The Way Back

Prologue

May 11th, 1942

She sat at the small chair positioned in front of an old wooden desk that held various stacks of papers, all cluttering atop the wood messily. A fan blew off to the right, the slight breeze cooling the cramped space down. The sun casted in warm rays of light that heated up her legs. 

The door to her right clicked open along with a soft creak from the hinges, drawing her attention to it immediately. She turned slightly in the chair, narrowing her eyes at the new form. 

A man stepped through the doorway, finely decorated in a uniform; a United States Army uniform. He removed his cap upon entering, and tossed a small greeting smile towards the girl. 

"Miss Lia, it is a pleasure to meet you." His voice was a calm presence, reminding Lia of her father. 

Lia's eyes tracked him the duration of his walk to sit behind the desk. He eased himself into the seat with a small grunt and adjusted a few of the haphazard papers before leaning back in his seat. His eyes met Lia's in an intense stare. 

"Its been brought to my attention that you are one of the girls liberated from the German operation a few months back." Lia only stared blankly at the man. Her features gave way to no reaction upon the statement. "I was told that you were the only one who wouldn't speak on what happened there, although, the others did." 

 He dragged in a small breath. "You were trained in all sorts of combat, yes?" 

Lia didn't want to speak on the atrocities that happened in that place. Having only been freed a few months ago, the memories were still fresh and the conversation was slowly dredging them higher above the surface. She kept her face passive, nodding only once in confirmation. 

"We're in an understanding that this was a high training operation, starting you at a very young age to become skilled combat soldiers." Lia nodded once more. 

"It has also been brought to my attention that you have not been living anywhere specific." He paused, letting the knowledge sink in. "Why is that?" 

Lia narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze hardening. How he knew that information was unknown to her. "I have nowhere to live." Her voice was flat. The high arched eybrow the man gave her hinted that he wanted more. "When the Germans take you, they kill your family. No one to live for, no one to go back home to. No hope. A true solider." 

He stared at the young girl for a moment, taking her words in. 

"The other girls stated that you were the oldest, and spent the most time there. That you were the best trained. How long were you there for?"

Lia chewed on the inside of her lip, drawing out the iron taste of blood. She wanted to be anywhere but in front of this man speaking on her lovely childhood. 

"Since I was ten." 

His expression changed to one holding pure shock. The air in the room grew impossibly thick. It was something Lia was accustomed to from the embassy when she was liberated. Not a single person believed her. The man seated before her blinked slowly while processing the information. 

"I'm sorry to hear that." His voice fell soft for a moment as his eyes shifted down to the desk before him for a moment before dragging them back up to meet Lia's. "I brought you in here today because I have a proposition for you." 

Lia leaned back, clasping her hands before her, a look plastered on her face encouraging the man to continue.  

"I know that you have been trained as a soldier. We've kept an eye on you, and we know of the fights and chaos you purposely get yourself into. You want to fight, it's the only thing you know how to do." 

Lia brushed off his bluntness. He was spot on. 

"We are undergoing an operation here in the U.S. Army. One that also assimilates women into the front lines. We're placing two women in each division of the army, playing out how you will succeed in the front lines. I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't needed, but both of our selected women for the Airborne had dropped out." 

Lia furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side. "Airborne?" It was a term unfamiliar to her. 

The man nodded. "We are testing it out. It's a paratrooper infantry where you will be dropped in over the enemy lines.  If this first trial goes correctly, we will train more paratroopers to follow in behind you. We don't know how long that will be. It could be months, years." 

He he cleared his throat before continuing. "We have little time to train another to drop at the specific window. But you, Lia, have already been trained in most of the things these soldiers need." 

The man's words began to slowly sink in. 

"It is solely and completely your decision. There will be no forcing you to do so. I am asking you today if you would like to be included into the operation, where you will be trained in an elite unit for the 16th Airborne Infantry, Vitale Company." 

Fight in a war for her country, without being tortured to do so. 

Lia shifted her eyes to the man before her. The corners of her mouth twitched up into a small grin.

"I'm in."