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Weaving A Web To Freedom

Book Three: Fliegerabwehrkanonen Spells FLAK

Chapter 42

Revelations

Ugh… Hogan felt the pain rip through his gut. I'm bleeding...we've been hit…

A voice from the past echoed in Hogan's head."Colonel, Colonel, there's a fire back here!"

In his dream, Hogan struggled to keep Goldilocks in the sky. …got to get back on the stick … Pull up, damn you! Can't hold her…we're going down… BAIL OUT! DO IT NOW!

Hogan grimaced in his sleep. His breaths were coming quick and shallow, perspiration beaded up on his skin, forming droplets that collected in his hair and soaked into his clothing. His pain and anguish showed in his understated frown and clenched jaw.

A pair of soft feminine eyes watched and ached for him. "How long has he been like this?" Tiger asked.

"Basically, since Schmidt came to see him and ordered me to give him the morphine. Schmidt wanted him asleep; I think he's afraid to be too close to the enemy. The morphine and the other drug he was given are allowing him to dream quite vividly. They must be very disturbing dreams, if the way he's been struggling is any indication. On the good side, his fever is dropping. The medicine they gave him for the infection is working."

"What did they give him?" Tiger asked, walking over to where Hogan was lying on his lower bunk.

"They didn't tell us. They just said it was a new medicine they had developed. But I have my suspicions." Wilson watched as Tiger bent down and stroked a lock of hair back off of the Colonel's forehead. Tiger, lost in the face of the man lying in front of her, did not respond to Wilson's open-ended answer. Wilson smiled to himself. "I'll be right back. I need to go check on something."

Tiger still did not respond, but mentally noted the door closing behind her. She reached for the cloth floating in the pan of water next to the bed, and wringing it out tenderly dabbed at the perspiration on Hogan's face.

Hogan moaned and jerked. Suddenly he was waking from his free fall, and still feeling the cool air that had rushed past his face in his nightmare. The present mingled with his past. Opening his eyes, he thought he saw the soft outline of…

"Tiger?" he whispered.

"Oui," she answered, bending to take his breath onto her lips.

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"The word is, they didn't turn out. Over."

"Repeat that. Over."

"The pictures could not be developed. Over."

"Will there be another trip? Over"

"Not for a while. Over."

"Roger that! Mama Bear – Out."

Nimrod, Out."

Nimrod pulled the switch, cutting all power to the radio and concealing it once more.

It's a dangerous game London is going to ask you to play, Papa Bear. And it's going to involve your den full of cubs.

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Joe walked over to the stove and poured himself a cup of thick black coffee before stepping to the table to sit. Taking a swig of coffee he screwed up his face. Wow! That ought to keep me awake! Setting the cup down on the table, he watched as the beam from the searchlight sliced through the barrack wall.

The sounds of men sleeping, and the crackling of the wood stove, were the only sounds in the room. Three vacant beds came into view. Carter and Newkirk had gone to rendezvous with the plane. Kinch was at his radio. A pocket of air burst from the flaming wood in the stove. Joe jerked in time to see the dying ember burn itself out before it hit the floor. He couldn't help thinking how symbolic it was. He glanced at his watch.

I'll give Tiger a few more minutes and then get her back into the tunnel. Kinch wants her out of here before the guys get back in case there's any trouble. Kinch is right, saying she came to tell us about their receiving instructions to mislead the Gestapo at the hotel was just an excuse for her real reason for being here.

"s' that you, Wilson?"

"Yeah, Louis, go back to sleep. The Colonel isn't ready to eat anything yet."

"He needs to eat…" Louis mumbled before rolling over and drifting back to sleep.

Wilson smiled. At the moment Louis, I'm sure his thoughts aren't on food.

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Ring, ring! The figure lying in the bed woke with a jerk. He blindly reached for the phone in vain, before stopping to slide the mask up off of his eyes. Jerking the receiver to his ear he sleepily answered, "Hello."

"KLINK!"

Eyes opening wider, he sat up questioning, "General Burkhalter?"

"Klink, you idiot!" Burkhalter was just warming up.

