The T.V. show Hogan's Heroes belongs to Bing Crosby Productions.

No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred, (except for the 7 new characters introduced in this story) and no infringement is intended.

Weaving a Web to Freedom,

The Truth is What We Make It

By MLM 13

Chapter 14

Newkirk followed Hogan's example and held onto the wooden plank they were sitting on with his manacled hands. It helped to reduce the chaffing from the metal cuffs as the bumpy road jostled them around. Any other movement was virtually impossible, which made the ride to Abwehr Headquarters uneventful, as intended.

They arrived at their destination just as the sun was coming up and were lead directly to their waiting cells. Yanked and shoved into position in front of their cell doors, one guard aimed his gun on them and the other removed the chains and manacles.

Newkirk gave Hogan a quick look and Hogan nodded his reassurance.~ Ok, gov' if you say so, I'll believe we know what we're doing ~

The cell doors were opened showing a small windowless cubicle containing a wooden shelf and a pot in a corner. They were each unceremoniously shoved into their individual chamber and the doors clanged shut.

Newkirk turned and looked at the door as it slammed closed. How'd I draw the short straw and get picked for this mission?

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Hogan looked at his new living quarters. This brings back memories. Sporadic pictures of his arrival in Germany flashed through his mind. Feeling his way to the wood plank he lay down and tried not to dwell on the past.

It was hours before Hogan's cell door opened again.

"Schnell!"

Hogan was ordered out of the cell and his hands cuffed behind him. He was lead down the corridor of like cells to an adjoining hallway and taken into a room with a chair positioned in front of a light focused directly on it. The guard grabbed his arm and shoved him into the chair. He was secured there and his head held in place with a strap to prevent him from turning from the light.

It was impossible to see beyond the blinding glare but he recognized the voice as Teppel. The questions and threats continued for what had to be several hours before a guard returned and removed him from the chair and shoved him back out into the hallway. It was difficult to see after all the time spent starring into the glare of the light, and Hogan was walking slower than the guard liked, which prompted the guard to poke him in the back to help speed him along.

He was returned to his cell and three hours later the process was repeated. After being returned to his cell a second time, he sat down on the wooden plank that served as a bed. He felt drained and wondered how much longer this would go on.

~ Teppel if this is your idea of helping, I'm in big trouble! I wonder how Newkirk is holding up. ~

Three hours later the cell door opened once more.

~ Oh swell. ~ Hogan thought, but instead of being yanked back out of his cell, Teppel came in with a gun wielding guard behind him. Teppel looked around the cell and then motioned for the guard to leave. The cell door closed and locked as Teppel began his threats. As soon as he was sure they were alone, Teppel broke character and lowered his voice.

"You're holding up very well, Colonel."

"Look, if this is going to go on very much longer, I'm changing my reservations!" Hogan replied.

"Sorry, Colonel, but we can't raise suspicions by not interrogating you. I will be moving you and Newkirk in a few hours under the pretense of taking you for more intense interrogation."

"We both have the same understanding of the word pretense, right?" Hogan asked.

Teppel smiled. "I'll give you and Newkirk Abwehr uniforms and we will go to SS headquarters. I have a meeting there and you two will go as my adjutants. I will fill you in on the rest later."

Teppel turned and pounded on the door. As the door opened he yelled,

"We'll see how well you hold up under more intense interrogation."

"All you're getting is name, rank, and serial number!" Hogan answered.

Teppel stepped out and turning sharply back to the open cell door, threatened, "We'll see!"

The door slammed shut.

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True to his word, two hours later Hogan and Newkirk were removed from their cells and placed in the back of an ambulance for transport. As Teppel had explained to Klink on another occasion, the Abwehr used ambulances to give them the right of way as they moved prisoners through town.

After the ambulance door closed Hogan looked at Newkirk.

"You holding up ok, Newkirk?"

"Yeah, I'm ok—for someone whose been interrogated all day! Did Teppel tell you the plan?"

"We're going to SS headquarters…."

Newkirk rolled his eyes.

"No, its ok, we're going as Teppel's adjutants."

The ambulance started moving. After awhile it stopped and Teppel got into the back. He reached into a compartment and took out two Abwehr uniforms and handed them to Hogan and Newkirk.

"This is a late meeting, so most of the staff will be gone for the day. I will leave you and Newkirk outside the room where I am meeting. Two doors down will be their record room. I have arranged for the alarms to be turned off to allow you time to go in and search their records for information on Steffan. You may take one hour, no longer. Then you must be back outside the meeting room."

He handed Newkirk a lock pick.

"Follow me."

