Chapter Seven: A Glimpse of Things to Come

That night, Newkirk dreamt about something that he had occasionally done in his life. He still didn't know what to think of his wings, even after all these years. Yet, at the same time, he had never been ashamed of testing them out. He knew that there was no feeling in the world quite like soaring above the clouds, of looking down at both the countryside and his beloved London. Sure, there was the occasional frantic witness, and the inevitable headlines that ran in the newspaper the next day: WINGED CREATURE SPOTTED IN LONDON'S SKIES, WINGED CREATURE SEEN AGAIN, and WINGED CREATURES: DEMONS OR ANGELS? Still, Newkirk always had to smile when he read the reports, since he knew that nobody in their right mind really believed them, though one time he did remember having to watch out for a couple of stray bullets.

Standing outside his house outside of London before the war, Newkirk looked up at the night sky and smiled. The moon was completely covered by clouds, so he knew that while it would be easy for him to see in the night sky, it would be hard for anybody to spot him. Turning around, he kissed Mavis, who told her brother that she had to forego flying that night due to the paperwork that Anne had given her.

"Do be careful, Peter. We don't need you being shot down, especially after what 'appened last time."

Newkirk replied with his customary sly smile. "Always am, Mavis. Don't worry about me, ole Newkirk can take care of 'imself." With that, Newkirk took off his shirt and handed it to his sister. Slowly and carefully he brought his wings out of his back while his entire body turned white, his veins visible even along his chest and back. Whenever he wasn't using his wings, he had the ability to fold them up and make them smaller, yet they were always present, tucked inside his body between his skin and his spine.

Newkirk looked up at the sky once again, and he could feel his wings flapping behind them, as he concentrated on letting them do the work. Faster and faster, until he could feel air underneath his feet and he knew that he was airborne. Turning around one last time, he blew a kiss to his sister, and then turned back with his full attention focused on the clouds above him. He could feel both the adrenaline and the blood rushing throughout his body, and before he knew it, he was high above the clouds, swooping up and down and zigzagging back and forth above and below the clouds. He could hear London below him and the sounds of the city—the cars honking, Big Ben announcing the hour, pedestrians talking, and he knew that he truly loved his city and would do everything in his power to protect it. While he could feel his wings flapping and hear them rustling behind him, he let his mind wander. "But there's a bloody war on the 'orizon, especially with that Adolf bloke running around Germany. I know that Anne wanted me to join the Army, but I'm glad that she's thinking over me proposal of joining the RAF instead. If I 'ave to fight the good fight, I'd rather it be where I 'ave the chance of working with airplanes. Even just that thought gives me an adrenaline rush—there's nothing quite like being above the clouds." Finishing his thoughts, he could feel a slight tinge of anger building up. He knew that because of Anne's visions, the war was going to take its toll on his country, yet she never gave him any specific details. He wasn't sure whether it was because she truly didn't know or because she was trying to keep him from worrying too much about the future. He only knew that somewhere in the world there was a man named Colonel Robert Hogan, and that someday he would be working for him. Of course, as he would later learn, he could search the world a dozen times over and never find a man quite like his Colonel.

Looking down again, Newkirk knew that he was over England's countryside, though in the opposite direction from the house that he shared with his sister. He smiled to himself as he could see the top of a rather nondescript barn, one that a passerby wouldn't give a second look at. Yet, he knew full well that Anne was inside, probably putting the finishing touches on her plans for The Angels. "I only 'ope that our side wins this war, and that this Colonel knows what e's doing. I still don't see 'ow it's possible to run an operation of the magnitude that Anne told me about out of a POW camp, but it sounds like a jolly good adventure, so I'm glad that I'm gonna be a part of it."

