by Dale Harsh
"The usual... pop over, sort through some bloke's safe, and then high tail it back here." Goniff moved over to make room for Casino at the table as Garrison continued the briefing. He hadn't been the last one to the table for once and he enjoyed the experience of filling someone else in for a change.
"We got a report from one of our contacts that the Germans have a new plan for the defense of the coast and a copy of those plans," the Lieutenant tapped his finger on the map spread out on the table, "is sitting in a safe right here."
"And I suppose we're goin' after it..."
"That's the assignment." Garrison checked his watch. "And we haven't got much time. Get upstairs and get your gear... Minimal stuff this time, we won't be there long. Actor you're starting out in uniform, it's already laid out for you."
"It's about time!" As often as they masqueraded as German officers and as difficult as it was to find a match to his taller stature, he was glad that someone finally realized the logic in maintaining their own wardrobe. The con man had argued for their own uniforms from the beginning.
"Don't get too excited, no one's had a chance to work on it, and the guy we got it from is shorter and heavier than you are." Garrison smiled along with the rest of the men at the disappointment that crossed Actor's face.
Goniff grinned across at the big man and tried to console him. "Don't look like that mate, at least there won't be any holes in this one!"
"Looks like we're gonna be ridin' a storm across the channel again." As soon as the basics had been covered Chief stepped across to the large window and was frowning up at the darkening sky.
"Hey that's our specialty, right?" Casino gave a derisive bark of laughter. "Wouldn't be any challenge if the weather was decent."
"Well that storm's why you guys have to get a move on. Meteorology reports it's going to be short and intense and it should make it harder for them to pick us up on radar. Now hustle it, the truck's already out front."
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The takeoff had been smooth as silk, but halfway across the channel the plane started to pick up the buffeting winds that heralded the front edge of the storm. Garrison checked with the pilot and then moved into the back with his men. Actor had flown enough that a little rough weather didn't bother him, Chief seemed to enjoy the thrill and freedom of being in the air regardless of the flying conditions, but Casino and Goniff were uncomfortable under less than ideal conditions, and they never seemed to fly then. Casino was right, Garrison smiled to himself, if the weather was perfect they sent them over by sub...
"How are you guys holding up?"
"Oh just great, Lieutenant! I love it up here ya know!" Casino gripped the edge of the jump seat, he hated flying, and he hated subs... Once this was all over if he couldn't get somewhere by staying firmly on the ground he wasn't goin'. He wasn't even sure he'd go up in an elevator after the war, or drive over a bridge.
"Goniff?" Garrison studied the little pick pocket with some concern. He wasn't attached to his seat by his hands as the group's safecracker was, he was staring straight ahead, breathing slowly in through his nose and out through his mouth just like he and Rawlins taught him. In just the brief moment he broke his concentration to nod up at his commander he turned a rather perilous shade of green.
Goniff wasn't actually afraid of flying, he preferred it to traveling by boat as he tended to get a little sea sick in the subs. He got airsick sometimes too if the weather was rough, but Garrison put that down to the way he stuffed himself before they took off if he got the chance. They'd had planes shot out from under them and he seemed to get over that, but the one that got hit by lightening and went down, that had put him over the edge. The next time they had to board it was all Garrison could do to keep him on the plane. They'd had a one-on-one session in his office once they got back and he'd finally admitted that he was afraid, not of crashing, but of being left on his own and ending up 'in charge 'n all responsible 'n stuff.' Heading back from a job he was fine, but heading out he was, well, a bit of a basket case.
Garrison patted the little man on the shoulder. "Take it easy Goniff, that tail wind means we're going to be over the drop zone in record time." But he turned away quickly so the cat burglar wouldn't have to break his concentration again.
Actor looked up and smiled as Garrison settled down next to him. "I see the breathing exercises are working." He nodded across at their pick pocket.
