Melody stood behind a pillar in an almost deserted underground parking lot where she watched a muscularly fit man of about 39 near his antique car. The man who had thick, almost black hair, paused next to the driver's door noticing something was wrong. Melody's hand instinctively flew to her hip where a small handgun was holstered. The man's sea green eyes searched the exterior of his car, to notice a slip of paper tucked under the front windshield wiper, where Melody had left it. After putting the paper safely inside his pants pocket, he looked up and scanned the parking lot, where his eyes came upon Melody's thin and athletic figure. Knowing she had been spotted, she quickly turned and ran for the up ramp to escape the underground parking lot. The man, being in incredible physical shape quickly caught up to Melody, who had just turned 17 and was dressed in a baggy black sweatshirt and loose navy blue track pants which made her look like a local hoodlum. Her sweatshirt hood flew off with her movements to reveal a head of thick, brown hair that just passed her shoulders. Gun in hand, she knew who the man who was chasing her was and she knew she had no chance of outrunning him, so she turned and faced him. He was quite surprised to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun and into the fearful face of the recently gone missing, president's daughter. He raised his hands in submission but bent his knees in preparation for a spring. In fear of losing her, he caught Melody off guard in a tackle during which her head roughly hit the ground. He rolled her onto her back to see her brown eyes had closed and her body gone limp. Dirk cursed, and then placed her carefully in the back seat of his car before driving back to the hangar which he calls home.

Melody awoke to an achy head and the dull sounds of a t.v. Her eyes flickered open to find herself in a strange apartment sprawled across a couch. Melody's small hand reached for her gun but found only a bare hip. She sat up and backed into the arm of the couch to take in her surroundings when she spotted a different man in the opposite corner of the room.

"I have it" the strange man said while showing her, her handgun that should have been on her hip. The man was probably around 5 ft tall but was built like a tank and his dark hair was ruffled from the lack of attention it received.

Melody carefully slid her hand down her calf, and when she found the handle she was looking for, she firmly grasped and pulled it out of its sheath. The man saw the kitchen knife in Melody's hand and slowly rose from his chair.

"Dirk," the man called out, "we might have a little bit of a problem". Melody stood up and ran to what she thought was he way out while the man just watched her. She reached for the door handle but the door opened without her help because Dirk Pitt was on the other side. Seeing the knife in her hand, he grabbed her wrist with lightning reflexes. She lifted her other arm intending to strike only to find that he now had both of her wrists and was pulling her roughly towards the couch.

"Want to explain to us what you are doing so far from the white house, miss Kingsbury. And why you like to play with dangerous toys?" Dirk said as he sat on the couch forcing Melody to do so also. The other man pried the knife out of Melody's hand and laid it next to the recently confiscated gun. Melody's anger and fear built and began trying to free her hands. Melody continued the struggle against Dirk's iron grip but made no success.

"Al" Dirk said. The other man nodded as if he had been reading Dirk's thoughts. He left the room briefly and came back carrying a small dart rifle which had darts filled with a mild sedative. Melody, who was concentrating on her fight, did not have plans in remaining in Pitt's apartment so continued the worthless struggle.

Al Giordino fired but nobody would have known because of the silencer. Before Melody could feel the pinch of the dart in her shoulder, her eyes closed and she was out like a light for the second time that day.

Dirk moved her to his bed and pulled off her sweatshirt. Stunned at what he saw, he, carefully pulled off her track pants. Underneath her hoodlum disguise, Melody was wearing light body armour which was on top of shorts and a tank top. Strapped on above her body armour, Melody was loaded with assortments of handguns and knives. After Dirk and Al removed all off her weapons, which came to a grand total of 5 kitchen knives, 8 throwing knives and 3 different guns, they put her sweatshirt and track pants back on. Giordino went to go nap on the couch while Pitt hid the weapons and tied Melody's hands together which he was sure he would later regret.

It was about nine thirty in the morning when Melody's eyes fluttered open and shut. The darkness that had edged her vision was slowly fading. Melody rolled over wanting to go back to sleep but the sun spilling in the window would not allow her the pleasure. Melody sat up confused for the second time. She tried to stretch but her hands would not allow her. She looked down and cursed at the cord which held her hands together. She sighed, and noticing the lightness of her body, cursed again at the men who had unarmed her. She searched the entire room for a sharp object to help free herself but the room had be well proofed. She flopped back onto the bed, to suddenly realize the noise just made thanks to the old and creaky bedsprings.

