HOME | DD

Description
'I hope this letter reaches you well,
The foxholes are dank, infested with water. I'm worried that some of them may developed trench foot.
Its getting harder out here, and the promise to be home for Christmas seems to be growing ever distant.
Send my love to the family, I will make it through for all of you.
Your son,
Lewis Xephos Brindley'
He sighed, signing off the letter with a signature. Before, writing letters brought him joy, a connection to the life he had left in order to come out and fight for his country. But now, since he got the news that there was no recipient due to bombings... All it did was give him false hope that there was a life to go back to after all of this was over.
The trench was as he had described. Dank. The water came up to his kneecaps, though he was the smallest of the group. The scrawniest. The puppy.
He stood, folding the letter and putting it into his pack, ready for it to be delivered to his old address.
"Lewis, there you are." A friendly voice came from behind.
"Simon, yeah, I was just... Doing some writing." He put on a smile. Simon Honeydew Lane nodded, knowing what he was doing.
"Were all at the bunker, the groups managed to clear it out... Most of the men are injured. Only me you and Jones are left. For now at least. They're sending another couple of people down soon. Should be here by night fall. Come on inside, its cold and wet out here." Simon moved to one side, letting the smaller go first.
"Ah, there you are Lewis." Duncan Lalna Jones said as he walked in. Duncan was sat on a desk, eating some previsions.
"Nice and warm in here... Makes a change." Lewis said, rubbing his arms as the heat welcomed him. "Is that a jet engine?!" He asked, spotting the cause of the unusual amount of heat.
"Yeah, its really loud!" Simon said, chuckling a little bit.
"Makes me a bit uneasy to be honest lads..." Duncan spoke up, taking a bite of his foot.
Lewis took off his helmet and backpack, setting them down before taking off his over jacket and wet boots. Though his trousers were still wet on the lower half from the trench.
"Who's bright idea was that then?" He asked.
"That would be me." Another voice came, a woman's.
They all turned to look. She was slim, hair black and curled, red lips pursed as she walked over. She wore a uniform more prestigious than any of theirs.
"And you are?" Duncan asked, hostile. After all, woman shouldn't be in the army.
"Your commanding officer." She smiled dryly, unamused by the slander put towards her. But she appeared to be used to it. "Agent Exza Carter."
"Uh Lewis Brindley..." Lewis said, putting out a hand to her. She smiled, blue eyes twinkling, and shook it.
"Simon Lane" Simon said, not shaking her hand but nodding to her.
"Duncan Jones." Duncan said, he appeared to be stifling a laugh. Duncan was traditional. And it was traditional that woman not be allowed into the army. It was basic education.
Lewis shook his head at how Duncan was behaving. Him and Simon seemed to be exchanging glances of a joking kind and as Carter walked away they began talking, joking, giggling about her. She was talking to the new ammunitions officer, and Lewis watched her, ignoring the rude, sexist comments the other two were making. She caught his eye, and smiled. At first he didn't know what to do, but smiled back slightly, before turning back to Duncan as he was asked a question.
"Lewis? Lewis!"
"Yeah?" Lewis asked, turning around.
"Rations?" The larger man asked, handing him some supplies.
"Oh, yeah, thanks." The smaller said, jumping up on the table next to his friend and opening his can of food. He looked back to her, she was pretty. Very pretty. And he couldn't help but smile.
------------
It was night time, the bunker was silent but for the crickets that chirped outside. It was nice to have the quiet. And Lewis lay on his bunk, staring up out of a small hole in the ceiling just above his bed, staring at the stars beyond. He didn't know why, but the stars always relaxed him.
"Lewis" he heard someone whispered, and looked over the edge of his bunk to see Simon, like usual on the bunk below him. Duncan was across the room on the other bunk, with Alsmiffy on the one above him, being the new ammunitions officer.
"Yeah, you ok Simon?" He asked.
Simon seemed half asleep like usual, his small light illuminating the wall and not much else other than the sleepy look on his friends face.
"Yeah... You?" Was the response.
"Yeah."
"The new girl sure is pretty right?"
