Seventeen pulled her silver hair into a ponytail and headed into the stations office. Agent or no she had just completed a mission and there was a ton of paperwork to do! She hated this part of the job more than she did being in the project. Even more than the fact hardly anyone talked to her out of fear she would whip their ass and that barely got to her.

"Seventeen!" A voice came from outside her office door.

"Come in Twelve, it's open" Seventeen mumbled planting her head on her desk.

Twelve was one of the projects top five agents along with Seventeen. The project was offically known as the Proteus program. All workers asked and volunteer if and when they are good enough on their own to be noticed by the Proteus agents.

In better words to describe it. A type of the project where you had to prove yourself and everything you had everyday and time you were on a mission, otherwise you got left behind. They had over fifty agents here all trained to be the best and the most competitive. Another silver bullet to win the war that was still untested.

And as a cover for all agents they were assigned a number instead of their real names. For example Seventeen wasn't her real name it was just to protect their families and friends if they were captured and tortured that they didn't have anything on their co-operatives.

Seventeen knew when she had been asked to join the off-the-books operations military program at the young tender age of fifteen what was to happen to her. Training every morning no special treatment despite being one of the youngest there. Weapons mastery had to be known as well as been able to identify who was was a friend or foe. Not to mention hand to hand...

All that training, but she wasn't allowed on the battlefield until she knew everything that was deemed necessary to place her there. Her real name banished, her life as a civillian destroyed, Seventeen's contact with family minium, if she had any that was.

Snapping back to reality instead of daydream she looked at Twelve. "What did I do now?" she asked.

"Nothing I just wanted to see how long it took for you to freak out. Also Zero wants to speak to you. It's important and he's mad!" He said. Zero started the project he was the head agent and director of the project.

"Always is" she returned.

Seventeen sighed standing up and marched herself down to the stations observation deck. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" She asked, bracing herself for the worst. Saluting as she should then going at ease.

"Yes Seventeen, please take a seat" he indicated to two chairs that had been set up.

She did as ordered feeling a bit odd, last time they had been casual was to... oh no! Not again! She would refuse point blank. "Sir if this is for-" He cut her off with a motion of his hand.

"Seventeen this is needed your one of my best. After what happened with you in training with the sargent...I don't expect any less or more of you now from what happened then," that made Seventeen feel a pang from her stomach.

She still didn't see why she was here. And she definately wasn't sure why her boss would bring up her homicidal training sargent. That bastard stared it she ended it.

"Sir I still don't understand, what has this to do with me?" she asked. Seventeen hated leaving the Proteain station

"There are some suspicious rumours flying around the project Freelancer and no one knows for sure what the intentions are. And the UNSC are saying they cannot use their agents and have written to ask if we can send in one of ours" Seventeen knew what he meant. This way no-one relating to the UNSC could be hurt during the investigations, it would only lead back to Proteus.

"And you want me?" Seventeen questioned.

"Exactly" He said. "Report to the satilites hangerbay first thing tommorow that's when the Mother docks and Seventeen your armour is being changed you need to go down to the armoury and choose a color" he added before leaving.

'Great!' She rolled her eyes, 'I think I need a coffee before I decide to chose which color is the new black' Seventeen mentally added.

Following orders she quickly made her way there. A giant room one of the walls filled with different models of armour the other side with spare parts, paint, boxes of add-ons and tools. Which one? Oh the choices, the choices...

"Can't pick one, Seventeen?" a voice called.

"No luck Twenty, too many to pick!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah they are all a thing of beauty" he said after shooing out on of the staff.

"I'm jelous you get to stay here and I go out and get my ass kicked!" Seventeen crossed her arms and leaned against a bench still looking at the armour.

"Let me guess on a mission and you aren't allowed your regular armour, it has to be light and easy to move in none of the big gun crap. I have just the thing" he said leaving her puzzled. He headed out the back into the supply room, then came back carrying a box marked 'prototype' covered in dust, she raised an eyebrow.

"I know but there is a reason, this armour never got tested because as soon as it was made so was a second set which is heavier and bulkier but got approved instead of this. I kept the origonal set for years" he said using a crowbar to open it.

Camo green ODST armour was in it no dust and perfectly working the UNSC logo on the front, but Twenty said Seventeen could paint over it in the same green. She smiled at the thought of painting over it. Truth be told Seventeen never like the UNSC or Project Freelancer too many rules and way too many barriers for them to not get exposed with.

Two hours of respraying her armour she started to yawn, 'time to go to sleep' she thought falling asleep on the bench.