Chapter 2 – First Move

Chief brought the jeep to a sliding halt on the gravel as he pulled up outside the mansion. Garrison hauled himself out and limped up the steps leaning heavily on his cane, he stopped, turned and watched as his scout walked slowly backwards, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of danger.

"What's up Chief? You don't think Jack's already here do you?" Garrison surveyed the area as Chief joined him.

Chief shook his head. "Dunno Warden, but somethin' ain't felt right for a couple days. Hardin knows where we live, he's been in our rooms, he knows where we go. I don't like it."

Garrison knew better than to dismiss his scout's instincts, he carefully opened the door. "Is that why you stayed with me instead of going with the others?" He already knew the answer. "Keep a good eye out, I'm not much use to you with this leg but I'll fight."

Chief stepped in and closed the door behind him. "You're better in a fight with one leg than most men with two," he paused and took a deep breath. "Warden, Hardin 'n some others have been here while we were with Richards, I can smell cigarettes 'n that cologne o' his."

Garrison pointed towards the stairs. "Get up there, make sure everyone's alright," he watched as his scout ran past him and took the stairs two at a time. He waited at the foot of the stairs, listening to doors banging as Chief checked every room, he reappeared and came back down. "Everythin's ok up there. Hardin's been in every room but it don't look like Goniff, Actor 'n Casino were here, they would've put up a fight, they must be down The Doves like you said."

Garrison headed for the phone. "It doesn't mean they're safe, Jack knows we go there, all he has to do is wait for them to head back." He picked up the receiver, dialled the number he knew by heart and waited for an answer. "Hello Norman, it's Garrison, are my men there? Thanks." He looked at Chief. "They left ten minutes ago, can you head out and meet them. If Hardin reckons he can grab them he must have back up, he can't take three men on his own."

"On my way." Chief nodded and quickly headed for the door.

Garrison started dialling. "I'll call Drum and get you some back up." He looked out the window to see Chief racing across the manicured lawns towards the lane leading to the village and The Doves. "Hello Drum, we've got problems at the mansion, Hardin's already been here and Chief thinks he's not alone, he's heading towards The Doves now to find the rest of the team, can you back him up? Thanks." Garrison put the phone down and cursed his broken leg, he should be with Chief looking for his men not standing hanging around uselessly waiting for news. He went to his office, got out his gun and checked it, he looked around and started preparations – best not to take chances, especially where Jack was concerned.

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Actor, Goniff and Casino strolled along the lane leading from the village to the mansion, they had enjoyed playing hooky from the obstacle course and had spent ten minutes making up a story about how hard they'd worked getting round it to convince the Warden. They walked round a bend and spied a truck parked at the side of the road, a man had the bonnet up and was tinkering with the engine. Casino wandered over and tapped the man on the back. "Hey babe, you got trouble?"

The man stepped back and pointed at the motor. "It just cut out, I don't know what happened. You any good with engines?"

Casino grinned. "Oh, yeah. I helped my Uncle Vito all the time, let's take a look." He leaned over the wing, peered at the engine and suddenly became aware of a scuffle behind him, he whirled round to face a gun. "What the...?" He looked over to see Actor and Goniff standing with their hands up, surrounded by five armed men, he glared at the man. "What you up to?"

"Get over there." The man waved his gun for Casino to join his two team mates.

The safe-cracker's eyes flickered quickly over the man's shoulder, he started to walk backwards with his hands up, reached his comrades and muttered out the side of his mouth. "Don't say nothin' just follow my lead 'n be ready, ok?" He waved a hand at the gang of men. "Hey babe, look we don't want no trouble, just tell us what you want. We ain't gotta lotta money but you're welcome to take it."

The man smirked. "We ain't after your money, we're here for you." The six men grouped together and covered the team with their weapons.

Casino smiled. "In that case punk I got only one word for you ….GERONIMO!"

A dark shape shot out from the hedgerow behind the kidnappers and cannoned into them, they went sprawling across the lane and found themselves being attacked by four very angry Gorillas. Actor grabbed the man nearest him and landed a solid punch that should have knocked him out, he got back up, shook his head and bunched his fists. "Oh merda!" the conman exclaimed as he realised this was going to be harder than he thought.

