I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 twice now. I cried both times. No spoilers, but I absolutely loathe the villain. He's an awful person and should suffer tenfold for what he did to poor Rocket.
On another note, here's a new chapter.
Chapter Twenty-One: 358th Infantry Regiment
The newly designated 358th Infantry Regiment set sail on March twenty-third. Preparing for the journey took around a week. The soldiers spent one last night at Abliene, drinking, dancing, and mingling with the locals before leaving Camp Barkeley and the US.
The rather unremarkable journey to Europe took about two weeks. The soldiers spent most of their time playing card games, chatting about nothing in particular, writing letters to family and friends, and napping on the swinging hammocks attached to the metal walls of the lower decks. Aside from the occasional training session, daily tasks, or meetings with their officers, the soldiers remained in the cramped living space below deck. Access to the top deck required a special, limited pass. A few men could wander around in the open air without someone forcing them to help out with random chores. The crew running the ship did not like the other soldiers messing around on the top deck. As small as the living spaces were, most of the men enjoyed the relative peace and break from intense training sessions. They had more time to themselves, a rarity in their new lives as army soldiers.
No amount of free time could make up for packing the soldiers into the vessel like sardines. Suzie spent two weeks in crowded living quarters jammed with dozens of sweaty, chatty, and annoying men. The saltwater in the showers on the ship irritated their skin. This meant most of the men avoided the showers for as long as possible. Every breath made Suzie gag and try her hardest to earn a pass to the top deck, even if for a quick breath of fresh air.
She had gotten used to sneaking off to shower in the nurses' bathroom at Camp Barkeley. Being forced into a tiny area and being near large, putrid men also kept Suzie away from the ship's bathrooms. It did not become an easy task to do. She became seasick during a particularly nasty storm and her period started on week two at sea. The bathrooms stank, the water rubbed her raw, and the living area reeked of unwashed body odor and smoke from filthy cigarettes.
If the cramps and stench alone were not enough to plague her, the thought of more eyes watching her closer left Suzie in panicked sweats every night. She had never been claustrophobic, but after this, she knew she would never step foot on a ship again. How Bucky could manage this, she had no idea. It felt like the middle school boys' locker room times ten.
Richard, bless his heart, tried to distract Suzie as much as possible. He talked about Helen and told stories about his life in New Jersey. Helen said she wanted to meet "the lovely Barnes boy you always write about."
To distract Suzie, Richard taught her how to play poker. Suzie discovered she couldn't grasp the concept of gambling. To add insult to injury, Richard, despite his genuine attitude, had a strong poker face. Guess it came naturally with him wanting to be a lawyer and whatnot. He could always tell when Suzie had a good set of cards. Whenever Richard won (again), Suzie would ask to play something else, like "go fish" or something involving less lying. Richard, because he lacked sympathy, would refuse and win another round—the jerk.
Suzie also learned Richard moved around a lot when he slept. One night, he almost fell out of the hammock above Suzie, prompting Suzie to force him to sleep on the bottom. Richard agreed until Suzie became seasick and almost did not reach the bathroom in time. They decided they should both remain on the bottom hammocks, so Suzie bunked with Miguel Vazquez while Richard partnered with someone across the aisle.
Suzie couldn't even sneak off to talk to Alice. Alice and the other nurses were on another ship, leaving Suzie alone with a bunch of men and a merciless poker-playing friend.
To matters worse, Garcia and Lemay somehow evaded the watchful eye of the ever-present MPs. Grateful for not sharing a sleeping quarter with the two bullies, Richard and Suzie spent most of their in relative peace. Still, Garcia and Lemay found ways to torment them. They would either steal food from their trays, mess with their belongings, or cause minor annoyances. None of these, while not enough to report, were enough to keep Richard and Suzie on their toes.
The 358th Infantry Regiment finally reached the European Theater of Operations on April fifth two weeks after disembarking. Suzie jumped off the ship the instant they could leave the horrible, metal vessel. Nothing else mattered other than being safe on solid ground and in the fresh air.
"I'd love to take Helen here one day," Richard said as they marched to the designated military camp closer inland. They had landed somewhere off the coast of Wales. "She'd love London and Paris. Paris is the city of love, you know."
"Pretty sure Paris is a warzone now," Suzie replied. Walking took some concentration after learning how to walk upright on a rocking ship. She could still feel the waves rolling beneath her feet, even against the solid ground.
"You always know how the kill the mood," Richard muttered teasingly.
