'Generaloberst, the men...' Hoffman began.
'Quite, you fool!' Baader snapped, 'Listen!'
The rumbling was drawing closer, the sound much louder than before.
'That sound...' Hoffman began.
'You recognise it?' Baader asked.
'Yes, but...surely?'
Baader grabbed the neck of a nearby speaking tube and flipped the switch to address the entire base.
'Alle Piloten zu ihrem Flugzeug sofort! Jetzt!' he yelled.
It was already too late. The first wave of RAF Baltimore bombers appeared over the base, unleashing their deadly cargo on unsuspecting ground staff and a line of Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Moments later, the second wave came and released a further glut of destruction. Baader watched as a Bf 109 disintegrated on the runway, engulfed in a sea of flame. The aircraft's young pilot tumbled to the ground, ran a short distance and collapsed. Baader saw that he was badly burnt, his uniform stripped away from his body. Hoffman tugged heavily on his superior's arm.
'We must go, sir!' Hoffman pleaded.
Baader stood his ground, his mouth agape. He could not believe what he was seeing. Reluctantly – though perhaps not reluctantly enough – Hoffman abandoned the Generaloberst to his fate. Baader spied another wave of Baltimore bombers approaching from south of his location. Backing into the wall of the administrative building behind him, he prepared himself for the inevitable.
'Walter,' he whispered, 'Vergeben Sie mich.'
A massive fireball consumed the structure and, with it, Heinrich Baader. When the flames cleared, there was little left of the man who had once been one of the Luftwaffe's most respected men.
============
A Crusader Mk. III tank crashed through the gates of Naderwald. It skidded briefly before spinning around and taking aim at a SdKfz 11 half-track. The half-track was engulfed in flames before its operators could retaliate. Three more Crusader tanks followed the first one in. The 39th Infantry Battalion, led by Colonel Wright, then followed after them. Overhead, and following on the heels of the Baltimore bombers, was a solitary Albatros B.II. It touched down on the edge of the airbase, taxiing past a burning refuelling truck before coming to a stop. Mohsen and Andres Ramos abandoned the aircraft. Both were armed with Lee-Enfield rifles and proceeded in tight formation towards the detention block. Ramos kicked in the door and the two men entered. Mohsen shot one of the guards, and Andres took out two more. When no more appeared, the two men began searching the cells one-by-one. The first three were empty but the fourth contained what they had come for. Mohsen ran to Rexton's side and removed his keffiyeh.
'Hello sir.' Mohsen said.
Rex weakly tussled the boy's hair before turning his attention to Ramos.
'Andres, help me up.'
The three men emerged from the detention building. Colonel Wright's men had herded together what was left of Naderwald's six thousand strong staff.
'Where is Colonel General Heinrich Baader?' Wright demanded.
A man stepped forward. Wright eyed him with suspicious.
'Oberst Luis Hoffman,' the man said.
'Oberst, eh?' Wright said, 'Where is your commanding officer, Captain?'
'Er ist gestorben.' Hoffman said bluntly.
Wright acknowledged Rex's presence with a nod.
'Whitehall advises they will debrief you in London, Mr. Rexton,' he said, adding, 'You and your colleagues are free to leave at your discretion.'
Rex returned the nod and, held upright by Ramos and Mohsen, slowly made his way out of Naderwald.
'What happens now?' Rex asked.
'Naderwald will be razed to the ground, its staff delivered to a POW camp in the continental United States...' Ramos replied.
'And Guerrero?'
'Vanished without a trace.'
'No!'
'Not that it matters,' Ramos continued, 'Whitehall is convinced he no longer poses a threat to the Commonwealth.'
'Well,' Rex said, somewhat perturbed, 'I guess that's that then.'
The sun was beginning to set. A thought popped into Rex's mind. He was surprised at himself that he had forgotten.
'Caroline! My God...' he began.
Ramos patted him reassuringly on the shoulder, 'Relax, Caroline is in safe hands and flying back to Lima as we speak.'
Feeling a little better – though no less guilty for forgetting – Rex boarded a Lima-bound Morris truck along with Mohsen and Andres. A few hours later and they were well on their way towards the safety of the Peruvian capital.
============
Two days later, the trio arrived back in Lima. Rex shook hands with Andres Ramos and bid him a fond farewell.
'Goodbye, my friends,' Ramos said, 'I hope that I will have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.'
Rex and Mohsen would be flying back to London – not directly, of course – aboard an RAF-chartered Douglas DC-3. Rex felt a gentle tug on his arm, and moments later found himself wrapped in Caroline Carol's arms.
'You're safe,' she whispered, 'I was so worried.'
She had obviously showered and changed since arriving back in Lima. She fished about in her purse and handed him a small card with her address scribbled on it.
'If you're ever in Lima, you're to come visit me,' she said, 'Both of you.'
Afterwards she hugged Mohsen, who looked more embarrassed than anything else. She prepared to leave.
'Until we meet again, Mrs. Carol.' Rex called out.
Caroline spun around and smiled that wonderful smile of hers.
'Yes,' she said, 'Until then.'
She blew him a kiss, and feeling somewhat humbled, Rex watched her disappear into the crowd.
TO BE CONTINUED...
