edges. Black walls, black floors, all broken only by thin, floating LED strips that hung in the air like pale, weightless veins of light.

At the center, a small circular platform no more than five inches high. A tall woman stood on it, back to us and her hands clasped behind her, studying a holographic globe that spun slowly in the air. Faces of agents appeared and disappeared over different countries, a shifting constellation of names and missions.

Beyond her, the far wall was a single towering screen from floor to ceiling. Dozens of surveillance feeds played at once — traffic cams, casino security footage, street corners halfway around the world. Warzones. Drug deals in progress. A few made my stomach tighten, because I recognized some of the faces on screen. Mafia lords. Known killers. Which meant Obsidian was watching places no government had permission to look.