Exiting a back alley where the ambulance had parked, Hogan and Newkirk followed Teppel down the street to SS headquarters.

Teppel walked up to the front desk and handed the guard his papers. The guard examined the papers and motioned him on through. Hogan and Newkirk followed silently. They climbed the stairs to the second floor. Teppel met and shook hands with two SS officers and followed them into the room. He turned back and addressed his two adjutants.

"Wait here."

The door to the meeting room closed and Newkirk and Hogan moved two doors down the hall. Newkirk quickly picked the lock and the two stepped into the room.

"You start over there, Newkirk. Let me know if you find anything."

Forty minutes later, Hogan called out.

"I've got something." Newkirk came over and stood looking over Hogan's shoulder.

"He's SD!" Hogan announced.

"Blimey!"

The SD, or Sicherheitsdienst, was the intelligence branch of the SS. The SD had agents, known only to the chief SD officers, in every department of the German government.

"It says his office is room 231, which has got to be further down this hall. Let's go."

Hogan and Newkirk carefully locked the door to the Record Room and hurried down to Steffan's office. They had 10 minutes before they had to be back outside the meeting room.

"Make sure you put everything back exactly as you found it. His current projects should be easily accessible. You look on his desk. I'll look on top of those cabinets, and hurry we haven't got much time."

Newkirk picked up a dog-eared folder and began to thumb through it.

"Colonel!" Newkirk whispered.

He handed Hogan the folder.

"So he is working on the Sabotage activity around Stalag 13 also. Here are his notes. It looks like he believes that Burkhalter and Klink may be involved too. He also mentions seeing Schultz being friendly with the prisoners. It says: 'Seen meeting privately outside barrack two with a prisoner. Spent some time in conversation before moving on. Prisoner seemed friendly and patted Sergeant on the arm before going back inside the barrack'."

"That had to be LeBeau." Newkirk grinned. "Ha, wait till I tell Louis he's in this report!"

"We've got to get going." Hogan announced as he looked through Steffan's desk drawer.

Newkirk noticed the Colonel pick something up and put it in his pocket and then grab the wastebasket, to give it a quick look through on his way out.

Newkirk locked the door and they quietly made their way back down the hall to assume their positions outside the meeting room.

It was another thirty minutes before Teppel emerged from the meeting, bid his goodbyes and the threesome hit the street again.

They silently made their way back down the alley and into the back of the ambulance.

"Did you find anything?"

Hogan and Newkirk filled him in as they changed back into their clothes.

Teppel nodded, "That should answer some of London's questions as to why they couldn't track his whereabouts."

"And why he didn't arrive at the Gestapo training camp," Hogan added.

Newkirk agreed. "His phony records of attendance at the training camp have probably been planted by now. I bet whoever he reports to was surprised when he or they learned you were at the training camp asking for him, Colonel."

Hogan nodded. "Good! It's only fair they sweat a little, too."

"They probably think it was us…I mean the Abwehr. I'll keep my eyes and ears open to that accusation. They'll quit looking for the person responsible if they can blame the Abwehr."

Hogan looked at Teppel "Good-now what?"

"Now, we go back to the Abwehr and I will mark the interrogation finished. I already have the information down that we "forced" out of you and a copy is being placed in the SS files as we speak. So my records are complete. We should have you back at Stalag 13 by early tomorrow morning."

As Teppel exited the ambulance, Hogan wisecracked, "Oh and next time you have us over to your place, I want a room with a view."

Teppel looked at Hogan as he closed the door and with a glint in his eye cautioned, "Be careful what you ask for, Colonel Hogan. Hopefully, there won't be a 'next time'."

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The truck carrying Hogan and Newkirk arrived back at Stalag 13 at 4 a.m. Klink got a call from the guard shack and quickly pulled his boots, uniform pants and overcoat on. It had been two days and as he went out to meet his prisoners he wasn't sure what condition he would find them in.

Hogan and Newkirk were standing in the compound; a guard was removing their chains and manacles when Klink arrived. Teppel took Klink aside and gave him copies of the interrogation for the prisoner's files. After a brief exchange Teppel got back in the truck and left.

Klink walked up to his POW's and looked them over. They looked like they hadn't slept since they left, but there were no signs of physical injury.

"You appear to be in one peace. Do you have any injuries that need treated."

"No Kommandant. I think we would just like to go to bed." Hogan requested.

"Very well, Newkirk, back to the barrack, Hogan, back to the hospital. I will talk to you later. Dismissed" He saluted and turned to go back to his quarters.

"Good night, Newkirk."

"G' night, sir."

Newkirk turned to the barrack ~ If you ain't a sight for sore eyes! ~