A/N: I'm sad to say this story is coming to an end. One more chapter after this! Hope everyone enjoys my last couple installments of this story! Leave reviews! They are encouraged! :D
Chapter 25:
"You see, sir, it all started after you went into your coma. As you probably figured out once waking up again, you were no longer in camp and transferred to another hospital in Berlin." Newkirk began.
"Yes, that's what Klink told me, when he came to visit me a few days before I came home." Hogan answered calmly. His eyes held impatience in them and was looking firmly at his English corporal.
"After you were taken to Berlin, Kinch, Louis, Andrew, and I started cooking a plan to get rid of Walters. We had to make him suffer, Gov'nor. After what he did to ya- we almost lost you because of him! He had to be punished."
Hogan did not answer. He continued to glare at Newkirk with cold eyes and a dead serious look glued to his face.
Newkirk swallowed and continued.
"That's when things started to get...ugly."
"I'm listening, go on," Hogan said coolly.
"We had a plan all ready to go for Klink to see Walters was bloody balmy and have him sent away. We did not catch it soon enough, but Walters apparently had a new idea in his mind...sir, he...he tried to kill Klink, Colonel."
"He WHAT?!"
"He wanted to take control over the entire camp. Being Senior POW Officer wasn't enough for him. He craved to be the one in control and wanted to dominate even the guards here. Walters got close enough to Klink and once he had him by the hook, he wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other one to put a knife to his neck. He must have smuggled it into camp somehow." Kinch clarified.
"Considering Klink came to the hospital several times, I assume Walters was not successful in murdering our beloved Kommandant," Hogan said dryly.
"No, sir...he was not," the radioman said.
"So, where is he now? I'm getting tired of repeating myself!" Hogan answered, making it clear he was reaching his limit.
Newkirk closed his eyes and fought back a fit of panic from taking over. He opened them, stared at the ceiling, then lowered his head again to look at Hogan.
"I just wanted him to drop the knife, Colonel," Newkirk quivered. "Just so we could get Klink away from him." He shook his head and closed his eyes. He was not sure if he had the courage to tell Hogan the truth. He was horrified of releasing the wrath of Colonel Hogan. When Hogan lost his anger, no one got away from being yelled at.
"Where is he, Newkirk?!" Hogan barked.
"I…" Newkirk fought back from the tears that threatened him. "Killed him, sir." He croaked.
Hogan's face grew a light pink and snapped his attention to Kinch and LeBeau, his eyes filled with daggers.
"It was an accident, Colonel! We swear!" LeBeau pleaded.
"Newkirk was just trying to get Walters to drop the knife." Kinch added.
The American officer returned his furious glare to Newkirk.
"Gov'nor, I was trying to aim for a leg or an arm...I never meant to hurt him, Gov'nor, I swear!" The Englishman begged for mercy.
"How did this happen?" Hogan demanded.
Kinch and LeBeau walked away from the door and stood beside their friend.
"Colonel, it was a 'fight or flight' incident. Newkirk did the first thing that came to his mind. Schultz happened to be standing near us when it happened. He grabbed Schultz's rifle and tried aiming for one of Walters's arms or legs to get him to drop the knife away from Klink's neck...it just got aimed a little too high than it needed to be," LeBeau said.
"There was no way of saving him, Colonel. Joe said he died instantly. The bullet went straight clear through his aorta in the heart. Went right in between his sternum." Kinch added softly.
Newkirk sulked and made his way to his footlocker.
"What do you think you're doing, Corporal?" Hogan hissed.
"I'm packing me things together...I assume I'll be on a plane headed back for London in a few days to face a firing squad for me crime." Newkirk answered softly.
"Newkirk, don't do that. We don't know for certain." Carter begged.
"Andrew, I've committed a fragging. It's the highest crime to commit in a war. I'm sorry, mate. Looks like you'll have to find yourself another safe cracker," he said sadly and continued packing his things.
"Colonel, don't send Pierre back to London. It was an accident, we swear!" LeBeau explained.
Hogan let a deep breath out and looked at all four of his men.
"You guys could've gotten killed. You could've exposed our entire operation!" He snarled.
"And had Walters killed Klink, our operation would have been exposed." Kinch replied.
"It wasn't Newkirk's fault, Colonel. He was just trying to save Klink." Carter spoke sadly.
"And how do you think General Burkhalter's gonna react, when he hears just that in a few days? He's gonna grow curious as to why a prisoner saved a German's life." Hogan remarked angrily.
