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belong to ML Breedlove.
Between The Lines
Chapter Nine
Tiger and her men had to get out of Hammelburg. The Gestapo would conduct a house to house search. Their usual escape route, Stalag 13, was now out of the question. It was decided that their best chance to avoid being caught was Lutz's family's farm. It worked for Morgan… hopefully it would work for Gustoff and the other two men rescued from Hegel's grasp. But thanks to Hochstetter's increased patrols, the trip hadn't been easy. So when Tiger announced her plans to go back out—not everyone was eager to follow.
"You don't know where they are! How do you expect to find them?" Willie's stamina had never been as strong as the others, and he had endured just about all he could for one night.
Dirk frowned and turned away to keep from saying something he would regret, while Lutz continued wrapping the dressing around Gustoff's ribs, thankful his hands were to busy to find Willies neck!
Tiger, showing more patience than she felt, carried a basin of bloody water back to the sink and poured it down the drain. She couldn't argue with Willie. He was right; she didn't know where to find them. But she had to try. Her muscles tensed with contained urgency, while her mind searched for answers. There was a limit to what they could do. There were only four of them; a sweep outside the city would take too long. They had to decide on the most likely location and focus their search there. Desperate, she turned to face the group.
"Gustoff, you have to tell us everything you remember! Perhaps there is something that will give us a clue on where to begin."
Gustoff looked up, intending to discourage Tiger from pursuing a rescue that had little chance of succeeding. But one look into her eyes told him there was nothing he could say that would stop her. Looking to Lutz, he hoped to find an ally in his quest but was disappointed. The young man had finished tying off the bandage and was expectantly waiting for him to begin. Still, Gustoff hesitated. He had to at least attempt to talk them out of what he was certain was a fool's errand.
"You don't understand… Hegel… he…" Gustoff 's eyes lost their focus and he stared into space. "In his effort to scare me into talking, he bragged about killing Morgan's father… he told me how he planted Schiller's body to gain time to track and trap Papa Bear." Looking back at Tiger, Lutz, Willie, and Dirk he warned, "Hegel has had a lot of time to prepare for this. He'll be ready for you!"
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"What are you doing there?"
Langenscheidt turned sharply. Hochstetter was coming at him full speed. Tensing, he ordered the men working on the fence to attention.
"I asked you a question. What are you doing?"
"We are repairing the fence, Herr Major!" Even in the frigid night air Langenscheidt could feel the perspiration forming between his shoulder blades.
"I can see that! What happened? Where is Kommandant Klink?"
Wide-eyed, Langenscheidt paused. How much should he say? Stalling for time he asked,
"The Kommandant, Herr Major?"
"Yes, your commanding officer! Is he in his office?"
"He… he is not here. Captain Gruber is…"
"He's not… Where is he?" Hochstetter roared.
"There…a… there has…" Langenscheidt tried desperately to avoid saying the obvious.
"…been an escape" Hochstetter finished.
Langenscheidt swallowed nervously and continued, "He has gone out to find the prisoners, Herr Major."
"Which prisoners?" Hochstetter demanded.
The Major's predilection of zeroing in on one prisoner in particular was no secret.
"Colonel Hogan…" Langenscheidt watched Hochstetter's jaw tightened as the much anticipated name met his ears.
"I knew it!" Hochstetter yelled. He had heard all he needed to know. Turning he slapped his gloves across his hand as his eyes darted along the line of trees opposite the cut fence.
Langenscheidt quickly added, "I assure you, the Kommandant will find them and bring him… I mean them back, Herr Major" It was a statement meant to appease, but as soon as he had said it he could see it had had the opposite effect.
Still staring out at the forest, Hochstetter pulled his gloves on and ground his fist into his palm. A malicious smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Not if I find him first!"
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Tiger, Lutz, and Dirk were well on their way when they stopped at the sound of gunfire. The echoes made it hard to pinpoint a direction, but there were only a few barns between Stalag 13 and Hammelburg.
Lutz placed his hand on Tiger's shoulder to offer comfort and was immediately rebuked by a look of anger. She would not—could not accept that! And yet it was a possibility. Turning, she picked up her pace. She had to know.
