Bangkok

1. Blue Monday

"Nothing you do matters as much as you think. Your greatest achievements aren't yours at all, they're accidents and jokes. You're a puppet, the universe does the work, and it gets the most done when you're moving the least. Surrender, flow, relax. Don't be hard on yourself, don't put pressure on yourself, life is just a chain of experiments and results, and you'll be perfect when you're dead."
― Dan Harmon

The Monday morning was cold in Bern. Diana stood by the window of her apartment, looking out the snow-covered streets below. The streetlights reflected off the frosty pavement, casting an eerie glow over the city. The Alps loomed on the horizon, lit by a full moon. But Diana barely noticed the beautiful scene outside. Her mind was focused on the terrible news she had just received. Melanie Boza, the great-granddaughter of INTI's founder, stood before her, looking serious. "I'm sorry, Diana," Melanie said softly. " I regret to say Paithoon is dead. He was found dead in the ASOK area in Bangkok."

Diana's heart sank. Paithoon, her lover and fellow agent of INTI, was gone. Killed in a mission by the forces of darkness. She struggled to find words, her throat tight with grief.

"Who did this?" Diana finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Melanie's eyes hardened. "It was the Mano Negra," she replied. "They've been our enemies for too long."

The Mano Negra was a criminal organization that spread corruption across the world. INTI had been fighting them for years.

Melanie explained that Paithoon's mission was critical. He was supposed to drain the funds of the Mano Negra's Southwest Asian branch, which was about to buy nuclear weapons from a former Soviet republic. A dangerous mission in the world of international espionage.

Diana felt anger mix with her grief. Paithoon's death could not go unpunished. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"We can't let them get away with this," Diana said, her voice determined. "Paithoon's death will not be in vain. We'll make them pay."

Melanie nodded, her expression grim. "We will, Diana. But first, you need time to grieve. "Diana shook her head, her eyes filled with defiance. "There'll be time for that later. Right now, we need to focus on finding whoever did this and bringing them to justice."

With a heavy heart, Diana turned away from the window and put on her headphones. She opened a Spotify playlist, and the haunting music of John Coltrane filled her ears, mixing with her grief. As the jazz played, Diana knew that the road ahead would be dangerous and uncertain but ready to face whatever challenges came her way, driven by a burning desire for vengeance and justice and she would never forget that Paithoon made her feel truly herself for the first time since her gender transition.