Chapter 37

(A Few Minutes Later):

Garlotti kept his eyes focused on the road ahead with occasional glances at Hogan who sat beside him. In the back were LeBeau and Carter, both armed, keeping their weapons trained on Vogel and von Eisenburg. The Germans sat opposite them with hands cuffed behind them against one wall of the truck. Olsen and Newkirk were next to Hotchner and keeping an eye on the unconscious man who had shown signs of regaining consciousness. A couple of times Hogan slid open the small slot so he could see the men in the back.

"How is he?" he asked Newkirk gesturing to Hotchner with his jaw.

"He's holding his own for now, Gov'nor," the Englander replied. "But I'd prefer it if Wilson were here right now."

Hogan let out a deep breath. "Do the best you can for him until we get back to camp. Wilson knows and will meet us in the tunnel."

"Yes, sir."

Hogan glanced for a few seconds at the two German guards before he slid the door shut and faced forward again. He rested the back of his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes.

"You okay, Colonel?" Garlotti asked avoiding looking at the American officer.

"Not now," the officer replied keeping his eyes closed. "Ask me that again after Hochstetter leaves Stalag 13 and this mess is over and finished."

Olsen patted Hotchner's shoulder and leaned back on his heels. Now that they were in the truck, he had gotten a close-up view of the man's injuries. And even he was horrified at the sight. Hotchner had been given a good work-over by the Gestapo. He looked at Newkirk.

"I can see why the Krauts thought he was Colonel Hogan," he said in a voice so low only Newkirk could hear. "His hair and eye color are the same. Then again, so's mine."

"Louie and I tried to tell 'em he wasn't, but that bloody bastard of a sergeant over there didn't want to listen." He shrugged his shoulders and winced at the movement. "And even though I hate to admit it, him thinkin' that is what kept us alive. Might have shot us outright otherwise."

"I hope the swine dies!" von Eisenburg hissed staring at them and grinding his lower jaw. "Death to you swine!"

LeBeau's eyes narrowed and he glared at the German, pressing the business end of his weapon flush against the center of the man's forehead.

"Filthy Bosche," the Frenchman growled.

Von Eisenburg snorted with disdain as he glared at the diminutive Frenchman. "Or you'll do what, swine? Shoot me? I doubt it. You French are cowards. That is why we control your country! Cowards!"

LeBeau ground his jaw in rage and his gun hand began to shake. As furious as he was at the moment, he remembered what Hogan had drilled into his head; into all their heads actually. They were not cold-blooded killers and he would not have anybody on his team who was. This, Hogan had further explained, is what made them different from the Nazis.

The corners of his mouth curled upward as he continued staring at the German sergeant. He took the gun away from the man's forehead and leaned his back against the opposite wall. His smile grew and grew until he no longer felt angry. He also smiled knowing that the guard across from him had no idea what it was he was smiling about at this moment.

Garlotti slowed down the truck as the outline of another vehicle became barely noticeable in the darkness. He had nearly missed it driving with the headlights off because of possible patrols. And also, the underground didn't have their headlights on either for the same reason. As he edged closer, the parked truck's headlights blinked three times.

"That's the signal. Give the reply," Hogan instructed. He waited as Garlotti activated his front headlights and blinked them three times. The sergeant pulled their truck off to the side of the road and next to the back of the other truck. Hogan climbed out of the front and was greeted by the older brother of Doctor Michael Prust, Otto Mueller. Hogan was one of a handful who knew Prust had changed his last name from Mueller to Prust to avoid trouble with the Gestapo in case Otto was ever captured. And also to provide assistance as well as medical care for underground operatives. Otto was followed by two armed men who Hogan recognized as Felix and Heinrich. He gripped Otto's hand. The underground operative noticed the weary expression on the American's face and offered a tired smile of his own.

"Glad you made it, Colonel," he said shaking the American's hand firmly. "We were starting to worry something had gone wrong."

"It nearly did," Hogan answered. "Good to see you also, Otto." He nodded a greeting to Felix and Heinrich. "Sorry for the delay. We had a problem with our prisoners. We lost one in the process so we only have two to turn over to you."

Just then the loudness of a train whistle shattered the night air causing the men to pause.

"Sounds like the train to Hammelburg is approaching the station," said Otto looking in the direction of the train station a short distance from where they were.

