CHAPTER 21: BEAR NECESSITY

It was a rainy April afternoon, and Hogan had managed to grab half an hour to relax on his bunk with a book. He had his space to himself again. After two weeks of illness and recuperation, Newkirk had just moved back to the main barracks, where his frustration of the moment was that his rash was starting to peel.

Things were starting to get back to normal, if the rising tensions between LeBeau and Newkirk were any indication, Hogan thought with amusement. Through the wall, he could hear a lecture underway.

"Stop scratching yourself," LeBeau was telling Newkirk. "You're not a dog."

"No, I'm a bleeding lizard," Newkirk griped. "It itches, Louis! Is it coming off in patches or in layers?"

"Both," LeBeau said thoughtfully. "Just sit down, I'll put some lotion on it. Come on, Pierre, assis-toi."

"Arse-y what?"

"Tais-toi," LeBeau said with an audible smack to the side of Newkirk's head. Yeah, Newkirk must be feeling better, or at a minimum LeBeau was.

In the midst of that riveting conversation, Kinch slipped into Hogan's quarters, and he didn't look pleased. "Message from London, Sir," he said. "General Putnam says they can transport Newkirk May 4, which would require us to get him to the coast on May 3. That's a little over two weeks."

"Dammit," Hogan said, sitting up on his bunk. "That General Putnam is one heck of a bureaucrat." He ran his hand through his hair. "Remind me, Kinch, why are we talking to him about this, anyway?"

"You said it yourself, Sir—he's in charge of staffing, Colonel," Kinch replied.

"Yeah, well, I said that when I thought he was going to do us some good," Hogan grumbled. "Well, Peter's not going," he added firmly, bouncing down to the floor where Kinch was standing. "He can sit on the sidelines for the next eight months, but he's not going. How many people did General Putnam talk to, anyway?"

"Quite a few. But not General Butler. And not Air Marshal Woodhouse," Kinch said. "Nobody with more than one star, according to my sources."

Leave it to Kinch to have the answers. Hogan nodded, feeling a surge of optimism. General Putnam hadn't addressed the matter with the two three-star general officers who had the most in-depth knowledge of Papa Bear's operation and its strategic significance—the two men who knew the composition of the team and the credentials of each of its players.

"Well, then, I need some time with General Butler, don't I? Can you connect me with him soon?"

"Already done, Sir," Kinch said with a grin. "He'll be available for you at 2200 hours."

Hogan should have known it; once again, Kinch was a step ahead. "Good man," Hogan said. "And maybe I'll reach out to Air Marshal Woodhouse to be on the safe side."

"Yes, Sir, that's all set for 2300 hours," Kinch said.

"Why do I even ask?" Hogan said with a broad smile, thumping Kinch on the arm.

XXX

"What is this I hear about Rupert Bear, Papa Bear?" General Butler began. "He's that young?"

"He is, Jaguar," Hogan replied. He rolled his eyes at the code name. General Butler had a lot of great qualities, but he bore very little resemblance to a sleek, muscular jungle beast.

"But he's important to you," Butler added.

"Rupert's skills are unique, and they're vital to our team and to the war effort, Sir."

"He's a cub," Butler said.

Hogan sighed. "In some ways, he is. But he's nearly of age. And he's mature and battle-tested. He was on the ground for Plan D. He's been here for two years. He's withstood interrogations and more and he's been on more missions than any other cub here."

"Tough little bear," Butler said with admiration.

Hogan laughed. "That he is, Sir. Jaguar, we can't easily replace him," Hogan said. "And in a few more months…"

"I understand, Papa Bear. He'll be old enough soon. But to knowingly let him put himself in harm's way when he is a cub… how can we look the other way?"

Hogan knew he had to lay it on the line and make sure Butler heard him loud and clear, so he spelled out his objective. "I want him to stay. I can manage the risks," Hogan said. "I will take personal responsibility for his safety."

First Hogan heard silence, then the tapping of a pencil on a table. "I believe you do, could, and would, Papa Bear. And removing him from the den is risky on many levels." He went silent again. "You're planning to speak to Panther?" Butler finally asked.

"Yes, Sir, in about …" Hogan checked his watch "forty-five minutes, Sir."

"Rupert's one of his. I'll say my part, but you understand that Panther will have to decide," Butler said.

"I do understand, Sir. If you have any advice for me, I'll take it. And I'll make my best case, Sir."

"Make sure Panther understands that you will protect this cub. Convincing him won't be easy—he has young ones of his own," Butler added. "A he-cub the same age, actually. Good luck, Papa Bear. And one more thing before you go."

"Sir?"

"Next time, don't waste your breath with the bureaucrats. This is our mission. They can't possibly understand what's at stake because they don't have the information we have."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir, I should have come directly to you," Hogan replied. His heart didn't know whether to sink or leap. He'd disappointed his boss by not bringing the Newkirk matter directly to him. On the other hand, he was encouraged. General Butler seemed to be pulling for him.

"Yes, you should have. Don't forget it."

XXX

Kinch disconnected the call for Hogan. "That seemed to go well, Sir," he said.

"I think it did. But General Butler was very clear that Air Marshal Woodhouse will make the call. What do we know about him, Kinch?"

"As General Butler said, he's got boys of his own. Two are at Eton—a 15 year old and a 17 year old."

Hogan frowned. Yes, Air Marshall Woodhouse would clearly have his own 17-year-old in mind during any conversation about Newkirk.

"And there's another thing General Butler didn't mention," Kinch added. Hogan looked at him curiously. "His oldest son, a fighter pilot. He died in the Battle of Britain. He was two weeks shy of 20, Sir."

I thought Papa Bear's cubs should have bear code names, and Rupert Bear is a British comic book character from the 1920s, so he seemed perfect for Newkirk. Rupert is a smart and resourceful little bear who has big adventures and regularly outwits villains. Also, I read on Wikipedia that Plan D was a codename for the Dunkirk invasion. That's what Hogan's talking about when he mentions Newkirk being battle tested.