They heard Chief's whistled call before the sound of footsteps reached them. Casino pushed through the door and barreled a short way down the path.

"Where 'n the hell have you been?! Found a dame somewhere, did you?" It had been hard enough just getting Garrison to the safe house; it'd been nearly impossible to handle him when they got there and the conman was nowhere to be found.

Actor paused mid-stride, and then continued on towards the house, "I was arranging another pickup, as you failed to arrive in time for the first one." He favored the irritated safe cracker with a smug smile. "Since you asked so nicely, one member of the underground happens to be quite an attractive young woman." Then he shrugged. "Unfortunately, she also happens to be committed to her missing husband." Aware that Casino's level of irritation was an extremely accurate measure of his apprehension he turned his own question on his teammate. "What has happened?

"Jeeze, what'd you think happened? We picked up a tail. The Warden took off to draw them away from us and got himself shot. You know," Casino flung his hand out to include the universe. "… the usual."

Actor stopped on the path, knowing he would get more useful information from Casino than he would from Garrison. "How badly is he injured?"

Casino pulled up too. It would be easier to give Actor the information he needed out here where he wouldn't be interrupted by the Warden. "It's a real deep graze," he laid a hand high up on his ribs under his right arm. "But then the Krauts roughed him up on top a that. When Goniff found him, he was staked out over a land mine. We had to get him outta that jam and then take care a the patrol that was after us… which we did." He took a moment to laugh and shrug, "obviously. While the guys were off doin' that, I got sulfa and a bandage over the wound, but it won't stop bleedin'. You can't put any real pressure on it 'cause the ribs underneath are busted." He gave a shudder at the memory of how it felt to have bones moving under his fingers.

"How long did it take you to get him here?" He'd waited as long as he could for them to arrive but when they didn't, Actor knew he had to leave to arrange another pick up. Not only had he done that, he'd also convinced their contact to help him locate the team if they didn't show for the second pick up.

Casino wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm as he remembered the grueling hike. "More 'n three hours to make what Junior said was less than five miles."

Actor nodded, knowing he'd have to make another trip out to talk to their contact again. The trail was steep and rugged and it was three miles out to the pickup point he'd arranged. They'd probably need more time; and help, if Garrison would accept it.

They'd arrived on the step by the door, but before either of them could reach a hand to the knob the door opened. "Took your time about it then, didn't you?"

There was a smile with the comment but Actor had no difficulty reading the concern on Goniff's face. Rather than answer, the conman just laid a hand on the pickpocket's arm and gave a squeeze as he moved around him into the house.

The safehouse was small, suitable as a shelter for them while waiting for the tide to turn or the boats to arrive to ferry them to England. There was a fireplace opposite the door that, by the limited ash on the grate, appeared to be rarely used. A rough counter ran along the wall to the right and a bed had been shoved up against the wall to the left. A table took up the middle of the room. From the looks of things they'd tried the bed, but the Warden was seated at the table now. He was leaned forward, his head resting on arms that were crossed on the table top. He didn't move as the Italian approached.

Actor took a seat on the chair next to the Lieutenant and took stock of him. He was pale and his breathing was slightly shallow. There was blood clotted in his hair, his lip was split, and bruises lay beneath the abrasion on his right cheekbone. Stretched forward as he was, the sleeves of his shirt had pulled up on his arms revealing wrists that had been rubbed raw. The bandage on his side consisted of more than one layer now; they'd all been trained in first aid and knew enough not to uncover a wound until better care was available; but blood had soaked up through the layers and spread downward staining the fabric of the Warden's trousers.

"Warden?" Actor spoke first, not wanting to startle the younger man into any sudden movement. He reached out and laid a hand lightly on his shoulder when he didn't respond. "Warden, can you hear me?"

The eyebrows raised first, pulling the lids apart. Garrison picked his head off his forearms to gaze at the man sitting next to him. "Actor?" It took a moment for his eyes to focus. "You okay?"

The group's Italian second-in-command smiled and nodded, "Quite a bit better than you appear to be."

