" The distance between dreams and reality is called action."

- Unknown

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The women continued walking towards where rows of barracks were. The barracks were fairly large, but there had to be at least only 5 or 6 of them here.

" Hey!" a voice called and the 3 women looked up and towards a woman who was standing near the entrance to a barrack.

" Are you three Parker, McCown and Elliot?" she asked.

" Yes ma'am." Catherine called back.

" Perfect," she said and checked a few marks off her list. The woman wore almost like a conductors hat, with something similar to a WAC uniform on, and a few medals adorning it as well, with her short hair curled back and a light shade of lipstick on. But she had a wide, toothy smile upon her face. The 3 women approached her.

" Howdy folks, I'm Sergeant Barbara Miller. I'm in 2nd platoon with you ladies, but I'm one of the NCOs of the Company." Barbara said with a friendly smile.

" It's nice to meet you." Catherine said holding out her hand toward her, " Catherine McCown."

" Elizabeth Elliot." Elizabeth said shaking her hand.

" Hazel Parker." Hazel said with a gentle smile.

" Well it is lovely to meet you all, we almost have all the women of 2nd platoon shown up." she said, " But this here is Virago Company. Real original am I right?" The trio chuckled.

" Captain Thermes wasn't exactly messing around when he said he's more focused on training than 'stupid names'." she said with a laugh, " He's a mean son-of-a-bitch, but his training's worth it. I had to study it before I enlisted here to help train."

" We're just happy to be here." Elizabeth said, " And we all want good training."

" Good," Barbara said with a smile, " you can head on in there and get your cots. We're running similarly to how the 82nd is being run, so no beds, nothing like those female branches. You're the 250 elite women and you're all being thrust into this as if you were one." Barbara explained, but she delivered it in a kind manner.

" Thank you, Sergeant." Lizzie said with a smile and Barbara smiled at her.

" I'm glad to help, head on in and try and meet some of the others." she said stepping back and pointing them through. The trio headed inside and immediately the women in 2nd platoon were looking towards them.

" You must be the Airborne women," a pretty blonde said stepping forward with an excited smile.

" Yep, we are." Catherine said with a smile.

" Ladies, it's the Airborne women!" the blonde called as the women looked towards the trio and swarmed over.

" We've heard all about the women going into the Airborne, how you're all going to be paratroopers." an Italian said stepping forward with bright eyes. Each woman in the room looked, bright, attentive and determined, with a passion filled drive inside them.

" I'm Patricia Yearicks, I came from WAVES." the blonde said looking at them.

" Lucia Perischoli, I came from the WAC." the Italian said with a caring, motherly smile.

" Me too." Hazel said with a smile.

" 'Eh! Fellow WAC member, told ya we were superior, Pat." Lucia said to the blonde.

" Stuff it, Luce," the blonde said then turned and smiled to the women, " We've gotten your beds laid out for you all."

" Thank you," Elizabeth said as the 3 women filed into the cots that were near the entrance and all side by side. Pat and Lucia wandered over as a bunch of the other women dispersed back to their things.

" You met Sweeney yet?" Pat asked them.

" Oh, yes." Catherine said turning to them as she removed her exterior coat from the heat quickly, " Quite the character." Pat and Lucia laughed.

" Yep he is, he's been trying to get poor Frannie Brown for the past few days, but she won't budge. He wanders up to the gate when he escorts another woman in, asking for her. Tells him about how she's here to fight a war, not shack up with a guy." Lucia said.

" I respect that." Catherine said with a smile.

" Frannie!" Pat turned and called over her shoulder as a ginger haired woman walked over with a smile, and bright green eyes.

" Hey, you're those paratroopers right?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

" Soon-to-be." Hazel said with a smile as Frannie grinned.

" Amazing." Frannie said, " I swear I've been telling these girls that you Airborne women are gonna be the most badass out of all of us and I think I'm right."

" We try." Elizabeth said with a playful smile.

" What are all your names?" Frannie asked.

" Catherine McCown."

" Hazel Parker."

" Elizabeth Elliot."

" See you already have cool names too, I swear what normal person would name their kid Frannie Brown?" Frannie asked, " Especially one with ginger hair."

