𝙱𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂, 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴

𝟎𝟏. 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍. 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥.

It was now March 31, 1944, and Dorothy Lane had been a medic in the United States Army for nearly two years. If someone had looked her dead in the eye in early September of '42 and told her she would be where she was in the present, she would've laughed. The dream she never realized she had was slowly being fulfilled.

The soldiers didn't know where they were going to be stationed, the only knowledge they had was that Europe would be their defending ground. That morning, layers of water coated the earth, much like it did any other day in England. However, Dorothy had an eerie feeling about that Wednesday. It was different than all the other mornings, perhaps it was their 04:30 report time to the trucks, or maybe it was that everyone sounded so unnaturally unnerved.

Light droplets clung to her gear as she stood with her bag resting beside her leg. The air felt empty, allowing the cold, June morning air to send shivers down her spine. She stood quietly with the rest of her company, most of them hadn't spoken a word since they awoke, and others whispered amongst themselves. Her brown eyes scanned all the officers, trying to catch clues or conversations on where they were being transported.

A mist had slowly begun to form, a small thing yet effective to aid the eerie setting. Their clothing steadily collected moisture from the air, becoming an uncomfortable wet. Dorothy crossed her arms, staring at the muddy ground. "You think we're getting ready to leave the country?" Eugene Roe suddenly asked, coming out from behind her.

Her head turned quickly to see the man who spoke to her. She sighed, her breath meeting the air in a fog, "I'd assume so. The only question is where are we dropping?" Their newest Lieutenant, Lynn Compton, yelled for everyone to find their trucking groups somewhere down the path.

Dorothy picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Hopefully not in the middle of a death zone," Eugene muttered quickly, scanning the area for the men in first platoon. "I'll see you when we get to where we're going," He said as a farewell, meeting up with Luz and Alley.

It wasn't hard for the female medic to find her group, all she had to do was find that ginger hair that had yet to be shielded by a helmet. Walking over the slush of the earth wasn't as easy as it seemed, she used more energy than she wanted to pull her shoes out of the ground. "Hey Malark," She muttered, coming onto his side and staying there. He was alongside Muck and Penk, like always, which urged her to greet them as well. "Penk, Skip," She nodded in acknowledgment.

Malarkey smiled without his teeth, his warmth of a personality greeting her. "Hey Sneaks," He greeted back, his eyes lingered on her a little longer than they should have, causing Muck to ruin their little moment.

"Hey Dorothy," He greeted mischievously, sending her a subtle wink. Dorothy's cheeks flushed slightly as she tried to keep from grinning. "Do you know where the hell we are heading?" He questioned, opening up his body as the group walked in a straight line toward their truck.

She cleared the phlegm from her throat, silently praying to herself that she wasn't getting sick. "I don't, I wish I did though. Probably some base near the channel," She guessed, shrugging her shoulders unsure.

The group reached the truck, only Lipton, Liebgott and Grant were currently sitting inside. Lucky for Dorothy, Liebgott sat across from the both of them. Muck climbed onto the truck first, reaching down to help Dorothy up like a gentleman. She found it slightly comedic that the men always made a point to help her into trucks, going out of their way to hold open doors for her, and any other small notions that they would do for a lady back home.

"Thank you," Dorothy said, turning to help Malarkey up, but he was already managing so on his own. She took a seat beside her favorite hot-headed private, the man smiled at her appearance. It was nice that Dorothy still had such a great bond with the brunette, even if she didn't talk to him at every chance like she did with Luz.