The streets of downtown Istanbul are a buzz as millions of locals head into their various places of business. If you have ever tried to walk around New York City during rush hour you know uncomfortable it can be. It is certainly not something for those who value their personal space. Well walking the streets of Istanbul during rush hour is like that, except instead of 8 million people it's more like 14. The weather is rather moderate, a cool 53 degrees which is typical for this time of year. It is in these cool and crowded conditions that Theo Pryce is attempting to navigate his way through the city with nothing more than a set of directions that Bruce Dern forced him to memorize before being put on a plane and sent to Europes most populated city.

It was almost two weeks ago that Theo Pryce was picked up outside of the United Center by three federal agents one of which is now Theo's new boss Bruce Dern. After agreeing slash being blackmailed into accepting a position with the Central Intelligence Agency Theo was given a few days to get things in order before being dispatched to Istanbul where he would complete his first task as a "Spook." It should also be pointed out that Theo has no idea what his actual mission is beyond what Dern told him which was to following the directions he memorized to the letter. Theo's hope is that once he does that the solution to his current problem will present itself.

The only advice Bruce gave Theo, despite Theo's repeated requests were to trust no one and to watch his back. Using some of the things Theo learned from watching various spy movies he's made sure to not take a direct route to his destination. He's entered a few stores as well as utilizing store front windows to check for anyone tails. Why he would have a tail is anyones guess but Theo figured with this being his first mission he might as well take his new bosses advice and watch his back. Satisfied that he isn't being followed Theo exits the small market and does his best to call the last two steps of his directions. A few moments later and Theo arrives at what is supposed to be his final destination.


"Son of a bitch."


Theo was sure that he memorized the directions perfectly and followed them to the letter and yet having arrived at where he believes to be the right spot he is left looking at a the remains of a building that appears to have been bulldozed sometime within the last few weeks. On the off chance that Theo may have been slightly off he turned around to see if perhaps his destination was actually across the street but no such luck for across the street was a parking lot.


"Something wrong Mr. Pryce?" The voice is a familiar one to Theo. He turns his head 90 degrees to the left and there standing next to him but back a foot or two is Bruce Dern.

"Well if it isn't the Super Spook himself. Have you been following me Bruce?"

"Yes I have. You could use some work learning how to pick up a tail."

"Well Bruce, it was my first time. Be gentle with me."

"It's not all bad though. You did make me work a lot harder than I expected to."

"Well you know Bruce, I do consider myself to be a Jason Bourne aficionado."

"Who?"

"Oh come on Bruce. Jason Bourne. Super Assasin that was part of a black ops government program. Played by oscar award winner Matt Damon. You know, the guy from Dogma and Eurotrip."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Seriously Bruce? Do you not watch movies?"

"Not since the 1974."

"You poor tortured bastard."

"I have other things to worry about and now so do you."

"Yeah like why are we standing in the middle of the street and why did you send me here?"

"Follow me and I will explain."


Bruce leads Theo across the street and through the parking lot. At the back end of the lot is a small structure that is about the size of a small shed. The small building is situated against a much bigger brick building which appears to house studio type apartments. On the outside of the small structure is a sign that lists out how much it costs to park in the lot based on various time ranges. As the two men approach the door to the structure Bruce gives a quick look around and satisfied that no one is watching opens the door and steps in. Theo, seeing no other real options follows Bruce in.

Once inside the structure a man of medium build stands up from his seat and walks over to the far wall, and with his left hand swipes it across a poster on the wall. Specifically he swiped his hand across the eyes of the figure in the poster. Obviously there is some sort of scanning device hidden behind the poster which is activated using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip that is embedded in the man's hand. A second later and a portion of the far wall slides upwards revealing a dimly lit stairway. Bruce looks back at Theo whose face remains unchanged and then nods towards the staircase.


"Does that guy have a chip inserted into his hand?"

"Yes he does."

"Bad ass. So where are we and is that guy an American?"

"He is. And we are descending into a subterranean Safe House.. One of several dozen within the city limits."

