Octagon Project 1: Melody Halloway

~-3-~

"She's waking up." Taylor, the head of recruitment activity and agency surveillance called from her place in front of the wall of small screens with video monitoring of cells, hallways, and the infirmary.

"Hudson, get back into the intel department. We still need new recruits you know." McHall ordered as he briskly stepped forward and looked at the one small screen where the agency's new and possibly best recruit began to flutter open her eyes. "Zack, I want you down there ASAP for orientation." McHall barked.

"What about Jason?" Zack quickly suggested, brushing his dark shaggy hair out of his bright blue eyes.

"Jason is preparing a room for our new recruit with Abigail. And Dean and Roy are in the infirmary thanks to her. Now go." McHall replied, growing frustrated. "And you know that cutting your hair might even be a good idea if you want to see what you're doing on the field." He stated as Zack brushed his shaggy black hair out of his eyes again.

"I haven't failed any mission yet." He mumbled as McHall turned towards the screen again.

"Key being 'yet.'" McHall said, holding up a finger, then pointed in the direction of the door. "Now go. I won't say it again." Zack grumbled and began mumbling under his breath as he walked down the hall towards cell #8. Did McHall really want him to do the orientation just because she sent half his team to the infirmary? The worst wound was a stab in the foot. How dangerous could she really be?

Mel woke up to see a white ceiling. She was in a room with white walls, laying on a mattress covered in a white sheet. The frame was silver steel, and the bed was extremely tall. She was laying on a loft bed from the looks of it. There were four circular lights that were inserted into the ceiling on all four corners of the room and a small security camera was out of reach in the corner diagonally across the room from her.

Where the hell am I? She thought, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.

"She's going to jump." Taylor said through the com Zack was wearing as he reached the metallic door with the number eight etched into it in black.

"Thanks, but I've done enough orientations to know that a recruit who sends half your group into the clinic is going to end up jumping." Zack spat back bitterly.

"Enough with the sarcasm Zachary. Time isn't something to be wasted." McHall glowered. Zack grumbled under his breath again and pressed his thumb down on the scanner on the handle until a little click sounded and he opened the door. The minute he entered the room, a weight knocked into him. Thank God for automatic shutting as the cell door clicked shut instantly behind him and Zack's eyes refocused to see a pair of bright jade green eyes staring back at him with a mix of anger, confusion, fear, and what looked a little bit like shock. When Taylor said jump, this certainly wasn't the type of jump he expected.

"I told you she'd jump..." Taylor sighed in the com. The new recruit climbed off of him and stood near the steel bed with her hands out at her sides, shaking slightly, but jaw clenching and loosening repetitively. Zack quickly turned off his com and recomposed himself to the emotionless and dryly sarcastic agent he was expected to be. Grabbing the metal chair that sat untouched in one corner of the room, he placed it in the center and sat down, crossing one foot over his opposite thigh. No one ever warned him that she was like this.

"Melody Hope Halloway." He said dryly. He could tell that she wasn't much of a talker as she began to open her mouth to say something, but shut it. Or maybe she was just afraid to say something. After all, she was pretty much just kidnapped by a bunch of guys. And even Abigail couldn't be considered a woman. She was way too fierce for that. Not that she cared what anyone thought of her.

"Welcome to the agency." He said almost too sarcastically. He was going to be chewed out for that later he was sure.

"What are you talking about?" Mel growled, clenching her teeth and fists from the fighting urge to grab the dagger that was sitting loosely in a pouch on his outer left thigh and slice his throat. Besides his over-the-top good looks, she hated him already. Who was he? Why did he kidnap her? Where is she? What in all of living hell is going on?! He smiled. It was an empty smile but full of humor as he watched Mel.