Here I am; walking down this corridor I walked down a million times when I was younger. Everything is exactly the way I remember it; dirty marks covering the light grey walls, muddy footprints in lines all over the once perfectly white floor and also completely empty of any other human being. I would have expected it to be a little bit cleaner but then when I thought about what actually went on down here I wasn't surprised with how it looked. In all honesty, I wouldn't want it any other way; this place is the closest thing I have to a home anymore.

I walked until I came to the operations room, the big, black OP still painted onto the door. After debating on whether or not to go in, I pushed open the door and got exactly what I was expecting, every single god damn gun in the room was now aimed directly at me. I probably shouldn't have walked in unannounced. "What the hell are you doing in here?" A voice somewhere in the back shouted loudly at me. I held my hands open in the air to show that I was unarmed and meant them no harm. "Everyone put your weapons down." He barked and everybody did as he said some more hesitantly than others, and I took a slight breath of relief. That could have gone terribly wrong, these boys don't fuck around, they shoot to kill.

"What should we do with her?" A young man asked, he could have only been in his early twenties wearing a smart suit and tie but it was obvious he hadn't been with the department for very long; you never ever let outsiders know that you don't know what you're doing. That is a big no-no.

"Take her to interrogation room 3." The same voice from before commanded and I groaned internally. Another man, slightly older this time-maybe's mid-to-late thirties, still dressed in the standard uniform of a suit and tie, took a step away from everybody else and a step closer to me. "Turn around." His voice was gentler than the other mans but his tone was still firm and demanding, carrying with it a warning to do as he said or face the consequences. I prefer not to have 9mm holes in my chest so I did as he said feeling every pair of eyes in the room on me, some people already gripping their pistols again just waiting for me to try and run. My hands were secured firmly in place behind my back with a set of rigid handcuffs that I was sure were going to leave bruises with how tightly they had been secured. I was then forcefully pushed back out of the door I had entered through and down a never ending maze of identical corridors to another door with IR3 painted on it in black. When I saw what was inside of the room it was exactly the way I had seen it the last time I was in here; two chairs with a table separating them and four brick plain grey walls. "Sit down." He motioned to one of the two chairs before leaving me alone staring at my enclosure; it had been a while.

It must have been at least two hours before somebody came to see me. Thankfully this time it was a familiar face but I very highly doubted that he would recognise me. It had been just over five years since we had seen each other last and I had changed a considerable amount; my once blonde dyed hair now back to its natural dark brown, the brown contact lenses I once wore now long gone so he was staring into my icy blue eyes, I had also been built up a little bit more since our last encounter. I am no longer the shy, vulnerable girl he once knew where as he hadn't changed in the slightest. "Name?" He started with the familiarities but that wasn't why I was here. He didn't need to know who I was at this point so I would not tell him.

"I can't tell you sir." He gave me a cold, icy stare trying to intimidate me into giving him answers but when I didn't he wrote my previous answer down on his small piece of paper.

"Age?"

"I can't tell you sir." I gave him the same standard answer I was taught and trained to give when asked personal questions. Seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere with personal questions he changed his tactic.

"How did you get in here?" I didn't say anything, instead choosing to sit and stare into his eyes and I could tell I was making him uncomfortable when he slightly shifted in his seat. "Flash."

"Thunder." The words came out of my mouth as an automatic response and I mentally cursed myself making sure to never break eye contact with him.

"How did you know our pass code?" I just sat and stared and stayed silent. There was no way in hell I was answering his questions until I had formulated a plan of action. Or at least until I decided why I was actually back here in this building after five years.

Interrogation lasted another hour and a half and he still didn't manage to break me. He was just about to ask another stupid question which he wasn't going to get an answer to, just like the other fifty million he had asked, when the door burst open. "What the hell are you doing, never ever bother an interrogation." A small smile was playing on my lips at the sight of the new person.

"Shut up Jake. How didn't you recognise her?" Mathew scolded and Jake gave him a confused look as I was set free being given a tight, bone crushing hug as well as a quick peck on the lips.

"Who is she then?" He asked glaring at me and if looks could kill I'd be six feet under.

"McKenzie Taylor, ex-recruit." I spoke with pride evident in my voice. I had no problem answering his questions now I wasn't handcuffed.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Jake rushed out running around the table and pulling me into his chest. While he was hugging me I gently pulled the handcuff keys out of his back pocket making sure he couldn't see them concealed in my closed fist. "I thought you were dead. Five years, five fucking years!" He scolded when he pulled away running a hand through his hair, gently pulling at the roots while I took the opportunity to slip the keys into my back pocket. "Why did you leave?"

