Chapter 14---A Prisoner No More
Having returned to the residence in which he was hiding out, Diels calmly walked up the stairs to the bedroom to see what had occurred during his absence. Opening the door, he stood in the doorway, staring at the man lying on the bed. The man's clothes were wrinkled and dirty, his hair mussed up and there was several days of growth on his face. For all intents and purposes, he resembled a bum from the streets; not the handsome and well-groomed American Colonel he had removed from Stalag 13.
Smirking, Diels entered the room and approached the bed. Standing beside the bed, he gazed down at the semi-conscious man tossing and turning restlessly on the bed. Finally, the man spotted Diels and a small smile appeared. The man was sweating profusely.
"You came back," he said in a small voice. "I knew you wouldn't abandon me. You're my friend."
Diels smile grew wider. The two shots he had given Hogan earlier in the day had done their job. He could tell Colonel Robert Hogan was now completely hooked on heroin. But he had to still take things slowly. He wanted to make certain Hogan was at the point of no return. Diels removed a syringe from his pocket. Holding it up in front of Hogan's face, he could see the hungry look in the Colonel's eyes.
"Tell me, something, Colonel," he said. "What do you think of Major Hochstetter?"
"Major…" Hogan immediately couldn't remember the name he had just heard. "What was the name?" He was getting so forgetful these days.
"Major Hochstetter, Colonel Hogan. He wears a uniform similar to mine. He is Gestapo. I understand you and he have had run-ins in the past."
"We have?" Hogan asked. He couldn't remember this Major. Yet, somehow, he suspected he should know who this person is. If he could just remember. He wiped his watery eyes and nose while looking curiously at Diels. "I don't think I remember a Gestapo Major named…what did you say his name was again?"
"Hochstetter. Here, perhaps this will help you remember." Diels reached inside his inner coat pocket and produced a wallet size photo of the Gestapo Major and handed it to Hogan who took it in a shaky hand. Hogan studied the photo of the dark-haired man with the mustache. He looked familiar; yet…
"I'm not sure, but I don't think I like him," Hogan replied handing the photo back. Diels smiled as he tucked the photo back inside his coat.
"Very good, Colonel Hogan. Nor does Major Hochstetter like you. In fact, the two of you dislike each other immensely. And I'll tell you something else. Should he find this place, he would stop me from making you feel better. He wouldn't allow me to give you this…" He held up the syringe. Rolling up Hogan's shirtsleeve, Diels noticed that several of the previous needle punctures were beginning to show signs of becoming infected. He then proceeded to jab the syringe below the bend in the elbow and inject the contents. He figured this injection would be the fifteenth Hogan had received in four days. He then stood back to watch.
Hogan felt so good. He couldn't remember feeling this good before. He realized Diels was right. He did make him feel better. He then noticed the angel looking at him. By now, the angel was barely big enough to be noticed.
"Colonel, you've got to hold on. Fight! Don't give in to the drug! You've got to fight with everything you have. As long as I'm here I'll help you. I'm that part of you that still is trying to fight!" Hogan stretched his body and turned his head to the other side and saw the red devil smiling at him. He smiled back at the devil that had grown considerably since he last saw him.
"Feels good, doesn't it, Colonel?" he said with a chuckle. "Don't listen to that angel. He doesn't want you to feel good. He wants you to hurt which is what you will it he's permitted to stop those injections. Besides, feeling better is what you want, isn't it?" Hogan nodded. The euphoria he felt was wonderful. "Feels wonderful, eh? I knew it would. See, Colonel, you can have that feeling as long as you like. All you have to do is answer the questions the Captain asks. That's simple enough, isn't it?" Hogan smiled. He just felt wonderful and didn't want the feeling to end.
Diels, smirking, reached in his pocket and removed a set of keys. Leaning forward, he unshackled Hogan's wrists. "I don't think you need these anymore, Colonel." He then walked to the foot of the bed and released the shackle around one ankle but left the other ankle bound. "I think you've earned to have your arms and one leg freed. But keep this in mind, Colonel. If you misbehave, I will be forced to restrain you completely again. Do you understand me?"
Hogan nodded and curled up on the bed with his arms wrapped around himself. He started nodding off.
"One last thing, Colonel."
Hogan glanced at Diels.
"I will have lunch delivered to you within the hour. Make sure you eat everything or I will be very unhappy. And you don't want to make me unhappy." He abruptly turned and left the room leaving Hogan alone with his thoughts and only a devil and angel for company.
Major Wolfgang Hochstetter, his weapon drawn, kicked in the door of the room Hogan was asleep in, startling the Colonel and Captain Diels, who held a syringe and had Hogan's right arm stretched out. Both men looked up as the Gestapo Major stormed into the room, his weapon pointed at Diels' head. He looked at what Diels was doing and it sickened him. He held out his hand.