Klink fumbled in the dark for his monocle. Jamming it over his eye he reached for the lamp. "What did I do? I've been asleep!"

"The pictures we took of Hochstetter and Hogan today were destroyed."

"Whaaat?"

"Brinker said the film was off the roll inside the camera." Burkhalter continued.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Plenty, if Colonel Hogan was the one who did this!"

Klink's mouth dropped open. "You can't suspect Colonel Hogan! We were all in the room with him. He couldn't possibly have done that without being seen!"

"It doesn't matter what I think! It matters what General Kaltenbrunner thinks! And the photographer says he is positive he loaded the film properly. If we find out you let Colonel Hogan sabotage those pictures…you'll both be taking trips!" Burkhalter bellowed. "I'll be there tomorrow to sort this out. Have your bags ready. I've already called Colditz."

"But, but, but…"

"Save your 'buts' for tomorrow Klink! GOOD NIGHT!" CLICK!

Klink sat stunned, the receiver still at his ear while he assimilated Burkhalter's message. As the impact hit, his face reddened and one word formed on his tongue. "HOOGAAAN!"

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The quiet registered first and he opened his eyes. Where was he? Taking a deep breath, he forced his eyes to focus and, glancing about the room, realized he was in his quarters. His eyes slid across the shadows and came to rest on the back of a figure sitting at his desk. And then he remembered. Klink and Schmidt had come to visit him. "What time is it?"

The figure turned around. "Well…how are you feeling?" Wilson asked.

Hogan raised his head up off of the bed to try and see who was in the room with him. "Wilson? How long have you been here?" he asked as he dropped his head back down on his bunk.

"About eight hours."

Hogan nodded closing his eyes. The eyes suddenly popped back open. "Eight…hours?" Rolling onto his side he pushed himself up on one elbow and stopped. His head threatened to explode. "Oww!" Gritting his teeth and trying to control his temper he asked, "Why didn't somebody wake me?"

"Wake you?" Wilson responded incredulously. "If you had been sleeping any deeper, we would have had to bury you!"

We've got to rendezvous with that courier plane…what time did you say it was?"

"Too late for you to go out and meet any plane. Even if you could have! Now, just lie there a minute. I've got to ask you some questions." Wilson walked to the bedside.

"What do you mean? Who went out to meet the plane?" Ignoring Wilson's order, Hogan slid his feet out onto the cold floor. The cold sent a jolt through him, aggravating his headache. Grimacing, he rubbed his right temple.

"Newkirk and Carter went to meet the plane. Kinch is down in the tunnel. LeBeau is outside waiting to bring you some food. Olsen is sleeping. Klink is in his quarters, and Doctor Schmidt is in the guest quarters. Okay, your turn. What year is it?" Wilson knew the look and got what he expected.

"1776!" Hogan bellowed indignantly at the insinuation. Then lowering his voice added, "And we're still fighting for freedom!"

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Colonel Spaatz looked up from the medical records into the face of General Brooks. "Did you have any idea of the aggressiveness of their approach?"

The General pulled his hand down from his chin and cleared his throat. "I'm not surprised at their methods, if that is what you mean. I've seen one of their previous attempts" The General picked up a pencil and tapped it on the pile of papers sitting on his desk. "Do you still think your man would be unaffected by this?"

Spaatz stood and paced from the chair he had been sitting in to the window beside the General's desk. "Nobody would be unaffected by that kind of treatment. But do I think they could succeed at changing a man's beliefs?" Spaatz turned from the window to face the General. "No, I do not. Drive him insane? Possibly! But this man has experienced a great deal and has always bounced back."

"Well, we're going to let them push him a little further. Let's hope he's everything you think he is."

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"That's all I remember. I don't remember anything after Schmidt started pushing down on that plunger!" Hogan was still sitting on the side of the bed and had just finished eating the eggs LeBeau had promised eight hours earlier. "Wait a minute, I do remember something else. After we came in from the garden…" Hogan squinted and rubbed his forehead. "I saw … Carter and Olsen, dressed in German uniforms, pass across the hall in front of us." Hogan looked at Wilson, "I did see Carter and Olsen…didn't I?"

