Chapter 7
Newkirk realised that someone was talking to him. He was cold, and briefly wondered where he was. They had blown up a bridge, hadn't they? But why was Colonel Hogan talking to him?
It didn't make sense, and his eyes didn't want to stay open, so he allowed them to close again. The cold did not matter now, nor did anything else.
The Colonel spoke to him again, more urgently this time, and Newkirk realised that it had to be important. He forced his eyes open again and tried to focus. Snow was falling – or was it rising up from the ground? He couldn't quite work it out until he realised that he was lying on the ground in the middle of the compound. Colonel Hogan was talking to him, and while he was unable to make out the words, it did sound rather urgent, so he forced himself to listen.
'Can you hear me?' the Colonel asked, and Newkirk realised that he should probably try to reply. He tried to speak but, to his surprise, could only produce a strange, groaning sound. He was dizzy but tried to sit up nevertheless – he did not understand why he was on the ground, and the cold was slowly creeping though his uniform. Warm hands grabbed his shoulders and helped him stay upright as the builings danced crazily in front of his eyes.
'What happened?' Newkirk asked, frowning as the words came out slurred and too quiet.
He had spoken loudly enough for Hogan to hear, because the Colonel replied immediately:
'You collapsed during roll call. Do you remember?' .
Newkirk was confused. We went to blow up a German bridge, middle of the night, went with Carter and the bridge exploded and...Hogan's worried expression prompted him to speak. He shook his head and immediately regretted it – the dizziness got worse and his vision began to grey out at the edges. Forcing himself to stay awake, he replied:' I remember last night's...' but he stopped in mid-sentence when Hogan raised his hand abruptly.
'Burkhalter and Klink are coming...' he hissed in explanation. Suddenly, there was a blanket around his shoulders and Burkhalter and Klink were right in front of him, looking down at him. Now, he noticed that Schultz had been there all the time, as well.
Burkhalter spoke, but Newkirk was too lost in thoughts to listen. What on earth had happened to him? It didn't make sense. They had gone out to blow up a bridge, Carter got hurt, Mavis was dead, and he was going to the cooler for sure.
'...up!' Burkhalter's voice penetrated his thoughts and he struggled to get to his feet, but Hogan held him back. The Colonel argued with the German General, but finally gave up and helped Newkirk to stand up. The camp was no longer spinning, but the buildings seemed to sway in front of his eyes. There was a strange roaring sound in his ears which made it difficult for him to focus.
'You know your rights,' Hogan instructed him and allowed Schultz to guide him towards the Kommandantur. Newkirk was glad for the support, because he was not sure whether his legs would carry him. He was sure he was going to be interrogated, and hoped that he would be able to get through it by acting confused and maybe telling jokes. This usually resulted in him being thrown into the cooler, but he was willing to deal with the punishment: at least, he'd be able to lie down and rest.
He enjoyed the warmth in Klink's office, but hoped that he'd be able to leave soon.
'Ah, Corporal Newkirk. Sit down!' Burkhalter greeted him cheerily. 'Yes, Corporal. Take a seat. Are you feeling better? Is there anything you need?' Klink joined in, making Newkirk wonder whether all this was some sort of hallucination. Usually, he'd have played along, but he needed all his will-power and concentration to keep himself upright. He knew that the two German officers expected a reply, so he mumbled that he'd like to go back to his barracks.
'Why so quickly, Corporal? Sit down, have a cup of tea. I want to talk to you,' Burkhalter's face was suddenly very close to his own. A small china cup was handed to him before he could figure out what to do, and someone, persumably Klink, gently pushed him into a chair. Newkirk sipped the hot liquid, hoping that it would help him clear his head. Chamomile tea...who on earth drinks chamomile...
'After what Colonel Hogan did to you, it is the least we can do...' Burkhalter spoke again, shaking him out of his reverie. 'You see, Colonel Hogan insisted that you stay outside with him. He did not want us to help you,' the General continued, while Newkirk tried to make sense of what he was saying. Colonel Hogan, yes, he needed the Colonel here... 'Where is Colonel Hogan? Shouldn't he be here when you question me?'
I'm in this alone...concentrate, Newkirk, concentrate...
'Who said anything about questioning, Corporal? We just wanted to know how you are...if there is anything we can do to help you...or maybe we can help each other...' Burkhalter grinned at him. 'You've been here for a long time. You must miss London...'
London. Home. What did that Nazi swine know about London...Newkirk frowned and drank more of that horrible tea. He wasn't going to take the General's bait, not now, not while the room was spinning like this.
' It's time to face the facts, Corporal...' Burkhalter launched into a speech about the glorious Third Reich, and Newkirk realised what was going on. They were trying to trick him, telling him that London was going to fall so that he'd betray his country, and he wasn't going to do that. Not now, not ever. 'No!' he replied with all the energy he could muster, speaking more loudly now, even though his head felt as if it was going to explode as he did.
'That's a shame, Corporal. A real shame. Think about your family. Think about your sister,' the General continued menacingly.
Newkirk froze. 'M-mavis?' he stuttered, and Burkhalter nodded, a smile on his face. Newkirk's hands started to shake. What did Burkhalter know about Mavis? Did that mean she wasn't dead after all? The strange roaring noise increased until it was almost unbearable, and the room was spinning again. He struggled to get to his feet, and the room suddenly tilted. The cup fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, spilling tea everywhere. He took a step towards Burkhalter, but found himself face to face with the shards of the china cup instead. From a distance, he could hear Klink shouting for Schultz. Then, he knew nothing.
