Chapter 3---Vanished

Hogan, donning black slacks, turtleneck sweater, a black silk jacket, and his face smeared with black oil, climbed out of the emergency tunnel entrance which was a tree stump just outside of camp, closing the stumps's lid after him. Clutching his pistol tightly, he ducked behind the stump as the searchlight from the guardtower scanned the area. When it passed, he moved away from the stump as it opened again, and Newkirk and Carter, dressed exactly as Hogan minus the jacket, exited the tree stump. As the searchlight headed back in their area, the two men hurriedly joined Hogan who was hiding behind a bush near the tree stump. After the searchlight passed by again, LeBeau and Kinch climbed out and joined the others.

After making sure his men were all present, Hogan ordered them to follow him. The five men stayed in the dense shrubbery as they made their way to where the power plant was located. Hogan motioned for Newkirk and LeBeau to spread out and keep watch.

"Carter, make sure you get plenty of pictures of the installation."

"You got it, boy. I mean, sir," Carter replied removing the small camera from the pouch he carried over one shoulder. He began snapping pictures.

"How many guards do you see, Colonel?" Kinch asked, looking around nervously.

"I count about ten so far. But there's no telling how many more might be inside the installation itself."

Just then, they heard a noise which sounded like the snapping of a twig. Hogan gripped his pistol tighter. He put a finger to his lips indicating quiet. After several minutes it was quiet again. "Go ahead Carter," Hogan said softly. Carter resumed taking photos. After five minutes, they heard the same sound again, this time much closer. Again Hogan indicated quiet.

"Might be a Kraut patrol," he whispered. "Look, I'll lead them in the other direction away from here. Kinch, stay with Carter. If anything goes wrong, find Newkirk and LeBeau and get back to camp."

"We can't leave you out here alone, Colonel," Kinch whispered.

"That's an order, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied, discouraged.

The two men watched as Hogan disappeared into the dense brush in the direction from which the noises had come. Looking around, Hogan saw nothing. All was quiet. He decided to make another sweep of the immdiate area and was about to head in another direction when he was suddenly struck from behind by the butt end of a pistol. He crumpled to the ground in a heap and lay motionless. Stepping out from behind the bushes where they had been hiding, Malcolm Decker and Wilhelm Klauss stared down at the unconcious man.

"C'mon," Decker said as he knelt down and lifted Hogan up by the arms. "Help me tie him up and get him into the trunk of the car so we can get out of here before his men catch us."

Klauss knelt down and using the rope he carried on his shoulder, hastily tied Hogan's legs together, while Decker tied his arms behind him. Once done, Decker removed a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around Hogan's mouth. Then, the two men, struggling, picked up the Colonel and carried him to their car. Putting Hogan on the ground, Decker quickly unlocked the trunk, and they deposited their prisoner inside and shut it. Then, they got in the car and drove away. But they were in such a hurry to get away that they overlooked something.

"I think I got enough pictures, Kinch," Carter said eagerly.

"Fine. Now let's find the Colonel, Newkirk and LeBeau and get outta here," Kinch replied nervously looking around, clutching his weapon.

Just then, they both froze as the sound of movement approaching them was heard. Kinch grabbed Carter's arm. "C'mon!" he whispered. He and Carter hurried and ducked behind a large rock near where they had just been. Kinch cocked his weapon and peeked out. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed it was LeBeau and Newkirk. He and Carter stepped out from their hiding place.

"We thought you two were a Kraut patrol," Kinch said.

"Where's the Colonel?" asked LeBeau nervously.

"We heard noises, so he went to draw them away from us," Carter informed them.

"Did you get the pictures?" asked Newkirk.

"Sure did, boy! I must've used a whole roll of film!"

"Wonderful," Newkirk remarked, exasperated. "Let's just find the Gov'nor and get out of here. This place makes me nervous. Which way did he go?"

"He went this way. C'mon," said Kinch heading in the direction Hogan had disappeared. They had gone only a few feet with no sign of Hogan.

Kinch looked around. "He couldn't have gone any further than here," he said. "There's no way we could have missed him."

Newkirk and LeBeau looked around. They were confused, and worried.

"You don't suppose he was caught by a Kraut patrol, do you?" asked Carter, looking around nervously.

"I don't think so," said Newkirk. "But something's mighty strange about this. And I don't think I like it very much."

"Hey, look what I found," replied LeBeau, bending down. Standing, he examined what he had picked up. "It's the Colonel's gun," he said.

Kinch took it from the Frenchman. "It's the Colonel's all right," he said. "But he wouldn't just leave it laying here. The Colonel was very fond of this pistol as it was specially made for him." Kinch tucked Hogan's weapon in his waistband.

"Look at this, mate," Newkirk commented, kneeling down and examining the ground. "There's at least three sets of footprints here."

Kinch knelt down. "Hey, look at this." He touched a spot on the ground and then looked at his fingers. "Looks like blood." He was surrounded by the others. "Looks like someone was injured. Doesn't appear to be serious, though, as it's just a few drops."

Newkirk, LeBeau and Carter all looked at each other. The same thought had occurred to each of them.

"Kinch, what do you think happened here?" asked Carter. "Where's Colonel Hogan?"

"Andrew, I wish I knew. But something tells me the Colonel's in trouble."

"I agree with you there, mate," agreed Newkirk. "But we have an even bigger problem."

"What could be a bigger problem than the Colonel missing?" asked LeBeau.

Newkirk looked at him with a frightened look on his face. "Not knowing who's got him or where to begin looking for him."

Hogan slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. Just that action alone made his head hurt more. Looking around, he tried to figure out where he was. All he saw was a room with only one window not big enough for a human being to fit through. Also, there were bars on the outside of the window. Hogan tried to get up, but found he couldn't move. Looking down, he saw he was seated in a chair, both arms secured to the arms of the chair with handcuffs. There were also manacles around both ankles securing his legs to the chair as well. He also realized there was duct tape over his mouth to prevent him from making any sound.

Where am I? Hogan wondered to himself. The last thing I remember was the power plant. How did I get here?

A door opening and the sound of footsteps on stairs caused him to look over his shoulder. He noticed a woman, rather attractive with long, shoulder-length blonde hair, followed by an older man behind her, walking down the stairs. They approached him and stood in front of him. Hogan looked up at his visitors, confused.

"Colonel Hogan," the woman said calmly. "I'm glad you're finally awake. We need you concious if we're to proceed."

Hogan's eyes narrowed as he tried to comprehend what was being explained to him.

"You see, Colonel. You are charged with being a threat to Germany and will stand trial for crimes against the Fatherland as a war criminal."