Their Friendship And Concern

Garrison limped painfully along the cold forest pathway, the driving rain blinding him as he stumbled across half-hidden tree roots and small rocks, each jarring movement causing him to gasp in pain as it tore at his badly swollen and twisted knee. His teeth chattered as the freezing cold penetrated his already abused body.

The mission had started to go wrong from the start, but like a fool he had insisted that they could pull it back together. All they needed to do was concentrate on what they had to do. He had been wrong; the last sight he'd had of his team was Actor diving for cover, along with Chief, as the German patrol that had stumbled upon them opened fire. Casino had captured Goniff as he dropped under the hail of bullets, the safecracker sparing not a glance for the others as he scrambled back into the undergrowth, nearly carrying the other man. Garrison had remained behind to give his men time to escape, firing upon the patrol until he was sure they had regrouped, but a bullet through the arm had ruined his concentration and, realising that he was fighting a losing battle, he had turned to flee into the protection of the forest himself.

As he had raced along the winding, twisting pathways of the large forest, he could hear the enemy behind him and this gave him the adrenaline to increase his speed. However, after twenty minutes of that gruelling pace his foot had caught a hidden tree root and he had gone spinning to the ground with deadly force. He lay stunned for several minutes, blinking at the darkening sky he could see through the tree tops, until the distant sound of pursuit caused him to scramble to his feet and begin to run again, only to land upon the ground in a crumpled heap as his right leg gave way under him. He cried out in agony and spent several seconds rolling about, holding his knee and upper leg, until finally the world stopped spiralling and he was able to stagger up, using the support of a tree, and half-hop/half-stagger away from the enemy who were starting to catch up with him, unaware of the trail of blood that was splattering the trail behind him.

That was several hours ago, and he was now nearing the end of his strength; the worry for his men, loss of blood and the injury to his knee were draining his ability to think straight. Suddenly, inexplicably, he was slumped on the ground without the knowledge of how he came to be there. The trees above him were spinning, his eyes were plying games and his breath was leaving his body faster than he was able to retrieve it. He slid into unconsciousness without even realising it.

***

Actor rested against the fallen tree stump and concentrated on getting his breath back. Reaching up, he wiped water from his eyes and squinted in the direction that Chief had disappeared to. He could see nothing; the driving rain had managed to penetrate even the shade of the trees overhead.

He thought back over the last few hours and the shock of the unexpected attack; of seeing Goniff hit and Casino rescuing the smaller man, even as the conman registered that the pickpocket had been hit. Then Chief had pulled at his arm, pushing him back towards the protection of the forest, and he had followed out of reaction. As they had fled, they could hear the lone chatter of a machine gun and knew that, once more, Garrison had remained behind to cover their retreat.

That had been several hours ago, and there was still no sign of the other man. Chief had led them away from the attack, only to circle back within the hour. The clearing was empty, and Garrison was nowhere to be found. The Indian had begun to look concerned, and as much as he wanted to track the lieutenant's path, he knew that they first had to find Casino and the injured Goniff.

A noise attracted his attention, and he let out a sigh of relief as Chief appeared. "Any sign?" Actor asked as he watched the Indian approach.

The other man shook his head; he was not looking at all happy. "Thought I found a track... some blood on the floor, but the rain... it's washed away any other sign.... I think Casino must have gone to ground."

"Is there anywhere about here that he would know about?" Actor asked in some surprise.

Again the Indian shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Taking a deep breath, mentally readying himself for another slog in the pouring rain, Actor slowly stood and stretched out already-tired muscles. "I don't suppose you found any sign of the lieutenant.?" He asked the question with slight hope in his tone.

Chief didn't even bother to acknowledge the question as he spun about and disappeared back into the undergrowth. The conman wondered if he would get away with just staying where he was, but then he realised that it would only cause more problems... so, with another sign of frustration, he followed the smaller man.

***

Casino was in a foul mood. He knew that the mission was going to go wrong as soon as he jumped from that damned plane, and he'd made no secret of the fact with the others. Yet, as usual, Garrison had chosen to ignore his warnings and what had it got them?

He twisted about to check on his injured companion; Goniff had slipped into a restless, semi-sleeping state. The little pickpocket had caught a nasty injury between his neck and shoulder - the bullet had cut a jagged pathway through the fleshy part of the shoulder, leaving a gaping wound and a lot of blood. After they had escaped from the ambush, Casino had been frantic to stop the bleeding and get them to safety. He had totally lost sight of the others, and now wished that he had taken the time to check on them before fleeing the Germans. Yet he knew that his first priority had to be to get his injured friend away.

He rubbed at his forehead. A headache was starting to grow behind his eyes, and the pounding rain didn't help. He looked about again, desperately wanting to find some sort of shelter for Goniff. Whilst he had cleaned and bandaged the wound as best he could, Casino was still very conscious of infection setting in. He was also torn between putting Goniff in a safe hiding place and going to look for the others, or remaining with his friend.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" a quiet, pain-filled voice asked from beside him. Turning, Casino saw the concerned look on Goniff's features.

"Nah..." he lied. "They're big enough to look after themselves."

"I thought I heard a lone machine gun going after we left the clearing," Goniff commented, moving to get more comfortable, then wincing at the pain this caused.

"You were so far out of it, I'm surprised that you heard anything," Casino said with a smile in his voice, trying to side-track the other man.

"I heard the gun," Goniff stated firmly, before adding, "That must have been the Warden."

"I know," the safecracker acknowledged. Then, pushing his own fears aside, he began with more faith than he felt, "They're more than likely sitting somewhere warm, wondering where the hell we are."

"I doubt it," Goniff shot back, then after a few seconds of silence he added, "Why don't you go and look for them?"

"I can't," Casino snapped, not wanting to get into this argument at the moment.

"I'll be all right," the pickpocket insisted, looking about the wooded area with some trepidation and difficulty as his wound flared with pain again. "I'll just wait here for you," he finished with a gasp.

"No," snapped Casino, his tone indicating that he was not going to discuss it any more. Then, seeing the look of reproach this earned him, he relented and offered, "Look, let's find somewhere out of the rain to rest up, then we'll see... okay?"

Goniff knew that this was the best compromise he was going to get, so he closed his eyes against the pain and slowly tilted his head in a gentle nod. Then, on a more hopeful note, he added, "Didn't the Warden mention some caves over near the cliffs?" He pointed through the forest towards the jagged cliffs that they could just see rising out of the trees.

"Yeah..." Casino confirmed, remembering the pre-mission briefing that had taken place just before they left the Mansion. "The Warden said that there were some caves in the area." Standing, he settled his weapon more comfortably about his shoulders before he reached out and gently helped the other man to his feet, saying, "Let's see if we can find them."

***

The rain was the first thing he felt; it had been falling for quite a while - he had unconsciously noted it, but had not made any effort to get out of the downpour. Now it was beginning to fall even harder, and he was finding it more difficult to ignore it. In the end he had given up and opened his eyes.

The trees looked terribly tall, and he knew he was laying on the ground. He tilted his head and looked at the earth that lay just under his head. He was trying to figure out why he was lying in the dirt, in the rain. In a flood of memory it returned and he started to sit up. The agony from his leg cautioned him to go carefully, and as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his hand went to the hole in his arm. He could see that the bullet had passed right through and that he must have, at some point, tied a piece of rough cloth about it to stop the bleeding, but now it was throbbing in time with his injured leg. He checked the leg wound and winced, feeling slightly sick as he watched blood oozing from the hole that had been caused by the sharpened wood that he had fallen upon when he had tripped earlier on in the day. He had tried his best to clean the jagged cut, but could tell from the ominous pulsing he felt that he had not completely succeeded.

He sat for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and deciding what he was going to do next. He had to find the other members of his team, but he had no idea where to start. He realised that he was shivering uncontrollably and knew that, if he was going to prevent himself from coming down with a serious infection, he needed to get out of the rain. Fumbling in one of his pockets, he pulled out a map and a compass and, checking the position of the cliffs, he used the meagre light from the sun to plot a course to the nearby caves. He hoped that his men would realise that it was the safest place to wait the weather out, and also to offer some protection against the cold that came with the night. Garrison wasn't particularly worried about the German patrol that had ambushed them any more, since he knew that they would have more sense than to be out for long in weather this bad.

With teeth gritted, he climbed slowly to his feet and began to hobble in the direction of the caves. After a few minutes, he discovered the taste of blood in his mouth and realised that he had bitten through his bottom lip in his effort to stop from crying out.

***

Actor desperately wanted to hit the Indian member of the team. He rarely felt such a strong emotion, but after blindly stumbling about the forest after Chief in the cold and rain for most of the afternoon, without even finding a sign of the others, he was close to breaking point.

"Are we going to walk about this damned forest all night?" Actor demanded as Chief stalked back toward him, his eyes firmly fixed upon the path before him.