"At least I'd play a different card game if my friend didn't want to play poker."
"You're just a sore loser," Richard shot back. "It takes talent, something you don't have. Don't ever go gambling. You're bad at it."
Suzie stammered in offense. Richard gave her a playful shove. Suzie rolled her eyes and gazed at the open air around them, trying to distract herself from the many losses and Richard's smug grin.
When they first stepped onto the land, she nearly lept out of the ship and kissed the ground. Ecstatic to finally escape the suffocating confines and stinky men, she could have cried with joy.
Birds chirped in the trees and a small butterfly fluttered past the troops. Tall trees with thick foliage dotted the rolling hills of wavy, green grass. According to Richard, people called the combination of open pastures and woodlands bocage. How he knew such a random fact, Suzie had no idea.
Puffy white clouds speckled the bright blue sky. It reminded her of the mural Steve had painted in his apartment for Sarah's birthday. He would love to draw something like this. Colorblind or not, Steve always knew how to mix the right colors to create vibrant works of art. This scenery belonged in a painting.
The scene came straight out of one of Becca's fairytale books. Suzie envisioned a magnificent castle of stone and wood sitting atop one of the hills. A beautiful princess leaned out of a tower window, waiting for a knight in shining armour to gallop across the land on his trusty, white steed. A dark red dragon with blood in its teeth guarded the princess, but the knight won and defeated the beast. The knight and princess fell in love and held a majestic wedding in the grandiose halls of the castle.
"Becca would love it here, too," Suzie thought out loud. She should stop daydreaming. Adults didn't daydream about princesses and dragon-slaying knights. And the army had no place for distracted soldiers too caught up in fanciful ideals.
"When this is over, maybe you and Becca could join Helen and me on a trip to London or Paris," Richard suggested. "Then I can propose to Helen and you could be the best man at my wedding."
"What about your brother?" Suzie asked. "Wouldn't he want to be your best man?"
Richard fell silent for a moment. The troop marched past several trees and into an open pasture again before Richard finally spoke.
"I'm sure he would," he admitted. "You two can fight over it 'cause I can't choose. You'll definitely be in the wedding party, though, so don't worry." He grinned at Suzie who smiled back.
A wedding—a magical wedding in a majestic castle in a far-off land. The beautiful princess Helen would marry the brave knight Sir Richard. Suzie would twirl around in a poofy dress and dance the night away. The war would become a distant memory—a speck of time in a vast history. Nothing would matter other than love, feasting, and music.
If only life reflected fairytales. None of the stories she read as a child talked about knights marching long distances or enduring the stifling smell of body odor.
The rest of the marching passed in relative silence. Suzie imagined riding upon a swift horse. Perhaps Becca would let her borrow Shadow, the horse at Henry and Ida's farm. They could gallop through the fields and let the wind blow through their hair.
The unit finally reached their destination late in the evening and Suzie forced herself into the present. Dreams of fantasy weddings and horses in open meadows faded away as reality returned.
As expected, reality turned out to be rather disappointing.
Camp Llangattock presided in a small village in Powys, Wales, UK. The geography and the differences between England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom went over her head. She blamed her high school teachers. The lessons at Camp Barkeley discussed the locations of prominent Allied forces overseas. Honestly, she could care less about the places being different countries, political entities, or whatever. She could read a map. Nothing else mattered.
Besides, none of it truly mattered because the Nazis did not have a presence on the large island. She did not have to worry about camping out in the wilderness and worrying about a Nazi attack any time soon. Yes, she knew it would happen eventually. Right now, however, she just wanted to sit down and eat something.
The commanding officer, Colonel James Thompson, greeted everyone once they reached the camp. Much to Suzie's delight, Colonel Thompson allowed everyone to take a rest after a half day's worth of marching.
Suzie and Richard took this time to drop off their heavy equipment at their assigned barracks and wander around the area. A smaller camp than Camp Barkeley, Camp Llagnattock only housed two infantry units. The roughly built barracks housed about fifty soldiers in bunk beds. Everything appeared thrown together instead of thought out like Camp Barkeley. On the plus side, it offered a cooler breeze and fresh air without a hint of dry, dust blowing into people's faces.
The rounded ceiling of the barrack brushed against the top of Richard's head. They claimed a bunk bed in the far corner of one of the Nissen huts serving as a temporary barrack. The slim bunk bed rattled when Suzie tossed her backpack onto the thin mattress. The huts were large, horizontal half-cylinders set atop the ground with a wooden floor and curved metal walls. Two windows next to the only door in the front of the hut offered meager light.
