Chapter 82: Resignation

Upon reaching the cafeteria, Matthew sidled up to Michael Fassbender and asked, "How are they doing?"

"No big deal," Michael Fassbender, who had spent the most time in the medical room, replied. "A couple of shots to relax the muscles and they were separated just fine."

He couldn't help but laugh again, "I guess they won't have the face to stay in the crew after this, and the crew won't just ignore it."

Matthew nodded, lowering his voice, "Was that why you had James shout for help?"

Michael Fassbender didn't deny it. "Remember, our goal was to get rid of Tom West, and, well... Kate Jeffrey too." He stretched lazily, adding, "Just thinking about no more of those crazy devilish training sessions makes me feel relaxed all over."

"It'd be best to go back to staying in a hotel."

Everyone prefers a comfortable life, Matthew included, "This cold, old military camp has been too uncomfortable."

Michael Fassbender ignored Matthew's comment and instead asked, "How do you feel? Satisfied? I know you've been displeased with Kate Jeffrey and felt helpless against her."

"Let's just say..." Matthew didn't hide his feelings, "Since joining the crew, today has been the most satisfying day!"

The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter together.

With the military instructor gone, Matthew and the other actors' training was temporarily suspended. They would wait for further instructions from the crew, which wanted to keep the incident under wraps. This type of affair, resulting from a clandestine relationship, was all too common in Hollywood.

According to information provided by James McAvoy, Gary Goetzman, who managed affairs at Hatfield Airport, also checked in later. After hearing a report from the assistant producer who had led Matthew and Michael Fassbender to the warehouse, he didn't even enter the medical room but instructed handling the situation discreetly before leaving.

As the assistant producer said, the affair between the two was scandalous enough, let alone the embarrassing incident that even made Gary Goetzman laugh.

Afternoon came, and calculating the arrival of the garbage truck, Matthew quietly went to the dressing room and disposed of all remaining materials in his locker and Tom West's box of tampered condoms.

He replaced them with another box he had prepared earlier, ensuring it had the same production date and quantity, and placed it in Tom West's locker to prevent any chance of discovery through the condoms.

The day after the incident, James McAvoy, who had his finger on the pulse of the set, relayed that Tom West and Kate Jeffrey had resigned and left the crew. The crew promoted the assistant producer to replace Kate Jeffrey's position and planned to appoint the deputy of the military instructor training the lead actors, Damian Lewis, to take over their training.

This new instructor's training methods were entirely different from Tom West's.

No one cared about Tom West and Kate Jeffrey anymore; everyone was looking forward to the remaining month and a half of training.

Indeed, that afternoon, Gary Goetzman gathered all the actors at the training field to announce that a person named David Haize would take over as the new military instructor.

He was responsible not only for training the twenty-plus actors but also served as the military advisor during filming.

Once in charge, he almost completely discarded Tom West's military-like training regimen. Weighted marches were canceled, replaced by a daily three-mile run, and the ridiculous plans of rolling in mud pits and sleeping on hard ground were also scrapped.

According to David Haize, they were actors, not soldiers; looking like soldiers was sufficient without the need to become one.

David Haize, with several years of Hollywood experience, had a training philosophy starkly different from Tom West, who had just left the military.

Naturally, David Haize was more popular.

After all, this was Hollywood, not the Royal Marines.

Matthew and others gladly moved out of the damp, old barracks at Hatfield Airport and back into a hotel.

After this incident, Matthew's relationship with Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy grew closer. The three men, similar in age and from different countries, often went to bars for drinks after training.

"I've always wondered," Michael Fassbender, lifting his beer, said to Matthew and James McAvoy, "Why did the plan against Tom West work out so that they both ended up having accidents? Not only did Tom West leave the crew, but that annoying woman, Kate Jeffrey, left too."

James McAvoy burped, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is," Michael Fassbender appeared puzzled, "But it's too much of a coincidence."

Matthew lifted his beer, "Why worry about that? They're gone, and we should be celebrating."

He gestured with his glass, and Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy also raised their beers, and after

 a toast, they finished their drinks.

"I think..." Michael Fassbender wasn't ready to let go, "maybe Kate Jeffrey offended too many people, and someone targeted her specifically. Tom West was just collateral damage."

James McAvoy nodded, "That's possible."

Matthew, meanwhile, signaled the bartender for another round of beers.

Michael Fassbender suddenly turned to Matthew, "You had a conflict with Kate Jeffrey too, right?"

"You think it was me?" Matthew wouldn't admit anything rashly, shrugging, "I'm glad Kate Jeffrey's gone, but for her to suddenly..."

He struggled to find the right words, unabashedly continuing, "End up like that mysteriously—if someone did target her, it wasn't just anybody."

James McAvoy glanced at Matthew, "It definitely wasn't Matthew. Without us pushing him, he would have kept enduring."

Michael Fassbender clapped Matthew on the arm and changed the subject, "After training ends, we have a break. Interested in hanging out for a few days?"

"Sure!" James McAvoy was interested, "Where to?"

Matthew shook his head, "I can't, I have to go back to North America. There's a lot to handle with my agent."

"Going to see your girlfriend, right?" Michael Fassbender teased, "I see you're always on the phone."

"Yes," Matthew didn't deny it, "She's been busy, and we haven't seen each other for a while."

Though he spoke with Brittany daily, the time difference and work made their conversations brief.

Brittany was preparing for a concert series starting early next year and couldn't come to the UK, so Matthew planned to use his break to visit her.

The three men finished another beer each before leaving the bar, as they had to continue training the next day.

The training for the film was nearing its end. Since Tom West's departure, the intensity of Matthew's training had decreased, focusing more on basic tactics and weapon use under David Haize.

In the final ten days, not only did they train, but they also lived as their characters, learning military basics, mastering weapon handling, close combat skills, individual tactics, and WWII-era military codes and hand signals.

Actors like Matthew not only mastered these combat skills but also deeply immersed themselves in their roles, becoming proficient with weapons like the M-1 Garand rifle and the Thompson submachine gun.

Unlike Tom West's physically demanding regimen, David Haize focused on instilling a philosophy in the actors, helping them understand what it means to be a competent soldier.

He encouraged them to think like soldiers, although truly becoming one was challenging. In the military, it's impossible to accomplish anything alone; teamwork is essential. If one team member is in trouble, the others must stop to help.

Those who haven't experienced battle can't fully understand this camaraderie, but the unimplemented plan by Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy brought the actors closer emotionally. By the end of the training, the group of twenty-plus actors looked like a cohesive unit.

By mid-December, the training finally ended, and the crew gave everyone involved a longer break than expected, lasting until after the Christmas holidays. When the break was over, the television series would officially move into filming.

Like most American actors, Matthew chose to return to North America, not just to visit Brittany but also to handle some business discussed in a call with Helen Herman.

Boarding the flight arranged by the crew, he called Helen as soon as he landed at Los Angeles International Airport, setting up a meeting at Angel Management Agency the next morning. He then tried calling Brittany, who was likely in rehearsal as she didn't answer. He sent her a text to let her know he had landed.

He hailed a taxi and headed to his apartment in Westwood, receiving a text from Brittany along the way, agreeing to meet that evening.

___________________

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT