Chapter 1 – Unrest In The Ranks

Casino pushed the plunger and the railway bridge blew up with a satisfying whomp. The piles crumbled as the brickwork shattered and disintegrated into dust and rubble. The superstructure keeled over to one side and plunged in slow motion down into the River Loire taking the supply train with it. There was another huge explosion as the explosives and munitions the wagons were carrying detonated, a huge cloud of grey smoke mushroomed up and billowed away on the wind mixing with the heavy rain clouds looming overhead.

The five men stood hidden on the bank opposite and surveyed the wreckage strewn over the landscape. Casino grinned at Garrison as he pulled the wires from the plunger and put it away in a mission bag. "Well that's a load of supplies the subs in Saint-Nazaire won't get. It'll take the the rest of the war to build that bridge again."

Actor watched a plume of flame and smoke erupt. "There are other routes into the port."

Casino stood next to him to watch the pyrotechnics. "Yeah, but it's one less and it carried a lot of supplies. You did a good job getting' the timetable outta that clerk in Nantes."

Actor smiled. "It's amazing what an SS uniform can get you. The Warden made a good Leutnant didn't he? He's getting more confidant on our little forays."

Garrison had wandered up behind them and heard Actor's comment. "Thanks, everyone did a good job. Goniff lifting the papers off the clerk's desk wasn't part of the plan but it got us valuable intel about supply train movements we can pass on to the Resistance." He offered a pack of cigarettes round, Actor, Goniff and Casino took one each and lit up from Goniff's pack of matches, Chief took a match and put it in his mouth.

Goniff looked over at the Lieutenant. "Is that why we waited here half a day, so you could blow up a train as well as the bridge?"

Garrison nodded. "Might as well make the best use of the supplies we got. As Casino said that's a supply train gone as well as a bridge, they won't be using this route again for a long time."

Casino snorted. "That's why he wouldn't let me use timers, he wanted to see there was a train on there before we blew it."

Goniff exhaled a cloud of smoke. "All in all a good job eh Warden? We're startin' to work together, we might make a team yet."

Casino looked their scout up and down disdainfully. "And what did you do Indian, besides sit in the car and do nothin' while we did all the work?"

Chief took the matchstick out of his mouth and glared at the safe-cracker. "Watched your backs. You were careless and spoke English back there Casino, a Kraut soldier noticed and went to get help."

Garrison looked alarmed. "I didn't know that. No soldiers arrived."

Chief snorted softly and pointed the way they'd come. "That's 'cos he didn't get far. He's dead in the trunk of the car we dumped in the river. Made sure you got the time you needed to get the job done."

Garrison smiled. "Great work Chief." He went to pat Chief on the shoulder and thought better of it after he got a warning glance, he didn't like to be touched.

Casino waved a dismissive hand. "We only got his word for it." Garrison glared at the safe-cracker. "I believe Chief, if he says it happened then it happened. I heard you speak English back there Casino, I just didn't think anyone else did let alone a Kraut soldier. Chief cleaned up your mess, be more careful in future."

Casino knew what he'd done and felt bad about it, he decided to cover it up with bluster. "I still don't know why we need the Indian on the team Warden, we can all drive and shoot. Why didn't you get someone more useful like a forger? I know a great forger." He looked round. "I'm just sayin' what everyone's thinkin'."

Garrison started to lose patience with the mouthy safe-cracker, he pointed an angry finger. "I don't care what you think Casino. This is my team. I hand-picked every one of you because of what you can do. Chief stays. I promise you one day you'll be grateful he's here." He turned away and strode angrily away to pick up his gear, Chief went with him.

Goniff looked at the young Navajo, his astute mind considered the situation and came to a decision, he turned to Casino. "That's not what everyone's thinkin' mate. How often we gonna use a forger? The Warden chose Chief for a reason, why not wait and find out?"

Casino cast a quick glance at the dark-haired figure standing at Garrison's back. "I think he got him as protection in case we give him trouble."

Actor gave a short laugh. "You've seen the Lieutenant in action, he beat Wheeler in a knife fight and Wheeler was the one with the knife. He wouldn't have any trouble taking any of us, he doesn't need a bodyguard. I agree with Goniff."

Goniff finished his cigarette. "All I'm sayin' is that I watched Chief in training, he ran rings round us on the obstacle course and he was a better shot than the trainers. I saw him take down Drummond, the combat instructor, you remember how big that guy was? He was a commando, those guys are supposed to be the best and Chief had him on his back in seconds. Between him and the Warden we're the ones with the bodyguards."

Actor watched the two men, his eyes were drawn to the leather sheath strapped to Chief's right forearm, he'd proven to be even more deadly with his blade than he was with a gun. "I wouldn't like to take those two on unless I had a platoon of soldiers," he remarked quietly.

The three walked over and joined the others, Garrison had a map out and was studying it along with Chief. He glanced over at them. "There'll be patrols on the way, we'd better get out of here fast. We need to find the quickest, safest route." He turned to his scout. "What do you think?"

Casino was still smarting at the Warden's comment about Chief cleaning his mess up and didn't give him a chance to answer. "Why ask him? He's just a scout. Go do some scoutin' Geronimo, see if there are any Krauts around before we get out of here."

Chief glanced quickly at Garrison, pointed to where they were on the map and moved his finger. "This way, I'll go ahead and check it out." He picked up his gear, slung his rifle over his shoulder and loped away.

Garrison turned angrily to the safe-cracker. "Why do you talk to him like that? It'll be Chief that guides us out of here and keeps us away from the Krauts."

Casino watched the scout as he blended into the scenery. "Oh yeah, is he gonna make us disappear into thin air Warden? I doubt that very much."

Garrison looked Casino in the eye. "He'll make us vanish alright Casino." He recalled the day he was on his early morning run and Chief had nearly given him a heart attack by appearing out of nowhere. "I know what he can do. Chief's not on this team just because he's good with a knife."

Goniff lit a fresh cigarette. "You mean Chief's like one of them Indians you see in the movies?"

Garrison shook his head. "No Goniff, Chief's the real thing and he's a lot better than that."

Chief met them at the edge of the road. "There's a lot of action comin' up from the south. We'll head north, go cross country and stay ahead of 'em."

Actor looked down the road. "How do you know that's the way they're coming from?"

Chief looked up at the tall conman in disbelief. "I can hear 'em, can't you? There's heavy trucks and they won't be carryin' a welcome committee, they're about a mile away." He pointed at the horizon, it looked black and ominous. "There's bad weather comin in Warden, don't think we'll get that plane you were countin' on."

Garrison nodded. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. You're on point Chief, get us out of here. You know where we're going, we need to be there in six hours to meet our contact and he'll get us to the pickup point. If the plane doesn't show we'll go to Plan B." Chief nodded, crossed the road and set off at a good pace, the others followed.

A few minutes later the convoy of troop carriers arrived and passed on, the team had vanished into the countryside and there was no sign they'd been there.