Chapter 3 – The Rescue

Half an hour later Garrison and Actor walked out into the deluge, followed by a reluctant Casino and Goniff. Garrison walked over to Chief, handed him his gear and showed him a folded up map. "According to this Derval is the closest town. Hopefully we can get a car there, any problems?"

Chief took a good look at the map. "No sweat Warden, it's only a couple miles cross country," he glanced over at Casino, "you sure you can keep up with me?"

Casino jeered. "Go for it Geronimo, anythin' you can do I'll match."

Chief turned, swung his rifle over his shoulder and loped off in the direction of Derval. Goniff glared at Casino as he took out his cigarettes. "Now you done it mate."

Ten minutes later the group were standing in a disconsolate huddle in the pouring rain. Casino wiped the water running down his face with his sleeve and glared around at the unfriendly countryside. "Great! Now we're lost and there's no sign of that stupid Indian. Where's he got to?"

Actor put his hands in his pockets to keep warm. "I expect Chief's nice and dry in Derval by now waiting for us. You did challenge him Casino, when will you ever learn?"

Casino kicked at a rock in a muddy puddle in frustration. "Is it my fault Geronimo didn't know I was jokin'? He's doin' this out of spite." He cupped a hand to his mouth. "I know you're out there Indian, get your sorry ass back here."

Garrison sighed. "Keep quiet. No good shouting about it now Casino, I'm sure Chief will be back soon when he realises we're lost. Let's keep going."

Goniff turned to reply to Garrison, his eyes widened and he held up his hands very slowly. "Wish you'd never shouted at all Casino, someone's here and it ain't Chief."

"Hände hoch." The team turned to find two Schmeissers covering them. The soldiers stepped forward and motioned for them to drop their weapons.

Garrison looked at Actor and sighed. "Not again." He reluctantly dropped his rifle and nodded to the others to do the same, they raised their hands and waited in the pouring rain.

Casino glanced at the others. "Where's that damn Indian when you need him?" he muttered out the side of his mouth.

The two soldiers looked at each other, laughed and aimed their weapons. The team braced themselves for the inevitable. "Been nice knowin' you Warden," whispered Goniff.

Garrison glared defiantly at the two soldiers and watched in disbelief as the one on the right sank slowly to his knees, his mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish. The second soldier turned his head to watch him fall, a hand appeared from behind him and clamped over his mouth, his head was pulled back and a blade sliced his neck, severing both his carotid artery and jugular vein; he bled out in seconds.

Chief came into view as he lowered the soldier into the mud next to his companion. He wiped his blade on the soldier's uniform and put it away. "Good job I got my sorry ass back in time to save yours, ain't it Casino?" He looked at his team mates and shook his head. "Can't leave you five minutes without you gettin' in trouble."

Garrison picked up his rifle, wiped the mud off it and looked incredulously at his scout. "You're making a habit of appearing out of nowhere Chief, how did you know?"

"Was never far away Warden." Chief pointed behind him. "We still got trouble, these two are part of a larger patrol and they got people: men, women, kids, over a dozen of 'em. I think they're gonna kill 'em just like these two were gonna kill you, they ain't takin' prisoners. They're in a clearin' only a couple hundred yards away, we gotta do somethin'."

Garrison looked at the two bodies and then at Casino. "Let's get those uniforms on quick. Actor, Goniff, Chief you'll be our prisoners. Let's go."

The corporal in charge of the patrol looked round as two privates escorted three prisoners in at gunpoint. He nodded and indicated they should be grouped with the other captives. One of the privates walked up to him. "Herr Unteroffizier?"

"Was ist los?" he didn't quite recognise the soldier under his helmet.

"Hände hoch." Garrison and the team swung their weapons up as they stepped in between the six soldiers left in the patrol and the prisoners, they opened fire. A small girl ran screaming with terror into the trees, Chief set off after her.

Actor turned quickly to the captives and called out in French. "Don't be afraid, we're American Special Forces. You're all safe now."

