Chapter 9: A Chance Given is to be Taken.

13th June, 1944. 1900 hours. – German lines near Villy Bocage.

"Well, what do we do now?"

Irene's tired, yet optimistic voice punctuated the stale, still air of the barn. Darjeeling, who had gone into a light slumber, opened her eyes.

"What can we do?" She muttered, sitting up and stretching slowly. "It's not like we can escape, m'dear." She sighed quietly. However, even as the words left her mouth, she had been thinking; what if they tried to make a run for it? But many questions filled her head at such a thought. What if they got caught? What would happen then? Darjeeling shuddered. She heard about the reports of American POWs being gunned down by their SS captors. Would they meet the same fate?

The twilight sun cast long, gentle shadows through the cracks of the wooden door in the barn. It's warm, orangey light made the gap between the door and the doorframe glow. The barn was sparsely decorated; only several bushels of hay littered the worn, monochromatic walls and floor. For now, there was nothing to do. Except wait. Irene shuffled around the barn, attempting to find a comfortable spot to spend the night in.

Suddenly, the door opened and a soldier walked in, with two plates in his hands. "Compliments from the CO." He muttered in German, as he put the plates down and a canteen onto the floor before walking back out.

Irene's eyes stared at the soldier as the door slowly creaked shut. "What did he say?" She asked, taking the plate and looking at its contents; two slices of rough brown bread and a slice of hard cheese.

Smiling slightly, Darjeeling stood up and sat down next to Irene, taking the other plate. "Compliments from the CO." She replied, her left hand grabbing the canteen. Unscrewing the lid, she then took a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise as her tongue felt the stinging, warm sensation of strong alcohol on it. "It's some sort of wine." She muttered, tearing a piece of the bread and slowly chewing it. "Want some?" Seeing Irene nod, she slowly passed it to her.

The latter took a quick swig. "It goes well with the cheese and bread." She exclaimed, a small smile etched on her face. "I'll bet Hauptmann Brandt gave the wine. She was the kind one."

"I guess so." Darjeeling muttered, her mind flashing back to the interrogation room a few hours ago. The twisted, malicious smirk on Maho's face. Her knife slamming into the table. The knife.

The knife on her throat.

She felt the long, thin cut on her neck. It had stopped bleeding now, but it was a deep cut, thus painful to touch. She remembered the latter's face. And her words.

"The person I want to exact my revenge on is sitting right in front of me."

Darjeeling shuddered at the thought. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sights and sounds that were now flooding her mind.

"Hey, you okay?"

Irene's gentle voice made Darjeeling slowly open her eyes. "I'm fine, thank you for asking though." She whispered, taking a bit of cheese and eating it. Irene smiled faintly.

"I can tell when you're lying, you know." She responded quietly. Irene shuffled over and put an arm round Darjeeling's shoulder. "Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Once again, Darjeeling could only smile in reply. "In fact, there is." She mouthed, sighing and resting her head on Irene's shoulder. "What are we?" She asked slowly. "What have we become? We kill people every day, yet do we even stop for one second, and consider that we are killing another human being? A human being that has lived a life just like us?" She looked down at the floor and sighed. "I've killed men, women; husbands, wives, fiancées, fathers, mothers. And I didn't even recognise that. Until now…"

Nodding in agreement, Irene forced a faint smile again. "I know how you feel." She replied. "But we all have a duty to fulfil. I feel it would be best for us not to focus on the task at hand. Once all this is over, it'll be done." Irene slowly stretched, leaning against the wall. "I understand it's hard for you; knowing all the people who died had lives back at home. But you are not the only one. Every soldier goes through what you go through."

"It's hard…" Darjeeling whispered, looking up at Irene. "I just don't know what to do…" Irene gently pulled the latter into a hug.

"Don't think about it for now." She muttered, hearing Darjeeling's quiet, desolate sigh. "We have more important issues to deal with at the moment. Like breaking out of this hellhole of a barn." Her eyes lit up a little as she smirked. "I sure hope you have an idea, Sergeant." She spoke, with a cheeky little emphasis on the latter's rank.

Darjeeling couldn't help but have her spirits lifted up with her friends' optimistic tone of voice. "I guess so…" She answered, sitting up slowly. "Actually, I have an idea."

"Go on?" Irene sat up straight, giving Darjeeling her fullest attention.

"We could steal the uniforms of the guards if they ever came back in." Darjeeling spoke, her voice dropping quickly. "Like, we can take them out, wear their uniform, and sneak out."

Irene's face grew into a wide smirk. "That sounds more like the Darjeeling I know. There's just a small hitch to that plan." She gestured outside. "How do we get those uniforms, let alone sneaking out?"

Darjeeling thought for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't really know, honestly. But, we mustn't think it as a hopeless cause." She smiled at her friend. "We need to find a chance, and take that chance." Irene nodded and lay down on the floor, yawing.

"Let's hope so."


13th June, 1944. 1940 hours.

A distant humming sound caused Darjeeling to suddenly sit upright. Although unclear at first, it grew louder and louder. She instantly shook Irene. "Wake up!" She whispered.