Lewis smiled, thinking of their commanding officer... Exza Carter... "Yeah... Yeah she is." He said, smiling to himself as he was leaning over the edge of the bunk.
"Lewis..." Simon continued.
"Yeah buddy?"
"When so you think we'll go home...?"
He paused, they always had this talk. At four times a week. It had started off as childish ways of thinking, believing they would be home a couple of weeks or months after they had been sent off to fight. But since then it had become a habit, a question asked when Simon was half asleep. And Lewis would always go along with it. In some way it was another way of giving himself false hope...
"In time for Christmas Simon..." He said, a sad smiled on his face as he played back on his bunk, looking back up at the stars. "We'll be back by then..."
"Home for Christmas..." Simon said, dozing off.
"Yeah buddy... Home for Christmas..." He answered, letting the tears slowly trickle down his cheeks.
"Goodnight Lewis..."
"Goodnight Simon..."
------------
He had to keep his spirits up, keep marching on and all that British stuff. He made his way to the outside of the bunker, breathing in the cold fresh air and breathing out a puff of breathe. The rain from the night before still hung on the grass and had bought a thin layer of mist to the new day. A couple of birds chirped, and he heard talking.
He raised an eyebrow, and walked around the edge, hiding back from whoever it was and leaning round so that he could see.
Exza stood talking to another man, a man with a mustache, an inventor. He was dressed well, a black waistcoat with shire shirt and pocket watch. Though around his neck hung goggles. Pilots goggles.
He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it didn't seem to be too important.
Once they were done he made it look like he was just wondering round.
"Mr Brindley." She said, smiling with her red lips.
"Uh... Agent Carter..." He smiled awkwardly. Simon was right, she was very pretty. "Good morning..." He continued, not knowing what to say.
She smiled. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yes ma'am!" He said, smiling.
"Oh, none of that ma'am business, call me Exza." She said, smiling once again.
"Are you sure...?" He asked.
"Of course. I've never been one for the formal side of things. I leave that to the higher ups." She said, leading him back inside. He glanced back at the man who had been there before and walked with her. "Ah, I see you saw my colleague there. Yes Mr.Stark and I go back quite a ways. He's an inventor, engineer. Ballistics, firearms... Some more, unconventional things as well." She smiled. "Anyway, I shall leave you to your breakfast. Looks like your friends are up as well."
He looked inside and saw Simon and Duncan sat at the usual table, eating their breakfast. "Oh... About that... Um...I'm very sorry for how they acted yesterday..." He said, fumbling his words slightly.
"Mr Brindley, uh, Lewis." She said, smiling. "My job is a difficult one. Not for the violence or battles, but I knew how I would be treated when I was making my way toward this job." She smiled. "But I have worked just as hard as any man to get here, so I don't let it bother me."
He nodded. "Of course... Sorry...." He said, before nodding. "Right, I'll uh, go get some food..." He said, looked up at her and then looked away. Embarrassed. He nodded slightly to himself and then started walking into the bunker.
"Lewis..." She said. He turned to look at her. She smiled once again. "Thank you."
He smiled, before turning and walking towards his friends.
"Morning buddy." Duncan said. "Sleep well?"
"Not at all. Those beds are so uncomfortable..." Lewis answered.
"What were you doing outside?" Simon asked.
"Oh, you know just... Breathe of fresh air. Anyway, I think we should go on a little look around of the rest of the bunker later. Us three, seen as there's not another attack yet or anything. A little adventure like we used to do." He smiled.
"Sure I'm up for that!" Duncan said, sounding excited.
"Just as long as you two don't have another dirt fight." Simon said. They all laughed, and it was well needed. The rest from battle was well deserved and they felt rewarded. And until the commanders phoned up with their next mission, they were safe from the Germans, and had some time on their hands.
Apparently their was talk of heading to another place in a few days, a headquarters of sorts where the commanders were, where they would have a dance, there was a bar. Some pool. Singing, that sort of thing. They were all looking forward to it. Because after that... Well they would be back to this. Back to huddling round a jet engine to keep warm.
"Boys." Carter said as she walked past, greeting them and pulling Lewis from his train of thought.