"Yeah. Seem to be." Garrison grabbed the edge of his seat as they went through another patch of rough air and then watched the two men sitting across from him. Casino still clutching his seat had leaned in a little closer to Goniff and was quietly talking to him, coaching 'in, out, in, out', until he caught Garrison's eye, clamped his jaws shut and leaned back in the seat, glaring back at him defiantly. Garrison smiled over at him and shook his head, Casino could be supportive, he just hated to get caught at it.
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They were burying the last chute just as thunder rumbled overhead and the first raindrops started falling around them.
"Lieutenant Garrison?" The others turned, weapons ready, but the Warden recognized the voice and moved towards it across the clearing.
"Remy?" When the brush parted he smiled and held his hand out. "I didn't know you'd be leading us in."
"It will be like old times." Remy returned the Lieutenant's smile and took his hand American fashion, before pulling him in and kissing him on both cheeks. "It has been a very long time my friend! How are you?" The Frenchman motioned for the group to follow him. "Come I have a car not far from here, and a place for you to use."
Ten minutes later they were sitting in a farmhouse stripping out of their jumpsuits and finalizing their plans.
"So you are sure, all you want me to do is confirm the Colonel is there?" Actor was putting a shine to the tall boots he'd carried with him from England. If he couldn't have a uniform that fit properly at least he could have the right size boots.
"That's it." Garrison finished blacking his face and was pulling the knit cap down over his hair.
"It hardly seems worth the effort to get the uniform. I could have done the job as a waiter." the con man straighten and tugged his uniform into order.
"Well, we couldn't capture a German waiter, we got a German major instead so you'll just have to go in as one of those." The Warden looked up to make sure the rest were ready. Chief would go in with Actor as his driver and back up in case anything went wrong. He and the other two would wait in the alley outside their target for the signal that it was safe to go inside. "It all turns on the Colonel being at that party..." The Lieutenant glanced up at their contact, " and staying there."
Remy laid his hand on Garrison's shoulder a moment. "Don't worry. Colonel Graff is convinced he is a ladies man and we have a beautiful young woman for him to pursue at tonight's gathering." At the small blonde man's concerned frown he laughed. "She is very good at this my friend. Camille knows how long to keep him occupied, and how to stay far enough away from him that she won't become one of his conquests."
Garrison checked his watch again. "We'll look for you in front of his headquarters in an hour. Once you give Goniff the signal move the car onto this side street." The Warden hit the diagram Remy had provided with his finger. "We'll hook up with you there after the job. If anything happens we'll all meet back here. Alright, take off."
Casino called out after the group's second. "Hey, Actor, remember to leave the dame for the Kraut this time."
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Chief glanced down at his watch, Actor had already been in that damn house for half an hour and it would take them almost twenty minutes to get back across town. The reports had been right, the storm was a quick one and the clouds were already shredding away to a clear moonless sky. He leaned against the car a moment and considered his options, just as he made his decision to enter the building and have a quick look around he spotted the tall Italian coming down the front steps towards him. Moving to the side of the car he held the door open as Actor settled into the seat, then walked around the car and climbed in behind the wheel.
"Thought I'd have to come in and haul you out a there, man. What was the hang up?" The young man could imagine the reason for the delay. For Actor it usually had long legs and a skirt.
The con man knew what Chief was thinking and smiled, he had an eye for the ladies and routinely took a ribbing for it, "Nothing pleasant, I assure you. Colonel Graff was certain we had met before, and even though I denied it he spent a good twenty minutes recounting all of his past assignments in an effort to come up with any place where we might have been in service together."
"You get a chance to talk to the girl?" Chief glanced up in the mirror as he put the car in gear and pulled away, heading down the drive away from the house. From the amount of lipstick the con artist was wiping off his cheek he done more than just talk.