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Willie, Gustoff and the others stood in the doorway. They, too, heard the gunfire off in the distance.
Gustoff looked at Willie. "If you want to go to them, go. You don't have to stay with us. We'll be okay."
Willie shook his head, a pained expression in his eyes. "No… my orders… are to stay."
Gustoff nodded knowingly. Willie believed it was over. And Gustoff believed he was right.
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"Hello, this is Captain Gruber, temporarily in command of…" Gruber's confidence dropped as General Burkhalter's voice demanded to speak to the Kommandant.
"Kommandant Klink is out rounding up some escaped prisoners, Herr General. He has left me in charge."
-Pause—
"No, Herr General. There were only five. Colonel Hogan and…"
-Pause-
"Yes, Herr General, I am sure Colonel Hogan was among them. I did a roll call after the Kommandant left and confirmed that..."
-Click—
Before Gruber could pull the phone from his ear, Langenscheidt burst into the office and Gruber had a sinking feeling the night was about to go from bad to worse.
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"What do you mean the wires have been cut?" Hochstetter bellowed looking under the hood of his staff car and feeling time and Hogan getting away from him. "Never mind, we'll ride in the truck."
Just seconds later he waited anxiously for the familiar rumble of the trucks engine, "What are you waiting for?" His eyes fell on the driver's hand frantically turning the key in the ignition.
"BAAAH!"
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General Burkhalter was on the phone to Oberst Knefler.
"I wish you would say something, I'm beginning to feel that I'm talking to myself!"
Knefler smirked as he digested the news of Hogan's escape. "Oh, I'm sorry, Herr General, I was just thinking. This may be a very good indication that Colonel Hogan is responding favorably to the medication. He's getting anxious, which means something has changed for him." Knefler's smirk subsided as he began to think. "You did say his escape activity had dwindled after his first few months in captivity?"
"Yes. I was surprised myself. Klink seems to have found his calling. He runs the only camp from which there has never been a successful escape. It appears Hogan had learned to accept that…" Burkhalter paused. "…for the most part. His men make attempts every now and then but he himself has not, at least not until now."
Burkhalter frowned at the silence on the other end of the line and asked, "Am I talking to myself again?"
"No, Herr General. I was just processing the information you've given me. Combining it with the effects we suspect the drugs will have on our alphas, this seems to be right in line with the desired effects we are looking for. Colonel Hogan may realize he isn't thinking clearly. Lapses in memory shake the psyche. Confusion uproots convictions. This could all be a very good sign for us." Knefler rubbed his chin and smiled, then just as quickly turned serious again. "Is there any reason to think Kommandant Klink won't be able to recapture him?"
Burkhalter cringed, falling silent.
"Herr General? Are you there?" Knefler heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
"Yes, I'm here. Now it's my turn to process." Another short pause. "As you said, Klink has always come through in the past. If he knows what's good for him—he will again! But just to make sure… I'd better make a few phone calls."
"Jawohl, Herr General. Keep me posted. After all we've been through preparing this alpha—let's not lose him now!"
The phone clicked. Knefler sat thinking on the side of his bed. Maybe it's about time for me to pay you a visit, Colonel Hogan.
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Hochstetter and his men hadn't gone far on foot when their flashlights fell on another staff car pulled off to the side of the road. As they got closer a body could be seen just off the road in front of the car. The full scene of carnage soon unveiled itself.
The woman was rolled over.
" Myra?"
Hochstetter immediately looked to the bodies lying on the opposite side of the road, half expecting to see Hegel among them.
"It looks like an ambush, Herr Major!"
Hochstetter nodded his agreement. And it was an ambush involving a civilian woman. Hogan had made a fatal mistake—at last.
"I've got you now!" He frantically scanned the ground, looking for direction. He couldn't let him get away. Especially not now that he had just been given full reign. The veins in his neck bulged with the urgency to find the trail that was eluding him.
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Hegel pulled the staff car into the shadows behind the barn and climbed out. He had just one more preparation to make. Walking to the trunk, he grabbed the still warm machine-gun and entered the woods, where he began walking a parallel path to the one he believed Hogan and his men would take back to the prison.
Prison? Ha! It has never been much of a prison for Colonel Hogan. No matter, in a little while all it will take to contain this enemy of The Third Reich will be a pine box.
