Summary: Carter and Alyse tragically learn that 'the course of true love never did run smooth.'
Disclaimer: See part 1
Copyright: July 2002
****
Star-CrossedBy Syl Francis
****
Sunday 14 FEB 1943/2350hrs local Grand BallroomSchloss Hammelburg
I know we're enemies, but I thought that we were also friends.
****
Rounding a corner, Newkirk spotted Carter sneaking up the ornate staircase. About to call to him, the English corporal stopped as soon as he saw a pair of women following just a short distance behind Carter. The women's heads were conspiratorially close as they whispered in champagne-induced amusement. Worried, Newkirk was about to start trailing after them, when he was suddenly sidetracked by Schultz.
"Cpl. Newkirk...!" Schultz called, out of breath. "I have been looking all over for you and Carter. Where have you been? Where is Carter? You are not up to something are you?" Looking around helplessly, Schultz found a straight-backed chair and in a show of great exhaustion, settled into it.
"What do you mean, 'Where have I been'?" Newkirk sounded insulted. "Just where do you think I've been? I've been right here, delivering drinks. Look!" He held up his tray of empty glasses, relieved that he had thought about grabbing it before walking out of the kitchen. "And I just saw Carter," he added truthfully. "Really, Schultzie...sometimes I think that you don't trust us. And after all we've been to each other." His expression suddenly doleful, he brought his hand up dramatically to his heart. "I know we're enemies, but I thought that we were also friends."
Visibly moved, Schultz took out a large handkerchief and blew his nose with a resounding honk. Wiping his eyes, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Newkirk, I apologize. I should not have--" He stopped, a sudden dreamy expression overcoming him. He sniffed the air around him, and then took a deeper whiff of the heavenly aroma wafting from the kitchens.
Knowing the answer to his question before he asked it, Newkirk sighed ruefully and nudged him. "What is it, Schultzie?"
"Dessert! Cherries jubilee, I believe! And it is wunderbar!" Schultz glanced around, and then slyly beckoned Newkirk in closer. "Newkirk...would you--? Could you do a little favor for an enemy who also a friend?" As he asked, Schultz delicately held his hand up before him, lightly squeezing his thumb and forefinger together to indicate how 'little' a favor he was asking.
Impatient to get going, Newkirk nodded. "Yes, yes! What is it, Schultzie?" Newkirk rolled his eyes in exasperation when Schultz told him.
"Do you think that maybe you could sneak a teensy taste...um, a double serving perhaps...of dessert without the cockroach noticing? You know how he gets when I try to take just a little taste. He becomes so angry!" Schultz closed his eyes and shuddered, remembering LeBeau's past tantrums.
Hurrying to do as requested, Newkirk rushed into the kitchen, and to LeBeau's Gallic ire, grabbed two dessert plates and promptly dumped the contents of one into the other. Not taking time to explain, Newkirk then ran back out to Schultz, his ears determinedly closed to LeBeau's rapid string of invective French.
The dessert raid cost Newkirk precious minutes and to add to his frustration, Schultz decided to prop his ample bulk on a chair with a direct view of the staircase. There was no way that Newkirk could now follow in Carter's wake.
Thinking rapidly, Newkirk began backing away from the blissfully ignorant sergeant. "If that's all for now, Schultzie," he said as he retreated, "then I guess, I'd best be getting back to me rounds." With that, Newkirk disappeared through the kitchen door and narrowly missed LeBeau. The Frenchman was at the head of a train of wheeled trays, which were being pushed by his army of cook's helpers, and heavily loaded with his sumptuous confection.
"Where are you going?" LeBeau demanded. "I need you to--"
"No time, Louis!" Newkirk snapped. He dumped the tray on the spotless counter and quickly made his way through the vast kitchens to the garden outside. If I can't track Andrew by conventional means, then I guess I'll just have to make use of something a bit more unconventional. After all, what was the point of having learned so many new tricks under Hogan's tutelage if he could not make personal use of them every now and then?