"Yes. And if I'm any judge of women she is more than enough to keep the Colonel occupied for the evening." She would have been more than enough to keep him occupied for the duration, he thought with a smile. It had been a pleasure just watching her as he talked with Graff about his previous postings. Lusciously curved, with a wealth of dark hair that hung loose about her shoulders, she was taller than most women, at least half a head taller than the stout Colonel Graff who was obviously trying to make an impression by his recitation of all of his important past assignments. Suitably impressed she expertly prompted him for more details here and there to keep him on the subject rather than allowing him to stray off into more amorous lines of conversation. When Actor took his leave of them the Colonel had barely noticed, the con man smiled to himself, except for that sudden flash of jealousy as she gave him a parting kiss on the cheek so she could tell him how long the party was supposed to last. When he'd turned back at the door for a last look she was seated comfortably on one of the sofas with Colonel Graff perched on the arm happily recounting his term as an instructor at the war college.
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Chief pulled to the curb across the street from their target. Actor opened the door and stepped out, leaning against the car he pulled a pipe from his pocket and started the ritual of lighting it. Striking a match against the car he brought it up to his face, shaking the flame out before it came near the tobacco, the second match only made it halfway before he shook it out and flicked it into the street, striking a third he finally brought it to the bowl, protecting the flame from the wind that still gusted around them he lit the pipe, wreathing his face in smoke.
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Goniff turned from the edge of the alley where he'd been watching from the shadows and quietly made his way down along the building. The Warden and Casino were waiting in a doorway across from their target, even though he knew it he still jumped a little when they stepped out of the darkness in front of him. He waited until they were standing together in a huddle.
"Two 'n a half hours." A nod from Garrison and Goniff turned his attention to getting the window open for them so they could get inside and do the job. They'd spent the time waiting for Actor watching the guards patrol the building and knew how long they could be in the open. He just got the latch to come free when he felt a hand on his shoulder and they all melted back into the darkness across the alley.
The guard walked past without checking the window... it had been locked fifteen minutes ago and fifteen minutes before that, and there was no reason for it to be open now. He was cold and damp from the recent rain and the only thing he was thinking about at this moment was getting back inside where he could get warm.
Garrison waited for a slow count of five after the guard disappeared around the front of the building. Patting Goniff on the shoulder he sent him up to keep watch as he and Casino entered the room. They knew the perimeter patrols schedule but they only had the word of the underground for what went on inside. According to their information Colonel Graff didn't allow anyone but his personal aide in his office, and he was with him at the party across town. There should be no interruptions while they worked, and it wasn't going to take long. He moved across the room and took up a position by the door as Casino checked the room for the safe.
Colonel Graff's safe was behind a painting of Hitler that hung on the wall right behind his desk. Casino shook his head, the guy had no imagination... And when he got a look at the safe he almost laughed out loud, a beginner could handle it.
"Say Warden, you oughta get Goniff in here." He called across the room in a low voice edge with amusement. "We're so far ahead a schedule I could let him try to crack this one. He's been wantin' to learn..."
"Just get with it Casino. How much time?"
The door to the safe swung open and the man looked up with a smile as he stepped back. "Already done Lieutenant. Be my guest."
Garrison stepped to the safe, grabbed the papers that were bundled inside and moved back to the desk. The safecracker changed the bulb in the lamp and snapped it on as Garrison started sorting through the documents. Casino was across the room, already taking up the listening post by the door that he'd just vacated.
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The listing of troop deployments in the coastal areas of France only took seconds to find. Flattening the papers out on the desktop Garrison slid the small camera out of his pocket and used the cord to bring it up to the right distance from the document, pressing the shutter release he took the first shot and tried to advance the film. The lever was stiff, with a little effort it started to move, but only half way. Swearing softly he backed the film up, opened the small device and switched to the backup roll he carried. The damn thing wouldn't even advance the leader of film onto the sprocket. The drenching they'd taken when the storm hit, and the drop in temperature must have damaged the mechanism.
Casino called across in a hoarse whisper. "Come on Warden, get with it! We got a chance a breakin' our own record here."
"Not this time, Casino. Camera's busted."
"I knew it! I knew things were goin' too good." The east coast thief said in disgust. "What d'we do now?"
