Whoosh! whoosh! were the sounds the Tardis made as it landed in a dark, snowy forest. Two figures emerged from the box and surveyed the scenery.
"I can't believe we actually moved. Where are we?" a young woman asked.
"It would appear we are in a forest," the man stated.
"Gee thanks," she replied sarcastically. "I mean where is this forest located?"
"I would say Germany in winter."
The wind blew a cool gust causing a rustle in the trees and bushes and Annie to shiver. "It's pretty cold," she said, "I'm going to get a coat from the Tardis."
Just then three men clad in black appeared from the bushes and pointed guns at Annie and the Doctor. "Don't move," ordered one of the men.
"Or I could just stay here," Annie said.
"Are you Hansel and Gretel?" asked a man with a very American accent.
"I'm afraid not," the Doctor answered, "I am the Doctor and this is Annie."
"You have an English accent. Are you from London?" the American asked.
"Not quite but…"
"I don't know, Colonel," interjected a short Frenchman, "something about them seems fishy."
"I've got that feeling too. We'll take them with us to straighten this out," said the American. "LeBeau, Newkirk, keep an eye out for Hansel and Gretel as we make our way back to camp."
"Aye, sir," answered both men.
Annie and the Doctor followed the one called "Colonel" and were trailed by Newkirk and LeBeau. The wintry forest was eerily silent as if some villainous force was upon it.
"I wonder where they're taking us?" Annie whispered to the Doctor.
"To their camp I imagine," he replied.
A few minutes later the group approached the camp that the Colonel had led them to. Annie stared in horror as she observed that the camp was surrounded by a tall, barbed wire fence. Blue uniformed guards armed with rifles patrolled the camp, a spotlight from a tower beamed around the area, and blood red flags bearing swastikas were mounted on top of buildings.
"He's led us to a Nazi prison camp!" Annie whispered rather loudly.
"Stay quiet," the Colonel said softly, "Follow my lead." He waited for the spotlight to pass then opened a tree stump which led to an underground passageway. The Frenchman went down first, followed by Annie, the Doctor, the Englishman, and finally the Colonel.
At the bottom of the stairs, the Colonel led the group to a small room with a couple of chairs and a single light on the ceiling.
"Go check in with Kinch and find out if London knows the whereabouts of Hansel and Gretel. I'll catch up with you later," the Colonel told his men. "All right you two, have a seat." The Doctor and Annie sat on the chairs the Colonel pointed to. "Who are you working for?'
"We are not working for anyone. You see we are merely travelers," the Doctor answered.
"Travelers eh? Who in their right mind would want to travel across a war zone? I'm not buying it," the Colonel stated.
"Fine. We work for a top secret organization that deals with classified information."
"Really? Then what brings you to Nazi Germany?"
"Classified. All you need to know is that we are on the same side."
"Can you show me your credentials then?" The Doctor pulled out a thin billfold from his coat and showed the card inside to the Colonel. "Says here that you're a scientific advisor to U.N.I.T, whatever that is. What about her?"
"She is my assistant." the Doctor gave him a hypnotizing look after he spoke.
"You two seem like the real deal. I'm Colonel Hogan, US Air Force. Who would you be again?"
"I'm the Doctor and this is Annie."
"Nice to meet you," said Annie.
"Sorry about the abrasive capture. You can never tell who's who these days." Col. Hogan said.
"I can assure you we are not your enemies, Colonel," the Doctor said.
"Well, now that that's been cleared up, let me introduce you to my men." He turned around and gestured for the two to follow him. They trailed the Colonel until they reached a room where three uniformed men were gathered around another man operating a radio. "Doctor, Annie, these are my men; Sergeants Kinchloe and Carter, and Corporals LeBeau and Newkirk."
"How do you do?" the Doctor said absently as he meandered towards the radio Sgt.. Kinchloe was operating.
"Pleasure to meet you all," said Annie as she shook everyone's hand.
"Welcome to Stalag 13, love. The toughest POW camp in all of Germany," Cpl. Newkirk said jokingly.
"Kinch, any word from London?" asked Col. Hogan.
"Yeah, it seems Hansel and Gretel won't be able to meet until tomorrow night. Gretel reported there was too much Gestapo activity in Hammelburg so the meeting will have to be delayed," the Sergeant replied after he snatched a radio part from the Doctor.
"Who are Hansel and Gretel?" Annie asked.
"A couple of people we're supposed to meet and arrange their escape to London," Col. Hogan answered. "With our meeting delayed, that gives us time to get you two out of here. You'll have to wait until tomorrow night because it's almost daybreak. The krauts will see you if you leave now."
"Impressive," the Doctor noted about Kinch's radio, "Did you build it yourself?"
"Yep," he answered, "It took some time to get all the parts, but it works."
"Do you need to get back to London?" Col. Hogan asked, "We may be able to get you there with Hansel and Gretel."
"We have our own means of getting there," the Doctor stated, "We just need to get back to the woods."
"All right then," Col. Hogan said, "We'll work on the plan later. My men and I need to head up to the barracks to catch some sleep before roll call. In the meanwhile you two can stay down here in the tunnel; I'll show you to the room you can rest in."
The Colonel showed them to a room then left to join his men in the barracks. The room featured a couple of bunk beds and a single light hanging from the ceiling. Annie strolled to one of the beds and flopped down on it.
"Can you believe it?" Annie pondered out loud, "We're under a Nazi POW camp, and those men, Col. Hogan's men, are prisoners. Yet they're communicating with London and helping people escape. It's just amazing."
"Indeed," affirmed the Doctor who sat on the bunk across from Annie, "If it weren't for their efforts, the Allies may have never won the war."
"Wow, it's strange to think how five men can impact the course of history."
"It has happened several times."
"True, but for those men to be prisoners of war while impacting history; what are the odds? Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep, wake me up if anything happens."