"What is it?" Came Irene's mumbling reply.

Darjeeling sat still for a moment. "I think I heard a plane." She spoke. Irene instantly sat up as the roar of a piston engine passed overhead.

"Think it's ours?" She muttered. Seconds later, the sound of anti-aircraft fire echoed around the area. Darjeeling nodded.

"Yep, that's one of ours."

The sound of the engine flew around the area several times, disappearing into the distance once in a while. Darjeeling frowned. "You think it'll find this concentration of troops and armour?" She muttered whilst the chattering of the 37mm and 20mm flak guns continued all around them.

"I really hope so…" Irene whispered back, her body twitching each time the flak guns fired into the air. The plane flew around several times, each time punctuated with the sound of rockets firing, followed by a subsequent explosion. "Yep, they definitely found us." The plane soon flew away and out of the area; the anti-aircraft guns going silent once more.

Silence followed inside the barn for a while. Outside, however, was a different story. Shouts and screams of pain, and men shouting orders left right and centre followed by the rumble of engines. The Germans, apparently, were on the move again.

Darjeeling gave a disgruntled moan of annoyance. "That air attack wasn't enough. We need a bigger diversion." She sighed, laying down on the floor whilst using a bundle of hay as a makeshift pillow. "I guess we may need to wait it out." She rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Catch some more rest, Irene. We've had a long day."

The latter shook her head. "I'm not tired." She protested. "Besides, what are the chances of a search party to come and get us?" She asked. Darjeeling shrugged.

"In all honesty, I doubt they will send a search party. Besides, the area here is too hot. Jerry will easily find even a small squad sneaking around the immediate vicinity." She smiled a little. "Which leaves the job of breaking out to us. Great." Darjeeling muttered under her breath. "Pass me the wine, will you?" Upon receiving the canteen, she nodded in thanks. After taking several swigs, she lay down onto floor once more. "You know; you've matured a lot in the few weeks I've known you." Darjeeling smiled at the thought. "I even remember your greeting to us: Well, seems like we've an all-female crew, eh?"

Irene laughed at her remark. "I guess so. The army really did help me change then." She simply stated.

"What do you mean?" Darjeeling's eyes turned to face the latter. Irene sighed a little.

"From the beginning, I was quite a problem child. Always cheeky, rowdy, back chatting everything and everyone. I mean, you could tell when you first met me." Irene paused, slowly contemplating the now distant memories. "No matter what my parents or teachers tried to do to discipline me, it didn't work for me. Over time, they just gave up. Since I was the oldest, my parents thought I was a bad influence to my two brothers, so they tried to distance my siblings from me."

Darjeeling gave her a faint smile. "That's not very good, is it."

"It wasn't." Irene shook her head with a smirk. "So after my eighteenth birthday, I left to live on my own. That was 1941. My brothers were sent to the countryside because of the Blitz, and my father was called up to join the army. My mother, well, let's say she basically left me to fend for myself." Her face fell. "I guess she had enough of me. But it wasn't all that bad. I found a job working in a munitions factory in Manchester, until mid '43. Guess what I did then."

"Join the army." Darjeeling smirked. "The Royal Armoured Corps, to be exact."

Irene nodded. "Correct." She answered sarcastically with a smirk. "Funny thing was; the recruiting Sergeant was less than impressed with me joining up. Said that I wouldn't even be able to lift a twig. Let alone drive a tank. So guess what I said?"

"God knows what you said Irene…" Darjeeling muttered, shaking her head in disbelief and amusement at the same time. "I hope you didn't rustle his jimmies even more."

"I said I would take on any man in the training regiment. A fight, you may say." Irene replied. Darjeeling grinned.

"You cannot be serious…"

"I am." The latter spoke, a hint of excitement hidden in her voice. "However, the Sergeant, along with several of the men there burst out laughing. But hey, they gave me a chance to prove myself. Want to hear the rest of the story?" Seeing Darjeeling quickly nod, she grinned. "So, it was after a long, exhausting PT session. The drill Sergeant, the very same one that was in recruiting, said we would be learning hand to hand combat. So, he dragged me forwards. He then said: Does anyone want to go against Trooper Johnson?" She stopped, allowing herself to get her breath back after such a flurry of words came out of her mouth. "So some lad comes out. He looks kind of big, kinda a tough guy. He steps out in front of me, and the Sergeant tells both of us that we had to pin the other down using any way possible."

Darjeeling raised a brow. "And I guess you won?" She asked, a smile creeping onto her face as Irene nodded.

"I basically floored him and nearly knocked him out in twenty seconds flat." Irene mumbled, her eyes glistening as she retold her story. She tried hard not to laugh. "The drill Sergeant then sent another guy to fight me. Same result. In fact, he came out with a bloody nose."

Darjeeling grinned. "That is very impressive. I'm glad you're part of my crew. You're the muscle of our team."

"Thanks." Irene responded. "But you must be strong yourself, surviving the entire training regime."