"If we have to," the Indian stated, not bothering to look at the other man; it was not the first time he'd heard the other's complaint.

"We have no hope of finding them, do we?" It was not intended to be a question, yet it came out as one, nevertheless.

Chief stopped and looked at the conman, then tilted his head up towards the falling rain, totally ignoring the water as it plastered his hair to his head. "We have a few more hours until darkness."

"Until darkness... how the hell can you tell in this weather?" snapped Actor, wiping the water from his face with an air of frustration.

"We've got to find them." It was a quietly-spoken statement, yet it had all the hidden fears that Chief tried so hard to hide. He had always been a loner, never trusting anyone... no-one, that is, until Garrison.

Actor closed his eyes, wanting to scream at the frustration of it all. "I know that we've got to find them," he finally admitted, his accent stronger because of his anger, then added, "but we can't see anything in this rain. It's getting colder and, Chief..." the quietly spoken tone of his name got the Indian's attention as he turned to look at his friend, "I can't keep going any longer. I'm exhausted and frozen, and I lost the feeling in my feet over an hour ago."

At his words, the other's face fell and Chief started forward in concern. Actor, seeing the expression, held up his hand in exasperation, preventing the motion and informing Chief sharply, "From the cold... I've lost the feeling in my feet because I'm so cold, that's all." He looked slightly shame-faced at having snapped at the Indian and caused him worry.

The action brought home to Chief just how tired he was and, looking at his friend, he could see that Actor was not lying; he looked out on his feet. Turning, he looked back along the track that he had been following, knowing that he was only following that route because he didn't know where else to go. "There are some caves over in that direction... we could head over there for the night, and then start looking again in the morning."

Actor tried to hide his look of relief, but failed miserably. With the thought of getting out of the rain came another idea. "Do you think the others might have had the same idea... about getting out of the rain?"

Chief's head snapped up and a new light entered his eyes. "They might have," he offered, then continued, considering the options, "The Warden would have known about them, and the others might remember from the briefing."

"If Goniff was hurt, then surely Casino would have tried to get him out of the rain?" Actor offered.

"Damn it, I should have thought to look there first," Chief stated, annoyed that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"How far are they?" the conman asked, looking through the rain, hopefully in the right direction.

"About a mile... maybe two - we've wandered quite a bit," Chief said, doing a slow turn to gather his bearings once more. "But if we head off now, at our present speed, we could be there in about fifty, maybe sixty minutes."

Moving to stand beside the other man, Actor held out his hand to indicate that he was ready to go. Chief, expecting to see condemnation upon the other's face because he hadn't thought of the caves sooner, was pleased to see only hopefulness and trust. With that thought warming him, he gave Actor one of his rare smiles and headed off in the direction of the caves.

***

Garrison was in serious trouble. The trek to the caves was starting to resemble a nightmare. He was forced to stop every hundred feet or so to gather his waning strength before he staggered onwards.

Night was just starting to show signs of approaching and he knew that, once darkness fell, he would not be able to continue, as the half-hidden roots and branches were already causing him considerable problems.

He came upon a large clearing and debated whether to go about the edge, using the trees for support, or cut through the middle. He decided not to go around, as time and the weather were against him. As he moved further out of the cover of the trees, he heard voices behind him and turned sharply, desperately seeking safety, but his leg screamed in protest at the action and he fell full-length upon the ground, unable to prevent the cry of agony that issued from his lips.

When the world stopped spinning and the darkness retreated enough for him to see, he looked up to find an elderly man standing directly over him frowning, a large, old-fashioned hunting gun held loosely in one hand, the muzzle pointing casually in Garrison's direction. Beside him stood a young woman; she smiled hesitantly at the injured man. Garrison licked at dry lips and, in German, explained how he was attacked by persons unknown, and kindly asked for some assistance, a grateful smile plastered across his face.

The forester waited patiently for Garrison to finish then, shaking his head, he demanded, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" As he spoke, he used his gun to poke roughly at the fallen man. This earned him a cry of protest from the young woman, who pushed past him to kneel by Garrison's side.

"How badly are you hurt?" she asked in genuine concern, reaching out a hand as if to touch the blood that was soaking his sleeve from the bullet hole in his arm.

Garrison yanked back his arm in reaction, then hissed at the pain this caused before he answered, through gritted teeth, "I was separated from my unit... then attacked."

"Attacked...?" sneered the forester. "By whom...? The enemy...? Here, in heart of Germany...?" Then, motioning beseechingly towards the young girl, he demanded, "You believe him?"

She pouted at the other's words and spoke in Garrison's defence, "Well papa, he has been attacked."

"Yes, but who did the attacking... hm...?" He spun about, motioning towards the trees that surrounded them. "And why out here, eh...? I don't like it... I think he is a spy, maybe we should report him."

With failing strength he tried to struggle to his feet, opening his mouth to defend himself. He was unable to just lay there while a discussion about his life went on over his head, but his frantic movement unintentionally applied unbearable pressure upon his injured leg and it gave out under him again. With a cry of agony he slumped to the ground, feeling despair as the world about him darkened. His last sight was the beautiful face of the young woman crumpling with shock as he slipped into unconsciousness with a groan of frustration, as his last chance of freedom slipped away.

***

Chief sharply motioned for Actor to stop, and the conman had learnt from past experience to do as the other asked. He watched with some apprehension as the Indian slowly lowered his hand and disappeared into the darkness. They had been walking for just over an hour, and they were nearly at their objective. Up ahead, Actor could just make out the outline of the cliffs and the caves that lay hidden within them.

As he waited, Actor thought back over the events of the day and knew that - as far as missions went - this had to rate among the worst. Casino had been griping more than usual, and even the Warden had seemed distracted. That last thought caused the conman to frown. Garrison had seemed out of sorts of late, ever since the mission with Major Richards, and no amount of prying had been able to discover what the problem was... although Actor was convinced that it was only bad luck that had caused this particular mission to go wrong. The contact had not arrived at the meeting place, and Garrison had insisted that they continue the mission without the help of the local intelligence group... and then meeting with that German patrol had been the icing on the cake, as far as their bad luck went.

A noise just in front of him caused him to bring up the machine gun he was carrying, and he held it firmly in position until Chief appeared, a relieved smile upon his face as he offered, "They're in a cave just up there." He pointed towards the darkness behind him.

"Garrison?" Actor asked, moving to stand beside his friend.

As he approached, he saw a shadow sweep across the handsome face, then disappear as the Indian answered, "No... only Casino and Goniff." Chief spun about and, heading back in the direction that he'd come, continued, "Goniff was hit, but Casino said it's not too bad... although from what I just saw, he's a bit feverish."

"I'll have a look... if it's bad we'll have to get some proper medicine." As he spoke, he tapped the bag that held their meagre medical supplies.

"I'll go looking for the Warden at first light," Chief stated, his tone brooking no argument, and the conman was wise enough not to comment, knowing that once the Indian's mind was made up, it would not be easily altered... in fact Garrison was the only man Actor knew who could bend Chief's will to his own.

"If you think it's best," Actor conceded as they approached the entrance of what looked like a small cave. "They're in here?" he questioned, not sure that there was enough room to fit four men.

"This is just a front section; there's a gap at the back that leads to a bigger cave," Chief supplied, as he matched action to word and disappeared into the nearly-hidden gap.

Actor looked surprised, but bravely followed. He paused as his eyes adjusted to the light in the large cave that he found himself standing in. A very relieved-looking Casino approached him, slapping him on his arm and saying, "I knew you guys would find us."

"How's Goniff?" Actor asked, moving past the safecracker and over towards the smaller man who was laying upon a rough, makeshift bed, tossing his head slightly as he mumbled in a fevered dream.

"He caught a bullet across his shoulder, up near his neck," Casino explained, squatting down beside the conman. "Was damned lucky... another few inches to the right and he'd have no wind pipe."

Gently undoing the roughly-applied bandage, Actor had to agree with the other's comments as he revealed a nasty, but not lethal-looking jagged wound which was slowly oozing blood. "How long has he been feverish?" he asked, pulling the bag he carried in front of him and reaching for the sulphur and clean bandages that he had buried there.

"He was complaining of being a bit hot this afternoon, but he made it to the cave. He collapsed shortly after he arrived; I guess he used up all his strength just getting here.... The little pickpocket's got guts, you know," he added with affection and a glimmer of pride.

Actor looked at Casino and saw the lines of concern that had etched themselves upon his face. While the safecracker might like to act the tough hoodlum, he was basically a very gentle person underneath who would go out of his way to help a friend. With a surprised ripple of shock, Actor realised that Casino now considered them his friends. "He'll be fine," he confirmed gently, turning back to the task at hand before adding, "You did a very good job Casino, getting him here and looking after him."