He cleared the distance from the kitchen door to the ornate hedgerow in the center of the well-kept garden. The next instant, he was forced to put his new abilities to use when the roving guard suddenly appeared on their normal rounds. Newkirk dove into the hedges, ending up behind and almost immediately at the base of a concrete garden bench.
His nerves jumped a notch, when the guards decided to take an unscheduled break and sit on the bench directly over him. If they happened to glance down, they would easily discover him! Spontaneous cheers and applause erupted from inside the castle. Newkirk surmised that LeBeau had probably just presented his spectacular cherries jubilee flaming dessert to the guests. Above him one of the guards sighed in envy.
"This must be the life, Heinrich! To live in a place such as this!"
"Ja...too bad, it is not your life, eh, Otto?" Heinrich teased. Otto sighed.
"I am a Schutze in the SS--the lowest grade in the service. I will never in the thousand years of the Third Reich live in such a place!"
"Ja...that is true, Otto. But who knows--in the second thousand years of the Reich, perhaps--?" The two soldiers gave a short laugh of disbelief and stood to go. Heinrich took out a cigarette and began patting his pockets for a match. "Otto, do you have a light?"
"Ein moment, bitte," Otto murmured. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a lighter. He tossed it casually to Heinrich who promptly missed it. It landed less than an inch from Newkirk's nose. Eyes wide, the Englishman tensed and waited for the inevitable.
At that moment, a cloud miraculously passed over the moon and quickly enveloped the courtyard in almost absolute darkness. Dropping to his knees, Heinrich began searching blindly under the bench. After a fruitless minute, he cursed under his breath.
"Otto, let me have your flashlight, please," Heinrich said. Newkirk held his breath and stayed absolutely still as the German guard's hand passed just to the right of his chin, barely missing both him and the lighter.
"What? So that you can drop that, too?" Otto teased. Laughing, he reached behind him and pulled his flashlight from his belt. Newkirk's adrenaline shot up even higher. Once the guard turned on the beam, he knew that he had less than a second before he would be found and maybe shot.
Taking an enormous risk, he carefully reached for the lighter and gently pushed it in the direction of the uselessly seeking hand before him. To his exasperation, it seemed that as soon as he pressed the small object in one direction, the German's questing fingers would move in the direct opposite. About ready to give up, Newkirk was suddenly galvanized into action when he heard Otto mutter, "Here's the flashlight."
Grabbing the lighter, he practically shoved it into Heinrich's still moving hand. Newkirk's expertise as a pickpocket in relieving others of their hard-earned goods also stood him well in re-uniting unsuspecting victims with objects they never knew they had lost. In this case, his nimble fingers ensured that the lighter magically found its way into Heinrich's hand without the German guard ever being the wiser as to how it got there.
"Got it!" Heinrich called out.
"It's about time," Otto grumbled. "Come on...we've got to get back on patrol, before the Corporal of the Guard places us both on report."
"Ja, ja!" Heinrich said annoyed. "I'm coming." As the guard stood to go, Newkirk slowly closed his eyes in relief. Hearing the two soldiers move away, he opened his eyes again in time to see the moon emerge once more from behind the cloud cover. Another second and he would have been caught! Rolling onto his back, Newkirk ran a hand across his forehead at the close call.
"Carter, when I get my hands on you..." He left the threat unfinished and slowly got to his feet. His eyes having become adjusted to the dark, Newkirk searched the second story balcony for a means to get up to it. From where he stood, he saw movement in one of the rooms--two shadows. Okay, whatever I do, that's the room to avoid.
Slipping in and out of the deep shadows, Newkirk ran his hands along the outer wall. At last, he found a vine-covered trellis that went from ground to balcony level. Grabbing hold, he began climbing. Reaching the balcony railing, he easily vaulted over it, and crouched low, listening. From the direction where he had seen the two shadows, he suddenly heard voices raised in anger--a man and woman.
