Chapter 1 - Treason

It was five o'clock in the afternoon, Garrison sat down in Major Richard's office and waited, he watched as the Major walked agitatedly around and wondered why he'd been called over. The Major breathed a heavy sigh, looked at him and sat down.

"Sergeant Gerald O'Connor was found dead yesterday. He was the man on our communications team who had access to information about your activities, he was the one who passed on the information to Hardin and betrayed your missions, including Caen. We left him alone and kept an eye on him, not long ago he started reporting to someone else, it must be the man who Hardin was in contact with."

Garrison sighed, was Caen never going to be put to rest? The issues between him and Chief had long been resolved but the spectre kept raising its head again and again.

Garrison looked at the Major. "Do we know who was handling him Sir?"

Richards ran a hand through his grey hair and threw a folder down on the table. "No, have you any idea?"

Garrison looked at it. "Chief and I have our suspicions but we don't have any evidence."

Richards opened the file. "This report shows you were in communication with O'Connor, there are copies of messages to him telling him about your missions in detail before you go. There's even a copy of the message sent to SS Command in Caen telling them about the mission."

Garrison sat back in shock. "You know I'm being set up, I'd never betray our operations or put my men in danger. What about Norway? What does the report say about that?"

Richards frowned. "It says that we only have your word about what happened and you lied to put us off the scent. It goes on to say that Chief assisted you in your efforts, he doesn't speak the language and yet managed to rescue you on his own and turn up miles away with you in tow. The report concludes it had been too easy for him to get you away from the Germans without their co-operation. You must admit his debrief was sketchy on what happened, I was there."

Garrison slammed his hand on the table. "It's the truth! Chief may have been economical with the facts but what he told you happened. He went in and saved me, he got us to Stavanger. Jack Hardin said he knew the mission had been sabotaged. This is ridiculous, you know Chief, he set up the Navajos, he'd never be a traitor."

Richards nodded his head and regarded Garrison. "Calm down Lieutenant, I'm on your side. This report is pretty damning, there's a lot of evidence against the pair of you in here and I don't believe a single word of it. I know you and your team well enough by now to know you'd never do anything like this." He tossed another folder onto his desk. "Here's proof that reports have been altered."

Garrison stared at it and then looked up at the Commando. "What is it Sir?"

Richards smiled grimly. "My copy of the report about our mission in Italy to get General Bruner out. I compared it to the "official" one and there are a lot of glaring errors, omissions and alterations. I expect all the reports have been doctored in the same way. I agree, you're being set up and Chief with you."

Garrison breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. What can we do?"

Richards sat back in his chair. "I've already asked Drummond to bring Chief over from the Navajo training session he's running, we need to get to the bottom of this."

There was a knock on the door, Drummond and Chief walked in. Chief wondered why Drummond had brought him in through a back route, he took one look at Garrison's face and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. "What's happenin' Warden?" There was a dangerous edge to his quiet voice, his face grew hard and angry as he listened to Richards repeat what was in the report, his dark brown eyes narrowed as he digested the facts. "Ain't that treason?"

Richards nodded. "It's a serious accusation, if Garrison's found guilty he could face execution or a life sentence. You're also under investigation as his co-conspirator, the result will be the same for you."

Chief shrugged. "Nothin' new, I faced death every day in stir, still got a life sentence hangin' over my head 'til I get my parole." He fixed Richards with a hard stare. "Who's accusin' us of treason Major? It's gotta be someone with a real big grudge. What's the name on the bottom of that report?"

Richards scanned the last page. "Colonel Pryor is the signatory." He looked up as both men expressed their anger and disgust. "Do you know the Colonel?"

Garrison looked at Chief. "There's your proof, it was Pryor, just as you thought." He turned back to the Major and nodded. "Yes Sir, we know Colonel Pryor. Colonel Fremont sent us into an Italian prison camp to get him out. He used to be the warden at Statenville Prison and recognised Chief as one of the inmates." He glanced at his brother and a ball of anger knotted in his stomach as he remembered what Rainey had gone through. "He was the one who forced Chief to fight in the cage. He knew he could expose the illegal activities he'd been involved in while he was in charge there, he fought us all the way after that and I ended up hitting him."

Richards put his head in his hands and sighed. "You hit a Colonel?"

Chief crossed his arms. "Bastard got off light, I was gonna kill 'im."

Richards looked at them in bemusement. "This just gets better and better doesn't it?"