Darjeeling, paused momentarily. "I guess." She stated quietly. "The drill Sergeant did give me hell throughout the training. I always had to do extra PT, extra drill and guard duties. He once made me run around the entire training ground until I collapsed. When I came to, he actually hinted that he was 'mildly impressed' with my will to continue running, and said that I 'may actually make a good soldier'." She chuckled lightly at the thought. "In the end, he saw I had potential, and reluctantly put me through for NCO training."

Laying back against the wall, Irene smiled in agreement. "Yeah, they always made me do loads of extra drill. He put me on guard duty for almost 2 weeks straight. But, we both managed to get through it all. Look at us now; we are soldiers."

"That is true…" Darjeeling whispered, her head resting against the haystack she called a pillow. "We kept our nerve throughout it all, and we're now part of a pivotal moment in history. Well, we were." She yawned, rubbing her eyes gently. "I guess we need another way of getting out of here."

Irene shrugged. "Well, it is getting dark. But with two guards at the door, we'd be lucky to get three yards. Let alone back to our own lines."

"Perhaps." Darjeeling sleepily mumbled. "Then again, the chance of escape will arrive. We just need to be aware of it when it comes." She looked at Irene. "Get some sleep. You look exhausted."

The brunette shook her head, but yawned as she did so. "I'm not too tired. But, since you insist…" Irene rested her head against the back of the wall, and closed her eyes. Watching Irene fall into a quiet, gentle slumber, only then did Darjeeling close her eyes.


13th June, 1944. 2340 hours.

The ground rumbled beneath her. It was gentle; almost immeasurable. The blonde, now sleeping, only fidgeted a little. However, the distant sound of an explosion caused her eyes to flicker open. Darjeeling listened intently. The quiet explosions kept on coming. Her eyes widened. "Irene, wake up!" She muttered, shaking her roughly.

Irene mumbled something incomprehensible, before opening her eyes and looking at Darjeeling. "What is it?" She whispered dazedly.

"Can't you hear it?" Darjeeling mouthed. Irene sat still for a minute, before nodding.

"It's artillery. But is it ours, or theirs?"

The air filled with a quiet shriek of a shell. It got louder. And louder. Darjeeling's heart skipped a beat.

"It's ours! They're hitting this area!" She shouted, grabbing Irene and lying flat on the floor as the shell exploded outside, followed by another and another. The bright fireballs of the explosions glowing through the cracks in the door. Darjeeling grimaced with every explosion; the ground trembled with each impact. Outside, the cries and screams of wounded men, coupled with the sound of soldiers running back and forth was covered by the continuous, hellish barrage that surrounded them. The door flew open, and two German soldiers stumbled inside, shutting the door behind them as they cowered for cover.

Darjeeling slowly looked through the corner of her eye, and gently nudged Irene. "Two Germans." She mouthed. "We'll take them together. Just sit up slowly, then we'll leap on them. We're only knocking them out. Not killing them. Clear?" Irene nodded slowly.

The duo slowly sat up. They looked at each other, and nodded.

Irene jumped onto the nearest soldier, pinning him down. She reached out and grabbed his combat knife, pulling it out of its scabbard and throwing it away. The man struggled violently, but Irene managed to pin the thrashing man and deliver several blows to his face and neck. Before long, the soldier lay motionless on the floor.

On the other hand, Darjeeling's soldier was giving her quite a stiff resistance. He had managed to pin Darjeeling down, and dealt a few punches onto her face and torso. She groaned, kicking the man in the ribs. The soldier staggered backwards, and was quickly knocked to the floor by Irene swinging the rifle butt into his face.

"Nice one!" Darjeeling shouted over the din, quickly stripping the man of his uniform. "We need to hurry!" She stated, unbuttoning her battledress and slipping the German field tunic over her own uniform, and buttoning it up. However, her trousers had to go. Otherwise wearing two pairs would be too tight, and present a rather awkward situation for them. Slipping them off, she instantly took the German trousers and put them on. They were a little loose, but it had to do. The same occurred with the boots.

"Do we have to take everything?!" Irene yelled, diving for cover as a shell exploded a few meters from the barn."

"Yes! We can't let them know!" Darjeeling replied, quickly removing her beret and shoving it down her pockets of the field tunic. "We also need to take their weapons and their equipment! Hide any part of our uniform we can't take!" She shouted, quickly securing the Stalhelm onto her head, before picking up the soldier's Karabiner 98 rifle. "You ready?!"

"Yeah!" Irene answered, swiftly putting on her helmet and grabbing the rifle. "Ready?! 3,2,1, Go!"

Darjeeling kicked open the door and speedily ran out, with Irene following her moments later. The area was in chaos; soldiers running around, whilst others cowered underneath vehicles and tanks. Blood ran down the cobbled street as some men screamed; shrapnel embedded deep into their flesh or had limbs ripped off their torsos. Dead soldiers lay as where they fell.

Sticking closely to the walls, the duo cowered as an artillery shell screamed overhead and struck a house just across the street. The structure seemingly imploded, sending debris, brick and glass everywhere as two men staggered out with blood dripping everywhere, screaming in agony.