They were not exactly shouting, but Newkirk recognized the heat of argument when he heard it. With quick, light steps, he moved along the wall until he was standing just outside the French doors. Through the gauze curtains, he was finally able to make out the occupants.
He instantly recognized the Gestapo officer--Mueller's nephew, Wolfgang. The young woman he also remembered from Mueller's study. The little girl they're all in such a hurry to marry off to that other Gestapo prig--! A gun suddenly appeared in Wolfgang's hand! Newkirk recognized the make and style--a Luger.
He fought a natural impulse to jump in and come to the girl's rescue. This isn't our fight, he reminded himself. The colonel was very clear about that. Reluctantly, Newkirk was about to turn away, when to his infinite shock, he saw Carter burst into the room!
****
Monday 15 FEB 1943/0020hrs local Alyse Mueller's private chambersSchloss Hammelburg
Oh, please...! He's my cousin...
****
"Was?" Wolfgang whirled toward the door, startled.
Carter slammed into him, a runaway steamroller. His hand automatically went for the gun that the German officer was holding. The two men struggled for several seconds neither gaining the upper hand.
"Andrew!" Alyse cried. "Wolfgang...! Please! Stop!"
Outside, Newkirk watched in growing horror. He had to do something! Carter was about to blow the whole mission. The sound of motorcars pulling up the courtyard drive drew his eyes. Several guests emerged and began making their way to the waiting cars. A few women called out and waved to each other, making luncheon dates, while their high-ranking husbands impatiently held the passenger side doors open.
As staff cars pulled away, others drove up. One in particular caught Newkirk's attention. It parked away from the rest of the cars and a lone figure climbed out. Newkirk's eyes widened as he recognized the second Gestapo officer who had been in the Mueller's study earlier that night--Karl Something-or-other. The officer took out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a long drag, he casually leaned against the staff car and waited.
To Newkirk's alarm, Karl looked up in his direction, or rather, in the direction of Alyse's room. Automatically, Newkirk's eyes followed Karl's for a split second, and then turned back. The spot where the Gestapo officer had been standing was now empty! Newkirk hurried to the balcony railing and vainly searched for him.
Oh, that's just bloody, double charming! Newkirk's adrenaline jumped another notch. Blimey! That's all we bloody well need!
His heart hammering, Newkirk peered back inside, and saw that the skirmish had grown fiercer. Carter and Wolfgang were now rolling on the floor, the gun loose. The men fiercely grappled to reach it, while Alyse stood helplessly by, pleading with them to stop. The brawlers suddenly slammed against her dresser, spilling all of its contents onto the floor. The lamp fell with a crash, plunging the room into darkness!
On his knees, Carter gained a temporary advantage over Wolfgang. Exploiting his momentary edge, he held the Gestapo officer in a headlock, his arms slowly tightening around Karl's neck, cutting off his air supply.
Wolfgang's efforts began to slow down as he felt himself blacking out. Sensing the world start to darken, he groped weakly with his free hand for a weapon.
From his hiding place, Newkirk strained to see what was happening inside. As his eyesight adjusted, he dimly made out two figures in a silent tableau. Realizing that Carter had Wolfgang in a firm headlock, he silently cheered his friend on. That's the way, Carter! You've got 'im, lad!
"Stop it! Andrew! You're killing him!" Alyse cried. "Oh, please...! He's my cousin..." At the pleading tone of her voice, Carter loosened his hold, and Wolfgang took the opportunity to close his hand around something smooth and heavy. Without hesitation, the Gestapo officer swung and connected solidly with Carter's temple. The heavy leaded glass vase shattered, and Carter went down instantly.
"Andrew!" Alyse ran to him and cradled his head in her arms. She glared accusingly at her cousin. "He's hurt! Wolfgang, you must help him."
