a/n: Danke once more for your comments and reviews!
Characters from Hogan's Heroes do not belong to me.

The Thrilling Adventures of a Boy Spy

:: Part, the Tenth ::

I picked up the phone carefully.

"Ernie, we have a major problem. Klein's escaped."

If I'd been my friend Bernd's father, I might have said something pretty "colorful" as Mama would call it. But as I was not Bernd's father, I just wracked my mind for an appropriate answer. "So we can't make him think Papa Bear is outside?" I managed.

"Exactly. We hadn't had a chance to suggest the fact anyway."

Mama's eyes took on that worried look. I think she heard the talk.

"Did he give you an alternative plan?" said the voice on the other end.

"Who?"

"You know who!"

"Oh, oh, Hogan. Well, uh, hmm. He did mention something." Now why didn't I try to remember that? I just plain forgot. Other plans didn't seem like such a big deal when the main plan was so great.

"Uh, do you know where he is?" I don't know what got into me. Maybe I could think better with distractions.

"Klein? When he came up in the staff car, we grabbed him, drove him about halfway to the drop point, when he pulled out a gun and blasted the door handle. He was out the door before we knew what was happening. And then he disappeared. Incroyable!"

The last word threw me for a loop, but from the sound of it, surprise was the best option. "What'll we do?" But maybe I should think better. What was the goal of all this? To prove Papa Bear was somewhere else. "So we have to get him within earshot. Where do you think he went?" I asked.

"Je ne sais pas. Search me! But we were near the drop point when it happened. He must have followed the road."

I had a strike of inspiration. "How about we spread out?"

"Oui, my group will go north along the road. When Ames and Warner get there, tell them to go south. And—"

"What if he goes to the stalag?"

"Well..."

"Uh... Wait, I got it! I'll go to the stalag with Mama."

Mama's eyes perked with attention and she leaned closer.

"Mama and I will go to – to check on Papa!"

"Hmm. It's good reason enough. And if he's there, we'll have a man outside the stalag you can report to. He'll whistle a bird call if he sees you."

"Got it. Then everything's set?"

"Oui, everything is in order."

"Okay, bye!"

"Good luck."

Click.

"Mama! We got to scram."

:: ::

Finding a helpful hand to take us to the jail was again a little problematic (remember my first experience getting in?), but Max's son Johann found his brother's car to take us up. He was a nice fellow with yellow hair and bright blue eyes. I'd have loved to have him as an older brother. But anyway...

He dropped us off at the stalag, leaving us so that they'd have no choice but to let us in. It was weird standing outside the gates. It really looked like a sad prison from this angle. I was suddenly sad for the fellows inside.

The big round one puddled up to meet us.

"Schultz!" I jumped up and down. "Mama would like to see Papa!"

"Ernie! What are you doing back here?" He squeezed the words out of the side of his mouth. "Oh." He noticed Mama. "Guten Tag, Frau Gottlieb. What are you two doing here?"

Mama spoke up. "Please, let us see Ernst. I must know if he's doing well." She sounded so concerned, and I realized it was no acting. That was a little frightening.

Suddenly there was a mess of noise behind us, and we all turned back to see a rumpled figure half-run, half-hobble up the road towards us. I blinked at him and looked again. "Uncle!" I shrieked. He looked up and started shouting things I couldn't hear (or didn't dare repeat? I couldn't be sure.).

"Major Klein!" Mama moved up to him and put her arms around his bent-over figure. She was all sympathy. Boy, was she a good actor – or actress in this case.

"Whatever happened to you?"

"Frau Gottlieb! What are you—"

"I wanted to check on my husband. Ernie tells me—"

"Yes, he's a traitor."

"Ernst is no such thing!"

Meanwhile, I looked him over and, yes, indeed, there was a big wrinkle on his cape. But it was the right side. I sighed; I didn't want to be psychic. His clothing was all sprinkled with twigs and dirt. He sure didn't look like a mighty nemesis now.

Mama kept pressing him on Papa's innocence until he couldn't say a thing. At the same time, she was brushing his coat and picking leaves off his hair. I joined in gladly. I thought it was funny that it looked like we were monkeys picking his fur.

But I think he wasn't too thrilled with it all. His face was tomato red and finally he spat, "Get that gate open, dummkoph! Get it open!"

And we all crashed into the camp. "Sorry, Schultz," I said as I brushed past him.

"Ernie!" he gasped, wagging a finger at me. Seemed like his wag was worse than his bite.

"Get Colonel Klink," Uncle shouted, very much angry. For some reason, though, this time around, I felt more like laughing than being afraid. Was that a sign everything was going to be all right? No, couldn't be. I had decided I wasn't psychic.

The lanky one jumped out of the building and gasped at the sight of Uncle.

"Major Klein!" he gasped. "What happened—?"

"The blasted Underground nearly nabbed me back there. Do you know anything about it?"