"You can persuade him, Colonel. You know how to convince General Burkhalter otherwise. You always know how to do it." LeBeau begged.
Hogan turned to look at Newkirk, who was sadly packing his things and fearing what was coming for him. His face softened and sighed. Newkirk, after all, had saved Walters from discovering the operation. He saved Klink, so a new and better Kommandant had not been sent to take over Stalag 13. He saved all the other prisoners from further torment and manslaughter. The colonel sighed again softly.
"Alright, Newkirk; let me see what I can do," Hogan said. He slowly made his way to the fake bunk and tapped the mechanism. Once the tunnel entrance had been exposed, Hogan carefully made his way down the ladder and to the radio room.
The four of Hogan's men all sat down at the table growing anxious.
"What now?" Carter asked, worried.
"Now...we wait," Newkirk said, shaky.
The next two hours were the longest two hours Hogan's men ever had to endure. Hogan had not returned from the radio room since leaving to argue Newkirk's case to the Allied High Command. They wondered whether that was a good sign or a bad one.
"What's taking the Gov'nor so bloody long? I'm losing me bloody mind!" Newkirk cried.
"Perhaps the Colonel's having good luck with London and are talking about giving you an award," Kinch suggested.
"I highly doubt it, but thanks, mate," the Englishman lamented.
"I sure hope Colonel Hogan can convince them otherwise. I don't want Newkirk to die. He saved us from what could have ended in a disaster!" Carter pleaded.
"I'm not too crazy over dying meself, Andrew," Newkirk said, grim.
The four of them heard the fake bunk open. Hogan slowly climbed out of the tunnel holding his belly gently and closed the entrance. He walked over to his men and looked at them with no expression to his face.
Newkirk, LeBeau, Kinch, and Carter sat there staring at their commanding officer, waiting for an answer from him.
"Well?!" Carter exclaimed, not able to handle the silence any longer.
Hogan turned to look at Newkirk, who was looking at his commanding officer with mercy in his eyes. The colonel grew a soft smile on his face.
"Newkirk's only punishment is remaining here until the war's over," Hogan said.
"Really?!" LeBeau cried, smiling boldly.
"They also want to commemorate Newkirk for saving the lives of over a thousand prisoners here in Stalag 13 and the life of the operation. General Berkman says Newkirk's conspicuous gallantry medal should be here in about a week or so." Hogan spoke proud, looking at Newkirk beaming.
Carter, LeBeau, and Kinch all cheered and congratulated their friend with pats on the backs.
"Boy, what an honor, buddy!" Carter cried.
"Oui! C'est très magnifique," LeBeau said joyously. (1)
Hogan then turned to Carter, his face growing a bit brighter.
"Carter, I also told them what had happened to Captain Fischer and what Walters made you go through because of that night. They're going to award Fischer with the Medal of Honor for the sacrifice he made to save the men under his command," the colonel said softly.
The young sergeant's face brightened hearing such news.
"Really, Colonel?" He asked.
"Even naming a memorial site after him in London." Hogan answered.
Carter's eyes watered up, but his face shined like the sun. After all this time hiding all his feelings of fear, sadness, grief, and frustration, his late commander had finally got his justice. It was officially over; Fischer had finally won.
Kinch smiled at Carter, then turned to Newkirk.
"Looks like your act took a different turn, Newkirk," he said, smiling.
Newkirk blushed and hung his head.
"Alright, knock it off, all of yah." The Englishman spoke, grinning.
It was not until LeBeau gasped abruptly that the celebration for Newkirk and Carter ended.
"Colonel, what about General Burkhalter?"
"Oh yeah. He's coming in a few days to talk with Klink about Walters's death," Kinch said, crossing his arms.
"What are we gonna do, Colonel?" Carter asked, worried.
Hogan grinned and crossed his arms.
"Don't worry, LeBeau. I got a plan up my sleeve for good old Burkhalter," he said, with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"Lieutenant Walters tried to kill you?!" Burkhalter gasped. The Luftwaffe general had arrived early two days after that and was listening to Klink tell him more regarding the death of his late prisoner.
"I have no idea how he managed to smuggle in a knife, Herr General. Surely Major Hochstetter would have found every weapon on him." Klink answered.
"Major Hochstetter couldn't find himself out of a paper bag, Klink! This is the man, after all, who has a continuous obsession with your Senior POW Officer."
