As the other woman changed out of the muddy clothes, Clarice gave Doc glances between the papers hidden on the table and the girl. Clarice’s German was rudimentary at best, and neither of them had been able to crack the messages they had intercepted. If this woman was really a decoder, she could help them and maybe help them figure out what exactly happened to Henry. The two shared hurried glances and a silent argument over the messages. It was just a matter of trust, and Doc seemed firm on his stance, shaking his head back and forth quickly ‘no’ while the mystery woman was occupied. Clarice’s mind, however, wasn’t as made up. Maybe they wouldn’t show here the messages just yet, but what about Henry’s body. She said she had been assigned as a medic, surely she must have picked some things up in the field. Maybe she’d have a better idea of what happened to him. 

 “The gunshot was from me. I had to shoot a...friend out of self defense,” Clarice lied. She had never actually shot a gun before, but the other woman didn’t need to know that. If she believed that Clarice was capable of murder, especially of a close friend, she’d probably be less likely to try anything if she wasn’t who she said she was. It was a huge risk, showing her what she didn’t even understand yet. But it was necessary. Something was going on, something inhuman and Clarice needed to find out what. Henry was her friend, she wasn’t going to let him die in vain. 

“I’m going to trust you here, and that might be the dumbest thing I do today. But if you’re really a German dog trying to pull a fast one, I won’t hesitate to make sure you never find your unit,” Clarice threatened, trying to make herself seem as intimidating as possible. “My friend...the one I had to shoot,” Clarice started as she moved the rug, opening up the trap door she had recently climbed out of. “Something happened to him. He’s been changed somehow. With whatever time you did have on the front lines, have you ever seen anything like this?” Clarice motioned for the other woman to look into the hideaway and at the horribly disfigured monster that once was Henry.