May 26, 1944
The moonlight reflected faintly from the rails, giving some contrast to the dark gray gravel of the bank that they were laid on. Victoria was sitting on one rail, peering in one direction. From the corner of her eye, she could see Kate standing a few feet away, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Victoria leaned down and pressed her ear against the track. Still nothing. The train must be running late, she thought as she pushed herself back into a sitting position. She was itching for a smoke, but she couldn't smoke if she wanted to maintain her night vision. Victoria was getting agitated. She felt uneasy being out in the open like this after spending an hour here already.
They were at a junction where an abandoned siding diverged from the main line. They had already turned the switch so that the train would turn onto the siding. The junction wasn't manned since the siding wasn't in use, but there was always the possibility of a Wehrmacht patrol dropping in. The switch had been locked, but the lock had not been a match for a good pair of bolt cutters.
The train that Victoria and Kate were expecting was carrying a special cargo. The resistance in Paris had gotten wind of a shipment of art the Germans had looted from various museums in France that was being moved to Germany by train. Chloe's resistance group had gotten orders to intercept the train and retrieve the art pieces. According to the intel, the train's official manifest declared it to be transporting prisoners to Buchenwald, but in reality, it was filled with plundered artwork.
The plan was fairly simple. Kate and Victoria would turn the switch and keep a lookout for the train. When the train would come, they would signal Chloé, Rachelle, and Max, who would be by the siding, ready to take over the train when it came to a halt. Kate and Victoria would take out the security, which was expected to be next to none due to all the cover-ups. Once the cargo was moved into a truck, they'd reverse the train back onto the main line and let it chug forward without its crew until it would run out of steam. "What could possibly go wrong?" Victoria recalled Chloé's words after the plan had been laid out.
"Running out of patience, are we?" Kate asked when Victoria let out a sigh of frustration. It felt strange to hear the smaller woman using English for a change, as they were pretty much exclusively using French in their everyday talk. Chloé had insisted that they stick to French to get more familiar with it and to adopt the local accent. This was where Victoria's drama classes at college had started to pay off, as within a couple of weeks, her rather apparent American accent had started to resemble something that would pass as a local, at least to a Wehrmacht regular. Still, the group avoided using Kate and Victoria for tasks that would require them to be out in public. Instead, Kate and Victoria's talent was being used in various sabotage activities that took place during curfew. They still hadn't received their actual orders, and Victoria was beginning to wonder if the war would come to an end before that.
"Well, I don't like being here, out in the open," Victoria answered. "What if a Kraut patrol drops by?"
"That's why I'm keeping a lookout for the odd patrols, and you're keeping a lookout for the train, love," the smaller woman remarked, looking briefly down at Victoria.
Victoria couldn't help raising her eyebrow at Kate's endearment ever so slightly before her reasoning kicked in. The Brits use the word "love" with total strangers; she didn't mean anything by it. Victoria could still remember the first time someone addressed her as "love" after her arrival in Britain. She'd almost slapped the poor man in the face for being so audacious. Luckily, her companion had stepped in and defused the situation. Since then, Victoria had grown accustomed to the endearment, so why did her heart almost jump when Kate addressed her like that?
Not that she would have minded, though. After their rough start, Victoria had learned to respect Kate's determination and resourcefulness. That respect had soon developed into admiration and then into affection. Victoria and Kate couldn't be further apart when it came to their personalities, but still, Victoria found herself enjoying the smaller woman's company. She felt that with Kate, she didn't have to pretend to be anything other than who she truly was. Victoria found herself both excited and frightened about the feelings she was beginning to develop for her sister-in-arms. Nevertheless, it didn't matter; Kate's sentiments towards her were strictly professional. I mean, they must be, right?
Victoria pressed her ear against the rail again. So much for German punctuality, she thought as she rose back to a sitting position. She cast a glance at the siding. She couldn't see anyone, but she knew that Chloé, Rachelle, and Max were there. Victoria felt the flashlight in the pocket of her jacket. When the train would come, she was supposed to flash it three times to signal the awaiting trio.