A young man stepped forward and regarded him suspiciously. "You speak French? How did you know the Germans had us? We didn't have a chance to let anyone know."

Garrison turned and looked at the huddled group. "You can thank my scout for that, he saw what was happening and got us here in time to save you."

The man looked at them. "Which one is your scout?"

Garrison looked around to see Chief walking back into the clearing with a small girl held gently in his arms. He stroked the wet hair off her muddy face and pointed to the women. "Which one's your mama?" The little girl held her arms out to a frantic young woman. "Ok little one, here you go." He carefully handed her over and walked away quickly before the woman could hug him in gratitude, he strode over and stood at Garrison's side.

Garrison did the introductions. "This is the man who found you, my scout, Chief."

The Frenchman reached out to shake Chief's hand, Chief took a step back out of reach. "Thank you Monsieur Chief for saving my family and our group. I am Theodore Lefevre, this is my wife Vivienne and the little girl you found and brought back is my daughter Émilie. The Germans rounded up everyone they thought were local Resistance members, they were going to kill us." Garrison translated.

Chief put up his hands and took another step back. "Tell him no thanks necessary Warden." He tensed as he felt something take hold of his leg, he was going to kick out violently when he looked down and saw Émilie holding onto him, she was looking up and smiling. He relaxed, returned the smile, bent down and scooped her up. "Come on Émilie, back to your Mama. You don't wanna be anywhere round me little one."

Garrison watched as his scout carried the small girl back to her mother. He noticed that she'd put her arms tightly round his neck and he'd allowed her to do it without protest. Vivienne smiled as she took her daughter back. "Merci Monsieur Chief."

Casino looked at Goniff in disbelief. "I don't believe it, someone just got hold of Geronimo and he didn't kill 'em!"

Goniff watched their scout, he'd seen the look on his face when he picked up the little girl. "Chief wouldn't hurt a little kid mate. He ain't no monster, he's got his demons like we all have but he'd never harm a child."

Garrison spent a couple of minutes talking to Theodore, he walked back and beckoned his team to join him. "You won't believe this, the Krauts were rounding up the local Resistance because they've been hiding a defecting Major who wants to go to England. He's in Rennes."

Casino looked at Garrison in horror. "Oh no, no and no Warden. I know what you're thinkin'! Wasn't blowin' up that bridge our mission? We've done enough baby!"

Garrison ignored him. "As we're in the area we might as well take the Major back with us. The Resistance will make radio contact and arrange our pickup."

"Go to hell!" shouted Casino belligerently. "You do know we ain't the only team operatin' over here? Let someone else do it, I'm too tired."

Goniff nodded in agreement. "He's right Warden, ain't we done enough? We haven't stopped in over three days, I'm tired too."

Garrison glared at them. "You're tired when I say you're tired. Chief's covered more ground than you and he hasn't slept; he's ready so you should be more than ready to go."

Casino glared at the quiet figure standing behind Garrison. "Well Geronimo ain't human, he's too stupid to know when to stop. You only got to tell that Indian to go and off he goes. Well I ain't goin' Warden, what you got to say about that?"

Garrison sensed Chief move forward and put out a hand to stop him. "I'll tell you what I got to say Casino. If you don't go I'll let Chief deal with you. If you come with us I may be more amenable. You've got a choice."

Casino looked at the dark-haired man glaring at him from behind Garrison, he was being held back but was ready to go into action as soon as Garrison moved his hand, he relented. "Ok, ok Warden, but I gotta have my say. You're pushin' us to the limit and I don't like it."

Garrison relented. "Ok Casino but we're here now, we can do the job and there's no time to get another team in. There's a war on, maybe you've noticed?"

Casino snorted derisively. "Yeah I noticed, some Krauts tried to kill me a few minutes ago. You win, for now Warden," he wandered off to have a smoke with Goniff.