"Ma'am." Duncan said mockingly. And as she walked away, a swivel in her hips that they just couldn't ignore, it was as if she was trying to rub it in, the blonde put his hand to his mouth, whistling after her.
Simon laughed and Lewis looked to Exza, she turned her head back to them, still walking, and shot him a small smile that the others didn't seem to notice was directed at him. He laughed a little, seeing that she took it as a joke.
"You seem a lot better anyway." Duncan said. "How you holding up since... You know, the news...?" He seemed to want to pick his words carefully, but had always been a forward person.
"I... I don't know really... I find myself dismissing the idea... Like... Like I'm trying to convince myself it isn't true... And that I'll have a family... A home... To go back to."
There was a silence. And it hung in the air.
"Some part of me just still thinks there is... Some part of me doesn't want to let them go." He said, sniffling slightly, and wiping one of his eyes, not looking at the other two for fear of crying. He hadn't cried yet. He'd held it all in. As if not crying would mean that they would still be there for him to go home to.
"Its ok mate." Simon said, patting him in a friendly way on the shoulder.
"Yeah..." Lewis answered. "Yeah of course, sorry." He looked up, putting on a wavering smile. A brave front.
They had all lost friends, something they didn't expect to happen. They had foolishly signed up, joining and thinking it would be a laugh, something to joke about. But it hadn't been, not with the things they'd seen happen. Especially to their friends. Recently the reality of what was happening had become real to them.
But none of them had expected to lose people at home... Especially not Lewis. His family had been kind, loving. And if there was a god up there then he wouldn't have made that happen. And god was something Lewis was quickly losing faith in.
He'd hold out, see how he could pull through, keep buggering on. It was the British way.
He quickly joined back into reality, nodding and smiling at his friends conversations and jokes. And over Simons shoulder he saw Exza, looking over some schematics on the table. She smiled to him, and did a little wave.
He couldn't help but smile back, he looked down. Some things were still happy. He looked up as Duncan was making this big joke about planes, putting his arms out and making noises, his voice echoing through the bunker as everyone laughed.
Some things were worth fighting for...

Description
'I hope this letter reaches you well,
The foxholes are dank, infested with water. I'm worried that some of them may developed trench foot.
Its getting harder out here, and the promise to be home for Christmas seems to be growing ever distant.
Send my love to the family, I will make it through for all of you.
Your son,
Lewis Xephos Brindley'
He sighed, signing off the letter with a signature. Before, writing letters brought him joy, a connection to the life he had left in order to come out and fight for his country. But now, since he got the news that there was no recipient due to bombings... All it did was give him false hope that there was a life to go back to after all of this was over.
The trench was as he had described. Dank. The water came up to his kneecaps, though he was the smallest of the group. The scrawniest. The puppy.
He stood, folding the letter and putting it into his pack, ready for it to be delivered to his old address.
"Lewis, there you are." A friendly voice came from behind.
"Simon, yeah, I was just... Doing some writing." He put on a smile. Simon Honeydew Lane nodded, knowing what he was doing.
"Were all at the bunker, the groups managed to clear it out... Most of the men are injured. Only me you and Jones are left. For now at least. They're sending another couple of people down soon. Should be here by night fall. Come on inside, its cold and wet out here." Simon moved to one side, letting the smaller go first.
"Ah, there you are Lewis." Duncan Lalna Jones said as he walked in. Duncan was sat on a desk, eating some previsions.
"Nice and warm in here... Makes a change." Lewis said, rubbing his arms as the heat welcomed him. "Is that a jet engine?!" He asked, spotting the cause of the unusual amount of heat.
"Yeah, its really loud!" Simon said, chuckling a little bit.
"Makes me a bit uneasy to be honest lads..." Duncan spoke up, taking a bite of his foot.
Lewis took off his helmet and backpack, setting them down before taking off his over jacket and wet boots. Though his trousers were still wet on the lower half from the trench.
"Who's bright idea was that then?" He asked.
"That would be me." Another voice came, a woman's.
They all turned to look. She was slim, hair black and curled, red lips pursed as she walked over. She wore a uniform more prestigious than any of theirs.