" No, don't say that! I love your hair!" Elizabeth said as she ran a hand through hers, " This mop is just such a plain color."

" Aren't you just a peach!" Frannie said as she glanced at her hair, " Gingers are truly the best."

" How many times are you gonna butter up that phrase to me?" Lucia asked with a grudge her way.

" As much times as it takes to sink through that cold, stubborn skin." Frannie said patting her head as the group burst into laughs.

" Ladies!" a voice called and the group turned to see a man, with a Lieutenant symbol on his collar, with Barbara next to him. He was tall, with dirty-blonde almost golden hair, with crystal blue eyes and a prominent nose, with sharp cheek bones.

" For those of you who are new, I am Lieutenant Louis Wilson, and I'll be your platoon commander. This here," Wilson pointed to another man by his side, a man about his height, but with brunette hair, and bright green eyes, and a Sergeant," is Sergeant Cole Loughty, and he will be your Senior NCO of Virago Company. Now this is 2nd platoon, and you'll have 2 NCOs in here, Sergeant Miller and Sergeant Fernsby." Sergeant Fernsby, was a tall, athletic looking brunette who had a smile upon her face, standing beside Barbara.

" Your CO, Captain William Thermes will be in shortly to address you all. All the women have arrived, and that means training will begin Monday. Understood?" Wilson asked.

" Yes, sir." the group chorused out.

" Good, try and settle yourselves down, after Thermes comes in, we'll head over to mess. Get your ODs on." Wilson called.

" Yes, sir." the group chorused back. Wilson nodded with a smile before turning to his Senior NCO and the two Sergeant NCOs. Hazel turned from the group towards the other 5 women.

" It's best if you 3 get dressed now before we head towards the mess hall. They serve some nasty shit there." Lucia said leaning forward.

" Don't listen to her, it's only because they aren't serving bowls of pasta and sausage." Pat said as Lucia glared at her.

" Oh right and Miss Scottish, they don't exactly have haggis up there either do they." Lucia snapped. Hazel watched the two and cleared her throat.

" Are you two drafted into the same branch?" Hazel asked.

" Yep, proud front runners of the Marine Corps." Pat said wrapping an arm over Lucia's shoulder.

" Wow." Catherine said, " You hear about Guadalcanal?"

" Oh yeah, sounds like it wasn't going so well last we heard." Lucia said. Hazel smiled sadly. Pretty much everyone had heard.

It was a mess, and there were so many allied members lost in the battle. Virtually everyone at home had been saddened by it when Hazel stopped at her mother's house for leave in June. Mrs Barry, her mother's friend, had recently lost her son, beforehand from a stray bullet on a patrol. Hazel felt bad.

Hazel looked at the dog tags she had been given and looped it around her neck with her dziadek's Star of David he had given her back in February as she hopped on the train. She wore it everywhere. It was a reminder of him now that she was in training, it was a nice reminder to always have of him.

She quickly changed from her uniform into fresh ODs and enjoyed the bit of stiffness she got from the new clothing. Catherine was busy changing beside her and Elizabeth the next bed over.

" Hey," Elizabeth said as she walked over between Catherine and Hazel's bed, pulling her OD coat on, " I just heard two girls talking, supposedly some 82nd guy tried to get over the fence to see what we were doing. Supposedly doesn't believe in all this tomfoolery."

" If I was a guy, who got minimum wage and was now training to become a paratrooper and heard a bunch of chicks who didn't work, were also signed up to be paratroopers, I'd be pretty disbelieving too." Catherine said as Hazel huffed.

" You said it Catherine." Elizabeth said. Just then the door banged open and everyone froze, many snapping into attention. The trio followed from their positions.

A man, with a tauntingly handsome and mysterious face entered the barracks, with cold, seemingly black eyes, and a thin-lipped grimace upon his lips as his wandering gaze washed over the women of 2nd platoon.

" Foot of your beds." he said quickly, his voice smooth like chocolate, but deep enough to be definitely terrifying. He had a scar just under his eye, the looks of a battle scar.

Every woman quickly moved to the foot of their beds and stood in attention as the man moved down the center of the isle, his feet clicking against the wooden floor as an air of tension wrapped itself around the room.