Chief stood next to Garrison and said in a low voice. "He's right. You're pushin' 'em to their limits. You 'n me can do it but they won't last much longer."

Garrison was surprised to hear Chief speaking up for the man who'd been a constant source of torment to him. He glanced over at the three exhausted men sharing a pack of cigarettes. "I didn't promise them a picnic Chief. They've got to be ready for any change of plan to complete a mission."

Chief gave him a knowing look. "Yeah, but you're not satisfied with just completin' a mission are you Warden? You seem to like addin' a little extra action just to make life interestin'."

Garrison gave his scout a small, crooked smile. "What on earth do you mean by that?"

Chief smiled back. "I mean that Kraut Major was as good as bein' in England the moment you heard about him. You're one crazy Lieutenant. I'll help you take him even if the others won't, they ain't gonna be happy with either of us when they find out he's comin' along."

Garrison's smile widened as he realised how well Chief had gotten to know him, he'd not only picked up on what he wanted to do but was prepared to back him. He appreciated his scout's show of loyalty. "They're not happy with us now Chief! Let's go to Rennes and 'make life interesting'."

Chief grinned at him and pointed to the truck the soldiers had transported their prisoners in. "It's thirty miles, you wanna walk or ride Warden?" Garrison laughed. "I think a ride would be in order, but first let's ask our new friends if they've got any food."

Theodore listened to Garrison's request and nodded. "We live in Derval, it's not far from here. We don't have much but we're happy to share with you. We'll radio and make arrangements for you to be picked up. I'll give you directions to meet up with our people in Rennes after you've eaten."

Goniff nudged Casino and rubbed his empty belly. "You hear that mate? Food! I'm starvin'!"

While the team was eating Theodore got on the radio hidden in his cellar and arranged the pickup. He informed Garrison that an MGB would be waiting for them off the coast at St. Malo.

GG-GG-GG

The rain was still falling heavily. Garrison stayed in uniform, Chief put on the one Casino had been wearing and the two of them climbed in the front of the truck. Chief waited while the rest of the team settled in the back and rested while he drove them to Rennes via quiet back roads. They pulled into a small courtyard outside a house on the outskirts of the city. They got out, Garrison knocked out a code on a door, it was opened and they walked in.

Major Keller was a tall, thin, dark-haired man about forty years of age. He looked down his hawk nose at the newcomers and gave them a dismissive wave of his hand. "These men aren't soldiers, they're useless. Find me someone I know can get me to England and I might consider leaving here."

Garrison looked at Actor and tilted his head in the direction of the stubborn officer, he wasn't in the mood for the Major's games and he knew the conman would put an end to them once and for all. Actor nodded, walked over to the Major and drew himself up to his full six feet four inches, he put on his no-nonsense face, lowered it until it was a couple of inches from the Major's and gave him a quiet, intense talking-to in his native tongue for a minute. The Major looked shocked, nodded and sat back heavily in his chair. Actor straightened up, walked back to Garrison and gave him a satisfied grin. "He won't give us any more problems Warden, apart from wanting some fresh underwear."

Garrison indicated the door, Chief opened it and the pair of them walked out to the truck. Casino invited the Major out with an expansive wave of his hand, after the officer had passed he looked at Actor pulled a face and rolled his eyes. "I swear if Garrison gets me caught and shot because of this I'll haunt him for the rest of his days."

Actor looked at him humourlessly. "The only reason you'll get shot is because the Warden's already gone down."

Goniff watched the two men walking to the truck. "And the only reason the Warden will have gone down is if Chief got hit first. You're way down on the casualty list mate don't worry about it."

Garrison sat in the front of the truck with Chief while the rest climbed into the back. Casino was grumbling as usual but relented when Garrison shot him a warning look. They set off, Chief grimaced at the fuel gauge and gave Garrison a worried look. "I'll get maybe thirty miles outta it then we're walkin'."

Garrison tapped the dial. "Do your best, it's better than walking."