"Now you shut up so I can memorize this stuff." Garrison frowned down at the documents. The orders were to leave everything in place. The Germans weren't to know they had the information. And there was too much here to copy. He'd done it before, carried information in his head when there was no other way, he just needed a little time...
Casino leaned against the wall and cracked the door open, just enough to keep an eye on the hall outside, enough to let him hear a little better. He checked to make sure the corridor outside was still empty and turned back to watch the Warden as he started working his way through the material on the table. Casino knew guys in the joint could look at something, just remember it like it was a picture in their head, the Warden wasn't one a those guys. He could carry a lot a stuff around in that head a his but it was gonna take time to get it all packed inside nice and neat. Checking his watch he tried to relax a little, they still had almost two hours..... When he spotted Goniff pulling the curtains back and peering in the window ten minutes later he mimed taking a shot with a camera and then drew a slashing motion across his throat, grinning as the pick pocket stared at Garrison studying the papers at the desk a moment then rolled his eyes and faded back into the darkness.
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It'd been getting busier for the last fifteen minutes. They could hear the phone ringing down the hall and the sound of people moving in other parts of the building. The Warden was just gathering the papers back into their bundle when Casino caught the sound of the large front door slamming.
"You got it?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"Well you better 'cause I think the big wig just got back, there's somebody in the hall."
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They shoved the papers back in the safe and Garrison headed for the window with Casino on his tail, he was straddling the sill when the door opened. The safecracker turned and fired, killing the Colonel's aide as he stood in the doorway. He whirled back to face his commander, they could hear shouts in the passageway outside the room and the sound of running feet as soldiers headed their direction.
Casino's hands shot forward, grabbing the front of the jacket Garrison wore with one hand, he reached in and snatched the camera from the inside pocket with the other, before shoving him off the sill out into the alley. The Warden was the information now, he had to get out of it. That damn bulb was still in the lamp and they had a dead man to deal with. The Krauts were gonna know their security had been breached, but if he worked it right he could make 'em believe the attempt on the safe had been a bust, and the documents secure, the roll in the camera was blank...
Garrison scrambled up off the ground and was in the window in time to see the door open again. Casino was half way back towards the wall that held the safe. He was sacrificing himself, setting himself up to get caught and giving him a chance to get away. But the man in the doorway straddling the body of the German officer had no intension of taking a prisoner as he sprayed the room with bullets. Garrison watched Casino go down as he brought his pistol up and fired.
His foot hit the edge of the carpet and slipped out from under him just as the guard pushed through the door and started blasting away. He missed gettin' a slug in him by a hair but couldn't keep his head from hitting the floor with enough force that the room went black. The next thing Casino knew the Warden was lowering him out the window into the alley. His knees buckled as the ground rocked under his feet and the ringing in his ears resolved itself into sirens.
Garrison dropped onto the ground next to his safecracker hauling him up by the arms he started manhandling him down the alley towards the street. Goniff was running back to meet them.
Shooting a worried look at his commander he slipped his friend's arm over his shoulder and took him from the Warden's grasp. "Casino!?"
"He fell and his hit head. Get him over to the car." As soon as he saw the little pick pocket could manage Garrison turned back down the alley.
"Where'r you goin!?" Goniff moved a few feet closer to the street and turned back to watch the Warden as he jogged back to the window they'd just come out of.
"I've got to blow that building. Now get the hell out of here!" He didn't have much on him, just a small charge, but there was a gas line just outside the room they'd been working in. All he had to do was blow that and the building would catch fire.
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Goniff struggled along the alley, half dragging Casino. The car was just across the street, just a few doors down and across the street. All he had to do was get out where they could see him and he'd have all the help he needed to get Casino over there and stash him in the car. When he came out of the alley and looked up Chief was already climbing out of the car. Casino's feet finally started doing what he told them to and they broke into a staggering run.
Chief reached out and caught Casino as he nearly fell as he met them in the middle of the street. "What happened? Where's the Warden?"
