Dr. Evelyn Hart adjusted her glasses, the faint clink of metal frames cutting through the room’s stark silence. The thick dossier before her bore a plain black cover—no logo, no title, just SITE-X0 and X-2 Clearance stamped across the top in bold, unassuming letters. Her fingers hesitated for a fraction of a second.


    The scent of the freshly printed report mingled with the room’s clinical air. A tall, suited man stood at attention nearby, hands clasped behind his back, his expression carefully neutral. An intermediary for AEGIS: Advanced Exploration Geodynamic Investigation Syndicate.


    X-2? she internally reflected, vision narrowing and brow furrowing in quiet scrutiny. X-level access? That’s not a casual mistake. She flipped the folder open, each page crackling as she sifted through the contents. A new site the syndicate discovered?


    The first thing that caught her attention was a high-resolution photograph of a storm-lashed sea. In the distance, a jagged island was half-shrouded in mist, situated like an ancient monolith. Faint, glowing lilac veins spiderwebbed across visible portions of its rocky surface—impossible patterns that looked more like circuitry than natural stone.


    She thumbed to the next image—a grainy, underwater silhouette of something vast, indistinct, and far too large to be a whale. Her eyes darted to the clearance stamp again. X-2.


    Her gaze darted to the man who had delivered this dossier. “Is this a mistake?”


    His hands were clasped behind his back, his stance rigid and polished. Not military, but something worse. An AEGIS liaison of the highest clearance. Shadow Man’s lapdog. He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment of her words but said nothing.


    Evelyn tapped the stamp on the cover with two fingers. “I’m cleared for O-2 at the Lunar Site. Omega-level clearance. This…” Her gaze lifted, sharp and probing. “This says X-2. Alpha-tier.” Her eyes stayed locked on him, watching for the faintest flicker of acknowledgment in his neutral mask. “Are you telling me I’ve been bumped up the ladder without being told?”


    His lips pressed into a faint, tight line that could have been a smirk—just barely. “We both know they don’t tell you when you’ve been promoted, Dr. Hart.”


    She clicked her tongue and leaned back in her chair, fingers laced behind her head. “Promoted, huh? Funny, I didn’t hear the applause or get my ceremonial dagger laced with sacrificial blood. Maybe I missed the parade.”


    Her gaze flicked back to the folder. “So, X-2 clearance. That means unrestricted access to everything related to this mysterious new site. No redactions, no missing pages, no ‘above your pay grade’ runaround that I’d get at the C0 Site. Just the unfiltered truth.”


    Evelyn’s eyes narrowed further, her voice shifting to a cool, measured calm. “Is that what this is? Or is this just another trick where you ‘let’ me see more, but still keep me in the dark?”


    “Access is granted as needed,” the man replied, his tone as rigid as his posture. “X-2 clearance reflects operational necessity, Doctor. You’re to be briefed on everything relevant to the site’s current state, risks, and—”


    “—and whatever mess you’ve dragged me into this time,” she interjected, lips curling into a humorless smile. “Spare me the company droll. If I’ve been bumped to X-2, then that means I’m taking over something that someone higher up decided was too volatile for an O-2 Site Admin. I ran Site-C0 for three years. That was a containment site, not an exploratory breach. X-2 is an exploratory designation. Exploration is never about control. It’s about taking risks with people you can afford to lose.” She let that linger, watching him carefully.


    He didn’t deny it.


    “Right. So this isn’t a ‘promotion’—it’s a reassignment with flair.” She let out a short, dry chuckle, reflecting on how she’d probably landed this gig. “Let me guess. I was a tad too…brazen and cavalier in my investigations at C0. I certainly obtained results. And there was a previous director at this X0 site,” she mused, tapping the redacted name. “Let me guess, they went missing, committed suicide, or died in some…unexplainable way.”


    His silence was as sharp as any confirmation.