" You all have been accepted into what is going to be considered one of the most elite and covert programs in the continental United Sates." the man said, " You have all signed up for this and are guaranteed as members of this elite 250 member program, Operation Virago."

" Yes, sir." the group chorused as Hazel softly chanted afterwards. She was still catching onto the pace of this.

" And can someone tell me what virago means?" he asked stopping at the end of the isle and turning around to look down the 2 rows. No one moved.

" Anybody." he called.

" Sir!" Catherine called, her voice loud from beside Hazel. The man slowly walked forward, past Hazel before stopping in front of Catherine and glaring down at her with a bitter gaze, a rather harsh one. Catherine didn't seem to flinch.

" Enlighten me, Sergeant...."

" McCown, sir." Catherine answered.

" Sergeant McCown."

" Virago means a woman of exemplary and heroic qualities, that of Latin, sir." Catherine answered.

" Correct, Sergeant." the man said as he stepped back and paced down to the opposite end of the barracks.

" You are ALL Virago Company. And I expect you all, at each and every time you are to represent a part of this company to always use and show those exemplary and heroic qualities, is that understood?" the man called.

" Yes, sir!" the women called.

" As you all know, I am Captain William Thermes and I will be your CO for the next 15 weeks before each branch breaks off into their own respective training needed. If you are to become a Code Breaker for the Coast Guard, you will be allocated a certain training location and deployment area for doing so. If you are to become a paratrooper, you will observe further training before being deployed to your vantage point." Thermes said.

" Yes, sir!"

" I want you all to know that the 15 weeks of training you are all about to endure will be some of the toughest truths and realities you will have to face in the oncoming weeks." Thermes said walking back down the center, " But here, women and men are equal, you are all equal and you are all humans, expected of the same opportunities and capabilities. And if you are to become one the elites you will have to live up to that, even if it means running through the mud at night in full gear, as freezing cold water falls from the sky. You are all capable of greatness and success and I want you all to succeed in this war of the world."

" Yes, sir!"

" Get yourselves ready, you'll be escorted to mess." Thermes said.

" Sir!" And with that the CO turned and walked out of the barracks. Each woman didn't drop their guard until Fernsby, moved towards the door and shut it before glancing at the women. The women dropped their guards. There would be a lot of things to learn about the discipline in this camp, but if what Thermes had said was true, Hazel would be risking to run through the rain, in full gear at night for it all. Pat walked over to the trio afterwards, in her ODs, blonde hair in a ponytail.

" Supposedly that's not even the worst of him, but I gotta give you credit, McCown, seemed to impress him a bit." Pat commented.

" Bet it takes more than that." Catherine said with a shrug. Hazel glanced at Catherine. She seemed wise, just in the way she spoke. So Hazel walked beside her and Lizzie to mess that night.

" Are you in college?" Hazel asked her, as Lizzie peaked over.
" Yeah, I go to Cornell, but I halted my courses for SPARs and this. I'm hoping to get back after this war finishes and earn my degree." Catherine said.

" That's amazing." Hazel said with bright eyes. She always admired women that were independent and went to college without seemingly a care in the world of what was thought of them. Catherine seemed to be one of them.

" What about you?" Catherine asked. Hazel shook her head.

" I actually graduated high school early just to get into the WAC." Hazel explained.

" Really?" Elizabeth asked and Hazel nodded, " That's great!" Hazel smiled. Dinner at the mess hall was nice for Virago Company. There were 5 mess halls that served 50 people each, and they had the Lieutenants do patrols as the women ate. That was to secure that all the women ate their fill. Hazel respected that.

The first night there, many of the women sat around exchanging cigarettes, reading books or magazines, writing letters or resting. It was a peaceful atmosphere and nobody seemed entirely too stressed, even though the women knew that would change quickly within the weekend.

Suddenly, there was a siren that went off, a loud one. The noise was blaring and wailing and ringing in Hazel's ears. Hazel and the rest of the women jumped out of bed, as Barbara moved to the front.

" Get down and in between the beds!" she yelled her voice authoritative and booming. Hazel flipped in between her and Catherine's bed and put her hands to her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

What was going on?

The siren continued for another moment, before you could hear it click off. She heard some shuffling before she glanced towards the front and saw Barbara stand in the doorway.