A ceiling fan in the center of the barrack shook as it rotated. The lightbulb attached to the fan provided a little light but it still did not lighten up the dark corner Richard and Suzie claimed. Even in broad daylight, they would have to write their letters outside instead of in the hut.
A dozen of the Nissen huts lined up into two rows of six. A center dirt road separated for military vehicles split the camp in half. Two more rows of six huts sat across the road. Smaller tents for commanding officers to meet and discuss plans dotted the rest of the camp. The largest tent toward the end of the camp housed the kitchen. The soldiers sat on the grass to eat their meals because the camp lacked tables and chairs for the soldiers.
The bathrooms were the worst part and were much worse than Camp Barkeley. Situated on the outskirts of the camp and away from the barracks and mess hall, a few trees separated the camp from the bathrooms. Mirrors nailed into the trees hung over wooden washbasins for shaving and washing hands. A cloth stretched between the tree trunks as a barrier between the "bathroom" and the camp. Long wooden benches with several circles cut out of the seat served as toilets.
If it were not for the trees blocking part of the view, those walking in the center road of the camp could see the toilets. At least they had a pretty view of the land while they did their business. Who cares if several men sat together on a wooden board when they could gaze at the blue sky above the green meadow? No walls, no ceiling, no floor. Just you, your fellow soldiers, thousands of flies, and the open air. Who wouldn't like it?
Like the toilets, the showers stood in broad daylight. The women were lucky and had a tented area to prevent men from staring at them. The soldiers, however, used a wooden platform for the floor. Pipes attached to large barrels strapped on an overhead crossbeam became makeshift showerheads. One sheet of cloth curtained it off from the camp. With only one meager piece of fabric serving as a wall, it had less privacy than the showers at Camp Barkeley.
No wonder Bucky never talked about the bathing conditions. Ma would have a fit if she found out about the less-than-ideal conditions the soldiers experienced. And it would only get worse out in the field. Here, at Camp Llagnattock, they had a safe environment and betters shelters than tents. Suzie shuddered at the thought of needing to use the bathroom while under enemy fire.
She hoped she could still sneak off and use the women's showers. Showering out in the open put more eyes on her and she doubted the other soldiers and officers would allow her to shower with a towel. They would pester her until she relented and told them everything. Then they would send her home and throw her in jail for impersonating a man.
It took about five minutes to walk from one end of the camp to the other. The nurse's barracks sat wedged between the women's bathrooms and the infirmary. There, Suzie and Richard met up with Alice who had already been at the camp for a couple of days.
"Oh, don't worry; you'll be fine," Alice said when Suzie complained about the open-air bathrooms. "I've already figured out the best showering times. The ladies here may gossip a lot but they know how to keep a secret."
Suzie frowned, so Alice added: "I haven't told anyone about you and I won't unless you want me to. It's your decision if you want to trust the women here or shower with a bunch of men. One glance at you, and they'll know right away."
"I know," Suzie muttered. Garcia and Lemay were still in her unit. Last time they spied on her heading to the nurses' showers and ratted her out to Stone. They were still here and probably planning on revenge for their failed attempt to accuse Suzie of being a spy.
"Then what's the deal?" Alice asked. "It's safer s. Besides, you've already met a few nurses. I promise you, they're good people."
When Suzie did not respond, Alice said: "Do you want me to cross my heart?" She traced an 'x' over her heart. "A pinky promise like we're little school girls?" Alice stuck out her right pinky and waited for Suzie to loop her finger around Alice's.
"I'm just nervous," Suzie admitted after she sealed the pinky promise. "Everything's so open and your uncle isn't here. I don't know what the other officers are like."
Alice waved a hand in the air like she brushed away Suzie's nervous thoughts. "Ehh, no need to worry. They're not so bad."
They sat in silence for a moment, leaning up against the nurses' barrack hut. Richard had left to mail a letter to Helen and Suzie's letter to Becca. Supper had come earlier and the soldiers settled in and enjoyed their alone time.
"Why didn't you tell me Stone is your uncle?" Suzie asked.
Alice shrugged. "Didn't occur to me."
"You know, he told me to protect you."
Alice scoffed and rolled her eyes. "And have a child look after me?"
"I'm nineteen," Suzie protested.
