Chapter Text
Cigarette smoke filled the air, causing a slight haze. Cap looked up at the board, staring at the lines and numbers twisting into a blur before him. He looked back down at the table, papers strewn everywhere.
“...prefer a more localised blast radius. Road infrastructure has been heavily worn down by German armour.”
“Can’t leave the ground looking like Verdun. UXOs are also an issue, it would severely impact our movement in the later stages.”
The words floated around him, but his mind couldn’t make any sense of it. He glanced at the glass of brandy on the table, pushed his hand forward and took a swig from it.
“Captain? Any comments?”
Cap looked over to the source of the noise. Lieutenant Robert stared, awaiting a response.
“Apologies, Robert, didn’t catch a thing.”
“James is wonder-”
“Is it alright if we take a break for the day? We can resume on Monday, brains fresh and ready to fight Jerry’s hollow craniums.”
The men nodded in agreement; they’d been at it all afternoon and ate dinner whilst discussing. They began filing away the documents and tucking away the drawings neatly into the hollow behind the giant map of the European Theatre (not the most innovative idea, but Cap guarded it pretty much all day). They walked briskly out of the room, boots squeaking and knocking against the polished wooden floor. They closed the door carefully, leaving only a click to signify they’d left.
Cap walked over to the window and perched on the ledge, brandy in hand. His eyes wandered towards the gate, hoping for his dreams to finally become a reality. Staring out at the torrential snowstorm, a distant figure phased into view, amidst the torrential blur of swirling flakes. Something panged in his heart.
“William.”