"Give me that syringe, Captain," he ordered.
Diels looked at Hogan and then the gun in the Major's hand. He carefully handed the syringe to Hochstetter who promptly threw it against the wall and everyone watched it shatter.
"Noooooooo!" Hogan cried out scrambling off the bed, getting down on his knees, and scrounged about the floor trying to find pieces of the syringe. "I need it!" he cried. "I need it! You had no right to do that! The Captain was right. You're no friend of mine!" Sobs could be heard as Hogan frantically continued searching. Unable to find any of the pieces, he curled into a ball on the floor with his arms wrapped around himself. "I hurt so bad! So bad!" He began to rock slowly. "You had no right. No right!"
Hogan began tossing and turning restlessly; the euphoria now gone. He began feeling sick to his stomach. Yet, the dream persisted.
Hochstetter now stood over Hogan looking down at the man he considered the most dangerous man in Germany. He smirked wickedly. "The great Papa Bear," he sneered. "You don't look so dangerous now, do you, Hogan?" He watched as Hogan's body began shaking. The Colonel doubled over as the cramps intensified. Hochstetter seemed amused as he glanced at Diels. "What is happening to him, Captain?"
"He is suffering from having the drug withheld from him. He's been without it for over seven hours. I was about to give him an injection when you broke in here. His reactions will get worse the longer he goes without the drug."
"Too bad, Captain, that Colonel Hogan will just have to suffer. You see, I do not intend to let him have any more of this drug until he admits to being Papa Bear and admits to being responsible for most of the sabotage in the area of Stalag 13. I might not let him have any relief even then."
"Nooooooo," Hogan uttered, tossing and turning. "You had no right! No right!" He started sobbing as he clutched the blanket so tightly his knuckles turned white. "No right at all! No right."
Hogan was still reacting to his dream when Diels opened the door carrying a tray with a sandwich and a glass of water on it. He stood transfixed at Hogan's tossing and turning, and apparently arguing with someone. He suspected the Colonel was arguing with Hochstetter as that was the seed he planted before giving the Colonel another injection. Smirking, he entered the room.
"Goldilocks to Papa Bear. Goldilocks to Papa Bear. Come in Papa Bear." The voice crackled over the radio. Kinch, who had been resting on the cot he kept in the radio room, put down the magazine he had been reading, and jumped to his feet. He put on the headset and sat down.
"This is Papa Bear, Goldilocks. Go ahead," he said.
"Stand by for General Butler, Papa Bear," the contact said. A moment later, General Butler's voice could be heard.
"This is General Butler, Papa Bear."
"Yes, sir, General. What can we do for you?"
"Just wanted to update you on the latest," Butler replied. Kinch could tell from the General's voice that the news wouldn't be good.
"Go ahead, General," Kinch advised.
"Our operatives have searched everywhere with no sighting of Colonel Hogan anywhere. The opinion here is that the Colonel is probably dead."
Kinch had to make a quick decision on what had transpired on their end. "We have some news on our end as well, General."
"And what would that be, Papa Bear?"
"A body was found buried not to far from Stalag 13. Along with the body was Colonel Hogan's cap, jacket and dog tags. He had been shot twice in the head and once point-blank in the face. The consensus by the Germans is that the body is that of Colonel Hogan."
"Has there been a positive identification made?" asked Butler, sounding distressed.
"The Germans agree that it's Colonel Hogan, but we've since learned there may be some doubt."
"And on what is that doubt based, Papa Bear?"
"The Gestapo Major we told you about believes that because the body's face was destroyed making a visual identification impossible, there may be some doubt the body may be Colonel Hogan's, despite his jacket, cap and dog tags being buried with the body. The body has been taken to the local hospital in Hammelburg for an autopsy."
"I see. All right, Papa Bear. We will allow time for a positive identification to be made of the body. But if it turns out the body is that of Colonel Hogan, you are hereby ordered to shut down the operation, evacuate the camp, and return to London right away. Is that understood?"
"Understood, General. But if that body turns out not to be Colonel Hogan's, request permission to continue looking for him."
"Permission granted, Papa Bear."
"Thank you, General. Papa Bear out." The transmission ended.
"Was that General Butler?" asked LeBeau coming around the corner with two cups of hot coffee as Kinch removed his headset. Carter was with him. He accepted the coffee gratefully.
"Thanks, LeBeau," he said, taking a sip of the hot brew. "Yep, that was General Butler. He says that all their contacts came up empty in their searching. The belief there is that the Colonel is probably dead." He took another draught of coffee, letting his words sink in. He then continued. "I told him about the body that was found, and that there was some doubt as to it's identity. He ordered that if the body turns out to be Hogan's, we're to shut down the operation, evacuate the camp, and get everybody out including us."