"I see."


It takes approximately 30 seconds for Theo and Bruce to descend towards their destination. Once there they walk down a short hallway until they come to an unmarked door. Next to the door is a small metal panel which quickly rises up into the wall upon Bruce touching it with his hand revealing a small ocular scanner. Bruce then lowers his head and places both of his eyes against the scanner for 2 seconds. The scanner's backlight goes from red to green and then without being prompted Bruce states his name aloud.


"Bruce Dern."


The backlight on the ocular implant blinks three times and the door in front of the two men opens up and of course Bruce is the first to walk through with Theo in tow.



"I'm not going to lie Bruce, this place looks like a rape dungeon."

"I can assure you it is not that."

"Why are we here?"

"Follow me and I will show you."


Bruce leads Theo through a labyrinth of hallways before mercifully reaching their final destination, an expansive room with several individuals in it. To the far side is a bank of computer screens with a leggy blonde seated in front of them, clearly focused on whatever her task at hand is. Seated around a lengthy table are two men, one white, one black. And walking into the room from the back end is a beautiful young looking brunette. She is the first person to notice their new guests and sets down the folder that was in her hand on the big table and approaches Theo and Bruce.


"Welcome to The Hatch."

"The Hatch?"

"Yeah that's what we've named this place. The Hatch. A bit of a rip off from the show LOST but it fits."

"Theo Pryce meet Harper Kane."




Theo extends his hand to which Harper returns the gesture.


"A pleasure."


The little introduction makes enough noise to grab the attention of the two men seated at the table. One by one the two men get up from their seats and approach Theo who is walking with Bruce and Harper towards them from the other side of the room. The first to reach them is a white male mid 40's with short black hair that is peppered with gray and parted to the side. The man stands at about 6 feet 2 inches.


"Theo Pryce meet David Archer."




"Hello."

"Welcome."

"David is a tracking and surveillance specialist"


The two new acquaintances exchange a head nod as another male, this time African American with a shaved head sticks his hand out to greet Theo. He appears to be in his late 30's early 40's standing about as tall as Theo but slightly more well built and next to him is another white male, late 30's with medium length brown hair and a few inches shorter than both Theo


"Next up we have Bryan Cross and Tom Reagan. Bryan is a field agent and Tom a case officer."

"Which one is which?"

"I'm Bryan. You and I will be working together in the field."



"Looking forward to it. And I suppose that makes you Tom?"

"That's correct mate."




"Australian?"

"British actually."

"Tom is on loan from MI6, which is..."

"British intelligence. I've seen the James Bond movies Bruce."

"Of course you have."

"And how about the woman over there? The one that seems permanently glued to her computer screens."

"That's Catherine Hyde."

"And what does she do?"

"Research Specialist. She is the person primarily responsible for gathering background intel for the various missions you and the rest of your team will be assigned."

"Does she speak?"

"Yes she does." smiles Harper.

"A lot actually." quips David, a remark that draw some faint laughter from the rest of the team.


Theo then takes it upon himself to walk over towards where Catherine is working and before he can even get a word out she prempts him.


"One second. I just need to finish this up."


Catherine finishes typing some keystrokes on her keyboard and then spins around in her chair. Her face is paleish but not overly so. A pair of brown and black glasses help to accent her blue eyes.




"Hi I'm...ugh..."



"Catherine Hyde. Are you ok?"

"Yes. Sorry it's just that...well I read over your file which included a picture but well, you are much more attractive in person."

"Must have been an old picture. But thank you."

"Oh wow, that must have been awkward. Sorry about that."


While this little awkward exchange was taking place Bruce and the rest of the team made their way over to Catherine and Theo's location.


"Everything ok?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Now that you have all been introduced let's take a seat and get down to brass tax, your first mission as a team."


Theo and the other members of the team walk over to the center of the room and take a seat at the table while Bruce walks over to a blank white board picks up a marker and writes the word "Lightning" and then circles it as the scene fades out.


TBC.