Goniff leapt on another man's back and held on for grim death as he thrashed about. Casino was on the ground wrestling with his man, the team was coming to the conclusion they were fighting trained mercenaries. Chief was the only one who'd put his man down, he turned to attack a second.

Four jeeps hurtled down the lane and screeched to a halt, seventeen men in commando uniform piled out and waded into the fight, two minutes later the six would-be kidnappers found themselves tied hand and foot and thrown into the back of the truck.

Actor turned to face Drummond, four teams of Navajos and Chief. "Are we glad to see you. How did you know?"

Chief folded away his blade. "Richards found out who's been passin' on intel 'bout our missions. It's Hardin, he was at the mansion earlier lookin' for us but no-one was there. The Warden figured you were at The Doves and sent help."

Goniff brushed himself down. "Bloody hell Hardin? Why?"

Casino snorted as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "I can give you half a dozen reasons Limey but the biggest one is 'cos we're cons 'n we put his nose outta joint."

Drummond stepped forward and pointed a large finger at the back of the truck. "Is Hardin one of these men?"

Chief shook his head. "No, he ain't here." His head shot up and he looked back towards the mansion. "Warden's on his own!" he set off at a dead run back down the lane and vaulted over the wall onto the mansion grounds.

Drummond pointed to two men. "Peterson, Jackson take the truck back to the camp and get this lot thrown in the stockade then meet us back at the mansion." He looked at Actor, Goniff and Casino. "You lot get in a jeep and we'll race Chief back to the mansion. He'll beat us there, we've got further to go but we'll be a damn close second. Everyone get moving!"

GG-GG-GG

Chief charged across the lawn, ran up the steps two at a time and stopped by the main door, he quietly opened it and stepped silently into the main hall. He listened for a second before heading to Garrison's office, he slowly pushed open the door but didn't walk in. Everything in the room was dark, the blackout curtains had been pulled across the windows and no lights were on. Garrison had been clever, anyone who opened the door would be silhouetted against the light coming from outside the office, Chief stood to one side, pressed himself against the wall and called softly. "Warden? It's me, Ya ta hey Ánaaí."

There was the sound of someone moving and the lamp on Garrison's desk was switched on, Chief stepped forward, peered round the door, looked at the pistol that was still pointed at him and raised his hands. "Don't shoot, I'm on your side Warden."

Garrison breathed out a sigh of relief and lowered his weapon. "It's you. Did you get to the others in time?"

Chief nodded his head as he heard the jeeps roaring up the drive and skidding to a halt on the gravel outside. "Yeah, Hardin sent six men to ambush 'em but we got 'em. They're on their way to the stockade 'n it looks like everyone else just got here."

The front door slammed open, Actor, Goniff and Casino ran into the room, the tall conman looked around. "Are you alright Warden? Chief told us Hardin's back."

Casino pushed past, rested both fists on the desk and glowered. "Geronimo said Hardin's the bum who's been rattin' us out to the Krauts, is he the guy that nearly got Chief killed? If it is, so help me, I'm gonna rip his head off 'n shove it down his damn throat!"

Garrison nodded. "Major Richards told us Jack was passing on information to someone in Washington but that lead turned out to be a dead end."

Actor frowned. "After today's little escapade we'd best take turns at watch until he's caught and put away."

Casino snorted as he took out a pack of cigarettes and passed them round. "He won't get no chance to see the inside of Leavenworth babe, not if I get my hands on 'im first! That crumb's playin' a dangerous game if he thinks he can mess with this team."

Garrison took a cigarette and lit it. "You'll have to take your place in line behind Chief and me, I doubt there'll be much left for you once we've finished with him."

Casino glanced at Chief's grim, determined expression. "Slice 'n dice 'im good Geronimo, I don't wanna see any part of that bastard bigger'n a 50-cent piece, ok?"

Chief took a matchstick. "Happy to oblige Pappy."

