Hunter was there when Calley was dropped off. Keeping his face blank and his voice level he simply said, “Follow,” before turning and delving back into the labyrinth of corridors.

After a long, winding and deliberately disorienting walk they arrived at a small room with just two chairs inside. Once both Hunter and Calley were inside the door swung shut seemingly of its own accord and the sound of a heavy duty lock locking could be clearly heard.

Hunter took a seat and waited for Calley to do the same. His face was still blank. In truth he was frustrated with the boy. Calley had the combination of a mutation and natural talent for spying, but lacked focus and in the latest mission that had almost lead to a costly mistake.

He was determined to ensure that it did not happen again.

((ooc: Continued from "Curious Captain's Grand Night Out".))

Calley jumped at the sound of the lock. It sounded heavy-duty. And not overwhelmingly friendly. And the fact that he'd scooped up the pillow from the garage floor before following the Scary Boss Man suddenly didn't seem like his brightest idea ever. He put it on the chair, and sat on top of it.

He didn't say anything. He was afriad that finger-break for flippancy rule was still in effect. He didn't have any desire to test it.

But he did begin to figet compulsively with the pillow case under him.

“Why did you stop and stare at that cabinet after dropping off the CD?” Hunter asked Calley in a neutral tone of voice. He noted that the boy had brought the pillow with him, the pillow that he had ordered Calley to leave behind.

Seeing that he began to wonder if Calley had understood his reaction over disobeying his order. Did Calley even know why he had first lifted him off the ground by his head then flipped over the jeep he was hiding under? He would find out before they left this room.

Calley knew the answer to that one. But somehow, that only made it seem more like a trick question. He briefly wondered if the "jab out your eye for insincere answers" rule was in effect, but it would probably have been flippant to ask. So instead, he walked right into it: "Because there were pillows in there. Sir." He answered honestly. It was times like this that even he realized how immature he sounded. He found a hanging thread on the pillow case, and started wrapping it around his finger.

Hunter didn’t say anything for over a minute. Because there were pillows in there… He had not been expecting that as an answer. Now Calley didn’t seem to have a fetish for pillow as he hadn’t touched any in his apartment so he surmised that it was linked somehow to having to leave the pillow he was currently sitting on behind.

Finally speaking he said, in the same level tone, “Did you want the pillows because I made you leave that one behind?”

Definitely a trick question.

He didn't quite know what the trick was, but it was definitely a trick question. The fact that the Boss Man had looked a little taken aback for the briefest moment--a mere entire minute--when he'd given his last answer meant that the answers he was giving probably weren't the answers the Boss Man wanted. And what the Boss Man wanted, Calley suddenly wanted to give him. But he wasn't quite sure what that was. So he stuck to the "honesty" thing for the moment.

"Yes, Sir." Definitely.

His finger was starting to tingle and turn colors.

Hunter was beginning to think he was getting somewhere with Calley. A few more questions and he might have the solution to this little “prolem”.

“And why did you want to bring the pillow with you?” he asked, still in a level voice with the world’s best poker face revealing Calley nothing about his intentions.

The completely calm nature of this dicussion was starting to freak Calley out. The fact that he didn't have a nice--if stupid--answer for the man's latest question didn't really help.

"Errm... because I stole it from Doc Jimmy, Sir? Also, because it's fluffy. And white. Sir."

So Calley had resentment towards James. That wasn’t surprising as Hunter wasn’t fond of the man, just of his results. There was still one more question that needed answering.

“Why did you question my order to leave the pillow behind?”

"Because it was stupid, Sir." Calley said.

And then immediately regretted.

His finger had turned a lovely shade of purple.

As soon as the words left Calley’s mouth Hunter was moving. He shot up from the chair, seized Calley by the throat and slammed him into the far wall, keeping his feet several inches off the ground.

“I am going to say this once and only once,” he growled, “so pay attention. There is only one reason that my orders may be questioned and that is if you feel you can offer a better tactical alternative to completing your mission objective.”

“When you are not on a mission my orders are to be obeyed without question. When I say jump you ask how high. Am I making myself clear?” his face was a hairs breath from Calley’s his eyes glaring into the boy’s.

--And he was against a wall. And his head hurt. And oh crap. He'd really said that, hadn't he? Yes. Yes, he had. Unfortunately, he'd said this, as well, before he could stop himself:

"But it was stupid. It's a pillow, Sir."

The fact that he was clearly ennunciating his words past the man's grip on his throat, like Hunter needed them explained to them, probably wasn't going to help his situation.

So to answer the man's question: No, not really.

The thread had snapped, and was loosely twirled around Calley's finger.

At the moment Calley had said the word but Hunter knew that he hadn’t gotten through to him. Once Calley had finished speaking he responded by flinging him into the opposite wall.

Stalking over to the boy’s crumpled form he crouched down next to him and said in that calm, level voice, “Your opinion is irrelevant. when not on a mission you follow my orders without question. Now is that clear?”

Calley hit the wall. Calley slid down the wall. Calley watched limply as the Scary Boss Man's shoes approached. The man's words certainly were clear enough. But... Calley didn't like them, no.

In an abrupt burst, he shifted to cat, and ran for the door. His plan had been something along the lines of "use cat to get past him, use human to open the thing, and then run like hell". He remembered half-way there about that whole ominous-locking noise.

Right.

Calley turned around at the door, every hair on his body standing on end, and arched his back. From where he'd been sitting, he was going along with the missions because they were fun. The explode-a-collar was something, but Calley's fear had a way of dissipating rapidly. Fun things were about the only thing that stayed in his mind for long. And no, asking 'how high' when the Scary Man said 'jump' didn't sound like much fun. He spat a hiss at the man.

Hunter shook his head slightly as Calley shifted and bolted for the door. This was going to take longer than he thought. Rising from his crouch he turned to look at Calley’s small defiant form over by the door.

“Turn human now,” he said calmly. Calley had exactly three seconds to comply.