He'd donned glasses and chosen a moustache from the small kit he'd brought with him. Dressed in a expertly tailored dark suit he looked every inch the cerebral medical professional. Garrison watched as Actor settled in to his persona, marveling at his ability to assume the personality and physical traits of another, changing his gestures, facial expressions, speech patterns, even the way he walked to fit the character he was playing. He'd seen him turn himself into a stranger without any disguise other than the control he had over his own body and wondered if the man they knew was real or just another mask he used as a tool of his trade.
They'd taken the papers from the accident and the group Armin Rzehak led made the uniforms fit the facts they contained with the supplies they'd accumulated. The only variation was Casino. Armin added his own touch to explain away his inability to speak and his limited understanding of the language while the forger in the group made up new papers.
The underground leader had been a surprise. He was tall, nearly as tall as Actor. Black hair, eyes so blue and dark they were nearly black. He wore a full beard to cover the scars that were etched into his face. He wasn't yet thirty but the things he'd seen, the damage done to him made him appear much older. His left leg had been amputated above the knee, sacrificed to a grenade thrown into his position by one of his own side as he fought for the Fatherland.. The same explosion threw fragments of metal into his chest, damaging a lung so badly it too had been removed, another piece lodging in his throat, causing his voice to come in a strangled whisper. He was still strong though, he could still do the work they set him at the munitions factory. He still had the stamina to complete his duties there and go on to organize the underground group they were meeting with now.
Garrison explained as he pinned the medal to Casino's uniform. "They award this when a man's been seriously injured. Armin got it when he lost his leg, but it would be given if the injury caused blindness or deafness. It should get you back out the gate with no problem after you drop us off."
Casino nodded and craned his neck to look down on the gold medal. He'd pulled this off once before, but this would be a quick in and out, he thought gratefully. This time he didn't have to stay inside, that would be up to the Warden and Actor. He'd be outside with Goniff and Chief in case anything went wrong. He'd be out there working with the rest of the people in Armin's group, getting the stuff they'd need to blow the damn guns so they could get outta here and back to England.
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"Alright Casino, we've been through this before." Garrison said calmly from behind him. They were lined up behind two other cars, waiting to get onto the hospital grounds.
Actor spoke up, adding his own advice, "Just remember not to respond to anything you hear. Watch the man speak and let him see you doing it."
"Yeah, yeah. I know what I'm doin'" Casino looked in the rearview mirror and watched Actor pull himself up in the stiff, self-important posture that came so naturally to him. He shifted his gaze to Garrison, leaning in the corner directly behind him, eyes closed, chin resting on his chest. The cars in front of them had moved through the check point and the guard was shouting for him to pull the car forward. He let him shout, waiting for the solider to move away from his position and start towards the car before he put it in gear and nosed up to the barrier. Leaning to get a better look out the window he smiled and squinted up at the man who was now glaring down at him, gritting orders out through clenched teeth. Casino raised his eyebrows and let his eyes open wide in innocence. As he shifted the morning sun glinted off the medal and drew the guards attention. The man frowned a moment, then stuck out his hand, snapping his fingers under Casino's nose, tapping the open palm with the fingers of his other hand. Casino raised his chin and put up his hand in understanding. Turning he picked up the papers that were laying on the seat next to him and handed them through the window. The guard took them and flipped them open, checking them against the clipboard he'd been holding under his arm. The man stepped back and surveyed the car, taking note of the crumpled fender, the crack in the windscreen, and the long scratch along the drivers side. Leaning down he peered at the two men in the back, frowning at Garrison before handing the papers back to Casino and waving them through.
As Casino eased the car past the guard shack and onto the campus Garrison pulled his head up and let it rest back against the seat.
Actor spoke up from behind him. "That was a little over done, don't you think?"
Casino snorted. "You should talk!" He followed the road that curved away around a large manicured lawn and pulled to a halt at the bottom of the steps that led up into the side entrance of main building. He let Actor get himself out while he leaned in to help the Warden. "You sure you'r only actin'?"
Garrison rested his weight on Casino's shoulder as they watched two orderlies follow Actor back down the stairs. "Just get the bags out of the back and then get out of here."
As soon as he handed the Warden over to the first guy he moved around and lifted the bags out of the back. Stepping to the front of the car he handed both bags to the second orderly and watched as the procession made its way up the stairs and disappear into the building. Climbing back behind the wheel he started the engine and headed the car back towards the gate. The guard waved him through the barrier, he didn't even have to stop.
Casino checked his watch, it'd taken less than ten minutes.
