Disclaimer: See chapter three.
Author's Note: Thank you to all that have reviewed.
General Otto Krotz listen as one of his patrols reported a man fleeing through the forest. He looked over the three men patrol, with a mask of calm on his face, when inside he was worried beyond endurance.
"Where did you see this man?" Krotz asked.
"He was fleeing to the east of here, Herr General." The man reported.
"I want you three men to search the woods east of here if you find the man bring him in. Understood? I want him alive." The General ordered.
"Sir, yes sir." The three men cried coming to attention. The General wasn't the only one who watched the men hurry off, a man watched in interest to the patrol's news before moving on. Krotz frowned, Papa Bear's man had told him that the pick up would be to the west of where the general stood not to the east. 'Maybe one of the men separated from their group,' he thought. 'I'm getting too old for this spy stuff.'
"General?"
Krotz turned to his aid and fellow spy, Michael Croft, a.k.a. Colonel Herbert Cruger.
"Yes, Herbert?"
"Should I contact Captain Cartermizer and tell him of the situation?"
"Yes, he has a right to know." The general told the younger man, passing over the hand held radio.
***
Carter jumped as the radio came to life next to him. Kinch covered his mouth to stop him from making any noise.
"Cruger calling patrol one, come in," said the crackling voice over the old radio.
"Answer it Carter." Kinch told him pushing the set into the younger man's hands.
"Patrol one here boysir," Kinch flinched at Carter's slip of the tongue.
"Suspect spotted east of camp."
"Hogan," Kinch whispered, grabbing the set off Carter. "Have you captured him?"
"No."
"Cartermizer will meet you at the road for pick up," was Kinch's response. 'Oh boy,' Carter thought nervously.
"Check, over and out."
"Over and out." Kinch set the radio down. "Carter wait at the road if Hogan is captured or if a patrol is close act like a German, understand?"
"Yes boyKinch."
"Don't let Hogan or the patrol know it's you, okay?"
"Easy, piece of pie," Carter replied more nervously than before.
"It's cake Carter, Cake," Newkirk called over.
"Just find him Carter, now off you go," Kinch said giving Carter a friendly push in the direction of the road.
"Good luck Andrew," Newkirk called after him.
"Bring Mon Colonel back safe," LeBeau added.
Conner stayed silent as he watched the blond haired youth walk away, a slight frown on his handsome face.
***
Carter stood behind a large tree waiting. 'Oh boy, please I don't let me something wrong,' Carter thought. He stepped out onto the road when he saw a truck approaching. The truck stopped in front of Carter.
"Here you go," Colonel Cruger told him holding out Carter's Gestapo uniform.
"Thank you Colonel," Carter said grabbing the uniform.
"You can call me Mike," the other man said, smiling.
"Carter," Andrew mumbled as he slipped into the uniform, his shaking hands making it hard to do up the buttons. 'Come on Andrew pull it together,' He silently told himself. He jumped into the front seat of the truck and the two men set out for the hunter.
***
Hogan slipped back to the pick up site. He looked around suspiciously; the more he headed west the less German Patrols he saw. 'If I had to guess I would say Kinch is behind this,' Hogan thought. He slowed down when he heard voices ahead of him. He silently stepped closer using the thick bush as cover.
He looked through the branches to see Newkirk, LeBeau, Conner and Kinch sitting in a lose circle. He also noticed that Conner sat just a little further away from the rest. Hogan's hand found another rock and threw it to the right. 'Okay the rock thing getting old,' he thought as his crew all looked where the rock had landed, 'but it works.'
Hogan waited as Kinch stood, from this distance he couldn't hear anything, but he guessed that Kinch told the others to wait while he had a look around. Hogan sighed when he saw the others stay where they sat while Kinch moved into the bush. Hogan made his way towards Kinch, making no sound on the damp ground.
"Kinch," he whispered. Kinch swirled around gun held in front of him. "Put the gun away it's your favourite commanding officer."
"Colonel?"
"The one and only, for Klink can't be classified as a Colonel," Hogan replied, stepping out from behind the bush. Kinch smiled broadly.
"It's good to see you Colonel, you had us worried for a few minutes." Kinch told him.
"Ah, it's great to know you're wanted." Hogan said smiling. He dropped his smile as he got down to business. He told Kinch about what he had over heard.
"Why that little" Kinch hissed.
"Now this is what we're going to do" Hogan said explaining his plan.
Kinch smiled deepened as he listened, until he heard the last part.
"Wait you're going to what?" Kinch asked in a panic.
***
Kinch grumbled as Hogan held the message out to him. He looked at it for a long minute before grabbing it. Hogan smiled but Kinch could see passed the innocent smile to the stress lines at the corners of his month. 'This war is making old men out of all of us,' Kinch thought. Looking his commanding officer over, he held his left arm close to him and Kinch could tell that his shoulder wound was still bothering him.
"You know what to do, good luck Kinch," Hogan told him holding out his hand, which he took.
"Good luck Colonel." Kinch slipped the message and code into his pocket, when he looked up Hogan was gone. 'I hate it when he does that,' he complained to himself. He silently walked back to his friends.
"Nothing there must have been a animal," Kinch said shrugging his shoulders; he hated lying to his friends. "Newkirk, LeBeau when the plane arrives get the Major on board, okay?"
"Okay mate, where will you be?" Newkirk asked not missing a beat.
"I have to check something," he said. "When you are done, head back to camp I'll meet you there."
Newkirk gave him a once over, before sitting back with a sigh.
"Good luck guys." Kinch said.
"Good luck Kinch," LeBeau and Conner called after him as Kinch moved off.
"Give 'em 'ell Kinch." Newkirk called.
Kinch circled around any patrols, heading to the nearest radio set.