A crack team of special agents have just helped La Résistance derail a train carrying German field artillery, they are now awaiting the emergence of the German troops. The team consists of Mademoiselle Mimi Dubois, La Résistance fighter and mistress of skills; Miss Madeline Forsyth, SOE operative and a living shadow; Sven Hyse, Norwegian Resistance soldier and shapeshifter; and Doctor Jackal, timid physician with his less than timid friend Mister Hades.

West of Serqueux, France, September 1942

I very much remember the day that I actually came face to face with Mr Hades for the first time. He is not a pleasant man, in fact I would go as far as saying he is a complete neanderthal.

When the dust settles after the train crash there is a locomotive with six flatbed trucks and a troop caboose laying on their sides. The loads on the flatbed, six artillery field guns, are strewn across the ground in various states of repair. From my position in the tree line to the north of the train wreck I reach out with my senses and make sure that we are not likely to encounter any enhanced enemy troopers. Some would call it paranoia, and they would be correct. Fortunately, there are none.

A moment later there is a massive explosion as Madeline triggers the eastern explosives. The shrapnel from the explosion shreds the troop caboose and blows it into the air. A couple of minutes pass and nothing moves. While Madeline heads towards the locomotive to check for survivors, Sven and Doctor Jackal head towards the troop caboose to do the same. As soon as I see them, I venture forth from my hiding place and start to inspect the field artillery. After a short while Sven joins me and we ascertain that out of the six guns only two of them are still serviceable.

Madeline finds a German private as well as one of the engine drivers dead, she also discovers that the engine stoker is still alive. She spends a bit of time first aiding him to make sure that he does not die. Doctor Jackal finds a lot of dead German troopers including an officer. However, towards the back of the caboose he does discover two troops that are still alive. He rolls up his sleeves and starts the difficult task of saving their lives.

While Sven transforms into a raven and takes to the skies to keep watch, I start the process of re-rigging the other set of explosives in order to cripple the two serviceable field guns. After fifteen minutes I run the detonator cable back to the machine gun nest and meet up with both Madeline and Doctor Jackal. Between them they have saved the lives of two German troopers and a French engine stoker, and dragged them all clear of the wreckage. One at the nest I trigger the explosives and destroy the final two guns. We then all run fo the car.

We are met at the car by Sven, who drops out of the sky and transforms back into himself. He stands up and says;

German convoy on route from Serqueux. Motorbike and sidecar on point and closing fast.

Sven then transforms back into an Alsatian and jumps up into the passenger seat of the Citroen. Taking Sven’s lead, the rest of us quickly get into the car. Doctor Jackal drives while Madeline and I assume shadow form and slide into the backseat. As Henry pulls out onto the road we can just make out the German motorbike sat at the T-junction east of our position. Henry takes us west.

Doctor Jackal takes a circuitous route avoiding checkpoints aiming to get us back to Le Tréport with a little incident as possible. We pass to the west of Neufchâtel-en-Bray about midnight and continue on small country roads north towards our destination. As we are driving along a single track road somewhere to the west of Londinieres Doctor Jackal spots a single headlight travelling towards us, he slows down and pulls up onto the verge to allow the approaching vehicle to pass. The German motorbike slows as well and the then stops level with the passenger window. The rider taps on the window and Doctor Jackal winds it down.

Papers!

Henry passes over his papers and when questioned explains that he is travelling to Abbeville. The German trooper gives the papers a cursory glance and then says;

You have a lovely dog! Safe journey!

The motorbike then drives off.

The rest of our journey is uneventful and we arrive back at the barn just after oh one fifteen hours. Doctor Jackal checks on Duplix and confirms that he is fine and we set watches and hit the hay, literally. We are awoken early the following morning by the wonderful smell of Marie Dacourt’s cooking. We partake of a hearty breakfast and are told by Jean that the boats will be ready for us at oh eight hundred hours. Just before the allotted time we are lead down to the beach by Jean Dacourt and can see a dozen fishing boats waiting to head out for a days work.

Jean leads us down the beach and we are all placed on separate boats, with the exception of Duplix and Doctor Jackal who are put on the same boat so that Henry can look after his patient. So just after eight o’clock in the morning the fishing boat La Mouette and her seven sisters head out to sea just like any other morning, but this time they are hiding a very special cargo. The day passes uneventfully as the fishermen of the village go about their daily routine, during the day as the boats pass each other members of the team are transferred onto La Mouette while crew members are transferred off to make room.

By eighteen hundred hours we are regrouped and waiting for the sun to set. By twenty hundred hours the rest of the fishing boats begin to head back towards shore and we are left alone. At twenty one hundred hours our captain tells us that we are now beyond curfew and it is just a waiting game, hoping that we are not discovered by a German patrol boat. It was a tense wait out there in the dark, but luck was on our side and by twenty three thirty hours the captain heads the boat west towards 50º14’59.6”N 0º50’26.2”E and our transport home.

Just before midnight the captain informs us that we are at the correct coordinates, Doctor Jackal double checks and informs the captain that we are actually a few hundred metres south of the exact coordinates. The captain begrudgingly complies and moves the boat. Minutes pass and Doctor Jackal keeps making minute course adjustments to offset the drift that we are experiencing. He is just rechecking for the umpteenth time when he spots a submarine breaching the surface a couple of hundred metres in front of us.

