Lt. Aldo Raine was not a man to despair. Sure, their scheme had gone wrong – horribly wrong -, and he was now a prisoner in the back of a truck, bag over his head, but still, he felt remarkable calm. And why wouldn't he? After all, two of his best men were still in the game, and he was sure they would succeed at fulfilling their mission. He smiled thinking about it.
Pfc. Omar Ulmer was a good soldier; reliable, calm, determined, and most important, he took great joy in killing Nazi's. Raine knew Omar would not hesitate when the time to act came. A fine man indeed. And there was his sergeant, Donny Donowitz, a young man from Boston. Not only a good soldier, but also, Raine was proud to admit, a dear friend. Donny was everything Raine admired in a good – no, a perfect – soldier; not only was he reliable, calm and determined, he was also swift, merciless, and just, not to mention absolutely obsessed with butchering those damn Nazi pigs. The thought about Donny and his signature weapon – a baseball bat – made Raine chuckle. God, that boy had some swing. The Bear Jew, that's how the pigs called him…..Raine thought it was rather fitting. Not for the same reasons as the Germans, no doubt, cause he was certain theirs were very negative. Opposed to that, he thought Donny did not only have the posture of a bear, he also had the big beast's courage, cleverness and strength. He knew Donny would find a way to complete his task, no matter what trouble he ran into. It was just…..when they had been preparing their plans to blow up the theatre, it had been Donny who had come up with the idea of attaching explosives to their legs. It was a good, solid plan, and all three of them had agreed upon it without hesitation. But now he had the prospect of surviving, he was not so sure anymore. Of course, he knew it had to be done, no question about it; he also knew the lives lost that night didn't outweigh the number of lives that would be saved in the future; and he even knew Donny was more than willing to do it, as was Omar…..but still he hoped that somehow Donny would come up with one of his cunning plans, that somehow he would find a way to blow up the theatre without him and Omar in it. He hoped that somehow he would see his friends again…..he needed to confront them about the scalps they still owed him.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft cry. There was someone else there, and when he thought about it, that voice sounded damn familiar. "Utivich?" The crying stopped. "Is that you Lieutenant.?" Raine was actually a bit relieved….at least he was still alive. "Yep." "Do you know what happened to Donny? Ulmer? The woman?" The question made Raine realize how close the group of men had become, this was harder than they'd initially thought. "No I do not." "Lieutenant," Utivich stammered, "sorry I'm crying." Raine felt sorry for the young boy. "Nothin to be sorry about son. This bag, get to anyone." "Not exactly John Wayne, am I?" Raine sighed. "John Wayne is a pampered movie star. He burst into tears, if his cook busts his yoke at breakfast. Just try puttin a bag over his head, and hear what kinda sounds he makes." To Raine's relief, Utivich giggled. "I just want you to know, son, I was real proud of you tonight. Learnin how to drive overnight. Driving in that Limo line. You was in the hot seat, son, and you stood up real good." He hoped the compliment would do the boy some good - and he knew it probably would – but it also made him more emotional…..the crying got louder. Raine took his foot, found Utivich's foot and placed his foot on top. The touch had a slightly calming effect on Utivich. Abruptly the truck halted to a stop. "Damn," Raine thought, "let's see what those pigs got in store for us." And as someone grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him up, a sudden thought popped up in Raine's mind…."lock the doors and throw the bombs over the balcony."
Donny looked at his right, where his friend Omar was sitting, the latter totally occupied with the sleeves of his jacket. "Must be nervous," Donny thought, "can't blame him." Donny didn't really want to admit it, but he had a funny feeling in his stomach himself. He was determined, and actually a bit proud, but still felt nervous as well. He looked around. The room slowly filled up with German big shots; his eyes rested on the balcony, where he saw Zoller, Goebbels, and even Goring….no sign of Hitler yet. His eyes continued their exploration of the room - observing every person, every movement – until they finally rested on the two doors. He wondered what took Lt. Raine, but didn't linger on that thought for too long, he needed to focus on things happening around him. He looked back at the balcony but nothing had changed…..and than something occurred to him. "Omar," he whispered, "I'll be right back." Donny left his seat and made his way to the big doors, trying to make a normal appearance, which – with all those explosives attached to his leg – was not easy at all. He grinned….if that Nazi scum only knew. He entered the hall and made his way to the stairs leading to the balconies, whilst intensely looking around. No sign of Raine. Some worried thoughts entered his mind, but he discarded them immediately; Raine was the best of them, and he could take damn good care of himself. And besides, if something had gone wrong, he and Omar would have been jumped by Nazi's as well, right? As he reached the top of the stairs, he turned around; the entrance hall was virtually empty, it couldn't be long before they started the film. He made his way to the bathroom, carefully observing the small corridor he was in; two soldiers stood guard in front of the door. "That's going to be a breeze," he murmured to himself. Trying to keep up appearances, he stayed in the bathroom for about three minutes before heading back down stairs. He had a plan. Rushed, he pushed the doors open, almost