"Help him?" Wolfgang gasped. He had taken the opportunity to make a mad scramble for the weapon. "My dearest cousin...I am going to kill him!" He raised the pistol and pointed it directly at Carter.
"No!" Alyse shielded Carter with her own body and shut her eyes. As the gun went off, she jerked automatically at the sharp report. However, to her amazement, she was not hit! Startled, she turned at the sound of yet another scuffle. Wolfgang and another of the Allied prisoners!
****
When Newkirk saw Carter go down, that did it! The mission and any sense of caution were forgotten. His best friend was in deadly danger and that was all Newkirk needed. He jerked the French doors open and dove into the fray, barreling into Wolfgang with a flying tackle.
As he did so, the gun went off, the shot wild. Newkirk fought with desperation. He was unarmed and the Gestapo officer had every intention of killing them. Worse, the castle was crawling with Gestapo and SS--whichever way the fight went, he and Carter would never be able to talk their way out of this.
"Andrew! Please...wake up! Please!" Alyse pleaded. Her words began to sink into Carter's consciousness as if from far away. Alyse needed him. She was in trouble. He had to help her. At this, Carter's eyes snapped open, and hearing the sounds of a fight nearby, turned his head. Newkirk and Wolfgang were wrestling for the gun.
"Peter!" he croaked, attempting to regain his feet. To his horror he saw that Wolfgang had positioned the gun barrel until it was pointed at Newkirk. Not stopping to think, Carter hurled himself into the two combatants. As he did, the gun went off almost next to his ear.
For an instant, the universe went deathly still. The next, he heard Alyse scream.
Somehow, he realized that he was still in the midst of mortal combat. And Newkirk? Where was Newkirk? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his best friend and confidant lying, bleeding on the floor. Carter's whole being suddenly shook with a white-hot rage, and he turned on the man responsible. With a savagery he did not know he had, Carter firmly gripped Wolfgang's gun wrist and steadily brought it round until it was pointed directly under his heart.
In the back of his mind, Carter heard heavy boots pounding down the corridor. Voices shouted as fists hammered on doors on the far end of the hallway. The guards were checking each room, Carter realized. Alyse pleaded with them to stop.
He shut out the background noise. The world shrank to just him and the derisive pair of blue eyes before him--blue eyes that reminded him so much of Alyse's. But eyes that lacked any warmth or humanity.
The next second, a resounding crack snapped him out of his rage, and he saw Wolfgang's mocking blue eyes suddenly take on a questioning, shocked appearance as the light left them.
Alyse screamed.
The heavy boots began running in their direction. Soon insistent fists banged on the door, accompanied by loud, angry shouts. Carter recognized Hogan's voice, demanding to be heard over the din. Almost lost in the cacophony, Klink's whimpering stutter broke through for a second, only to be drowned out by Mueller's enraged bellows.
Alyse roughly pushed Carter aside, and she knelt down next to Wolfgang, sobbing quietly.
Newkirk stirred and groaned in pain.
Outside the shouting and pounding grew louder.
And Wolfgang lay still, utterly still...
Carter's eyes found Alyse's. He thought his heart would break as he saw the painful accusation in them. About to turn away in agony, a sudden joy dawned within him when he saw her hurt look of betrayal turn to one of trust and love.
"Andrew, you must get away! Now!" she pleaded. Newkirk groaned softly, and Carter hurried to him. He checked his friend's wound and quickly began to stop the bleeding. It was serious enough, but not life-threatening if treated quickly.
"I can't," Carter said. "My friend's hurt. I won't leave him here alone." Alyse moved to them, kneeling on the other side of Newkirk. Hurriedly, she tore a long piece of cloth from the hem her gown to help stem the bleeding. And on the other side of the door, the pounding changed from fists to rifle butts.
"Alyse...!!" Mueller shouted. "Open the door!!" Other voices she did not recognize could also be heard.
"Are you hurt?!"
"Do you need help?"