    “Figures.” She flipped another page, scanning the contents. “I assume the disappearance was chalked up to this ‘fog-related phenomena’ that is mostly redacted or some other colorful euphemism you’ll use to keep the incident reports tidy.” Her eyes caught a particular entry on the page. Her thumb traced the line: “Localized Dimensional Instability: Persistent.”


    Her eyes stayed on the phrase for longer than she should have. Dimensional instability. Persistent. Fog-related phenomena. It’s happening again. I feel the gears turning inside my chest… The unexplored mystery waiting to be dissected.


    Her grip on the folder tightened as her mind briefly wandered back to Site-C0. The impossible hallways beyond the Sphinx Doors. The moments when she’d been “somewhere else” for a fraction of a second before snapping back to reality.


    Persistent dimensional instability, huh? I bet it is.


    “You want to know why the clearance change matters, Dr. Hart?” The agent broke the silence, his voice steady, calm. “It’s because this site is active. The architecture isn’t dormant like Site-C0 was…before your—”


    “Meddling?” she said with a half smile. She wasn’t new to the game of secrets in AEGIS, nor many of her superiors’ agitation toward her bold methods. Her previous assignment at Site-C0—a lunar base centered on a mysterious alien ruin buried beneath the moon’s surface—had been a testament to that. The architecture may imply Egyptian origin.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Whether they had reached the moon or if a lunar entity had come to them was still a hotly debated topic among her teams. However, unlike the site’s previous administrators, her bold actions had led to uncovering an element there that rejected radiation, a discovery that revolutionized space exploration for the syndicate. But it had come at a cost. A heavy one. Progress never came cheap. She’d signed that bill herself—twice.


    Six months ago, I made a major breakthrough on the moon, getting past the impervious Twin Sphinx Doors, and now they’re trying to shift me to a new site… I suppose this is more pressing. Or…I’m just the next expendable officer in rank, she grumbled, flipping the page up to view some of the stranger details that intrigued her. Either way, if I refuse this, then it will come back to bite me in the ass.


    Something about it felt wrong—off in a way that even the non-Euclidean halls of Site-C0 hadn’t managed.


    “What does the ‘X’ stand for?” she asked, tilting her head and prodding for whatever other information she might get from the agent—they usually came with a tad more info than they divulged. “Surely, I’m at the clearance now to know.”


    The agent’s lips twitched, the barest flicker of amusement surfacing on his otherwise inscrutable mask; he’d probably heard that from every potential site director. “Unknown. My own superiors wonder how The Shadow Man designates names. Some suggest it’s a designation for unexplored territories. Others think it marks danger levels. Either way, it fits the mystery of AEGIS.”


    “That, it does…” Evelyn tapped the folder with her manicured fingernail. “And I suppose I don’t get the full, unredacted version of this until I’m on-site and it’s too late to back out?”


    “That’s correct, Dr. Hart. You’ll have complete access to the findings once you arrive and take the position. In the meantime, you’ll need to assemble a research expedition team for the next phase. Immediate deployment, I’m told. Top priority. The restrictions on electrical use while at Site-X0 are listed there—500-watt active use is—”


    “Apocalypse-Level Restricted… I can read, thank you,” she mumbled, shifting in her chair to glare at the bright red ink. Site-C0 never had anywhere near that level of scrutiny, but she’d heard rumors about another site on the moon that may be in that range. “An A-Level site, hmm? It’s also somehow connected to Site-E0… A Chavín Civilization temple buried beneath the Amazon?


    “I’m granted partial oversight over Sites E0 and C0 as it applies to my research and exploration of X0, am I? Well, I suppose that makes me incredibly lucky or unlucky, depending on how you look at it… Hmm. I’m interested,” she chimed. “Why is this site so important to AEGIS?”


    “All I can say is that it is—”


    “Yes, yes,” she drooled, rolling her eyes. “It’s Threat Level-A. So, its danger is the primary reason for our involvement. I was hoping for a bit more. Exploration and possible advancements are secondary, but I’m the type to incorporate new technologies and methods, which your bosses know… Nor am I particularly bound by restrictive ethics opposing progress.”


