Chapter 33
Down The Garden Path
The hallway with its bars and locked entrance loomed closer. The soldier standing guard straightened, as Knefler stopped in front of him and turned to face the prisoner being ushered along behind.
Hogan's mind wandered to his men and in his fevered delirium, he could see their tortured, blood-spattered bodies being dragged away. As he struggled against the very real hands holding him, another voice filtered through the chaos taking place in his mind, and he found himself being drawn back to his present situation as if being awakened from a vivid dream. A face appeared in front of him. What…? Oh, yes…Knefler. Hogan struggled to keep his eyes focused on the mouth, trying to comprehend what it was saying.
The Oberst watched as the American shook his head and blinked, before squinting his eyes, in an obvious effort to see clearly. Knefler, hesitantly, proceeded with his plan and nodded toward the confinement area of the hospital.
"I suppose we are eventually going to have to go down that hall and get you behind locked doors. But since it is such a nice day, let's not start our endeavor in such an oppressive atmosphere. The hospital has a walled garden area where officers can enjoy fresh air and escape from the sterile smell of the hospital while they are recovering. It allows for conversation, and meditation, and is the perfect place for us to begin our talk."
Knefler proceeded past the criminal detention hallway and its guard, and out the door leading to the back of the hospital and the gardens beyond. The winter air trapped behind the garden wall was warmed slightly by the mid-day sun to a cool forty-five degrees. The leaves had long since departed from the vines and branches growing there, but there was still beauty in the twisting and twining of the now sleeping foliage.
Knefler stopped, causing Hogan to grimace as the guards yanked him to a standstill. Commenting on the tranquility of the garden, Knefler turned to remove Hogan's handcuffs and directed the guards to place the prisoner in a chair next to the garden table they had stopped at. Hogan appeared dazed. Concerned whether to continue, Knefler leaned in close and asked, "Can you see me, Colonel Hogan?"
Upon hearing his name, Hogan, blinked, and once again returned from his thoughts and focused on the face of the German Oberst. Oh, brother, I can't be fading in and out like this.
"I see you," he answered incredulously. "It would be kind of hard not to, the way you keep sticking your face in front of me." Hogan looked at his surroundings and began to straighten in his seat when a sharp pain snaking around to his back stopped him with a jerk. "Mmm!" he moaned, biting his lip. -I'd almost be willing to give in to Wilson's morphine now…almost!
The cool air was lowering Hogan's temperature and his thoughts began to clear, making it easier to stay focused. Looking around, he acknowledged the garden and the serenity and peace it conveyed. It reminded him of one he knew as a boy. He began to feel the familiar yearning for the war to be behind him and to once again be home. He inhaled deeply the musky smells of the damp earth. The echoing chirps of the few small birds bouncing through the bushes from limb to limb became more distinct. Unfortunately, so did the pounding inside of his head.
Knefler watched the American Colonel closely for a moment. He was about to abort this phase of Hogan's assessment, send for Schmidt, and wait to see if the medicine they had injected into him was going to work. But the American was becoming more alert, and appeared more relaxed, so Knefler decided to proceed. The cooler air seemed to be acting much like a cold bath that reduces the effects of a fever. But he feared that when he took Hogan inside, later, he would be back on the verge of delirium and that would not be conducive to their plans.
Knefler quietly spoke with one of the guards and scribbled a note before sending the guard back into the hospital. He then sat at the table with Hogan while the remaining guard faded a discreet distance away.
Hogan closed his eyes against the pounding in his head, and imagined he was far away from the war. Muscles that had been held tense began to relax until a small gust of wind reminded him where he was. A moment later his eyes opened to the ominous reality in front of him. He was sitting dangerously close to the machinery of the Third Reich. And unless he was careful, he would be swallowed up and mulched into compost to feed and nourish their evil desires.
He looked across the table into the eyes of the cog whose job it was to determine whether or not to continue with their efforts to reprogram him. Hogan's eyes narrowed as he became determined to prove it was a lost cause.
"Feeling better, Colonel?" Knefler asked, adjusting the ring on his finger. The sun glinted off the Swastika like fire and bounced the searing image into Hogan's eyes.
Angry with himself for his momentary show of weakness, Hogan ignored the question and asked, "What do you expect to learn from this? You've had two shots at transforming me and you've failed miserably both times."
Hogan paused and then in a voice strained with pain and fatigue finished. "Why don't you accept your failure and move on?"
Knefler smiled and looked down at his hands, resting on the wooden table in front of him, and continued to play with the sun, bouncing rays off his ring. He realized he must choose his words carefully. Hogan was on his guard, and any perceived inconsistencies in their dogma could set back any progress that he had made up to this point. It appeared Hogan's subconscious was accepting the Reich's doctrines, but was he letting go of his old indoctrination, a necessary step to avoid conflict and allow complete surrender to the ideology of the Fatherland. They would soon start drilling through Hogan's conscious mind and present the benefits a Master race could and would bring to the world. But to do that, certain triggers needed to be in place.