Balancing on unsteady legs the safecracker jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Our crazy Warden's back there blowin' up the damn building." Shrugging out of his teammate's supporting grasp he started weaving towards the car. "Go on, I can make it on my own."
The ground rocked again and Chief grabbed for Casino as he started to fall. He nodded at Goniff as the little pick pocket turned to head back to the alley. Pulling the safecracker's arm over his shoulder he started for the car. "If he'd wait a minute I think those bomber's'd do the job for him."
They were half way to car before Casino realized Chief was still with him and struggled to break free of his grasp again. Actor was out of the vehicle and headed their way as he turned and pushed the younger man away from him shouting, "He's got all of it in his head, damn it! You gotta get him out a there!"
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Garrison checked the attachment and lit the fuse waiting a second to make sure the damn thing wouldn't burn out again before he turned and headed towards the street. Goniff was only a dozen feet from him..."Goniff! What in the hell to do you think you're doing? Get out of here!" Grabbing the little burglar by the shoulder he turned him and started shoving him ahead of him along the alley.
When they reached the street Chief was running towards them. Garrison shot a look at the car, Actor was behind the wheel but there was no sign of Casino. The ground rocked under foot again and the drone of bombers overhead was growing louder. There was a roar to their left as the street erupted in flame, the car disappeared behind a wall of fire and smoke and Chief was sprawled on his face on the stones.
The explosion behind them caused Garrison to turn and stare as the building went up in a ball of fire, the next moment it blew to bits as one of the bomber's scored a bulls-eye. When he struggled to his knees Chief was still motionless in the road and Goniff was crawling across the stones trying to reach him. He pushed up onto his feet and turned to scan the street. There was a truck nearby, if they had any luck left... He ran for it, the keys were in the ignition, he pushed the button on the dash and waited as the engine coughed to life. Pulling it away from the curb in a tight turn he skidded to a halt next to his men.
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Goniff was on his knees and held Chief cradled in his arms. Stumbling out of the cab Garrison reached down and grabbed the back of the uniform the young man wore in his hands, dragging him across the cobbles to the back of the truck he pulled him inside, shouting for Goniff to follow and take the wheel, but the little man just sat staring after them.
"Goniff! We have to get out of here!" but the second story man didn't move. He just sat stunned in the street with his arms wrapped across his belly and stared back at him as he rocked back and forth.
Garrison slipped his jacket off and pillowed Chief's head with it. The Indian's skin was clammy, his face ashen and blood was already starting to pool on the floor beneath him. Staggering out of the truck he made his way back to Goniff and dropped into a crouch in front of the pick pocket, taking him by the shoulders he tried to shake him out of his shock and get him moving but as soon as he touched him the little man slumped forward onto the street. The sleeves of his coat were soaked with blood and as the Warden hooked him under the arm to haul him to his feet his coat pulled open. The front of his shirt was stained crimson and torn where the shrapnel hit him. Garrison scooped him up and carried him to the truck, laying him in the back, next to the younger man.
The bombs were still raining down around them, moving east through the town, they seemed to be zeroing in on the main street as the gas main erupted in flame. He couldn't see through the inferno, he couldn't tell if the car was still there. Slamming the truck into gear Garrison screeched away, paralleling the main street, racing the bombs and the fire.
It was no good. He couldn't drive fast enough to get ahead of it. Finally doubling back he found a spot that was safe to cross. Enough debris had built up that the fire wasn't too bad. He thought he could make it through without the truck blowing up. Garrison floored it, hitting the pile of rubble with enough speed to send the truck airborne he made it across the street and headed back where the car had been waiting to pick them up. The sight that greeted him caused his heart to skip a beat. The only thing left was a smoking crater in the road.
Closing his eyes for a moment he took a deep breath before pulling the wheel hard over to the left and heading out of town.
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"What'n the hell happened to 'em? They were right here!" Casino stared through the window at the devastated street in front of them as the car rolled slowly forward.