Casino sat back on his heels, obviously pleased with the other's words, before he agreed with a broad smile, "Yeah... I did, didn't I?"

"Did you see any sign of the Warden?" Chief's voice was icy cold, a sure sign that he was close to the edge. Actor knew that trouble was brewing; ever since Garrison had saved the Indian's life, Chief had insisted upon becoming the Warden's unofficial bodyguard, even to the extent of attacking Casino when Chief considered the other's complaints to be unfair. The conman could only put the Indian's intense reaction down to the fact that he had never had another person who cared about whether he lived or not - until the Warden... and slowly, brick by brick, Garrison was breaking through the wall that Chief had built about himself as protection.

Casino, as if realising this, slowly shook his head. "We looked, but well... what with Goniff and all..." He paused, looking back at the smaller man. "I kinda hoped that we'd find him here." He stopped and chewed at his bottom lip before he confessed, "I did a quick search of the nearby caves... once I'd got Goniff settled, but I didn't want to leave him alone for too long," he finished lamely.

"You did right," Actor stated, looking up from his chosen task. "For all we know, the Warden's buried in somewhere safe and waiting for daylight to come looking for us."

"I'll go look..."

Chief began to head towards the entrance of the cave, but Actor cut him off sharply: "No... wait for morning." Seeing the annoyed look this earned him, he felt his own anger rise and stated firmly, "You'll break your neck trying to search these caves at night... not to mention that we are all nearly out on our feet." He sat back, considering their options before he continued, "Casino, you take the first sleep shift, I'll watch Goniff. Chief, you keep watch in the outer cave. I'll relieve you in about four hours, then you get some rest while Casino watches Goniff." As he spoke he looked at each man in turn, waiting until he got their nod of agreement before his look passed on. "We're all worried about the Warden," he offered Chief, before turning back to the injured Goniff, "but he would expect us to keep each other safe first, and that is what we are going to do."

Shortly after Chief had left to guard the outer cave, Casino settled himself down to sleep, saying, "You'll wake me in four hours then?"

"No problem," Actor confirmed, not taking his eyes from Goniff as he wet a cloth and gently bathed the fevered face of his friend.

"You know, I told the Warden this mission was going to go bad," Casino commented dryly as he pulled his jacket over his shoulders for more warmth, his movement indicating that he was having trouble getting comfortable.

"You say that about every mission," Actor informed the smug-sounding safecracker.

"Well then, I had to be right sometime... eh?" came back the smart-mouthed reply.

"Go to sleep, Casino," Actor shot back, sounding every inch like an annoyed adult returning a child to bed for the hundredth time.

***

Garrison awoke to a feeling of great peace. The sound of birds singing outside reached his ears and he lay for a while, floating along on the memories that they evoked, until finally the knowledge that he was not alone penetrated his senses and he had to open his eyes to see who was watching him.

"You were smiling," the young woman from the forest commented, a slightly wistful smile crossing her own face at her words.

"I know," he confessed, before he realised that she had spoken in English and he had answered in the same.

He opened his mouth to explain his slip, but she gently placed a finger over his lips and advised gently, "You've been feverish and speaking American for most of the night."

Garrison took a few moments to absorb this information, observing his surroundings as he did so. He was in a small but tidy bedroom; the single bed took up most of the room and just to his left was an open window, the sight of the trees swaying just a slight distance away. At the bottom of the bed was a large, roughly-made dresser upon which stood an old, cracked porcelain bowl with an even older-looking water jug beside it. Also, he noted with some surprise, his wounds had been expertly tended, the bullet removed from his arm and a dressing applied, while his injured leg was also bound and now rested under the covers, his knee propped up.

"Where am I?" he finally managed to ask, unsure of how he had ended up in the bedroom between the crisp white sheets of a very soft bed, when he should have awoken within the walls of a German prison cell.

"You're in our home," the young woman stated as she leant across and straightened the bedcovers that had shifted with his movement. "I'd remain still if I was you... your knee is badly swollen, but Papa doesn't think that it's broken... just badly twisted, and we had to remove some shards of wood from the wound above it."

"Your father..." Garrison asked, feeling like he'd awoken in the middle of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. With an effort he pushed the disorientation away and began to pull his thoughts in order. "The man with the big gun?"

She smiled again at his words, before nodding and confiding in a tone of one passing on a secret, "I don't think he has any bullets for it, that's why they let us keep it."

"Who?"

"The soldiers, of course."

"Why am I here?" Garrison gritted out, wishing that he could move... but just tilting the knee to gauge its reaction had sent a crashing wave of agony flashing though his body.

"Please don't move," she begged, standing up and resting her hands upon his shoulders, preventing him from moving further.

He slumped back and lay panting for a few moments as the exertion exacted it toll. "Why am I here?" he asked again, once the pain was back under control.

She closed her eyes, as if pushing an unpleasant thought from her mind before answering, "They would have killed you... and we... didn't.... want that."

"You know that I'm an American." It was a statement of fact.

"That doesn't matter. You can stay here for a while. Once you're better... then you can go." It seemed like a child's solution, but Garrison knew that every moment he spent under his kind benefactors' roof would only place them at further risk.

"I can't stay here..." Garrison rasped out angrily. "If anyone found out, you'd be killed - shot as traitors, both you and your father."

The young girl pouted at his bad manners before stating firmly, "All right... you walk out of this room and you can leave." As she spoke she stood up and, walking to the door, she opened it for him.

Garrison sank further back upon the bed, closing his eyes in utter frustration. He knew that he was not going to be able to make it to the door, let alone out of the house and to the forest. Suddenly another thought hit him: snapping his eyes open, he demanded, "Did you find anyone else?"

"Anyone else?" she questioned, relaxing back into her chair when it became obvious that her patient was not about to try leaving.

For a few moments Garrison was torn between mentioning his men or not, just in case the woman was a German spy who was trying to extract the location of his men from him. Looking into the sweet young face, he dismissed the idea but found himself asking instead, "Why are you helping me?"

"Because they would have..." she began, but Garrison held up his hand, not wanting to hear her repeat herself about the soldiers killing him. She paused, then realising that only the truth would help this man trust her, she began hesitatingly, the memory obviously painful, "My brother... he was only fourteen when he joined the Hitler youth movement, just before the war. We were proud of him, and he looked so handsome in his uniform." She paused, obviously picturing the young man in question, then giving herself a mental shake, she continued haltingly as she searched for the right words, "We - my father and I - thought that Hitler was going to bring us a new Germany; he spoke of such dreams. My father remembers the first war... how bad it was afterwards... and he so wanted to believe in those dreams." She stopped again, and Garrison could see how hard it was for her to tell this story. Without realising it, he reached out a hand and gently took hers. She accepted the offered support and continued, "One day he came home, very proud of himself, strutting about the kitchen, saying that he'd done a good thing... we should be pleased that he was a good German." Her tone was bitter, bottom lip trembling as she hurried on, "Then he told us what he'd done... our neighbours, an old couple... very good friends... Papa knew them all his life, they never hurt anyone... and because they never had any children they used to give Klaus and me presents, or have us over for tea.... That was until Klaus reported them to the authorities, had them dragged off like cattle..." She stopped, unable to go on.

"They were Jewish?" Garrison asked, his own tone revealing how sorry he was for the girl's pain.

She tilted her head, ashamed to show her face as tears slipped down her slightly plump cheeks. "Yes, but they weren't like the ones Hitler talked about - they were poor... just like us. Father was so ashamed, so upset... to hear Klaus brag about how they had treated them... beat them because they were unable to move faster... He bragged about how they treated them like the animals they were." She spat the last words out, then gathering her temper she took a deep breath and finished, "Father had a terrible row with Klaus... threw him out of the house that night... saying that he was no longer his son, the little child that he'd rocked to sleep on his knee... Not any more; he was a creature of Hitler, believing every lie that that monster told... only it's broken my father's heart."

"I'm so sorry," was all that Garrison could say, understanding how this war was tearing families apart, and realising deep in his heart that he could trust this young woman and her father.

She bravely wiped quickly at her tears, determined not to allow the pain to overtake her. Lifting her head up, she proudly stated, "We will not give you over to those... to those animals... Papa said so... and Papa is a man of his word."

"But I can't stay here," Garrison tried to reason, knowing that this woman and her father only wanted to help him, then held up his hand as she began to protest. "It's just too dangerous... I can't let you take that risk." He paused as a thought came to him. "But if you... if you or your father could... could contact my friends... they should... still be in the forest somewhere... if you can reach them, then they will help."

"Of course... anything... do you know where in the forest...? I can get my father to go look for them," she answered.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember where he'd been heading before he'd come upon the girl and her father. "The caves," he finally said, opening his eyes and looking at the young woman.

She nodded in understanding and offered, standing as she did so, "Papa is out in the barn, I'll ask him to go and find them."