Wilson leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and took in a deep breath, and while exhaling nodded. "Yes, Colonel, you did."

Hogan looked puzzled, "What were they doing at the hospital after Krantz just left the camp?" Hogan blinked as he began remembering. His face lightened as if a revelation had just been made. "Yeah, Krantz said he was just at Stalag 13…questioning…Newkirk and LeBeau!" Hogan impulsively stood for action. "Oww," he moaned, grabbing the top of his head. "Are they all right?" Then, remembering he saw them earlier, added, "Yeah, they must be. Did Krantz question them? He said he did…It's starting to come back." Hogan's brain was running a hundred miles an hour. He was busily putting everything together. Sliding his hand down to his temple he frowned and asked, "Got any aspirin, Joe?"

Wilson was relieved. The man's got a mind like a steel trap. Nothing escapes it. Wilson reached for his bag. "Why don't you sit back down, take your aspirin, and let's finish our talk."

This time Hogan did as he was asked. Wilson handed him the aspirin and a glass of water. "Drink all the water!" he added, as Hogan put the cup to his mouth.

Hogan stared displeasingly at him over the top of the cup but for the second time in two minutes followed instructions. Emptying the cup he handed it back to Wilson, who nodded his approval. With an obstinate grin Hogan said, "Don't get used to it. I just feel benevolent this morning!" Then turning serious he asked, "So what's been going on around here?"

"A lot," Wilson answered. "That's why you saw Carter and Olsen at the hospital. London radioed and said there was some information at the hospital that needed to be picked up."

"What kind of information? Didn't you tell them you had the SS in camp?"

"Kinch told them, but they wanted the information waiting on them at the hospital."

"Yeah, well, people in hell want ice water, too…" Hogan stopped himself and swallowed his anger over the danger London had put his men…and their operation in. "Sorry, Wilson, I'm sure London had a very good reason. What was the information London needed? Troop movements, armament placement, supply trains, what?"

"Oh, London had or has what they think is a very good reason! They felt the safety of not only our operation but the whole underground may be in jeopardy!" Wilson leaned forward, seeing that he had captured the Colonel's undivided attention.

Hogan set his jaw, ready to pounce on whoever or whatever was placing them in peril. "Okay, let me have it. Do we have orders? Who or what is it?"

Wilson leaned forward studying Hogan's expression. "You!"

"ME?" Hogan's face began to glow red as surprise changed to anger.

"They received word that you may have been affected by the Nazis efforts to 'brain wash' you, after all."

"You mean my saving Hochstetter has made them suspect my mental state?" Jumping to his feet, he glared at Wilson, "Are you telling me they think I'm crazy?" The sudden move pulled at his left side and he stopped short loosing his balance.

Wilson, grabbed him mid-stumble and eased him back down on the cot. The medic pulled his chair closer, as he got ready to drop the bomb. "Not exactly, Colonel."

Hogan looked questioningly at Wilson, feeling much like what he imagined a condemned man felt, right before the floor was yanked out from under him and, the rope tightened around his neck.

"London learned that you have been placed back on the Alpha list for project 'Monarch'!"

Hogan stopped breathing while he rolled those words around in his head, trying to change their meaning. "NO! They were just questioning whether I had changed my views. Knefler and I talked in the garden. I gave every reason why I wasn't sympathetic to their goals."

Hogan tried to remember more clearly his time spent outside with Knefler. "I didn't…" Hogan double-checked his memory. "I didn't say anything to make them think…" Shaking his head he stared at the floor, trying to remember what happened after they went inside. He looked up to see, Wilson, studying him.

"Evidently, someone wanted you on the list regardless of what Knefler found out. Or else, they thought there was no doubt that your actions were a result of their efforts to reprogram you, because London received a message from Nimrod saying you were back in the program before all this other stuff happened."

Wilson watched Hogan's eyes change from anger to indignation. "And what do you think? What are you going to report?" Hogan braced himself, preparing to hear the doubt that would cross any man's mind when faced with this information.

"I've already made my report, Colonel."