Actor peered through the smoke at the rubble that had been their target. "Casino, that was twenty minutes ago... They could be anywhere by now." He hadn't been able to find a way around the fires burning down the middle of the street and had finally turned back to the edge of town, back to the area that lay untouched by the bombers. Reaching out he laid a hand on his companion's shoulder and forced him down in the seat as a patrol sped past.
Pulling to the curb he slipped out of the overcoat he wore and handed it to the man in the passenger's seat. "Put this on and stay here, I'm going to see if I can get any information on what's happened to them."
Casino shoved his arms into the coat and wrapped it around him as he watched the Italian con man stalk across the street to the men who were milling around what was left of Colonel Graff's headquarters. Reaching to the back of his head he rubbed at the goose egg there. Pulling back out of the window he watched as another patrol made it's way down the street. The Kraut's were out in force now, as soon as the bombs stopped falling they'd boiled up outta the shelters and taken to the streets. If they didn't find the others soon they'd all be coolin' their heels in a cell waitin' to entertain a Gestapo interrogator. After what seemed like an hour the big Italian was climbing back behind the wheel.
"Well?!"
"It's chaos over there. They don't know anything. Apparently Graff got word of the bombers before the raid started and got back here... He was killed when the building went up." Actor continued to stare at the ruins, the odor of gas still clung to the area. They'd probably never know if the bombers destroyed the building, or if the Warden had brought it down with his explosives. "We should go back to the safe house. Those are our orders, to go there and wait."
"We can't just take off without knowin' what happen to the rest of the guys!" Casino turned to the man who was in charge when the Warden wasn't around. "We're not gonna be able to get back in here to look for 'em if they aren't there, and you know it." Ducking out of sight he waited for another patrol to roll by.
Actor turned away from him to think for a moment and then swung back. "All right. They've set up a temporary command center a few blocks from here, where the damage isn't as bad. I should be able to get in there and find out if they've picked up any saboteurs, you'll have to stay out of sight in the car." He put the car in gear and pulled away, carefully avoiding the piles of rubble and craters in the street he started to work his way across town.
There hadn't been any word of them at the emergency command post. They'd hit the hospital next and came up empty there as well. Then they'd checked as many of the aid stations surrounding the area as they could find. There wasn't any other choice now, they had to get back to the safe house. If the others made it out alive that's where they'd head, that's where they were supposed to meet.
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Dodging the last of the bombs and the first of the German patrols Garrison made his way back to the safe house. Pulling as close to the door as he could he carried first Goniff, then Chief inside before turning back to drive the truck off and hide it so that it wouldn't give them away. The pain in his legs crept up on him as he was hiking back to the farmhouse. By the time he'd reached the door he thought he was on fire, wading through boiling water. At the sight his men he shoved the pain away, there'd be time for it later. Right now he had two injured men to take care of. Garrison dropped to his knees on the floor next to Chief, shaking the younger man's shoulder he frowned when he didn't get a response.
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"What'r you gonna do on you'r own, invade German headquarters!? Have a little faith, mate. They'll be here."
It had been nearly twenty four hours since the bombing... Garrison turned from checking the dressing on Goniff's belly to trying to rouse Chief. The scout had taken a hit to the back of his head, and picked up a piece of shrapnel in his left shoulder. He'd been unconscious for the first few hours after Garrison pulled him in here, since then he'd been able to rouse him with varying degrees of success...but not this time, this time he remained unresponsive.
Goniff watched his commander. He was in no shape to go back into that town on his own. The debris that whistled through the air around them when Colonel Graff's headquarters blew up had sliced his legs to ribbons. The second story man knew the Warden was tough, but he couldn't understand why he was still on his feet.
Garrison wiped at the sweat on his face with his sleeve and then pulled the blanket over Chief. They were in bad shape and Goniff wouldn't be able to defend them if he left, he knew that, but Garrison was struggling with the fact that he couldn't go back and find out what had happened to Actor and Casino.