The door open silently to reveal Al, who took up the width of the door way. Melody jumped back at the remembrance of the previous night. Her feet out in front of her on the bed, she froze when he stepped forward. Seeing the terror flicker in and out of her eyes, he raised his empty hands as Pitt had in the parking lot. He tried a soft smile.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked with a playfulness as he eased a step closer. Her eyes searched the room for possible escapes, but found none. Al continued to slowly walk forward until Melody's expression changed suddenly. She had caught the smell of bacon coming off him. She closed her eyes and tried to identify the last time she had eaten anything that had smelled so good. Melody exhaled and relaxed. She opened her eyes and Al was at the edge of the bed.

"Easy" he said as if to a spooked animal. He walked around the bed to come to stand next to her. Melody's eyes had followed him but she did not bother to re-adjust herself because the well trained muscles that she could see from under his shirt could easily overpower her and they both knew it.

"Would you like something to eat?" he offered with an outstretched hand. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the cord that held her wrists together and led her to the kitchen where a breakfast of cereal and bacon awaited her.

"Thanks" Melody spoke with sincerity. She paused, before sitting down thinking over the simple dilemma that she was faced with. She put on her best innocent face.

"Is this really necessary?" she said as she held up her hands which were still tied together.

Al looked at her with a 'well..' face and replied. "You did put up a bit of a fight last night. And besides, Dirk went to work so I'm the 'annoying president's daughter' sitter and I don't want trouble and neither do you so you get to stay tied."

Melody let out a sigh and ate her breakfast without further complaint.

As Dirk neared his hangar, he, in his head was envisioning what he might come home to, from a passed out girl, to her screaming, to Al sitting on her, to them not even being there. He was, however, not at all prepared for what he did see. Dirk entered the kitchen to see the 'Game of Life' spread across the kitchen table, both parties drinking milkshakes and Melody's hands free and waiving but her legs were tied to the stool which she sat on.

"Looks like someone made a new friend," Dirk commented as he moved from the kitchen doorway to the refrigerator to see if there was any food left. Al and Melody looked at each other in confusion, because they were not quite sure who Dirk was addressing.

"I think I deserve a certain explanation from the girl tied to the chair," Pitt said as he checked the game board to see who was winning.

"Hey. That's me" Melody said as if she had won the lottery. Melody thought for a second. "Al sucks at life," she announced after the moment of anticipation. Which, if the situation was different, would have been very offensive. She looked over at Pitt to see if that answered his question which it clearly didn't. "We are playing a board game" she tried.

Pitt came over and leaned in real close, giving Melody no place to go.

"Let's try this," he started. She looked at Al and then back at Dirk. He leaned in a little closer again. "Why were you watching me in the parking lot and why were you dressed like a member of the swat team?"

"You should know," she replied and then shrugged. "You got all the puzzle pieces so put them together". Melody turned back to the game and played out her turn. Dirk went and sat at the head of the table and sipped at what little there was left of the milkshake he had poured himself.

"Care to run me through it anyway?" Pitt asked.

"No," Melody said without even looking up.

"Yes," he said starting an argument he wasn't sure he could win, considering most teenagers have plenty of practise on their parents.

"No". Melody's voice now had an edge of irritation to it which pleased Pitt, in the way that he is making progress at cracking her hard shell.

"Fine," Dirk said defeat. "I guess will just have to call your dad and tell him you're being naughty. Because I'm quite sure he won't take your return lightly."

"You can't do that because then both of your butts would be in jail," Melody spoke with confidence. "Because who are they going to believe. Me or you?" Melody smiled deviously.

Dirk decided not to try any harder for now but made them both hamburgers and by the time they were all done their meal, cleaned up and played another round of Life, which Al surprisingly won, Melody was sound asleep on the couch, or so the men thought.

"When do you plan to end this little charade?" Al asked Dirk while he surfed the television channels.

"You mean the 'you can hide away from your problems here until they get sorted out, which we now is not going to happen' charade?" Dirk replied to which Al nodded. "Well, it seems to be coming to the fact we may have to go and dump her at the white house. But I'm interested in what's actually going on because you don't run away from a life of luxury for nothing." Melody fought the urge to roll over from her uncomfortable position so that she would not give herself away. She tried her hardest to keep her breathing steady and not get worked up.

"And the fact that she has an army at her finger tips is also another thing," Dirk pointed out, but Al countered.