"I didn't want to follow in my parents footsteps." I had already clicked on to what they were doing. I had realised as soon as I was un-handcuffed exactly what was happening, they may have been my friends at one point but I must remember that they aren't now. They were just using this as another interrogation method but what they didn't know was that they were playing right into my hands. I placed my hands behind my back once again turning my back on them both. "If you're going to interrogate me then you can handcuff me." They didn't argue as I was once again handcuffed and seated. "I see you're wearing military dog tags. What were you; army, navy, air force...?"

"No sir." They want information then they can have it no problem, but only what I choose to tell them and when I choose to tell it.

"Then whose are they?"

"Mine sir."

"But you just said they weren't." He was becoming agitated with me which was good; it meant I had him exactly where I wanted him. Always be the smartest person in the room. "So I'll ask again, are you in the army?"

"No sir, I'm a marine."

"What are your intentions?" When I didn't answer he asked again, this time more demanding. I knew full well what happened to people who refused to answer questions so I was fully prepared for it when I was flipped out of my chair landing on the concrete floor with a loud thud. A boot then connected harshly with my ribs sending me rolling over onto my back. I was defenceless down here which was exactly how I wanted it to be. I only came here for one last look around, I don't think I was expecting to walk back out alive and I was completely fine with that. Jake took complete advantage of my new position, moving so he was straddling my waist. "This is one of the most secure and top secret places on the entire Earth so you can either tell me what you're here for or you'll be leaving in a body bag." I stood my ground even when I saw him reaching for his 9mm parabellum jabbing it into my chest and making sure I saw the safety catch being flicked off. "One last chance." His voice was laced with anger at my stubbornness because he had expected me to break by now but like I said, I'm not the same person that he used to know.

I could hear a slight murmuring coming from his ear piece and whatever was being said on the other end had him really pissed off now. "Get your ass up, NOW!" He shouted dragging me to stand on my own two feet. "We're going to high command." I followed him to another door labelled HC and I was pushed in, stumbling slightly before regaining my balance and the door was slammed shut behind me with such a force I'm surprised it didn't follow after Jake. He was really pissed. Somebody was sat in a black, high backed chair facing away from me so I couldn't see them. "McKenzie Taylor, 21 years old and ex-recruit turned marine." Finally, somebody who knew me.

"Yes sir." I stood in the at-ease position because it was the only way I could stand as I began to unlock myself being careful not to tighten the cuffs anymore because they were digging into the skin big-time now.

"I need your help Miss Taylor." He spun around to face me, eyeing me up and down.

"What with sir?"

"First of all you can cut the military crap. Slouch a little, stand however the hell you feel comfortable and for god's sake stop calling me sir."

"Sorry sir." I apologised but it was too difficult for me not to call him sir. After five years of being in the Marine Corps it's pretty much drilled into my brain and now comes as an automatic response to anybody in a higher command than me.

"Whatever. I need your help with an operation." He sighed. He pulled out a folder from his desk drawer throwing it down onto the wooden desk top.

"I don't know how I can help sir. I was never actually a full recruit, I never completed an op." I tried to explain but he wasn't having any of it.

"Youngest ever recruit at the age of thirteen, completed two and a half years' worth of training in just one year. By the age of fifteen you were the best damn shot by far and could give any recruit a run for their money. You were the first and only ever female sniper so I know your military history will never be on record. I also know that you were brilliant at sleight of hand so if you pass me the key from your back pocket I'll unlock you and we can talk about this properly." This guy really does his homework to know all of this about me.

"Well since you know I have the key I might as well tell you I haven't been locked for the past five minutes." I held my hands out in front of me to prove I wasn't lying and the smile on his face only seemed to grow as I took a seat opposite him.

"I would have expected nothing less Miss Taylor. Now, tell me what you know about Operation Curahee." I thought about it for a minute, recalling any and every bit of information I knew about this particular operation before giving him an answer.

"Curahee is believed to mean stand alone. The entire operation was basically called Operation Stand Alone. It was an op a few years ago supposed to be carried out by two hand-picked specially trained recruits who would be completely on their own hence the name Curahee. It ended with fifteen dead recruits and was then called off and completely classified so there are only a hand few of people left who know anything about it. Why?" He handed me the folder allowing me to have a flick through. Most of it was just pictures and reports which my eyes scanned over quickly taking in as much information as I could in the little amount of time I allowed myself. "I'm still not seeing what this has to do with me." I shrugged handing him back the folder.

"Operation Curahee is back up and running and you're in charge."