Dog Days

Chapter 1

"Staff Sergeant, Odinson!" Sif calls as she runs up to me "Staff Sergeant!" 

"Yes, Private!" I state, before asking "What is it?"

"You told me to inform you when the guy arrived. He landed five minutes ago, sir."

"At ease, marine." I order, before stepping towards the navigation tent. When I step in, I find a man with chin length black hair and green eyes. He's got to be the palest person to ever step foot in this sandtrap of Jordan.

He looks to me and asks "Staff Sergeant Odinson?" I give him a short nod, before he stands up and looks me in the eye, snark written over his face "I'll need to have a sit down with each of the men in your platoon, privately."

I furrow my brow and ask "Why would you possibly need to speak to my men?"

He looks to me, smugly "My presence here is classified to all but the knowledge of the General and Lieutenant General. I'm merely here to observe for possible threats or oddities."

I furrow my brow and ask "Who are you?"

He gives me a snarky chuckle, before declaring "In the marines, I was First Sergeant Laufeyson. Not my only title, but if that's what you need to see me as, so be it. I'm not asking here." He gives a soft smile "I'm here to do a job, and I prefer to do it without stepping on toes, so work with me, not against me."

I give an amazed look as I admire a curious beauty in his presence. I take in a deep breath, before stepping sideways and pointing the way "If you follow me, First Sergeant, I'll take you to your tent."

He looks toward Captain Rogers and smiles "Have my gear brought over?" Rogers gives a short nod, before he grabs his backpack and slides it over his shoulder. As he walks up to me, he smiles "Lead the way."

As I lead him out, I ask "So, who do you work for?"

He gives me a weak smile "That's classified."

I scoff, before asking "Where are you from?"

He gives me a soft chuckle, before stating "Also classified."

I furrow my brow and ask "Is there anything about you that's not classified?"

He thinks for a second, before declaring "I like the cold, and I like rainy days in my house, drinking a cup of tea, reading a book, in my chair next to the fireplace."

I give him a soft smile "How about a first name?"

He gives a warm smile "Loki."

I hum, before declaring "I like sitting on the porch in the rain, hearing it hit the tree. It's peaceful to take a nap out there. Maybe have a glass of lemonade and just watch the animals run around the forest."

He gives me a warm smile "You live in the woods?"

I nod "About an hour west of Arlington."

He smiles, before declaring "DC is home for me."

I nod, before asking "FBI?" He rolls his eyes and I ask "CIA?" He scoffs and I frown "ATF?"

He narrows his gaze at me "Classified."

I stop in front of his tent and ask "How many people do you work for?"

He furrows his brow and replies "Classified."

I hum, before asking "If I ask you anything personal will it be classified?"

He gives me a weak smile "Not everything, but I'm really only here to do my job."

As a few guys carry his trunk and bags into his tent, I ask "When do you plan on getting started?"

He takes in a deep breath, before explaining "I've got to backup my portable router, connect it to the database, connect my computer and monitoring software. I'll probably be doing this all night. Maybe tomorrow."

I furrow my brow and ask "Will I see you in the mess hall this evening?"

He shakes his head, before declaring "I brought my own resources. I'll probably be in there later this week to observe behavioral patterns."

I furrow my brow and ask "Why did you bring your own food?"

He furrows his brow and states "Food allergies. Technically classified."

Something clicks in my head and I can't help but ask "Are we in danger?"

He clears his throat and looks at me dead in the eyes "That's what I'm here to find out, so don't tell anyone why I'm here."

I give a short nod, before telling him "I'm here to help if you need it."

He gives a weak smile, before asking "When is lights out?"

With a soft tone, I tell him "2100 hours."

He nods for a moment, before ordering "Check in with me after. If I've got everything set up, I can start with you."

I give a short nod and he steps into his tent. I'm about to turn and leave when he walks back out. I smile at him "Did you forget something?"

He steps closer to me and tells me "If you notice anything unusual about anyone, let me know immediately, without raising suspicion. I'm officially here as a representative of their recruiters, to monitor their progress. I can't have them knowing I'm investigating them for this."

I take in a deep breath, before asking "So this is something dangerous?"

He takes in a deep breath, before stating "I'm not at liberty to say, but yes. It's important I take this person alive, and before whatever happens, happens."

I furrow my brow and ask "How big are we talking?"

He takes in a deep breath, before stops talking as someone walks by. He takes a moment, before gathering himself enough to say "I can't tell you. It was unwise of me to even inform you of this much." He takes a moment, before looking at me and stating "I can have a talk with my people, to see if I can fill you in on the situation, but I doubt it will end with the full truth."

I give a short nod, before asking "Will you tell me after?"

He furrows his brow "About the job?"

I give him a weak smile "About you?"

He lets out a startled breath, before laughing with a slight blush "You want to know about me?"

I furrow my brow and state "How could I not?"

He blushes as he smiles "About the job, yes. About me, depends."

I furrow my brow and ask him "Depends on what?"

He looks me over, before asking "Are you flirting with me, Odinson?"

I chuckle with a smile "You can call me Thor."

He clears his throat and nods, before taking in a shakey breath "I'm going to go hook up my equipment. I'll see you after lights out, Thor."

And as he walks back into his tent, I chuckle to myself. That guy was absolutely stunning.