"I stand corrected," Alice retorted and patted Suzie on the head. "You're gonna need more protection than I do." She turned her head to look at Suzie, her neat blonde hair rubbing against the metal wall of the hut with the motion. "You're welcome, by the way, for talking to Stone and getting you overseas. I'm not counting or anything, but I've saved your ass several times already."
"I don't know how to repay you."
"Don't die." Alice's deep, blue eyes turned somber and she stared down at her hands folded in her lap. She sniffed and gave Suzie another mother-like look. "Don't do anything stupid—more stupid."
Richard appeared before Suzie could respond, breaking the subdued mood. "Whelp, the letters are sent and I'm exhausted. Barnes, should we call it a night?"
Suzie shrugged and pushed herself to her feet with a hand braced against the barrack wall. "Probably. I still feel like I'm on the ship."
"The feeling should disappear soon," Alice said. She stood up too and brushed off her dress. She jabbed a finger into Suzie's chest. "You, stop worrying so much and go get some rest. Just because we're overseas doesn't mean ya'll stop training."
"Yes, ma'am." Suzie mocked a two-finger salute, earning herself a light slap on the back of her head from Alice.
Suzie and Richard parted ways with Alice and headed to the barracks. Despite the drafty barracks and the unstable beds shaking with every movement Richard made on the top bunk, they fell asleep quickly.
Much of the same training schedule occurred throughout the rest of April and May. Training emphasized tactical fighting, survival on the field, and growing familiar with the landscape and enemy equipment and known locations.
Time zoomed by at Camp Llangattock. Being in a different country and away from the dusty heat of Texas brought a new bounce in Suzie's step. She had never left the United States before and only traveled to Indiana. The different customs, food, and dialects in Wales fascinated her. Visiting the nearby city of Crickhowell became a favorite weekend excursion.
Used to areas surrounded by tall buildings of concrete and brick or barren landscapes of endless dirt, the city of Crickhowell popped straight out of a fairytale book. Rolling green hills and the fresh air of the endless blue sky brightened Suzie's mood. Something about spring always made her happy. This qualified as a whole new level of breathtaking. She wanted a painting of the landscape to hang in her room at home.
Letters arrived often. Becca always said she missed Suzie and to come home soon. Writing down every complaint and little detail of her daily life would fill up too much paper. Suzie knew the censors would also pick up on her showering in the nurses' bathrooms, so she left most of Alice's help out of the letters. Dumping all the tiny grievances onto Becca would only cause her to worry more. Older sisters do not do that to their younger sisters.
The mystery of Steve's whereabouts also became an increasing concern. Suzie tried sending letters to Steve but received no response. Becca didn't know where Steve went either. Uncle Henry visited Steve's apartment when he and Becca made a quick stop back home in Brooklyn to pick up some of Becca's things. Henry said he saw no sign of anyone being at Steve's apartment for several months, or even a year. The mailbox at the post office did not have a rerouting address for any mail. Knowing him, Steve probably did something stupid and reckless after Bucky had left. News of Bucky's capture and supposed death would only send Steve over the edge of self-endangerment.
Steve's mystery remained unsolved as May drew to a close. The threat of impending battles drew closer. Plans and battle strategies took over their training. The commanding officers huddled in constant meetings, analyzing every detail. Before supper, they would lead the units through exercises and intense training sessions. Constant reminders of the world relying on their actions bombarded the soldiers to the point a hushed silence fell upon the camp. Soldiers wrote letters home more frequently and getting drunk became a popular pastime. Nobody wanted to admit what the brass had planned. Even Garcia and Lemay's attempts to antagonize Suzie and Richard dwindled to a halt.
Everyone knew what would happen soon. Nobody wanted to think about it.
This could change the tide of the war. Failure meant death. Death meant the end of freedom. If they failed, the Nazis could win and completely rewrite history. No messing up, no backing down, no stopping now. The president approved of the mission—a multi-facet attack on German strongholds in France. Top military officers from the Allied forces consulted and discussed the plans, making sure every detail mattered. Two years in making—two years of careful deliberation to liberate Western Europe, defeat Nazi Germany, and end the war.
It was all or nothing.
The next chapter is going to be longer and formatted a little differently. I'm trying to make it as historically accurate as possible (as historically accurate as a universe with a talking raccoon and super soldiers can ever be). It will take longer to write because I have to do a bunch of research and link it up to the (very real) 358th Infantry's whereabouts during WW2.
Here's a little hint of what's next: Utah Beach.