Good God! It's been four months since I last updated this fiction! If you've all been wondering where I've been all this time, I've had my hands full with other things. The main thing was a summer job. I'll tell ya, 10-12 hours a day isn't fun, but at least the pay was nice. Secondly, I took part in my towns summer theater production, which took at least three hours out of my nights. Now that both are out of the way, I can get back to writing on the side of my schoolwork. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed during my absence, and I'll get to replying to them at the end of this chapter.
As always, I don't own the 'Medal of Honor' series, though I wish I did.
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Part 3: Needle in a Haystack
Chapter 2: The Golden Lion
"Text" - translated German
Kleveberg, Holland. September 16, 1944, 8:00 pm
The sun had long since set, and night had fallen. The sky was dark, but one could still see the clouds in the sky. The streetlights of the town recently came on, illuminating the nearly deserted streets - nearly deserted except for Nazis making their nightly rounds. Crickets were chirping on this warm autumn night, and a dog barked somewhere in the distance. If it weren't for all of this, Kleveberg would feel like a ghost town. However, if it was required, the town would be filled with the ghosts of those who crossed me tonight.
I had been hiding out in an alley ever since I arrived. I knew that there were Dutch Resistance operatives hiding out here, but I had no idea where. I pulled out the papers I was given earlier and went through them. First of all, I had to go to a pub called the Golden Lion; apparently, the man that'd get me to the manor was there. A person code-named Fox would take me to the pub in his truck. To make things easier, I was to sabotage any vehicle we came across. According to my information, the tools I needed were located in a garage on the other side of the river. Once the depot was sabotaged, Fox would be alerted to be ready to go.
Thompson at the ready, I crept out of the alley. I held my breath when I saw a pair of Nazis at an MG-42. They were sitting down – backs to me – smoking cigarettes. Normally I'd open fire on them, but I didn't want to alert anyone else of my presence – yet. I suddenly remembered what occurred earlier; I was given an unusual weapon; a silenced pistol, I think it was called. I slung the Thompson on my shoulder and pulled out the pistol. I aimed it at one of the Nazis and fired, shooting him in the back of the head. As he collapsed, the other turned around panicking; he got two shots in the chest before he fell to the ground screaming. In all of this, the gun hardly made a noise – perfect for someone who wanted to go unnoticed.
Unfortunately, I was noticed. I quickly manned the machine gun just as several soldiers came into the open. I opened fire on them, and they fired back. It took a minute or two to take them all out – except for one who got out of the range of fire. He charged me, but I was able to knock the MP-40 from his grasp. We scuffled, trading blows. I got a kick into his stomach, and he fell to the ground. I pulled out my pistol and pointed it at the man. I motioned for him to get up, then to turn around; he complied, shaking and with his hands up all the while. I knocked him out using the butt of the pistol. I didn't like to kill; I'd only do it if it were really necessary for my survival and the success of my mission.
Running down the street, close to its edge, I kept my eyes open for anyone nearby. I looked around the corner and saw a stone bridge. There was a German standing guard on the other side of the bridge, as well as one on a walkway on top of a building. I went back to the end of the street and loaded my Springfield. I took aim at the Nazi on the other side of the bridge and fired. When he was killed, a Nazi suddenly appeared from around the other corner. I had no choice but to use my Thompson to take him out. I moved to another part of the street and took out the Nazi on the walkway, who was already alerted by the sniper round.
The immediate threat clear, I crossed the bridge and went to the right, looking for any sign of the depot. I saw a wooden sign next to an archway that said 'Wagen Führer.' There was a crude picture of a car painted underneath the words, which meant that this was the motor depot I'd been looking for. I sneaked into the passageway and noticed a wooden station by the wall at the end. Three vehicles - an army car, a staff car, and a transport truck - were parked along the other wall. In the station, I instantly recognized an alarm. I recalled having some bad experiences with those things back in the Lorient shipyards. I decided to try and trash it before someone could turn it on. I aimed the Springfield at the alarm and fired two rounds as quickly as possible. The shots caused the alarm to short-circuit. There were three Nazis in the depot, and they instantly sprang into action. I ran out and took them down with the Thompson. I heard the opening of a window above me. I looked up, noticing a woman at the window. I turned my shoulder and pointed to the American flag on my uniform. She acknowledged by giving me a thumbs-up, then pointed to a set of doors next to me. I opened them and saw another army car - and the set of tools on a table. I grabbed the tools and stashed them in my bag, but not before cutting the power cables in the car's engine. I went back out and did the same thing to the other two cars; then I drilled a hole in the truck's oil tank. I looked up to the window and saw that the woman had already left - probably to signal my ride.
