Being kidnapped by a supposedly-disbanded Nazi terrorist organization was not how Casey wanted her day to go.

Her day started out like any other, panting and sweating with a racing heart from another night terror. She scrubbed her hand over her face and huffed. That had been the sixth night this week. Hours of sound sleep were far and few between for the raven haired girl.

The whining of an animal caught Casey's attention. Merlin, her German Shepherd, was sitting next to her, nuzzling the girl's face gently. The action caused Casey to smile as she ran her hands through the dog's soft black fur. The fluff of his ears and chest were a light tan, but aside from his back left paw being the same light tan, Merlin was all black.

"Well, come on then, let's take you out and get you some food," Casey said, getting out of bed and stretching.

Her joints cracked and popped, releasing the tension and stiffness. She sighed and carded her hand through her long, thick, black hair. Merlin had already grabbed his blue leash and brought it to her. Casey smiled and clipped it in his collar, which was black with small Captain America shields going around it. It had been a gift from her nephew for Christmas last year.

Casey quickly pulled on a pair of grey sweats with GO ARMY down the side and slipped into her slippers. When she entered the living room of the small one bedroom apartment, Merlin was already sitting by the door patiently.

"What if I needed help getting dressed, hm?" Casey asked the dog.

His response was to cock his head to the left, as if saying, 'we both know you're fully capable'.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Casey said, grabbing the leash.

After a potty break, the two went back inside to get ready for the day. They started off with breakfast. Casey got Merlin fresh water with ice cubes, for a morning treat, and his dog food.

"Sit," Casey commanded, pushing her hand down, palm flat and facing the floor.

Merlin lowered down and waited for his next command.

"Up," Casey said, reversing the hand movement.

Merlin sat up on his hind legs.

"Up top," Casey said, doing a thumbs up motion while raising her hand upwards a few inches.

Merlin rose up on his hind legs and held it for a few seconds before coming back down onto all fours. Casey's face lit up and she scratched his head, giving him the okay to eat. When he tucked in, Casey went back to her room to change into some work out clothes. She stood in front of her body mirror on her door, pulling her hair back. Tired, green eyes stared back at her, accented by the seemingly ever present black bags under them. In the six months she'd been home, she had lost some weight and looked smaller, but still relatively healthy.

After tying her hair into the familiar tight bun at the base of her neck, she grabbed her phone and attached it to her arm via holster band, and plugged in her ear buds, looping them around her neck. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she headed back out into the kitchen, readying a bottle of water.

"Hey, you done eating yet?" Casey asked.

Merlin came trotting up to her and weaved between her legs, nearly knocking her over in the process. Casey giggled and scratched his ears.

"Go get your vest, you slacker," Casey said and grabbed her sneakers, moving to the couch to put them on. When they were both on and tied, Merlin returned to the living room with his vest.

The vest was black with several pockets and velcro patches. It slid over his head and fastened under his belly. Casey fastened it and then passed her hand over the patches on top. U.S. ARMY; DIMARCO; VETERAN ASSIST SERVICE DOG; MERLIN; ASK TO PET. Casey's rank patch, three chevrons stacked on top of each other, sat next to her last name.

Sensing her elevated heart rate, Merlin nudged Casey's hand, making her give him her attention. He licked her palm and then turned in a circle. Casey smiled and stood.

"Right. Daily exercise time. Let's go, boy," Casey said, moving to the door and opening it.

Merlin went out first and then Casey, who locked up, and then the two were off.

The National Mall was only about a mile away from Casey's apartment, so the two frequented the reflecting pool for their morning run. They generally lapped it four or five times before heading home.

Today however, Casey's knee had started to get sore a little over halfway through their run, so she took a seat by the pool. Merlin laid beside her, enjoying the sun on his fur. She massaged the tendons and stretched it out.

"What do you think Mer?" Casey asked the fluff ball at her feet.

He responded by quirking his head from one side to the other, his ears flopping both ways. Casey nodded and went to stand, but lost her balance when her knee locked up. Luckily, Merlin was there with his muscles braced. He moved swiftly, catching Casey and staying put until she had her balance. Once she stood up without Merlin's assistance, she bit her lip, smothering a few choice curse words.

"Alright boy, slow and steady home, yeah?" Casey asked Merlin.

He barked and stayed close to Casey's side. It was nearing the noon rush hour and the streets of Washington D.C. were starting to get super busy again. The pair were halfway home when they passed an alleyway.

Out of Casey's peripheral vision, she saw a black van drive passed her. There was a familiar bristle on the back of Casey's neck. Her body tensed and she entered a state of panic.

The black van had stopped ten feet from her. The back doors slammed open and three heavily armed men swarmed out. Casey backed up, getting ready to run, but when the three closed in on her and she tried to bolt, her knee locked up and she went down.

"Merlin, attack!" Casey commanded.

Unfortunately, the armed men were more than a match for Merlin, who was knocked to the side and shot. He let out a cry and then soft whimpers then went silent.

It happened so fast, Casey didn't know what to do, so she settled for screaming out his name. The armed men easily overtook her petite frame, no matter how much she kicked and flailed. She landed a solid elbow to the face of one of them, but the response was a swift crack to her jaw and a needle being jammed into her neck. Her vision swam as the doors on the van slammed shut. The last thought she had was the hope that they used a tranquilizer on Merlin too.