"And you are?" Duncan asked, hostile. After all, woman shouldn't be in the army.
"Your commanding officer." She smiled dryly, unamused by the slander put towards her. But she appeared to be used to it. "Agent Exza Carter."
"Uh Lewis Brindley..." Lewis said, putting out a hand to her. She smiled, blue eyes twinkling, and shook it.
"Simon Lane" Simon said, not shaking her hand but nodding to her.
"Duncan Jones." Duncan said, he appeared to be stifling a laugh. Duncan was traditional. And it was traditional that woman not be allowed into the army. It was basic education.
Lewis shook his head at how Duncan was behaving. Him and Simon seemed to be exchanging glances of a joking kind and as Carter walked away they began talking, joking, giggling about her. She was talking to the new ammunitions officer, and Lewis watched her, ignoring the rude, sexist comments the other two were making. She caught his eye, and smiled. At first he didn't know what to do, but smiled back slightly, before turning back to Duncan as he was asked a question.
"Lewis? Lewis!"
"Yeah?" Lewis asked, turning around.
"Rations?" The larger man asked, handing him some supplies.
"Oh, yeah, thanks." The smaller said, jumping up on the table next to his friend and opening his can of food. He looked back to her, she was pretty. Very pretty. And he couldn't help but smile.
------------
It was night time, the bunker was silent but for the crickets that chirped outside. It was nice to have the quiet. And Lewis lay on his bunk, staring up out of a small hole in the ceiling just above his bed, staring at the stars beyond. He didn't know why, but the stars always relaxed him.
"Lewis" he heard someone whispered, and looked over the edge of his bunk to see Simon, like usual on the bunk below him. Duncan was across the room on the other bunk, with Alsmiffy on the one above him, being the new ammunitions officer.
"Yeah, you ok Simon?" He asked.
Simon seemed half asleep like usual, his small light illuminating the wall and not much else other than the sleepy look on his friends face.
"Yeah... You?" Was the response.
"Yeah."
"The new girl sure is pretty right?"
Lewis smiled, thinking of their commanding officer... Exza Carter... "Yeah... Yeah she is." He said, smiling to himself as he was leaning over the edge of the bunk.
"Lewis..." Simon continued.
"Yeah buddy?"
"When so you think we'll go home...?"
He paused, they always had this talk. At four times a week. It had started off as childish ways of thinking, believing they would be home a couple of weeks or months after they had been sent off to fight. But since then it had become a habit, a question asked when Simon was half asleep. And Lewis would always go along with it. In some way it was another way of giving himself false hope...
"In time for Christmas Simon..." He said, a sad smiled on his face as he played back on his bunk, looking back up at the stars. "We'll be back by then..."
"Home for Christmas..." Simon said, dozing off.
"Yeah buddy... Home for Christmas..." He answered, letting the tears slowly trickle down his cheeks.
"Goodnight Lewis..."
"Goodnight Simon..."
------------
He had to keep his spirits up, keep marching on and all that British stuff. He made his way to the outside of the bunker, breathing in the cold fresh air and breathing out a puff of breathe. The rain from the night before still hung on the grass and had bought a thin layer of mist to the new day. A couple of birds chirped, and he heard talking.
He raised an eyebrow, and walked around the edge, hiding back from whoever it was and leaning round so that he could see.
Exza stood talking to another man, a man with a mustache, an inventor. He was dressed well, a black waistcoat with shire shirt and pocket watch. Though around his neck hung goggles. Pilots goggles.
He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it didn't seem to be too important.
Once they were done he made it look like he was just wondering round.
"Mr Brindley." She said, smiling with her red lips.
"Uh... Agent Carter..." He smiled awkwardly. Simon was right, she was very pretty. "Good morning..." He continued, not knowing what to say.
She smiled. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yes ma'am!" He said, smiling.
"Oh, none of that ma'am business, call me Exza." She said, smiling once again.
"Are you sure...?" He asked.
