A/N: Thank you, fritzen, for your review. I appreciate the love for this story. - from everyone - I do appreciate it more than you know.

Sorry for this shorter chapter again. I'm having connection issues so... yeah. Fingers crossed it gets worked out soon! Anyways. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.


1948

Flynn followed Quinn and Wyatt through the run-down brownstone building, searching for the apartment where Abba Kovner and the others were meeting up inside. He tried to stay focused on the task at hand but his mind kept wandering back to the truck that nearly took Wyatt out moments before.

Rufus glanced over to see Flynn lost in thought. Elbowing the tall man in the side, he asked, "Hey man, you okay?" Side-glancing over to Rufus, Flynn nodded curtly but remained silent. Rufus blinked at him before muttering, "Good talk."

The group reached the top of the creaky wooden stairs to the fourth floor. The once beige carpet had turned black from heavy traffic, peeling and fraying along the baseboards. There was a single light bulb left swinging in the middle of the long hallway, casting dancing shadows along the wall. The groaning of the building settling as the wind blew against it sent chills down their spines, making them wonder if the structure was sound or if it should be condemned.

Quinn's dark eyes darted down the length of the hallway before noticing a small shadow moving along the floor on the far end. He pointed, speaking in hushed tones, "Down there."

Rufus whispered, "How do you know? What if it's a neighbor or something?"

Wyatt shook his head. "No, it makes sense," he started. "That apartment would overlook the bakery and the prison...it's definitely them."

"What's the plan here?" Rufus asked, glancing between the two. "Just go down the long creepy hallway and knock on the door?"

Quinn and Wyatt exchanged glances before nodding. Quinn began to meander down the hallway as Wyatt turned back to Rufus. "Unless you have a better plan?"

Rufus sighed. "Oh no...I love barging headfirst into danger...builds character." Wyatt rolled his eyes, following Quinn. Rufus and Flynn turned to one another before trudging along behind.

As the four neared the door, they heard scuffling on the other side. The moment they stopped walking, the door flew open and they were greeted by three men, all armed with rifles aimed at them. The time team raised their hands defensively as they stared down the barrel of the guns.

"We were wondering how long you'd take to find us," Abba Kovner stated, pushing his way through his armed men. "What do you want?"

"We mean ye no harm," Quinn said, eyeing the guns aimed at them. "We've come to warn ye."

"Warn us?" Abba repeated. "What could you possibly have to tell us? Did you notify the authorities about our whereabouts?"

"Should we have?" Quinn challenged. When Abba didn't immediately respond, Quinn continued, "We've come to warn ye that yer plan will fail."

"Liar!" one of the armed men behind Abba shouted. Abba raised his hand to silence his man before motioning for Quinn to continue.

Quinn licked his lips. "We know ye've got a large dose of arsenic to kill quite a few of the prisoners at Langwasser but ye won't succeed."

Abba sucked his lower lip into his mouth, eyeing the men before him. He released his lip with a pop. "You'd better come inside. It's not safe, even in this abandoned place - ears are always listening."

The team exchanged glances before entering behind Abba. The armed men kept their weapons trained on them as they closed the door secured behind.

Abba walked over to the table in the middle of the nearly empty room. There were half a dozen people crammed inside, all awaiting orders. Placing his hand on his hip and another on the table, Abba's eyes drifted to the papers strewn on the top. "We've had men on the inside of the bakery for months." He lifted his gaze to the team. "We've been sneaking in a lot of the poison needed to lace the loaves of bread going to the SS held within Langwasser...but you say that it won't work. How do you know?"

"How did they know about our plans, Abba?" another man questioned. "I don't like this!" Abba held his hand out again to silently order his men to stay quiet. His eyes never left the teams' as he waited for their answer.

Quinn cocked his head to the side. "Ye wouldn't believe us if we told ye the truth...so why don't we cut the pretense. We don't want to see ye come to harm."

The men chuckled around the room. Abba raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you know why they laugh at you?" he asked, glancing about the room before settling on them once more. "Because they know you're wrong. Wrong about what, you ask? Wrong about everything."

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked. "We came here to warn you-"

"And I supposed you did just that," Abba confessed, "but you're not the first person to warn us of our plans and offer assistance."

"What are you-" Wyatt couldn't get the words out in time.