Alyse grabbed Carter's arm. "Andrew, please...! Before it's too late. I will try to explain to my father what happened--"
"--And leave my friend?" Carter shook his head firmly. "No, siree, boy--um, I mean, um, Alyse--I just can't--!"
Despairingly, Alyse reached across Newkirk and threw her arms around Carter's neck, kissing him fully. To his surprise, Carter responded in kind without any hesitation.
"You must go, my darling," she insisted. "A secret passage leads to a small cottage at the far north end of the property. It used to be the caretaker's, but it has been abandoned for years. I will meet you there later tonight." Placing two fingers gently over his lips, she shushed him before he could protest, and kissed him again. "We can leave together then," she said. "Leave the war and all the hate behind us...! Everything that would keep us apart."
"You're both daft," Newkirk mumbled, reaching for Carter's shirtfront. "Andrew...she's an SS-general's daughter! Could be a trap...!"
"I know who she is, Peter," Carter said quietly. "She's the girl I love."
"Listen...a female Gestapo agent has been nosing 'round the colonel all night. Asking questions--! Andrew, think about what you're doing...!" Carter held Alyse's eyes and caressed her cheek tenderly. They seemed suspended in time. Finally, he looked down at his friend.
"I have thought about it, buddy. Can you stand?" Before Newkirk could reply, Carter began helping him to his feet. "Good, 'cause no one gets left behind! Alyse, we're all leaving together, so you might as well grab a coat or something. You'll never last in that dress!"
****
Monday 15 FEB 1943/0105hrs local Alyse Mueller's private chambersSchloss Hammelburg
I am afraid that you are now my prisoner, Col. Hogan.
****
A long burst of automatic gunfire reverberated in the room, followed by a brief moment of silence. The next instant, the door was unceremoniously kicked open and several men in Gestapo uniforms stumbled in, assuming defensive positions, their weapons held ready.
Their shouts and screams were met by an eerie stillness. The room was empty. It had obviously been the scene of a violent struggle--chairs, lamps, and tables were overturned. The entire contents from the dressing table were strewn across the floor, a vase shattered. Next to it lay the still form of--
"Wolfgang!" Mueller shouted, alarmed. Hogan saw the prone figure and made a move towards it, but a Gestapo soldier held him back. Anna shoved her way through and seeing Wolfgang, hurriedly knelt by his side, checking for a pulse. Her shoulders sagging slightly, Anna looked up at Mueller and regretfully shook her head. "He is dead?" It was a statement, rather a question. At Anna's sympathetic nod, Mueller stared down at his nephew in stunned disbelief.
Anna stood aside to make room for Mueller. The proud SS general slowly knelt down next to Wolfgang's body, his stooped shoulders and pained expression showing the true depths of his despair.
"He was a son to me..." Mueller said softly. "My brother's son. My wife, Wilhelmina, and I raised him since he was a child. He was such a good boy...So proud the day he put on his uniform." Mueller touched the dead man's cheek and ran his fingers lightly through his hair. "He was a loving brother to Alyse." As the others stood back in respectful silence, Mueller looked around in sudden confusion. "Alyse...? Where is my daughter? She has been taken!"
Abruptly, the SS general's grief-stricken demeanor became outraged, and he started shouting angry orders at the guards. "I want the grounds surrounded! Now! I want road blocks set from here to Stalag 13--!"
"Stalag 13--?!" Klink and Hogan shouted at the same time.
"But--?" Klink stammered.
"What's the idea?" Hogan demanded.
"Quiet!" Anna snapped, taking a threatening step towards Hogan.
"Klink! I am holding you personally responsible for the murder of my nephew! I want all of the Allied prisoners who were here tonight downstairs for questioning!"
"Hey! Just a doggone minute!" Hogan began. "I protest, Herr Gruppenfuhrer! My men--!"
