Leaving the cafe, the trio had decided that it would be best to talk about the escape plan for Rick in the hotel across the street. This way the SS patrols would not see them planning out in the open drawing themselves into unwanted questions. Taking a seat in the lounge Val decides that it will be safer if they check into a room instead of talking in the lounge. They do just that and soon they are planning out how to get Rick out alive.

After about an hour of intense planning they all freeze when there is a knock on the door. Each knows that they are here hidden away from prying eyes and there should not be anybody asking to gain entry to their room. René reaches for his holster to release his MAB from its confines. He slides up to the door and as he does he waves Val towards the door to answer it. Val does her best to be calm and keep her mind sharp. Kate just looks at the pair and all she sees is a well choreographed dance. The are so in sync. The knock comes again and Val tells the visitor to wait because she will be right there.

As she approaches the door she signals with her eyes to René that she is ready. A split second passed and Val has pulled the door open, taken a hold of a man's arm who can't react to the opening door in time and twists him onto his back and then down to the floor. René trains the pistol at the mans forehead.

"Who are you?" René demands.

"I was sent to give you this." After his statement, he reaches into his front pant pocket and takes out a piece of paper. Val takes the paper and unfolds it and reads the message.

"It's okay he is part of the Resistance, let him up." Val states.

Kate walks over to Val and the man gets up off his back. He watches René as he reads the message. His face drops and he knew that what he feared had come true.

"Remember the German guard I told you about, the one who gave me the intel about the bunker?"

"I remember." Both women nod.

"Well, Von Herrmann did exactly what I thought he would do. He killed him. But if any one would look into the way he died they would think that he had taken his own life."

"This is bad news. With his death Von Herrmann will be on the look out for any other intrusion that he thinks will be a threat. He will look closer at who comes and who goes now." Kate thinks out loud.

"We need to keep to the plan. First we don't have that much time left to act. We need to get to a seamstress and have her make a perfect German uniform. Then we are going to need a complete layout of the drainage system below the bunker to gain access to the tunnel that leads to the weapons room. That is our only way in.

Kate, Val we need to have an alternate escape plan worked out just in case. I don't know how we are going to come up with something since this place really only has one way in and out. Let's sit and go over an additional escape route. The two women agree and they return back to the table to look over the blueprints. A short time later they think they have come up with a secondary plan. It's risky. The roof is guarded and while it is guarded it seems that there only two guards to deal with. This was their best alternate plan. Being that the bunker was a not a stand-alone building it would be easier to get to the roof and descend to the ground using the adjoining building as cover. The only item they could not count on was Rick's physical condition.

MI-5 headquarters had been running their double cross system to confuse the Germans for about 3 months now. The compound at Bletchley Park and been working around the clock to feed as much misinformation to the Germans as they could. And it seemed to be working. They had purposely given the Germans the coordinates to an imaginary location that was to be a staging point for a small invasion into Germany from the Polish/German border. The British scouts that were positioned there had reported that 2 divisions of foot soldiers, 1 panzer division, and a mechanized unit had arrived at the location. This told the British that they were right about the misinformation.

Rick laid on the steel bed frame. He had tried to tend to his wounds as best he could. He was having trouble staying conscious. He can't remember when the last time he had something to eat. He was thinking about Kate as he drifted off to sleep. His thoughts quickly manifest into dreams of the life they could have together. He loves her he's sure of it. But there is always something in the dream that keeps them apart. He is jostled awake but he can't tell if he is still dreaming. Two guards are lifting him up by his arms and they drag him to another room.

The room is sterile and very bright white. There is a lone surgical table in the middle of the room. He is thrown onto the table and strapped to it with leather bindings. He looks to either side and sees a surgical tray stand to his left. On it are syringes and many small bottles. One has a tan colored liquid and the other had a liquid that looks to be red. The rest and clear. Looking back up to the ceiling a part of him wishes that this can be over. He knows that he will not make it out of here alive. The guards leave him and the silence is deadening.

The door opens with a creak minutes later. Von Herrmann enters and walks up to Rick.

"Wake up Rodgers! We can't have you sleeping all day."

Rick opens his eyes and sees that Von Herrmann has a surgical gown on complete with mask. A shudder runs down his body at the sight.

"Rodgers, what I am going to tell you now is something that will never leave this room. That's because only one of us will be leaving it alive, and I don't have high hopes for you. There is a great German doctor in the concentration camp at Ravensbrück. Doctor Sigmund Rascher. And he is conducting experiments on POW's to help keep our soldiers and airmen alive and fighting. He is the one who gave me an alternate way to get you to talk. Even if you don't tell me anything you won't leave here alive. You will suffer a slow, painful, agonizing death."

Rick just looks at the ceiling and settles his body and mind. He had heard about the atrocities that the German army had been conducting on the people in the concentration camps. None of it was good.

"Rodgers what we have is a stubborn streak in you that will end now. I am going to find out what I need to know by silently torturing you to death."

Rick turned to him and says "I'll never talk, so do your best!"

"Foolish man. This could be over and you could walk out of here on your own."

"Herrmann, face it I won't be walking out of here anytime soon."

Von Herrmann picks up the syringe and sticks the first small bottle. Drawing back the plunger he fills the syringe chamber with the red liquid.

"You're right about that. There is no way that you are going to walk out of here."

He walks over to Rick and taps his gaunt left arm to get his veins to rise and places the needle on his arm. Then pressing the needle into his flesh he injects the liquid. The doctor told him that results would take about 15 to 20 minutes to take effect.

"So Rodgers, what I just gave you was the first phase of getting you to talk. I have given you a small dose of poison. It will kill you, but it will take a while to do just that. I have stronger types of poison to use on you if need be. But that's not all. I also have a mutated version of Colstridum tetnui to make sure that you suffer for not giving me what I needed when I whipped you earlier."

"Tetanus, that's your method?"

"Yes, Rodgers. Whipping you was the start. With wounds so open and deep, the bacteria I am going to administer to you will be instantly attacking your body on a cellular level."

Von Herrmann walks back to the table and repeats the actions he did earlier, but now he has the tan bottle. He walks back to Rick and looks at his bleeding wounds. He starts first with the deep wound by his ribcage. He places the needle into the wound and jabs his skin. He injects the liquid disease into the wound, and he finds about eight other wounds he can infect.

Rick can feel the burn as he finished the last injection. He can't tell if it's the poison or the Clostridum that is causing the burn. Minutes pass and he is getting light headed and his forehead is covered in sweat. He fights to free himself and in the process his muscles start to disobey his brain. Without warning he is arching up against the table and he has no control over his muscles. The pain is excruciating. His heart rate has jumped up and the poison in his body is now spreading faster within him.

The spasms subside a little and Rick is able to breathe once again. He looks over to Von Herrmann and tries to talk. He can't seem to move his jaw voluntarily. Von Herrmann sees this and asks

"Cat got your tongue, Rodgers?" Then he laughs at him again.

"Mmmmpppphhhh ddddaaadddd."

"What about your dad Rodgers?"

"Sssssshhhhdddd hhaavv kkkiillllddd yyuuu!"

"While that is a touching thought, he never thought that I would take his life. He was too trusting of a man. He lacked the guts it took to command men. Rodgers your old man was soft."

A tear from Rick's good eye slides down his face. He knew different. His dad was a great compassionate man. There was only one thing he would do before he died. He would find a way to kill Von Herrmann.

"Well Rodgers, I'll take my leave for now. I'll see you in about an hour and then we will talk again. Maybe by then your mind might be a little clearer and your tongue will be a lot loser!" Rick turns his head and Von Herrmann walks out of the room.