Zero Two Three One | John Laurens X Reader [Hamilton]

XIII: Three Allies

❝There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies and that is fighting without them.❞
—Winston Churchill

Geography matters during war more than during peace.

Russia is a large country and it used to be complete. However, that all changed during the months leading up to the war. Russia invaded and occupied Ukraine. Not that long after, America invaded Russia and took over all land South and West of Moscow. This led to an odd and rather dangerous situation for the Americans. They are surrounded on all fronts, and Russia may try to take back their capital at any moment.

This chunk of American-controlled land in Russia is warmly called the Valley Divide. This Valley Divide is home to several Ally bases, including the largest called Valley Forge in respect of an encampment from history. While the other bases scattered through the Valley Divide host normal soldiers and Air Force troops, Valley Forge is exclusively for Advance Troops.

The Valley Divide is in an unfortunate location with no water nearby, meaning there can be no Navy assistance. All military power comes from the Army, Air Force, and the newly-established Cyber Force. These three branches have been present since the start of the war, and it is the job of the military to make sure Russian troops in Russia and Ukraine don't take back Moscow.

But I guess Washington wants to turn the tables. 

If we can take back Ukraine, we'll have ahold of a large arsenal of nuclear weapons that the Russian military has been stockpiling. Of course, the intent is not to seize these nukes for use, but to prevent them from being used. That's what Washington has been constantly saying for the past week.

August 15, 2058.

The Valley Divide.

We were flown into Belarus, an Allied country, and drove the Ocelots from the border to Valley Forge. It's been a rather silent drive, as I'm sure no one wants to talk. We simply stayed silent in the back of the Ocelots, sharing occasional whispers of grievances.

What I didn't expect was to see so many unfamiliar faces. I recognized many of the soldiers I've graduated with and the ones I worked with during the Florida evacuation mission, but several new comrades were added to the mix.

During a rare instance of conversation, I heard Rory ask one of the new AC soldiers about themselves, and we learned that they're new AC graduates. I nearly scoffed at my stupidity. I suppose I thought that my graduating class would be the last to exist. Of course, this simply isn't the case. Soldiers will always be forced to enlist into the AC, and there will always be at least one graduate.

In this case, the AC had the largest graduating class since the division's creations. As in, from all branches and all countries. The American Army alone scored fifty-two new AC graduates, boosting our numbers tremendously. The Air Force had something close to sixty-five.

John is present, but he and I have not gotten the chance to talk. He's in a different Ocelot, and definitely not in the back carrier. He's driving the Ocelot in front of us, leading us to Valley Forge. As we drive through empty towns of war-torn Russia, my heart can't help but ache. Horrible memories flood in, and I have to stay close to Alexander to keep them at bay.

We rolled into Valley Forge looking quite spiffy on the Ocelots, wearing our black uniforms and bearing our weapons and gear. The camp is rather large with several barracks, General quarters, vehicle lots, and weapon arsenals. The entire camp feels somewhat out of place, being a flattened out area in the middle of nowhere. Three poles in the middle of the base, bearing an American, French and British flag, stick out like a sore thumb.