The Secret Invasion Page #2

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- Yes.

I am Marko, liaison

to the Partisan Army in this district.

- Food and rest after your long journey.

- Thank you.

Yeah. Food for everybody else.

You wouldn't by chance have

a little liquid around, would you?

- Yes, I would.

- You have!

Look at this!

Good.

It is right that we should enjoy

what moments we can.

By nightfall, we shall be

in the German stronghold,

the fortress city of Dubrovnik.

Now, listen.

In that fortress is the man

we've come here to liberate.

General Quadri, commander,

Italian occupation forces.

You mean to tell me we're risking our necks

to get some clown out of his own barracks?

No, he's there as a prisoner of the Nazis.

Now, they suspect that he's been

in touch with Allied agents,

but he's too well loved by his men

to publicly denounce,

so they use him as a puppet

to keep the Italians in line.

They guard him day and night

to make sure he doesn't act on his own.

How certain are you

that he will act on his own?

Well, he's an Italian,

but he's not a Fascist.

And only he commands

the absolute loyalty of his men.

Now, if we can free him before the invasion,

he'll bring them all over to our side.

When do we enter Dubrovnik?

We start right now.

We'll travel in pairs.

- You speak our language?

- Well, enough to get by.

- You two go together.

- No, I'll go in with Fell.

Do you speak Serbian?

What? Oh, I don't think so,

but I'm getting along wonderful

with this one here.

She'll take you in there.

Mila?

Back there, what did you say

to the girl Mila?

I asked her if she would be afraid to be

with the one with the dead eyes.

- Why?

- Well, she's seen so much death.

Her husband was shot down before her

with a child kicking in her belly.

She recognizes Durrell as an executioner.

Yes. Never have I seen death

walking about, looking like a man.

Dubrovnik.

From here, it looks as it always has.

Now we come to free it.

And who will free it from us?

And who will free us

from ourselves?

- Let's do the job.

- Yes.

I speak English.

Oh?

It's a nice thing to do,

to try to help us.

We're all just trying to help ourselves.

And not each other?

Does anyone know how?

You like him?

What does it matter?

We should do a turn on the stage, lads.

We had all the guards laughing.

Go into the kitchen, lass,

and get to the cooking.

Marko, Rocca, come here.

Rocca, this is

for your particular attention.

Now, these maps show

the construction of the fortress

with the changes made

after the Nazi occupation.

Now, of the few possible means of entry,

Intelligence has chosen this one.

This one?

It's an underground river, once used

as a natural sewage system.

It still runs under the city,

but it's no longer in use.

I trust to British Intelligence,

but in the final analysis,

I trust only to myself.

We will see.

How about some grapes?

Their headquarters

are just behind the square.

The river mouth

is below that guard of men.

They've increased the guards

in the past two weeks.

They know the invasion is imminent,

but not the place of it.

Our task has been made

even more difficult.

Recent?

No, the Germans don't bother

anymore marking graves.

Do many people come to visit here?

Oh, I think not,

but it's easy to make certain.

Yes, sir. And the caretaker?

An old man who only speaks to the dead.

But he won't betray us.

Where is the nearest German garrison?

Oh, about 300 meters from here,

behind these walls.

We'll need the tools brought here.

Have to be done all by hand.

Can't risk explosives, unless...

What?

Well, we'll see.

Let's get inside of this one.

I beg your pardon.

We begin digging here.

Good.

How much longer for my shift?

Fifteen minutes.

If the boys at Monte-Carlo

could only see me now.

Do you realize I'm risking a great career?

A broken finger,

an infected nail, and bang!

A couple of more weeks of this, lad,

and I'll be taking out a card

in the Mole Union.

What's the matter down there, huh?

What is it?

I just met one of the more recent burials.

Recent burials?

What are you talking about?

I'm not going back down there.

Rocca, this tunneling is going too slowly.

We've only got three days left.

We'll be inside in time.

Well, the margin's too close.

This mission is not going to fail, hear me?

- We'll tunnel around the clock.

- The curfew.

If any of us are

discovered out after dark...

- Yeah, well, I'll take that risk.

- You'll take it without me.

You'll do what I tell you.

I will work.

And Svetlana.

How much longer?

No more.

Yes, I will do my share.

I said no more.

How gentle you can sometimes be.

Go home and nurse your child.

Go on.

I can reproduce this stuff in my sleep.

Good boy.

They've picked up Petar.

- When?

- I saw them in the street,

just after I left the cemetery.

Can he be trusted?

He can be trusted.

But if he is tortured, who knows?

We'll have to suspend the operation

until we're sure.

And if Petar talks,

it will have to be abandoned.

Abandoned?

Abandoned?

This mission will be abandoned

only when all six of us are dead!

Like hell.

I'm not dying to prove you've got guts.

What's driving you, Mace?

This is no mission with you,

it's a personal crusade!

Now, you listen to me.

My brother didn't give up his life...

- Your brother?

- ...so some yellow little...

What about your brother?

Well, I'll tell you.

I was in command

of Balkan Intelligence in 1942.

My brother was an officer

under my command.

He was captured

and placed in Dubrovnik Fortress.

What blame to you?

There was certain information

I wanted from inside.

He managed to find a way

to get it out to me.

I ask again.

What fault was yours?

I waited too long before getting him out.

So we're expected to buy

your honor, your vengeance

and your military reputation?

Why did they bust you, Major?

Yes, it's true.

They relieved me of my command.

I couldn't...

Couldn't carry on for a while.

It's as much our mission as yours now.

I agree that it's urgent.

Petar may want to be loyal,

but not be able to.

Can your people create a diversion for us?

Blow up a gun or a guard post,

anything to cover the sound

of an explosion within the tomb?

- It will be done.

- We must get to the tomb at once.

Scanlon might be able

to open an entrance to the drain

without attracting attention.

Someone must take explosives to him.

It's almost curfew.

We can't risk the streets.

I'll go, with the baby.

If I am stopped,

I'll say he was taken ill.

Isn't there another way?

Not with speed.

The rest of us can go across the roofs,

but it's gonna take some time.

All right.

By the time we get there,

Scanlon can have set the charges.

All right, my friends, let's go. Hustle.

He talked!

If we're captured,

we'll need someone on the outside.

We'll be waiting.

When you break out, we'll be watching.

I'm sorry, lads, but the smell

of this place is beginning to get to me.

Get used to it.

It's the smell of eternity.

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