Newkirk found that he was still smiling as he woke up, moments before Schultz barged inside the barracks announcing that it was time for morning roll call. Still, remembering where he was, he found that he had a small tinge of worry. Not even Carter fully understands the rush that I get from me wings, and so I don't expect me mates to understand this at all. Plus the Gov'nor—'e would 'ave a stroke if 'e knew what 'e 'ad to look forward to later on in 'is new life, though I know that it's me responsibility to tell 'im. I will, as soon as I know that 'e can 'andle the news. Sighing, Newkirk tried to make himself think of other things. But today is going to be busy enough, since I still need to finish his birthday present bracelet, as well as 'elping the Colonel understand 'is new abilities. Since 'e seemed to 'andle the running well last night—at least, I 'ope so, but that whole business with Jones probably didn't 'elp 'is desire—it's about time to test 'is telepathy. It's a good thing that I finished making those Zener cards yesterday. (1)

…

Morning roll call came and went as usual, though Hogan was inwardly relieved that there was one major difference since the previous day. Although the clouds had finally broken during the pre-dawn hours, Hogan could feel that his new eyes had finally adjusted to the sunlight, and that he no longer felt feverish whenever he was standing outside. While his Kommandant was giving more propaganda news, Hogan found that a new idea had come to his mind, though he knew that he would never put it to use. Maybe I should tell him what Faust did to me; maybe he deserves to know the truth. After all, it's not like I'm the first vampire that he's met, and it might help to have an impartial voice in all of this. Plus, I don't know how, but I don't think that he was telling me the truth when he said that he had always been able to control his condition. If I was still human I know I would be terrified, but maybe he has some tips on how to learn self-control. Hogan let out a small, nervous chuckle as he continued his train of thought. After all, there's a full moon every month, but I've never heard any howling coming from his quarters. If I hadn't seen him transform with my own eyes I would never have believed it otherwise. Frowning, Hogan continued, and he could feel his anger building within him again: But he's still a Kraut—sure, maybe a nice one, but damn, how can I possibly tell him what I've become? How can I tell him what that sick, twisted Faust did to me! If Klink had only shown up one day earlier, just one day, this whole mess could have been avoided! Sighing, Hogan tried to shake that thought out of his head. He knew that Klink had probably done everything in his power to save him and his men, and that he had no right taking his anger out on his Kommandant. Fortunately, by the time Hogan had finished his thoughts, Klink had finished giving his report and Schultz had dismissed the prisoners.

While Hogan, Kinch, and LeBeau shuffled back inside the barracks, Carter and Newkirk hurried over to the Recreation Hall where the shop class was just beginning its session. The class had proved to be popular among the men of Stalag 13, and so it was usually held at least twice a week for a couple of hours after morning roll call. Both men were determined to finish the bracelet so that their Colonel would have at least one birthday present. As Carter went around picking out what he considered to be the four best wooden beads, Newkirk began setting up the equipment. Taking the string out of his jacket pocket, Newkirk laid it on the table and, after Carter gave him the beads, put on a pair of safety glasses that the class instructor had requested that Klink provide for the men. Newkirk smiled to himself as his fingers easily worked with the equipment, engraving the letters one at a time. Carter sat next to his friend, watching Newkirk's handiwork until he gave him the finished beads.

"Boy, Colonel Hogan's going to like this," Carter said, examining the four words: Control, Respect, Patience and Consequence. "It's good that he's going to get at least one birthday present today." Then, he strung the beads onto the string before tying it into a knot.

"Those are words to live by Carter. Every time 'e sees 'is bracelet, it should 'elp 'im keep control over 'is desire." Turning to face his friend, Newkirk smiled as he continued, "After all, they sure work wonders with me best mate." Newkirk could see that Carter returned his smile, and he knew that his friend always enjoyed hearing Newkirk admit that fact out loud, since it usually went unspoken between both men.

Newkirk quickly put away the equipment, and he and Carter began heading back to their barracks. "I was thinking Andrew, today might be a good time to administer the test. I know that the Colonel's been acting fine all yesterday and this morning, pretending that 'e's accepted 'is new life, yet I know that this day is going to be 'ard on 'im. If we can distract 'is mind, even if just for a couple of 'ours, it might make things easier on 'im."

At first, Carter could only look at his friend quizzically, since he wasn't sure what Newkirk meant by "test." Yet, a smile appeared on his face as he began to understand what his friend was trying to tell him. "Do you want me to give it to him, or should you? I think you should, since I've never used those cards before."