LeBeau had jumped out of the Stalag 13 truck still holding his weapon. Carter was to emerge next, followed by the prisoners and then Newkirk. Hogan would keep an eye on everyone from the ground just in case. But as Carter started to get out, von Eisenburg saw a small window of opportunity and took it. He pushed against Carter's shoulder from behind causing the younger man to stumble forward and start to fall out of the truck, and would have had him fall directly on LeBeau. It was only thanks to the quick thinking of Newkirk who grabbed his best friend from behind and kept him and anyone from further injury. Olsen had stayed with Hotchner to protect the unconscious man from further injury or accident and to keep an eye on Vogel.

It was during the chaos that von Eisenburg leapt from the truck, and started running down the road.

Hogan, hearing sounds of scuffling, ran towards the back of the truck with the three underground operatives in pursuit. They arrived in time to see a fleeing von Eisenburg getting away.

"Colonel!" LeBeau shouted.

"I see 'im!" Hogan indicated as he took careful aim. He couldn't allow the man to escape. He had wanted to hand him over alive to the underground, but that option had just been taken out of his hands by the German sergeant's actions. He squeezed the trigger twice as another blast of the train whistle, louder this time, was heard masking the sound of gunfire.

"What's that?" asked a nervous Carter looking around.

"Train's entering Hammelburg station," said Otto knowingly. "If Hochstetter is on that train, it'll take him about fifteen or twenty minutes to reach Gestapo headquarters from the station."

The fleeing guard had stumbled after the first shot by Hogan, but maintained his balance and kept going. But after the second shot, he fell face-down on the ground and didn't move. Hogan ran up to him, knelt down, and pressed two fingers against the man's throat. He spotted the dark stain spreading in the center of the man's back, and another bloodstain on the back of his leg. With a sigh, he stood up and walked back toward the truck.

"He's dead," he announced as he got closer, then glared at the private who stood close to the opening of the truck. He swallowed nervously as he looked at Hogan. "I wouldn't get any ideas if I were you," the American suggested.

Vogel nervously eyed Hogan as he scanned the others and considered his options. He was certain he was going to die. If not here than in the hands of the underground. His eyes darted around taking everything in as his mind furiously worked overtime to come up with some way to save his own life.

"We need to get moving," the Colonel said.

It was then Vogel saw what might be his only chance and took it. He shoved Felix who fell against Otto and ran into the foliage on the opposite side of the truck, getting lost in the darkness of the woods. Righting himself, Felix raced after the man.

"I'll catch him!" he shouted over his shoulder as he followed Vogel into the woods and disappeared from view of everyone.

Hogan looked skyward at the stars.

"Can this night get any worse?' he asked the heavens. The sound of gunfire was heard.

LeBeau looked in the direction of the train station and shuddered.

"Mon Colonel, we need to get out of here and back to camp."

"And we will," Hogan assured the French corporal. "But first we need to recapture Vogel. If he gets away and make contact with Hochstetter, we've all had it." He was about to say something else when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Felix trudging out of the woods with a grim expression on his face.

"Do not worry, Colonel," he said. "Private Vogel will tell nobody anything. I managed to catch up with him when he tripped over an exposed tree root. He fought me as best he could considering he was handcuffed. He somehow got to his feet and started to run. I was forced to shoot him. He is quite dead I assure you."

Hogan nodded his understanding. "Then I guess we don't have any captives to give you. Seems all three are dead."

Otto chuckled. "No problem. Now go. You need to return to camp. Now that Hochstetter is back in Hammelburg, you need to get ready for him. We will take care of the trash."

Hogan glanced back at the body in the road, then looked at Otto.

"Are you sure we can't help you clean things up?" he asked.

"I'm sure. Now go, my friend. You still have much to do before this nightmare is over. Take care of your injured men. We'll be all right."

Hogan looked at the others. "Back in the truck. We need to get back to camp in time for either morning roll-call or Hochstetter, whichever comes first."

"Me money's on ole Hochstetter," chuckled Newkirk as he took his spot close to Hotchner.

"Mine too, Pierre," added LeBeau.

Newkirk rolled his eyes. "You ain't got none, mate. I won it all from ya last month playin' cards, remember?"

"Knock it off, you guys. This isn't poker. Now let's go," Hogan ordered as he climbed into the back of the truck with the others. After everybody was settled in back, Hogan slid open the small window-like opening, and glanced at Garlotti with a small smile.

"Home James, and don't spare the horses."