"Of course. I've never been one for the formal side of things. I leave that to the higher ups." She said, leading him back inside. He glanced back at the man who had been there before and walked with her. "Ah, I see you saw my colleague there. Yes Mr.Stark and I go back quite a ways. He's an inventor, engineer. Ballistics, firearms... Some more, unconventional things as well." She smiled. "Anyway, I shall leave you to your breakfast. Looks like your friends are up as well."
He looked inside and saw Simon and Duncan sat at the usual table, eating their breakfast. "Oh... About that... Um...I'm very sorry for how they acted yesterday..." He said, fumbling his words slightly.
"Mr Brindley, uh, Lewis." She said, smiling. "My job is a difficult one. Not for the violence or battles, but I knew how I would be treated when I was making my way toward this job." She smiled. "But I have worked just as hard as any man to get here, so I don't let it bother me."
He nodded. "Of course... Sorry...." He said, before nodding. "Right, I'll uh, go get some food..." He said, looked up at her and then looked away. Embarrassed. He nodded slightly to himself and then started walking into the bunker.
"Lewis..." She said. He turned to look at her. She smiled once again. "Thank you."
He smiled, before turning and walking towards his friends.
"Morning buddy." Duncan said. "Sleep well?"
"Not at all. Those beds are so uncomfortable..." Lewis answered.
"What were you doing outside?" Simon asked.
"Oh, you know just... Breathe of fresh air. Anyway, I think we should go on a little look around of the rest of the bunker later. Us three, seen as there's not another attack yet or anything. A little adventure like we used to do." He smiled.
"Sure I'm up for that!" Duncan said, sounding excited.
"Just as long as you two don't have another dirt fight." Simon said. They all laughed, and it was well needed. The rest from battle was well deserved and they felt rewarded. And until the commanders phoned up with their next mission, they were safe from the Germans, and had some time on their hands.
Apparently their was talk of heading to another place in a few days, a headquarters of sorts where the commanders were, where they would have a dance, there was a bar. Some pool. Singing, that sort of thing. They were all looking forward to it. Because after that... Well they would be back to this. Back to huddling round a jet engine to keep warm.
"Boys." Carter said as she walked past, greeting them and pulling Lewis from his train of thought.
"Ma'am." Duncan said mockingly. And as she walked away, a swivel in her hips that they just couldn't ignore, it was as if she was trying to rub it in, the blonde put his hand to his mouth, whistling after her.
Simon laughed and Lewis looked to Exza, she turned her head back to them, still walking, and shot him a small smile that the others didn't seem to notice was directed at him. He laughed a little, seeing that she took it as a joke.
"You seem a lot better anyway." Duncan said. "How you holding up since... You know, the news...?" He seemed to want to pick his words carefully, but had always been a forward person.
"I... I don't know really... I find myself dismissing the idea... Like... Like I'm trying to convince myself it isn't true... And that I'll have a family... A home... To go back to."
There was a silence. And it hung in the air.
"Some part of me just still thinks there is... Some part of me doesn't want to let them go." He said, sniffling slightly, and wiping one of his eyes, not looking at the other two for fear of crying. He hadn't cried yet. He'd held it all in. As if not crying would mean that they would still be there for him to go home to.
"Its ok mate." Simon said, patting him in a friendly way on the shoulder.
"Yeah..." Lewis answered. "Yeah of course, sorry." He looked up, putting on a wavering smile. A brave front.
They had all lost friends, something they didn't expect to happen. They had foolishly signed up, joining and thinking it would be a laugh, something to joke about. But it hadn't been, not with the things they'd seen happen. Especially to their friends. Recently the reality of what was happening had become real to them.
But none of them had expected to lose people at home... Especially not Lewis. His family had been kind, loving. And if there was a god up there then he wouldn't have made that happen. And god was something Lewis was quickly losing faith in.
He'd hold out, see how he could pull through, keep buggering on. It was the British way.
He quickly joined back into reality, nodding and smiling at his friends conversations and jokes. And over Simons shoulder he saw Exza, looking over some schematics on the table. She smiled to him, and did a little wave.
He couldn't help but smile back, he looked down. Some things were still happy. He looked up as Duncan was making this big joke about planes, putting his arms out and making noises, his voice echoing through the bunker as everyone laughed.
Some things were worth fighting for...