The Sound of Thunder
So this is part two for you. There is some German again, which will be explained down below. Im kinda starting to feel bad for the guys while writing this…but I´ll pull through anyhow^^
Let me know what you think of it.
"I´ve waited long enough, Hogan.", Hochstetter said as he approached the cell: "It´s time to end this once and for all."
Hogan and Newkirk had jumped in surprise when they´d heard his voice, both of them leaping to their feet and backing away in unison. Hochstetter smiled upon seeing it and motioned for the guard next to him to open the door. They stepped into the cell, the two guards instantly directing their rifles at the prisoners. One of them, Weber, loudly banged the metal piece of his weapon against the bars, and Carter and LeBeau woke with a start.
"Perfect.", Hochstetter all but purred. He seemed in an unusually good mood, which couldn't be good: "Now that I have everybody´s attention: This is what´s going to happen. You are going to tell me everything about your operation and about that little scheme you were working on tonight; Hogan, or I´ll I test how many of your men´s lives your secret is worth."
That did hit home.
With some effort, Hogan put on his patented the-devil-may-care-face, as he shrugged: "I was afraid you would start with that again, major, but as I´ve told you before, I´m just a POW. We all are."
He was still a little out of it, the change of situation had happened all too quickly. And with his brain still somewhat entangled in his feelings surrounding Newkirk, he was glad to see that his words threw Hochstetter off for now. The major´s face took on an unhealthy shade of red as he stalked closer, the guards at his heels.
"I´ve put up with your audacity for long enough, Hogan!", he snarled: "Be warned: I am not your nitwit of a kommandant, and no one is here to make sure I stick to the rules of the Geneva Convention. Now. Who was that man in the woods?"
Inwardly, Hogan breathed a sigh of relief. So Müller had gotten away; at least their mission wasn't lost yet -as long as they kept quiet.
"Oh, that was some guy we met after we´d escaped from Stalag 13. We wanted to ask him for directions, but he wouldn't help us once he realized we were POW´s. he was about to leave us when you showed up. Musta panicked, I guess…"
The color of Hochstetter´s face was beginning to look alarming.
Even knowing it wasn't wise, he added innocently: "Didn't he tell you that when you found him?"
Hochstetter looked as if he were about to hit him. At least a small victory in their dreadful situation. The major didn't comment on his mockery, instead he replied: "You weren't trying to escape. You had camouflage on; you were out there sabotaging the Reich!"
Hogan didn't even bat an eye as he lied smoothly: "The clothes were so we would not be seen fleeing. Pretty good move, if I should say so myself. We didn't even have to dye them, stay at Stalag 13 long enough and you´ll look like a chimney sweeper yourself…", he paused, pretending like an idea came to him only now. "But I forget, you already do.", he commented on Hochstetter´s uniform.
Behind him, Carter snorted in amusement.
The taller guard, Weber, stepped up to him and brutally rammed the butt of his rifle into his stomach. The young sergeant wheezed in pain and slumped into LeBeau, trying to catch his breath. "Ruhe!"
"Andrew! Are you alright?", Newkirk spun around in concern for his friend; LeBeau just nodded reassuringly while he patted Carter´s back. Both corporals glared at the guard with open fury, just barely holding back from striking back.
Meanwhile, Hogan only stared at Hochstetter, all humor gone from his face.
"You´ll want to return us to camp, Major, before you get into trouble for this.", he said coolly. Only his clenched fists betrayed his true feelings.
He meant trouble with them of course, and they both knew it, but it was no proof of anything as he could also mean Burkhalter or Klink.
"Oh, don't worry about me, Hogan. I´ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Burkhalter won´t be upset for long when he hears that I prevented sabotage and caught the saboteur in the same night." "Or he´ll court martial you for going behind his back and coming up with no useful results whatsoever."
Hochstetter´s countenance didn't falter. It was almost eerie to see him this calm, when all he usually did was throw fits and make empty threats. Maybe his new confidence came from seeing the look on Hogan's face when Carter had gone down, from the knowledge that this time, finally, he was on the winning side.
"That´s why I need your help, Hogan.", he explained: "I will get the information out of you, it´s your choice if by persuasion, corruption or coercion."
"I don't have any information. "
Even that did nothing to throw the Major off: "Well, in that case, you are no use to me and I will have to tell Klink that his prisoners were shot while trying to escape.", he grinned in a way that made Hogan think he was going to be sick: "My hands are bound, you see? It´s all up to you, colonel."
Hogan briefly glanced at his men, fear surging through him even as he tried to hide it. Carter was still panting heavily and LeBeau cursed softly under his breath in what was likely French. Newkirk stood motionless next to Weber, his face pale but his eyes full of determination as he stared into Hogan´s.
