Togo (Goes) on Assignment (The Assignment)

Chapter 1: Return to Duty, Scene 3

“Togo (Goes) on Assignment” is published weekly as a series. If you came in late, you might want to go back to the beginning. Or, if you’re cut from the same adventuresome cloth as Togo, feel free to read on and figure things out as you go. 

Just the sound of Margot Lance’s voice sent Togo’s mind racing back to the first time they had met. It had been on assignment in Afghanistan. Margot was his contact. And, who better?

Margot Lance/Photo by Julio Bernal on Unsplash

Margot was from the region, a native Afghan hound. She had the classic look. Now, as then, she was wearing a long, red coat accented by the ring curl at the end of her tail. Her long, noble nose spoke to her elegance and her soft brown eyes exuded warmth.

She was one of S.H.E.D.’s most effective agents. Quick on her feet and intelligent. Togo soon learned that in a tough situation, Margot was one of the best to have at your side.  He hadn’t seen her in years. Rumor was that she had been promoted up the ranks in the agency and was now the second in command. Well-earned, he thought.

“Hello, Margot,” Togo began. “It’s good to see you. What’s happening?”

“Oh, I suppose you’re curious about being called out of retirement and into a new assignment,” Margot replied. “Then let’s get right down to business.”

Actually, Togo had forgotten all about the assignment and really wanted to talk about Margot. Sensing the urgency in her voice, he jumped into a leather chair next to the window. The window seemed out of place, given the fact that S.H.E.D. headquarters was underground. He made a mental note to ask Waverly about that oddity on the way out. Waverly was weird but Togo knew that “weird” often was a front for “genius.”

“We have a matter of tremendous interest that we need you to look into,” Margot began. “There have been some strange activities popping up all over the world. We want to see if you can look around and give us an assessment of the situation.”

Togo pretended to be preoccupied with his toenails. It was one of his best nonchalant moves. But when he realized that one of the toenails on his left front foot was caked with mud, all pretense was laid aside. He immediately went to work on it.

“Uh, Top Dog?” Margot interrupted. “Everything ok over there?”

Togo froze, recognizing that aggressively attacking his foot with his teeth was behavior more properly reserved for the privacy of his own home.

“Sorry,” Togo sniffed. “I get occasional twinges from my injuries. You know, the ones from my years of heroic service.”

“Ah ha,” she said. Margot had recently reviewed Togo’s records and knew that Togo was never injured while on duty. She did recall the pride he took in his toenails, though. “Well, if you’re through there, perhaps I should tell you more about your assignment.”

Togo leaned back against the seat cushion, his broad shoulders framed in front of the open window. “I figure it’s the usual,” he said. “You have a villain on the loose and you want me to track them down and eliminate the threat.”

“Oh, no, that’s not quite it,” Margot exclaimed. “Someone is out there committing random acts of kindness. As you might imagine, in today’s political and social climate, that’s causing quite a stir. In fact, our analysts predict that, if not isolated and controlled, this could lead to a total restructuring of the world order. We need you to find out who it is and help us make a plan to minimize the damage from these actions.”

Bells and whistles were going off inside Togo’s head. Why would anyone want to control acts of kindness? Something wasn’t right here, Togo thought. I’ll play along to find out more.

“Where do we start?” Togo asked. 

“Greece,” she said. “Our latest report of niceness came from Athens. We have agents Allison and Dan on the ground there now. The Agency Gulfstream is fueled and waiting for us at Joint Base Andrews. Wheels-up in one hour.”

Photo by Allison & Dan (used by permission)

Togo glanced in the briefing folder Margot provided. It was reassuring to see the picture of Allison and Dan. Definitely more reassuring to know that they were already at work. Togo had done a job in Central Africa with the secret agent duo a few years back. A top drawer team was taking shape.

Margot grabbed a duffel bag next to the door and headed down the hall. In his rush to follow, Togo completely forgot to ask Waverly about the window in Margot’s office. In fact, since Margot was leading him out the back way, he didn’t notice that Waverly was no longer at his desk.

Togo also didn’t see that the steel doors he had entered through were standing wide open, propped wide by Waverly’s unconscious form across the threshold.