Garrison leaned over, picked up the report and scanned it quickly, noting Pryor's scrawl at the end. He threw it down on the desk in disgust. "Where is the Colonel? Is he here or in the States?"

Richards shrugged. "I don't know, Lieutenant. He could be anywhere."

Garrison frowned. "What about the rest of my men? They aren't mentioned in here. It seems to be just me and Chief he's after."

Chief looked over. "No surprise there, we're the two that gave him the most trouble. I killed his best fighter 'n he lost a lot of money, he didn't forget my face after that, even singled me out for his 'special treatment'."

Garrison reached out and put a hand on Chief's arm, he knew what that 'special treatment' had been. "He certainly wouldn't forget the name of the man who poisoned him and then laid him out, even if he did give me permission, it would be my word against his. The word of four cons wouldn't count. What will happen to the others Major?"

Richards rested his elbows on the table. "They'll be put in the stockade and sent back to prison in the States. No remission, no parole."

Garrison looked at Richards in alarm. "Can we get word to them? They need to get away now!"

Richards looked at his watch. "I got a phone call an hour ago to say preparations were being made to arrest all of you, that's why I got you and Chief here. I didn't want any casualties."

Chief's blade leapt into his hand. "I ain't surrenderin' 'n I ain't gonna go down easy Major. You'll be countin' a lot o' bodies before you take me or the Lieutenant. Come on Warden, we're outta here now."

Richards put up a warning hand. "I didn't bring you in to take you prisoner Chief, I wanted to warn you about what was happening. That's why I got Drummond to bring you in by a different route, I didn't want you fighting the men sent to get you and getting yourself killed. If you repeat any of this I'll deny I said it, but you should slip away, meet up with the rest of the team and disappear."

Chief gave Richards a nod. "Appreciate what you're doin' Major, but I ain't leavin' the Warden here, he don't deserve to be in jail."

Richards looked at both men regretfully. "I'm sorry Chief, I have to place Garrison under arrest, he's a soldier under my command who's been accused of a serious crime, he'll have to stay here and go in the stockade. A lot of people will have seen him coming in, he can't just vanish into thin air like you. Now go and find the others, hopefully they're still at large."

Chief put his blade away and looked desperately at Garrison, he was torn between his loyalty to his brother and his loyalty to the rest of the team. "No, I won't walk out on you. I know Pryor, he'll have you killed the first chance he gets."

Richards rose to his full height, his stocky frame loomed over the table. "I'll look after your Lieutenant, he'll be under guard around the clock, you have my word he'll be safe, get going Chief before it's too late."

Garrison looked at Richards. "Can I talk to Chief in private for a minute Sir?"

Richards nodded, gestured to Drummond and they both left the office.

Garrison leapt up and grabbed Chief by the shoulders. "The Major's right, go now. You can't stay Rainey, get out of here, find the others and disappear immediately, it's too dangerous. Actor will get you all to Switzerland, you'll be safe there. Don't look back, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Rainey stared at him in total disbelief. "No Craig. I won't go 'n leave you on your own."

Craig sighed and tightened his grip on his brother's shoulders to emphasise what he was saying. "You can't watch my back this time Atsilí. Please go and make sure the others get away, you've done more than enough to earn those paroles, you deserve to be free, I'm sorry Pryor's ruined it for all of you."

Rainey stepped back shaking his head, Craig could see the emotion in his eyes, his voice was a whisper. "If I leave now I can never come back, I'll be on the run for the rest of my life." His hand unconsciously reached up to grasp his medallion. "What about Trish 'n everyone else? I only just got this family, I can't disappear without a word, don't ask me to do that Craig."

Craig looked into his brother's eyes. "I'm asking you to do just that. When you get settled in Switzerland send for Trish and get married. I know you have more than enough money to look after her." He laughed as he saw the surprised look he got. "I'm not stupid Rainey, Trish is renting a house that costs far more than a nurse's wage and there's a huge rock on her finger. I'm sure you 'liberated' more than just a diamond from the Krauts, that goes for the rest of the guys. I can't condone it but it's a good job you did. Look after my sister, look after you." He pointed towards the door. "Now go brother of mine, be safe. Send me a postcard from Zűrich. I'll most probably be in Leavenworth." Craig laughed. "Maybe I'll get Casino's old cell."

Rainey clasped arms with his brother, nodded his head and silently left the room. Richards walked back in. "Don't tell me anything Lieutenant, the less I know the better."

Garrison saluted. "Yes Sir, and thank you Sir."