Easier Masqueraded than Done

Chapter 2

It wasn't horribly cold out, Kinch thought, just before a great gust of wind hit him in the face and nearly blew him back into the tunnel. Several times as they ventured through the forest Carter stumbled back into him and the both of them nearly went crashing. Eventually, though, they made it to the pull-off where the motorpool sergeant left the car for them, and walked along just inside the treeline.

"We should have met them coming back by now," Kinch sighed.

Carter just nodded.

Soon they came to town, and ducked into the back alley. Tactfully avoiding the gazes of the many homeless that populated the abandoned dumpsters and homes made of pieces of broken things, they got as close as they dared to the Gestapo Headquarters.

"You stay hidden," Carter murmured. "I'm going to see if I can hear them in there,"

Kinch nodded and shrank back into the shadow of a dumpster, eyes trained carefully on the surroundings as Carter, crouched low, crept to the back, and cocked his head to hear what was coming from the above window.

From the sudden expression of horror on his face, Kinch knew it wasn't good.

He scrambled back and exclaimed, "Kinch! We've got to get in there, now! They caught 'em and they're planning to start interrogation like, right now, and Kinch it's not going to be good! Come on!"

Kinch shook his head. "Carter, if we go in there, they'll kill us!"

"Well, they're going to kill them if we don't hurry!" Carter realized his voice was heightening and dropped his volume. "Okay. No, I got it. I'm going to go in there and tell them I'm a Gestapo agent. I look German enough, don't I?"

"In disguise as an Allied flyer," Kinch said skeptically. "That's worse than all of us creating a town in the countryside!"

"No. I throw my weight around. Tell him it's imperative that they release their prisoners immediately for - for interrogation by Berlin operatives."

"If they say no?"

Carter frowned. "I need something to fall back on, dammit!"

Kinch grabbed his arm. "Tell them they're connected to Nimrod."

"Nimrod?!"

"Keep your voice down," He hissed. "Nimrod. And you tell them not to tell anybody what went on. Not even his superiors."

"Especially not his superiors." Carter drew a deep breath. "Okay. I'm going." He turned around, and then glanced back. "Kinch, if it goes wrong, you can't come after me. You gotta get back to evacuate the camp."

Kinch nodded solemnly. "Go ahead, buddy. And if you go, take as many krauts as you can with you."

Carter smiled wryly, and then turned back to the alley. He squared his shoulders and strode away.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He demanded, his voice rising several decibels, slamming his hand down on the secretary's desk. He jumped back ten feet. Oh, thank God. "I have been in deep cover for four months! Four months! And you arrested my most important contacts!"

"Who - who are you?" The secretary whimpered, eyes darting over Carter's uniform.

"You think that is any of your business?" He hollered. "No! Neither are those men! I demand that you have them release at once! Or else you will have the entire Third Reich on your head!" He felt his scream grate on his throat and dropped his tone to a low growl, leaning into the secretary's face. "The Führer will personally paint the walls with what little brains you have."

He paled significantly. "Sir - how do I know who you are?" He eked out. "Do you have papers?"

"Do I HAVE PAPERS?" His voice cracked at the end and Carter swallowed hard before going on, "Do you think I carry incriminating papers with me? These men trust me, private!"