Abba held up his hand, telling Wyatt to stop. "We've been educated by someone who wants this mission to succeed-"

"Educated?" Quinn repeated. "In regards to what?"

Abba held the team's gaze. "The arsenic we were planning on using wasn't enough," he admitted. "We were told it would only make the SS sick but no deaths. That's not good enough for us. They need to pay for what they've done to us!"

Those in the room nodded in agreement, an occasional 'aye' was heard. The team watched as the tensions rose with Abba's speech.

"We were approached by a man who offered to help our cause," Abba stated. "He provided us with a better poison to ensure our success."

"What's the poison?" Quinn asked. "What did he give ye?"

Abba pointed to a side table where a box of small glass vials was stacked. Rufus motioned to them, asking Abba silently for permission. When Abba gave a curt nod, watching him carefully, Rufus approached them. He stared at the vials in the box, making sure to not touch them.

Inside the vials, he spotted a bit of silvery-white metal slivers inside. His mouth fell open as he whirled around to face Abba. "Thallium? He...he gave you thallium?"

Quinn groaned, pinching the bridge to his nose. Wyatt glanced between them. "I don't understand," he confessed. "What's thallium?"

Rufus turned back to the team. "It's a chemical compound with an atomic number of 81. It's highly toxic-" Realizing the others were going to get lost with his lengthy explanation, he stopped, humming in displeasure. It didn't take him long to conjure up another question. "But...why?" he questioned, brows drawing together. "Why would...I mean, what would he gain from doing this?"

Abba inhaled slowly. "There's a man inside the prison he wants dead. As long as we use his poison and give his target the laced bread, that's all that he wants."

"Who is the target?" Flynn questioned.

"Who's he?" Wyatt asked at the same time.

Abba's eyes darted between them. "There was a man inside who works for an organization just as evil as the Nazis," he began. "Perhaps you've heard of them. Rittenhouse?"

The four exhaled sharply, shoulders slumping. Flynn muttered, "Rittenhouse?" He turned to Quinn. "Did you know about this?"

Quinn shook his head but didn't have a chance to say anything. Abba's head leaned back slightly. "Ah, so you do know of this Rittenhouse…" he crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "Is it true? Is Rittenhouse as bad as they said?"

"Depends," Wyatt interjected quickly.

"On?" Abba asked.

Wyatt didn't hesitate. "On who told you."

Abba's eyes narrowed on them. "I think I've told you enough."

"No," Wyatt challenged him. "I don't think you have-"

The armed men within the room held their guns, aiming directly at the group. They waited for the order from Abba. Abba blinked at Wyatt. He sucked on his teeth before shrugging. "A man named Weidmann brought it to us."

"Weidmann?" Wyatt repeated. "You trust a German to follow through and help kill more of his own people? Are you seriously that gullible?"

Abba's expression shifted slightly as he thought about Wyatt's words. He cleared his throat. "He's a defector," Abba explained. "He's working for someone else."

"Who?" Wyatt pushed. "Because from where I'm standing, you're one step away from making a big mistake."

Abba glanced about the room. The expressions of realization on those in the room grew. The men turned to Abba for guidance and understanding. Abba sighed, pulling a chair out from the table to sit. He collapsed onto the seat, holding his head in his hands. "They murdered millions of us...like lambs at a slaughter." He lifted his head, tears forming behind his dark eyes as he silently begged them to understand. "We were hunted down, murdered in ways you couldn't possibly understand…"

"My family served in the war," Wyatt told him. "I know better than anyone just how bad it was."

Quinn cleared his throat. "Ye don't want to do this," he told Abba. "If ye do this, ye'd be no better than them."

Abba's tears fell from his eyes as he turned to the others. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I failed all of you...I trusted the wrong people…"

Quinn asked, "What will ye do now, Abba?"

He shook his head, wiping his nose across the top of his hand. "I'm not sure. We still have our mission…"

"You're still going through with it?" Rufus asked, shocked. "Even though you know it's not worth it?"

"Not worth it?" Abba repeated, eyes flashing with ire at him. "Tell that to the millions of people dead because of those in that camp!" He bolted to his feet, kicking the chair backward. "If there's a chance to do them harm and remind them that we are not helpless lambs, then I'm willing to send that message!"

"But you just said-" Wyatt started.

Abba stared at the team. "You have a decision to make," he told them. "Either you help us with this - and ensure its success - or you die. The choice is yours."