[b][center]Project Freelancer[/center][/b]

The large, white room was filled with only a small ground of people, less than half of the original candidates remained. South Dakota stood stiff, her breathing slightly heavy as her heart pumped. They were facing a one-way mirror and she knew that on the other side there were even higher ups watching them, talking about them, judging. How she’d gotten this far she’d never know.

“[i]Hello agents.[/i]” The feminine robotic voice broke the silence of the room and South jumped slightly, gasping in shock. She felt something brush against her hand and she dared a glance to the side to see North Dakota beside her, his hand beside hers, touching, but not holding, just reminding her he was there to comfort her. “[i]Congratulations on making it past the preliminary elimination rounds. I am the Freelancer Integrated Logistics and Security System. You may call me F.I.L.S.S. It is a pleasure to meet you. Secondary testing rounds will be beginning shortly. These tests are designed to evaluate your abilities in a variety of skills you will need to survive. Please feel free to take a seat and wait until your name is called. Thank you.[/i]”

South let out this breath she had been unconsciously holding and moved to sit on the most nearby seat almost immediately, North following along and sitting beside her, placing a hand momentarily on her back. “You okay kiddo?” South looked up at him and nodded slightly. “You’re doing fine.” He assured her. “You made it this far, didn’t you?”

“Somehow.” The girl grumbled, looking back to the floor. “I heard we’re going to be ranked by our results in the next round. I guess we’ll find out how ‘fine’ I’m really doing then.” Beneath her helmet, despite her words, she gave him a smile and it reflected very slightly in her voice.

“You just do things your way.” North advised her quietly. “They’ll throw you into a lot of situations you’re not comfortable with and that are going to try to overwhelm you. But use that big brain of yours and think your way around the problem. Approach it from a different angle-”

The voice of F.I.L.S.S rang out throughout the room, calling the first agent to a testing room. Silence followed as one of them turned and left the room without a word.About ten minutes later another agent was called though there seemed to be no order to it at all. His name followed after another wait and he stood, resting a hand on South’s shoulder. “I’ll see you at the end of this okay?” He said softly, leaving the room as she watched him worriedly.