Tiger climbed into the emergency tree truck entrance and down into the underground maze below Stalag 13.
"Welcome back," Kinch greeted her smiling as she exited the ladder.
"I knew you'd come back to me," François said, smirking.
Tiger rolled her eyes, "Actually, I'm glad you're still here. What I have to say concerns you. Kinch, could you secure this and tell Colonel Hogan I need to speak with him?"
"Sure thing," Kinch took the backpack leading the way. "Everyone is down here."
"Mon ami, you look so much better than before I left," Tiger said giving Carter a hug as they entered the radio room.
"Thanks, it's my first trip downstairs since I was shot," Carter beamed at the attention.
"Then I think it's good you're here to hear this," Tiger's eyes flashed dangerously at her husband.
"What did you find out?" Hogan asked, trying not to show how glad he was that she was back. He didn't want François to know about their relationship until Tiger was comfortable with the idea.
Tiger stood in the middle of the room pacing back and forth, her hands on her hips, as she made long strides around the room. Newkirk and Hogan's eyes found each other sharing a knowing look at how Tiger's stance reminded them of when she found out François was alive. She took several more turns before coming to a stop in the middle, eyes blazing. "Much, beaucoup." She took a deep breath to help control her fury. "There was no reason for Carter or you to be shot," she looked Hogan directly in the eyes. A quizzical look went across his face asking the non-verbalized question. "François could have walked out of the building and met you anywhere in town on any night. The elaborate escape plot was never required," she faced her husband shaking slightly from the adrenaline rush running through her body.
"What are you saying? Of course, I couldn't. I was a prisoner," François was defiant.
"You are a collaborator!" she threw out with more rage than most of the men had ever seen from her.
"Lies! That's nothing but lies and utter nonsense!" he cursed her in French. "You don't know what you're saying. I am as loyal to France as anyone in this room is. I will not be disrespected in such a manner."
"I knew there was something wrong with you, and your story smelled," LeBeau threw at him.
"How did you find this out?" Hogan asked, extremely upset at the thought. His injury, he wasn't that concerned with, but nearly losing Carter for no reason didn't set well with the Colonel.
"He's been seen in town without guards coming and going all hours of the day and night," Tiger turned watching her husband wrathfully.
"Every time I was in town, I was under guard!" François indignantly paced the room.
"A driver isn't a guard," Tiger threw back at him.
"I don't know where you're getting this information but it's all false!" François's face was red with fury, his heartbeat rising with his voice.
"Do you have any proof?" Hogan asked his voice icy cold as his eyes bore into the scientist.
"Oui. Did you not think it was strange that he didn't have his paperwork ready, even though he knew when you'd be there?" Tiger asked.
"There wasn't time, the shooting started and we ran out," François retorted coldly, his arms crossed coming to a stop a couple of feet from Tiger.
"He's right. We were only there for a couple of minutes and the guards started shooting. I thought they found out that we'd taken out the machine gun nest," Carter said, thinking back to the gun battle.
"They had been warned trouble might happen soon. Plus all the paperwork was still in his lab, as if he intended to work on it the next day. He never planned upon removing it. The bag Kinch is holding contains the plans for the rockets and his research notes. London doesn't need you anymore," Tiger said glaring at him.
"As I explained, the underground operative told me that you'd be coming the next night. Of course, I couldn't gather the material up a day before the rescue. They do daily searches and if I had the documents too early, it would have alerted them something was going on," François declared. "The Allies need me and my knowledge; the paperwork is just a bonus."
"Which France are you loyal too? The real France or the Vichy Government?" LeBeau demanded.
"There's only one real France," François replied spitefully.
"Yes, there is, but you didn't answer the question!" LeBeau said becoming more upset. "You're responsible for Carter, and le Colonel being injured. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"As tragic as it was that they were injured something good came out of it. Have you forgotten the two Gestapo spies that were discovered? What do you think would have happened if they found the proof of this operation instead of you learning about them first? Plus I did everything I could to force London to send the medications to save the young man's life. That proves where my loyalties lie," François asserted.
"Why we oughtta take care of you right here," Newkirk pulled his fist back. Kinch put the bag on the table ready to join in pummeling the scientist into the ground. Olsen stood right beside Newkirk ready to take the man down.
"Calm down everyone," Hogan ordered in his best command voice, stepping in front of Newkirk and Olsen. Tempers were flaring but the men backed away from François to obey the Colonel.
"How did you get that material out of the SS facility?" François demanded, his mind trying to come up with the next best lie for the situation. He didn't bring any material in case the 'rescue' went wrong, and he could claim he'd been kidnapped and not be in any trouble with the SS. If he'd been recaptured, he'd made a grand show of thankfulness to Colonel Von Eisenberg, the local SS Colonel in charge of his project. How Tiger found out he was a collaborator, he needed to determine. Laurent, his lab assistant, was killed because François reported that he sabotaged a project trying to delay any progress. At the time, it looked like the Third Reich was going to win the war; François was determined to be on the winning side at any cost. The only reason he wanted out of Germany now was because he could see the writing on the wall and the Axis was going to lose the war.
"That I will never tell you," she had satisfied look on her face.
"Colonel Hogan, you know yourself from the operation you run, what something might look like from the outside doesn't always paint an accurate picture of the reality of the situation. How can you listen to this nonsense, obviously Marie's been deceived," François argued.