"Does your father speak English?" Garrison suddenly asked, concerned that her father might fall foul of Chief's deadly knife.

"Not much.... Why, don't your people speak German?"

"Only one does, and the others might attack first and ask questions later," he advised, wincing as he witnessed the colour leave her face at his words.

"I will tell him to be very careful," she offered, chewing at her bottom lip before she brightened and asked, an idea forming, "What is your name?"

"My name?" Garrison questioned, thrown by the sudden turn in the conversation.

"Yes... I will tell father to call out your name as he approaches the caves.... Your men will surely recognise it, and if he holds out his hands and carries no weapon?" She was asking a question... would his men shoot an unarmed man?

Garrison didn't like the idea of sending the older man into danger, but he knew that the longer he stayed within the house he was endangering them more than a likely attack from his men. Finally he agreed, "I think he would be safe... as long as he takes no weapons and calls out my name."

"Then that is what we will do," she confirmed. Then, giving him a bright smile, she said, "Now you must try to get some more rest and I will bring some soup when I return."

Garrison lay looking at the closed door for a while, then tilting his head back towards the window he listened once more to the birds that sung just outside. Closing his eyes he could almost place himself back in his childhood home, almost smell his mother baking bread downstairs. He was asleep before he realised it.

***

Actor awoke with a start, leaning up on one elbow before he realised that he was safe. Looking about the cave he blinked, not recognising the usual surroundings of the mansion back in England. His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light and he saw Casino leaning over Goniff, checking the little thief, who had slipped from fevered dreams to normal sleep in the early hours of the morning. "How is he?" he asked, sitting up in the makeshift bed and pulling his jacket on.

Casino glanced up towards Actor, then back at his friend. "He's definitely getting better; he was just snoring his head off... that's more than likely what woke you," he added with a slight smile.

Actor smiled; Goniff's snoring ability was a standing joke between the four cons. The truth of the matter was that Goniff didn't really snore that badly, but none of the other three would inform him of this... they'd just shake their heads and complain that his snoring was keeping them awake.

"Where's Chief?" Actor asked, wondering if he had returned to guarding the front cave, although he suspected he knew where the other man was.

"Where do you think?" Then, seeing the raised eyebrow the other threw his way, he offered, "Out looking for the Warden... up at first light, prowling about like a caged tiger, then he just ups and says that he's searching the other caves."

"I hope he finds him," Actor confessed with feeling, knowing that their lives would be very difficult until they did.

"If he's around here, then that Indian will find him," Casino offered, seeing the other's concern.

Actor nodded, then climbing slowly to his feet he stretched and informed the safecracker dryly, "I guess it's my turn to prepare breakfast."

Within fifteen minutes Actor had what passed for breakfast bubbling over the meagre camp fire. Looking at the small tin he'd just emptied into the boiling water, he commented, "You know, this stuff tastes terrible back in England, but out here it doesn't seem too bad." His tone was full of irony, but it went totally over the other's head.

"Actor!" Casino accused in a shocked voice. "You've been on way too many missions if you think that tinned shit tastes anything like normal food."

Actor opened his mouth to retort, but stopped as Chief silently slipped into the cave. One look at his darkened features informed both men that he had not been successful in his search.

"He's not anywhere around here," he confirmed, his movements agitated. "I even went back to the clearing where they attacked us. The Jerrys are still searching, but they are going in totally the wrong direction."

"Well, that's one piece of good luck," Actor said, wishing that Garrison was here to take on the responsibility of getting the men out alive. The conman knew that Chief was not about to leave the area without the Warden, but Actor added nonetheless, "We will have to think about moving on, just in case they decide to check the caves."

"Not without the Warden," came the expected reply from the native American, his body as tense as a coiled spring, ready to fight the issue.

"Chief, you know the routine..." Actor stated about his own frustrations. "If Garrison was mobile, he'd have been here by now."

Before Actor could continue, Casino butted in, "Then the Krauts must have him." Seeing the look this earned him, he defended himself, "If he was mobile and free, he'd be here... right?" He turned to Chief for support.

Actor sighed and, seeing that - for once - the two men were in agreement, he finally agreed reluctantly, "I think our safecracker friend here has a point."

"So we go in and get him out," Chief snapped, not wanting to hear any reasonable argument against trying to find the Warden.

Actor held up his hand to prevent any further offers of reckless action and offered, "I will go into town and get a uniform, then I can move about and ask questions... try to find out if they have him and where he is."

"I'll come with you," Chief offered firmly, already heading towards the entrance of the cave, eager for action.

"Chief," Actor snapped angrily, annoyed at the man. "Chief," he began again in a more reasonable tone as the other man spun back into the cave. "I'm going to have some food, then I will go into town... on my own." He held up his hand again, forestalling any arguments by harshly stating, "You don't speak the language, and I don't want to have to bust you out of some prison before we can go after the Warden. Besides," he added, trying to be reasonable, "with Goniff off his feet and the Germans still searching for us, both you and Casino are needed here to watch out for him."

"He's right, you know, " Casino slipped in, his tone nearly reasonable until he ruined it by adding, "He'll also move faster without you to hold him back."

"I don't like it," the Indian stated firmly, wanting to do more than just sit about waiting for the other's return. Then, seeing Actor open his mouth to argue, he hastily added, "I know, I know... I don't have to like it... just do it."

Actor nodded, satisfied that the Indian would do as asked, before turning back to stir the breakfast, adding, "Besides, Garrison still might turn up here... so it would be a good idea if you keep a lookout while I'm gone." Chief nodded and, turning, he began to slip through the gap in the wall. "Not staying for breakfast?" Actor queried, holding up a spoon on which lay some of the watery stew for the other man to see.

The Indian wrinkled his nose, totally disgusted, and slowly shook his head. "Nah... can't stomach the stuff," he confessed before leaving the cave.

"See," Casino agreed vehemently, acting as if his dislike of the C-rations had been vindicated. "Nobody likes that damned stuff."

Actor looked at the spoon with the watery stew and, lifting it to his mouth, he made a big show of slurping it noisily down. "Loverly," he commented in a Cockney accent Goniff would have been proud of.

***

Chief glanced at his watch for the hundredth time in as many minutes. As promised, Actor had left right after eating, and that was nearly three hours ago. The Indian was not expecting the conman back for quite a few hours yet. With another glance back at the cave entrance, he began to make his way about the surrounding area, keeping his eyes and ears open for any movement or noise.

He paused, tilting his head slightly to one side as he caught a slight sound off to his left. With sure senses, he glided in the direction of the noise and heard another snap of a twig. Someone was definitely headed towards the cave. With the ease of long practice, the knife appeared in his hand and he melted back into the forest, becoming one with his surroundings.

He slipped behind a large tree, just in front of the prey he was stalking, and waited patiently for the man to reach his hiding place... then, with one smooth, fluid motion, he glided out and wrapped his arm about the other's neck and held the knife tightly across the exposed throat.

The man gasped and nearly dropped to the ground in shock, and it was only the tight hold that Chief had on him that prevented him from doing so. "Garrison," he croaked, barely able to speak. "Craig Garrison," he voiced again for good measure as the strangle-hold upon him loosened in surprise.

Chief roughly spun the older man about, his face tight with rage as he demanded, "Where is he?"

The German looked frightened and confused, not understanding the other's words, before he repeated the name again, "Garrison. Craig Garrison." His strong German accent made the name sound odd, but it was unmistakable to the Indian.

Chief thought he was going to strike the man out of sheer frustration, but knew that he could not as the old man was the only tangible link to the Warden that they had. Seeing that the man didn't speak enough English to explain how he knew the Warden's name, the Indian decided that he would return to the cave with him and await Actor's return. Spinning the man roughly around, he shoved him in the direction of the cave, keeping his knife within visible striking distance of the German, and making sure the man kept walking in the direction he wanted with gentle prods of the deadly weapon.

Casino was on his feet with his gun ready as Chief forced the elderly German though the narrow crack from the first cave. The frightened man barely made it though, his size counting against him. As he entered and saw another man holding a gun, he held up his hands even higher and repeated, "Garrison?"

"Who the hell is this?" Casino demanded, keeping his gun firmly directed at the man.

"I don't know, but he knows where the Warden is," Chief snapped, moving the man near to the other wall, well away from the entrance, and away from the injured Goniff, who was now awake and watching the proceedings with keen interest. "He keeps saying Garrison's name, so he must know where he is."

"Why'd you bring him back here?" Goniff asked. He had awoken a few hours previously, and had been protesting that he felt better and wanted to get up to help look for the Warden, but neither of the other men had listened to him, mainly because they could both see how pale he still was, and he had been firmly ordered to remain upon the roughly-made bed until Actor's return. The fact that he'd been content to do as told indicated just how poorly he was still feeling, no matter how much he protested to the otherwise.