The old Kommandant nodded.
"Yes. General Burkhalter. You make an excellent point, sir."
"Klink, stop your babbling."
"Yes, Herr General."
Burkhalter paced Klink's office thinking to himself. After a while, the big general turned to face the German colonel again.
"Klink, just how exactly did Lieutenant Walters die during this?"
"General Burkhalter, he was shot. I thought I told you that."
"Well then, what's the name of the guard who shot him?"
The Kommandant swallowed a lump in his throat, his face growing hot with fear.
"The guard who shot him?" He trembled.
"Yes, Klink, who shot Lieutenant Walters?"
Klink paused and simply stared at his commanding officer. Did he dare tell him Newkirk had been the one to save his life? How would Burkhalter react to knowing one of his prisoners were the one that had been to pick up one of the guards' guns while Walters was distracted and shot and killed by that same prisoner? Come to think of it, he, too, wondered why Newkirk had saved his life. Why would a prisoner of war have any intentions on saving the enemy?
Klink was about to answer, when the door to his office opened, and Hogan walked in. The American saluted him and made himself comfy in the chair underneath Hitler's portrait hanging on the wall.
"Hogan! What are you doing here?!" Klink bellowed.
Burkhalter turned to give Hogan his attention.
"Colonel Hogan," he said. "I have heard you were recently discharged from the hospital. How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright, sir," Hogan said, crossing his legs.
"What are you doing in here, Hogan?" Klink growled softly.
"I'm here on behalf of the men here in Stalag 13. I have been informed of what took place while I was in the hospital." The American answered.
"What exactly were you told, Hogan?" Burkhalter questioned.
"Walters was able to get close enough to the Kommandant to grab a hold of him and put a knife to his neck. He threatened everyone in the compound at the time that if anyone tried anything, Kommandant Klink would be murdered."
"What else, Hogan?"
"Yeah, what else?" Klink asked, curious.
"Considering that the Kommandant's life was on the line, Corporal Langenscheidt grabbed his rifle while Walters was distracted making threats to Kommandant Klink. He was then able to fire his gun safely without the risk of the Kommandant getting hurt. He meant to aim for a ligament of Lieutenant Walters's, but had his gun too high up and shot the lieutenant in the heart killing him instantly." Hogan turned to Klink while saying this, trying to send a message to him with his eyes.
He seemed to catch it and nodded after it registered in his brain.
"Absolutely, General Burkhalter! Corporal Langenscheidt was very brave in his actions, sir!"
"So, it was Corporal Langenscheidt who saved you, huh?" Burkhalter asked himself.
"Did a good deed for a fellow German. Personally, I would have let Walters go ahead with it," Hogan was cut off by Klink.
"Hogan!"
"Sorry, sir."
"Klink, Corporal Langenscheidt is to be awarded for his excellency in saving a fellow soldier for the Fatherland. I am off to Berlin, now. I have many papers to go over." Burkhalter replied, putting on his cap.
"Of course, General Burkhalter. Pleasure again seeing you, sir," Klink said, smiling like a goon.
"I wish I could say the same thing, Klink."
Both Germans saluted each other, then Burkhalter made his exit. Once he was gone, Klink rose to his feet and hurried over to Hogan.
"Hogan, what did you just do?! You lied to General Burkhalter and told him Corporal Langenscheidt shot Walters, when Newkirk was the one who did it!" Klink cried.
"Kommandant, if you would have told General Burkhalter that Newkirk had been the one that killed Lieutenant Walters, he would then question how a prisoner got a hold of a gun. Not only would Newkirk be punished, but you would be as well," Hogan said.
"Impossible...how?"
"You would be held responsible for letting a prisoner get a hold of a weapon. General Burkhalter would have had you packing your bags and headed to the Russian Front before you could get a chance to explain yourself."
"Now that you say that, it does make a lot of sense."
"This way, Corporal Langenscheidt gets an award for being a good German soldier, and you keep your job here as Kommandant."
"But why would you want to protect me, Hogan?"
"Kommandant, you don't need to ask that question."
"I don't?"
"Course not. How else are we gonna escape out of camp so easily, if you're not here?"
Klink let out a deep breath and his face grew a light shade of pink.
"OUT!" The old Kommandant hollered.
Hogan saluted sloppy and walked out of Klink's office.
(1) "Oui! C'est très magnifique!" - "Yes! It is very magnificent!"