Impatient to get to Gestapo Headquarters, Wolfgang Hochstetter shoved past people in front of him whom he felt were too slow disembarking from the train. He heard people around him both swearing and mumbling as he pushed them out of his way, but nobody dared say anything to him when they saw his expression. He looked like a man possessed who was about to go on a rampage at the slightest provocation. So they just did their best to get out of his way as quickly as possible ahead of time.

When the major finally made it to the platform, he looked around and spotted Corporal Schneider leaning against a black car, it's Gestapo flags flapping in the breeze, with arms folded. A twisted smile appeared as he stomped down the steps toward the waiting vehicle.

Seeing his superior coming toward him, Schneider held open the rear passenger door to allow the major to climb inside the car. He saluted his boss as he entered and then closed the door. He then ran around to the driver's side, and got in behind the steering wheel.

"Take me to Gestapo Headquarters, corporal!" Hochstetter hissed.

Schneider, who had kept the engine running while waiting for the train, started to pull out of his parking spot. As he did, he swallowed the large lump in his throat.

"Herr Major…there is something you need to know before I take you to Gestapo Headquarters."

"Tell me later! I am impatient to question the great Colonel Hogan and prove once and for all he is Papa Bear! And I will prove it this time. And that bumbling Klink cannot stop me! Now drive!"

"Major, it is about Colonel Hogan."

That got the major's attention. "What about Hogan?! Has Captain Fuchs gotten his confession already?!"

"Nein, Herr Major. Sergeant von Eisenburg misinformed you, sir. After he phoned you about having captured Papa Bear, Captain Fuchs went to question the prisoners, and discovered the man in question was not the American Colonel."

"What!" Hochstetter screamed nearing causing Schneider to lose control of the vehicle and go off the road his rant scared him so badly. "Stop the car! Now!" Schneider stopped the car but left the engine idling.

"Now what is this about Hogan and why wasn't I told at once!?"

"Captain Fuchs tried to reach you before you left Bamberg, sir, but you had already left. Then he left a message with the Ticketmaster at the Munich station, but apparently you didn't get it."

"No, I didn't get it!" Hochstetter growled fantasizing as to what he would do to the Ticketmaster in Munich when things settled down. "What else?!"

Schneider licked his suddenly dry lips. "Sergeant von Eisenburg didn't tell Captain Fuchs either, sir. He called you directly. Needless to say the captain was furious when he found out what the sergeant had done. But he did not take any action against the sergeant, Private Vogel, or Corporal Braun. He said he would leave their punishment up to you to decide."

Hochstetter fell back against the seat and grumbled with a twisted smile on his face which sent shivers down Schneider's face.

"Captain Fuchs was wise to let me handle things, Corporal. And trust me when I say that Sergeant von Eisenburg, Private Vogel, and Corporal Braun will rue the day they bungled things so badly and ignored their superior in the process! Now get me to Gestapo Headquarters! I must speak with Captain Fuchs at once!"

(End of Flashback)

Hotch closed the journal and rested it on the table beside his recliner. Closing his eyes, he clasped his hands together in his lap. He needed to think about everything he had read to this point. He found himself with a new respect for Fritz Fuchs and his part not only in Hogan's rescue plans, but in the man's overall involvement with the Allies.

The German had made a decision to fight against the evil known as Adolph Hitler who infected his country, and to free his country and its people from that infestation. He had a better understanding of Fuchs' position within the Gestapo now. It not only gave him access to things that helped Hogan and the Allies, but also had him walking a fine line; finer than the line Hogan walked with Klink.

Hotch chuckled as he thought about it. His son Jack could handle Klink with very little if no problems at all, even at five-years-of-age. Of course he could not totally consider Klink as stupid. The man was a Colonel he reminded himself.

But from what he had read so far, there was one thing of which he still wasn't sure. And that was while he was positive as to where Fuchs' loyalty lay, he wasn't sure about Hochstetter's loyalty. Where exactly did it lay? Was it similar to Fuchs in that it was with the Allies, and he was only playing a part like Major Teppel had been? Did he pretend to be loyal to both sides like that agent, Robin Hood, like Garcia had found several days ago? Or was he, like had been uncovered so far, what Hotch suspected, and that was pure Gestapo? Hotch realized just like they worked a case, he needed additional info before he could be certain.

Aaron opened his eyes and blew out a deep breath, crossing his arms across his chest. Yes indeed, he had a lot more to think about right now before morning.