I poked my head out of the depot to see if anyone was coming to investigate the noise. When I felt there wouldn't be any, I snuck outside and headed down the street, hugging the walls just in case. The street opened up at the end, and a pair of soldiers were standing guard. Staying behind the corner, I tossed a grenade at them. As soon as the explosion occurred, I leapt out, Thompson at the ready. One soldier was dead, but the other had miraculously avoided the blast. He got up, noticed me, and went to aim his pistol. Before he could do so, I knocked it out of his hand and hit him in the head with the butt of the machine gun. After he fell unconscious, I continued onward.
I entered an stone maze-like corridor outside, and soon I found another door. Going through, I encountered a truck; this was obviously a garage. I saw a man in the truck's drivers seat, his arm out the window. "Fox," I called out quietly.
The man looked startled as he turned his head. "Who's there?" He whispered.
"Jimmy Patterson," I replied. "I'm the guy you've been waiting for."
"Ah, so you're the man who's going to rescue Gerritt, right?"
I nodded. "So, shall we go?"
"Not yet," he replied. "I can't go anywhere until you clear the area of Germans. I don't want them to see my truck. You know how the Gestapo can be."
"Right. Any idea how many there are out there?"
"From what I could see, there are at least five, not including the ones that could be here if that alarm isn't taken out." Damn it, more alarms, I thought. "I've got some supplies on that table over there if you need them."
"Thanks," I replied. Going over to the table, I saw a variety of tools and weapons. I took a couple of grenades and stuffed them into my bag.
As I was about to go outside, Fox said, "One more thing - sabotage those cars so we can't be followed."
"I'll take care of it," I said back.
The courtyard was massive, but I was still able to see several of the guards at their posts. A fountain lay in the center, and it had a statue of a lion bearing a sword and shield decorating its top. Several carts lay by the buildings nearby, and there were three cars parked in different spots. Hugging the sides of the buildings, I searched for the alarm. I spotted it on the other side of the courtyard in a station similar to the one I saw earlier. A wooden gate covered in mesh-wire stood next to it, blocking anyone to escape the courtyard on foot. So this is why we need the truck, I thought.
First things first; I had to get rid of that alarm. Well, if it worked before, I thought, aiming my Springfield. I looked through the scope seeing the perfect place to shoot. I only had one shot before the Germans spotted me. I shut my eyes, firing the rifle. When I heard the short-circuiting, I immediately dropped it and got out my Thompson. I heard German shouting, and I turned and fired at a German running down the steps of a building. As he fell dead, I darted my head around, checking to see if anyone else was running towards me. Seeking cover, I went over to the steps, reloading the Thompson as I went. Peeking over the top of the steps, I saw that the Germans on the other side of the courtyard were flustered. One was at the station's MG-42, and another was by the gate. Let's mess with them a bit more, I thought to myself. I pulled the pins off of two grenades and threw them simultaneously at the group. One landed underneath the machine gun; its explosion killing the gunner instantly. The second landed by the soldier at the gate. He tried to run, but it was too late, anyway. I shut my eyes as I heard the messy results of the explosion. I looked over the steps again, and sighed in relief as I saw no other soldiers in the vicinity. The area clear, I set to work sabotaging the cars in the courtyard.
The cars dismantled, I retrieved the Springfield, then rushed back to the truck. "All set," I called to Fox.
"Let's get moving," he replied. "Get in the back. I have a feeling we're going to encounter resistance along the way."