knocking over some German broad in a hideous dress. "Fucking Nazi whore," he muttered under his breath, but when she looked at him he quickly apologised in his best Italian. He needed to keep up this façade for just a little while longer. And why was she standing there anyway? The film had already started…. He reached the row Omar was sitting in, crouched in between high Nazi officials, - it had been one of those things -, and he started making hushed sounds, trying to get his attention. Of course everybody looked up, except for Omar. "Hey, psssttt!!" Finally Omar noticed; he got up and started moving towards Donny, falling flat on his face half way down the row. "Shit," Donny cursed, knowing damn well how sensitive those explosives were. He helped Omar up and started pushing him towards the hall, passing the weird lady as they went. She didn't even seem to notice them. "I've got a plan," Donny breathed to Omar as he almost dragged him up the stairs. "We need to hurry. Did you see Hitler arrive?" "Yes….he's on the balcony," Omar stumbled, unsure what Donny was up to. As casual as possible Donny led Omar to the restroom, nodding friendly to the two soldiers looking their way. "Look," Donny started as soon as the door closed behind them, "we'll take out the guys at the door, and shoot up those pigs on the balcony. We can shoot up the rest of those asses from up there, and, best of all, we're absolutely sure Hitler will be dead. Sounds good?" Omar nodded. "Yeah, real good. Go on…" And while Donny revealed the details of his plan, they both strapped a handgun to their hands. "So, I'll take out the first, than you make a run for the other. Can you make it? It's about 10 metres." "I'll have to." Donny nodded and swiftly stepped outside. Show time. Acting like a waiter, he approached the two soldiers in front of the door, heart pounding in his throat. This simply had to work, they had to come through. He bent forward, offering one of the men a glass of champagne, and…..he shot the guy in the face, bolting for the door in the same movement. Behind him he heard Omar shoot the second. The door swung open and there, right in front of him, stood Hitler…..Hitler and his fucking Nazi scum. He screamed as he emptied his gun, Omar right by his side, doing the same. They had to fucking die, all of them. It almost seemed surreal. When everyone was down, they stepped over the bodies, ready to start shooting at the crowd below. Donny almost couldn't believe what he saw depicted in front of him. The entire front part of the cinema was on fire. A blazing fire. He quickly regained his wit, and started shooting. The feeling that rose inside of him felt so good, it actually made Donny growl. This was what those fucking pigs deserved, this was payback for every Jew they ever killed. Next to him, Omar was smiling as he swung his gun from left to right, hitting as many people as he could. Donny grinned to himself. Like little boys in a toy store. As Donny started moving left with his gun, something caught his attention. "What the….?" With all the commotion he hadn't even noticed that no one left the room, although they were sure trying…..the doors leading to the hall remained closed. The thought about who could have locked the doors was abruptly ended by another thought that took over Donny's mind….…."lock the doors and throw the bombs over the balcony." It only took him a second to explore this option and stop shooting, frantically letting his fingers search for a way to get the explosives of his leg. "Omar! Omar! Get that fucking thing of your leg." By the time Omar had realized what was happening, Donny had already removed the bomb of his own leg and was working on Omar's. "Come on! Come on! Not now, come on!" His nervous fingers didn't seem to cooperate, and Omar needed to pitch in to help. When it finally came lose, Donny placed both bombs at the edge of the balcony. "This should do it, come on!" They bolted out the door, jumping over dead bodies as they went. Out the door, through the hall, down the stairs, panting heavily. It seemed to take them forever. Out the main door, across the street, no longer running, being thrown through the air by the explosion, like they were merely ragdolls. They landed on the sidewalk. "Donny, Donny, are you okay?" Dizzy from the blow, it took him a minute to respond. "Yeah….yeah. Come on, before they spot us." Disorientated and fuzzy, they stumbled into an alley. "Damn," Omar breathed heavily, "I wasn't sure we were going to make it. What a rush." Donny couldn't even answer, he simply didn't have enough breath. He just stood there, bend over, leaned up against a wall. "What the fuck happened back there?" Donny looked up, taking a deep breath. "Dunno, just had this thought…..…."lock the doors and throw the bombs over the balcony." The doors were already locked, Hitler was dead, so I thought, what the heck?" "But you didn't throw the bombs…" Donny smiled. "Way to sensitive. They would have gone off at impact." "Damn," Omar repeated, "now what?" Donny straightened himself. "Lt. Raine wasn't in there. My guess is that they've made him out and took him away." "But why didn't they grab us as well?" "Don't know, don't care right now. We did what we came to do, and now we're gonna find out if Raine's still alive." "But where do we start?" "They can't be far. We'll break down every fucking door if we have to! Come on." Donny started for the end of the alley, but stopped when he didn't hear his friend's footsteps. He turned around to find Omar staring back at the inferno that they had just escaped. "That wasn't a question, soldier." Omar looked at him. "I'm coming, I just….I just wanted to take another look." Donny chose to ignore the hurt tone – there simply was no time for that right now – and instead chose to lighten the mood. "Yeah, we Bastards definitely know how to make a bonfire." Omar started laughing. "Hell yeah, let's go."