"You're the one trying to deceive," Tiger spat out.
"Were you able to contact Rapunzel?" Hogan asked. Tiger shook her head yes answering silently that was where the information came from. Rapunzel was the agent who made all the arrangements with François and Hogan for the rescue. He was a trusted underground member, above reproach. "With the evidence presented, I'm going to let London sort out your loyalties."
"There's nothing to sort out! You're taking her side because you're sleeping with my wife! Lust is clouding your judgment," François took angry steps towards Hogan to stand between Tiger and the Colonel. Hogan's men closed in protectively.
"Our relationship is none of your business," Tiger said in a dangerous voice spinning François towards her.
"How could it not be? In case you've forgotten, you still belong to me! I bought you and you've not fulfilled your obligations yet. We're leaving for the submarine tomorrow night and I expect you to be ready," François commanded then stomped off towards the back of the camp.
"That man has a real death wish, doesn't he?" Kinch said watching the retreating back of the scientist.
"Why do you say that?" Carter asked slightly bewildered by the incident.
"The way he talks to Tiger shows no respect," LeBeau answered, his hands balled up into fists. "Let's teach him some respect. No one owes another human being."
"Hold it," Hogan ordered. "As he said in less than twenty four hours, he's leaving, without Tiger of course. Everyone needs to calm down. We'll let London sort him out. Kinch, get on the radio with the underground and tell them that François is to be considered untrustworthy and needs to be under guard for the trip."
"I volunteer to go as a guard," Newkirk said.
"Oui, so do I," LeBeau jumped in.
"Count me in too," Olsen agreed.
"Thanks for the offers, but the underground can handle him. Let's take a look at the documents, and determine the best way to send them," Hogan ordered opening the bag as Kinch tapped out the message to the underground.
"You will not send them at the same time as him?" Tiger asked, a bad taste in her mouth.
"That's what I need to determine. If something happens and he doesn't make it, it might be safer to send them a different route so London gets at least one of them," Hogan answered. Tiger continued to pace around the room obviously still agitated. He watched her for a few minutes, but when it seemed she wasn't calming down he put a hand on her shoulder asking gently, "Are you all right?"
She softened the look on her face, seeing Hogan's concern. "I knew he was untrustworthy, but even I was surprised to learn he was a collaborator. After what Rapunzel told me, and speaking with a couple of others from town there is no doubt. I will not go to England with him, but I would like some time to speak with him alone." Seeing Hogan's apprehension, she added with a gentle smile. "I promise it's only to talk. After tonight, I will most likely never see him again and there are some things I'd like to say privately."
"One of us can be close by," Hogan offered. All the men chimed in offering to stand lookout.
"Merci, but for this I need the privacy. Don't worry, I promise to not kill him unless he gets out of hand. London might get some use from him. Even if he's just used as target practice for the new missiles," Tiger said. "I'll be back soon," she squeezed his hand then turned leaving the radio room.
"Colonel," Newkirk asked permission to follow without verbalizing the words. Hogan denied his request as he turned opening the documents up.
François paced the back of the tunnels raging ready to explode. How dare a woman, any woman, but especially his wife stand in the way of his very survival. Him surviving the war was his top priority and if others had to die for that to happen que c'est la guerre. He didn't believe that Hogan would actually send him to England now. If the situation was reversed, François would kill Hogan and then run off with Tiger and no divorce would stand in their way. In his mind, the two men weren't that different, so François had to do whatever was required to save his life. Making his decision, he turned heading towards the middle of the compound when he heard Tiger calling his name.
"Have you decided to leave your lover and come with me to London?" he asked sarcastically.
"I'm glad you know about Robert and me, so you can see how well he treats me. He's a true gentleman, not a pig like you," Tiger's anger showed in her body language and the bite of her tongue.
"What do you want?" he asked crossing his arms looking around for any guards; pleasantly surprised to learn they were truly alone. This part of the tunnel rarely had any traffic, which made it a nice place to find solitude.
"I want to know why."
"Why what?" He moved to stand right in front of her, an idea forming in his head.
"Why you turned on our homeland? And why the charade of needing a rescue?" Her hands were on her hips defiantly. She couldn't forgive him for Hogan and Carter's injuries.
"You act all high and mighty calling yourself a Tiger, but you're nothing more than a mangy alley cat eking out a mere existence like you were before we married. And you have the audacity to give it away to the filthy American right under my nose, but yet you deny me, your husband! Would your gentleman approve, if he knew what you do when he's not around? Or does he send you out to whore around knowing that's all you're good for? The only way you would have gotten that material out of the facility would have been on your back. You have a debt to pay and you will give me what's rightfully mine!" he sucker punched Tiger in the face knocking her to the ground dazed. Before she could scream or fight him off; he tied his handkerchief tightly around her mouth cutting into the corners of her lips, then bound her hands with his scarf dragging her behind the wall to an offshoot that was a dead end. He took her knife out of her boot tossing it across the room, "I'm going to enjoy this thoroughly. Every time you make love to your gentleman, you'll remember my face and this lesson. You will always remember what it feels like to have a real man." She struggled to get away kicking at him, fury showing through her eyes; he slapped her with a full swing of his arm, making her head swim. For a moment, she was unable to struggle. Savagely taking advantage of her inability, he straddled her, ripping her sweater, pulling her skirt up, pinning her legs open.