Now came the hard part, the waitin'. One of the resistance guys was working as an orderly at the hospital. They hadn't met him yet, he coulda been one of the guys that was waitin' on the steps. He was gonna run messages out to them, let 'em know what the others were findin' out and when they needed to meet, but they didn't figure they'd be doin' that until the next day.
They'd taken him directly to his meeting with the hospital administrator, he had no idea where Garrison had ended up. The meeting had taken over an hour and then there was a tour of the wards and grounds. The administrator had finally shown him to his office after lunch and he'd been relieved to see his 'aide', Hauptman Eisler, waiting for him. The young officer came stiffly to his feet and bowed formally on his introduction to the administrator. He remained standing as the man took his time about leaving. When the door was finally closed on the pompous bureaucrat Garrison lowered himself carefully on to the chair that sat next to the desk "You look terrible! Are you all right?" Actor frowned down at him.
"I've been better."
The Warden was pale and a fine sheen of sweat moistened his forehead. Stepping to the sideboard Actor poured a glass of brandy and sat it on the desk near his hand. "Where did they take you? What happened?"
Garrison picked up the glass and took a sip then looked up at the older man. "Oh they took me over to the clinic." He heaved a sigh. "And it's called debridement. Apparently they're quite fond of it here."
Actor sat down behind the desk and winced in sympathy "Ouch!"
"That's an understatement." He took another sip of the brandy and shook his head. "I thought you were rough. I'm pretty sure they scrubbed down to bone in a couple of places." Raising the glass again Garrison looked over the top of it at the man across the desk. "Look, don't let anybody get the idea you're too understanding will you, because I told them I'd rather risk infection than cross you."
"I take it they want you back?"
"Yeah, at six... I told them you wouldn't like it."
"Maybe it would be better if I told them I would prefer to do it myself." Laughing at the look on the Lieutenant's face he added, "Colianni's a psychiatric specialist, they tend to be a bit peculiar. It wouldn't be too hard to convince the staff that he might be a sadist."
"I don't care what you do, as long as I don't have to go back there." The Lieutenant raised the glass again, tipping it up he drained the rest of the brandy in one long swallow.
"Will you be able to get around the grounds?" Actors concern was real, but he already knew the answer.
"Yeah. Just let this brandy circulate around a minute and I'll be fine." Garrison took a deep breath before he got to his feet. He grimaced and closed his eyes. "Scheiße!" Tugging his tunic into place he squared his shoulders, opening his eyes he looked down at Actor. "Doctor Colianni, unless you need me, I'll see you back here at eighteen-hundred. I've arranged for us to go back into the town for dinner."
"No, I'll just be going over files today, I won't be seeing any patients until tomorrow." The con man looked up, smothering a smile. " Try and stay out of sight, will you?"
An eyebrow quirked up, "I'll do my best. I don't know what I'd do if one of them spotted me. I don't think I'd be able to move fast enough to get away."
Actor laughed as he watched the man move carefully towards the door, "Well, if you don't show up here at six, I'll know where to find you."
"Just see to it that you do!"
Garrison walked along the path that led back around the main hospital. He must look awful. He wasn't having any trouble with guards, but about every other person he met that was decked out in medical garb seemed to think he needed a wheelchair! Well, once he found what he was looking for he'd have a good reason for sitting still while he watched it, providing there was a bench... God, he hoped there was a bench, he was certain he wouldn't be able to get back up off the ground once he sat down on it, and he wasn't too sure he'd be able to stand for very long. The man that had helped him to the clinic, and waited for him, had been Armins' inside man. He was going to get a message out to Casino to come back for them before six. Garrison sure as hell wasn't going to be anywhere around this hospital at six.
Casino came twenty minutes early as instructed and sat cooling his heels while he waited for the great doctor and his assistant to put in an appearance. He was sittin' there ten minutes later when he finally spotted them. Actor striding towards the car like he didn't have a worry in the world, Garrison struggling along behind with the briefcase and doctor's bag, trying to shake off some yahoo in a white coat. Turning the key he fired the engine up and pulled the car along the road so they wouldn't have so far to walk. Actor got in and settled himself in the back, Garrison stepped around the back of the car, leaving his pursuer on the pathway. Picking up his pace he made it into the car and slammed the door shut just as the guy decided to follow him around the car.
"Casino! Get us the hell out of here."
Casino pulled out, leaving the man in the dust. He checked the mirror, he didn't see any guards, the guy didn't look like he had a gun. Narrowing his eyes he looked at the reflection of the two sitting in the back and saw amusement on one face and pure relief on the other. "What's goin' on?"
"Nothing! Just shut up and drive."