"Unless no one listens to you or takes you seriously." Al paused at the realization of his genius idea which ringed of truth. "Maybe that's where you come in. If she were to try and tell you something, you wouldn't have known she's a kid so you might have taken whatever it is more seriously." Dirk nodded in agreement and looked over to Melody who was asleep on the couch. She could feel all eyes on her and tried to remain calm and serene.

"So," Pitt concluded, "She is hiding a dangerous secret which no one believes. Any other ideas?"

"Maybe weapons of mass destruction?" Giordino tried. Both men laughed but it quickly faded into concentrated thought.

"Maybe" he echoed. Melody shuddered at how close the men actually were and then fell into a troubled sleep.

Dirk was up early the next morning. After his morning run, he had been home barely 10 min when he heard someone walk through the front door. He waved his hand at Al, to take Melody into his bedroom, and walked towards the front door where his was delightfully surprised to be greeted by his wife.

"Hey," Dirk said still stunned. "I thought you were on your business trip in Florida."

Loren looked at him. Their lips touched before she answered. "You don't sound very happy to see me." She frowned before kissing him again. "But the conference ended early because a couple members couldn't stay the whole five days so they sent us all home. And...I missed you" she grinned deviously.

"I need to warn you," he started. " One, Al's here..." Loren's face dropped into a frown. "Two...." Pitt's face turned serious. "we have unexpected company."

Melody woke up to her being dropped onto Dirk's bed. The moment Al saw her eyes flash open, his hand was over her mouth so she would not give them away. Giordino leaned over and whispered in Melody's ear.

"There is someone at the door so keep your mouth shut until we know who." Al soon heard the sound of Loren's voice and relaxed however Melody did not. Melody was unhappy with Pitt and Giordino onto her plan and she was not about to allow someone else in too. Frustrated, she sat on the bed and pouted while Al went out to greet Loren. Melody looked up when the sound of voices stopped and a beautiful woman's face peered around the door and gasped in shock at what her husband was hiding from her. Melody put on her best 'I really don't like this' face until the silence was broken by Dirk.

"Loren, I believe you know Melody." It was all that was needed because Melody and Loren Smith were both easily identifiable across all of North America, Melody for her father and Loren for being a congresswoman. This only worsened Melody's mood.

"So now more people know. Yes, Loren. It's me. Get over it." Melody stormed out of the room and entered the kitchen only before slamming the door.

"Maybe you ought to send flowers in advance next time," Al said as he casually tried to ease the tension. Pitt now sat down with Loren's hands in his and began to retell what he had lived through in the last two days.

Dirk entered the kitchen to see Melody eating his ice cream while sitting on the kitchen counter watching the news on the t.v sitting above his microwave. Her face flashing up on the screen every few channels.

"You're being unreasonable," Dirk said plainly. Melody looked at him with pure confusion.

"About what?" she asked.

"What you are not telling us," he started. "We can't help you if we don't know what you're problem is." He was pushing her temper and he knew it.

"Well, you were closer last night than you can imagine." Melody said. She looked at him with worry in her eyes. "I would tell you if I could, but I can't," she paused. "I can't."

He understood her to be telling the truth so silently moved across the room and returned to her holding a sheet of paper and pen. He then told her to wait while he went and brought out Loren, who was still in shock, and Al. He silently signalled for them to start talking loudly. Melody soon realized what he was doing and she started writing. When she was done, there were two filled pieces of paper on the kitchen counter with her living nightmare written on them. The adults wrapped up their conversation, took the papers and left Melody alone in the kitchen with her thoughts.

They have what they need, Melody figured. So I can go.

Melody had search the apartment already looking for her possessions but had turns up empty. She walked over to the fridge and decided it was worth it. She checked all the compartments and when she opened the ice maker, she had hit gold. Leaving the t.v on, she ran, as loaded as she had when she arrived. And the adults, who were occupied, did not notice until it was too late.

Loren walked into the kitchen with the thought that she could have a better chance at talking to Melody if it was just the two of them. As soon as she opened the door, she shivered at the cold draft coming from the open freezer.

"Melody?" she called as she was nowhere to be seen. Dirk entered at the sound of Melody's name, and when he saw the empty ice maker, he went to the phone and called 911.