As I climbed on board, the truck immediately started moving. It threw me off balance, and I fell onto my back. "Watch it!" I yelled. "You want to get me killed?"
"Sorry about that," Fox called back. "Hold on tight. I'm taking a shortcut through town, and it's bound to get bumpy." He drove through the courtyard and straight at the gate. I had to duck as the truck rammed its way through the frail barricade and then through another set of doors.
As soon as we went through the gates, we came across trouble. A pair of Nazis was standing on the other side of the doorway, and they were surprised to see someone out at this time of night. The fired on the truck, but they didn't hit us. I knelt down with my machine gun at the ready, prepared to pivot if I needed to. As we drove through the winding street, I spotted two Nazis on the right side. I fired, hitting one of them. I tossed a grenade at the other, quickly ducking after doing so. The Nazi never noticed, for he was so concentrated on stopping the truck. I didn't have to look to see what happened to him.
Up ahead I saw another open area. "Slow down!" I yelled. Fox complied, shutting off his lights while doing so. This next area was smaller than the last one. The focus of it was a large building with a cross on top of it - a church, no doubt. I saw the alarm station a few hundred feet away, and unfortunately I was seen by the enemy. One soldier rushed for the alarm and pushed the large red button. The horn blared to life, alerting every Nazi in the area that there was an enemy in their midst. Shit, I thought. I flinched when a bullet hit the ground next to me. I took cover around the corner, thinking that there was a sniper on top of a buildings. I waved to Fox saying, "get clear of their sights!" Fox slowly drove his truck in reverse, trusting my judgment.
I knew I had to be extra careful here. The Germans on the ground were probably hiding, waiting for me to attack them. But that was exactly what they wanted me to do. If I was going to go anywhere, I had to find and take out the sniper. I slowly peeked out from the corner, looking through the scope of the Springfield. By some miracle, I spotted him on top of the church. Taking careful aim, I fired. The sniper was hit in the chest, and he fell to the ground screaming. The other Germans must've panicked, since I heard yelling coming from the barricade. I took a quick scan of the other buildings, and was satisfied when I found no other uninvited guests. I tossed a couple of grenades at the other Germans, then opened fire with the Thompson. In a matter of seconds, the remainder of the Nazis in the area were wiped out.
After sabotaging the two cars, I went back to the truck. "All clear," I said.
"Alright, let's get moving." This time he waited for me to get in the back before hitting the gas. As we went through the courtyard, Fox commented, "That church is really something. Will you look at that. It's gorgeous!"
"How can you think of churches at a time like this?" I asked him, somewhat annoyed. We had to concentrate on what was going on, after all.
"Well, if either of us dies tonight, we'll be needing a funeral in a church, right?" Fox retorted. I let out an exasperated sigh, giving up on the matter. Crashing through the second gate, we went through an open alley. The truck went through many sets of garbage cans, causing it to go off balance. Fox was somehow able to regain control of the vehicle long enough to see what was ahead of us. There was open space, but it seemed like the road ended. "The park is up ahead!" Fox shouted, accelerating. "Hold on to something, we're going to drop!" I instantly complied, grabbing hold of the wooden side of the truck. The vehicle fell to the ground at a shallow angle, but stayed in one moving piece. We drove through the small park-like area of trees and benches and stopped in front of a stone archway, a thick gate in the middle. Fox turned back to me and said, "see if it's bolted on the other side!"
Getting out of the truck, thanking God to be on solid ground, I approached the far doorway with caution. To be on the safe side, I threw one grenade over the wall, then a second through the opening. I heard the explosion, accompanied by several German screams. I went into the middle of the doorway and opened fire with the Thompson. Two more Nazis joined the dead on the ground, while the rest took cover. They started to fire back while I took cover on the other side of the wall. Suddenly, I heard a 'clunk' next to me. Screaming inside, I reached for the stick grenade and threw it away from me. As it exploded, an idea instantly came into my head, and I faked a scream of death a second or two after the explosion.