The Warden was stripped down to his shorts. It had seemed funny the way he'd told the story, but it didn't look like much of a joke when they saw how much inflamed skin was involved. Actor had convinced them at the hospital that he was mean enough to take care of his assistant himself and had brought away enough supplies to do the job. He'd requisitioned some kind of salve that he'd smoothed over the raw patches on Garrison's back and shoulders, and the Lieutenant was carefully rubbing it into all the rest of them down his legs and on his arms. It was supposed to keep the bandages from sticking, they'd had a real problem with that when they were trying to get them all off of him. And it was obvious from the way he was getting more relaxed that it was taking the pain and soreness out. When he finally screwed the lid back down on the jar and leaned back Goniff approached him and held out a glass.
"Looks like you could use a little a this."
Garrison reached out and took it, downing a large swallow he gasped and shoved the glass back into Goniff's hand. "What'n the hell is that!" he managed to choked out.
The little thief smiled. "Nasty n't it? It's some kinda brandy the local blokes make outta apples." He reached down and poured another dose of it in the Wardens' glass. "It's guaranteed to take the pain away."
"Thanks, but I think I'd rather be able to see in the morning." Pulling the blanket Chief tossed him over his legs he turned to the others and motioned them around him, "Come on we might as well get started." He waited until they'd settled down. "OK. There are two emplacements on the hospital grounds. We have to come up with a way to take them out without doing damage to the buildings, without causing any casualties among the patients... at the same time we hit the targets outside the town"
"Jeeze! You'r not askin' for much, are you Lieutenant."
"I think we can do it. It's going to take some pretty close timing, and putting together some special shells to load in those guns." He had their attention now. He set out his idea and they started going over it, searching for flaws and working out all the angles. By midnight they had it. All they needed now were a few more details.
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They were still gathered into a huddle, sharing the brandy Goniff had found. It got better with exposure, but only if it was carefully sipped. Garrison was taking them through it again. Each time a new question was asked it gave them a chance to check the plan from a different angle.
"What'd they have you doin'?" Casino asked the Italian snob. Seemed like he always managed to draw a spot that had him playin' some high ranking officer or important dignitary. Just once he'd like to see the guy decked out as a plumber or somethin'.
"I am to interview the men they send me and identify the malingerers."
"What?" Casino frowned across at him, and then looked at Chief.
Chief looked back at him and shook his head "He's 'spose to rat out the fakers"
"You put it succinctly, Chief, as always."
"Will you guys have enough leeway to watch the grounds?"
"I believe so. I will see some of the men in an examination room next to the office in the morning, but I'll go to the rest of them on their wards in the afternoon. That should give us excellent access to the grounds."
"What about you, Warden? What does the great doctor here need you taggin' along for?"
"The man's Italian Casino, his German isn't good enough for this and Eisler was studying psychology before the war."
Actor filled in, just in case the safe cracker didn't get it. "He is my interpreter." His voice was patronizing, calculated to set the safe cracker off.
"Alright." Garrison put in, cutting Casino off before he could start an argument by coming up with one of his wisecracks. "We'll need to know all the access points to both of those bunkers. The schedule the gun crews are on, where they stockpile the shells, just like we've got on the hillside batteries. I'll take the one up in front of the hospital while you're doing your office hours."
"Wait a minute! If your supposed to be interpreting for Dr Freud here, how'r you gonna be out on the grounds watchin' that gun?"
Actors voice was edged with irritation. "These are psychiatric evaluations Casino. They are conducted sub rosa and each session lasts one hour. That's sacrosanct."
Casino sat for a moment waiting for some sort of explanation he could understand, finally turning on Chief. "Come on Junior, he's got you crawling through that library back at the estate, what'n the hell is he talkin' about now?"
The young man thought for a minute, rubbing his hand along his jaw. "Nobody's gonna walk in on 'em for an hour, and nobody messes around with the rules."
'Jeeze! Actor, why can't you just learn to speak English!?"
Garrison leaned forward, "Excuse me? Could we get back on track here?" he raised his voice, calling out to the three resistance fighters huddled in the corner talking, "Armin, can your man handle the gun over on the east side?" When he got assurance that it could be done he turned and addressed himself to the other three men. "Casino, Chief, I want you to go to the factory. Armin said he'd have the blanks ready. Pick up the shells and get back to the workshop and start getting them ready to load. Take Goniff with you."
Casino snickered, "You sure you want that little menace anywhere around the explosives? The way he's been screwin' up lately?"
