May 23, 1943 - New York City
Time slipped away like sand through an open hand, unnoticed until its weight was gone. Days blurred into one another, and weeks faded like forgotten ink on an old letter. What had felt like only yesterday had stretched into months.
He looked at the rows of empty benches stretching across his field of vision, facing an empty podium. He stared at the flickering candlelight dancing across the dirty walls, casting shadows that seemed to waver in tune with his muddled thoughts. Tommy sat quietly in an empty church in the dead of night, trying to recall all the time he had spent on the battlefield.
With his current rank, Tommy had been sent back to New York to help with Project: Rebirth, which was said to have the potential to change the course of the war completely in their favor if successful. He didn't know the details, but if they had sent him, it meant the project was of significance importance. He was sure that General Patton would prefer to have him on the front lines if it weren't.
"I heard the general was also back in New York," Tommy mused. "I suppose it must be related to the project."
He vividly remembered the moment his suggestion to capture Djebel el Ahmera became reality. The Allied forces had marched out with uncertainty, and once again, Tommy had been called back to the command post to share his thoughts. What he shared was exactly what he had in mind—along with a few punches.
Just like when he had knocked down a British soldier a while back, Tommy—a mere sergeant—had also punched a colonel. It was something unthinkable, but at that moment, it felt necessary. Even the normally stoic Patton had shown a rare flicker of shock at the sight.
Tommy could still feel the aftermath: the higher-ranking officers' retaliation. They had kicked him, punched him, spat on him in a fit of rage, as if his very presence insulted them. Despite it all, Tommy had just stared back at Patton, even as he was beaten down.
'That's cute,' he thought silently, a faint smile crossing his face as he recalled the stunned expression on General Patton's face after the incident. The memory was still fresh—the feeling of his fist connecting with the colonel's face as clear as if it had just happened.
"Shelby, why did you have to do this?"
Patton's question lingered in his mind as he closed his eyes, trying to recall his answer. Slowly, he opened his eyes and leaned back on the dusty bench.
"Why did I have to go through all of this?"
Tommy mumbled quietly, his thoughts drifting away into memories.
Listening to Tommy's reasoning, Patton couldn't find a logical flaw, though the other officers were adamant about dismissing "a disrespectful soldier" like him. Tommy knew Patton was far sharper than those fools, who barely used their brains. Despite the pain from the beatings, Tommy left the front lines with a wide smile, knowing that Patton had taken his information seriously. After all, the intel Tommy provided wasn't something typically accessible to a sergeant, or anyone in the Allies force for that matter since he had pieced it together by connecting the dots from "dying" multiple times during the Battle of Longstop Hill.
That decision changed everything.
The battle, which took place from December 22 to 25, 1942, marked the beginning of Tommy's rise. Patton had looked favorably upon him after securing the vital strategic position, a victory that shifted the tide of the North African campaign.
By February 17, 1943, Tommy had been promoted to lieutenant. Surprisingly, the higher-ranking officers said nothing about it, likely due to the success of capturing Longstop Hill. They must have realized the consequences if they hadn't taken his intel into consideration. And this time around, despite severe disadvantages—poor terrain and stronger German defenses—Tommy rallied his men during the grueling Battle of Sidi Bou Zid, leading them to an unexpected victory.
That battle earned him yet another promotion.
He knew it should be impossible for someone to get promoted so frequently, but in the chaos of war, where a campaign could be lost at any moment, rewarding someone the Allies deemed extremely intelligent was a small price to pay for victories. Although Tommy understood that much of his success came from his ability to deny death and turn back time that also allowed him to see through the Axis forces' strategies and use that information to his advantage.
On February 24, Tommy led a hastily assembled company during the Battle of Kasserine Pass. The soldiers were inexperienced, the platoons barely formed, and the odds were stacked against them.
Yet again, he turned chaos into a resounding success, securing another critical victory.
By April, another battle loomed. Tommy was genuinely surprised at how quickly Patton moved to execute his strategies, as the general seemed to thirst for more victories. This time, he aimed to seize the town of Gabès—initiating the Battle of El Guettar.
Tommy often wondered how the Germans could still fight with such resistance. Even at the front lines, where he always was, he could see fear in their eyes. But despite their fierce resistance, nothing could stop him. On April 7, 1943, Tommy once again led his forces to victory, further cementing his place as one of the most valuable commanders in the Allied forces.
Then came Hill 609.
The assault began on April 27. After days of intense fighting, Hill 609 fell into Allied hands on May 1, 1943. It surprised Tommy that he didn't die once during the battle. But as they secured the hill with unexpected ease, he understood why as they realized the Germans had already shifted their focus to Mateur, abandoning the hill for a stronger defensive position.
On May 3, in the final push to capture Mateur, Tommy turned the tide once again, leading his men through the chaos and securing another vital victory. His streak continued as they marched toward Tunis and Bizerte. By May 13, 1943, Tommy had led his forces in the capture of both cities during the Battle of Tunis.
This victory not only ended the North African campaign but also paved the way for future Allied successes in Italy and France. Over these months of relentless warfare, Tommy was promoted repeatedly, breaking one record after another until he became the fastest-promoted lieutenant colonel in US Army history.
Yet, despite everything, his existential crisis—something he had hoped would fade with time—only deepened with each successive war.
He had brought victories for the Allied forces and helped secured crucial footholds, forcefully changing the tide of the war to their favor. But despite all that, Tommy couldn't understand why he felt no excitement, no satisfaction when others seemed to revel in the triumphs. His actions had altered history, but none of it seemed to fill the growing void inside him.
