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Weaving A Web To Freedom
Book Three: Fliegerabwehrkanonen Spells FLAK
By ML Miller Breedlove
Chapter 38
Over and Out
"Well, Colonel, I think that will do it," Knefler said, supporting Hogan's chin and looking into his prisoner's bloodshot eyes. The Oberst released his captive and Hogan drooped, but the American Colonel managed to hold his head up high enough, to keep his eyes on the German Oberst.
Knefler glanced back down at his notebook, expecting to hear another, hard-fought-for response from the drugged prisoner as he continued writing. The American Colonel's resolve had been lowered just enough so that the personal barriers he had perfected to curb his sharp tongue, in the interest of self preservation, had been virtually removed. What self-determination he still controlled was focused on trying to remember who he was and what he was fighting for.
Hogan clung to the words "…that will do it." He wanted to believe that Knefler was done with him. There were so many thoughts and so many feelings running through his mind that his head physically hurt from trying to sort them out. Feeling a cold streak race up his arm, he prepared himself for the exhilaration and carefree feelings that came with it, but this time it was different. A feeling of warmth followed by a tingling sensation enveloped him. The German's voice echoed in Hogan's head, as he began to slip into a drug induced sleep. Alarmed at the sudden realization of what was happening, he called out, "No!" It was the only word he could utter before speech eluded him. Hogan drew on what little remaining strength he had left and tried to focus on the voice that had been taxing him for the last several hours in an attempt to force himself to stay conscious. But he could no longer discern the words and his body finally surrendered to the inevitable.
Knefler looked up from his notebook when he heard the word "No". That was not the expected retort. During this entire session a "one word" answer was never given. Wished for? Yes, but never given. "Colonel Hogan…?" The American Colonel opened his half-closed eyes wider at the sound of his name, but offered no other response.
"Colonel Hogan!" Knefler called once more as he again grabbed the American's chin and looked into his eyes for recognition, but it was an obvious blank stare and then the eyelids fluttered closed. The German Oberst looked at Schmidt, who was injecting the last of the liquid filled syringe into the tubing feeding into Hogan's vein. "What are you doing?" Knefler demanded.
Schmidt slid the needle attached to the IV tubing out and wiped away the drop of blood left behind. "He shouldn't be out long, just long enough for me to finish up. He can be a handful and it's been a long afternoon!"
The German Oberst accepted the doctor's answer and taking a drink of water to relieve his dry throat, watched as Schmidt released the restraints and had the guards lie Hogan out on the bed. Knefler began fastening his collar and readjusting his tie, while commenting, "I don't know when I've had to talk so much to a patient! I can usually get through a session in half the time."
"Interesting you refer to him as a patient, Oberst," Schmidt remarked.
"Even as a prisoner, he is still a patient receiving the benefit of my skill and expertise. And an exasperating patient at that!" Knefler slipped his uniform coat on.
"Oh, I don't know, you seemed to be enjoying yourself," Schmidt commented.
Knefler's look of surprise, changed to a sheepish smile. "I'll have to watch myself. I didn't realize it showed." He slipped his hat on his head and continued, "Ja, I enjoy a challenge…someone who stretches me to the limit and makes me think."
"Well I think you've got your wish in this one!" Schmidt answered as he placed a thermometer in Hogan's mouth.
"His ideals are convoluted and firmly ingrained." Knefler continued to relive the exhilaration of what to him was a breakthrough. "Getting him to see the flaws in his beliefs was a complex process. But once I got him to admit there was more than one road leading to the truth, I knew he was ready to listen."
"Mmm," Schmidt was only half listening. His thoughts were now on his work. "Come here and hold his chin up so I can get an accurate reading of his temperature. I want to take a look at his wound."
Knefler did as he was asked while Schmidt opened Hogan's shirt and removed the bandage.
"How does it look?" Knefler asked, leaning over to take a peek.
"It doesn't look any worse. I'd say we are at a turning point. I'll clean it one more time before we send him back to the prison camp." Schmidt reached over and took the thermometer from Hogan's mouth and turned it in the light to reflect its reading. "Down another degree. I expected as much when he broke out in a sweat. It looks like this Allied medicine is the real thing!"
"Can we duplicate it?" Knefler asked.
"That is our next step. We're trying to get our hands on some of the mold that produces it. There are several laboratories on our list that we know had contact with the US prior to our takeover and we have agents in the United States. We are checking their research records and questioning their scientists. If they have it, we'll find it!"