"So why not ask him?" Casino said, moving to stand beside Chief, totally ignoring the little pickpocket's exclamation as he asked his own question.

"He doesn't speak any English, and as Actor pointed out this morning I don't speak German."

Casino frowned, seeing the difficulty, before his face cleared and he offered, "Well, Actor should be back before nightfall."

"Nightfall!" Chief cried in despair, not realising that the other man might be gone so long. "The Warden could be dead by then."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?"

The Indian looked slightly perplexed, then shrugged. "Maybe we could use sign language or something." He pointed to the man in question.

The German knew that they were talking about him, so he gave another hopeful smile and repeated, "Garrison?"

The safecracker looked highly sceptical at Chief's words, then asked, "Do you know any German sign language?"

"Not German sign language... universal sign language." By now Chief was getting exasperated by the other's seemingly unhelpful advice. "You know..." and to show what he was talking about, he signed opening a flask and drinking from it.

Turning back to the German he repeated the sign, only to have the man look totally bewildered as he offered again, "Garrison?" This time his voice was edged with confusion, as if he thought he'd fallen among madmen.

"The only universal sign language I know isn't going to endear him to us enough to tell us where the Warden is," Casino offered in total honesty. Seeing the anger resurface in the other's face, he held up his hand and offered instead, "Look, it will be best to wait for Actor to return. We can't leave here to go looking for the Warden until he gets back, anyway."

"Maybe I could..." Chief began, but Casino cut him off.

"No," Casino snapped, knowing what was coming and choosing to stop the Indian's train of thought before it really led him anywhere. "If this guy is our only lead, then it's best if we stick together... otherwise you could be walking into a trap and we'll be one man short if we do need to rescue the Warden."

"Casino's right, Chiefy," Goniff offered, seeing the reasoning behind the other's words. "You never know, this guy might even be with the resistance or something."

"The resistance operate in France, Goniff, not Germany," Casino corrected, before he turned on his own words and added, "But he might belong to the German version of it, or something, so it's best if we just wait."

Chief, realising that what the other man was saying made sense, had to agree to the plan of waiting for the conman's return... but he didn't have to like it, or make the time waiting any easier for the German. Moving to a position near the captured man, who was looking at each man in turn, Chief crouched down and began to play with his knife, flicking it from one hand to the other, never taking his eyes from his potential victim.

***

Actor stood outside the tavern and self-consciously straightened the German uniform he'd borrowed. He wished that he'd been able to bring Goniff along with him, but - as that was not possible - he'd been forced to appropriate the first uniform he'd come across, which unfortunately was a little tight. He was dressed as a major, and knew that the smart suit would get him the answers he required if he placed just the right amount of arrogance in his questioning.

This was the third tavern he'd tried in as many hours and it was not looking good. While he'd discovered that there had been an extensive search for the American Commando team that had been discovered, he also knew that after twenty-four hours with no further sign of them, the general opinion was that they had fled the area and were now safely out of reach of the German soldiers. The continuing search of the forest was only being done at the insistence of the local commander. From the discussions Actor had had with others of his stolen rank, it was only being carried out half-heartedly, and would finish once the local farms had been investigated and searched.

As he moved towards the door, it was opened from the inside and a young corporal stepped out. He saw Actor's rank, stood straighter and saluted respectfully, holding the door open for his superior. The conman answered the salute and moved into the smoke-filled room.

The tavern was much like the last two: cramped, smoky, and filled with army personnel. As he made his way over to the bar, he noted that - unlike the other two - this one was filled with lower ranks, and what looked like airmen.

"Lager," he demanded as he stopped by the bar and, leaning casually against it, scanned the room. He was growing more concerned by the moment as he failed to find any information about his missing friend. He was seriously beginning to think that the Germans didn't have Garrison, and - if that was the case - then where was the man? Actor had every faith in Chief's ability to track, and knew that the man would not have left a leaf unturned in his efforts to find the Warden.

As the drink was placed on the bar, Actor turned back to thank the man. As he did so, he noticed a very despondent airman standing a slight distance away. Taking a slow swallow of the cool ale, he considered his approach. If Garrison was a prisoner, then it made sense that the Germans might want to transport the man to another area. Catching the man's eye, he smiled warmly and held up his glass. The man looked slightly taken aback, but answered with a weak smile of his own.

Within fifteen minutes Actor had gathered a fair amount of intelligence about the local airfield, which was only eight miles from the town and was mainly used to ferry the local commanders and generals to Berlin for meetings with Hitler. Actor tucked the information away for future reference. If Garrison was seriously injured, then they might need a quick escape route.

Yet, none of this was leading him any closer to finding the Warden and, when he left the tavern an hour later, he had come to the conclusion that Garrison was not being held by the enemy, which meant that he was still wandering somewhere in the forest... and, if that was the case, then he must be in serious trouble not to have found the rest of them by now.

***

When Actor returned to the cave a short while later, he was surprised to find the other three standing guard over an elderly German farmer. If Actor was honest with himself, he would admit that he had not been looking forward to his confrontation with the Indian, since he had not been able to discover one piece of information about Garrison's whereabouts... although he had heard quite a bit about the massive search that had been taking place locally, in an effort to find the American commando team that had been surprised in the forest the day before by a German unit out for a routine training mission.

"Who is he?" he demanded as soon as he had negotiated the narrow slip.

"You tell us," Casino snapped. The tension was now so thick you could have split it with a knife that the Indian was still playing with. "Chief dragged him in here a few hours ago."

"Why?"

"Because he knows where the Warden is," Chief stated roughly, his eyes still fixed firmly upon the trembling man.

"Do you?" Actor asked, moving to stand in front of the man in question. His eyes widened slightly at the look of hostility that had entered the old man's features, until he realised that it was directed at the uniform he wore and not himself.

"Garrison?" the man repeated slowly, after he had overcome his shock at seeing the uniform the other man wore. It was obvious to Actor that it was the only word of English that he knew.

Actor tilted his head and asked a question in German. The man's face lit up and he began to babble in his own language, the words falling over themselves as he hurried to explain his situation.

"Wait," Actor demanded in German, holding out his hand as he did so; the words were coming too fast and he was missing a few due to the thick dialect. Then, getting the gist of what the other was saying, he held up his hand again, stopping him from continuing as he informed the others who were now crowded about him - including, he noted with surprise, Goniff, who had slipped from his bed and was standing beside Casino.

"It would appear that this man and his daughter found Garrison stumbling about in the forest late yesterday evening. He's been injured." He turned back and asked another question, waiting patiently while the other man answered. "Bullet to the arm, not too bad, but he's injured his knee quite badly... that's his worst injury, as it's preventing him from moving."

"Where is the Warden now?" Chief asked, looking from the German back to Actor, his expression one of hopefulness for the first time that day.

Again the conman asked the question and received an answer. "At his farm, about an hour's walk from here. The Warden is very concerned about the Germans finding out about them helping him, and he asked Siegfried here to come and find us... to take us to him." Actor spoke again and the German smiled and held open his hands, his intention not clear to the others. "This is a very brave man," Actor stated, only just realising the risk the man had taken when he agreed to find them, his only protection being his ability to say Garrision's name. Then, after asking another question, he informed the waiting men, "Siegfried is not afraid of the soldiers for himself, but for his daughter. But he is prepared to do anything he can to help us."

"So he can take us to the Warden?" Goniff asked, his tone as eager as the look in his eyes. "Like now?"

Actor asked Siegfried, who nodded and stood up ready to leave, a bright smile filling his face now that he knew he was not going to be killed by the knife-wielding devil. He said as much to Actor, who looked slightly taken aback, but answered firmly that Chief was not going to hurt him as long as he could lead them to Garrison.

***

Garrison awoke to the feeling that something was desperately wrong. As if on cue, the young woman - whose name he'd since discovered was Katya - came rushing into the bedroom, her face strained and covered with the edge of fear.

"Soldiers, coming... along the road," she gasped out as she grabbed up her father's dressing grown and, pulling back the blankets, helped the injured officer into it. "I saw them when I went to feed the hens.... They are down the road a bit, but... we have to hide you."

"Where?" Garrison asked, trying his best to help, but cursing his injured knee which prevented him from moving as quickly as he would have liked.

"There is an old root cellar in the kitchen," she advised as she pulled his uninjured arm about her shoulder, giving him the support he needed to hobble/hop towards the door.

"They will look in the root cellar," Garrison stated through gritted teeth, as sweat broke out on his body at the effort of moving. "Help me to the forest and I'll take my chances."

"No... no..." she snapped, knowing that he'd not be able to move a few feet on his injured leg, then added, "Besides, there's no time... and there are two parts to the cellar - they will only look at the main one," Katya said firmly. Seeing the look of disbelief this earned her, she added, "My grandfather... he used to do a bit of... er," she paused searching for the right words, then finished, "smuggling... he had the cellar partitioned into two, with the smaller one well-hidden... nobody knows about it."