Hegel slowed his pace and scanned the ground. There! That will do. It was a slight drop in the forest floor in an area where the foliage was not as dense. This location will provide a good wide radius to fire into.
Smiling, he set up the machine gun and concealed it with undergrowth. They'll be full of bullets before they know what hit them. The smile faded. What a pity.
He would have preferred a more personal approach, one that would have allowed him to teach the American Colonel a final lesson at close range, but five men, armed or not, would not just stand and wait to be shot. The first bullet would put the other four on top of him. Yes, unfortunately, this would have to do. Of course it would be imperative that he leave first.
I'll tell them my men are guarding the barn and threaten that they will be shot if they don't wait for at least ten minutes after they hear me drive away. Hogan and his men will wait. There would be no reason not to wait, and that will give me enough time to get into position.
Hegel put his hands on his hips and breathed in deeply.
In a few hours I will not only be wealthy, I will be being honored for my military prowess in stopping the legendary Papa Bear and exposing one of the biggest spy networks operating in Germany—and all under Hochstetter's nose!
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"LeBeau, go take a look behind the barn."
"Oui, Colonel."
LeBeau disappeared and Kinch edged closer. "What are you expecting, Colonel?"
"Anything." Hogan answered without hesitation.
Newkirk reached for his cigarettes without thinking and immediately felt Hogan's hand on his arm.
"Put those away."
"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Colonel, habit. I don't normally even have em with me on a mission, but see'n as how we didn't change out of our uniforms…"
"Shh! You're saying too much," Hogan warned looking into the darkness again.
"Yeah, we're probably being watched," Carter added, scanning the area behind them.
"Thanks Carter, that's just what I wanted to hear!"
Shrugging, Carter continued, "It makes sense. He's been watching us all along. Why would he stop now?"
"Blimey, Carter, do you mind? You're making my skin crawl!"
"Sorry, Newkirk!" Carter said innocently, and then dropping his voice an octave poignantly added, "I didn't see your head in the sand."
Newkirk practically choked. Did that come from Carter? Mild-mannered Carter?
Kinch smirked. The Colonel had always said the young American sergeant had a bit of genius hiding behind that naïvety. And it was moments like these when Kinch had to agree; Carter had more savvy than he let on.
A second later, LeBeau reappeared. "All clear in the back of the barn, sir, just a car."1
Just a car? Maybe Hegel doesn't plan on killing us—yet. But it is undoubtedly an option he has to be ready to use. We'll have to be careful not to push him in that direction. Turning, he scanned the faces of his men to emphasize the importance of his next order.
"All right, now look, when we get inside the barn under no circumstances go near the door. Understood?" Hogan had thought this through and didn't want Hegel to think they were cutting off his means of escape.
Seeing nods and hearing murmurs of agreement he turned and began walking toward the barn.
"Let's go!"
The familiar knot grabbed at his stomach, and he prayed that he had made the right decisions, as he felt, more than saw, his men, unwaveringly, close rank and fall in beside him.
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The drive to the barn provided Klink time to panic! Breathing seemed to be a thing of the past as his throat constricted and the urge to scream was barely suppressed. Looking at his watch, he tried to gage how much of a head-start Hogan would have if he wasn't at the barn. His thoughts became even more erratic as he imagined what General Burkhalter would do.
Normally he would have trusted Hogan, maybe not in all things but in this, yes. After all he had heard Hegel incriminate himself. And not only about extorting diamonds, but about it only taking an extra ten minutes to shoot him, the Kommandant of Stalag 13.
Klink snorted, An extra ten minutes, indeed. We'll see how cocky the Gestapo Major is behind bars. Klink frowned as his panic intruded again. And Hogan can keep him company. That is if he shows up at the barn at all!
Not knowing what effect the drug was having on Hogan, Klink was not at all certain how Hogan would respond. It would be a great temptation to simply head the other way. After all, what did Hogan have to lose? The fact that he had broken his promise about the wire cutter made that seem like more of a possibility. And if Hogan did make a break for it… and worse yet succeeded… General Burkhalter's last official act before his own court martial would be to send Klink to the gallows ahead of him. There was that feeling of panic again.