"The sun feels good doesn't it?" Knefler looked up into the clear blue sky. "The sun's warmth and the aromas of the earth influence us without any conscious effort on our part. We allow this peace and comfort without thinking and without questioning because it feeds our needs and gives us peace."
Hogan looked at Knefler. It was as if Knefler knew what he was thinking? Was he that obvious or was it just coincidence?
Knefler's smile was one of understanding as he looked back at his American prisoner. "The loss of ordinary comforts and privacy with no end in sight is not an easy cross to bear…no matter how strong we want to be. But a moment like this can refresh us. Even after we walk out of this garden the memory of its beauty will stay with us and we can pull it out of our thoughts and transcend our time and space and escape into this peaceful reality as needed."
True, Hogan thought. He had used similar techniques to survive being interrogated.
The German Oberst looked carefully at Hogan, studying his body language and his acceptance of what he was being told. Hypnotism had been used to describe Knefler's skills of indoctrination. Knefler neither confirmed nor denied this label. He did not use a set pattern but rather based his approach on his innate ability of perception and adjusted his process to match his patients needs.
"The memory and the tranquility the garden instills will return when you are in need of some healing once again. It will return of its own volition to comfort when you are in turmoil, and you will allow it because it brings rest and clarity." Knefler leaned forward and looked deep into the eyes of the man across from him.
"You are experiencing conflict with the doctrines of your beliefs. You're trying to pull them forward to remind yourself what you are fighting for and what you are willing to die for. But those beliefs have been challenged and your searching for answers. Colonel, it is time to be truthful with yourself and admit that the truth of the Third Reich is reaching beyond the barrier of false beliefs you have built in front of it. Your conscious mind is struggling to justify your resistance. But your subconscious, the part of you that sets your beliefs into your soul, won't let that happen. Listen to the voice of your subconscious. Trust yourself. If you continue to fight this logic...it will drive you insane."
Knefler paused and considered the man before him. Lowering his voice to an intimate level, he continued, "And listen to me. I'm speaking to you not as a German soldier, but as someone who knows the man inside of you to be a man dedicated to doing the right thing. And who is only now learning what the right thing is."
Hogan's mind was busily rationalizing and supporting his reasoning for his beliefs. Indoctrination was inevitable in any culture. It is what enables a society to function. Conformity to rules agreed upon by the majority was necessary for order. But...it was also the duty of the members of a society to review and question rules that no longer applied, and to abolish rules that no longer served society, but instead hindered its development.
He was feeling confused. Am I holding on blindly to old beliefs? Am I afraid to look at them and allow them to be challenged? Am I, in fact, already brainwashed from birth by the society I grew up in?
Hogan mentally shook himself. Knefler was good. His doctorate in psychology was justified. He knew just what and how to say things that made him question himself, but were these his thoughts or thoughts planted in his head by someone else, and...would he ever know. Was he just being paranoid. And if so, is his paranoia a sign of insanity. Could or should he trust himself to make rational decisions at all. It was a self-perpetuating madness.
Hogan's fevered vision blurred as he struggled to untangle and refute what he was being told. Germany's goal of creating a better world is not a new idea. It's the dream of every society to eradicate sickness and to see its children healthier and stronger than the generation before. — This was a basic goal of all societies. - But the means of achieving that goal cannot be accomplished without ethics…- Hogan argued, and then questioned, but is it fair to society as a whole to hinder its development. Knowledge has often been gained by what society originally viewed as immoral. History supports these acts as leading to a better way of life. Early studies of human anatomy were performed on bodies stolen from graveyards, a practice that was definitely considered immoral in its time. But it was the only choice open and science benefited…society benefited. Now, people donate their bodies to science and are considered noble for doing so.
Hogan pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push back his headache. Knefler was hard enough to keep ahead of at the best of times, but trying to fight a fever and think clearly enough to untangle Knefler's words was proving to be to much of a challenge. Don't listen. You can't do this right now. Don't think. Just hold to what you know. You don't have to prove anything to yourself. You did all of that a long time before you came to fight a war in Germany
Knefler sat quietly during Hogan's long silence and watched the concentrated look on the American's face. - It would be easier for him to evaluate Hogan's psyche if he weren't so sick. He couldn't be certain if Hogan's long silences were do to inner turmoil over conflicts in his beliefs or if they were a result of a fevered mind struggling to comprehend.
Hogan held up his hand in a stop motion to Knefler. "You're wasting your time. I know what I believe and you're not changing my mind." Hogan's aching body was begging him to lie down. He reached up to rub his forehead. If only I could close my eyes and rest for a few minutes, I'd be able to think more clearly…but that's not going to happen. Knefler's right about one thing, I've got to trust myself…right now my ability to sort things out is in question. Stand firm, don't give in. Trust your earlier decisions.