"What the hell are you doing?" Fox asked. I jerked my head toward him and put a finger to my lips, silently telling him to shut up. As I expected, I heard footsteps from the other side. The Germans were obviously investigating the results of their handiwork. Risking it all, I leapt back into the archway and fired every bullet in the Thompson's ammo clip. The remaining Nazis fell.
The impending threat eliminated, I went over to the door and removed the long, thick piece of board blocking the gate. As I did so, a thought came into my mind. How the hell was I supposed to enter the Golden Lion the way I looked, now? Even if I had a uniform that looked convincing, I didn't really have the looks or voice of a German officer. Sure, I had taken a couple German language courses back home, and I knew a few phrases, but I didn't think it'd be enough. Then again, the Germans inside would probably be too drunk to notice, and if they were distracted with something, I could get through unnoticed - hopefully. When I walked back to the truck, another inspiration hit me.
"All set?" Fox asked; then he noticed that there was something on my mind. "What is it?"
"Hey Fox, do you know of any good tunes that are famous here?"
"Plenty. Why do you ask?"
"If I'm going to act like a German, I might as well think like one, especially a drunk one." Fox looked confused, so I continued. "If I can distract them with music, I just might be able to go to the other part of the pub without looking suspicious."
"Well then," Fox replied, "try requesting a song to the piano player. How about 'The Songless Nightingale?' I remember how my mum used to sing that to me every night before I went to bed when I was a kid."
"Okay....you think that song is translated here?"
"Of course! It's a classic here in Holland. I'm sure the Nazis picked it up."
"Alright, I'll give it a shot." Pushing the gates open, I asked, "let's get moving, shall we?"
"Hey, that's my line!" Fox laughed. I climbed into the back of the truck, and we sped through the streets once again.
This section of the street was surprisingly empty. It was as if something horrible lurked in this section of the town. "Why's the street deserted?" I yelled to Fox. "Shouldn't there be Nazis on patrol here?"
"Not here," Fox replied. "There's been a small outbreak of some kind of disease in this area, and the Germans want to avoid catching it." As soon as he said that, I held my breath. A few seconds later, we came to another courtyard. "This is the last guard post," Fox commented. "Hey, do you see that laundry truck over there?" I followed his finger and saw the truck on the far side of the courtyard. "You might be able to find a uniform and blend in at the pub."
"Get ready to move as soon as possible," I said, jumping off the truck. "I want to see if I can truly blend in in a uniform."
"Be careful," Fox said.
I snuck around to the laundry truck, amazingly not attracting any attention. Climbing into the back, I searched around for a uniform. I sighed in relief when I did. I checked its pockets and found some change, as well as an ID badge. It said that the owner's name was Franz Jaeger, a Corporal. When I looked at the picture, I was shocked to see that this man bore a huge resemblance to me. Talk about a stroke of luck, I thought. I got out of my dirty clothes and put on the German uniform. I didn't understand how a Nazi could stand wearing something like this, with the tight sleeves, cuffs, and leather boots. Maybe this is why they always look so mad. Donning the hat and putting the badge in my shirt pocket, I stepped out of the truck. Still remembering to sabotage any vehicle we came across, I pulled out the silenced pistol and shot out the two back tires. I reloaded the gun and did the same to the staff car next to it. Afterward, I walked back to Fox's truck. "Well, what do you think?" I asked him.
"Not bad at all," he commented. "Now what?"
"We try to sneak past security." I opened the truck door and got in, putting my weapons on the floor. "Drive slowly, and try to look like you don't know me."
We drove over to the gate, and we were immediately stopped. An officer walked over to my side of the truck, shining a flashlight into my eyes. "Franz? Where are you going?" He asked me.
I was amazed that I truly looked convincing. I coughed, then replied, "I'm going over to the Golden Lion. I need something cold to calm my nerves."
The officer looked at me suspiciously, then to Fox. "And who the hell is this?"
"A local who swears his allegiance to the Führer. He's giving me a ride; the cars in my section aren't running well, tonight."
I knew that Fox was shaking. He probably felt that the officer wouldn't believe us. The officer took one last look at us and turned off his flashlight. "Fine, but don't get too drunk. Your shift begins in two hours, you know." He ordered the gate to be opened.