"--Starting with Col. Hogan!" Mueller raged. "Guards! Seize this man! I want him arrested immediately!" Anna snapped her fingers at two Gestapo guards, who instantly grabbed Hogan by the arms, each twisting with unnecessary force.
"With infinite pleasure," Anna purred, running her hands suggestively down Hogan's arms as she securely handcuffed him. Stepping in front of him, she struck a provocative pose, and with a derisive smile, raised her skirt thigh high, exposing a small caliber handgun. With slow, deliberate motions, Anna flicked off the safety and snapped back the bolt. Tossing her head so that her silky hair tumbled over her shoulders in a flowing cascade, Anna calmly raised the pistol and held it against Hogan's temple. "I am afraid that you are now my prisoner, Col. Hogan." She gave the American a cold grin of triumph.
"On what charge?" Hogan spoke between gritted teeth. Klink stood by too frightened and astonished to interfere. "Kommandant! Are you going to stand by while the SS arrests a prisoner under your command?" Hogan glared with ill-disguised fury at Anna, tugging uselessly at his restraints.
"He has no other choice," Anna said amused. "If he interferes, he will be shot." With cobra speed, her gun was suddenly pointed at Klink. "Is that not so, Herr Kommandant?"
"But-but-but--I-I-I--!" Klink stuttered.
"--Shall stay out of our way!" Mueller finished. Klink nodded hurriedly, his head jerking up and down like a marionette. Terrified, he watched as the guards led Hogan towards the door.
"Y-y-y-yes, of course, Herr Gruppenfuhrer..." Klink shakily acknowledged, shrugging his shoulders helplessly at Hogan's accusing eyes. "I-I-I shall stay out of your way!"
"Oh, brother! Thanks a lot, Kommandant!" Hogan shouted over his shoulder. "For nothing!"
"Mein Herr!" A lieutenant who had been investigating the connecting rooms ran up to Mueller. Pointing in the direction of Alyse's dressing room, he spoke in rapid German. "~A secret passage, Herr Gruppenfuhrer--!~" Before the young officer could continue, Mueller was hurrying towards the opening.
"Herr Gruppenfuhrer!" Hogan shouted. "I demand to be allowed to go with you! If my men are involved, as the senior POW present, I have the right to be there when you find them."
"You are in no position to be making demands, Col. Hogan," Anna reminded him. Hogan refused to back down. Ignoring Anna, he addressed Mueller directly.
"Herr Gruppenfuhrer...if you don't allow me accompany you, and if anything happens to my men, I'll hold you personally responsible." Mueller glared at Hogan for a long moment. Finally, he nodded in acquiescence.
"Very well, Col. Hogan," he said. "But I want your word that you will make no attempt to escape." Hogan nodded.
"You have my word," he agreed. Anna walked up to him and jammed her pistol against his ribs. Leaning in until her lips were brushing against his ear, she spoke softly.
"And you have my word that I will kill you if I even think that you are thinking about escaping. Do I make myself clear, my dear Colonel?"
Angry, Hogan turned to respond, but his lips accidentally brushed against hers. She had obviously been 'lying in wait' for him. He jerked back in disgust. Amused, Anna laughed softly at his reaction.
"Oh, you American men are so predictable," she taunted. "You play at seduction with all the subtlety of a herd of cattle, but when a woman gains the upper hand, you behave like a callow schoolboy."
"Maybe so, Lady...but at least I don't try to seduce anyone when there's a dead man lying in the middle of the floor. Or when my men's lives may be in danger." Anna looked as if the words had struck a nerve. "Besides, I'm an old-fashioned kinda guy--I like to lead when I dance."
****
Monday 15 FEB 1943/0135hrs local Secret PassagewaySchloss Hammelburg
Don't you love her enough to tell her the truth...?
****
With Newkirk held precariously between Alyse and Carter, the three fugitives moved awkwardly along a dank tunnel. Newkirk's arms were thrown around the others' shoulders, while their arms in turn supported him soundly around his waist. They urged him headlong through the secret passageway, while he struggled uselessly, protesting against their actions. He had to make Carter understand that they were deserting in the face of the enemy.