"Me, sir? Oh, of course not. Why should I—"

"Shut up, Klink."

"Yes, sir."

Uncle looked around, looking like a hungry wolf. Clearly, he needed a ball to bounce his anger off of. But of course, grown-ups can't do that, so... He just fumed there.

"Who did this to you, Uncle?" I piped up, trying to bring this back to the main topic. I needed to know if he thought Papa Bear was outside.

"The Underground. You wouldn't know who they were, would you?"

My, my, he was feeling pretty sarcastic today. But I figured it'd be good if I played along. After all, I hadn't known what the Underground was til about a couple of hours ago.

"Gophers?" I said with my most baby face on.

"Of course, you little troublemaker, you wouldn't know. I bet you caused all these problems."

Was he psychic? He was shaking his head, totally only aware of himself. No; it must be something in his mood. "Just get out of my sight," he sighed, shaking his fist at me.

"But who got you in this mess!" I prodded. "Your coat is boo-boo." I poked my finger through a hole in his sleeve.

"Ernst Gottlieb!" He slapped my hand away. "It was the Underground, I said that already. Klink, that explosion was no accident. What was Colonel Hogan—"

"The explosion?" I piped. Goodness me, I just had an idea! A real idea – to save the day! "You mean, the big bang out there?" I could hardly believe I had an idea. "We heard it, Uncle, we heard it!" I jumped up and down by his side, half out of my idea and half out of my acting.

He stared into my eyes. Frazzle dazzle, don't be frightened, Ernie, now. "Mama and I were by the bridge before it blew. And you know, you know what? I saw him."

"Him who?"

"The person who planted the explosion!"

"You did?" Schultz popped in perkily.

"He was tall with dark hair – thick, black hair. Around six feet high." Thank goodness for my arithmetic! "And he had big brown eyes and he had helpers who spoke this funny language, and they left with him. And they acted funny and then the bridge blew up!"

I really think I threw Uncle for a loop. He patted down his rumpled suit and grabbed a black notebook from his pocket. He flipped through it quickly and his eyes ran through a page like mad.

"You're sure?" he asked me pointedly.

"Uh huh." I bobbed my head.

"Klink, it's Papa Bear. From the description, it's Papa Bear."

Klink peered into the notebook. "It's also Colonel Hogan," he said, squinting.

"Dummkoph, can't you see? This man was outside, he planted the explosives right there, right now. Get me a car, mach schnell! We need to catch them before they get any further. Schultz, my car. Raus!"

"In that condition?" Schultz asked, looking him over.

"I don't care! Schnell!"

"Yes, sir!"

And so we were there standing in the middle of the camp, the dust from the car blowing into my eyes. "Mama!" I squeaked. "I saved Hogan, didn't I? Didn't I save Hogan?"

"Now we have to save Papa, dear."

"Oh." I almost forgot. Papa and Papa Bear each had to be cleared.

Mama continued. "They think he's a traitor, you know. They think he's paired up with Papa Bear."

That's when I thought about the Underground man posted outside. "I have an idea, Mama!" And I scampered off to Schultz, who was just getting the gate opened. Uncle's car was just rumbling out of the camp.

"Schultz!" I shouted, pointing madly at a tree outside the camp. "Did you see that bird? It's a rare bird!"

"What bird?" He looked up. "Ernie, what are you talking about?"

"It's a rare bird!" I squeaked and slipped out of the closing gates just as the car dust-bowled out of sight.

"Ernie! What are you doing!" Schultz huffed, but I was gone. I tumbled into the forest and got behind a tree and listened for the signal.

The whistle came and I hurried to the point. It was one of the six men who'd been at the first meeting with me. A rare bird, all right. "They think Papa Bear personally blew the bridge," I said quickly. "Now we need to clear Papa. You're in the Underground. You can say you don't work with Papa!"

"And how would I go do that?"

"Well... I guess that means you'd have to get caught." I crumpled my face.

"Boy, you are worse than Colonel Hogan."

"Well, how else would you tell Uncle?"

"It is a little late for casual eavesdropping, I guess. Don't you worry, Ernie, I'll try Klein's trick on him when it happens. I know how to talk my way around the facts. I'll tell him what he needs to know without him even divining that I'm there to clear Monsieur Gottlieb. Leave it to me."

"But you need to hurry! They'd be almost at the bridge now."

"I only need to be nearby, and with this..." He stepped towards a bush and rolled a motorbike into view. "I will get there when they do. I had to get here in a hurry, too, you know. Now, you go back before they get suspicious."

"You must know what you're doing," I sighed and turned back. I met Schultz at the foot of the hill. "Ernie! Where have you been?"

"Talking to the bird." I smiled.

"Talking—? Oh, Ernie, you're impossible. Now, back, back, back!" He herded me into the camp. I whispered a prayer that everything would be all right.