Bang! "Great shot, Annie! You almost hit the bullseye. Keep it up and soon you'll be able to hit dead center," Mr. Anderson cheered.
Annie lowered the pistol in her hand. "This is fun, daddy."
"It's good to see that you are not scared of guns, but you must understand that a gun is not a toy. I am teaching you how to use one because it could save your life one day."
"What do you mean, daddy?"
"You may end up having to hunt for your dinner one day or you may have to defend yourself."
An hour later, Annie woke up from her nap and noticed that the Doctor was not in the room. She rose from the bunk and wandered through the tunnel's corridors until she came to the radio room; still she did not find the Doctor, or anyone for that matter. She surveyed the room then found a ladder leading up out of the tunnel. She climbed the ladder and reached a trap door type of mechanism at the top then fiddled with it until it opened revealing the inside of the barracks and five men gathered around a table. All eyes were on her as she stepped out of the false bunk.
"Glad you could join us," Col. Hogan said raising from his seat. "Please, have a seat."
She took a seat at the table then Lebeau served her an omelet. "Bon appétit" he said before he returned to his cooking.
"While you were sleeping, Col. Hogan and I discussed the plan for tonight," the Doctor started.
"You two will leave with us as we go to meet Hansel and Gretel," continued Col. Hogan as he shut the false bunk. "We'll go to the same place where we found you then leave you to go your way."
"Schultz is coming", warned Sgt. Carter who was keeping watch at the door.
"All right men, get ready for roll call. Doctor, Annie, I need you to stay in my quarters until we come back and do not make a sound."
Just as the two hid in the Colonel's quarters, Schultz barged into the barracks. "Roll Call! Everybody out, out, out, out, out, out, out! Roll Call! Raus!" he clucked and urged everyone out. Annie peeped through a hole in the door and noticed that the guard was a very large man and a sergeant none the less. What struck her the most was that none of the prisoners seemed afraid of him. Of course who would be afraid of a man who resembled a teddy bear.
He stood there defiantly as Schultz counted his shivering men, all the while planning the approaching evening. A few moments later the camp's Kommandant, Klink, stormed out of his office yelling "Report!"
"All present and accounted for, herr Kommandant!" responded Schultz.
"Thank you," he answered the sergeant. Klink then began to deliver the daily news about the 'illustrious' Luftwaffe and Germany's progress in the war. In the middle of his speech, a black car pulled in front of Klink's office and out of it stepped the head of the local Gestapo, Major Hochstetter. The Major glanced over at the Kommandant then marched into Klink's office.
"Herr Kommandant," interrupted Schultz.
"What is it, Schultz?" Klink asked in an annoyed tone.
"Major Hochstetter is here."
Klink turned to see the black car in front of his office. "Dismissed," he said to the prisoners then scurried off to meet the visitor.
"Hochstetter is here," said Col. Hogan to his men gathered around him, "I wonder if this visit has to with Hansel and Gretel. Let's go listen in."
"I think I hear someone coming," whispered Annie. She peered through the door to see the colonel and his men enter the barracks. "It's Col. Hogan."
The colonel paced to his quarters, his men filing in behind him. Upon opening a coffee pot that was sitting on the table, they gathered around listening to the conversation between the Kommandant and the Major. It turned out that the coffee pot was in fact a speaker that must have been linked to a bug in the Kommandant's office. Annie marveled at their ingenuity.
"There are reports of Underground activity in this area," came Hochstetter's voice from the coffee pot, "I am bringing in additional Gestapo agents to search the locality. Once the rebels are found, I will keep them here then take them to headquarters in Berlin."
"You can be sure that they will not escape from here. Afterall no one ever escapes Stalag 13," rang in Klink. Annie imagined the look the Major gave the Kommandant.
"This can make things difficult for Hansel and Gretel," voiced Col. Hogan, "I'm going to draw off the Gestapo from this area."
"How are you going to do that Colonel?" asked Carter.
"By eavesdropping on a guard," came his reply.
Colonel Hogan marched into Kom. Klink's office pretending he knew nothing about the major's visit.
"Kommandant, I'd like to report a rumor…" Col. Hogan started.
"WHAT IS THIS MAN DOING HERE!" Maj. Hochstetter demanded.
"Hogan, now is not the time. Can't you see that Major Hochstetter is here?" Klink reprimanded.
"But Kommandant, it's about some Underground activity. I felt it was my duty to report it."
"Not now, Hogan."
"Hold on Klink, this may be very valuable information. Col. Hogan, do go on with your report," Hochstetter persuaded.
"All right," the Colonel began, "I heard from one of the guards, uhh Streusel, Shrouder…"
"Schroeder?" asked Klink.
"Yeah, that's the one. Well anyway, I heard him tell another guard that while he was on leave, he went to Dusseldorf and saw some suspicious activity. He said he thinks that it was the Underground."
"The Underground? In Dusseldorf?" questioned Klink.
"Thank you very much, Col. Hogan," said Hochstetter as he escorted Col. Hogan out the door, "This report is greatly appreciated." After the Colonel left the office, Hochstetter began, "I will send out a group of my men to investigate this news. In the meanwhile, keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Heil Hitler!" he saluted.
"Heil Hitler," Klink said in response.