Frowning, Garrison saw Goniffs' shoulders sag and he turned on the sarcastic thief. They weren't back to that, were they? "Well, he was the one who remembered to bring that rope down along the river… I think I'll take my chances on him." Garrison was surprised to see Casino had the good graces to look a little embarrassed, "We'll need a truck to deliver our improved armament along with their regular supplies. Armins' group is going to arrange to hijack one of the transports on the road, but the timing's going to be tight on that too. I don't want a report of a missing truck to reach anyone of those gun crews. Once we set this rolling we'll only have about an hour to play with. We've got a couple of days to work all of this out. By the time we go I want it down like clockwork"
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Actor look up from the desk when the door opened. Setting his glasses aside he leaned back in the chair and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Busy morning, doctor?" Garrison asked quietly as he closed the door behind him.
"Yes. So much for the sanctity of the hour long session." Watching the younger man lower himself into the chair in front of the desk, the con man was glad to see he'd regained some of his normal grace and ease of movement. "They've had someone through here every twenty minutes."
Garrison looked up in alarm, "Were you able to pull that off? Anyone question my not being here?"
"No. It was alright." he assured him. "The files were here on the desk when I arrived, the men waited outside. All I had to do was call out the next name. There was one assistant who did asked about you. I told him I sent you over to the clinic and you would be back when they were finished with you. You're right on time."
"So did you find any slackers?" Garrison was sorting through the files that had been stacked on the corner of the desk.
"One"
"Are you going to turn him in?"
"No I will tell them I don't believe he is psychologically suited to return to combat... If he was willing to spend the rest of his life in a place like this he probably isn't."
"What do you think they'll do with him?"
Actor raised his long arms over head and stretched, "They'll probably send him back to the front lines. Did you get the information you wanted?"
"Yeah. It looks like there's only one access. Through a tunnel dug into that rise outside the front entrance to the main building. There's a couple of guards on it, but the ones I watched were pretty lax. It should be the same over on the other gun... We'll find out tonight when we meet with the rest of them." Garrison stood, wincing as the bandage on his left knee caught and pulled at the scrape it covered. He was feeling much better, moving easier. That cream Actor had come up with had really helped but he must have missed a spot. "You ready to go make rounds?"
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They spent the afternoon hours visiting the men on the wards. How anyone could imagine any of these poor souls were capable of fabricating their disability was beyond Actors' ability to comprehend. He was glad it would only take a notation in each chart, and a scribbled initial to make his views known. He was certain if he had to discuss each case with a doubting board of military bureaucrats he would be unable to control his disdain and disgust. Both of them were tired from the long day, and glad of the chance to be outside as they made their way through the grounds back towards the main building where they were to meet Casino.
The attendant stepped away, turned his back and walked away, leaving the young man to sit staring off at the trees at the edge of the hospital complex. At first he was still, but then a seizure seemed to take hold of him. Stiffening frail limbs and arching his back he twisted out of the wheelchair, landing on his face on the gravel path. Actor shouted at the attendant, ordering him back to his duty, but Garrison reached the young man first. He held the boy cradled in his arms as he struggled against the involuntary movement of his own body. When the attendant stepped up and tried to take the youngster he stopped him with a glare that froze the man where he stood. The flailing was easing now, the stiffened limbs relaxing. When the boy went limp in his arms Garrison bent and carefully placed him in the chair. Stepping back he watched as the orderly quickly tied the straps on the vest the young man wore around the back of the wheelchair and turned to push him away, back towards the wards.
Garrison was shaken, his arms held stiffly at his sides, his hands balled into fists. When Actor moved to stand beside him he took a deep breath, willing himself to relax, he straightened his shoulders and turned to continue on the way they'd been going.
He'd resigned himself to his own death. The work they did, the risks they took required that. He'd come to terms with the probability of physical disability, the loss of a limb, blindness, deafness, knowing that somehow he would find a way to live with that and still make his own way. But this loss of self determination was something he had never considered. Not knowing where he was, who he was. Not having control over what happened to him. He didn't think he had the courage to face that. He didn't think he could be locked away in a hospital like this for the rest of his life.
"It would be better to be dead." He was unaware he'd spoken the thought aloud until Actor responded.
"I hardly think your family would agree."
"What family…" He stopped speaking abruptly, taking a deep breath he looked around him. "I don't see any family here, do you?" And lengthening his stride he left the con man behind to wonder at what he'd said.
Casino drove the car through the checkpoint and onto the grounds. The guard didn't even stop to look at his papers this time. Seeing the damaged car and recognizing the driver he'd simply called for the barrier to be raised and waved him through. The safecracker smiled smugly to himself, thinking how easy this job was turning out to be and then caught his breath as fear of all the things that could go wrong raised its image in his mind. Pulling the car to a stop he rolled the window down as he waited and raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
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