Once Upon a Field of Snow, Jezron

That's where I found him, just sitting there like he belonged. Which he didn't. His dark brown skin and short, curly black hair made him stick out like a sore thumb on the snowy backdrop.

     I studied him for a moment, both curious and wary. In my line of work, as a sort of assassin, you can never be too careful about who or what you see or deal with. And this was probably someone I needed to be careful about, seeing the high-tech security that kept the training compound safe. Just my Team and I were the only ones supposed to be here.

     I carefully made my way towards him, careful not to make noise on the crunchy snow. But he heard me anyway.

     Gracefully, and without the use of his arms whatsoever, he rose from his cross-legged position and turned around to face me. "I guess I shoulda introduced myself before breaking in," he said casually like this was an everyday affair for him. Who knew? Maybe it was.

     "Well, who do I have the honor of meeting?" I snapped, raising an eyebrow. 

     "Jezron Hezekiah Rex," he responded confidently, smiling.

     "Lots of Zs," I remarked, before glaring at him. "How did you find out about this place? This is a top-secret facility, and you could get in a lot of trouble over this."

     "Top secret for whom?" he grinned. "It was easy for me to find out about it."

     Seeing that I found nothing humorous with his reply, he became serious again.

     "I know all about you guys."

     "Who doesn't?" I snorted. "Let's see...we've only practically saved the U.S. a total of about fifty or sixty times."

     "Stop exaggerating, Jackson," he admonished.

     "Oh, no, don't you dare use my name!" I commanded.

     "Um, okay." He looked properly ashamed of himself. But only for a second. Then he looked at me pleadingly. "Please, I don't have anywhere else to go!"

     I was confused. "What does this have to do with my name?"

     "Nothing!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "I...I want to join your team."

     "You what?!" I gasped.

     He held me with a steady gaze. "Please."

     I looked away from him, letting my eyes trail over the blinding white snow, thinking. I'm not first in command, not even second in command. "You'll have to talk to Chris," I said at last, still not looking at him.

     "Okay. Let's go."

     "But first, you get out of this compound, and come in the proper way," I ordered. "Otherwise, this is very embarrassing for me."