"I'm fine." The Warden made the claim but lost the fight to keep his head up. "When's the pick up?"

Originally the plan was for them to meet at the safehouse, wait for the tide, and then make their way a short distance down along the steep path to the banks of a river. The first boat in the plan was using tidal flux to get further inland to pick them up. They were to be transported out to sea where a launch would take them out even further for transfer to a naval vessel. When the group hadn't arrived in time Actor arranged the pick-up closer to the mouth of the river where it was deep enough for that first craft to navigate. But it didn't look like that was going to work now. From the looks of him, Garrison wouldn't be able to make the longer trip on foot, though he'd try.

"I doubt you will be able to manage the hike out to the boat. We'll have to either wait through another tidal cycle, or go back the way we came." His mind was already working on a con that they might be able to use. "If we can get to the road and find a truck to get us to the harbor…"

"No delays!" Garrison gripped the side of the table and pushed himself upright in the chair so he was eye-to-eye with the Italian. "That information has to get back to England."

Actor stopped his plotting and considered the urgency in other man's voice. The Warden was always determined to complete their missions but most of the time he was willing to change plans to accommodate injuries. He knew from the briefing before the mission the type of information they'd been sent after, but he wasn't with them when they recovered it, he hadn't seen it for himself. Actor, not knowing how vital or time-sensitive the information was, was willing to agree with Garrison to keep him from getting agitated. "Very well, I can take the information with me and arrange with the contact to have it picked it up…

"You guys have to go with it."

"But…"

"The German's we came across weren't after us, they were laying a trap for the underground." Garrison shook his head, "I don't know if they broke someone, or bought themselves a collaborator, but they knew where they were going. I was 'invited' to give up what I knew about other places in the area but they didn't really need it, they were too willing to sacrifice me. Once our contact finds out about that, he's going to be more interested in getting his own people into safety than he will be in helping us completing our mission."

Actor sat back in the chair to consider their options. The Lieutenant was right. Once the resistance members found out the Germans were actively hunting them down, and had information on where to look for them, they'd have to go into hiding. Operations would stop, assistance would be withdrawn. And he knew the Warden was honorable enough that he would tell them,… but was he bound by that? He'd tell them, the con artist decided, he had to, or he would never be able to face Garrison again, the question was when? … Actor also knew all of them would not be going back to England without the Lieutenant.

"Very well," the conman pushed away from the table. "I will need to make another plan with the others."

The four of them moved outside where they could talk without the Warden objecting to what they were setting up. Actor had to stay; as well as being better able to care for the Warden's injuries he was the only one who was fluent in the languages they'd need… and he could come up with a con at the drop of a hat if they got into trouble. Chief would stay because he was the best at seeing to their security; besides, he wasn't inclined to leave the Warden, and he had his switchblade to back up his decision. Actor let Casino and Goniff argue out who would get the job as courier. They finally decided Goniff would be the one to carry the information back to England. Casino was a physically stronger, and a better shot, so he'd be more use here. Besides, Casino told him, he'd already done his hero bit by figuring out how to get Garrison off that landmine.

Casino and Goniff took over patrolling the area around the safehouse and Actor and Chief went back inside. Chief sorted through the wood and kindling that was stacked next to the hearth and built a small smokeless fire before hooking the cooking pot off its hanger and going out to fill it up with water.

Actor sat down next to the Lieutenant and started removing the bandages. Garrison roused again but he didn't even try to pick his head up off his arms. "What are you up to?"

"I need to get a look at this and clean it up while we wait for the tide."

"What's the plan?"

"I'll take Goniff out to the boat and see him safely onboard." He poured some of the water Chief provided onto the dressing and began peeling back the layers. "Then I will try and arrange another location where we can radio for a pickup once we are safely there." The con man raised his hand to silence the objection he knew his young commander would make. "We will not be convinced to leave you here on your own so don't waste my time or your energy in objecting."

Garrison eyed his second-in-command; he shook his head but he knew there was no point in arguing. "Just when are you planning to tell them about the Germans?"