Some trio indeed, Victoria thought, chuckling quietly. The three women in charge of the resistance group were completely different individuals, yet together they were extremely effective. Of the three, Chloé was a natural-born leader. Sure, she had the subtlety of a pit bull, and she acted more on instinct than consideration. To balance this, Chloé was highly intelligent and extremely concerned about her team's well-being. Chloé led by example and made sure that no one was left behind in a tough situation. Victoria might not have been the best of friends with the resistance group leader, but she did have respect for her.
Rachelle Ambre, on the other hand, was almost the complete opposite of Chloé. She was friendly, outgoing, and had the ability to make anyone feel comfortable around her. Rachelle had adopted the role of mediator between Chloé and Max in their arguments, which didn't seem to be that infrequent based on Victoria's observations. She and Rachelle had hit it off right from the start, and she'd often found herself having lengthy conversations about art and acting with the hazel-eyed woman. Victoria recognized a kindred spirit in Rachelle, but also a rival. Victoria had to admit to herself that if she had known Rachelle in high school, she'd probably competed with her for popularity and thus hated her guts.
Then there was Max Caulfield. The young Irishwoman was kind and gentle, but withdrawn. She'd gladly discuss photography with Victoria, but when it came to Max's other aspects, especially the time prior to her arrival in France, she'd end the conversation curtly. Victoria had taken notice that Max knew her way around explosives. If a sabotage mission required the use of either a timed or a triggered bomb, it would be Max's responsibility to come up with a suitable device for the job. Victoria had a gut feeling that there was more to the freckled brunette than she was letting on. Whatever it was, it made Victoria suspicious of Max.
Once more, Victoria leaned down, and this time she could hear the faint clickety-clack of a train via the rail. "The train is coming," she said to Kate as she stood up. She grabbed the flashlight and made three long flashes in the direction where the other women were waiting. A few seconds later, she saw two flashes in response from the darkness of the forest. "Okay, let's go!" Victoria put the flashlight back into her jacket pocket and began to descend from the embankment.
"Bugger!" Victoria heard Kate swearing and turned to look at the smaller woman. She was still standing between the rails and trying to pull her leg vigorously. "My foot got stuck between the rails!" she said frantically. "I can't get it loose!"
"Let me take a look," Victoria said, digging the flashlight out again and kneeling next to Kate. She pointed the light at Kate's foot and saw her boot wedged between the mainline rail and the rail leading to the siding. "Yeah, it's stuck, all right," Victoria remarked. "How'd you manage that?"
"Damned if I know!" Kate huffed. "Try to get me loose! I remember you saying that the train is coming."
Victoria turned to look down the track, and indeed, she could see a plume of smoke rising in the distance, accompanied by a set of blackout-regulated dimmed headlights. Crap!
Victoria took a firm hold of Kate's boot and tried to pull it in different directions, but it wouldn't budge. She tried twisting Kate's foot, but that only resulted in a painful wail from the smaller woman. The boot and its wearer were stuck for good.
"What if you would lay flat between the rails and wait for the train to go by?" Victoria suggested.
"Are you crazy?" Kate retorted. "The wheels of the train will maim my leg when it turns onto the siding."
"Hey, at least I'm trying!" Victoria snapped back.
"We don't have time for this," Kate said, trying to calm her voice. They both turned to look at the train, which was steadily getting closer and closer; its chuffing was now clearly audible. "Take your knife and try to cut the laces!"
Victoria reached for her knife, but she stopped. "I have a better idea!" she said and went to the switch lever. The rusty lever had been stiff to turn with both of them pulling it; now it took every last drop of her strength to get it to turn. With a lot of grunting and the extra adrenaline gained from Kate's distressed pleas to hurry, she managed to turn the lever to the other position.
"You did it! I'm free!" Kate whooped in relief as she lifted her foot and stepped off the track.
