"Why not?"

The woman sighed and took another drag from her cigarette, blowing the smoke out to the side. "I am aware that your late father was an employee, but we have never hired a female to work for our company, and we aren't going to make a habit of it now. Even if we COULD look past that, you are clearly untrained and unqualified to do this job. This isn't a charity; we aren't obligated to follow your request."

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I quickly thought of a response. "My father left me his journals. I read them, they told me everything. He said it was a war, and there are two teams. He worked for BLU."

The woman was silent. Meeting no resistance from her, I continued. "You don't advertise your 'business' as a war, do you? How do you think people would react if they found out what was really going on here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

I locked eyes with her, trying to hide my unease. "I don't want to threaten you. I just want a job for a little bit, so I can see… what it was like, I guess. I want to know more about him and what he did."

The woman looked me up and down before pressing a button on the panel in front of her. "Ms Pauling!"

A younger woman with glasses and black hair tied up in a bun ran in, trailing papers behind her. "Yes ma'am?"

"Are there any scout positions available?"

Ms Pauling adjusted her glasses and rifled through the papers. "Hm… let's see… well, not, not at the moment…" A phone rang, interrupting her mid-sentence. Ms Pauling thrust the papers into my hands and pulled out a cell phone. "Pauling here… oh, Medic! What do you need?" A pause. "Really? Well, I'll try to send someone out right away to pick up the remains. A new recruit will be there within a week."

She put the phone back in a pocket and grabbed the papers again. "Correction, there's one scout position available."

The older woman glanced at me again and put out her cigarette in the ashtray. "Would you mind waiting outside for a moment?"

Ms Pauling opened the door for me and ushered me out into the empty hall. There were no chairs or benches, so I was forced to stand awkwardly by the door as I awaited their decision. I was tempted to press my ear against the door to see if I could catch any snippets of conversation, but a glint on the lens of a nearby security camera convinced me otherwise.

I quickly became bored with leaning against the wall and started to pace the floor. My hands went into my pockets seemingly of their own accord, toying with the strange pocket-watch I'd received as one of the few items of inheritance from my father.

I never had the chance to know him, and mum never talked about him all that much. She'd told me the story of how they met, but it was so long ago that I'd nearly forgotten. There was no mention of my mother in my father's journals, which I thought was a bit odd, but considering his line of work, it was understandable. What I did know is that after they met each other for the first time, they hit it off immediately. They started dating, and eventually my mom gave birth to me. They were supposed to get married after I was born, but my father got a new job and had to leave. He never came back after that, and I never heard from him, aside from the occasional birthday or Christmas card, usually with a ludicrous amount of money stuffed inside but no signature.

The sound of the door opening jarred me from my thoughts. "You can come in now, we've made a decision."

I took a deep breath and walked back into the small office area. Ms Pauling offered me a seat (I was sure there hadn't been a chair there earlier) before standing off to the side. The older lady thumbed through a stack of papers, talking all the while. "If you've read your father's journals, you should be aware of the dangers of this job. If you don't want to end up dead, I suggest you learn quickly. You will have 8 other teammates, but I can't guarantee that they'll like you. Because of your age and gender, you will have to earn their respect, and the other team will target you if they sense any sign of weakness." She pulled out the paper she'd been looking for and handed it to me, along with a pen. "On the other hand, though, the pay is outstanding. Now, because of your 'special circumstances,' we had to draw up a new contract.

"Instead of the usual 4-year term contract, you will be given 6 months. You must stay these six months, but once the six months are over, you will be given a choice. If you have proven that you can handle the job, and if you so desire, you will be awarded extra time. If you find everything you're looking for after the six months have ended, or you are deemed unfit to continue your position, you will be sent home. We do have rules, but due to the nature of your contract, we will give you a bit of leeway, but only on the condition that you tell no one. If you agree with these terms, sign on the dotted line right there. We will start compiling a file for you and send it through."

There were quite a few papers included in the terms, but with the two women staring at me, I felt like I should just sign it and get it over with. I signed on the line and handed the pen back. A smile crossed the woman's face for the first time during the meeting, and I began to wonder if I had done something wrong.

"Excellent! You will begin later this week, if convenient. You will have to undergo some examinations beforehand, but those can be completely as early as tomorrow morning. You'll be briefed on your mission on the way to the base. Ms Pauling will escort you from the building." Ms Pauling walked over to me and began to walk me out, but the older lady spoke again. "Oh, and another thing. I suggest that you keep your parentage a secret if at all possible. We wouldn't want any of your teammates to find out."

I nodded awkwardly. I didn't really understand what she meant, it wouldn't matter all that much if BLU found out I was related to their old Spy. Before I walked out the door, though, she called out to me. "Welcome to RED."