Rivalry

Mission three: coup de grâce

"I swear it on my honour as a soldier, your so called ally is a traitor."

"Stop trying to cover up the crimes of your comrades!" Shouted Maria. Erwin glared at her, and retorted:

"Believe me, I have nothing but regret for vhat has happened here. Zhat is zhe only reason I vould care to inform you of this. I feel it is a debt to be repaid. If you go vith that man to your forces, he vill shoot you and you vill be powerless to stop it!"

"Twice you've spared my life." Said Maria angrily. "I am the one who owes you a debt, and your honour is without question. So I will have the sense to listen to you now." She turned to Clifford, who still looked defiant, but began to squirm under her piercing gaze. "Corporal James Clifford, if you are innocent, you have nothing to fear. But if I find out you have betrayed us, no pit in hell will protect you from the justice of the British army!"

The town centre was quiet. All awaited Rommel's explanation. the soldiers of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS looked on for the most part in confusion, as few could understand English, but none could mistake the mood. The tension was a serpent in the stomach of every man there.

"Yesterday evening, I encountered a British army Corporal, alone. After I moved to attack, He offered to help me find and defeat you. I refused." Said the German commander.

"Why?" Questioned Maria in confusion. Erwin chuckled darkly.

"I did not have zhe noble intentions you think i did, Lieutenant. In a fair fight, I vould take every opportunity to bring you to your knees. But vhat commander in their right mind vould trust such a dubious source?"

"Well that's comforting to know." Said Maria sardonically.

"He left, promising I vould regret missing the opportunity. I should have apprehended him zhen and zhere. I assume, that he then vent to my old enemy Fritz Knöchlein of the SS and gave him zhat information."

"Which is why I was ambushed, and brought here. That information must have included my coordinates as well." Finished Maria bitterly. "But then why were you here?"

"Fritz's division vas my main backup. He vasn't answering communications, so I came down here to give him an earful. Instead, I found... zhis." He replied, sweeping his arm in the direction of the massacred soldiers. "and you."

"I have one more question. Why did this traitor want me defeated, of all people?" Rommel drew in breath, and looked slightly embarrassed.

"Because you are a girl. Zhat vas zhe only reason. He said zhat he vas sick and tired of taking orders from a female." Maria went very calm, and very still. An aura of pure rage surrounded her, and her eyes seemed to become mauve. Tristan looked furious.

"Kommandant, May i borrow that gun?" She said, not looking him in the eye. He raised his eyebrows, but handed her Tristan's handgun. "Danke schön" Maria stalked towards where Corporal Clifford was kneeling in the mud, restrained and with a look of dread on his face. Each step she made caused filthy water to spatter on her uniform, which was already almost black with dirt. He tensed, trying to make himself as small as possible, which only added to her hatred.

"Wait! No! You don't know it was me!" Cried Clifford in vain as his lieutenant advanced, weapon in hand. He struggled against the iron grip of the German soldiers holding him down, pointlessly.

"James Clifford. The traitor exists, as my capture has proved. The traitor had information on me including my location, and even my gender. And moreover," she said, checking the bullets in the chamber and removing the safety, before pointing the gun at his head, "the traitor said himself, that he was taking orders directly from me. You seem to fit that description very well indeed. Now tell me, Clifford." Maria looked up, and he whimpered when he saw the terrifying expression she wore.