A row boat is launch from the submarine and heads towards us, when it is within hailing range I shout the passphrase and receive the correct response in reply. The rowboat comes alongside and a sailor climbs on board the fishing boat. He snaps off a perfect salute and introduces himself as Petty Officer Samson of HMS Utmost. He asks us to appraise him of the situation and Madeline quickly gets him up to speed. He suggests that we all board the rowboat and get underway.

Madeline is assisted off of the fishing boat and into the rowboat, the sailors seem very keen to help her down. Next, Duplix is passed down wrapped in a blanket so that he does not flail about. Doctor Jackal, who is keen to remain with his patient, doesn’t wait for the sailors to help him down. And that was the point that things got complicated.

As Doctor Jackal clambers over the side of the fishing boat a large swell hits the side of the boat and pitches him head first straight into the sea between the fishing boat and the rowboat. He hits the surface and then disappears under the waves thrashing wildly. On the rowboat Madeline shouts for the sailors to use their oars to help him climb out and on the fishing boat Sven quickly gathers up a rope and throws it towards where he can see Doctor Jackal’s arms flailing around. I jump up onto the fishing boats gunwale and dive into the sea.

Madeline shimmies along the oars to try and help Doctor Jackal grab hold of them and pull himself out. I swim in behind Doctor Jackal to attempt to rescue him, as I place my arm around his neck he pushes me away very strongly and turns to stare at me with unbridled anger in his eyes. And those eyes. They are not the eyes of Doctor Jackal at all.

I stare straight into the eyes of Mr Hades!

Panic seizes me and I swim as fast as possible away from him. Perched precariously on the rowboats oars being held by two strong sailors, Madeline manages to grab hold of Mr Hades’ hand and place it on the oar. Finally Mr Hades’ head breaks the surface and he takes a deep lung full of air and tries to wrench himself out of the water. All he manages to do is pull the oars out of the hands of the sailors and he and Madeline both fall back into the water.

I swim around to the other side of the rowboat and clamber out of the sea. Madeline finds herself clinging to an oar directly opposite Mr Hades, she says;

Don’t worry. We’re all friends and we are trying to help you.

Mr Hades shouts;

WHO ARE YOU? ALL I REMEMBER IS NEEDLES AND PAIN!

Madeline stays remarkably calm given the situation and tries to calm Mr Hades, she reminds him that we need to be careful about what others hear. Mr Hades appears to take note and pulls himself out of the sea onto the rowboat. Now he is clear of the water I get my first good look at him. The best description I can give you is that of a short, well muscled, neanderthal man.

One of the sailors throws a blanket around Mr Hades’ shoulders to try and keep him warm. Mr Hades throws the blanket off, turns around and punches the sailor in the chest. Hard. The sailor stumbles backwards and almost topples out of the boat. Hades shouts;

DON’T TOUCH ME!

I close my eyes and reach out with my senses to try and ascertain what Hades is capable of, the initial impression that I get is that he is a very good fighter, very coordinated. But as he is looking more and more agitated I stop what I am doing and don’t press any further. Madeline continues to talk calmly to him in an attempt to calm him down.

Taking her lead I try my charms on him and flutter my eyelashes, he looks at me dismissively and asks;

How much do you charge whore?

Madeline manages to keep Mr Hades still enough for the rest of the team to board the rowboat and for the sailors to get us across to the submarine. The sailors form a human chain to get us on board and then we are shown up the conning tower and down into a small room at the bottom of the inside of the conning tower where we are met by a Lieutenant Keighley.

There is an open door off of the small room that seems to lead through the submarines bridge and another closed bulkhead door. Mr Hades looks at the closed door and then thumps his fist off of it. The Lieutenant gestures for us to go through the open door but Mr Hades has other ideas and tries to open the bulkhead door. The Lieutenant reaches out to stop him and so, in what seems to be becoming a pattern, Mr Hades punches him to the floor.

The Lieutenant shouts;

Security!

I get Mr Hades attention and tell him that the nice young man would like us to go this way and Mr Hades shrugs and follows me. I walk straight through the bridge and into the corridor on the other side. Running towards us along the corridor is a Marine with a sidearm holstered.

Madeline dusts off the Lieutenant and apologies for Mr Hades’ behaviour and quickly explains that he is off kilter due to falling in the sea. The Lieutenant shouts;

Stand down Phillips and show them into the officers mess.

We all enter and close the door behind us. Mr Hades immediately starts to open all of the cupboards and throw the contents onto the floor, Madeline and I start to clean up after him. I decide to start singing a lullaby in an attempt to calm him down as he is pacing like a caged beast. He says that he knows what I am doing and he increases his activity to try and block me out.

Eventually, Hades’ search leads him to the drinks locker. He unstoppers a bottle of whiskey and starts to drink heavily. Not long afterwards there is a knock at the door, it is Lieutenant Keighley and a naval rating with our bags. Mr Hades looks up and says;

How long until we get off of this stinking tin can?

Lieutenant Keighley manages to bite back his temper and informs him that the journey time is seven hours. Madeline quietly picks up Doctor Jackal’s doctors bag and slips out of the room. She swaps the two really nice bottle of wine that she took from the chateau for a small bottle of gin and then doses it with a triple dose of the sleeping draught prepared by Doctor Jackal for Duplix.

We can feel the throb of the engines through the deck plates and then the submarine pitches down at a fourth five degree angle as it dives under the water. Madeline returns and smile at Mr Hades, he responds with a vulgar suggestion but Madeline just smiles and shows him the bottle of gin.