As his legs automatically moved forward, half-dragged/half-carried, Newkirk thought back to the incidents of just a few moments before. With the incessant pounding on the door, accompanied by angry shouts, Carter had decided that they would all leave together.
That was when Alyse surprised them both. She led them to a curtained off dressing room that lay adjacent to her bedchamber. Placing a finger delicately to her lips, she implored them to be quiet and then calmly indicated that they follow her behind a privacy screen. There she pressed three stones along the wall, and to Newkirk's astonishment, a secret entranceway slowly opened.
"Wolfgang and I discovered the passageway when were children," she explained. "It leads directly to the caretaker's cottage and has several branches to other rooms in the castle. We have never told anyone else."
That had been less than thirty minutes ago, but it seemed a lifetime...
"It's just a little farther," Alyse said.
"No! Andrew, we can't--! I can't--!" Newkirk protested weakly. He fought feebly against Carter's firm support. "I won't...leave the colonel...!" With that Newkirk found the strength to break Carter's hold, only to collapse in a heap on his knees.
"Newkirk!" Carter immediately crouched next to his friend, and placed his arms around him. "What'd you do that for? You okay?"
"No, I'm not okay!" Newkirk said, shaking his head and while again breaking free of Carter's grip. "And neither are you! Not if you're thinking about deserting, and not if you're dragging me with you!"
"Deserting?" Alyse sounded unsure. "What are you talking about? I thought the duty of all prisoners of war was to escape!" Carter and Newkirk looked up at her and then at each other.
"Shall you tell her, Romeo?" Newkirk asked ironically. "Or shall I?"
"Tell me what?" Alyse asked. She watched them curiously, first one then the other. "Andrew...? What is he talking about?"
"What's the matter, Carter?" Newkirk taunted. "Don't you love her enough to tell her the truth? Or do you love her just enough to leave the colonel to hang for something you did?"
Carter stared at him in mute shock. Wordlessly, he faced Alyse and cupping her face in his hand, he looked into her eyes for an eternity. Finally, he dropped his hand and his eyes. Softly at first, then with growing strength, Carter informed Alyse of their activities and the reason they were at Schloss Hammelburg that evening.
"...So, in other words, we were here to steal your father's plans. Everything went according to plan, I guess, until...well, until I met you."
"You mean, you used me to get my father's plans?" Alyse asked softly. She moved stiffly away and turned her back on him. Laughing with bitterness, she barely managed to choke out her next words. "I guess tonight is my night for having all the men I love betray me."
"No! No, that's not true! Alyse, you've gotta believe me!" Carter pleaded. "We'd already accomplished our whole mission before I even met you." He shrugged helplessly. "I never should've climbed that balcony. You're the daughter of an SS general. I'm an American POW. My duty to my country, my mission, and my friends should've come first. But--" He stopped.
"But what?" she asked. Tenderly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her so that she was facing him.
"But my heart wouldn't listen." With a cry, Alyse threw her arms around his neck.
"I knew it! I knew that you could not betray me. That you could not betray our love." She spoke with a burning intensity that even Newkirk could feel from where he sat looking up at them. "Andrew, we must flee! Leave this place! Before it's too late!" Carter gently extricated her arms, and with regret stepped away from her.
"I can't do that, Alyse," he said. "I can't desert my friends or betray their trust. Newkirk's right--we have our duty. I have my duty. I'm sorry, Alyse...I really am. But I have to go back."
"We have to go back," Newkirk corrected.
"Back?" she cried. "But you will surely be killed!"
"On the contrary, my dear," spoke Karl as he stepped out of the deep shadows, his gun aimed steadily. "First, they will be arrested and taken to Gestapo Headquarters for interrogation. Then, they will be killed--slowly and painfully, I assure you."
****
Continued in Part 5
