Tank drags me out by the wrist. Behind his actions, I feel anger, but his somewhat firm and worried grip conveys the true emotion that he emits.

"Damn it, Eliza." He growls as he pulls me behind the wall of the building. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of cheap smokes, striking a match to light it in an old-fashioned way. I sigh audibly at the action, because I wish he'd never picked up the habit.

"I wish you'd stop that," I huff, as he seems to think deeply. I cross my arms and lean against the cold wall.

"Well, I wish you'd stop ignoring my orders, but that isn't going to get me anywhere." He blows out a puff of thick gray toxin from his lips.

"I'm sorry Tank... but I can't let you do this alone. What am I supposed to do while you're away? Besides, I've been preparing for this my whole life, just as much as you have!" I argue.

"Oh, you mean shooting toy guns at eachother in the backlot of my house? That's not training, Eliza. I don't want you to get yourself killed."

I sigh.

"You and I can do this together. We'll be unstoppable, like old times! I can't believe you 're making such a big deal out of this honestly..." I look down at my feet and kick the pebbles off of the concrete.

"Do you know what would happen if I lost you?" He asked rhetorically, taking another inhale of his cigarette.

"Same thing that would happen if I lost you?" I retorted, standing on my tippy toes.

Tank went silent for a moment.

"You're stubborn..." He scoffs, realizing that I am set in my ways.

"So are you," I say, holding back a giggle. Before he has the chance to argue, Dempsey begins to chuckle, shaking his head.

I laugh, standing closer to him, after he puts out his cigarette and flicks it on to the pavement.

"But really," he interrupts, "...I know you're strong, but..." Tank seems as though he is having trouble saying the words he wants to, as his eyes meet mine.

"Please be careful, I am begging you."

I blink, and look away.

"I will, I promise. You and I have eachother's backs, always."

He pulls me in for a hug, squeezing tightly, and I hold onto him. At this point, I think he is more worried than I am.

Was he right to be scared?

~~~~~~~~~~

Two and a half years have passed since then, and what people are calling "The Great War" Has been raging for nearly that long.

I have never been more scared.

Long years of training have led up to this very moment. As I look into the mirror, I take the time to comb my hair and tie the bandana around my forehead.

"Washington! Five minutes, the general is about the brief us!" Someone yells from the outside of the latrine, startling me.

"Coming!" I glance into the mirror once more and run out the door, toward the briefing tent. I stumble into the place just in time to snag a seat near the front with Tank.

I look at him and take a deep breath.

"Men!" Suddenly, General Briggs steps into the tent, and the whole battalion comes to attention. I am unphased by his disregard of my gender, because it doesn't matter now.

"I'm going to be honest with you all." To my suprise, the general loosens his pose and stands at ease. "This is a suicide mission."

My brows furrow and my eyes widen as he continues.

"You're being sent straight into the heart of Northern France... none of our troops have come back. The last report we recieved was three weeks ago. I will not lie to you men, just as I never have. But I am serious in saying that I do believe there is a chance. We can end this with our strength. With that in mind, I want you all to listen up."

"Yes sir!' We agree, though the air in the room thickens by ten times. My eyes wander to Dempsey, but his concerned eyes are trained on General Briggs as well.

"We're dropping you in Northern France, as a covert team. We need intel. At this point, any scrap of evidence leading to where the Germans are recieveing their weaponry is something. The last troop we sent reported back that there was indeed a base set up amidst the battlefield but that wasn't all that seemed off. Sergeant White has not reported since. Your job is to find this base and take it out, or at least pinpoint its location, at all costs. Someone is helping the German military, and we need to know who."

General Briggs sighs loudly.

"Look, I know it's not your job to be special ops. But you all might be our last hope..." He looks into the crowd at every single man, and then he lands on me at the front. "Do your best. May God himself be on your side."

"Hoo-rah!" The battalion replies loudly, but my voice is cut off by fear.

The General exits the room, and the rest of the military men rise to their feet in preparation for battle.

"I can't wait to get a German down my sights and pull the trigger," someone behind me remarks, before a chuckle.

"Right! There's nothing I'd like more than to shoot one of the bastards' heads off."

How can they be so nonchalant? Do they not realize that we are preparing for our own deaths?

Dempsey puts his hand on my shoulder and I snap out of my thoughts, looking up at him.

"You ready? It's time to pack." He firmly takes my hand and pulls me out of the seat.

I take a deep breath and steady myself on my own two feet.

"What's the matter, Washington? You don't want to go and kill some dirty Germans?" A voice which I have grown to hate falls upon my ears.

"I hate them as much as you do, Jack. But that doesn't mean we rush in there blindly and get our entire battalion killed because of bloodlust..." I trail off, sighing.

"You're sure you don't want to just stay here and fix dinner for everyone so its ready when we're done winning the war without you?" His dirty smirk comes into sight.

"Shut up." I growl, pushing past him, Tank on my trail.

"Hey, watch it, sugar, I outrank you by a lot!" He laughed, causing the others to chuckle along.

After two years, the men still had not grown to respect me. Jack had always been trouble, and when Dempsey wasn't around, he made sure I knew it.

"Offer still stands from back then!" I hear him call, and watch as Tank stops in his tracks.

"Stop it," I say to him, grabbing his coat and pulling him away. "He isn't worth it."

1 hour to lift-off.

My heart thumps like a bass drum as I watch Tank pack up his remaining items of clothing.

"You're done packing?" He asks, undoubtedly trying to keep my mind off of the mission.

"Yes." I reply in a single tone. "I'm fine, you know... you don't need to try and distract me."

He sighs, zipping up the suitcase. He sits down on the bunk bed next to my unsettled form.

"You're going to be okay, I promise. Simple mission, in and out clean. Okay?" If I didn't already know he was lying, I may have been reassured.

"Yeah, that's not what you said a couple years ago."

His arm casts over my shoulders.

"All Mission 270 A participants, please report to the loading deck at this time," Calls out a voice upon the intercom. I stand up and face him.

"We're going to be okay," I repeated, wrapping my arms around his neck, and facing the door shakily.

"Eliza..?" He states in a questioning tone, and I look over my shoulder at him, as I grab my suitcase from the floor.

He pauses, as if he has to think deeply about his next words.

"Don't die, okay?" He adds.

I laugh. "Seriously? That's what you have to say, after all of that?" He chuckles along with me, but his eyes seem to read differently. I stop laughing and clear my throat, assessing the situation.

"I won't. I hope." I said, opening the door as he follows more closely behind than usual. "You don't, either, alright?"

I hear him mumble in agreeance, but I feel the anxiety in the reverberations of Tank's vocal chords.

Left, right, left. My boots hit the pavement and the base seems silent.

The train comes into view, and my heart rate intensifies ten-fold. The scolds I am recieving from numerous soldiers because I am a woman no longer affect me. I set my eyes on the stairs and give the Major my name.

"Corporal Eliza Washington, sir."

"Carry on."

I hear Tank's voice give his name.

"Corporal Tank Dempsey, sir."

"Carry on."

There is no turning back from here.

"All aboard!" The conductor yells from the front of the steel beast that is to take me straight to destiny. I glance behind at Tank and step on board the red carpeted inside.