" Sorry about that newcomers, Captain Thermes likes to pull that at night, practice sirens for air-raids things like that." she explained with a smile, " Lucky night I guess."

" It's already started." Catherine said as she glanced at Hazel and smirked. Hazel smiled back at her.

The night was peaceful, there was a gentle breeze that blew in from a young woman's window, by the name of Rita Sallow.

The weekends didn't really contain much of a break however, there were classes, based on what position you tried out for. Rifleman went to one room, medics another, mortar men one way, machine gunners were another, as well as heavy gunners.

Hazel found herself herded with the rifleman, even though she had been informed by Barbara that she was to become some semblance of a sniper for the paratroopers, courtesy of her soon-to-be Colonel, Colonel Sink, per request. The classes were run by higher up officers from the 82nd Airborne, who had some free time to spend on the weekends.

The classes were filled like it was college level almost, going over each and every weapon a woman in any branch could work with, or zipping through medical techniques, or the dissection of a mortar. They were intense classes and long ones, that reminded Hazel of her school days, but they were exactly what the women needed to speed their minds and get them set for Monday.

When Monday arrived, it was a 5 o'clock wake up that shook the women from their much needed sleep after an exhausting weekend of classes. Hazel was at the foot of her bed, eyes wide awake, as Thermes came strolling down the center of the aisle again. They hadn't seen him all weekend, but Pat had told him that he seems to always show up at the right moments. Thermes looked even more cold and guarded as he strode down the isle like an animal stalking its prey. He finally reached the end of the isle, as the only noise was the static from the lights hanging above.

" At-tent-ion!" he yelled and everyone immediately stood at attention quickly, as Hazel's heart started racing.

" Today, you will be starting your training!" he called, his voice booming over 2nd platoon.

" 1st and 3rd platoon have already awoken and will be waiting outside for our morning run. Is that understood?!" he yelled.

" Yes, sir!" the group yelled.

" PT gear!" he called, before walking straight down the isle and disappearing out of the barrack.

" PT gear now, ladies, don't just stand there or there will be extra push ups for you all!" Barbara yelled. Every woman scrambled turning back and pulling off their clothing to pull on their PT gear. Hazel struggled to get her arm through the hole but she did quickly before tying up her shoes and racing out of the barrack beside Elizabeth. Pat slowly eased up at her side.

" Supposedly he was an ex-Marine, it's why he does more of what their training style is than any other." she whispered in the quiet of the morning.

" Oh boy." Catherine said, " My dad's one of those and the exact same way." Pat snickered. Hazel offered an exhausted smile before the women were moved into platoons for running. Thermes appeared in his own PT gear similar to the women's.

" Each and every morning, we will be performing a 5 mile run. We will pass by the Noyo River and up Gibson's Cliff. After that you will repeat it a second time, that will be your run each morning! Understood!"

" Yes, sir!" the women chorused in the darkness.

" Try to keep how loud you breathe down, those 82nd boys aren't even awake yet!" Thermes chorused.

" Yes, sir!" the group yelled.

" Let's move!" Thermes called and the women took off running.

The run started out easy, on flat ground, through pebble streets of Camp Athene. Then Thermes led them onto a trail with enough space for the spread out platoons to fit down. It stayed relatively flat for about half a mile, before they came upon the edge of a river, running alongside it as the gentle tune of the water ran with life.

Thermes then led them towards a rocky path to started quickly uphill, as the women hefted their legs and bodies up the literal cliff to reach the top before running at a steep incline to the official top. They raced around a tree before heading back down with Sergeant Loughty in the lead.

Hazel's breathing rate was easy as she ran just like Catherine's beside her. Elizabeth had more ragged breathing but in all, it didn't seem to entirely affect her ability to run. If anything she would blow it off as seasonal allergies.

They ran alongisde the river again, many of the women keeping up with the heavy strides they were all taking and Loughty's pace he had set.

When they reached their starting point, Loughty turned and the group continued for round 2. Round 2 of the run, was worse. By this point, many people's legs were sore and weakening and everyone's breathing had become ragged, but there was some sorta passion and drive that fell over the 250 women that no one seemed willing to let go of. They all wanted to prove their worth here and prove their ability to do what a man could also do, to prove to Loughty and Thermes and Ridgway, that they were women and could do whatever a man had the capabilities of doing. It all ran through their minds as they finished up their 2nd lap of the hard course.