"Thank you sir! Hail Hitler!" I made the sign to pay respect to the Führer to make myself look convincing. The officer returned the gesture, an unusual smile on his face, then had us drive on.
Fox and I were about to let out a sigh of relief - until the alarm sounded off. The Germans behind us started firing at the truck, shattering the windshield. "What the hell?" I yelled, grabbing the Thompson.
"I thought you knew that lower-level soldiers don't salute the Führer, first!" Fox said, hitting the gas. "Now you've done it!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" I opened the window all the way and leaned out, firing my machine gun.
"It's okay," Fox replied. "I'm sure you weren't familiar with the Nazi cult. At least we made it this far." Fox drove the truck like he hadn't all night. We were about to pass another alarm station, and there were a few Nazis in it. I tossed a grenade into the station in the hopes of destroying their alarm. We passed by right before the explosion.
We went onto a road that followed the river, and a set of bridges was the only obstacle in our way, or so we thought. A Nazi popped up from behind a set of crates on the other side of the bridge, a strange weapon on his shoulder.
"Panzerschreck!" Fox cried. "Patterson, get out!" He pushed me out of the truck, and I rolled a few feet along the stone street. The Nazi fired, and as I looked up, I saw the truck burst into flames.
"FOX!" I ran over to the other side of the bridge, tossing my last grenade at the Nazi. He kicked it away in time, only to fall victim to my anger-induced Thompson barrage.
The threat out of the way, I rushed back over to the truck, finding Fox lying on the ground face-up, a look of shock on his face. I knelt next to him, finding that shrapnel had almost ripped him apart. Blood was seeping out of his chest as well as his mouth. Parts of his body were badly burned. With what little strength he had left, Fox turned his head to look at me. "Are...are you...alright?" He managed to ask.
"I'm fine," I said, realizing that he wouldn't make it. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "We did it, you know that? We made it through all the security this Nazi-occupied town had to offer, and it's all thanks to you."
"Don't give me...all the credit," Fox replied. "It's been your quick thinking that... got us through most of it. They made the right choice... putting you on this mission." He coughed up some blood.
"Is there, anything you want me to do for you?" I asked. I felt a tear or two running down my cheek.
Fox made a small grunt, indicating a yes. "Tell...the operative...at the pub...that our...chess match...is...kaput." He gave out his last breath, and just like that, he was gone. I let go of Fox's limp hand, then stood up. Yet another good life was wasted because of this foolish war. Even if I fought my hardest, it wouldn't bring him back to life. War will kill off anyone it gets its satanic hands on, even those not involved in the actual combat. Fox's sacrifice would most definitely not be in vain. I would make sure of that.
Looking back at Fox's body one last time, I ran across the two bridges until I arrived in front of the bar. I wiped the mix of sweat and tears from my face, not wanting to look suspicious to anyone inside. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. Entering, I immediately smelt the aroma of alcohol and beer. There were several tables laid out, and they were all littered with empty mugs. One group was playing a card game, while another was conversing. "Her big rear hit the floor so hard it cracked the marble," I heard one of them say, followed by the loud laughter from the others in the group. Behind them was the piano player, playing a joyful tune. In the corner was a stairway, being guarded by two soldiers. I then realized that I was parched. I decided to try and blend in, sitting at the bar.
"You want something?" The bartender asked me.
"Just some water, please," I requested, putting the change from the uniform pocket on the counter. The bartender took it and got me the water. To look like I wanted to be left alone, I looked down at the bar after taking a sip. The bartender seemed to have gotten the message, as he went to wait on another German demanding another Brandy.
After finishing off the glass of water, I decided to put my plan of distraction into action. I walked over to the piano player and said, "that's some good music. Do you take requests?"
"What would you like to hear?" The man asked.
"Do you know The Songless Nightingale?"
"Yeah, I know that one," he replied. I was screaming with joy on the inside. Fox was right about this, after all. As soon as the player hit the first bar of the song, many of the Nazis stood up to sing the song.
