Mac wingate 6, p.21
Mac Wingate 6, page 21
“I have to admit your reasoning is sound, even if your allusions are a bit childish,” Walters stated, his head cocking to the side. “We certainly did not have the finest of communication systems. I followed Harald all across the wilderness without knowing the information he carried concerned the underwater ... shall we say ‘obstacles?’ If I had, I might have saved us all a lot of trouble.”
“And five men their lives,” Wingate said coldly. So coldly it managed to scare the Englishman.
Walters did not let the fear show in his manner, but it came through in what he said next.
“Come, come, Captain,” he soothed. “There’s no right or wrong in war. Out here there are only commands followed and commands not followed. That is the difference between a good soldier and a bad one.”
“No, there’s more,” Wingate said flatly. “But even on those standards, you stink. You didn’t even think it important to give us all our orders. After all, we were only dead men. Larsen told me our full ‘Lonesome Queen’ orders. I quote, ‘More important than the diversion is the possibility that Intelligence will discover underwater obstacles to the midget submarines. The operatives must be prepared to foil these obstacles.’”
For the first time, Walters got defensively angry. “I left that in Tyler’s hands ...” he started with venom.
“Don’t pass the buck,” Wingate retorted with disgust. “You were the ringmaster on this mission, Walters. You got all the information direct from HQ. The fault lies with you. And that is just what I’m going to say at your court-martial. And that is what Larsen, Sørum, and Kirsten are going to corroborate. They are the only ones left.”
Walters stared in openmouthed wonder at the American. It was like a ghost passing judgment on him, like Jacob Marley returning to haunt Scrooge.
“By the time we’re through,” Wingate continued, “you’ll be demoted so low you won’t know what stripes look like. And someday, you’ll be assigned to work under me. And then we’ll just see how good a soldier you are. Then we’ll see how long you last.”
Wingate let the speech hang in the basement between them for a moment. Then he went on in a lighter tone. “You see, that’s what’s more than simple order-following, Walters. It’s called justice.”
Walters looked sick. He may not have been the blithering fool he pretended to be, but he was an egocentric, glory-seeking man nevertheless. He would have marched over the bodies of Wingate, Tyler, the Australians, the Canadians, and the Norwegians to get a pat on the head, a slap on the back, and a star on his shoulder. He saw it all blow up in his face.
“By the way,” Wingate inquired, “what happened to Harald and the information?”
“Nothing,” Walters said distantly. “The security leak must be back at the London office.”
“So there was no double agent in our midst this time,” Wingate murmured, remembering all his other missions. “That’s fucking amazing.”
At that second, there was an incredibly loud boom and the entire cellar shook. Walters clutched at the side table, but it couldn’t hold his weight. He went crashing to the floor. Wingate had anchored his feet. He stayed upright, calm. “What was that?” Walters cried.
“Another reprisal,” Wingate told him casually. “The enemy must have found all the bodies we left behind and put it all together. They’ve come to string Kirsten up. And failing that, they’re going to raze this place until they find somebody else.”
“But ... but that means they’ll find us!” Walters babbled. “They’ll find the secret passageways and come down here.”
“You’re probably right,” Wingate mused.
“Oh, my God!” Walters breathed, looking at Wingate in horror. “You’re just going to let them get us, aren’t you? You’re not going to do a damn thing to stop it. In the name of justice, you said. You’re willing to die, as long as they get me!”
Walters stumbled to his feet and sped for the other passage to the house at the end of town. “But I won’t let them get me!” Walters swore. “I’ll escape the back way! Find your own justice, Wingate. You won’t take me with you!”
With that, Walters ran as fast as he could through the underground passage. Wingate walked slowly over to its entrance, looking at the floor.
Then the American heard the gunfire. He heard Walters scream and fall. It only made sense. If the enemy were tearing apart the whorehouse, they would find the opening in the wall Wingate had made to kill the undersea commandos.
Wingate entered the passage then and went to Walters’s body. The Englishman’s eyes were open in horrified shock and some Quislings were standing in front of the corpse, their weapons still smoking. All they saw was a Nazi lieutenant looking at the dead form of an Allied spy.
Wingate stared at Walters with more hate than he had ever expended on anyone. He hated the enemy, but this man was supposed to be an ally. A comrade-in-arms. A fellow soldier whose duty it was to destroy the Axis forces. Instead he stared at a man whose only concern was for himself. A man who didn’t care about the Nazis or the armed forces.
“Another Allied dog,” Wingate commented to the Quislings in Norwegian. “Get him out of my sight.”
Wingate waited until the Norwegian traitors had taken Walters’s arms and were dragging him away before he finished his thoughts.
“And hang his balls over the town square.”
About the Author
Bryan Swift was a composite of Arthur Wise, Richard Meyers and Will C. Knott, who between them penned the entire series, which itself was created by Ejan Productions.
The series comprises:
Mission Code: Symbol (1981–Arthur Wise)
Mission Code: King’s Pawn (1981–Will C. Knott)
Mission Code: Minotaur (1981–Will C. Knott)
Mission Code: Granite Island (1981–Ric Meyers)
Mission Code: Springboard (1981–Will C. Knott)
Mission Code: Snow Queen (1982–Richard Meyers)
Mission Code: Acropolis (1982–Arthur Wise)
Mission Code: Volcano (1982–Richard Meyers)
Mission Code: Track and Destroy (1982–Will C. Knott)
Mission Code: Survival (1982–Richard Meyers)
Mission Code: Scorpion (1982–Richard Meyers)
Arthur Wise (1923-1983) was a UK drama consultant and author, most of whose works were thrillers; he also wrote as by John McArthur.
Richard Meyers (born 1953) is an American author, ghostwriter, screenwriter, consultant, actor, editor, and teacher, who may be best known for his contributions to the martial arts film industry (Rim Films having called him “one of the men most responsible for the acceptance of Asian action movies and stars in America”).
Will C.(Cecil) Knott (1927-2008) He was best known as a Western writer and contributed to three long-running series – Longarm, the Trailsman, and Slocum – as well as working on other series and writing stand-alone traditional Western novels under his own name. He also wrote several mystery novels, some house-name men’s adventure yarns, and a number of mystery and sports books for the young adult market.
The Mac Wingate Series by Bryan Swift
Mission Code: Symbol
Mission Code: King’s Pawn
Mission Code: Minotaur
Mission Code: Granite Island
Mission Code: Springboard
… And more to come every month!
Bryan Swift, Mac Wingate 6