It was not a moment too soon, as the train was now only a few hundred yards away from them. Victoria tried to push the lever back, but she no longer had the strength to make it move.
"Leave it, there's no time!" Kate yelled.
Victoria let go of the lever and jumped to the other side of the track. She caught up with Kate, and they reached the edge of the forest just as the train chuffed by. They ran a few yards in the dark until Victoria suddenly felt Kate stumbling over her, and they both fell onto the ground. Victoria found herself lying on her back, looking into Kate's eyes. Their faces only a few inches apart from each other, they lied there, breathing heavily, the adrenaline rush making their hearts beat at a heightened pace.
Then, out of the blue, Kate pressed her lips against Victoria's.
Victoria's eyes widened and her body stiffened as a jolt of energy went through her. She lied there, completely immobile, as her brain struggled to comprehend what was happening. Just as Victoria was about to gain some control over her body, Kate broke their contact abruptly and jumped off from over her. Victoria stared bemusedly at Kate, who had a guilty and embarrassed look on her face. A plethora of questions ran through Victoria's mind at that moment.
"Huh, what was that all about?" was the one she chose.
"I—," Kate began stammering. "N-nothing! It was nothing!" she blurted, trying to restore her composure.
"That sure didn't feel like nothing to me," Victoria said, not quite sure whether or not there was a hint of tease in her tone.
"It was on the spur of the moment!" Kate hurried to say. "You saved my life."
Victoria opened her mouth for a teasing remark but was interrupted by hollers in German. She rose to a half-sitting position and saw that the train had stopped and that there were soldiers disembarking from the cars. "The train is full of Krauts!"
"Hurry! We must get to the others before the Jerries catch us!" Kate said, holding out her hand.
Victoria took a hold of Kate's hand and was pulled up onto her feet. Without hesitation, they began to run through the woods in the general direction of where the others were waiting. Trying to avoid hitting trunks and branches in the dark while running proved to be challenging, to say the least, but they didn't dare to run along the rails as they would basically be sitting ducks to their pursuers.
After what, in Victoria's mind, felt like an eternity, they reached the opening where their truck was parked. Victoria looked over her shoulder and saw Chloé, Rachelle, and Max coming out of hiding and running towards them.
"What happened?" Chloé asked.
"The train!" Kate said. "It was full of soldiers!"
"Merde!"
"We've got to run! The Krauts are right behind us!" Victoria added anxiously.
"Vite! In the truck!" Rachelle yelled.
None of them needed to be told twice. Max and Chloé occupied the cab, and Victoria, Rachelle, and Kate climbed onto the bed. Max started the engine and drove off. Only moments later, Victoria could see the German troops arrive at the opening. They all went flat on the bed when shots were fired after them. With every second, though, they got further from their pursuers, and the guns fell silent.
Riding on a truck bed wasn't very pleasant even under normal circumstances, and now, as Max was racing through the dark, bumpy forest road, it was an absolute ordeal. Every single bump on the road was a painful blow to whichever part of the body happened to be in contact with the bed at the time.
While struggling to stay on the bouncing truck bed, Victoria was going through tonight's events in her mind. Their misfortune with the rail switch had turned out to be a blessing. If the train had driven into the siding, Max, Chloé, and Rachelle would've been irretrievably outnumbered against what must have been at least a platoon of German soldiers. But what had gone wrong? Victoria kept wondering. Had the intel been wrong about the security of the cargo, or had they simply intercepted the wrong train? Both were plausible explanations, but Victoria couldn't help considering a third explanation. We were set up!
-ooo-
"Well...?" Chloé asked Rachelle and Max as they returned to their hiding place.
"Tout va bien," Rachelle answered.
"No sign o´ Jerries in or outside the barn," Max continued. "We can go in."
"Good!" Chloé stood up, with Kate and Victoria following suit.
"Not a moment too soon," Kate said, rubbing her hands together. "I'm starting to feel a bit chilly."