"Come on!" Darjeeling shouted, quickly making their way down towards the main street. Just then, a shell shrieked down and exploded behind them, the blast throwing Darjeeling onto the floor as Irene flew a few feet forwards and landed on her front.

Her ears ringing, Darjeeling weakly lifted her head up only to see two very familiar figures coming towards her. Two women dressed in black attire. However, the blonde was being supported by the brunette. Darjeeling could see why. Through the dim glow of flames, she could see Erwin's left leg was seeped in blood. Her trousers were ripped and torn, and a small piece of metal could be seen sticking out of her skin. As she gingerly got up, Darjeeling felt a piercing gaze on her face. She turned around.

Through the dim glow of flames, Erwin was staring at her. Darjeeling forced a quick smile, just as the rain of shells intensified, forcing them to quickly move on. Erwin groaned in pain, whilst the other soldier carried her down the street as quickly as she could. Once they were out of sight, she dragged Irene forcefully into a side alley. "Come on! We've not a moment to lose!" She shouted against the din.

Irene quickly nodded and slung her rifle over her shoulder as they sprinted down the street, which eventually led into a country lane. They soon stopped on the side of a hedge. "You know… where we're going, right?" She panted, slowly wiping sweat off her forehead. Darjeeling pointed down the road.

"Down there, for about 1 mile, we should reach Villers Bocage. But, we must keep low, and try not to attract attention from the soldiers there." She spoke. "Act normal, and follow my lead. I'll do the talking. Are we clear?"

Irene nodded, but her eyes suddenly widened. "Vehicle incoming!" She whispered, pushing Darjeeling down onto the ground. Luckily for them, each side of the lane was sunken to a large degree, thus giving them suitable cover as a Kübelwagen slowly drove past, its headlights illuminating the road in front of them. But, things were not as they seemed to be.

"Why are they stopping?" Darjeeling mouthed, as the Kübelwagen screeched to a stop about half a dozen yards in front of them. Two soldiers got out; one stood guard around the vehicle as the other went to the other side of the lane to relieve himself. "Oh, this is just great." She muttered. They were too far away to take out with knives only; yet firing their weapons could alert the men in Villers Bocage or from the village they were taken to. She opened the bolt of her rifle. Luckily, the chamber contained a clip of five bullets. "Irene." Darjeeling hissed. "Does your rifle have bullets chambered?"

Irene quickly checked, then smirked. "Yeah. But, I can't shoot to save my life." She looked down at the men. "Anyways, what's the plan?"

Darjeeling lay flat on her stomach, whilst adjusting aiming her rifle at them. "We're going to take them out and hitch a ride." She aimed through her iron sights. "You take the one guarding the car. I'll take out the one who is relieving himself." The blond quickly smiled at Irene. "And, relax. Just remember our basic training. Fire on my command, okay?"

Nodding slowly, Irene shuffled up and held her rifle with an iron grip. "O-Okay..." She whispered. It was something she never liked. Throughout training, she'd score the lowest marks on the marksmanship course. "I'm ready…" Irene mouthed, zeroing the sights onto the soldier's torso.

Darjeeling took a deep breath to steady her aim. Her heart raced against her chest. "Ready?" She mumbled. "3,2,1, Fire."

Two white flashes, followed by two loud cracks emanated from the side of the lane. Both men collapsed onto the floor. However, one began slowly crawling back to the car. Darjeeling reclosed the bolt, and dashed forwards. She gazed at the writhing man, before pulling the trigger. The man fell still. Darjeeling looked back at Irene. "Let's go!" Irene quickly got up and jumped into the driver's seat, whilst Darjeeling sat next to her. "You know how to operate this thing?" She asked.

Irene nodded. "Should be able to." She started the engine, and gently pressed the accelerator. "Yeah, this is just like driving a normal truck." She grinned, and the soon sped down the road, leaving two bloodied corpses behind them.

They sat in silence for a minute or two, before Darjeeling let off a sigh of relief. "It actually worked." She breathed, patting Irene on the back. "Good shot by the way." Irene smiled faintly.

"Thanks. But we can't fully relish our achievement yet." She replied. "We still need to get through Villers Bocage without getting busted."

Darjeeling chuckled nervously. "Perhaps. But it's a miracle we've made it this far." She whispered, adjusting her helmet as they sped towards the town they'd fought in only hours earlier. Although this plan had gone without a hitch so far, but within her mind, Darjeeling was still quite weary. What if they were discovered? What will they do then? She sighed, fighting the fatigue and tiredness that plagued her body.


14th June, 1944. 0010 hours – Villers Bocage.

"Stop the car here." Darjeeling suddenly ordered as they entered a side road inside the town. The car quickly screeched to a stop. "We're getting off here." Grabbing her rifle from the backseat, she slung it on her shoulder as Irene got out, nearly tripping in the process.

Irene took off her helmet and sorted a few strands of hair, before putting it back on. "What now?" She asked. Darjeeling gestured her to follow.

"I'll lead the way. Just keep behind me." She stated. The town was dark. The light that came from the blue black sky was the silvery glow of the moon shining down upon them. However, Darjeeling could tell they were not alone; voices in German, and calm rumble of engines that are idle. "This way."