"Hello, yes. I think I just saw the president's daughter. Yes, the girl that has gone missing." Dirk played innocent very well. By now, Al had joined them and leaned against the door frame talking to Loren. Dirk continued. "My wife spotted her first, because not a lot of people come out our way. No. She was dressed in baggy clothes. And was walking along the fence line. Our house is pretty run down and when we tried to talk to her, she started to run away. Yes. No, I don't think so. We tried to stall her. She ran toward the downtown area. Yes, thank you. Okay. Your welcome. Bye." Dirk hung up the phone.

He turned to Al and Loren. "We need to disable and hide all the security cameras. Because when the F.B.I drop in, we don't want to give ourselves away, do we." And they set to work.

Fifteen minutes later, several black vans approached the hangar which Dirk called home. Eight men, clad in similar black to the vans approached the hangar followed by a man in a navy blue suit.

Dirk and Loren came out to greet them because Al had been sent home to keep suspicion from arousing.

With extended hands, they greeted the F.B.I with warm smiles that were seeping with over enthusiasm.

The Pitt's then began to weave a story about how Melody had come by their hangar only to find it was already inhabited before turning and fleeing west, which was the actual direction she had run, according to Pitts' security cameras.

By the time the F.B.I had left, they already had nearly 25 men from regular police officers to men of the secret service searching the immediate 30 blocks west of Dirk's hangar.

Several blocks west, Melody was creeping along an alleyway, when she heard rushed footsteps behind her. She instinctively threw herself to the ground and rolled herself into the bags of garbage littering the alleyway. The man, who discovered the alley entered it with three other officers by his side. Hands' on holsters, they began to pick their way among the trash. Digging through the piles of the old garbage, they slowly neared Melody's hiding spot. But she had neglected to pull in her tattered running shoes and an officer noticed.

The officer, who looked barely older than Melody herself, slowly pulled the garbage away while signalling to the others that he had found something.

He knelt over and gently shook her arm. "Hey." He said repeatedly until she finally stirred.

"Can't anyone get some sleep?" Melody said back in her best 'raspy old lady' voice. She sat up slowly, being sure the hood on her sweatshirt that covered her face would not fall of and reveal her identity.

The officer grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her to her feet.

"No need to get rough." Melody continued. "What can I do for ya fellows?"

Melody's picture was held up to her face. "You seen this girl?" the young officer demanded.

"She came running through here right before I fell asleep." Melody lied. "Came down, realized it was a dead end and ran back." At that, the rest of the men, turned and headed out of the alleyway, positive that there was nothing else needed in the dark and damp garbage dump they were in. The younger man, hesitated.

"The president thanks you, ma'am." He said politely.

"You're welcome," Melody replied. She stepped back and turned to lie down, but in that brief second, the sun danced across her face revealing the young girl she really was. Before Melody could let her hand fly to her hip and pull out the gun holstered there, she was pinned to the wall by the young officer. Melody thought quickly and sent her knee into the young man's groin. He gasped in at the sudden pain.

"Sorry," she whispered sincerely into his ear before he stepped back with agony. She scurried past him and climbed an iron wrung ladder attached to the brick and leading up to the top of the buildings. She ascended quickly knowing that his friends would be in quick pursuit. Watching from the rooftops, she saw the officers quickly talk to the young man, before making haste up the ladder.

If they wanted a chase, Melody thought, they can have one. And with that, she fled across the rooftops.

Pitt sat in the kitchen with his laptop open on the table, as he watched a small green dot make its' way across the screen. The F.B.I had left soon after Dirk and Loren had finished their story.

"She really knows how to move," Loren commented.

"let's just hope she doesn't go into any basements or concrete rooms." Dirk said. "I don't know if the signal from the GPS I put in her phone will carry through heavy building concrete." And they turned back to watch the screen.

Melody knew the rooftops well enough to know that there was a gap between buildings. It was jumpable, but a gap none the less. She increased her speed and, at the last moment, launched herself into the air hoping to land on the other side. She landed with a thud that brought her to her knees.

Melody stood up and looked over her shoulder to see two police officers closing the distance while speaking into their two way radios. Melody paused to look at the street down below to see more officers looking up at her. Desperately wanting to pull out her weapons, she knew that after that was done the officers would be given permission to shoot, and Melody didn't wanting a bullet embedded in one of her bones or her flesh.

Melody could see a huge gap in front of her and knew that it was too large for her to jump. She quickly found the ladder and descended several steps at a time. She had descended into another dead-end alley way. Melody knew that just around the corner there were teams of officers waiting.