"I think we should both give it to 'im. After all, since 'e goes on missions with both of us, 'e should learn 'ow to read both of our minds. Plus, the psychic link will be shared between all three of us now, and I want to make sure that 'e's comfortable thinking and feeling with both of us."

Carter and Newkirk sighed, since they suspected that of all the changes that Hogan was going through, giving up his privacy and surrendering completely to their link would be the hardest change of all. They knew that it was inevitable, especially after Hogan had given them The Gift, so they could only hope that he would realize that this ability, to talk to his men even when they weren't in earshot, was perhaps the most useful power of all.

Stepping inside their barracks, they knew that Hogan was probably inside his room, wanting to avoid the other men and any mention of the dreaded "B" word. Newkirk knocked on his closed door, and only opened it when he heard a distracted "Come in" coming from the other side. Opening the door, they could see that their Colonel was reading a book at his table, and that his mind was completely engrossed.

Speaking up, Carter asked, "What are you reading, Colonel?"

Putting the book down on his table, Hogan stood up and turned around to face his men. "Would you be angry if I told you that I found a copy of Dracula?" Hogan didn't know whether or not that was the best reading material for him, especially in his still-confused condition, yet he knew that he would do anything if it meant avoiding the fact that today was his birthday.

"Only if you realize that Stoker's novel is completely fictional, and that you're nothing like the vampire in his novel," both men replied at the same time. They hoped that their Colonel would be able to make the distinction between the two, especially the fact that Dracula was a monster that didn't care who he killed, while Hogan still and would always have a conscience.

Hogan replied in his usual sarcastic manner, "Well, we both drink blood, don't we? I would say that there's at least some similarity between us."

Choosing to ignore that remark, Newkirk spoke up. "Speaking of which, did you 'ave your breakfast yet?"

Hogan nodded, having paid careful attention to the combination on their private safe, and Newkirk could sense that he was telling the truth. "I'm capable of feeding myself without you two present, you know," Hogan replied, though he had to stop himself from being curt with his men.

Yeah, except lately you've always been 'esitant to drink. We just want to make sure that everything's alright with you, and that if you still 'ave problems accepting yourself the way you are that you can always talk to me or Carter Newkirk thought to himself. Still, he knew that he had to respect Hogan's wishes for some amount of privacy, since he didn't need his commanding officer shutting down on either of his men.

Suddenly, Newkirk could see that Hogan's expression of slight displeasure with his men only increased, as he was remembering what had occurred during the previous evening. "That was no wild animal that attacked Jones, was it? I could smell the fresh blood coming from him, though I'm still trying to understand your part in this whole matter," Hogan said, the annoyance evident in his voice.

Sighing, Newkirk looked down before looking up at his Colonel, since he still didn't like the fact that he and Carter had to stake a fake animal attack on the deceased corporal. Quickly, he explained his and Carter's thought process about why they had felt it necessary, and they could see Hogan cross his arms in front of his chest, slowly nodding as he listened to Newkirk's story.

"I still don't like it, you two," Hogan replied after a couple of minutes of silence. Sighing, he continued, "Though I can see how it was necessary." I just hope they don't expect me to learn that skill anytime soon! he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Hogan felt his mind snapping back into focus, since he knew that after this second attack things were rapidly taking a turn for the worse concerning the group of bad vampires. He also found that up until he had met Williams last night, he had almost completely forgotten about what White Fox had told him about how Black Dove was found, since he was still trying to control both his bloodlust and his mixed-up emotions. "It's about time that we came up with a plan for dealing with these guys. They're a menace to everybody, Kraut and Allied alike….I don't suppose you can find them the way you found Colonel Magerlein's house, can you?" Hogan asked, looking at Newkirk.

Newkirk sighed before shaking his head back and forth. "We don't know who we're dealing with, 'ow many of them there are, or anything. With Colonel Magerlein it was easy, since I knew the brain patterns that I was searching for. I was able to pick up some very faint ones last night, but not enough to get any sort of definite layout. I do know that there were at least three of them, and like I said, one of them must 'ave been recently changed."

"So, we're basically looking at an evil version of our own little group. Fantastic," Hogan replied, the sarcasm dripping from that last word. "But if there were three of them, wouldn't the other two have stopped that recently changed vampire?"

