PAIR OF ARMED GUARDS A AMBLED DOWN A DANK UNDERGROUND PASSAGE IN THE DUNGEONS OF AN ANCIENT SPANISH CASTLE. THEY SAY TORQUEMADA HIMSELF WAS IN CHARGE OF TORTURING HERETICS IN THESE DUNGEONS DURING THE INQUISITION.
HE WOULD BE PLEASED THAT THEY ARE STILL BEING USED FOR THE SAME PURPOSE SO MANY CENTURIES LATER.
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART BENET COVER BENET
4 THE CONVERSATION WAS TERMINATED AS PRIVATE TITCH MOONEY AND CORPORAL SMILER DAWSON STRUCK WITH STUNNING FORCE. TIME TO TAKE A BREAK, AMIGO!
UURH!
BLIMEY, THEM TWO NEVER DO NUFFINK BY ‘ALVES.
PRIVATE JELLY JAKES JOINED THE OTHER TWO CONVICT COMMANDOS — THREE MEN WHO HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM MILITARY PRISON SO THEIR UNIQUE TALENTS COULD BE USED FOR THE ALLIES’ WAR EFFORT. THEY QUICKLY STARTED OPENING THE OBSERVATION HATCHES SET IN THE STOUT CELL DOORS LINING THE PASSAGE. TENBY MUST BE HERE SOMEWHERE. GET LOOKING!
NO-ONE IN HERE.
NOR ‘ERE.
5 JELLY’S EYES WIDENED AS HE PEERED THROUGH THE NEXT HATCH. CHAINED TO THE OPPOSITE WALL AND LOOKING IN A BAD WAY WAS MAJOR GUY TENBY, LEADER OF THE CONVICT COMMANDOS — AND THE MAN WHO HAD GOT THEM OUT OF JAIL.
‘E’S IN ‘ERE, ALL CHAINED UP!
AS THE TRIO GATHERED ROUND THE DOOR, TITCH HEARD SOMETHING. SOMEONE’S COMING! PROBABLY MORE GUARDS.
OPEN THE DOOR AND GET HIM OUT OF THE CHAINS WHILE WE DEAL WITH THIS.
LEAVE ‘IM TO ME.
6 THE OLD DOOR HAD BEEN FITTED WITH A MODERN LOCK, BUT NOTHING THAT JELLY’S BESPOKE LOCK-PICKING TOOLS COULDN’T DEFEAT. IN THE EVENT, HE DIDN’T NEED THEM.
IT AIN’T EVEN LOCKED. THEN AGAIN, IF YOUR PRISONER’S ALREADY CHAINED TO THE WALL ‘E AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE.
THE LITTLE SAFE-BREAKER STEPPED INSIDE THE CELL AND GAVE A GASP WHEN HE SAW WHAT WAS LAID OUT THERE. IT’S A BLOOMIN’ TORTURE CHAMBER STRAIGHT OUT OF THE DARK AGES!
MMM...MMM!
7 AS HE HAD BEEN GAGGED, GUY COULD ONLY GREET JELLY WITH FRANTIC MUFFLED SOUNDS AND WHAT HE HOPED WAS A MEANINGFUL STARE PAST JELLY’S SHOULDER.
MMMM... MMMM!
WOT ARE YOU TRYIN’ TO SAY? WHY’RE YOU ROLLIN’ YER EYES LIKE THAT? OH, SUMFINK BEHIND ME!
HE SPUN ROUND AND CAME FACE TO FACE WITH THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES — A MEDIAEVAL TORTURER WITH A RAZOR SHARP AXE ALREADY SWINGING TOWARDS HIS HEAD.
EEEEEEK!
AS JELLY WAS ABOUT TO BE CLEAVED IN TWO, ALL THAT HAD GONE BEFORE FLASHED IN FRONT OF HIS TERRIFIED EYES.
8
NEUTRAL PORTUGAL HAD LONG BEEN A HOTBED OF NAZI SPIES, BUT BY THE SPRING OF 1944 THE INVASION OF EUROPE WAS IN THE OFFING AND THE ALLIES WANTED IT CLEANED UP, SENDING IN THEIR OWN HIT SQUADS TO CARRY OUT THE TASK. AMONG THE MEN SENT ON THESE MISSIONS WERE THE CONVICT COMMANDOS. THEIR INFORMATION HAD LED THEM TO AN ISOLATED FARMHOUSE.
IT LOOKS LIKE A DUMP.
IT’S BEEN POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS THE H.Q. OF GERMANY’S SPY NETWORK IN PORTUGAL. IF OUR GEN‘S CORRECT, THEIR TOP AGENTS ARE MEETING THERE RIGHT NOW. WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T GET OUT ALIVE!
9 DEALING SILENT DEATH WAS SMILER’S SPECIALITY. A MINUTE LATER A PERFECTLY-BALANCED THROWING KNIFE STRUCK THE UNSUSPECTING GUARD WITH THE FORCE OF A CROSSBOW BOLT.
UURF!
THE WAY CLEAR, MOMENTS LATER THEY BURST INTO THE FARMHOUSE WITH GUNS BLAZING. THE MEN INSIDE REACHED FOR THEIR GUNS BUT THEY WERE TOO SLOW.
NEIN... AARGH!
10 WHEN THE FIRING STOPPED, GUY CHECKED THE FALLEN MEN AGAINST MUGSHOTS HE WAS CARRYING AND GAVE AN ANGRY SNARL. NONE OF THEM ARE THE ONES WE REALLY WANTED. HOW DID THEY GIVE US THE SLIP? ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE, MISTER TENBY. YOU CAN ASK HIM.
HAVING SEEN WHAT THE CONVICT COMMANDOS WERE CAPABLE OF, THE SURVIVING GERMAN AGENT SWIFTLY TOLD THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW WHILE TITCH PINNED HIM TO THE WALL. A...A MESSAGE ARRIVED THIRTY MINUTES AGO AND THE SENIOR AGENTS LEFT IMMEDIATELY FOR THE SPANISH FRONTIER.
SOUNDS LIKE A TIP-OFF IF YOU ASK ME.
IT CERTAINLY DOES. BACK TO THE JEEP. IF WE MOVE FAST WE CAN STILL CATCH THEM!