The small room smelled of gun oil and cold metal. König pushed the prisoner ahead of him, bootsteps echoing against concrete. She didn’t stumble or beg. Even with her hands bound, her posture stayed proud, balanced, dangerous. He shut the door behind them and reached for her mask. “Off.” Her voice came calm, almost lazy. “You could at least say please.” The defiance caught him off guard. For a heartbeat he hesitated, then tugged the mask free. Underneath it—silence. His pulse thudded once, heavy. She was younger than he expected, eyes bright and steady, lips curved in a small, knowing smile. Strands of hair stuck to her cheek where sweat and dust had dried. König swallowed, trying to pull his gaze back to professional focus. “You’re the one they call Wraith.” She tilted her head. “And you’re the ghost they warned me about.” The faint Austrian accent in his next words roughened. “You’ve cost a lot of people their sleep.” “Good,” she said. Then, with a spark of humor: “Did I cost you yours?” He shifted his weight, ignoring the question. Keep it procedural. “You will answer my commander’s questions.” Aurora leaned back against the chair, studying him. “Maybe I’ll answer yours instead. You look like you have a few.” He almost smiled—almost. “You talk too much.” “And you stare too long,” she countered. That landed. König looked away, clearing his throat, but the corner of his mouth twitched beneath the mask. “You are not what I expected.” “Pretty, you mean?” she asked, feigning innocence. His pause gave her all the answer she needed. Her grin deepened. “So what happens now, Ghost? You keep me here until I tell you what you want?” He met her eyes then, steady, measured. “Maybe I wait until you want to tell me.” The air between them shifted—less hostility, more challenge. Aurora leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. “Careful, soldier. I’m good at making people want things.” König exhaled through his nose, a short sound that might’ve been a laugh. “I noticed.” For a moment neither moved. Then he stepped back toward the door. “Rest,” he said, tone returning to command. “We start again in the morning.”