Nodding his agreement, Knefler headed for the door. "I'll go make my report to General Kaltenbrunner. That should give you time to finish here. After that, can I buy you a drink, before I head back to Berlin? I'd like to talk about this miracle drug we've acquired."
"That sounds good, but let me buy you a drink. You've earned it!"
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"Wait a minute! Are you telling me you guys didn't arrange this? Well who did?" Newkirk's stomach growled with hunger and the Englander rubbed it as he talked. "Got anything to eat hid around here, Louis? I'm starving." Peter got up from the table and went to rummage around for some food.
LeBeau looked at Newkirk with amazement, "How can you be hungry after what we just went through?" Turning back to Kinch he asked, "Oui, Kinch what made them think their suspects stayed at the hotel?" LeBeau thought for a moment about where he would be right now if Hildebrand hadn't brought them the news. Shaking his head, Louis added, "I thought we were done for! Especially after that pig came back from talking with Hochstetter."
Kinch nodded, acknowledging LeBeau's fears. "I wish I could answer your questions, but I don't know anymore than you do, Louis," Kinch admitted. .
"You mean to tell me that the Gestapo are actually chasing after three other men?" Newkirk asked, pausing in his search for food.
"It looks that way," Olsen answered.
Shaking his head, Newkirk opened and started through the "foot/food locker".
Louis couldn't stand watching Newkirk make a mess of his supplies any longer and slipped over to the woodpile to produce a roll of German sausage. LeBeau waved it under Newkirk's nose and headed back to the table. Newkirk followed closely behind and watched as LeBeau stood at the head of the table and began slicing the sausage.
Carter's eyes drifted from the sausage up to LeBeau's face. A red mark caught his eye and he stood up from the table to move in for a better look. LeBeau pulled back as Carter pointed and asked, "Louis, what's that on your neck?"
LeBeau stopped slicing and reached up to his neck where his fingers came in contact with a small cut that had already clotted over. "That is where Krantz was attempting to make a point," LeBeau answered. Pulling his hand down his eyes caught site of a dab of dried blood on the end of his finger and he fell straight into Newkirk's arms.
"Blimey! Can you believe this?" Newkirk asked. "He can stand up to Krantz, risk being run through, or beaten, but let him see a drop of blood and he's down for the count!"
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"…how long before he can hear me?" The voice filtered through the twilight world Hogan now found himself in. His brain began to register the question. "I…mmm-" Hogan paused and took in a sharp breath Ow, my head Lowering his voice he continued, "…hear you."
"It's time to get up, Hogan. We're going back to Stalag 13 now." There was no response. "Hogan…Hogan?" Klink shook the American Colonel's shoulder before turning around and throwing his hands up in the air. "He's out again!"
Burkhalter looked down on the prisoner. "Let him sleep. It will be a much quieter ride back to camp." Motioning to the guards he ordered, "Take Colonel Hogan out and put him in the Kommandant's car. I will call you later, Klink, and we will go over your entry into Colonel Hogan's camp records."
"Oh, that won't be necessary, I can…." Klink began, not really feeling up to having to bow to Burkhalter again this day.
"KLINK, I said I will call you later."
"Yes, sir." Klink abandoned his protest and answered, "I'll be looking forward to your call."
"No you won't, but that is beside the point." Burkhalter answered, as he watched the guards pull Hogan up to his feet and drape his arms around their shoulders. Hogan opened his eyes, but focusing on anything more than a foot away was still impossible.
"I can… walk…" Hogan announced, and then closed his eyes as his body again went limp.
"No, Colonel Hogan," Burkhalter answered. "I don't think you can! You won't be yourself for a few hours yet."
Hearing his name again, he forced his eyes open. Who are all these people? He couldn't quite see their faces. "What's …happening?" the guards maintained their support of the prisoner. Hogan looked to either side of him at the blurred faces. How did I…what happened… . A visible face dropped into his mind and the name rolled off his tongue in a whisper, "Knefler."
"Yes, Colonel Hogan," Burkhalter answered, amused at Hogan's bewilderment. He stepped closer and added, "You and Oberst Knefler had a long talk." Burkhalter looked at his watch, "About five hours to be more exact. The Oberst had a very… interesting afternoon."
