Contrary to what he was expecting, Moffitt wasn't summoned to the major's – he still hadn't been told his name – office in the morning. He spent most of the night – what was left of it – tossing and turning and thinking, and by seven he was up, dressed, and ready for whatever the day might bring. It was now past twelve in the afternoon and except for a small breakfast sent up 'compliments of the major' nothing had broken the monotony of waiting.

If he tried to leave his room, two guards stood outside, rifles poised and ready.

Obviously, they didn't trust him yet. That was fine, he hadn't expected them to, but he was growing worried over the apparent lack of interest in him and the information he claimed to have. The only explanation he could think of for the delay was the fact that guests seemed to be arriving throughout the morning. Car doors slammed, doors opened, new voices were heard.

There was a shelf of books in his room – German titles, of course – and he tried to immerse himself in one of them, but he couldn't concentrate. He would be questioned further, and he had to decide how much information to give up, and how much to conceal. Boggs had warned him that they would expect some good, strong intelligence. Now he thought about what he would have share with the major and possible other officers.

He knew enough about Allied plans and positions to be a danger to everyone involved in the plan and, of course, he wouldn't share any of that. The only other thing he could think of was information about the Rat Patrol. But that was almost as bad as Allied battle plans. It wouldn't hurt as many men, but it could hurt friends. In some ways, he was glad the major had delayed their conversation, as it gave him more time to plan. In other ways, it gave him more time to think. Some things were easier done on the spur of the moment.

Pacing back and forth, he tried to think. What to tell them?

The location of the main oasis - the one they'd stopped at last night? That would be safest. Troy always made sure to approach it cautiously in case the Germans had holed up there during their absence, and they'd make a safe getaway. And there was another thing. It wouldn't take them long to put together the general direction he'd been heading with the rumours Boggs was sure to circulate. They'd be here before long, and he'd have to make sure their raid didn't succeed.

Moffitt put his hands to his head and stopped pacing. He didn't want to think about it anymore.

Betraying Troy and Tully and Hitch, betraying their location would be the hardest part of the mission – and the most necessary if he were to succeed.

:::

"I apologize for the delay, sergeant," the major said. "Please...sit," he added, motioning to the same chair Moffitt had sat in the night before. "Several important officers arrived today in preparation for a meeting that I will hosting. The preliminaries ended only a few moments ago. I sent for you as soon as I could."

Moffitt glanced around. Papers were stacked high on the major's desk – almost hiding the major himself – and there were two briefcases leaning against one of the wooden sides. The meeting seemed to leaving a paper trail, and getting his hands on a few of the documents, while a good idea, would be risky. Both to succeed with getting his hands on the papers and keep them hidden. The information on those sheets was probably exactly what Boggs and High Command were looking for, but the danger was large.

"It's quite alright, major...?"

"Richten. Major Richten."

Moffitt smiled. "Of course. Major Richten." One of the more important officers at German headquarters, and one that would certainly provide him with good information if he played his cards right. "I wouldn't want to interfere with your normal schedule. My arrival was unexpected."

"So you say you have information that you want to share with us here at headquarters," Richten said. He crossed his hands in front of him and smiled at Moffitt. It was a thinnish smile, but Moffitt returned it anyway. He was sure that the major wasn't interested in him as a human being – more as a machine that could dispense valuable information. And if the machine didn't work, what would he most likely do? Kick it.

:::

Moffitt felt drained, emotionally and mentally.

He'd shared the location of their base oasis, given instructions on how best to prepare for a raid – including bringing out heavy armour and vehicles – but Richten hadn't viewed it as enough. He didn't go so far as to say it out loud, but it was obvious that he wanted Allied troop numbers, movements, and battle plans. Moffitt had continued to insist that he was only a sergeant; he spent most of his time out in the desert, away from Allied headquarters; and he had no information of importance.

After about an hour of veiled threats, questioning, and Moffitt's insistence, something seemed to get through to the major. Capturing or killing the Rat Patrol would be excellent leverage for a promotion, maybe even to general, and besides being an excellent translator and desert expert, Moffitt was also valuable propaganda material.

Of course, he couldn't read Richten's mind, but it made sense. The major seemed more involved with his own thoughts at the moment, which was good because Moffitt wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up the pretense without a small breather. His mind was churning from all the things he'd said – irretrievable things – that could lead to his friends' capture. Or death.

Some minutes later, Richten dismissed him and he was taken back to his room.

He'd won himself another reprieve, but at what cost?

:::

Night was falling when they came in sight of German HQ.

The three of them had hung around Boggs' camp for most of the day, listening to bits of talk, with Troy going in to Boggs every three hours or so to ask him if he'd heard anything. Most of what they gathered put Moffitt at German HQ, although Tully still didn't see why he'd be there, or why he'd go willingly. Still, that's where they were headed.

Troy's plan was simple, simpler than most of his schemes, at least.

"We go in there, see if Moffitt's locked up, and get him out if he is. I've been there before, I know the layout. All you two have to do is cover me and make there aren't any guards to make trouble. Got it?" Tully nodded, still chewing on his matchstick, and so did Hitch. Troy jumped in the back of the jeep and they shot off toward German HQ.

Now they were here. It looked imposing, alright. Impressive, even. But Tully didn't waste time staring at the huge manor that housed the center of German activity in North Africa. He had a friend to break out of prison.

:::

The guards at the gate had been silenced, the wall scaled, the compound skirted.

Tully unlocked the gate from the inside, and drove the jeep through, keeping it as quiet as possible. Which wasn't very quiet, but it was better than nothing. Hitch was already beside Troy, keeping his gun trained on any suspicious movement, so Tully climbed onto the back of the jeep, .60 ready for any trouble.

Light dazzled Tully's eyes.

The compound lit up with spotlights, almost as bright as day. Troy had just reached the cells, but already he was running back, Hitch right behind him. Tully leaped down from the gun and slammed into the driver's seat as Troy and Hitch ran up and scrambled into the back.

Sirens were blaring now, machine guns firing, and as he steered the jeep around to blast out the gate, a bullet hit his right shoulder. He slumped over momentarily, pain blotting out his vision, making everything seem unreal, but he forced himself to get back up. The Germans were coming, they were going to kill him and everyone else if he didn't get them out of there...

He had to...to...

Then everything went dark and he was falling into an endless abyss.