"Hm." Aldo looked at the cowering German soldier. "You know, I've been hearing things. Know what kinda things?"

"Nien." He whispered, his eyes darting from the Lt. to the dead body only a few yards behind the man.

Donny gave him a rough jab in the back. "What was that? Speak up."

"I-I do not know what things."

"Rumors," Aldo said, "now, I don't like rumours. Too much shit to sift through. We don't like rumours, do we, fellas?"

He received a string of various hollers, and agreements. Leaning forward, a smirk crossed the Apache's lips, "but this one's just too good to pass up. Now...what do you know about the Canary?"

The soldier paled, electing a chuckle from Donowitz, "oh..." The Bear Jew drawled, "that bad, huh?"

"He comes out of the trees. A sniper. Always at night."

"What else?" Aldo prodded, watching as beads of sweat rolled down the young man's forehead.

"He- he's let them live."

"Psh." Donny scoffed, before turning to the other Basterds, "The Canarylet's them live." The declaration was met with a series of boos. "What else?"

Aldo held up his hand to silence the younger Sergeant. "Now, I thought you said he snipes 'em."

His blue eyes leered at the soldier.

"Like you said-rumors. Sometimes-sometimes is for the best."

"What's for the best?"

"Better to be sniped then..." The soldier dropped his eyes to the ground.

"Better to be sniped then..."Aldo leaned toward him again.

"Men have been left." The German private hesitated, earning him another harsh gouge in the bloody baseball bat. "I do not-"

"Oh." Lt. Raine nodded, "Wicki!"

Wilhelm dropped down from his perch. Turning to the soldier, the man switched to German.
"("What happened to the men?")"
"("They've had things done to them, mouths sewn shut, eyes burned out. He picks the soldiers closest to the camp. And leaves them there.")"

"Well?"

Wicki turned to his superior officer, "He says the Canary cripples them then drops them off at the camps."

"Why?" Aldo asked, and Wicki mimicked the question to the younger private.

"("Because the furor...collectscripples as well as Jews.")" The soldier said, the tears beginning to roll down his cheeks as a sadistic grin crossed the Austrian's face.

"What?" Lt. Raine asked, a smiling seeping onto his own face. "What'd the Nat-zi say?"

"He said they'll get the gas because their gimps." Wicki's eyes narrowed, "just like the Jews."

"Well...He gives 'em a taste of their own medicine."

Donny grinned, "good."

Aldo glanced at Wicki, asking, "anything else?"

Wicki relayed that to the quivering solider who shrugged, shaking his head. "Others are less, consistent."

"Well, we still wanna hear 'em. Spit it out." The older man said, eyeing him with a tiny smirk. Donny shared at look with the officer. Not really seeing the point of all this.

"Just-you know, he's a Jew, a negro, Canadian, like that." The solider whimpered as Donny placed the bat on his shaking shoulder. "That's all I swear!"

"Hm. So," Lt. Raine smiled, "We got a Canadian somethin' or other, who may or may not be a sniper, who loves cripplin' Natzis." He turned to face the others on the hill, "sounds like our kinda solider."

Turning back to Wicki, Aldo spoke again, "Ask him what he's gonna do after the war."

A sadistic smile settled over Donowitz's lips as Wicki smirked.

-/-/-

"So, we're just gonna wander 'round France, lookin' for this Canary?"

The Lietanent ignored Donny's snide tone, but answered him none the less. "That's the plan. We'll break off t'night."

"Ya think it's a good idea? Goin' 'round, lookin' for trouble?" Donny asked, sparing Hugo a glance as he took a seat next to them. The German took a drag before addressing the matter at hand. "When are we going?"

"Soon." Aldo said, then turned to the other sergeant, "Even if something does go wrong, its still gonna be ten t'a one."

Nodding, his companion smirked, "good 'nough for me."

"Suppose he's not interested in your cause?" Hugo said, smoke drifting through his lips as he spoke lowly.

"Well," Aldo gave his thick scar a scratch, "'Spose we'll just have to persuade 'im."

Soon came faster than expected and the men found themselves divvied up into small groups of three, with the exception of the third group (headed up by Wicki), which had four.