"I will tell them after Goniff is well away," Actor smiled. "And Goniff will inform the captain after he transfers to the next boat." He lifted the last layer of dressing away and the Warden stiffened as air hit the exposed nerves. The long deep graze was still actively bleeding, and cautious probing revealed at least two broken ribs. The injury was carefully cleaned and powdered with sulfa from the aid kit the con man carried. He moved to the other side of the Warden and took one of the dressings they'd created from gauze and torn bed sheets and pressed it down firmly over the wound to try and control the bleeding.

Garrison swallowed a groan and for a few moments his breathing was quick and shallow. He turned his head so he could eye the Italian again. "If I can't make that third pick up, you guys beat it out of here and get back to England where it's safe."

Actor assured him they would; but they both knew he was probably lying through his teeth.

g

Goniff wasn't the hero type. He'd tell anyone who'd listen that he wasn't. Still, he hated going off and leaving the others a man short, especially with one of 'em hurt. He was so worried about that he didn't have time to be sick on the boat that took him down the river and out past the rocks that protected the harbor, or on the one that climbed up and down the waves to get further out into the channel. He didn't even bother too much about it when they had him climb into a little canvass sling and sent him skipping over the chop between that boat and the sub the Navy sent after him…well, not until he'd climbed aboard and then looked back to see the line break before it could be untied proper anyway.

"You the only one?" They'd been told to expect a team of men, but working with the intelligence units meant changing plans.

"What?" Goniff licked dry lips and clutched the wall of the conning tower as he turned to the sailor that had reeled him in and helped him climb aboard. "What? … No. No, there's four more, but one got himself shot. They gotta find another way out." And he let go with one hand and patted the top of his zipped-up jacket. "They sent the stuff with me though," he shouted over the wind.

"Good!" The other man clapped him on the shoulder and turned, "Let's get below so the captain can get us can get out of here."

He followed the man down the ladder and into the sub, cringing a little at the sound the hatch made when they shut it and dogged it closed. They were already slipping beneath the waves before they got down the next ladder to the canteen.

The sailor turned on him when they entered the small room. "I suppose you want tea?"

"Well, I wouldn't turn down something stronger," he admitted. "But if that's all you got on offer…."

The other man laughed. "Take a seat, I'll see what I can do."

Goniff settled himself on a bench that ran along the wall and clutched the table in front of him as the sub angled down for a steeper dive.

When his companion returned he was carrying a small metal cup. "Always did approve of this tradition," Goniff said as he accepted it and took a moment to savor the first sip of rum. He unzipped his jacket and pulled out the information the Warden had entrusted to him. Actor had looked it over as they hiked along the path from the safe house. He told him what was in the papers but Goniff couldn't remember many of the details, most of it seemed to be timetables. "You got someone can read German onboard this thing?"

Working his way up from the ordinary seaman who'd brought him aboard, to the warrant officer who was standing in front of him now had taken well over an hour and used up all of the cat burglar's patience. "Look! I got important information here, and I need a bloke what can understand it to take a look at it…" He did his best to get the look on his face Actor used when he was playing a German officer, and talk real quiet like the Warden did when he was mad. "Right Now." They'd poured him out another measure of rum after that and left him alone for another twenty minutes or so.

"Lieutenant Larry Fulbright, Allied Intelligence. What'd you bring me?"

"It's about bloody time!"

g

After about ten minutes of sorting through the papers and study, Fulbright told him the same as Actor had about what was in them. Like Actor, there was one page he was especially interested in… and like the con man thought, he wanted to code the information so it could be sent ahead by radio.

Fulbright glanced up from the bundle of papers. "Is that it?"

Goniff shook his head. "Not by half. The Warden… uh, the uh,… the Lieutenant…."

Fulbright smiled, "Don't worry Goniff, I know all about you guys." As the intelligence officer onboard, he was aware of special units working in the coastal regions of Europe. He even knew some of them by code name, and this one was becoming somewhat of a legend.

The little pick pocket grinned. "Oh, good. Well, the Warden's worried the Krauts got themselves an informer….