With much effort and growing pain, Katya and Garrison made their way downstairs. Leaving the injured man leaning weakly up against the wall, Katya fought to move a heavy chair and pulled a well-worn carpet out of the way, yanking open the small root cellar trap door. Garrison looked into the darkness and asked, his tone nervous as he peered into the unknown depths, "How far down?"

Katya winced, knowing that - without time to get the ladder - the American was going to have to jump into the darkness, and she also knew that the drop would more than likely cause incredible pain and damage to his already injured leg. Gently she offered, "I'm sorry, but it's about eight feet."

"Okay," he offered about a deep, nervous breath. He was as aware of the likely damage to his leg as she was, but he also knew that he had no option; even if he broke both legs he would do it, if only to prevent the enemy from finding him in the house and shooting the young woman and her father who had offered him their help. With gritted teeth, he hopped over to the dark hole and, with Katya's help, managed to sit on the edge. Taking another deep, steadying breath, he gave one last gallant smile of reassurance to the frightened young woman and he began to lower himself, with difficulty, into the darkness. He managed for about five seconds before his injured arm gave out and, with a cry of surprise, he plunged downwards to land with a solid thud against the hard floor, his cry ending abruptly.

Katya gasped as she heard him land, frantically calling his name for a few moments. Receiving no reply, she reluctantly but hastily closed the cover and pulled the carpet back in place, making sure that the chair fitted exactly over the imprints in the carpet. Then, hearing the sound of the soldiers as they made their way into the farmyard, she rushed upstairs and hastily made the bed, righting the room so that any sign of Garrison was no longer in evidence. She was just returning to the kitchen, wiping her hands upon her apron, when a German officer knocked briefly upon the door and entered.

Katya acted surprised, then relaxed when she saw that it was a German officer. She advanced, and reached out a hand to accept the other's words of apology at disturbing her day. She forced a wide smile and offered the man a drink. He shook his head, asking instead if his men could search the farm and house.

Katya agreed immediately, hiding her shaking by turning back towards the old cooker and insisting on preparing a drink for the brave officer, who began to melt under her friendliness and charm.

As the soldiers began the search she spoke to the officer, who asked where her father was. She explained about their need for wood for the fire and his subsequent trip into the forest to get some. Then she asked who they were looking for and the friendly conversation continued, until twenty minutes later a soldier entered the kitchen to inform the officer that the farm and house had been searched and no sign of the enemy had been found. Katya had already gleaned the story from the man and knew that they were searching for an American commando team. Standing, she offered bravely, "Did you look in the root cellar?"

The soldier looked slightly abashed and said that he had not. Katya moved over to the larger of the cellar trap doors, which was positioned in plain sight in the large kitchen and, bending, she began to pull it open. The officer rushed to assist her, then he paused, his hand resting upon the pull-ring. Gently he lowered it back into place, saying, "That will not be necessary." He gave her a warm smile and, moving over, he picked up his hat and gloves, thanking her for her co-operation. As he did so, he turned and took her small hand in his and, bending gallantly over it, he gently kissed her knuckles, stating that it was always a pleasure to meet a lovely, loyal German rose.

Katya kept the smile firmly fixed upon her face until after they had left, then turning, she made her way over to the sink and scrubbed at the back of her hand until it shone a bright red.

***

The Gorillas watched in utter horror from their safe hiding place as the German soldiers approached the farmhouse. Actor reached out and pulled Chief back as he made a restless movement, wanting to do something. "No, we must wait," Actor advised quietly but firmly.

"But they'll find him," the Indian insisted, his face etched with frustration.

"Then we will get him out," Actor replied with more calm than he felt.

The farmer didn't seem too upset as he offered in German, "My daughter will hide him."

Actor glanced in his direction and thought that the man had a lot of faith in his daughter's ability. "I hope so," he said, knowing that if they did find Garrison, the young woman might be hung from the nearest tree... and he doubted that they could react fast enough to save her life. With that thought in mind, he directed the others to fan out about the farm, but stay hidden. If it came down to it, he wanted to have the best chance of saving the brave young woman. Knowing what the conman had in mind, and also aware of what could happen, the others hastened to obey, staying well out of sight as the search continued.

Thirty minutes later the German officer left the house, motioned for his men to assemble and marched them off in the direction of the next farm. Actor let out the breath he'd not been aware he was holding and looked at the farmer, who lifted a shaking hand to his face to wipe at the sweat that had gathered there. Actor realised that the man had been just as frightened as they had been, and that his faith in his daughter still could not cover a father's concern for his child.

After a few more minutes, during which time the German soldiers marched out of sight, they slowly made their way down to the farmhouse, meeting up with the others along the way. Chief moved out in front and checked the surrounding area before they headed cautiously toward the building.

At they entered the house, they saw a pretty young woman fighting to move a heavy chair. She spun about with a gasp of fear, then relaxed as she spied her father, who rushed to her side and took her into a long hug of reaction.

"You are Garrison's friends?" she asked in surprisingly good English, then - not waiting for an answer - she hurried on, "He's in here." She pulled out of her father's embrace and turned back to the heavy chair. "I think he's hurt himself again... we had no time to get the ladder..." she babbled as the men who had accompanied her father effortlessly pushed the chair aside and lifted the trapdoor. "He had to jump..."

"We need a light," Actor stated, staring into the darkness before he called, "Warden... Warden... Garrison.... It's Actor... can you hear me?" Getting no reply, his concern grew. Turning sharply upon the babbling woman he demanded, "Do you have a light and the ladder?"

She stared at the man before her, her shock receding slightly as she saw the genuine worry upon the strikingly handsome face. She nodded once before scurrying off to get the light he'd asked for, her father already having left to get the ladder. She returned a few seconds later and handed him a lamp, which Actor took and held, while Chief was already preparing to jump into the hole.

"Be careful," Actor advised as the Indian slowly slipped into the darkness. They all heard him land, and the conman stretched out full length onto the floor and handed down the light. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Garrison, who lay sprawled upon the ground.

"He's out cold," came back Chief's echoing voice as he bent over the other man, slowly turning him over.

"How bad is the leg?" Actor asked, trying to lean in and see more, but the lamp only threw out a small amount of light - not enough for him to see the injured man clearly. He slipped some more into the hole, nearly falling in on top of the Indian, and yelped in surprise as a pair of hands gripped his lower legs.

Twisting about, he saw Casino's grinning face as he was roughly pulled to safety with the other man's comments ringing in his ears: "I don't think that's the best way to join them... do you?"

"Perhaps not," Actor agreed about a relieved smile. Then, looking past Casino, the conman spied Goniff leaning weakly against the wall; he looked about ready to pass out. With a low curse of reproach, Actor struggled up and moved over to him, suddenly ashamed at how easily he had forgotten the other man's injury. Goniff had been acting all day, playing out the role that his wound was not serious, hiding his true weakness... hiding, that is, until he thought no-one was looking. And Actor realised that they had allowed him to, because of their need to find the lieutenant. "You need to sit down," Actor stated firmly, reaching out and helping the protesting man to the nearest seat.

"I'm fine... really," Goniff protested weakly. "Just felt a little wobbly there for a moment."

Resting a hand upon the other's forehead, Actor all but snarled, "That's why you have a temperature... let me see that wound," he demanded, suspecting that he knew what he was going to find.

Casino had moved over to join them. "I'll do that... you help Chief," he said, giving the little pickpocket a hard look, not at all pleased at having been lied to, either.

Just then Siegfried re-appeared, carrying an awkwardly long ladder. Giving Goniff one last look, Actor moved to assist him and soon had the contraption down through the trapdoor.

"How is he?" Actor asked Chief, as he prepared to descend into the barely lit hole.

"It's difficult to tell..." Chief answered, slowly running his hands over the other's upper body, checking for any broken bones. "He's bleeding from the arm... and the leg... but I think we ought to get him out of here first." Then he added with some concern, "He's got a pretty nasty bump on the head, so I don't think he's gonna wake for a while..."

Actor shot one last quick glance over at Casino and Goniff and saw that the safe-cracker was as good as his word; having sat the small man down he was kneeling beside him, unbinding the injury to check the weeping wound. Actor then shot a glance into the dim pit before he rapidly climbed down. Upon reaching the bottom, he lowered himself beside the still form of the lieutenant and felt for a pulse... it was rapid and weak, not a good sign. Letting his fingers drift up he felt for the bump upon the other's head, wincing as he found it.

"Let's get him out of here," Actor ordered, taking charge, realising that they could do nothing for the injured man while he was in the cellar. The task was easier said than done, and by the time they had the man back in the bed that he'd fled from that morning all were beginning to show signs of strain.