They had been there for a few hours now, hiding in a small patch of forest a little over a mile from the farm. They had managed to avoid patrols, but they had not dared to go directly to the farm, in case it had been infiltrated. They had ditched the truck and made it here. The patch was uphill from the farm and provided a line of sight to it, so they had been able to observe it from a distance.
Everything had looked peaceful, but the soldiers could have been hiding, waiting for them. After some time, they'd agreed that Max and Rachelle would circle around the farm from a distance, approach it from the opposite side, and secure the premises. Chloé, Kate, and Victoria would wait here and continue keeping an eye on the farm. Luckily, the morning twilight was slowly creeping upon them, so they could actually see something.
The wait had been frustrating; they had been praying that no shots would go off, because that would mean only one thing, and they would be too far away to do anything about it. Eventually, they'd been able to see two figures slowly approaching the barn and entering it. Soon thereafter, Max and Rachelle had come out of the barn and returned to the others.
As they walked to the farm, Victoria peered at her companions. While they had been waiting, she'd repeated the night's events in her mind over and over again, and she'd become even more determined that they had been set up. The only question that still remained unanswered was how the enemy had known about the heist, or more specifically, who had told the enemy about the heist?
Victoria cast another furtive glance at the other women. For the last month, she'd stood beside them, fighting the good fight and putting in her blood, sweat, and tears. The last month had forged them into a tight unit where everyone knew their role and everyone could trust the others to do their part. Still, how well did she actually know her sisters-in-arms? Could the traitor be one of them?
Victoria turned to face Kate. She was tempted to dismiss the petite Englishwoman for a variety of reasons, but no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she had to confess that her decision was heavily influenced by emotion. Victoria couldn't help but be drawn to Kate, and for that reason, she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, Kate Marsh, possessed all of the characteristics of an extraordinary spy. She might be playing for either side and no one would know. Was Kate deliberately causing Victoria to become emotionally attached to her? Was she nothing more than a means to an end?
Chloé, on the other hand, had every cause to despise the Nazis. Besides, although she possessed many qualities needed for an efficient spy, subtlety was not one of them. The French-American resistance fighter was either too brazen to be an enemy infiltrate, or she was a greater spy than Victoria imagined.
Rachelle appeared to have no personal vendetta against the Nazis. She'd merely joined the fight to rid her homeland of the heinous invaders. Rachelle, like Chloé, was brilliant and resourceful, but unlike the resistance group leader, she was more cautious. She was also more charming and capable of leveraging her charm to attain her objectives. Victoria couldn't believe Rachelle had betrayed them while having all the attributes of a spy. She appeared far too earnest for that.
Max Caulfield was the most mysterious of them all to Victoria. When she wasn't with Chloé, the young Irishwoman kept mostly to herself. She was vague and evasive about the events leading up to her arrival in France. What if she had been recruited by the Germans to infiltrate the resistance movement? Chloé, on the other hand, seemed to trust her completely, and Victoria had no doubt that Chloé would come to Max's rescue if she began to question her.
Victoria was almost confident that one of her comrades was the traitor, but she couldn't point the finger at anyone. She'd have to keep her eyes and ears peeled. The traitor will make a mistake sooner or later, and Victoria planned to be there to witness it.
-ooo-
A Gauloise blazed slowly, dangling between Victoria's lips as she set up the radio transmitter and tuned to this morning's frequency. She had done this ritual meticulously every morning at half past eight since their arrival. She would wait for five minutes and close the transmitter. Every morning, she'd hear only static on her headphones.
Victoria took one final puff of her cigarette before stubbing it. She put on the headphones and cast a glance at her watch. It's time, she thought, and she flicked the switch. She was greeted by a familiar static. Victoria adjusted the volume a bit and made sure that the transmitter was on the right frequency. She took a pen and rested her hand on a notepad, ready to take notes.
Victoria took another glance at her watch. She let out a sigh when she saw that two minutes had already passed and the second hand was slowly crawling towards the bottom of the watch face. How long are they going to keep us on standby?