Goniff coughed to attract everyone's attention. "Um Chief? The back of your shirt is covered in blood, did you get wounded in the fight?"

Actor strode over and looked at the scout with concern. "Get that shirt off, let me see what the damage is."

Chief reluctantly complied and submitted to the conman's medical inspection. "Ain't nothin', must've busted a couple stitches in the fight."

Actor humphed with exasperation. "A couple of stitches! Chief you opened up nearly every wound you've got in that fight! Get upstairs now so I can try to repair the damage, you'll never heal if you carry on like this. Do I have to put you back in hospital?" The glare he got in return told him that would never happen.

Garrison followed everyone upstairs and pushed past Goniff and Casino as they stood in the doorway to Chief's room. He walked over and watched as Actor cleaned his scout's back and applied salve. "How is he?"

Actor sighed and shook his head. "It's too late to stitch things up again, I'll just have to make sure Chief's wounds are salved every few hours or he won't be able to move."

Garrison put a hand on Chief's arm. "I shouldn't have let you go find the others, I keep forgetting you're worse off than I am."

Chief glanced up and saw the look of concern being directed at him. "I'm ok, got through worse 'n this in stir, don't worry Warden." Chief pulled on a fresh shirt and waved for Garrison to follow him, "Drum 'n the Navajos are waitin', let's go."

The team walked downstairs and stopped as Garrison stared at the men gathered in the hall. Chief looked at his friend and leader, "Warden, whoever's backin' Hardin has got a lot 'o resources 'n he's usin' trained mercenaries, he means business. You got resources o' your own now." He stepped up to Garrison's side and said quietly. "They're your Navajos on this mission Warden, you're in charge not Drummond, not me, whatever you want us to do we'll do it, just give the word."

Garrison regarded Chief in amazement as he realised he'd just handed him command of sixteen highly trained commandos as well as Drummond, if he counted his own men, especially his highly-proficient scout, that was the equivalent of nearly eighty ordinary soldiers. "I don't know what to say Chief, I think between us and the Navajos we could hold off the three hundred."

Chief gave him a quizzical look. "The what?"

Garrison smiled. "I guess the classics weren't available in prison, in the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and three hundred Spartans fought against Xerxes and his massive Persian army of more than three hundred, thousand soldiers."

Chief smiled. "Wouldn't have been able to read it then anyway. Sounds impressive but I bet with sixteen Navajos 'n Drum we could hold off the three hundred, thousand!"

Garrison laughed. "I like those odds!" He looked around at the men waiting for his order and thought for a second. "We'll all go over to the camp, I want to interrogate those mercenaries and get as much information out of them as I can before planning what to do next. Drum, I want to thank you and the Navajos for everything you've done, stand down for a while, get some rest and something to eat while I work out what we're going to do. Let's go Chief, you're on me." He grabbed his cane and headed towards the door.

Drummond reached out and stopped Chief before he could follow. "What's going on Chief? Why haven't you taken command of the Navajos? They think of you as their leader."

Chief turned and stared at the Sergeant Major. "Drum, I helped train the Navajos but Garrison's one of the few men who can really command 'em. He's my commander 'n he's much better at it than me, what I have is his."

Drummond watched Chief walk out to join Garrison, as he followed them out the door the commando wondered what kind of man could command Chief's loyalty so much that he'd be willing to hand over four teams of highly-proficient men that he'd trained himself, men who would follow him anywhere, hell, even he'd follow Chief, he was a natural leader even if he didn't recognise it himself. The image of Garrison sitting by Chief's hospital bed for days as he lay unconscious, refusing to leave his side rose in his mind. In the end he'd had to arrange for a nurse to drug the Lieutenant to make him sleep, resulting in a nightmare that woke Chief as he heard Garrison shouting out his name. There was a strong bond of friendship between these two men that he'd never seen before, he wondered just how much Garrison and Chief had gone through together; war made the unlikeliest of friends and these two brothers-in-arms were the best example he could think of. He smiled, now he knew what kind of man Garrison was.