As the women arrived at breakfast sweaty and worn out, Hazel couldn't help but chug a cup of water that Barbara had slid in front of her.

" Drink up ladies, you'll need hydration and nutrients throughout the day if you want to conquer these 15 weeks." she said with a gentle smile before turning away. They seemed to prioritize making sure you eat and drink your fill, and Hazel was fine with that, it seemed important to them here. Hazel glanced at Catherine who looked up from her meal.

" 5 miles sure is some morning run." she commented.

" Thermes looked as if it were a morning stroll." Hazel said with a small smile.

" That's because it probably was." Elizabeth said with a small chuckle, and a genuine smile. Hazel glanced at her with a chuckle. How could she remain so positive after the hell of that? Hazel didn't question it.

But she had met a few medics of the military in her time in the WAC, and they always seemed like the most gentle, parental people who were fairly positive, but if you messed with them, boy would you get some hell. Hazel wished she were positive like that.

But she focused on caloric intake and water, she needed that to survive training. She needed this training though, it would get her to the war. It would let her fight in this world war.

Immediately after breakfast, the women were escorted back to barracks for inspection checks, as they had been given the time to clean their bed area up nicely. Thermes and Lieutenant Wilson had done a thorough inspection, their eyes downcast, searching for anything to seemingly pick out of place. Thermes started berating one woman, a small brunette with big brown eyes, whose uniform wasn't hung up properly. When Thermes had finally backed down from her, she looked close to tears, with her cheeks bright red. Hazel watched her. But this was the reality of training, and everyone knew it.

Ridgway was right, they'd be broken down over the tiniest things, but if they wanted to be elite, they had to accept the fact that something like that just doesn't happen over night.

The training was strenuous, the nights long and overwhelming as Thermes would keep them standing, as promised through downpours, standing idle in the rain as well, as the women became soaked.

It was all a mental game.

To be able to bear anything that happened in the middle of training. Hazel became close with Catherine and Elizabeth who had insisted Lizzie was easier to say, as well as Pat, Lucia and Frannie, and a few other women. Barbara was always hanging around as well as Laura Fernsby, the two nicest and most helpful women around. Cole Loughty was also surprisingly nice to be around when not berating any of the women for anything.

Thermes was stoic and guarded and closed off, but plenty of times Lieutenant Wilson was a firm yet calming presence. He made sure 2nd platoon was always in good hands and that they performed to the highest standards they could, training late into the night, studying different parts of their unit they needed for weekend classes, or making sure everyone was hydrated and eating well and no one was sick.

But everyone wanted to be there, for women's rights in war, to lead the first group of women through training to become one of the elites. Plenty of times within the first week, Hazel had been partnered with Catherine and Lizzie for many different forms of PT training, and the women had bonded over simple moments of pushing around a huge tire, or running together or making sure they completed the right amount of push-ups.

They didn't always have much time to just sit and talk at night, it was very scheduled and usually everyone was too tired at night to try and even have conversations, so training, especially when partnered together was truly the time where they could bond together.

They didn't leave base, but the women who were picked didn't care.

They wanted to become those elite members of the military even as women. The men on the outside of Camp Athene were not that of Virago Company. The women in Camp Athene were Virago Company and each woman held that bit of pride inside them through the majority of training.

Each weekend, they studied what they could, before they trained hard through the week, being reprimanded for each and everything. Hazel had Thermes yelling in her ear the other day for touching her face; she didn't touch her face after that. Thermes went after Lizzie for her crooked pillow. He always found something in everyone, forcing them to remember one each inspection each day.

But it made them better.

They all had to trust that.

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hey! i hope you are all doing well! :) these next few chapters, are just mainly going to be discussing the training the women went through. so, don't expect the boys in any of these chapters!! but these chapters are highly important to the characters and to knowing each other through training and understanding what sort of training they really went through. this is the set up to the bigger story that is very much needed for explanations and such.

thank you all for your support, as someone who is shy and usually anxious about posting, you all make me feel better because you are all so kind and supportive and i thank you :)

thank you all for reading and for your votes, comments and reads!! it means a lot!!