As they walked down the street and turned the corner, they found themselves inside the main town square, which was chock full of German tanks and soldiers. Darjeeling blinked. 'Shit.' She thought to herself. "What to do? What to do…" She whispered to herself. The situation just turned from decent to the downright terrible. Her eyes searched for the quickest route across the square. She turned to Irene. "Follow me." She mouthed, as they began slowly walking across the square.

Her heart raced savagely against her chest as the two of them gingerly made their way down. She felt a burning sensation on her face as pairs of eyes searched up and down her body. She turned to look at a young man who was resting against a wall. He had streaky blonde hair, though most of it was hidden by his helmet. On the side next to him was a StG 44 assault rifle propped up against the wall. He grinned.

"Hallo, Schöne."

Darjeeling smirked, and continued to walk past him. Only when she was a few yards ahead of the man, did she then turn around. "Ich kann später sterben, sei nicht zu aufgeregt." She muttered, before continuing walking. Irene smiled faintly at the man and his several friends, before catching up with Darjeeling.

Each step she took permeated around her body. Her senses tingled; each sound making her jump a little. This was a living nightmare; to be stuck behind enemy lines, let alone with a load of German soldiers to her left right and centre. It seemed to take forever. Darjeeling cursed in her mind. Each step only meant they were getting closer and closer to getting discovered.

"Beobachten, wo Sie Gefreiten gehen!"

Darjeeling nearly jumped out of her skin as she walked into an officer. She stumbled backwards, dropping her rifle onto the floor with a loud clattering sound. "Entschuldigung!" She muttered frantically, picking up her rifle as quickly as she could whilst Irene watched behind her. "Könnendu mir diese dummheiten verzeihen, Herr Leutnant?" The blonde stuttered.

The Officer, who was wearing the black uniform of the Panzerwaffe, smiled and nodded. "Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen. Viel Glück für später."

The blonde nodded and quickly saluted. "Danke, Herr Leutnant." She looked over at Irene and gestured to follow. They soon left the square and once in a side street, they broke into a sprint for the main road in and out of Villers Bocage.

"That was too close!" Darjeeling stated as they rounded a corner. She looked around, before kicking open the door. "We could get some supplies here." She spoke, letting Irene through before closing the door and barricading it with a chair. In the near darkness, they fumbled towards the kitchen.

"Hey, I got something!" Irene whispered, grabbing a plate and taking it back to Darjeeling. Through the near darkness, she barely made out a few slices of cheese.

"No bread?" She muttered back.

"Nope."

"Ah well. We have to make do." Darjeeling sighed. Cheese was hardly a good meal. Let alone that they already had some earlier last night, although even now she was hungry. "Check our canteens. See if they have any water in them."

Grabbing the canteen, Irene unscrewed the lid, and drank several large gulps from it. "That's better." She muttered, sitting down on the kitchen floor. "Pass the cheese." She whispered. Darjeeling felt her way towards Irene, before sitting down opposite her and placing the plate in between them. "I can barely see a thing in this darkness." Irene hissed. Darjeeling fumbled around in her pockets.

"Would this help?" She muttered, taking out a lighter and clicking it; a small, dim orange glow soon danced around them, the light only illuminating their faces and the immediate area, leaving the rest in darkness. With her free hand, she then snapped off a bit of cheese.

Irene looked around the kitchen, apparently looking for something. "What time do you think it is?" She mouthed. Darjeeling shrugged.

"Perhaps just past midnight?" She replied. "We should make it. We've gotten this far. Trust me." She smiled, seeing Irene's rather sceptical face.

"Says the one who crashed into an officer." She joked, smirking as she spoke. "Great way not to arouse suspicion." Irene grinned and slowly ate a piece of cheese.

Darjeeling blushed and frowned a little. "That was an accident." She hissed. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she hit the deck and turned off her lighter. "Soldiers are outside!" She mouthed, and Irene quickly lay still. The footsteps were quiet, but they soon passed by outside the kitchen and stopped. Holding her breath, Darjeeling's eyes darted to the window. Two silhouettes slowly walked past, unaware of the occupants inside. They seemed to stop just outside.

Irene tried to turn her head to look at the window, but her move was met with a silent shake of the head by Darjeeling. The brunette gulped, her hand tightening onto the rifle that lay to the side of her. Every nerve in her body froze; the silhouettes seemed to remain there forever, until they finally moved off away from the window. Irene breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we should go." She whispered. Darjeeling nodded.

"Yes. That is a good idea." She replied. "We'll go through the back door. Follow me." Darjeeling slowly made her way through the pitch black house, with Irene tailing close behind her. However, the latter suddenly tripped and hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Was war das für ein Geräusch?" Two voices could be heard from the front of the house, as well as the accompanying footsteps getting louder and louder with each passing second.

Darjeeling looked at the front door, then glanced at the back. "Go!" She mouthed, and they quietly picked their way towards the back door, opening it and getting out. She quickly closed the door just as the front door began to open. "Run for it!" She spoke, and both of them slipped through a hedge which then led to a road which led back to their lines.