"You mean, the fledgling? That's the proper name for them. Not if they were teaching him, or her, how to hunt," both men replied at the same time.

However, before either man could tell Hogan what they meant by "hunt," they could see that their Colonel was rubbing his head, even though he quickly told them that it wasn't a hunger-related headache. "You mean, some vampires actually sharpen their skills on how to kill people?" he asked, knowing full well what their answer would be so he wasn't surprised when they slowly nodded their heads. And here I thought learning how to control this desire was dangerous enough! he thought to himself.

Sitting back down in his chair, Hogan rested his head in one hand, which was resting on top of his knee. Carter and Newkirk sat down at his lower bunk, and they could tell that Hogan was in his thinking mode, since they always saw that expression of his whenever he was coming up with one of his latest plans.

"Well, normally I would have Kinch contact London or the Underground, but what do we tell them? 'Goldilocks, this is Papa Bear. All is relatively quiet here, but by any chance do you have any information about vampires near Hammelburg? They've become quite a problem lately,'" Hogan replied, the usual twinkle, albeit this time with a slight hint of worry, shining in his eyes.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but for now it seems like they have the advantage. We need to wait for them to make their next move, but hopefully this time we'll be better prepared," Carter and Newkirk replied at the same time, both hoping that there wouldn't be any more deaths in the area.

Suddenly, Newkirk drew out a deck of cards that he had kept hidden inside his jacket. "Care for a game of cards, sir? If you're going to 'elp us, it would be wise to build up your mental powers first." Newkirk then took the cards out of the deck, and began showing them to his commanding officer.

Hogan could only look at them quizzically, since they didn't have the usual black-and-red numbers and suits on them. Instead, there were five different pictures on twenty-five cards: a hollow circle, a cross with arms of equal length, three vertical wavy lines, a hollow square, and a hollow star. "What are these?" he asked, looking between the cards and his corporal.

"They're called Zener cards, and were designed by psychologist Karl Zener ten years ago to test for ESP. They can be used for clairvoyance, but in this case they'll be used for telepathy. Me and Carter will take turns picking a card with one of these designs and concentrating on the image. You 'ave to guess which of these five designs is on the card by reading our minds. The normal 'uman rate is 20%, but a full-fledged vampire will always 'ave 100%. Would you like to try?" Newkirk asked. (1)

"Sure, why not? I'll give it my best shot," Hogan replied, though he found that he was still confused. One side of him didn't know how he would pass that 20% mark, even if he had shown a bit of psychic potential while he was human, though the other side felt confident that he could reach 100% on his first try.

Newkirk shuffled the cards and handed half of them to Carter. "Right, so this is the first card," Newkirk said, concentrating heavily on the picture of the wavy lines. "What image do you see?"

"The square," Hogan replied, hoping to see in Newkirk's eyes any indication that he had guessed the correct answer. Even though the corporal's expression remained impassive, Hogan could sense that he had guessed the wrong answer.

Next, Carter asked him the same answer, concentrating on the picture of the star. "Star," Hogan answered, and even though his sergeant's expression remained equally emotionless, he could sense that this time his guess had been on the target.

Carter and Newkirk took turns with the cards over the next hour, with Hogan taking as much time as he wanted before he would allow himself to answer. The entire time he could feel that the slight tingling sensation in his brain had increased, though it seemed to double every time he guessed the correct answer. Eventually, the men had gone through the entire deck, and Hogan waited breathlessly for his men's verdict.

"44% percent," Carter and Newkirk finally answered, mentally counting up all of the correctly guessed cards. "That's impressive for your first time, since you more than doubled the human average. We can try again tomorrow and see if it's increased," they said at the same time while both smiling.

Even though it was nowhere near the 100% that he had been hoping for, Hogan allowed himself to form a smile of his own. He could feel that his telepathy was increasing, and he realized how useful that ability would be on missions with his men. "But for now, I think we should stick with the walkie-talkies. Thanks guys, it really took my mind off of what today is." Something that I desperately needed he thought to himself.

