A/N: I don't own anything here, except for my own character Alice and some plotlines that do not match the TV-series. I don't mean any disrespect and I have enormous respect for all the soldiers who fought in the Second World War. This is fiction.
Also, I would like to say that English is not my first language and any mistakes you may find should be pointed out! Please give me honest criticism as it will improve my writing. The first two chapters will be buildups, so don't expect Easy-company very soon.
Also, I am not 100% sure where I am going with this story. I see myself as a gardener rather than an architect, tbh. If you get any ideas or visions, feel free to message me or leave a review, I'd be happy to hear!
xxxxxxxxxxx
"And with that" the professor gestured towards the ceiling "I expect to have some interesting pieces of analysis tomorrow, 11:00 hours. Dismissed."
The last part was drowned out by the sounds of shuffling feet, raffling paper and of course, the bell sounding. A few students lingered in the classroom, waiting for their slower friends or partners, hoping to say a word to their professor or, like Alice Price, trying to avoid conversation at all.
Normally, professors would leave as soon as they could, usher out the students, lock the lecture hall and go on with their evenings, liberated from their eager pupils. Professor Scott was not an exception; however, today he too stayed behind, neatly sorting through his paper with no hurry at last, only he and Alice remained.
"Thank you for the lecture, professor" she said, organizing a lock of unruly blonde hair behind her ear. "About the analysis…"
"You don't have to hand it in tomorrow" he cut her off, giving a kind smile. "I have a special project planned and I am very interested to have you onboard."
This caught her attention. Professor Scott was a military veteran, only teaching because he was honorably discharged due to his age; he was going on 80, but he did not seem to slow down. Many of his studies were published in big papers worldwide.
"Well, sir, you have peaked my interest" she said.
"I just need you to answer to a simple question, miss Price." The old man ran a hand through his white hair and leaned towards his desk. "Why are you studying military history here? A young lady like yourself must have a lot of different desires in life, and becoming a teacher is surely not one of them?"
Alice nodded slowly, knowing this was a common thought among her classmates, most of whom were aspiring history professors, writers and the like. Honestly, she was unsure of her desires in life, what to pursuit and what she was actually good at.
"You know that I have thought about becoming a journalist" she began. "I find that there is much to be learned from the past. If we can learn from past conflicts, we might be able to avoid future ones." She smiled. "That's what I hope, anyway."
xxxxxxxxxx
Alice lived on her own, in a cheap apartment about a mile from campus. Being 19, this was not the standard; all of her classmates had roommates, partners or lived with their parents, because of the economic situation. Not that it was extremely expensive to live in Georgia, but students were not, and had never been, the rich 1% of society.
Alice Price, however, had enough money to get by. Most of it was inherited, placed in bonds or trust funds, but she also had a few grand in the bank. 'That's what happens when your parents die and leave an only child' she used to bitterly say when anyone asked. Honestly, she was quite bitter.
Before her parents' death, she'd been very ambitious and eager to start her own life. With
dreams of being a journalist, she'd left home early and gone to an expensive school in New York. But when she got the call from a priest, saying that the roads had been slippery and there was nothing to be done, everything collided. Her relationships, life, job and studies just fell apart.
The solution hadn't been crystal clear to her right away; she spent six months trying to pick up the pieces, before realizing that the only thing that would work was to change. Drastically. So she grew out her hair, chopped off the brunette strands and let it stay dirty blonde, packed her stuff, and moved to the first place that she could think of, somewhere where no one knew her. Georgia was the place she ended up in.
xxxxxxxxxx
"First of all, you must be aware that this is a very delicate subject we're touching on" the professor began, excitement already showing in his eyes. Alice nodded, chewing on the nail of her thumb. "Also, you should not mention this to your classmates." She nodded again, confirming that she wouldn't. Would they care about her hanging out with an eighty-year old man on the weekends? Most likely not. "This is my life's work, Alice."
"What exactly is it, professor?"
"Well, I am not a physicist" he began. "But even Stephen Hawking has confirmed this theory as possible, though unlikely. It was, of course, a mistake from the beginning." Professor Scott led Alice through a door, leading down to the research area in the back of the university. It was rarely inhabited, as the students were not expected to perform actual experiments themselves.
"I still don't understand, professor." Alice stayed as close to the man as possible, feeling intimidated by the dark of the room. The lights were on, but they were so dim that they might as well be off.
"You see, miss Price, time is something which keeps everything from happening at once. If time was speeded up, for example, the Vietnam War and the World Wars might have been fought at the same time; speeded up even more, the founding of the Ottoman Empire might have been stopped by the invasion of Poland by Hitler." Professor Scott gestured towards a whiteboard, covered in equations and mind-maps. They looked like notes from a lecture, and maybe they were.
"Yes, we talked about that in philosophy."
"So, naturally, if you could stretch out time, events would be further from each other. Most people understand it this far. It is not until now that we start getting confused, hence my messy notes over here" he gestured with a small smirk. "But I figure, that if we learn how time can be stretched or speeded, we can modify time enough to occupy a new space in it; time travel."
"But sir, with all due respect.." Alice started, stopping when the professor raised his hand.
"Now, this is why I chose you to be a part of this. If this works, and there is only a very slim chance, it could possibly mean that return to our time, 2015, is impossible." he furrowed his eyebrows. "Actually, even if it works, return is not likely, as this technology is newly developed." He added a question mark next to one of his mind-maps, called 'paradox'.
"Now, where were I? Oh right. Because you don't have family to come back to." His cruel words felt like a stab. Alice was painfully aware of the fact that her family was dead, but to be reminded was like poking a healing bruise. "You have no boyfriend, girlfriend, no kids or siblings that will miss you" the professor continued, seemingly oblivious to the way his words made her cringe. "Which makes you the perfect candidate."
"For what, exactly?" She asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Would you, if you had a chance, want to relive the second World War?"
"For the purpose of research maybe…" she hesitated. "It must have been a horrible time to live in."
"True, true." He smiled. "But you're a smart girl."
"Sir, I must protest. I could not bring enough research for whatever project you're working on, as I am female. I would be unable to join the army or anything like that."
"That's where you're wrong." He looked smugly at her, seeming to look through his papers until he found a black and white picture, looking blurry. It was of a group of soldiers, smiling faces and hands in the air. He pointed to one of the faces. "This is private Scott."
"And?"
"Whether private Scott, or Lieutenant, as she would soon be, was male is debated upon. You see, Scott joined the army under very shady circumstances and details are few. The men serving in this company speak very sparingly of the lieutenant."
"So you're saying that a female served in the U.S Army?" Alice looked doubtful. "That sounds crazy." She shook her head, looking to the ground. "If you just think about society's look on women during that time, as well as the fact that the military still is a boy's club, it is highly unlikely…"
"That's what I said" he interrupted. "Until I learned that this is my sister. She was killed in combat when I was seven, and I have few memories of her. She was in the infantry, and was killed in Normandy on D-Day plus three." Alice suspected the professor had tears in his eyes, but the dim light made it impossible to see. "This proves that the military sometimes accepted females. And that they will accept you."