As they ran, Irene could help but laugh at their near escape. "We actually done it!" She shouted, Darjeeling nodded and grinned.

"Yes we have." She simply replied. They continued for some time, until both of them were at a walking pace, panting and heavily out of breath from the running they'd just done.

"Can we… drop our weapons?" Irene breathed, her chest heaving as she undid the equipment belt which clattered onto the floor. Darjeeling nodded.

"Feel free to." She answered, wiping sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. "I'll keep mine." She squinted into the near darkness. "We should keep going. I got a feeling we've some distance to travel."

With that, Irene let the rifle slide off her shoulder and onto the floor. "Now I don't have to lug this thing all the way back." She spoke happily as Darjeeling undid her equipment belt, but she quickly took the combat knife and its sheath, and put it in her breast pocket underneath the German uniform. Irene smirked. "Taking souvenirs are we?"

Slinging her rifle back onto her shoulder by its strap, Darjeeling gave her a rather cheeky look. "Why not? Let's go." She muttered, before breaking into a run once more. Irene shook her head, muttering something about dignity and dead people before following suit.


14th June, 1944. 0140 hours – Amayé-sur-Seulles. Around 4 miles from Villers Bocage.

"Ah, we've made it." Darjeeling whispered, seeing silhouettes of soldiers on the ground in front of them. The land there was sunken, creating a sort of sunken track.

"Germans! Open fire!" A voice shouted, and the surrounding area exploded in rifle and light machinegun fire, mostly from Bren machineguns and Lee Enfield rifles.

"Shit!" Irene yelled as the two of the hit the ground, bullets pinging and flying all over the place just yards away from them.

Darjeeling raised her head up slightly. "Don't shoot, godammit!" She shouted as loud as she could. "We're British! 7th Armoured Division, 5th Royal Tank Regiment!"

The firing and shooting continued for a few fleeting moments before a man could be heard yelling 'Cease fire!' for more than a dozen times. Only then did the guns fall silent.

"Show yourself! Put your hands up!" The man ordered. "Don't try anything, or we shoot!"

Darjeeling breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly stood up, putting her hands up in the air as she did. Irene did the same. As they walked forwards, two men jumped up from their foxholes and dragged them forwards. A rather large, burly looking man stepped forwards. Three downward chevrons on his uniform denoting his rank.

"You look like a German soldier to me." He muttered. Darjeeling smirked.

"Allow me to explain." She muttered. Slowly lowering her hands, Darjeeling unbuttoned the German uniform and took it off, revealing the British khaki battledress underneath. Irene did the same. "We were taken prisoner by the Germans. But, an artillery strike on their positions allowed us to… disguise ourselves as German soldiers. So, under the cover of darkness, we made our way here."

The Sergeant raised a brow. "Impressive." He gave a cold smirk. "Sergeant Brown. 1/7th Battalion of Queen's Royal Regiment, West Surrey." He extended his hand, which Darjeeling quickly shook.

"Sergeant Darjeeling, 7th Armoured Division, 22nd Armoured Brigade, 5th Royal Tank regiment. Jolly well good to meet you." She replied with a smile. "This is Lance Corporal Johnson; my driver." She then quickly looked around. "I'm sorry to be such a hindrance, but. Do you know the way to where my regiment is stationed? I need to report to my commanding officer."

The man nodded. "I'll send two men to show the way." He looked to the nearest foxhole. "White, Adams. Show these two the way to 5th RTR positions. He then cast a kind look to Darjeeling. "Until next time."

Darjeeling nodded and smiled. "See you later then."


14th June, 1944. 0150 hours – British positions at Amayé-sur-Seulles.

"And that's all I've really got to say. We barely made it out by the skin between our teeth." Darjeeling spoke quietly, whilst both Major Haldsworth and Captain Smith listened intently.

The Major slowly rose from his seat, a lit cigarette in his mouth. "Well, you've most surely proven yourself quite the resourceful soldier. This clearly shows you have what it takes to be a good, if not outstanding soldier." A curl of a smile grew on his face.

"Absolutely splendid idea, it was. Spiffing, if I were to use the word." Captain Smith remarked. "You have shown exemplary bravery and initiative by performing this escape. We have also heard that you led your crew very well in the attack of Villers Bocage before your… capture. All the qualities of a fine officer." He stated.

Darjeeling blushed. "Thank you, sir." She whispered. "But without the help of Lance Corporal Johnson with me, I wouldn't have been able to perform this escapade successfully."

"Yes yes, of course." Major Haldsworth spoke, waving her justification away with his hand. "You two will be duly rewarded for your gallantry in the face of the enemy. I'll tell you that now. But we have pressing matters at hand." Darjeeling tilted her head in confusion.

"Which is?"

"We know that the Germans will plan to attack us tomorrow. They did not like our intrusion into Villers Bocage. Thus, they wish to drive us back." He pointed at the map. "We are at Amayé-sur-Seulles, which is about 4 miles west of Villers Bocage. The Germans have us surrounded on three sides; the east, south and north east. We very well may expect an attack at dawn, if not earlier."