Pfc. Smithson Utivich just felt like laughing. What a night. Their plan to blow up the theatre, him and Lt. Raine being captured by Germans, the deal that German pig Landa made with the Americans….at first he couldn't believe they were actually escorting him to his freedom. But he should have known Raine would have some trick up his sleeve. And now, with an amused grin on his face, he listened how Raine explained to Landa what his outtake on this whole situation was. He had always loved this part; it was the same routine as always. Raine explained to Landa how he was going to let him live, after which – the second best part – he asked him if Landa planned to keep wearing his uniform in the future….a rhetorical question of course. The look on the scared Nazi's face was priceless, as it had been every fucking time Raine had ever done this. Landa didn't respond. "That's what I thought," Raine noted, "Now that….I can't abide. How bout you Utivich, can you abide it?" He grinned, "Not one damn bit, sire." Raine seemed content with the answer and continued. "I mean, if I had my way, you'd wear that goddamn uniform for the rest of your pecker suckin life. But I'm aware that's ain't practical. I mean, at some point ya gotta hafta take it off." Utivich shivered with suspense…..his favourite line. "So I'm gonna give you a little something you can't take off." Utivich moved in to assist with the best part of their well-known routine…..Raine carved a swastika deep into Landa's forehead, the latter screaming and yelping underneath their hands. Damn pig. When done, Raine and Utivich admired the handiwork. "You know something Utivich," Raine mused, "I think this just be my masterpiece."
"Sure looks like it." Raine and Utivich shot up at hearing the unexpected sound, dagger at the ready. They looked at the two men now standing right in front of them, and Raine bursted into laughter, putting away his knife. "Now I'll be damned. Looks like we're back in business. And business is still boomin. Gotta enjoy it as long as it lasts." Raine and Utivich simultaneously stepped forward to properly greet their friends; hell, they never even expected to see either Ulmer or Donowitz ever again. Raine was pleased, Utivich wiped his eyes. "We're Bastards, and Bastards don't quit," Omar stated, slapping Utivich on the shoulder. "That's right, son," Raine smiled, "Bastards have got a special kind of talent, and I pride myself on havin an eye for that kind of talent." He turned around and looked at Landa. "We'll bring general Fenech his trash first. Utivich, Ulmer, escort that Hun, will ya." The two men grabbed Landa by the arms and dragged the whining man to his feet. "Time to go, piggie."
Donny was just about to follow the three men when Raine grabbed him by the arm. In an unusual display of emotions, he said "Listen sergeant….Donny….I don't know how you pulled it off, but I sure am glad you two made it out." Donny sported a wide grin. "So am I….like to kill some more Nazi's before I go." Raine joined in the smile. "Thats sure is right. I presume you two had fun?" Donny's smile grew even wider. "Oh yeah….we sure did. It's just….it was so strange. Someone else must have had the same idea we had….I changed my mind about the whole plan and we decided to go to the balcony, so we could shoot up Hitler first. And that's what saved our asses. After we left the room, someone locked the door and sat the room on fire; it was…..a mess." Raine raised an eyebrow. "Any ideas?" "Nope, but it sure helped. And, well…." Donny seemed to hesitate. "Come on, spit it out," Raine urged him. "Sounds weird, but when we were on the balcony, you know, shooting down at all those people, a thought just popped up in my mind. And I couldn't ignore it, it was like….I just had to obey." "What are you on about, son?" Raine sounded intrigued. "Dunno, just know it saved us." Raine seemed to contemplate the idea. "Say, Donny, what's that thought you had?" Donny started making circles in the loose forest ground with his right foot. "You'll think I'm crazy." "Try me," Raine shot back. Donny looked at his friend. "It's dumb, cause you know, the doors were already locked and still….the thought I had was 'lock the doors and throw the bombs over the balcony'. So stupid. But we left the bombs and just ran like hell." "Jesus," Raine hissed under his breath, "I'll be damned." "What's that, Aldo?" "Nothing," Raine quickly responded, "it sure was a good thing you had that thought." Donny sheepishly smiled at the lieutenant. "Guess so." Raine knew he had to change the subject. "Come on, we'd better go, don't want those two to have all the fun." And as Donny walked past him, Raine grabbed him by the arm. "Don, I really am glad, and…well…just keep listening to your thoughts, okay?" Before Donny could answer Raine switched over to his normal posture. "Now, I believe you still owe me a few Nazi scalps…..and I want my scalps."