Kneffler interpreted Hogan's protest as the words of a man teetering on the edge! "I'm not trying to change your mind, Robert. I'm just trying to help you acknowledge it. You are reevaluating all that you thought you knew and realizing the contradictions in your beliefs."
Hogan dropped his hand from his forehead and looked at Knefler. "It's Colonel, and as I said before, I know what I believe! I don't need your help." Hogan's voice was strained and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Don't you?" Knefler recognized the voice of self-doubt and avoidance and he could see the strain this was putting on Hogan. This outburst was good, it showed him that Hogan was focused on his beliefs! And that gave Knefler reason to suspect that Hogan's earlier indoctrination could be manifesting itself. A gradual change rather than an all at once wiping clean of his mind like they had planned. Colonel Hogan's poor health may shorten the time it will take to get him to acknowledge he has doubts.
That was all they were after today, another wedge in that strong will of his, followed by a little more indoctrination.
Oberst Knefler looked up as the soldier he had sent away now returned with a tray and a note. Knefler read the note from Schmidt informing him of Kaltenbrunner, Burkhalter, and Klink's excursion into town. It also instructed him to have the American Oberst immediately take the aspirin that was sent out in an attempt to control his fever. The doctor would meet them when Hogan was brought back inside and decide, based on the patient's condition, if further steps needed to be taken. Knefler tore the note into pieces.
"Let's not talk of this now. It is much too beautiful a setting to not sit here and enjoy it." This was a tactic Knefler had used before. He would let Hogan's questions and self doubts ferment a little.
Good. He's finally going to shut up! Hogan looked away and stared at the massive stone wall surrounding the garden, oh, to be back at Stalag 13. He was aware that Knefler was still droning on about something but he was only half listening until he heard him say:
"…and we want you to take these now."
Hogan looked back at Knefler, trying to catch up on the conversation and saw the open hand holding two small white tablets. He looked from the outstretched hand to Knefler's face and the anger over the earlier confrontation came pouring out. "I don't know what drugs you're pumping into me but I'm not taking anything until you tell me what you're trying to do!" He realized it was an empty threat, but his anger was real and he was not going to be cooperative.
Knefler stared back without expression and firmly answered, "You know as well as I do that we will get these down you." Knefler's appearance softened as he continued, "Now that you know I don't have to answer your questions, I will. Not to satisfy your curiosity, but to prove to you that we are your friends and have only your best interests in mind. You have a misperception of us, Colonel."
Hogan stiffened in response to the German Oberst's reply. His perceptions were not wrong. And the German's s calm exterior had done nothing to lower his own apprehension. However, he also knew Knefler was right. Whatever was in those pills would eventually be in his system…one way or another.
"You know you are sick. The infection is winning. Your fever is climbing and you are going to slip into a coma and eventually die." Knefler paused for emphasis, "Unless…" Knefler raised his open hands with the pills, "…you let us help you." Knefler picked up a glass of water and offered it to Hogan.
"These are just aspirin to help lower your fever or at least stall it until the medicine we injected earlier has time to work. I cannot tell you more than that. Even I do not know more than that. Dr. Schmidt has been sent with medicine invented by the Third Reich that will stop the infection, if we can keep you alive long enough for it to work."
Knefler would keep the miracle medicine of the Allies a secret. it would be one more bargaining chip to convince Hogan why and how Germany was going to create a better world. And one more reason for him to want to be a part of it. Knefler was not about to let the American know it was an Allied drug.
Hogan considered what was said. It was not too far-fetched to think the Nazis had developed something to fight the infections of battle wounds. - I suppose it was only a matter of time; after all, our side has invented penicillin. Hogan assessed his condition and extended his hand, fighting to keep it steady, while Knefler poured the two white tablets into it. He's right, the infection is getting worse, I have nothing to lose. I can't help my men if I'm dead. But I don't, for one minute, think you're doing this for me! I'm nothing more than an investment from which you hope to get a return. A small glow of defiance flashed in Hogan's eyes - I hope to live long enough to bankrupt those plans.
Knefler watched and made sure the pills entered the American's mouth and watched as the glass of water was devoured. He then looked at Hogan and made an all-encompassing gesture with his hands. I have sent for coffee and sandwiches. Let us eat and talk of nothing to do with the war." The Oberst poured a cup of coffee for Hogan and sat it in front of him.
Hogan took it, grateful for any diversion that allowed him to quit thinking for a moment.
Knefler placed a plate with a rare and privileged roast beef sandwich in front of Hogan and then did the same for himself.
Hogan looked at the sandwich. It was a test of acceptance.
The German Oberst acknowledged Hogan's understanding, "The Third Reich has much to offer you, Colonel Hogan." Knefler then sat back and took a large mouthful of sandwich while looking again up into the blue sky with complete satisfaction.