Getting up from the lower bunk, Hogan could see that his men were about to leave his quarters. Newkirk had put the cards back into his jacket, and he took out the second item that he wanted to give to his Colonel.

"I finished your bracelet during wood class earlier today, sir. I 'ope you like your present," Newkirk said, giving his commanding officer the gift that he had made him.

Holding it in his right palm, Hogan smiled as he studied his corporal's handiwork. He remembered what Carter had told him two days ago about what each word meant, and he was grateful that Newkirk had made one for him as well.

"I still think that wearing a bracelet is rather feminine, and you'd know I'd never hear the end of it if one of the men in the barracks saw me wearing this," Hogan replied almost sarcastically, slipping the bracelet onto his right wrist, though with his shirt sleeve covering it. "But thank you; this should help," Hogan finished, though the last thing that he wanted to admit was that he was still having trouble accepting his newfound bloodlust, so he refrained from emphasizing what he meant by that last sentence. With that, Hogan watched as both Carter and Newkirk left his quarters.

…

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, though Hogan was still trying to brainstorm plans with his two men for how to deal with the evil vampires that were running around outside of his Stalag. Carter silently suggested to Newkirk that perhaps they should get Kinch and LeBeau involved, since as werewolves they would be well suited to help solve the problem that the three men were facing. However, Newkirk replied that this would mean telling their Colonel that his other two men were shape shifters, which was a secret that he knew he had no right divulging on his own without their permission. However, he promised Carter that if all else failed, he would be sure to tell them what they were facing. Later that evening, Kinch and LeBeau had made sure that Williams had gotten to the contact that was going to help him get out of Germany and back to London, and this routine mission went over easy enough.

Unbeknownst to any of the men, while Kinch and LeBeau were helping Williams, White Fox was quickly approaching a barn that lay outside of Hammelburg, where he knew that another of his contacts was waiting for him. As he approached the barn, the agent kept his ears and his eyes open, ever-vigilant for any sign of the three men that had kept him from finishing his mission during the previous evening. Seeing that they weren't around, he quietly slipped inside the barn where a certain Corporal Nacht was waiting for him.

White Fox, also known as Patrick Allerton, could see that Nacht was visibly shaken up and annoyed over the events that had transpired during the previous evening. However, once he saw that Allerton had arrived, he turned his attention to the liquid that lay on a table, and began pouring drinks for both men. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way. Colonel Hogan's managing his changing well so far, and I don't believe he would come over to our side yet. It's a shame that he had to show up with his two other men before we could finish the job with that other flyer, and get them both back here. My men are hungry, and they won't wait long for our newest recruit."

"I have faith in Sergeant Metzger's visions. If he says that the Colonel will give into his dark side, especially after the event that will transpire tomorrow, I'm confident that he'll be a good fit for our team. Besides, if he really is Papa Bear, like everybody claims he is, imagine the secrets that he can provide us that will be instrumental in defeating the Allies. Once he's one of us, and away from his two other vampiric men, he'll be more than willing to tell us what he knows," Allerton replied.

"But are you sure the bait will work?" Nacht asked, making sure that at least the first step of their plan had run smoothly.

"Faust told us what he did to the Colonel before his men broke out of their prison and killed him. He told us that they work for Anne, but the Colonel has no affiliation to her. Plus, hearing how inquisitive and stubborn he is, he'll probably take the bait that I told him about Black Dove's demise. Little does he know that he's walking straight into a trap. The rest will follow according to plan, I assure you," Allerton reassuringly and confidently replied.

"Then the Colonel is as good as ours. After that attack tomorrow, he'll probably be so confused and in so much turmoil and anguish that he'll come easily to our side. His two other men think that their tests and running will help him? He'll be glad once he learns that he doesn't have to feel guilty about what he truly is, and the darkness that lies within him. He should be of great help to us," Nacht replied sinisterly.

"Yes, he won't be able to help it. Welcome aboard, Colonel Hogan." With that, Nacht and Allerton clinked their glasses full of blood together, waiting for the day that Hogan would gladly enter into their own organization, Die Schwarzen Engel, or The Black Angels.

(1) Information about the Zener cards, a common experiment used to test for ESP, courtesy of Wikipedia.