***

Garrison wanted to groan, but seemed unable to get the sound past his lips. He knew that he was in that frustrating stage between being awake and asleep, where the mind wanted to move yet the body refused to co-operate. As he lay there, he let his mind drift; his last waking memory had been of the beckoning black hole of the root cellar and his undignified tumble into its depths. He had no idea of events after the moment he'd hit the ground and the world had come crashing down upon him.

He licked at incredibly dry lips and wished that he could open his eyes, just a slit so that he could check where he was. A cup was held to his parched mouth and he sipped at the water, grateful for the relief that it gave him. With a surprising lack of strength, he slowly fought to open his eyes and blinked up into the concerned, tired expression of Actor.

The conman, seeing the other blink owlishly up at him, smiled and offered, "Nice to have you back with us, Warden." Seeing the confusion that remark earned him, he offered in a slightly reproachful tone, "You gave us quite a scare there for a while."

"How long?" croaked the other man, barely able to tilt his head to take in the three members of his team who were scattered about the room, each looking equally relieved at seeing him regain consciousness. He knew, looking at Casino's expression, that he must have been bad for the safecracker to look so worried.

"About two days since we arrived and found you in the cellar," Actor supplied, trying to sound more hopeful than he actually felt. Most of the previous day he'd spent fighting the fever that had taken a firm grip upon the other man, trying vainly to bring Garrison's temperature under control as he had lain, tortured and twisted with pain.

"Goniff?" came the next, breathless, question as the injured man failed to see the little pickpocket in the group that surrounded the bed.

"Safe... he's resting," Actor hurried to reassure Garrison. "The wound was not too serious - he got a slight infection in it, but he's making a good recovery." Garrison closed his eyes, the relief rushing through his body. Opening his eyes again he made an attempt to sit up, but failed as his body refused such a drastic action. Actor rested a gentle hand upon Garrison's shoulder, stating firmly, "That is not allowed for a few days."

"We have to get out of here... the Germans..." Garrison began, fighting the urge to give up and slip back into the beckoning arms of Morpheus. "They'll kill them if they find us here," he insisted as his eyes slipped closed and a frown of worry settled upon his brow.

Actor, seeing the fretting features, hurried to reassure, "We've taken care of it... you've got to rest... the sooner you're better, the sooner we can leave." His words seemed to have a calming affect upon Garrison, or maybe his meagre strength just gave up, as he sighed and slipped back into sleep without further comment.

***

Over the following week the search for the American commando team grew less and less. Twice the Gorillas had to hastily retreat to the safety of the concealed root cellar, where they sat huddled in the darkness while the house and farm above were searched. Garrison had, thankfully, been unaware of both times and had lain deeply unconscious as they moved him.

Goniff had recovered quickly and was fever-free within two days of arriving at the farm, while Chief spent restless hours roaming the surrounding area, constantly on watch for the return of the search teams... but even he grew more relaxed as the days passed and Garrison's condition steadily improved. By the fifth day of his enforced bed-rest, Garrison was refusing to remain in the farmhouse any longer, and - much against Actor's advice - insisted that they retreat back to the caves for the rest of his recovery.

The trip was not easy, and by the time they neared the cave Garrison was being supported by both Actor and Casino, while Chief scouted ahead. The Warden purposefully ignored the conman's look of 'I told you so' and gritted his teeth as he limped the final hundred yards to the cave.

***

Garrison sunk onto the hard floor of the cave and let out a sigh of relief as he took the weight off his injured leg. Reaching down, he rubbed at a spot just above his injured knee. Glancing up he caught Actor's icy glare and stopped. "I know you don't agree with my decision to leave the farmhouse, Actor," he finally admitted, "but it was my decision to make."

"And you've put back our escape by at least another three or four days," snapped the conman as he moved to inspect the leg. "You're not going to be able to walk on that for quite a while," he finished, wincing as he removed the bandage and saw the mottled bruises and seeping pus that oozed from the wound. "This is not a simple sprain; the infection is travelling along the leg..." then in frustration he said, "this needs to be look at by someone who knows what they are doing."

"You're competent enough," Garrison said, his tone weary as he leant back and closed his eyes, unable to watch what the other man was doing - although he was able to feel it painfully enough.

"I wonder if you will feel the same way after you've lost your leg?" Actor almost snarled, carefully applying the sulphur and re-wrapping the injury.

"Actor, please don't," Craig pleaded, gritting his teeth against the pain - this was not the kind of conversation that he wanted at the moment.

The handsome conman glared at the other man for a few more moments, witnessing his obvious pain, before his expression softened and, reaching out, he gently rested a hand upon Garrison's arm. "Don't listen to me..." he said, wanting to take back his words. "I'm just fed up with being in this damned country."

"Aren't we all," Garrison agreed, before taking a steadying breath and getting back to the problem at hand. "But, like you said, I'm not going to be able to travel too far for a while." He paused, knowing that the other would not like what he was going to suggest. "So it might be best if you get the others back to England and I'll follow along later."

"What?" Actor gasped, unable to believe what the other had just said. "We are not leaving you..." he began, almost too angry to finish the sentence.

"Look, this isn't open for discussion," snapped Garrison, the anger flaring in his own eyes. "You said yourself that I'm not moving for a while, and there's no reason for you all to end up in a German prison camp."

"We won't leave you, Warden, and you can't order us to," came a quiet voice from the near-darkness.

"Chief," Garrison began, annoyed - but stopped as the Indian stepped into the meagre light thrown out by their one lamp, the look in the other's eyes informing him that this was not a matter open for discussion.

"No..." The man spoke with the determination of his heritage. "We all go, or none of us will."

"I'm with the Indian on that one, Warden," Goniff inserted, coming to stand beside the man in question. For once his normally smiling face was dead serious.

"Yeah," Casino agreed. "Besides, if you're not there we'll more than likely get saddled with another army watchdog... and it's taken us far too long to get you trained right."

"Trained right?" Garrison repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"What Casino is trying to say, Craig," Actor put in, wanting to cover the other's words with his own silver tongue, but Garrison stopped him by holding up a hand.

"I know exactly what Casino's trying to say." Garrison tried not to let the little smile he felt reach his lips, but failed as he confided, "And while I might not like the implication..." he gave Casino a hard glare before he continued, "I have to admit that I've kinda gotten used to you guys, as well."

"So, no more talk of staying behind?" Actor asked, looking at the others for support.

"No," Craig finally agreed, knowing that this was one battle he was not likely to win, before he continued, "but if that's not an option..."

"It not," snapped Chief fiercely.

"Then," Garrison carried on, ignoring Chief's interruption, "we are going to have to think about another way of getting out of here."

Actor nodded and gave the others another look before he ventured, "When you were missing, Warden, I did a recon into the local village and discovered that there was a small airbase about eight miles away. Anyway, I got friendly with one of the pilots who was in town and he told me quite a bit about it."

"And?" Garrison asked, his interest piqued by the other's words, knowing that the conman would not have spoken unless he had a plan in mind.

"Well, I think that we could run a con past them. It's a fairly small airbase; they are pretty isolated - their main mission is to ferry the generals of the surrounding area to and from Berlin for discussions with Hitler. "

Garrison closed his eyes, trying to picture the con that would be needed. Finally he admitted, "I can't pilot a plane with this leg, Actor. I might get us off the ground, but the landing might not be the kind you want."

"I know that, Warden," Actor confided gently, before he leant back and continued, "but I think that we could persuade our pilot to take us to Switzerland, and once there you could get the medical aid that you need... and then we'll make our way back to England."

"And how do we get onto the base in the first place?" Casino asked, frowning at the thought of depending upon a German pilot.

"Our general here is going to be involved in a very bad car accident, and will need to be flown to Berlin right away for treatment." As he spoke, he reached out and tapped Garrison on the shoulder.

"Might work," Chief said, nodding as the idea settled upon him.

"Might not," Casino shot back.

"We don't have a choice," Actor snapped back at the safecracker.

Casino took in the expressions of the men surrounding him and held up his hands, saying, "Hey, if you lot are comfortable with getting a Jerry to fly us safely to Switzerland, then that's fine by me."

"Good; now that we have Casino's mark of approval, I would suggest that we get the plan into action," Actor retorted dryly.

"And just how are we going to do that?" Garrison asked, wincing as he inadvertently moved his leg.

"You," Actor ordered, seeing the other's action, "are going to rest that leg, while we go into town and get us some uniforms and a car." As he spoke, he stood up. "I'll need to take Goniff, if you're up to it?" he asked the small pickpocket, who had made a remarkable recovery from his own injury.

"Me?" the small blond man questioned, surprised that he was being asked. Smiling broadly, he offered, "I'm fit as a fiddle, me... just point me towards the uniform that you want and I'll get it for you."

Actor smiled back at him; while at times he might moan and groan about what was asked of him, Goniff could always be depended upon when in a tight situation. "And I will also need Chief."

