Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ １１ － Ｌｏｎｄｏｎ】

Chapter 11 - London

Genesis was screaming in the background, roaring in anger like a dragon. Flo was losing her grip on everything, but she wouldn't let Genesis take over now. Not when she had a chance to go back to being herself. Just a few more days. Then she could let them all go. Coco. Claudia. Florence. Genesis.

Fuck she was so scared to go home. There was no one there waiting. It would be so lonely. Maybe she didn't have a home anymore. Flo wanted so desperately to know if the family farm was still hers. But to go back after over 7 years was daunting. People would notice her sudden reappearance. Questions would be asked. Official Secrets Act or whatever would say no to all of them, censoring her words with threat.

At least with Genesis she didn't have to think about any of that. As a spy she could lie to everyone and herself and be ok. But maybe she couldn't lie anymore. She couldn't even keep a lid on it.

That's why you need me.

The tears began to come, and Florence wondered if she could smother herself there and then.

But the answer was no. She couldn't. She had a job to do and a mission to finish.

*

She had been buzzing on the boat.

England.

She could see it.

But she was also trying to not throw up or feel too sick.

Planes she could deal with. She'd jumped out of them, as they were contemplating dropping her into France. That idea was scrapped in the end and they took her in by boat. She hated boats. No, more accurately they hated her.

They docked in Southampton. And Florence was practically dancing as she stepped into British soil. Oh to be in England once again.

The men of Easy Company seemed pretty happy to be back too.

But enough about them.

She fidgeted for the entire hour and a half's drive back to Aldbourne, to the point where the guys were getting antsy about it.

Florence was first off the trucks, and bid them all a hasty goodbye and how she hoped to never see them again before racing to catch the bus.

When the bus reached the end of its route, she studied the map at the station before heading for a train station.

Still in her American ODs she got some looks on the train but she paid them no mind. At least she was clean, going for a debriefing still covered in all the grime of Normandy would not have been fun. Perhaps after this debrief, she could go home, or at the very least let go of Florence. Genesis didn't like Florence much, she was flat and boring. And as her knee bounced out of control, she pondered. Would she be dismissed? Was this it? Or would she receive new missions until the end of the war, beyond? She had lost track of the pattern she was attempting to draw on her bouncing knee to calm it. Maybe she'd take up art once she had all the free time of being unemployed. Though the farm would require a lot of attention.

One more train. She got on it in the outskirts of London, after sneaking onto another bus to get to that station. It would hopefully take her to half an hour's walk away from her destination. The one issue was she had no ticket. She couldn't afford one – as she had no British money on her, or any money for that matter. She'd succeeded on the first train somehow, but she was in London now, and the hunt for spies was on. If caught, how could she explain that she was in fact a spy, but for them, not the Germans? Florence had no identification on her.

In the end, she had to get off early. That half hour walk became an hour-long wander around London. And she was lost. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't just look at a map – SIS was secret afterall, nor could she ask for directions. After walking around aimlessly, staring at road names to see if they were familiar, Florence finally found a road she knew, followed by a route she knew.

2 hours. She spent 2 hours walking around London and she was tired. However she couldn't sleep, and wouldn't sleep for the next two days.

There was the little shop she was supposed to go to.

In she went, and the bell chimed. A lady, with silver hair, came from around the corner to greet her from behind the counter. It was a book shop. Cute.

Oh.

The lady had said something, and she'd missed it.

"I'm sorry. I can't remember what I'm supposed to say. The last few years have been very trying, and I've just spent the last month running around France with Americans. I'm really tired and hungry but I haven't even stopped to eat or sleep because I need to be debriefed. I know you can't let me in until you've verified that I am in fact not a bad person, but I can't give you the password because I don't know it!"

The lady just stared for a moment, before coming around from behind the counter to close the shop up.

"I assume you're armed if what you say is true. Put all your weapons on there, then place your hands on your head and don't move."

Florence did. Both handguns, and her bayonet. The rifle she'd left in Aldbourne. She wouldn't be needing it, nor was it easily concealed.

Once her hands were on her head, she received a curt nod from the lady before she disappeared for a while.

Two sets of footsteps came back.

It was Mr. Galloway.

And Florence breathed a great sigh of relief upon seeing his face.

"Good afternoon, Sir."

"Back from France I see. Come on then, the sooner we start the sooner we're done and you can eat." 

She followed him back from where he came, and the lady re-opened the shop. In the storeroom there was a door, then a passage, and then some stairs. Down they went into the tunnels under the city. They walked past many doors and a few ladders until they stopped, and Galloway opened one. She went in first.

The room was dingy, and cold, with only a metal table and two hard chairs. The yellow light flickered, reflecting off the mirror on one wall. She knew what that meant. This conversation would not be private but she would not be privy to who was listening. Perhaps Michaёl would be there. Would she meet him? Probably not.

She was seated, and it began.

_

Filler anyone?

I did not enjoy writing this one so much, but I don't think it is too bad.