Darjeeling pondered over the map. "I see." Captain Smith then stood up, his hand toying with his pipe.

"You should go get some rest now, both of you. You two look absolutely exhausted. You should get any equipment you lost from logistics. I'll inform the quartermaster later." Both Darjeeling and Irene smiled and saluted.

"Thank you sir." They spoke, before heading out of the house cottage which housed their headquarters.

Once outside, Darjeeling stopped and took off her helmet. "You go on first." She spoke whilst giving it to Irene. "I need to quickly fetch our equipment from logistics." Irene nodded and left. Watching her disappear into the surrounding orchard, Darjeeling then slowly made her way to another small building which had two guards posted. Once confirming that this was the logistics building, she made her way in.

The first room was dimly lit by candles. The smell of old wood mixed with the metallic tang of metal made her nose wrinkle slightly. Her blue eyes glanced around. She soon found what she was looking for; revolvers for tank crewmen. She quickly took one, which was already holstered, and attached it to her belt. She then picked up another one.

"Stealing revolvers from logistics? One has to think that escaping from German captivity wasn't daring enough." A voice sounded from behind her. Darjeeling held her nerve, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"You're behind me, aren't you Lieutenant?" She whispered, turning around to see James standing behind her.

James smiled and nodded. "I never knew you would be able to get out of the German's grip. Congratulations on that. Very impressive."

"Thank you, sir." Darjeeling smiled, but suddenly gasped in pain and held her shoulder. James gave her a concerned look.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Darjeeling nodded slowly.

"I think I'm alright. The rifle I carried was quite heavy, that's all." The latter replied, a smirk growing on her face. "You know; it almost seems you care about me quite a lot." She muttered quietly.

James looked at Darjeeling. His pale brown eyes met the latter's blue eyes. "Well, that is for two reasons." He spoke, his voice going rather soft. The first time Darjeeling heard it like such. "The first reason is that you're the best 2IC I've ever had. Even Major Haldsworth agrees. That old man will break my neck if anything happened to you. Especially if you were killed."

Darjeeling smiled, a warm, fuzzy feeling rushed down her body. "And the second reason?" She mouthed. James smiled, taking a small step forwards; his eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Because you mean a lot to me."

The blonde beamed. "I can tell." She whispered back as James slowly embraced her. Darjeeling gently rested against his shoulder.

"I was so worried when Assam told me you had most likely been captured." James whispered, his chin resting lightly on Darjeeling's head as his hands softly wrapped round her back.

Darjeeling looked up at him. "You don't have to anymore." She mouthed. Her heart beat frantically against her chest as they got closer, until both of them were only inches apart. She smiled, letting out a contented sigh as their lips met. She relished the moment; a mixed frenzy of emotions coursing through her body. However, something told her that this wasn't right. She knew an officer shouldn't be in a relationship with another soldier, for social and military reasons. But, she instinctively knew that James knew the same.

Only after a few moments, they gently pulled away. James smiled slightly. "I shouldn't be doing this." He whispered. "Major Haldsworth would kill me if he saw this. But to hell with that old man." He grinned, just as the door opened with two figures standing in the doorway.

Assam and Orange was standing there, faces of shock and awe etched on both of them. Both James and Darjeeling quickly leapt from one another's arms. Assam grinned. "I saw that." She stated cheekily. James frowned.

"If anyone on of you tell, I will put you on guard duty for six months straight." He muttered, his expression becoming cold once more as he slowly walked up the stairs.

Assam shook her head and grinned. "I won't sir. I promise." She stated, before running to and hugging Darjeeling really tight. "You made it! I was so worried about you Darjey!" She spoke ecstatically as Orange piled onto the hug, nearly causing the three of them to topple over.

After a few minutes of intensive hugging and greeting, the trio broke apart. "You have a lot of tales to tell us now… Especially about Lieutenant Moore." Orange spoke, grinning from ear to ear. Darjeeling nodded and yawned.

"I will tell you at a later date." She stated between several yawns. "Frankly, I'm exhausted. Oh, I got a souvenir from Jerry." Darjeeling spoke, taking out the knife that was in her breast pocket as they walked through the orchard.

Assam took it and unsheathed the knife. "Sweet." She muttered, before placing it back in its scabbard. "By the way, we got a new Firefly. Again. It apparently had a name; Malevolence. Irene's already sleeping for your information."

When they reached their Firefly, Darjeeling could see what Assam meant; the word 'Malevolence' was carefully painted in white onto the left side of the turret. All the hatches were open as she, Assam and Orange climbed into the tank.

Collapsing into the seat, Darjeeling yawned and smiled. She was glad to be back. To be back with her dear friends. But also back under the watchful gaze of James Alexander Moore; her Lieutenant and now her lover.

She could at least fight another day.


14th June, 1944. 0150 hours – German lines near Villy Bocage.

The sweet, sticky stench of blood clung onto the walls, floors and air of the house. Inside, several doctors worked on the injured men, their screams of agony heard from all rooms within the building. The air was thick and musty; enough to make anyone inside wanting to throw up their insides.