Chief sighed and peered out through the windscreen at the rain bouncing off the road, the wipers were barely making any difference and smeared the glass. "Yeah I know, I'll get the most outta it I can."

Thirty five miles later they were pushing the truck off the road into a wooded area. Chief looked at Garrison and shook his head. "Sorry Warden, we still got 'bout twenty miles to go. We're in the middle of nowhere, doubt we'll get another ride, looks like we're walkin'. It'll take 'bout six hours to get there if we don't run into trouble."

Garrison reached out and patted Chief on the shoulder, he noticed he didn't flinch so much if he could see it coming, or maybe he was trusting him more. "You got more out of it than you thought Chief, well done. We'd better get out of these uniforms." They scrambled through to the rear and changed back into their own clothes. Garrison turned to the others. "Grab your gear, we're on foot from here. Chief, you're on point, lead the way."

Casino climbed out of the truck, looked up at the heavy grey clouds and blinked the rain out of his eyes. "Just great, couldn't Geronimo have gotten a few more miles outta that jalopie? I only just dried out after the last soakin'."

"Knock it off Casino." Garrison watched Chief sling his rifle over his shoulder and stride away into the rain scanning the road ahead. It suddenly dawned on him that the scout hadn't slept in over four days, despite that he was still sharp and showed no sign of tiring. He marvelled at the Navajo's resilience and tenacity.

He'd been gradually trying to build up a friendship with his laconic scout, they ran together every morning at the mansion and Chief easily outpaced him; he'd been teaching him chess and was now struggling to win. He knew Chief was no dumb Indian, he had an innate intelligence that was coming into its own now he was free of the confines of prison where he'd been so brutally treated. Garrison had seen that treatment with his own eyes and recognised it must have been a living hell for such a free spirit. He still didn't know anything about Chief's past but hoped that one day the young man would trust him enough to tell him about it. He motioned for everyone to set off, Casino waved the Major ahead and followed closely behind.

Fifteen minutes later Chief ran full pelt back down the road and signalled for them to take cover. They dived into the dripping hedge that ran alongside the road and heard the rumble of heavy trucks approaching. Casino dragged Goniff further under cover and pulled out his cigarettes and matches. "Livin' the dream ain't we Limey?"

Goniff grabbed a cigarette with shaking fingers and accepted a light. "Come on mate, we knew what the Warden was offerin' when he came to us in jail. We could've said no but here we are riskin' our lives for a parole." He took a deep drag on the cigarette. "I'll tell you somethin' Casino, I'd rather be here than in Sing Sing. Yeah, we've got bullets whizzin' round our ears, we're up to our asses in mud and we're scared but you know what else we are? We're free and we're makin' a difference. I don't know 'bout you but I feel good about it."

Casino blew out a cloud of smoke. "You know somethin' Limey, so do I. Damn I must be getting' soft in my old age."

After the trucks had passed Garrison walked over to his scout. "What's happening up ahead Chief?"

Chief pointed up the road. "They got a big roadblock, there's patrols everywhere. There's no way we can get through it so we'll have to go round it." He pointed east. "We'll cross the road here and then head due north to the pickup point. I gotta warn you Krauts are swarmin' all over the place. We'll have to stay off the roads, I'll keep us outta their way but it'll slow us down. Sorry Warden but we may not make that pickup."

Garrison gave Chief a reassuring look. "Don't worry, if we miss the rendezvous tonight, they'll follow protocol and be back same time tomorrow. We get two chances, if we miss tonight we'll be ready to go when they come back tomorrow. I'd rather be safe than sorry. You still ok to take point? You must be out on your feet by now."

Garrison got a determined nod from his scout. "I'm fine, I'll rest when we're on the boat. Worry 'bout the others, 'specially Goniff, he's strugglin' in all this mud. I'll try to take the easiest route but it won't be the quickest."

Garrison glanced at the men and then back to the young Navajo. "I trust you to get us there in one piece Chief. We'll follow your lead, just tell us what to do."