"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.
ggg
"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.
