Chapter 10:

After being reassured that Hogan would be alright for the moment's notice, Schultz took the four of Hogan's men back to Stalag 13. They were all surprised to get out of Klink's staff car and find another staff car with Gestapo flags on it outside the Kommandantur's.

"What's going on?" Carter asked.

Kinch hurried towards the barracks with LeBeau and the confused technical sergeant trailing behind him.

"Hey, wait a minute! Wait for me, blokes!" Newkirk called out.

The Englishman chased after his friends on a limp, while Schultz parked Klink's car and hurried inside his commanding officer's office.

"Major Hochstetter," Klink gasped. "I thought you and Major Schneider weren't coming out until tomorrow!"

"We decided to handle matters sooner than later, Klink," Hochstetter said, rather soothing. It sent chills down the colonel's spine.

Schneider stood tall besides Hochstetter. He said nothing and looked disconnected from life. His dark blue eyes looked clouded over, faint black circles formed around them, and his skin was pale to a crisp. The man looked like a hardened criminal to Klink. The old kommandant feared that Schneider would snap at any moment and just shoot him for sitting there.

Klink gulped and turned to look at Hochstetter. The short fused Gestapo major terrified him; but the older, taller, and somewhat possessed major shook him more. What he would not give at that moment than for Hogan to barge in and use his cunning and persuasive skills to get the two men to leave his office and not return. Klink did not have the courage his Senior POW Officer held. He sometimes wondered where Hogan got it from, and where he might be able to gain some of it. For now, and hopefully not forever, he was on his own. He would protect Hogan and his other prisoners at all costs. But for that very moment, he did not know how.

"Yes, Major Hochstetter. Proceed." He trembled.

"The man we found near the site of the demolished munitions site has finally been identified. A man by the name of Johannes Neumann, or his code name Rotes Hemd. According to his files, he was one of the underground's finest agents. Knew enough military secrets to destroy the entire Third Reich," Hochstetter said, a slight edge to his voice.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing, Major?" Klink asked, confused.

"For the Third Reich, yes...for you, that's a different situation…" The short Gestapo major leaned forward and got so close to Klink's face, the kommandant thought he would fall out of his chair.

"Why is that, Major?" The old German colonel was now shivering, but it was not from the cold temperatures in the bitter nights of late October.

"I suspect your," Hochstetter chuckled. "Forgive me...we suspect that your Senior POW Officer had something to do with that night's sabotage…"

"Major Hochstetter, I told you already that Colonel Hogan is in the hospital. He has a serious medical illness, almost to the point of being fatal."

"Serves the man right. After everything he's done to the Third Reich, he's lucky I don't barge into his room and shoot him myself!"

"Easy, Major," Schneider said coolly. "If that man doesn't die from the pain of his ailment, he'll die from the torture under the Gestapo." The old man had a callous grin on his face. Klink could have sworn he saw termites in the man's teeth. Suddenly, the kommandant was breaking into a sweat. Never in his life had he been so afraid of someone in his life. Major Hochstetter scared him less than this man.

Klink swallowed a sudden lump in his throat.

"What else is there?" He shuddered.

Hochstetter grabbed something out of his jacket pocket and threw it onto Klink's desk. It was small and glimmered in the office's lights. Klink picked the object up, carefully examining it, and gasped once he realized what it was: one of Hogan's eagle pins. Hogan, he thought to himself.

"Look familiar, Klink?" Schneider cooed.

After coming out of his shock, Klink shook his head and threw the pin back onto his desk.

"That could belong to anybody. A German for all we know could have been carrying that around with him."

"Where would a German get an American colonel's eagle from, Klink?" Schneider interrogated.

The old German gulped hard.

"Someone in the Gestapo perhaps dropped it on their way back to headquarters?"

Schneider frowned.

"You question the capabilities of the Gestapo?!" He barked.

"No, Major Schneider. I think the Gestapo does a wonderful job at what they do. Even better than the Luftwaffe! You know, I was telling General Burkhalter just the other day that…"

"Shut up, Klink!"

"Yes, sir. Shutting up, sir." Klink slouched further in his desk chair. He knew logically that hiding behind his desk would not save him, but it was comforting enough for him in the meanwhile.

"That belongs to a certain Colonel you know, no?"

"Oh, I know lots of colonels, Major: Colonel Mueller of Stalag 5, Colonel Baacher of Stalag 7, Colonel Krueger of Stalag 27, Colonel von Hindenberg of Stalag…"

"KLINK!"

"Yes, that looks very much like something Colonel Hogan would wear!"

Schneider leaned back and gave another cold grin.

"Very good, Klink. You will find it much easier to cooperate with me rather than avoid questions, yes?" He asked, with malice.

Klink swallowed again, his throat suddenly becoming dry. Not able to speak, all he could do was nod forcefully.

"We will be back, Colonel Klink. Perhaps then, you'll be more obedient." The old man continued.

"Yes, Major Schneider. I will answer every question with cooperation, sir," Klink said meekly.

"Heil Hitler!"

"Heil Hitler…"

Schneider and Hochstetter made their way out of Klink's office, leaving the colonel himself alone with his fear and anxiety. Once sure the two men were not returning, Klink grabbed his phone faster than he ever had.

"Get me General Burkhalter in Berlin and hurry! Tell him it's an emergency!"

Kinch unplugged the coffee pot, and LeBeau turned to look at Carter. The young sergeant seemed to be trembling viciously. The old Gestapo major made poor Carter more scared than any Gestapo officer he had ever laid eyes on.

"Boy," he croaked. "That Major Schneider is sure something."

"What I wouldn't give to wrap my hands around his neck." LeBeau growled. The major made him ill. How dare he try to hurt Hogan. Had it not been for their commanding officer, many innocent lives would be lost now. Had it not been for Hogan, many military plans by the Allies would have been a failure. Had it not been for him, the Allies would be losing the war right now.

"How did one of Colonel Hogan's eagles get there, though?"

"He probably forgot to take them out of his pocket being in a hurry to get to the rendezvous point."

"What does this Major Schneider want with the Gov'nor? He didn't cause any explosion to happen recently." Newkirk asked, confused.

Kinch, LeBeau, and Carter turned to look at one another, then back to Newkirk. Should we tell him, they all thought. Klaussner had warned them to tell him immediately after what occurred in the hospital, but the question remained: was Newkirk ready to know what happened that night?

The Englishman's eyes glowered and began to grow irritated.

"Alright, out with it. I know something's being kept from me around here, but I don't know what that might be. I may not remember a few things, but I ain't stupid, either!"

"It's not that, buddy. We don't think you're stupid," Carter said, trying to ease his best friend's growing anxiety.

"What is it then, Andrew?!" He snapped. "What are you blokes so worried of telling me?! I wanna know what this is all about, and I wanna know now! What's this Major Schneider want with the Gov'nor?!"

Kinch sighed uneasily, then closed his eyes and nodded.

"Alright, Newkirk...we'll tell you," he said softly.

"Kinch, we can't!" Carter exclaimed.

"We don't know for certain!" LeBeau cried.

"He'll be alright, guys...it's time." Kinch remarked, stern.

Carter looked at the staff sergeant with his mouth quivering, and his pupils dilating slightly.

Kinch turned to him and nodded with his eyes. He's gonna be alright, Carter, they said.

The young sergeant nodded softly and turned to look at Newkirk again. The Englishman had an eyebrow raised.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" He asked, suspicious.

LeBeau sighed heavily and gestured to Hogan's bed.

"Sit down, mon ami...you'll need to for this," the little Frenchman said.