No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred. Copyright belongs to others and no infringement is intended.

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"And once we're out of there, it's straight to London."

Hogan sat back in the chair, allowing Klink to examine more closely the small map the American had drawn for him. So this was how Klink was going to finish off his part in the war—running from one house to another, hiding out in tunnels, caves, and barns, until he was finally picked up by a group that could hold him until the Allies came for him. "Are you sure this will work?" Klink asked.

Hogan nodded, rubbing his eyes. "That's the plan," he answered. "London says they'll get a sub out there for you within a day."

Klink said, "It seems to be the first time they have listened to you, Hogan."

Hogan nodded, unhappy to admit that Klink was right, but knowing it was true. "Sometimes the people behind the big desks forget that it's the little guys who are taking all the chances. I'm just glad they finally came around."

"What will become of you after the war, Hogan? Will you go back to civilian life?" Klink asked suddenly.

Hogan considered only briefly. It was a topic that had often tickled the corner of his mind, but one that he chose not to contemplate. If it was never going to happen, he did not want to hope. "I don't know," he said simply. "Can you go back to what you were before a war?"

"Before this war, Hogan, I would have said yes," Klink answered. "Now, I'm not so sure."

"Neither am I." Hogan sighed. "Right now, I'm just looking to get past the next two weeks."

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Hogan smiled at Hilda and looked deeply into her eyes. "Go on, Hilda. Say it. You know the words I want to hear."

Hilda smiled back, thrilled with the full attention of the American. Enemy? Maybe. But what a way to commit treachery. His deep brown eyes shone brightly, and she sighed, a feeling of contentment washing over her. "The Kommandant will see you now," she said breathlessly, as his lips brushed her forehead.

Hogan let his smile get even more charming as he slid back off the desk. "You're an angel, you know that? An angel."

She lowered her head almost shyly. "And maybe you have a touch of the devil in you, Colonel Hogan," she said.

Hogan considered a couple of comebacks but thought them inappropriate to say, and turned, still grinning, toward the office. He knocked once and opened the door, then entered and sat down in front of Eichberger's desk. "Good morning," he said, relaxed after his little game in the antechamber.

Eichberger raised an eyebrow at Hogan's informality. "Guten morgen, Colonel Hogan," he replied. "You seem very cheerful today."

Hogan shrugged. "Must be the weather," he said, still carrying the scent of Hilda in his memory.

"Sleeping well?"

Hogan frowned. "Fine. Why?"

Eichberger smiled. "Because I'm hoping you'll want to interrupt your sleep next week for some more fun." Hogan let his eyes ask the question as thoughts of Hilda faded away and the stale aroma of old cigars invaded his senses. "How would you like to catch a traitor?" Hogan didn't react. "What's the matter, Hogan? Not up to the challenge?"

Hogan bit his tongue to stop himself from saying the first thing that came to mind. "What did you have in mind?"

"We've got wind of a British agent selling secrets to the Nazis."

"'We've?'" Hogan repeated.

"German Intelligence." Hogan listened but said nothing. "A Colonel John Abington has approached a couple of German officers, offering to pass on sensitive information like troop movements and whatnot. Apparently, he has access to some of the most delicate information available about war tactics in this area."

"And?"

"And I think it would be fantastic if we could get him to unburden himself to someone who's not going to use the information to help the Germans get ahead. I think it would be a great coup if we could get him to confess to you instead."

"What makes you think he'll talk to a Prisoner of War?"

"He won't. But he'll talk to a German officer." Hogan tilted his head. "There's a dinner party next Friday night at a private home a couple of miles north of Hammelburg. A lot of German brass is expected to be there. You could blend in as one of them and round up Abington in one fell swoop."

"What will he be doing there?"

"Abington is expected to be sneaking in that night to try and set up a deal."

"And you want me to make that deal."

"Exactly. We need to capture him and have him sent back to England. You can manage that, can't you, Hogan?" Eichberger asked. "I mean, all you have to do it pass him on to the local Underground and they can look after the rest, right?"

Hogan shook his head. "Too dangerous for them. I don't want them taking these kinds of chances with an unknown. I'll have some other people do it. They'll come out with me."

"Other people from the camp," Eichberger clarified. Hogan did not respond. "You know, you have never pointed out any of the others involved in your operation to me."

"Let's just say they prefer to remain anonymous," Hogan replied. "All you need to know is the jobs get done. Just don't have any unannounced roll calls that night." Eichberger wisely stayed silent. Hogan ran a hand along his chin. "It's risky," he said slowly. "But it's tempting. How do I get into this party?"

"I have been invited, as the local Kommandant. You will be an observer from Berlin, a Major Huber." Hogan raised an eyebrow. "I will make sure your papers are drawn up."