"And if it isn't the Colonel's?" asked Carter. "What then?"
"We have permission to continue looking for him."
LeBeau sighed wearily as a thought crossed his mind which he was certain had occurred to the others as well. He looked Kinch directly in the face.
"Mon ami, if that body turns out to be that of Colonel Hogan, we need to retrieve it and get it back to the states for a proper funeral. He must not be left in the hands of the filthy Bosche! They will not treat him with respect!"
"I agree," added Carter. "We can't leave the Colonel behind. If the situation was reversed, and one of us had been killed, the Colonel would do everything he could to retrieve that body and get it back home. He'd never leave it in the hands of the Krauts. We owe him the same consideration. Besides, you know the unwritten law; no soldier leaves another soldier behind."
"I agree," Kinch replied finally. "He would and so will we. So we wait until Hochstetter get his autopsy results and a positive identification is made. If it's the Colonel, while we made evacuation plans for the camp, we'll also plan on how to retrieve the Colonel's body so it can be brought back to the states. We won't leave him behind, Andrew. I promise you."
"You had no right!" Hogan sobbed as he continued clutching the blanket around him tightly. "I hate you! Hate you!" He continued tossing and turning restlessly.
Diels placed the tray on the table near the bed, sat down on the edge, and gently shook Hogan's shoulder. The Colonel, startled into consciousness, sat up. He looked wildly around the room; the fear evident in his eyes. Finally, his watery eyes landed on Diels.
"He was here!" Hogan cried out in a absolute panic. "This Hochstetter! You were about to make me feel better and he took it away and broke it! He broke it" Hogan wrapped his arms around himself as chills overtook him. He rubbed his arms up and down in an attempt to warm himself. He started sobbing uncontrollably. "He broke it! He broke it!" He looked up when Diels rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Major Hochstetter is not here, Colonel. You probably just imagined him. But even if you did imagine him, you could see he doesn't care about you. I'm positive he'd want to see you suffer. He obviously doesn't want you to have one of these." He removed a syringe from his pocket and held it up in Hogan's face. He watched as the Colonel ran a tongue over his dry lips while eyeing the syringe, mesmerized by it.
"You won't let him take it away from me, will you?" Hogan whimpered. "I need it to feel better." He ran a shaky hand lovingly over the syringe Diels held in his hand.
"I will never keep it from you, Colonel." He put the syringe back in his pocket. He noticed Hogan's distressed look. "Don't worry. As you just had an injection, it wouldn't be safe to give you another injection so soon." He picked up the tray and placed it on Hogan's lap. "It's time for your lunch."
"Not hungry," Hogan replied, shoving the tray aside. Diels replaced the tray back on the Colonel's lap.
"You will eat your lunch or I will become very upset with you, and you know what that will mean, Colonel. No more of this…" He again held up the syringe and saw the effect just seeing it was having on the American. He then returned it to his pocket and got to his feet.
"I will leave you to eat your lunch in peace, Colonel. However, I will be back to make sure you have eaten everything. And then, we will see." He turned and abruptly walked out of the room leaving Hogan staring at the sandwich on the plate. He broke off a small piece of the sandwich, and shoved it into his mouth and began to chew. He really didn't want any food, but he didn't want to upset the Captain. He was his friend and you don't upset friends.
"You have to eat, Colonel," the little angel was back again, sitting on the edge of the tray, looking at him, concerned. "You must keep up your strength. You're weakening. You can't weaken any further. You're losing yourself."
"Oh buzz off!" the larger red devil snapped, sitting on the opposite side of the tray. He looked up at Hogan. "You know you like how it makes you feel. Even you have to admit that. The Captain's your best friend. He won't let anyone keep him from making you feel good."
"You're becoming a prisoner, Colonel," the angel added. "A prisoner of what you're being given. You must fight it. You must!"
"Prisoner…" Hogan mumbled, slurring his words. "Losing myself…"
"Don't pay any attention to him," the devil waved a hand at the angel. You're not a prisoner. Your arms are no longer shackled and one leg is free. And you're not losing yourself. You're still Colonel Robert Hogan. So you see, you're not a prisoner any more."
Hogan stared into space with glassy eyes. "Not a prisoner….not…"
The devil suddenly grinned evilly. "That's right, Colonel. Just eat your entire lunch and Captain Diels will reward you. You do want to be rewarded, don't you?"
Hogan's vacant eyes turned towards the devil. "Must be rewarded. Need to be rewarded. I need it. Want it. I will do what I have to to get what I want."
"And what is it you want, Colonel Hogan?" asked the devil.
Hogan licked his dry lips and wiped his watery eyes and the watery discharge coming from his nose. "I want to feel good," he slurred. "I need to feel good." He turned his attention back to the sandwich, broke off another piece, and put it in his mouth despite the nausea he felt.