"Why did you have to do this?"
Patton's words echoed in his mind once again.
"Why, you ask?" He mumbled softly as his eyes slowly opened, they landed on the cross at the podium, its silhouette bathed in flickering candlelight. The emptiness in his chest seemed to fade for a brief moment as he whispered to himself, "Because I wanted to survive..."
That was all it came down to. Survival. It was a primal instinct, embedded deep within his DNA. To survive. To thrive. To win. He wanted all of that, even if victory didn't bring the peace he expected.
"Tommy..."
A soft voice broke through his reverie. His gaze lifted to see a tall black man in a suit making his way down the aisle. The man wore a strikingly large cross necklace, which caught Tommy's eye as the man looked at him with concern and called, "Jimmy..."
Jeremiah "Jimmy" Isaiah was an old friend from New York City—one of the few people he truly trusted. Despite being long discharged from the military, Jimmy had once taught him a lot of military skills before Tommy enlisted. Now, Jimmy was taking care of this abandoned church, and Tommy couldn't help but think, 'Clearly, he didn't do a good job at this...'
"I heard you came back today," Jimmy spoke, and Tommy nodded in response.
Seeing his unfocused eyes, Jimmy suddenly sighed and said, "You seem to be lost, Tommy."
Jimmy pulled a small Bible from his pocket and thumbed through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He sat down beside Tommy as he read aloud, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
"Tommy, I know how you feel. I'm sure you're struggling with a strange emptiness inside," Jimmy said gently. "And know that God's presence can help guide you through this."
Jimmy's voice rang through his mind as both of them went quiet. He seemed to let Tommy absorb the words as Tommy turned to look at the cross at the empty podium once again. Tommy had often questioned whether God had truly been part of his journey or if he had simply relied on his instincts and strength. He might have been uncertain of that, but there was one thing he was sure of as he softly spoke, "I'm a sinful man, Jimmy."
"God is all-forgiving, Tommy. All your sins will be washed clean if you repent..."
"Repent, huh?" Tommy mumbled quietly to himself as the entrance suddenly burst open with a bang, sending dust scattering through the quiet church as hurried footsteps quickly approached them.
Jimmy turned, only to see a rugged guy he had heard about from Tommy. The devout believer of Jesus looked at the messy hair and stubble of the new arrival and could see the man had the appearance of a sketchy criminal. Tommy suddenly said, "Jimmy, I would love to repent. But I can't, I don't even believe in God..."
"Pardon?"
Jimmy's eyes flickered with both confusion and what seemed like regret as Tommy ignored the guy and turned to the new arrival. He asked, "How was it, Jessy?"
Jesse "Jessy" Pinkman was the guy's name.
He was another friend Tommy trusted and probably the perfect fit for his current situation, since the guy had been a 'cleaner' for a living. And not only that, he was gutsy enough to fool the military and avoid enlisting in the war, which was supposed to be mandatory under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940.
"Goddammit, Tommy, you just got bavk and already killed some motherfuckers? You must've gone insane."
Jesse's grunt echoed through the quiet church as Jimmy looked at him in disbelief, hearing the devout believer of Jesus ask, "W-what is that all about, Tommy?"
"Did you get the thing?" Ignoring Jimmy's question, Tommy asked. He could see Jesse's annoyed expression turn into an excited one as he smiled, "You did?"
"Of course," Jesse responded. "It took a while to get it into my truck—shit was probably a hundred pounds. But I got some help from a few friends and managed to load it all up."
"A few friends?"
Tommy's eyebrows knitted together as Jesse casually shrugged, "Don't worry, I fed them to the fishes afterward..."
Jimmy's voice quivered slightly as he interrupted, "T-Tommy, hold on a minute..."
Jimmy's voice was slightly shaken at the conversation that seemed to come out of nowhere as Tommy sat up, then turned to the panicked man and said, "Let's go see what's going on."
Tommy could see Jimmy swallowing hard, probably feeling nervous as Jesse talked about a few more details of what had happened as they walked out of the church. As they made it outside, Tommy saw an old Chevy truck with a lot of scratches and dents, then turned to Jesse and said, "Nice truck."
"Come on, I bought it cheap..." Jesse said, feeling the sarcasm as he led them to the back and opened up the cargo. "Let's open this bad boy up..."
Jimmy and Tommy saw a wooden container laid on the cargo bed as Jesse jumped up and opened it. Inside, nestled among the straw, was a collection of crystal blue goodies, their surfaces glinting in the muted light.
Tommy's eyes lit up, he said, "It looks beautiful..."
"This stuff hit the market a while ago and has been pretty hot lately. People call it Blue Sky. The shit's so good it brought a lot of money to those motherfuckers selling it. I don't know how these guys got their hands on it, but I didn't expect you to get a whole fucking container." Jesse smiled, looking at the crystals.
He then turned to Tommy and asked, "How are you planning to sell it?"
"That's the problem," Tommy muttered, turning to Jimmy, whose eyes darted between the goodies and him. Tommy then said, "I want to store this in the church, Jimmy."
"N-No, Tommy. You can't! Dear Lord, do you understand what you're doing?"
Jimmy's expression was torn between disbelief and outrage. It was clear now—Jimmy realized that Tommy's visit to the church wasn't for repentance. It was to stash a haul of drugs.
"I do, Jimmy..."
And not just a small stash—a whole fucking container!