He had never really considered he would ever be in a position to have to kill Hogan. Discipline him, yes! He was constantly disciplining him, but kill him? Klink shook his head. It was his duty. He had to stop Hogan in what ever way he could. His own life depended on it. Though alive would be best for all concerned… any way would be better than not at all… wouldn't it? Oh, if only Hogan were just an ordinary prisoner! He would almost be tempted to let him go—for both their sakes.
That revelation startled him. Would he really commit treason for a prisoner? His anger again flared. He was letting his personal feelings interfere with his duty. Besides if anybody understood duty, it was Hogan. It was his iron willed devotion to duty that had put him in the spot he was in…they were in. Hogan would understand. Why did he care what Hogan thought? Again Klink shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was getting him nowhere. War was full of difficult decisions. It wouldn't be the first time he had been forced to do something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. But in this case, it could be the last.
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Hogan could feel the weight of the gun in his pocket. So far the meeting was going smoothly. But if Hegel pulled a double cross, he would attempt to draw the first bullet and give his men time to act. And maybe, depending on where he was hit, he'd even be able to get a shot or two fired in return. Poised and ready to act, he listened to Hegel crow.
"So, London decided to save you after all."2
"There's not a diamond left in the British Isles," Hogan crooned.
"Nice lot of merchandise you've got there, Major!" Newkirk affirmed.
"Yeah, they sparkle just like glass!" Carter added, looking over the Gestapo Major's shoulder.
Now, came the moment of truth. Hogan drew in a steady breath and tried to encourage Hegel to leave, unaware that Klink was outside positioning his men. "Well, Major, we've fulfilled our part of the bargain."
"Yes, you have," Hegel agreed while running his fingers through the diamonds.
There was something in Hegel's manner that sent a chill down Hogan's back, but before anything else could be said they were abruptly interrupted…
"Achtung, achtung! This is Colonel Klink speaking. You're surrounded. There is no chance to escape. Come out with your hands up. I give you two minutes!"
After observing Hegel's hesitation, Klink was music to Hogan's ears, even if Hegel's capture still meant the end of their operation. At least the Gestapo Major wouldn't get away with it.
"Klink must have followed us here!"
Stepping back, Hegel pulled his gun. "Good, he will save me the trouble of killing you!"
The admission did not come as a surprise, but surrendering to what was apparently inevitable had always gone against Hogan's nature. He tried again to get Hegel to flee.
"Hegel, you can still make it by going out the back way. We'll cover for you. You've got your pay-off. You and your girlfriend can live happily ever-after."
It was then Hegel knocked the wind out of them by showing just how ruthless he really was.
" Myra? She's dead! And did you really think I'd let you live?"
Time's up! Hogan realized, and began to go for his gun to invite the first bullet.
"I'm going out that door alone and order him to blast this barn to pieces."
He's not firing! Muscles already set in motion yanked to a stop and Hogan shifted his weight to absorb the energy. Adrenalin coursed through his veins. Another moment of life had just been offered. Should he take it? A quick merciful death had its appeal. But would it accomplish anything except his escape from Hochstetter? Hegel would be on his way out the door before any of his men could act. Though he believed Klink would arrest Hegel, Hegel would still expose the operation and his men would be left to take the brunt of Hochstetter's fury. By staying alive he had no doubt the Gestapo Major would focus his lust for revenge primarily on him, thus sparing his men Hochstetter's full rage. Accepting the consequences, Hogan held back and Hegel broke for the door.
"Hegel, you're making a mistake. Go through with the deal and you're home free."
It was fruitless; the Gestapo Major thought he was holding all the cards. And Klink's credibility would be nil as soon as Hegel exposed the tunnels. Hegel slipped out the door and Hogan began to prepare his men for what was to come—when…
Rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat...
Bullets and chips of splintered wood filled the air and sent the five POW's diving for cover. Squirming in an attempt to sink below the straw laden floor, they breathlessly waited for the barrage of ricocheting bullets to find them. As Hogan's reality gradually gave way to shock, he began to realize what Klink was doing.
A machine gun?!
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1 From Hogan's Heroes second season episode "Diamonds In The Rough"
2 Excerpts from Diamonds In The Rough.