Slowly, invisible for anyone else, he shook his head. Hogan knew what he was saying, and he knew that Carter and LeBeau would tell him the same thing if they could.
They must not say anything. Their mission was too important.
Much more important than their lives.
It was true, Hogan knew that.
But with every second he spent looking at Newkirk he felt his own priorities shift.
What wouldn't he sacrifice to save that man? Whom wouldn't he betray? In a way, he thought, it was luck that there was no hope for any of them to get out of this, so he wasn't faced with a choice between love and honor.
As it was, their only objective was to hold out until dawn, so Müller would be able to use that detonator. After that he could break under whatever Hochstetter had planned for him. In the meantime, all he could do was try to somehow spare his men the same fate.
Without taking his eyes off Newkirk, he told Hochstetter: "Can we talk in private, Major?"
A victorious smile spread across the man´s face. He obviously thought he had already won, and that Hogan just didn't want to betray his men with them standing there, or that he really wanted to make a deal.
"Certainly, Hogan."
He waved to Weber and the guard grabbed Hogan roughly by the arm, dragging him out of the cell. Newkirk made an awkward half-step forward as if to pull Hogan back, but the colonel curtly shook his head once.
"Just until morning.", he mouthed, trying to make him understand with looks. Just hold out until the mission has been successful.
Newkirk nodded in understanding, reluctantly falling back as Hogan was pulled into the hallway and up the stairs. Darkness swallowed his silhouette much too soon.
They entered a rather spacious office on the first floor and the guard shoved Hogan into a chair in front of the desk. Hochstetter closed the door behind him, shrugging of his coat. He leaned against the side of his desk in front of Hogan.
"So you've finally come to your senses. Very good. Now. I want to know every one of your accomplices, your contacts, your missions. Admit that you have been sabotaging this area for years." "And?", Hogan retorted.
Hochstetter raised one brow in confusion: "And what?"
"What do I get in return? It´s hardly a bargain if you´re the only one profiting from it." That didn't seem to sit well with him; still he snarled: "What do you want?" Without missing a breath, Hogan said: "Let my men go. They have nothing to do with anything. They were really just trying to escape."
Hochstetter merely sneered at him: "And you expect me to believe that?"
Hogan didn't allow himself to waver: "What I believe is that it´s me you want. You´re not interested in finding someone to pay for the espionage in this area, if the past years have made one thing clear, it´s that you despise me, want to get rid of me! So why not kill two birds with one stone, major? You´ll have your revenge and someone to blame for the sabotage."
He waited breathlessly, watching as Hochstetter chewed on his lip for a long moment.
"Fine.", he eventually gave in.
"You´ll send them back to Stalag 13 right away?"
This time Hochstetter outright laughed at him: "Very funny, indeed. Of course not. They can go once I got what I want."
Hogan tried not to let his devastation show. That had been his only shot at somehow getting the guys out of here unharmed. His heart fell as the thought of them hurt or worse raised goose bumps on his arms. Now all he could do was stall…
"Now, what was the man´s name? The one in the forest?" "I don't know his name.", Hogan lied bleakly: "Only his face." "Fine. We´ve got some pictures."
He barely acknowledged Hochstetter leaving the room in order to get his material. He just sat sunken into the chair with his stare going blank. It was over. He couldn't really tell Hochstetter anything without incriminating everyone. All he could do was try and convince him that he really was a lone fighter, but what were the chances of that?
A lump in his throat rose as he saw all of their faces in front of them: Choleric but feisty LeBeau. Naive but oh so cordial Carter. Newkirk. With a sudden rush of sheer panic he wondered if he had already seen him for the last time.
Was this it? Would he die without ever having been truthful?
Maybe it was for the better. Why taint the men's´ memories of their colonel, why let Newkirk go on wondering about him? Not that he would have to deal with that confession for long as it was.
Suddenly, it seemed almost impossible to sit still. He squirmed in the chair, longing to get up, run out and back to the basement. Even if it was pointless, dangerous and stupid, just so he could see him once more before he had to go. The guard next to him shifted nervously. "Sitzen bleiben!", he barked, pointing the rifle at his head. Weirdly, that actually helped somewhat: Before he would watch that bastard point the gun at Newkirk he would go through whatever hell was necessary. Only until dawn.
Hochstetter returned much too soon, putting down what looked like a book full of pictures on the desk in front of him. He pointed at the first page: "Let´s start, shall we? Which of these suspects are involved in your operation?" Hogan took one last deep breath in order to compose himself, before he leaned toward them with mock concentration. It was a pretty thick book. Only until dawn…
"That´s enough!" Beyond furious, Hochstetter slammed to photo album shut. Hogan simply leaned back in his chair, his face carefully blank. "Wont you let me look at the rest of them?", he asked. In the last…what seemed like hours, he had made a show of taking his sweet time with every picture, carefully scrutinizing each face, and then…shaking his head.