Hogan nodded. "I'll need a uniform."

"I will make sure you have one."

"And I'll need to get out of camp in it without being shot."

Eichberger smiled. "That will be arranged. I presume you will want to meet me."

Hogan nodded acknowledgement. "That's fine," he said, glad that Eichberger was starting to accept that Hogan would not tell him the location of his tunnels. "I'll get to work on my German," he said. What he doesn't know won't hurt me.

Eichberger laughed. "I had nearly forgotten that!" he declared. "You can see I am still new at this sort of thing. I'll see that you have help. Speaking of which, do you think it was the local Underground that was responsible for the bridge that went up last night about three miles from here?" He lowered his voice. "Or were you and your men up to something that you didn't bother to tell me about?"

Hogan remained stoic. "I didn't know about it," he said. You don't have to know quite everything.

Eichberger sighed deeply. "Colonel Hogan, when will you trust me?" he asked, sounding more than a little bothered by Hogan's lack of confidence in him.

"After this war, I doubt I'll trust anyone, ever." He stood up. "Get me a couple of German language books as soon as you can. I'm going to take a walk in the sun."

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Hogan asked Kinch and Newkirk to try again to find out if Morrison was back from his rest leave at Abwehr, and Kinch later reluctantly reported that he was not. Hogan tried to keep himself distracted from that by organizing another act of sabotage—this time a signal box on another line about five miles outside of camp. It was Hogan's plan to keep up the disruption of the German war effort, without necessarily telling Eichberger every move they made. No matter how friendly and helpful the man was, there were some things Hogan felt that were his alone, and one of them was the operation. If Eichberger wanted to help, he could certainly do so. But as long as he wore a German uniform and played the part so well, Hogan was not going to fully trust him with his men.

Hogan also had Kinch find out what he could from London about Colonel Abington. The answer was disheartening to them; he was indeed a very learned man in the way of Allied tactics, and he was in the area at the moment. Hogan crumpled up the paper on which Kinch had scribbled London's response, disappointed. Though he was glad to know that Eichberger was telling the truth, it bothered him that anyone could think of trading in secrets that held the lives of hundreds—thousands—of men, for personal gain.

Meanwhile, Hogan started making a plan of action. Once Eichberger gave him the exact location of the party, he start poring over maps, drawing up routes and then abandoning them; in short, trying to leave absolutely nothing to chance. "Here's the layout of the house," Hogan said to Kinch, pulling out a large, rolled-up document. "If I can get Abington out on the terrace here alone," he said, pointing, "one of you can grab him from behind, and we can get him out of there." Hogan scanned the paper, then ran his finger along another section. "There's a railroad track there, and a road that runs along it near the woods. If we can meet our contact there, we can get Abington through channels and back to England all in one night. Make sure our people know what's expected of them."

"Right, Colonel," Kinch said.

"Colonel," Newkirk piped up, "with all the waiting we'll be doing, a bit of underhanded activity comes to mind."

"From you?" Hogan asked, trying to sound surprised.

Newkirk smiled. "Well, I know it's unlike me to consider anything not aboveboard, sir, but... well, with the railroad line right there, sir, and a station just... there," he said, indicating another nearby spot on the map, "could we give that a good going over?"

Hogan nodded, considering. "Actually, Newkirk, that's a great idea," he agreed. "Let's see if we can't find out if anything is scheduled to run along the track that night—we might be able to avoid anyone looking for Abington if we can prove that he blew up with the track."

"You mean make it look like he sabotaged the track, and botched the job so he went up with it?"

Hogan nodded. "That's right. A double double-cross. A British officer joins the Nazis so he can betray them. But it backfires, and he goes up with the blast."

"Why not?" Le Beau said, nodding.

"Okay, then it's a go. Carter, how would we go about destroying the track? Remember we need to consider timing as well as a possible train."

"Gee, that'd be easy, Colonel," Carter answered. "First you place plastic explosives around the track, set to go off when the wheels of the train first hit them. When they blow, you destroy the track and at the very least derail the entire train. But if we're lucky, we blow it all sky high." Warming to his subject, he continued. "But it really depends on the cargo. If it's carrying fuel or gunpowder, the whole thing would go ka-BOOM!"

Hogan involuntarily cringed as Carter imitated the explosion. "Sounds like you've got it all under control," he said, patting the Sergeant on the shoulder. "We'll go with whatever you think works best." He glanced at the others. "This is a big one. If Abington tells what he knows, a lot of our boys won't be getting home for the holidays."

Le Beau nodded. "While he goes merrily on."

"Exactly," Hogan said, rolling up the maps. "We have to get this right."