Interesting? Hogan tried to see Burkhalter's face to read it for answers. "Give…up…" Hogan again slipped away as his thoughts became his dreams.
"Give what up, Colonel Hogan? You were only brought here for treatment of your wound and your high fever. And that is all your records will show." Burkhalter sneered as a thought struck him, "Or maybe you meant that you give up and are ready to admit to the superiority of the Third Reich!" Burkhalter waited for a response and then realized Hogan was asleep again.
"He'll have trouble staying awake the rest of the day. It will probably be morning before it wears off completely," Schmidt said, answering Klink's questioning eyes.
"Oh marvelous, I suppose I'm going to be the one that has to answer his questions and explain this day to him?" Klink whined.
"You will tell him that his wound caused him to develop a high fever making him delusional and he was treated and returned to Stalag 13," Kaltenbrunner ordered. "We will see what he remembers on his own."
"There is your answer Klink. Guards, take Colonel Hogan out and put him in the Kommandant's car," Burkhalter ordered.
Knefler was entering the room as Hogan was taken out and momentarily stopped the guards. "Goodnight, Colonel Hogan. We'll talk again another time!" The comment fell on deaf ears and Knefler smiled as he stepped out of the way and waved the threesome on.
Kaltenbrunner nodded at Knefler, "You have done well, Oberst. I was not looking forward to telling the Fuhrer we would have to start over."
"General, I am not guaranteeing the success of your project. Remember, I was working with a man with a high fever, who had also been given a drug we know very little, if anything, about. It makes any consensus I was able to get from Colonel Hogan, tentative at best. He still clings to certain ethics as canon. But there were times I could see he was listening and was unable to answer my questions or in some cases defend his beliefs. It may have been because of his physical condition and not our indoctrination techniques. Just as his lack of protest to my tearing apart of some of his doctrines may not mean he has discarded them. But on the other hand, his lack of defense could indicate acceptance of certain of our key principles or at least the questioning of some of his own. Either way, his actions or lack of actions is an indicator, not a guarantee!"
Klink stared, open-mouthed not entirely sure what Knefler had just said. "So is he or is he not coming around to our way of thinking?"
"Yes, Herr Kommandant." Knefler answered.
"Yes, yes or yes, no?" Klink asked.
"Exactly," Knefler answered, having fun at Klink's expense and enjoying his mind games. "I'm sorry Kommandant…" Knefler said not really meaning it, "…but this is the way my conversation has been going all afternoon, a lot of side stepping. Whether fever and/or drug induced delirium is hindering his ability to answer, or he is not answering because we have succeeded in part with our attempts to reprogram him are, as I said, difficult to discern. But I am encouraged enough by his inability to refute some of our key doctrines to not scrap him yet. And, I am also fascinated by his dogged determination to hold on to principles that I have proven to him are illogical because they give the misperception of being ethical, but condemn a society to stagnation. Colonel Hogan is a logical man and it is his logic that will be key to his conversion. Once he sees that our philosophies follow a logical progression to an orderly, efficient, strong and advanced functioning society, everything else will fall into place."
"I hope you are right for all of our sakes," Kaltenbrunner confided.
"It will be up to the scientists conducting these trials whether to continue with him or not. I will say only that based on his responses to my questions, and throwing out the possibility of physical causes due to his health, it is reasonable to suspect that Colonel Hogan's actions could indicate an identification with the principles of the Third Reich."
Klink was just turning to leave when Schmidt called to him. "Colonel Klink," Schmidt stepped closer, "I will spend the night at your prison camp. Your prisoner has had a second injection of the Allied drug. I have no idea how often they administer this medicine, or if overdosing is possible. Have someone keep an eye on him until I get there. Colonel Knefler and I have a few things to discuss. We'll be dining at the hotel here in town if you need me. Otherwise, I will be there later.
"What should I be looking for if he's been overdosed?" Klink asked a little uneasily.
Schmidt shrugged, "Maybe hives, delirium, convulsions, who knows? If that should happen just have somebody take notes until I get there."
"You don't think it would be better if he stayed here? I don't want to be responsible for the General's plans being compromised," Klink appeared as overwhelmed as he felt.
"If he is going to have a reaction to the drug, he will have it whether he's here or there. We can learn what we need to know just as easily at your Stalag." Schmidt answered.
"But…" Klink began but was interrupted by General Burkhalter.
"Klink! Stop whining."