    “Your transport is waiting outside,” he immediately responded, his lips twitching slightly at her assessment.


    She arched a brow, her mind flicking through the implications. Immediate deployment. Just like last time. She felt the weight of her decision like an iron anchor tethered to her chest. It isn’t like I have any attachments to hold me here on the moon, and a change of scenery would be nice… At least I’d have better meals—as highlighted—if we’re still connected to Earth.


    Unanswered questions gnawed at her, but she knew better than to press. “Hmm. And the mission parameters for this team I should assemble? This bit about an immortal fish being the only thing that survived the ‘Fog Incident’ gives me some ideas,” she noted, her voice calm but sharp as she flipped to the back of the heavy folder, catching sight of her diamond-shaped birthmark on the back of her left hand.


    “Let me guess, ‘don’t die’ of… Oh? Expect to die…or worse? Well, that certainly makes recruiting more challenging,” she smiled, feeling an adventurous surge well up within her. “I don’t suppose I will be hiring your typical agents. I accept the reassignment!”


    The agent handed her another sheet, his movements precise. “My superior thought you might. Primary objective: establish a foothold on the sole island the previous site administrator discovered before the…fog incident. Naturally, you will first need to scope it out with a few teams who won’t necessarily be missed.”


    “Naturally,” she mused, scanning down the mission objectives with a few finer details on what they first needed to determine and a few of the occupation positions piqued her interest. “All equipment must output less than 450 watts. So long as each stay under that amount, we’re safe on Site-X0, but…that might change once beyond its walls. Fascinating. I look forward to reading why…


    “It’s the standard assess survivability and resources operation, hmm? Secondary objective: recover data from the previous exploration team. They managed to transmit a partial report by…intensifying their signal beyond the recommended limit. Brave souls, sacrificing themselves for science,” she chuckled. “Ah, and doing so attracted—something…”


    The agent’s stoic face didn’t flinch as she lifted her eyes to him for a moment before returning to the relatively simple objectives. “The superiors need a detailed analysis of what remains. Excellent. Always reassuring to read such vague details. And if this all goes to hell?”


    The agent’s smile returned, razor-thin. “You’ve handled worse, Dr. Hart. I read in your breakthrough report that you met one of the ancient aliens from the moon labyrinth.”


    She snapped the folder shut and stood. The scrape of her chair against the floor sounded loud in the sterile room as her heels clicked against the tile. “An artificial intelligence, not the alien race themselves but theories abound. I suppose after I convinced it to be somewhat responsive, they’re redirecting my talents to a new field. Perhaps I can convince the little sand scarab to offer me some advice.”


    Pausing by the door and reflecting on her first site introduction to AEGIS, she turned to glare at the agent. “But tell The Shadow Man that if this turns out to be another damn ruin with an alien AI that has a type and tries to seduce me, I’m renegotiating my contract.”


    The agent opened the door for her, a glint of amusement flickering in his eyes. “I read that intriguing detail about its inquiries about mammal reproduction, Doctor. Welcome to Site-X0.”


    As Evelyn stepped into the hallway, her thoughts turned inward. Ancient ruins beneath the moon had already redefined what she thought was possible, with ancient Egyptian AIs that potentially had deeper roots with another species. It still had her interest. However, what this new assignment promised was something with higher stakes.


    What can I find in a seemingly endless ocean, hidden within the Earth’s crust? She gripped the folder tightly against her side, the clicking of her heels the only sound on her way to the elevator; she already had someone in mind to lead the first expedition.


    I’ll need someone with a bit of humor to lead this… A survivalist with a PhD in ocean biology—reckless enough to accept such a task without too many questions…


    The curly, brown-haired woman’s face flashed across her mind. I haven’t seen her since college. Yes, she’ll do.