Goniff tried to lever himself up on his elbow. "How's Cheify doing?"
Garrison turned back to his cat burglar. "Take it easy Goniff. Don't move around too much." Placing a firm hand on the little man's shoulder Garrison pressed him back down onto his pallet. Pulling the dressing back he checked the laceration that ran across the man's belly again. "Chief's going to be OK." He tried to lie with conviction as he pressed down on the dressing to try and stop the bleeding again, "He's resting comfortably and you should be doing the same."
Goniff watched the still form that lay on the floor next to him. He knew about head injuries. They could sneak up on you and they didn't have to kill a bloke all at once. A fella's body could go on livin' for a long time after his brain gave up... Pulling his attention back to the Lieutenant he asked, "They tell you about that bombing raid?"
"No. They didn't tell me." Garrison turned away and picked up another towel he'd scavenged from the kitchen, folding it into a pad for the little man's wound.
"Then it wasn't your fault Warden." The pick pocket struggled to stay awake. The gash across his belly burned and if he moved it opened up and started bleeding again. He was dizzy and the world didn't make much sense to him right now, but he knew the Warden was in bad shape too. He had to stay awake. He was the only one could keep the bloke from givin' in to his feverish desire to go find the others. Goniff saw the pain and anguish in the Lieutenant's eyes as he turned back and added another layer to the dressing on his belly. He knew he'd taken the burden onto his shoulders, taken the blame for their injuries on himself. He didn't need to. None a them would want him to, but, the cat burglar sighed to himself as the room went gray around him, he'd have to find that out on his own 'cause he didn't have the strength to stay awake and tell him.
"Goniff! Goniff?!"
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They left the car in the brush in a ditch that ran along side the road about a quarter mile from the farmhouse. It took them an hour to work their way in as they stopped every few yards to make sure they hadn't been followed. The place was deserted, there wasn't any sign anyone was there.
Casino rubbed at the back of his head. The ground under his feet didn't move anymore, but the back of his head felt like someone had used a sledgehammer on it. He raised up and took another look at the house. "I told you they weren't gonna be here! They got themselves picked up, or blown up, down in that damn town."
Actor bit down on the response that was on the tip of his tongue. The explosive expert was worried, he was frightened for the others, and he was injured... "I told you Casino, there was no word of them in the town. They weren't picked up as spies and they weren't in the hospital." He schooled his face and his voice into a reassuring calm that he didn't feel. "We were supposed to make our way back here to meet. They'll come here, and they will expect us to do the same."
"Yeah!? And just how do you suppose they'd get outta that hell hole on their own? It took us almost a whole day... And that was with the car and your damn uniform!" Running a hand through his hair he stared at the man laying next to him.
Actor took one more look around before shoving up onto his feet. Reaching a hand back down to haul Casino up next to him he checked his pistol before starting quietly towards the house. "Come on. We'll never find out if they are in there unless we go inside and take a look."
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Garrison's head snapped up at the first creak of the old boards that made up the steps outside the building. Damn! He must have fallen asleep! There was no way to move the other's out now, no way to get out and stop their pursuers from getting inside. He had to find some way to defend them. The others were lost but he had to protect his injured men. He tried to struggle to his feet but his legs wouldn't hold him. He froze again as steps came closer to the door. He searched frantically around him for the weapons Chief and Goniff had carried. Shoving Chief's pistol in his belt and slinging Goniff's rifle over his shoulder he scrabbled across the floor back into the dark shadows in the corner of the room. Turning to face the door he brought his automatic up, sighted on the door and waited.
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There hadn't been any sign outside that they'd made it back here and the possibility that all of them were buried under the rubble in town weighed heavily on the con man's mind. Actor carefully turned the knob on the door and slowly pushed it open. As soon as he spotted Goniff and Chief on the floor inside he forgot his caution and moved into the room to go to their aid, he didn't hear the ominous sound of a pistol's slide being pulled back.