"Hold still. I'm nearly done." The doctor muttered, amidst the anguished cries of Erwin. Maho looked away, her hand firmly held down by Erwin's as the doctor carefully removed pieces of shrapnel from Erwin's leg. Her blood dribbled down into a bowl below, with the shrapnel pieces collected in another. "See? All done. You're lucky; the shrapnel only grazed your muscles. You should be able to walk, but take it easy." He spoke, getting some needle and thread and beginning to stitch up the wound.

"O-Ow! Fuck!" Erwin gritted her teeth as the needle punctured her skin. Looking at Maho, she tried to put on a brave face. The latter smiled, her fingers massaging the back of Erwin's hands.

"Oberleutnant Ketler?" A nurse, who's white uniform was covered in blood, walked over.

Maho looked up. "What is it?" She spoke.

"Your sister wants you to see you." The nurse replied, before walking away to tend another man. Maho looked at Erwin.

"I'm going to see my sister, okay?" She whispered. Erwin nodded and smiled. Maho then got up and went into the next room, where Miho was getting up, supported by a doctor. She instinctively ran over and wrapped her arms around her younger sister, who had a bandage around her head. "Thank god you're alright!" She muttered, as Miho smiled a little.

"My head still hurts…" She whispered against her sister. "And I don't remember what happened."

Maho sighed. "Your Panther was taken out by a Sherman Firefly. Some soldiers found you and took you here." She embraced her sister tightly. "You don't remember it?"

Miho shook her head, her breathing becoming fast and shallow. "I-I'm scared…" She shakily whispered. "I don't remember a thing…"

The elder sister sighed, and gently kissed the younger's forehead. "Don't worry. I'm here with you." She mouthed, as Miho slowly calmed down in her arms. "Come, let's see if the doctor is done with Erwin." Maho muttered, taking Miho by the hand and slowly walking towards Erwin, who had someone managed to stand up.

Erwin's face lit up as she saw Miho. "How are you feeling?" She asked. Miho smiled faintly.

"Better, I guess. Although my head still hurts a bit." Miho replied quickly. She then glanced down at Erwin's leg. "What happened to you?"

The blonde sighed. "Long story short, I got some shrapnel to the leg thanks to an artillery strike. Luckily it's not too serious, I can still walk. Well. Limp around." She smiled a little. "By the way, you now have a replacement Panther and crew. You should go meet them."

Miho nodded. "Alright then." She looked at her older sister and smiled, before leaving the makeshift hospital.

Once Erwin made sure she was well out of earshot, she turned to Maho. "I've got some bad news." She whispered to Maho.

"Which is?"

"The two prisoners escaped. Elizabeth and Irene." Erwin muttered, a frown etched on her face. "They must've done it during the artillery strike. The soldier found two of our men there, unconscious, stripped of their uniform and equipment. They must've used it to get past under our noses."

Maho sighed. "As unfortunate as it is, there isn't really much point to dwell upon it now. We should focus on the attack planned for tomorrow morning." She looked down at Erwin's leg. "I suppose you will join us this time?"

"Yeah." Erwin answered slowly. "It's only a few small cuts, don't worry about it." She then glanced up at Maho and smiled. "Get some rest. You look shattered. I still need to finalise a few things before I can sleep. But I bet the pain in my leg will keep me up all night."

The brunette smiled, stretching gracefully before yawning once. "If you insist, Erwin." She stated, rubbing her eyes as she turned away and headed out of the door. Just as she was about to step out of the house, Maho turned around to Erwin.

"Good luck for tomorrow, Hauptmann."


Notes:

Finally this chapter is finished. As I said in the update, its due to a few personal issues and just a lack of inspiration. But enough of that now. I felt this was a rather interesting chapter, and an interesting escape plot~ Tell me what you think about it. And also about the Darjeeling/James relationship. I finally settled it and made it official. Again, what are your thoughts about it? I'd like to know.

Furthermore, sorry about the excessive German dialogue in this chapter. I got a little carried away ^o^ And they're most likely not accurate either. Double sorry.

Just saying: I'll be starting college in a few days, so I will have less time to write this. Thus, chapters will definitely take a much longer time to write. But, I will continue writing whenever I have the time~ :)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Translations for any German dialouge will be shown below (May not be 100% Accurate. I am not a native German speaker, nor do I study German xD Please correct me if they are inaccurate in any way)

"Hallo, Schöne." = "Hello, beautiful."

"Ich kann später sterben, sei nicht zu aufgeregt." = "I may die later, don't get too excited."

"Beobachten, wo Sie Gefreiten gehen!" = "Watch where you're going corporal!"

"Entschuldigung!" = "Sorry!"

"Könnendu mir diese dummheiten verzeihen, Herr Leutnant?" = "Can you forgive my stupidity, Lieutenant?"

"Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen. Viel Glück für später." = "Don't worry about it. Good luck for later."

"Danke, Herr Leutnant." = "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Was war das für ein Geräusch?"= "What was that noise?"

As always, any reviews with constructive criticism would be welcome.

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