07:00. The walls shift.
Not literally. But the tone of the day does—like someone flipped the page in a book they weren't supposed to be reading.
An announcement crackles overhead. No preamble, no chime.
"All active trainees—report to Simulation Hall 3. Code: Obsidian."
Malik glances over. "Obsidian?"
I've never heard that one used outside of red-tier conditioning.
He asks the question I don't say out loud: "Is this part of the Trial rotation?"
"No," I answer.
It isn't.
Simulation Hall 3 is two floors below the dormitory wings. Narrow corridors. Heavily monitored. It's typically reserved for hostile engagement programming—black room reconstructions of real-world kill zones.
We arrive in a group of twelve.
Calista's already there, stretching one shoulder like it's just another Tuesday.
No instructors present.
No briefings.
Just a wide, empty chamber with a single table in the middle. One box. No windows.
Kira leans toward me. "You feel that?"
"Yeah," I murmur. "It's too quiet."
The intercom buzzes again.
"When the light turns green, you will enter. Do not speak. Do not ask questions. Begin upon entry."
Begin what?
A green light above the far door flashes. One beep. Then silence.
Calista moves first. No hesitation.
We follow.
Inside: sterile room. Clinical white. No exits except the one we came through.
The box sits on a pedestal in the center.
A woman's voice, calm and synthetic, cuts through the air.
"You have sixty seconds to decide who opens the box. Only one of you may touch it. All others must remain still. If the wrong choice is made—failure is logged. Commence."
I freeze.
Not because I'm afraid.
But because the box is humming.
It's not a test.
It's a trigger.
YOU ARE READING
Code Name: Ember
Mystery / ThrillerAt just 21, Min Seo Wolfe has trained her entire life for one thing: to become an elite undercover operative. Raised in the shadows of a covert agency, she's mastered everything from psychological manipulation to hand-to-hand combat. But nothing cou...
