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It was a supposed to be a simple in and out job. They'd done it dozens of times, enough that the men joked it was their specialty. Drop in during a storm, get the information on film and get out. And from the beginning it looked like it was finally going to be that easy. They'd hit the drop zone just as the storm was breaking, made contact with the underground source that would take them to the target and Casino was standing at the safe not three hours after they'd buried their chutes.
"Say Warden, you oughta get Goniff in here, we're so far ahead a schedule I could let him try to break this one. He's been wantin' to learn..."
"Just get with it Casino. How much time?"
The door to the safe swung open and the man looked up with a smile as he stepped back. "Already done Lieutenant. Be my guest."
Garrison stepped to the safe, grabbed the documents that were bundled inside and moved back to the desk. The safecracker changed the bulb in the lamp and snapped it on as Garrison started sorting through the documents. Casino was across the room already taking up the listening post by the door that he'd just vacated. It was a listing of troop deployments in the coastal areas of France they needed this time and it only took seconds to find it. Flattening the papers out on the desktop he slid the small camera out of his pocket and used the cord to bring it up to the right distance from the document, pressing the shutter release he took the first shot and tried to advance the film. The lever was stiff, with a little effort it started to move, but only half way. Swearing softly he backed the film up, opened the small device and switched to the backup roll he carried. The damn thing wouldn't even advance the leader of film onto the sprocket.
Casino called across in a hoarse whisper. "Come on Warden, get with it. We got a chance a breakin' our own record here!"
"Not this time, Casino. Camera's busted."
"I knew it! I knew things were goin' too good. What d'we do now?"
"Now you shut up so I can memorize this stuff." The orders were to leave everything in place. The Germans weren't to know they had this information. And there was too much here to copy. He'd done it before, carried information in his head when there was no other way, he just needed a little time…
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"You got it?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"Well you better 'cause there's somebody in the hall."
They shoved the papers back in the safe and Garrison headed for the window with Casino on his tail, he was straddling the sill when the door opened. The safecracker turned and fired, killing the guard as he stood in the doorway. He whirled back to face his commander, they could hear shouts in the passageway outside the room and the sound of running feet as soldiers headed their direction. The Lieutenant saw the idea flash in his eyes, watched the split second calculations, but before he could stop him, tell him he was crazy, he'd acted. Casino's hands shot forward, grabbing the front of the jacket he wore with one hand, he reached in and snatched the camera from the inside pocket where the Warden had put it with the other, before shoving him off the sill out into the alley.
Garrison scrambled up off the ground and was in the window in time to see the door open again. Casino was half way back towards the wall that held the safe. The special bulb was still in the lamp, he still had the regular one in his pocket and now he had the camera. If he was caught it would look like a one man job. He was giving him time to get away. But the man in the doorway straddling the body of his fellow soldier had no intension of capture as he sprayed the room with bullets.
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The sirens sounding a warning and his name being shouted from the entrance to the alley brought him out of his trance and he turned and ran. Goniff met him a few yards in from the street.
"Casino?"
"He didn't make it." And he grabbed the little burglar's arm as he started down the alley. Turning him roughly around Garrison pushed him on in front of him, back towards the street, towards the car where Actor and Chief waited.
Chief was in the street. As soon as he heard the shots he'd rolled out of the car and started back to help, to provide cover so they could get away. Actor moved into the driver's seat and had the car running, waiting to race the bombers out of the area to safety. But their time had run out. When the first bombs hit the street the car and his second in command disappeared. One second he was there and in the next all that was left was a smoking crater. The next one that landed blew the rest of them off their feet.
When Garrison struggled to his knees he saw Chief sprawled on his face and Goniff crawling across the road trying to reach him. He pushed up onto his feet and turned to scan the street. There was a truck nearby, if they had any luck left… He ran for it, the keys were in the ignition, he pushed the button on the dash and waited as the engine coughed to life. Pulling it away from the curb in a tight turn he screeched to a halt next to his men. Goniff was on his knees and held Chief cradled in his arms. Stumbling out of the cab Garrison reached down and grabbed the back of the jacket Chief wore in his hands, dragging him across the cobbles to the back of the truck he pulled him inside, shouting for Goniff to follow and take the wheel but the little man just sat staring after them.
"Goniff! We have to get out of here!" but the second story man didn't move. He just sat stunned in the street with his arms wrapped across his belly as he rocked back and forth.
Garrison slipped his jacket off and pillowed Chief's head with it. The Indian's skin was clammy, his face ashen and blood flowed freely from the wound in the back of his head. Staggering out of the truck he made his way back to Goniff and dropped into a crouch in front of the pick pocket, taking him by the shoulders he tried to shake him out of his shock and get him moving. As soon as he touched him the little man slumped forward onto the street. The sleeves of his coat were soaked with blood and as the Warden hooked him under the arm to haul him to his feet the coat pulled open. The front of his shirt was torn where the shrapnel hit him. His blood had mixed with Chief's as he held him in his arms. Garrison scooped him up and carried him to the truck, laying him in the back, next to the younger man.
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He'd dodged falling bombs and German patrols to get them here. He'd pulled them into the safe house and taken the truck away and hidden it so it wouldn't give them away. He'd done what he could for them, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough. When he carefully tried to wash the wound on Chief's head the bone moved under his fingers and the dressing caught on the sharp edge of the fragment that projected from his torn scalp. Goniff had a seven inch gash in the middle of his belly. Lacerated bowel pushed out of the wound and covering it over with the clean linens he found in the house hid the gruesome sight from the injured man when he came to his senses, but it didn't cover the stench that promised infection, and it didn't do anything for the pain.
"Take it easy Goniff. Don't move around." Holding a moisten cloth to his lips Garrison let the little cockney ease his thirst a little. The fever'd already started but he couldn't give him anything to drink.
"Chiefy? How's he doing?"
"He's resting quietly, and you should be doing the same."
Goniff pulled his gaze away from the quiet form on the floor near him and fixed it on his leader's face. He'd held Chief's head in his hands, he knew. And he felt the burn in his belly and the pain that seemed to bore into his back and send tendrils all through him. He knew about that too. "You get the stuff Warden?"
Garrison bit down on the inside of his cheek and tasted his own blood. "Yeah, we got it."
"They tell you about that bombing raid?"
"No. They didn't tell me."
"Then it wasn't your fault Warden." Goniff saw the pain and anguish in the Lieutenant's eyes. He knew he'd take the burden onto his shoulders, take the blame for himself. He didn't need to. None a them would want him to, but, the cat burglar sighed to himself, he'd have to find that out on his own 'cause he didn't have the strength to stay awake and tell him.
"Goniff? Goniff?!"