This particular group, consisted of Wicki himself, Private Any Kagan, Private Smithson Utivich, and Private Gerald Hirschberg.

And they were the first to meet the Canary. A lanky boy, of maybe twenty, stood smoking against a tree. Next to him, a bout of dead German shoulders, SS embroidered into each uniform. A gun slung carelessly between his legs, he smirked as they approached.

"Are you the Canary?" The man's accent didn't go unnoticed.

His dark brown eyes studied Wicki was what could be either curiosity or condescending. So, the young man shrugged before speaking. "Might be. Whose askin'?"

"Ever hear of the Basterds?" The Corporal asked, watching as the man's brow cocked.

"You're the crazy fucks who've been scalpin' Nazis?" A grin stretched across his tan face as he gave the Privates a once over. Nodding his approval, he spoke again, laughter evident in his clear voice. "Nicely done, fellas."

The group returned the gestures, both nodding and smiling at him as their superior officer spoke.

"We need you to come with us."

Dark eyes narrowed suspiciously on his form, "why?"

"Our Lieutenant has a proposition for you. It would be unwise to ignore it." Wicki gave him a reassuring smile, "we mean you no harm. It fact it may even be beneficial to you."

"It would be beneficial to your men if they stopped pokin' around o-uh, my camp." The boy licked his lips, and nodded toward a patch of bush just to Kagan's left, "bear traps are littered all over this place."

Smithson cocked a brow as Andy retreated. "You set traps?"

"Nazis set the traps, we just move 'em."

"We?"

The boy chuckled, "what?"

"You said we." Smithson said, holding his gun a little tighter as his superior eyed the boy with suspicion.

"No, I didn't." The new comer insisted, licking his lips as he spoke, "I think you should go."

"Not without you." Wicki said, an air of command lacing his tone. Raising his weapon he nodded toward the road. "Leave your weapon, and move."

Sighing, the man knew he was beat and dropped his semi automatic to the ground.

-/-/-

"Didn't we leave Levi right here?" The older man asked.

The woman looked around, "yep."

"Goddamnit! That kid is always running off!" Annoyance sparkled in his dark eyes as the hot sun shone on his dark skin.

"So what do you suggest we do?" The blonde pushed her hair back as he paced in front of her.

He stopped. "We'll give 'im 'til sun down, and if he doesn't show." He sighed, "I guess we'll have to go looking for him."

The woman crossed her arms as she spotted Levi's gun. "You don't think anything's-"
"No. Levi might be a little stupid but he's not completely inept. He wouldn't just run off with strangers. Now, let's light these bastards up before they start t'a stink."

"Good idea." Grabbing one of the men's limp legs, she began to drag it towards him as he pulled out a stash of gasoline, and lit a match.

-/-/-

Levi chuckled nervously as he looked at the stony faces of the men around him, "your offer sounds great, but-"

"But what?" Aldo asked.

"But I can't take it." The boy finished lamely.

Aldo's eyes sharpened to a glare, "and why the hell not?!"

"Well, it's not that I'm not interested but I don't think-"

"What?" The Liutenant cut him off, "Ain't cha ever heard'a safety in numbers?!"

"I got numbers!" Levi said, "that's why I can't accept your offer. I mean Troy might go for it but Anna's got this thing about-"

"Isn't Anna a girl's name?" Donny interjected, earning an annoyed glance from Levi.

"Well, of course it is. She's a woman, so naturally she'd have a woman's name."

The Bear Jew glared at him as Aldo spoke. "So, what? You expect us to believe you three have been runnin' 'round killin' Nat-zis-"

"Oh, only me and Troy kill 'em, Anna says something about karma." Levi shrugged, "I'm not really sure what, I usually block 'er out when she's mad."

A shout was heard in the distant and the men jolted as the new comer grinned. "Oh, here they are now."

A rustling in the bushes jerked them in another direction as a woman in a tan jacket stepped out of the bushes. Hirschberg in her grasp, with a knife to his throat.

"Hm, looks like you were helpful after all." She muttered, and pulled him a little closer as the men turned their guns are her. "Maybe not."