Hochstetter had grown more and more frustrated by the minute and it seemed that his patience had finally run out. "You think this is a game, Hogan?, the major hissed, grabbing the collar of his bomber jacket: "You are actually trying to tell me you have never seen any of these people?"
Hogan merely shrugged, busy with keeping up his façade. Actually, he had seen Tiger in there, and Fritz was on page fifty something.
"I´m afraid so, sir.", he replied: "Unless I look at the other-" He was cut short when Hochstetter´s gloved fist connected with his face. Pain shot through his jaw and he bit back a moan. As he looked into the other man´s eyes they were black as torrid coal, seething and beyond reasoning. "No more. You've had your chance." Sometime during his little speech he found his grin back, and it was by far more terrifying than his anger: "Now it´s time to change the rules of our little game. Why should you be the only one having fun?"
Fear surged through Hogan once more as he anticipated what was meant by that. "I assure you, if you just give me more time…" "Your time is up, Hogan. Los! Aufstehen!"
Before he could say anything else, he was roughly dragged out of the room by Weber. As they marched through the hallways, all he could hope was that they were just going to kill him. But then, what were the chances of that?
He knew of the Gestapo interrogation techniques, he just didn't know how long he could withstand them. If only he knew what time it was, but he couldn't see any windows and he could hardly ask Hochstetter for the time. So he would just have to hold out as long as he could. He straightened up and braced himself for the torture to come.
Whatever he had expected- it was worse. Instead of some cellar, he was lead straight back to the basement. Comprehension dawned on him, and he started fighting the guards grip around his arm but it was too late. Weber had already run ahead of them and as they neared the all too familiar cell, he saw why. Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau were kneeling on the ground in a row, their hands cuffed behind their backs. Weber stood over them with his gun drawn just as Hochstetter had Hogan shoved inside. He blanched at the scene´s resemblance to an execution. The effect of this wasn't lost on the gleeful major:
"Remember me wondering just how much you will sacrifice to guard your secret? Well, were about to find out."
It was his worst nightmare coming true right in front of him. By now, he had almost let himself hope that it had been an empty thread, or that Hochstetter had already forgotten, but no. He caught the slight flicker of fear in Carter´s creaseless face before he tried to compose himself, and it felt like he´d been punched. Both Newkirk and LeBeau kneeled with ramrod straight backs, showing nothing but glacial contempt for their captors. Brave until the end. They would go down guarding his back without a blink. That almost hit him harder than Carter´s slipping expression.
Hogan´s nails dug into the palms of his clenched fists until he could feel the skin breaking. By now, he almost wanted to throw any silly sense of pride overboard and start pleading with Hochstetter; convince him to have another fruitless look at those pictures, possibly just yell at the man, but Newkirk beat him to it: "The only secret ´ere is ´ow a bleedin´ nut like you got admitted into the service! You´re delusional, don't you see that? We´re bloody POW´s, not some special task force from your super hero comics!" LeBeau smiled grimly as he added: "And nothing you do will bring you to any other result, so you might as well give up, boche."
Hochstetter turned on them, a truly frightening look entering his eyes.
"Is that so?", he said, seemingly gentle. He arched one eyebrow and briefly glanced at Hogan. "Are you sure you don't have anything to add or rectify, colonel?"
Hogan spared him only a brief look of barely concealed contempt. He was way to busy panicking and trying to think of a way out. Take the Major´s attention off them, back to him…
"Guys, let me handle this, alright?", he heard himself say: "There are things I haven't told you about me…"
While his voice stayed neutral, he intently stared at them, first LeBeau, then Newkirk, willing them to go along with his plan. Newkirk was the first one to interpret the look of quiet desperation mixed with determination correctly. "No way!", he yelled, enraged: "You´re not taking the fall for whatever he tells you to just to save us!" "Absolument pas!", LeBeau joined almost in unison: "The colonel doesn't know a sacré thing!"
"A shame really…", Hochstetter muttered. "Let´s see if this will refresh his memory.", he snarled as he stepped up and viciously kicked LeBeau in the gut.
Ugh, feeling worse somehow. And I can´t even say it will get nicer next chapter. There was not much Hogan/Newkirk this chapter but then its only one aspect of the plot, there to make this story even more depressing^^ The next one will bring their arc to a conclusion though as well as the rest.
The German (and French, hey^^) words mean the following:
Sitzen bleiben!- Stay seated.
Ruhe! –Be quiet.
Aufstehen! –Get up.
Btw, not all German is barked commands with exclamation marks, in case anyone was wondering. Sometimes we speak normally, but then, we´re not fictional Nazi officers. :-)
As for the French: Absolument pas! –Absolutely not. And sacré means damn.
That´s it from me for now. Hope you liked it.