"Who'll watch out for the Warden?" the Indian asked, not liking the idea of leaving the man alone.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Casino demanded, coming back to stand near the others. "I can look out for him."

"I can look out for myself," snapped Garrison, not liking the way the others were treating him like an invalid.

"You..." Actor spun back upon the prone man, "are to rest that leg. Believe me, Warden, by the time we're finished tomorrow you'll be glad to have been able to rest it today."

Garrison opened his mouth to snap back a reply, but then closed it sharply as he recognised the wisdom behind the other's words. Actor, seeing that he'd won this battle, hastily gathered up the others and, after giving Casino strict instructions not to let the injured man move, they made their way out of the cave.

***

Twenty four hours later they were in a large car that they had stolen, heading toward the sentry box that guarded the entrance to the small airfield. Garrison was seated in the back in a general's uniform, his leg up, clearly swathed in bandages. Actor, also in uniform, was playing the role of anxious doctor to the hilt, while the other three were playing supporting roles to the conman.

The two soldiers moved forward from their sentry positions, guns at the ready, but Actor soon had them jumping to attention and contacting the airfield commander as he explained about the accident that had occurred and the need to get the general to Berlin for treatment.

The camp commander was not so quick to jump into line, and it took a snarled word of warning from Garrison, who spoke from behind gritted teeth, to get the man into action. The pain he displayed was too obvious for him to be lying about his injury. Once the man was convinced of the necessity of their mission, he was swift to fall in with their plans, ordering a plane made ready and even going as far as to escort them to the aircraft himself.

As the plane left the tarmac, Actor made sure that Garrison was securely fastened into his seat, as the next few moments could be bumpy. With a nod towards Goniff to keep an eye upon their Warden, he attracted Chief and Casino's attention and headed towards the front of the plane.

The pilot was concentrating upon the instruments in front of him and didn't realise that he had visitors until the co-pilot was roughly pulled from the seat next to him and knocked unconscious. Then the general's doctor took the empty seat.

"What is going on?" the pilot demanded, fighting for a few seconds to get the plane back under control.

"We have decided not to go to Berlin," Actor replied in smooth German.

"What?" The pilot twisted about in his seat and saw the co-pilot being man-handled out of the small cabin.

"Don't worry about him," Actor ordered, pulling the man's attention back to him. He watched with some satisfaction as the other's eyes widened upon seeing the gun he had removed from his jacket. "You will fly us to Switzerland."

"And if I don't?" the pilot asked, unable to hide the fear from his face.

"Then I will shoot you and let him..." Actor motioned towards Chief, who hid his own surprise very well, "fly us there."

The man licked at suddenly dry lips and, after a few seconds' hesitation, he nodded and offered, "I will fly the plane."

"Good, now I want you to take this heading and keep on it until I tell you otherwise," Actor advised, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket. He had taken the time to check the correct flight path that would be needed, and he also knew enough about flying to know if the pilot went off course. With a gentle smile, he handed over the directions - along with a slight prod of his gun for good measure. Then, looking at Chief, he advised, "I'll stay here for a while; you go back and check on the others."

The Indian could see that Actor was enjoying the con and smiled his own appreciation at the smoothness of the plan. He had to admit that Actor was certainly the best in his field.

***

Garrison lay propped up in a hospital bed in Switzerland. He had been a patient there for over two weeks now, and he was starting to get cabin fever and was eager to get back to England. The doctors had been insistent that he remain off his feet for at least another two weeks, but he'd managed to persuade them to allow him to make the flight back. Now he was waiting for the others to arrive with a wheelchair to take him to the ambulance that would drive him to the local airport, where a US airforce aeroplane had been arranged to return them all to England.

As he lay there, he went back over the events of the past month. The failure of the mission now seemed like a distant dream, one that still caused him to frown. Yet he had got so much more from the failure of the mission than he'd ever hoped to have achieved from a successful one. The fact that his men would not leave him meant a lot. After the incident with Major Richards, where the army had insisted on using his men as decoys on a suicide mission, he'd thought that he'd lost their trust - but their actions over the past few weeks proved that they were just as strong a unit as they'd ever been.

As he thought back further into the mission, he was unable to prevent a flash of concern that filled him as he remembered Katya and her father; their kindness towards him could never be repaid, and he hoped that they would survive the war. They, like so many other of their countrymen, were beginning to see Hitler for the madman that he really was, but unfortunately they were the minority and risked their lives if they spoke out. He hoped that they would heed his last words of warning and not leave themselves open to any suspicion of their loyalty to their country. The thought of Katya standing before a gallows tore at his heart. Pushing that worry aside, he made a note to discover if they were safe once he was back in full action. If necessary, he would do his best to remove them to safety, although he suspected that they would not accept his help.

Then another memory surfaced; that of Actor telling him of Chief's expression as the conman had informed the pilot that the Indian could fly the plane to Switzerland... that, Garrison knew, would account for the other's reaction as he had left the plane's cockpit. The Indian had headed straight for the small on-board wash room, and had not left it until Goniff had moved to bang on the door, concerned by the other's paleness and prolonged use of the toilet.

Garrison had to be honest and admit that he didn't really remember much of the trip after that time, but he knew that the doctors had been very concerned about saving his leg, and at one time he honestly believed that they were considering the option of removing it. He could remember feverishly clutching at Actor and demanding that they kill him rather than let the doctors remove his leg. Actor had spoken quiet words of reassurance, words Craig could not recall, but they had had the desired effect of calming him. He had eventually awoken, fever free and still retaining his leg.

The door suddenly burst open and in stumbled the four convicts. Goniff was seated in a wheelchair with Casino pushing, followed by an indulgent Actor and a frowning Chief. It was obvious that Casino had been racing with the small pickpocket. Garrison knew that the doctors would not be sorry to see them leave - the nurses perhaps, but not the hospital administration or the surgeons who had grown fed up with having the four of them clutter up their corridors while their commander recovered.

"And how is the patient this morning?" Actor asked indulgently as he moved to stand beside the bed, watching as Casino wrestled to get Goniff out of the chair.

"Better," Garrison answered honestly. "A lot better." Then he snapped, "Will you two pack it in; this is a hospital, not a play pen." They looked suitably chastised, but then ruined it by smiling widely at each other.

"I've just spoken to the doctors and they have given the all-clear for the flight back to England," Actor said, before holding up a hand and continuing solemnly, "but you are to be taken directly to the hospital in England once we land. That leg is not better by a long shot, and here..." he held up a large brown envelope, "are your medical notes to prove it."

"My medical notes?" Garrison asked in some surprise, taken aback by the stern tone the other man used.

"Yes, I'm to deliver them personally to the doctors in England when we arrive." Then, leaning closer, Actor confided with a wink, "We've had a quick look, and we think you should be fine within a couple of months."

"Months!" Garrison demanded, struggling up in bed. This was not what he'd been led to believe. He had hopes of being on light duties within the month.

"All right," Actor conceded swiftly, feeling the anger radiating from the other man and seeing that he wasn't about to get that long holiday for himself and the others, "maybe a few weeks if you keep your temper down and don't get angry with us."

Garrison, recognising an attempt at a con when he saw one, just glared at the other man and ordered, "Let's just get out of this damned place." He moved to pull back his covers, intending to get into the chair, when Chief stepped forward and prevented him.

"No weight on the leg, Warden," he advised in his best determined tone. "That's what the doctors said."

Garrison narrowed his eyes and asked with deceptive mildness, "Then how am I to get into the wheelchair, Doctor Rainey?"

The Indian started at the use of his real name, but pushed on heedlessly, "We'll figure a way." So saying, he motioned towards Casino, who managed to turf Goniff from the chair and wheel it up close to the bed, then stood back to watch with a broad smile while Actor and Chief manoeuvred Garrison into the seat.

"This is embarrassing," groused Garrison, pulling his nightgown more firmly about him. "The nurses wouldn't even let me get dressed," he griped as he settled himself more comfortably. Gratefully accepting the blanket that Chief draped across his legs.

"And why do you need to get dressed?" asked Actor, while holding open the door to allow the wheelchair and others to pass through. "You're going to the airport in an ambulance, and then from the airport in England by ambulance to the hospital. To get dressed would be a pointless exercise. Not to mention difficult, with that plaster on your leg."

Garrison reached out and stopped the chair from moving, this action nearly causing a pile-up as the others tripped over the chair and each other. Turning the wheelchair with surprising grace and glaring at each man in turn, he snarled with failing dignity, "You are enjoying this... aren't you?"

Actor opened his mouth to deny the words, then seeing the happy expression on each of the other's faces, he shrugged and turned a wide smile upon the Warden as he nodded and answered for all of them, "Yes, we are... now shut up and let us drive."

Garrison opened his mouth to make a sharp retort, but then snapped it closed. His dignity suddenly seemed a small price to pay for an expression of their friendship and concern.

THE END

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