The minute hand reached 34. Victoria laid the index finger of her free hand on the power switch, ready to turn the transmitter off. Right then, the static changed into morse codes. A jolt of excitement flashed through Victoria's body as she began writing. A couple of minutes later, the beeping turned back to static, and Victoria turned the transmitter off.
Victoria turned to look at her notes. It was a sequence of random letters and numbers. She grabbed her code book and quickly deciphered the text. Once done, she looked at the deciphered message. It said: "Investigate and record the fortifications and anti-aircraft artillery at Calais. Once completed, contact us with a predetermined message and await further instructions. End."
The invasion landing takes place in Calais! Victoria thought. She lit another cigarette and took a long puff. Calais made perfect sense. The Strait of Dover was the narrowest point of the English Channel, providing the shortest possible passage over water and facilitating the swift delivery of troops and equipment. The area was obviously heavily fortified, and hence the intelligence provided by Victoria and Kate would be needed to mitigate that.
Victoria took a final glance at the message before she flicked her lighter and lit the paper. She let it burn almost completely between her fingers before she dropped it to the ground and put it out with the tip of her boot.
Victoria was feeling almost giddy when she went looking for Kate. Finally, she'd be able to put her talent into use. During these past weeks, Victoria had tried the Leica only once to confirm that it was in working order, but otherwise, she'd just been fiddling it restlessly. Well, no more fiddling. Now it was time for Victoria and Kate to earn their paycheck.
Victoria found Kate in the common quarters with the other women. She walked straight to the petite Englishwoman and grabbed her arm.
"Did you receive our orders?" Kate asked with enthusiasm as she saw the expression on Victoria's face.
"I sure did!" Victoria answered. "I know where and when the invasion takes place!"
"Splendid! We need to start preparations straight away!"
"So, where are the Allies going to land?" Max asked curiously?
"That's need to know," Victoria said bluntly.
"'ey, we're all on the same side 'ere. Surely you can tell us?" the Irishwoman said, taken aback from Victoria's response.
"Are we now?" Victoria said sardonically. "I'm just wondering what you would do with that information? Perhaps slip it to your Nazi handler like you did the train job?"
"Arrête toi là!" Chloé snapped, standing up. "How dare you accuse Max to be a traitor?"
"Victoria, I have to agree with Chloé here," Kate said. "That is a serious accusation. Do you have any proof to back your words?"
"Well, no…" Victoria said, having lost a bit of her bravado. "But you have to ask yourself, how well do you actually know her?" she asked Chloé.
"What do you mean?" Chloé asked, taking Max's side."Of course I know her!"
"Do you really?" Victoria asked back. "You haven't heard a single word from her in five years, and then, all of a sudden, she appears at your doorstep. To me, that sounds suspicious as hell!"
"Well, it's wartime," Chloé objected. "Not very easy to keep in touch with people."
"Have you even once asked about what she did during those years? Or were you just glad to have your little plaything back?"
"Well, Princess, that's rich coming from you!" Chloé answered sharply. "You've been staring at Kate so much that it's a miracle you haven't burned a hole in her!"
"You think I haven't noticed?" Chloé continued, realizing she had caught Victoria completely off guard. "How Kate has managed to ignore you the entire time is the only thing that surprises me."
"Well, uh..." Victoria stammered, looking at Kate, who was staring at her perplexed. "T-that's totally beside the point!" she finally managed to say.
"The point is that I trust Max completely, which is a helluva lot more that I can say about you!" Chloé barked.
"Well, I don't, and that's final!"
"Très bien, fais comme tu veux!" Chloé said, staring coldly at Victoria. "We will keep our end of the agreement with the OSS. We'll provide the means for you to get wherever the hell it is you need to go. After that, you're on your own."
Author's notes:
It's been a while since the last update. Things are beginning to set in motion, but is Victoria going to screw things up by being, well Victoria?