A/N: Comments and constructive criticism is appreciated. I am by no means a professional author, but I do love to write. I own nothing but the plot.
Take Me Out to the Stalag
Chapter One:
It was an unseasonably warm early July night in the small, German, town of Hammelburg. In a crowded bar on the outskirts of town, Colonel Robert Hogan, disguised as Luftwaffe major, sat in a booth, patiently waiting for the member of the underground who was supposed to rendezvous with him there. He sipped his beer, trying to act nonchalant while scanning the room to ensure that a man of his contact's description had not yet arrived. A few minutes passed before Hogan glanced anxiously at his watch. As the cuckoo clock over the bar signaled the hour, the door to the bar opened, and an old man hobbled inside. The old man tipped his hat at the bartender and slid into Hogan's booth. He glanced around quickly, leaned across the table towards Hogan and whispered
"How's the weather in Chicago?"
"I wouldn't know, I'm from Wichita." Hogan said just as quietly. The old man slipped a small spool of microfilm into Hogan's hand underneath the table. Hogan tipped his hat at the gentleman, stood, and walked out of the restaurant.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Men, it seems as though this will be one of our easiest missions yet." Colonel Hogan said as he debriefed his crew on the state of their current mission. "And that's what worries me."
"Why do you say that, colonel?" Lebeau asked
"We haven't run into a patrol in weeks. Our handoffs have been easy, and we've hardly had to do anything…shall we say extra to complete our missions."
"Blimey, by the way he's talking you'd almost think that our good fortune was a bad thing." Newkirk said rolling his eyes.
"Trust me, the last thing I want is trouble, but with the lack of trouble we've had, I'm afraid that something will happen, that someone will slip up, and the krauts will tighten their grip more than they have before."
"Which would be particularly bad, considering the importance of this mission." Kinch said quietly.
"Precisely my point, Kinch"
"Wait, why is this mission so important?" Carter asked, looking up from some baseball cards he had been looking through.
"Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying this past hour, Carter?"
"Of course I have! Well…I mean I think so…could you go over that part in the middle again?"
"Okay, so we all want this war to end quickly, right?" Hogan said in an exasperated voice
"No, I personally like being here. This Stalag is the most wonderful place in the world and I'd like nothing better than to stay here forever." Newkirk said sarcastically.
"It was a rhetorical question" Hogan retorted
"What's a rhetorical question?" Carter inquired
"Do you want me to re-debrief you or what?"
"Sorry Colonel."
"So as I said before this microfilm contains reconnaissance of the Stuttgart Airport, which is a couple of hours south of here." He pointed to the location of the airport on a large map of Germany that was hanging from one of the bunks. "If we can get this information to the Allies in time, they may be able to compromise the effectiveness of this airfield, which means we can get out of here sooner."
"Oh, I understand sir" Carter said, turning his attention back to his baseball cards once again.
"Good! Now our contact should be meeting just outside of the forest tunnel entrance tomorrow at 0200 hours. This mission has gone perfectly so far, and I want to keep it that way."