Once there was a nightingale
With no voice at all to hail.
Other birds would laugh and sing
While she cried behind her wing.
The bar had come alive as most of the soldiers sang. The group telling jokes was swaying back and forth, looking like they were about to collapse from drunkenness.
One sad day she flew away
To the woods alone to stay.
Lost there was a little boy.
Seeing him home again would bring her joy.
I turned around and noticed that the guards had left their post and were leaning at the bar, heads swaying with the music. I took this opportunity to go through and stopped halfway up the staircase. I wanted to hear the rest of the song, anyway.
Silently gliding she led from among the trees.
He followed her with ease to the forest's edge.
There a hunter saw the bird,
Aimed his gun with nary a word,
Shot the dove from out of the sky.
And the boy began to cry.
I heard a couple of 'thumps.' I laughed, realizing that the group had finally collapsed as I had predicted.
He returned where he'd been found,
Laid his friend within the ground.
Since he made that noble choice,
He was blessed with a fine singing voice.
From within came to him the nightingale's voice.
The song ended, and everyone in the bar laughed and applauded. Realizing that the song was over, I proceeded to the top of the stairs. I went through a corridor and opened the door to the outdoor section of the bar. A pair of Germans was conversing by the railing. I looked down to see another pair at a table directly below them. I looked down below me and saw a man cleaning the table. He looked up to me questioningly, then to the two pairs across from me. Then it hit me - this was the operative I was supposed to meet up with. If we wanted to get out of here, we had to have some kind of distraction. I saw several beer mugs on the railing near the pair up top. Another idea came to me.
Trying not to look too obvious, I pushed a mug so it would land on the table below. It shattered, and the Germans looked up to the two conversing. "Hey, watch it up there!"
"What?" One of the Nazis said. He decided to ignore the one below.
I dropped a second mug over them. The one below was starting to get ticked off. "Learn how to hold your beer glass you clumsy oaf!"
"Why don't you shut up?!" The one up top replied, equally ticked.
Deciding to hit the final nerve, I dropped the final mug. As soon as it hit the table, the German stood up. "That's it, you clumsy backwoods idiot! Now you've done it!"
The German up top had lost it as well, as he jumped down to face the one below. "Done what? How dare you insult me, you drunken slob!" He punched his accuser in the face, and a fight ensued. The others were so distracted by this drunk boxing that they didn't notice me and the operative leave the common area.
Shutting the gates behind us, the man introduced himself. "I'm Kyle. I assume you're the guy they sent for this rescue mission?"
"That I am," I replied. "Do you know where he is?"
"I'm taking you there myself. You're late for a private rally. Get in the truck. Your clothes are in the back." I looked in the truck and saw a caterer's uniform. "By the way," Kyle said, "how's Fox?"
"He..." I looked to the ground. "He was killed."
Kyle looked at me in shock, then sighed. "I see. Guess we won't be playing chess anymore. How did it happen?"
"It's a long story," I replied. "I'll tell you on the way." Nodding, we both got into the truck, Kyle at the wheel. We left Kleveberg and entered the countryside, where the next part of my mission awaited.
End of Chapter
This has to be my longest chapter yet. Nine pages in all with 11 font. As I promised, here are my responses to the reviews I've gotten up to now:
To zan67 - I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I'm not the first to respond to reviews. The decision to make Patterson talk was obvious - otherwise it'd be extremely boring not knowing his personality or what he has to say.
To Halle - I hope you liked this chapter. It took me 4 months to get around to, you know. The next one is going to be interesting, I think.
To anonymous - Dude, it's you again! You can be sure that I'll continue this story.
To JOYSTICK - Unoriginal, eh? Well, there is one other that sort of follows the game line, but other than that there aren't any other fics on the site like this one. And you were wrong: this chapter involved driving in a truck.
That's all for now! Keep sending in those reviews!
Next time: The search for Gerritt continues as Patterson infiltrates the Dutch manor house in Holland. The secrets he has may help change the course of the war.
Stay tuned for Part 3, Chapter 3: Operation Repunzel.