"Came through the clouds about 5 o'clock high. I mean, I couldn't see anything." Reported one of the men, his voice tight with tension.
"Are you fucking kidding me? The EAs are like ghosts!" Snapped another from a different table, his anger seething beneath the surface.
"Hinton said he saw 4 chutes, but I didn't see any!" Pipsqueak scoffed, his frustration boiling over as he struggled to grapple with their failure and the overwhelming loss they had endured.
"There was cloud cover, start to end... It was- it was a soup, Lieutenant! I COULDN'T SEE A THING OUT THERE--" Screamed Brady, his hands running through his sweaty hair, as he narrated the event.
"Islands? Jeez- I never saw any islands."
"At that point I saw muzzle flashes, no bursts..."
"Yeah, I mean those 190s they screeched right by us at what? 500 mph?" Biddick explained, being the co-pilot of the 350th. "Went straight after the 349th, three of them went down and one returned." Dickie informed. "Chutes, did anyone see any chutes?" Asked the Lieutenant interrogating the crew. "No, sir. It was chaos up there. Zero visibility." Bubbles sighed. "And yet you're the only ones who got job done." Mused the brunette. "If it weren't for Major l/n, we wouldn't be here, sir. She took charge at the last minute, sparing the gunmen who the Krauts always target first, allegedly." Babyface informed.
"Was this before or after the CO scrubbed this mission?" He asked. "After, sir. But we had no way back. The Nazi's were right at our tail, it was... crazy." Bosser said. "By the time we reached Bremen, they ran out of fuel, contributing to our success." Major Cleven finished. "But on their way back, the flak damaged our motor. It was hell out there, sir." Mumbled Best, summarizing the return trip, which was certainly not an easy one. "Very well, then — Congrats on your achievement, team. You boys, and uh, girl... managed to do the unthinkable." Lieutenant Jeffords wrapped things up. "You may now report to the doc and get yourselves checked up."
***
An hour had passed since everything settled down. The medics diligently tended to the injured soldiers, who now lay peacefully in the hospital wing, their bodies receiving the care they desperately needed. The rest of the aircrewmen finished their supper, finding solace in the simple act of nourishment before taking the remainder of the evening off. They sought refuge in moments of relaxation, allowing themselves time to unwind and come to terms with the shortcomings of the day. After taking the cold shower he desperately needed, Buck felt a sense of relief wash over him.
With renewed clarity, he made the decision to check up on his squadron, determined to ensure their well-being in the middle of the repercussions of the morning's events. First, he sought out Bosser, whose condition appeared to be slightly more serious than the others. "Son, I'm gonna show the Major your wounds." The doctor informed, guiding the blonde to his Tail Gunner. "Yes, sir..." Sighed the boy awkwardly, his discomfort evident as the brunette pulled away the blanket shielding his quite literally frozen bottom. "Bosser's frostbite is going to require more attention than we can give him here." Concluded the man, covering the embarrassed lad again.
"Hang in there, Bosser. We're gonna send you to Redgrave Hospital and get you all fixed up." Assured the blonde, placing a comforting hand over the boy's shoulder. "Can't wait to get back into the fight, sir." Replied Bosser, his spirits lifted by the reassurance and support from his superior. "Good man." Buck smiled warmly, giving him a pat on the back before stepping away, allowing him the privacy he needed to digest the brutality of the day. "They have got to remember where they are... It is 25,000 feet and 50 below zero — their piss freezes against their skin." Doc explained.
"These kind of casualties are unnecessary losses for the group." The man sighed, his voice heavy with the weight of their sacrifices, as he led the Major to the other side of the building where the less critical patients were stored. "Not to mention we just lost another CO." He added quickly, the gravity of the situation hanging thick in the air. "Huglin?" Gale wondered aloud, his concern evident as he paused by the door. "Yeah, he burst an ulcer when he landed. I've just put him on a transport to London to see a specialist." The brunette informed, his tone somber. "Okay... Thank you, doc." Buck mumbled, his heart aching due to the burden of their losses, before marching to the girl's bed. She joked around with her crewmen who had come to see her before him, a brief moment of levity amidst the shadows of the day.
"But Jesus Christ, what kind of an idiot am I?" Dickie frowned, lamenting the cause of his condition. "I mean, it's freezing cold, and I got to grab the gun with my bare hands." He sighed. "That icebox? Yeah... Could've been worse though." Curt comforted. "Yeah, at least you didn't get socked in the head by a crashing plane while playing with a dog that came out of lord knows where." Scoffed the girl, humorously referencing her own misfortune from the previous day. "Welp, hopefully none of those are going to happen again." Chuckled Bubbles, the others joining in. "Don't count on it." Shrugged y/n, offering no promises.
"Gentlemen, Major..." Buck acknowledged, his presence commanding respect as he walked into the room to check up on the patients. "Alright Dickie, heal fast. I need my co-pilot back." Biddick said with a hint of humor. "And no more standing in front of crashing forts, Duck, we very much need your head intact for our own survival." He mocked the y/h/c, shooting her a playful wink before walking over to the blonde. "Uh, Bucky and I kind of thought we should have some drinks with a few of the boys. You want to come?" He then asked the Major. "Oh, thank you, Curt. But I'm- I'm just gonna stay in tonight." Cleven once again declined.
"I'm down!" y/n said instead, in dire need of excessive liquor. "Oh, you're not going anywhere until you're discharged. Linda practically begged me to keep an eye on you after your little escapade trying to dive out of the window to play with Meatball in the middle of the night." Scoffed the blonde. "She did what?!" Dickie exclaimed, his incredulity adding to the uproarious laughter that filled the room. "Ma'am, with all due respect, you are NOT Batman." Snorted Biddick, quite a huge fan of the comics himself. "Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you, amigo." y/n remarked, her tone laced with playful skepticism as she simply rolled her eyes.
"Afterall, do you really think it's a coincidence that you've never seen me and Batman in the same room?"
Disclaimer: Batman debuted first in the 27th issue of the Detective Comics on March 30, 1939.
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