So I won't go around the corner, Melody reasoned. The other side of the street opened into a small park only before leading into a small wooded area.

So Melody ran for it. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her and the second she had cleared the alleyway she could see the police and others, also wearing uniforms, come in quick pursuit giving those on the rooftops a chance for a break.

Melody hadn't joined the track team at her old school for nothing. She shot across the street like a bullet out of a gun. With the men closing in behind her, she made one last dash into the forest, in hope of losing them.

What Melody didn't know was that the within seconds of her crossing the street, the order was given that the small forest be surrounded. And it was.

Melody looked over her shoulder and saw no one and in front of her she could see an empty path out of the forest. Thinking she was home free, she jogged out into the open, stopped and let out a sigh of relief. It was then she was tackled to the ground.

Melody was pulled to her feet by two officers, each holding one of her arms in their hands, which were as strong as Pitts'. Another officer quickly frisked her, to realize how heavily she was armed. Using a pocket knife, he cut open the front of Melody's sweatshirt to reveal to all standing around, several of her assortment of weapons. Then, cutting slits up the sides of Melody's pants, he revealed the rest of her weapons.

Melody rolled her eyes with annoyance and frustration as several other officers began to delicately remove all which Melody had strapped to her body.

A man approached Melody. She could see he was the head of the operation because of his almost casual attire. The man was wearing loose dress pants, a dress shirt, a loosened tie and had a navy sports jacket on. He was around 40 years of age and he wore rimless glasses. In his breast pocket was his badge which he showed to Melody stating that he was with the F.B.I.

"Well, Miss Kingsbury," the detective started. "You happen to be a little far from the white house. Care to give the rest of us some enlightenment?" Melody looked around at all the faces which were glued to her. She pulled her arms free from the officers who held her back. With her arms free she took a daring step towards the detective.

"No thanks," Melody retorted with as much of the attitude she could pull off.

"Well, Melody," he spoke as he pulled of his glasses. "Are you going to come with us willingly or by force?"

Melody inched forward. "Bring it."

"Your choice," he said nonchalantly. " Miss Melody Kingsbury, you are under arrest."

"And on what charge?" Melody demanded.

"Resisting arrest," the detective declared.

"And when," Melody started, "was I previously arrested?"

The detective paused and thought it through. "You are right." He said, as he watched a young officer join the group with a slow limp. A slow smile spread across the detective's face as he watched Melody's face change from concern to defeat at the new member of the circle. "But assaulting an officer is a more serious offence."

Melody was speechless. She knew that she had no reply, or at least any that was reasonable.

"So," he continued. "Melody Kingsbury, you are under arrest for the assault of a police officer." The two officers standing behind her grabbed her arms again. They moved slowly, as if afraid to arrest the president's daughter but also afraid at defying their superiors commands. Melody then felt the cold steel of a pair of handcuffs wrap around her wrists.

Melody was then led to the nearest black van and pushed into the interior which was lined almost head to toe in black leather. The detective hoped into the front passenger seat and Melody was squashed between two men wearing professional suits as well as officer utility belts.

Dirk and Loren watched on their laptop screen and the small green dot moved at 20 miles an hour through downtown Washington.

"Well," Dirk said. "She is definitely not running anymore." He paused. "Let's just hope that they go easy on her. She's had a rough couple of days and I doubt that she will go down without a fight." He paused again. "I want to know who leaves with the injuries." And Dirk read in the paper the next day exactly that.

The White House was within Melody's sights after their journey from the forest. Melody's back and shoulders ached from her hands being behind her back for so long. The dark van drove around to the back side of the white house where the most exclusive of members would be dropped off, out of the public eye. When they finally reached the back platform, the detective stepped out first, followed by the man on Melody's left. Melody was pushed out by the man on her right who followed her out the left hand door. She was not surprised to see her father waiting for her and she was not surprised to see the face of horror spread across his face when he realized that she was handcuffed.

Melody was escorted up the several steps to stand in front of her father. He just looked at her. Pure joy at seeing his daughter again. So he hugged her. But she could not hug back.

"Father," she started until he pulled back. "I will hug you back when we meet again inside without the pleasure of others." She said as she looked around. President Kingsbury smiled.

"I understand, princess."

"Not yet you don't but that will be discussed," she spoke professionally. He put his arm around her and walked he inside, followed by the detective and his two men. Just before they entered the white house, Melody turned around to face the detective and his men and childishly stuck out her tongue at them all.