The T.V. show, Hogan's Heroes, belongs to CBS and was a Bing Crosby Production. No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred, and no infringement is intended.
This story is the result of the Plot Bunny Challenge posted on Smartgroups to take another's "bunny" and write a story. Let's see if you can guess what my bunny is about. I will reveal it at the end of the last chapter.
Chapter Three
Caught
"Get those dogs back in the kennel!" Klink shouted, while maintaining a firm grip on the swagger stick under his arm.
Hogan stealthily crept up behind Klink, easily remaining unnoticed in the darkened compound. "What's going on Kommandant?"
Spinning around, Klink came face to face with his senior POW. "Colonel Hogan, what are you doing out here? Why aren't you asleep?"
"Asleep? With all this racket?" Hogan gestured to the dogs and guards.
"Colonel Hogan," Hochstetter called out above the noise. "I see you are still dressed! How long have the lights been out, Klink?"
Klink looked at his watch and then dubiously back at Hogan.
"Never mind!" Hochstetter stepped next to Hogan and ordered, "Unzip your coat."
Hogan looked at the guards behind Hochstetter and decided to comply. "Is there something I can help you with Major?" Hogan asked. "Or do you just enjoy looking at American uniforms?" Hogan questioned. Seeing the anger growing in Hochstetter's eyes, he proudly threw in his clincher. "Give us a little time, and there'll be more around."
"Yes, and all behind barbed wire, I'm looking forward to that! We'll see how smug you are then," Hochstetter hissed.
Hogan unzipped his coat and, staring complacently back at the Major, fanned it open.
"And fully dressed at that," Hochstetter observed.
Hogan dropped his hands and shrugged, "You didn't expect me to come out here in my pajamas did you? Kommandant Klink demands I be in uniform when I address him."
"That is true! I've always been a man of regulations and…" Klink stopped his babbling when Hochstetter looked at him disapprovingly. Turning to Hogan, he ordered, "Colonel Hogan, all prisoners are confined to their barracks. You're dismissed. Go back inside!"
Hochstetter waved his hand, "Just a minute Kommandant, I'm not through yet. I'd like to hear Colonel Hogan's questions. After all he did go to all the trouble of getting dressed to ask them."
Hogan straightened, with the realization Hochstetter was toying with him. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket and asked, "I want to know what's going on, and if my men are in any danger."
"Oh? You just want to know if your men are safe? Hmm." Hochstetter spoke in a patronizing tone "And maybe make an appearance to make us think you've been here in camp all night."
Hogan quickly denied the accusation. "I have been here all night. Ask the Kommandant if you don't believe me."
Hochstetter frowned and mumbled, "I might as well ask Schultz." Klink, not hearing the derogatory remark, was already bragging on his no escape record.
"Yes, that's right, no one can get past my guards," Klink, answered with a smug look on his face
"Is that so, then you won't mind if I have a look around." Hochstetter motioned his guards forward as he snidely remarked, "Let's go wake up your men, Colonel Hogan…or are they already awake and fully dressed, too?" The guards turned Hogan around, and gave him a shove toward Barrack Two as they fell in behind.
Hogan angrily took a quick step to catch his balance and intentionally slowed his pace. Passive aggression, sometimes the only retaliation possible, had become an art.
Hochstetter headed for Barracks Two, feeling he had the upper hand, and smiled with pleasure as he called over his shoulder, "Coming, Kommandant?"
Thirty minutes later…Hogan grimaced as he heard more crashing coming from his office. Following being thoroughly searched, he and the other prisoners were allowed to dress and then were lined up in the common room, while the guards ransacked the barracks, and Hochstetter rummaged through Hogan's things.
Klink stood next to Hogan's door, nervously watching, and praying nothing was found that could incriminate him.
Finally, Hochstetter appeared at Hogan's doorway and marched past Klink to stand in the common room.
"Major Hochstetter, I don't know why you persist in suspecting my prisoners of the goings on outside of this camp," Klink crowed with relief.
Frustration showed on Hochstetter's face, as he watched his guards finishing their search of the rest of the barracks. Hochstetter, noting his men filling their pockets with the plundered chocolate bars and cigarettes they found along the way, smirked, and did nothing to stop it.
"Hey, that's mine," Carter took a step out of line and was grabbed on either side by Kinch and Newkirk.
"Forget it, Andrew, those blokes would just as soon shoot you as give it back," Newkirk warned.
Carter's short protest pulled Hochstetter out of his daze and he casually walked down the line of POW's, stopping in front of Hogan. "I'm afraid I've knocked over a few things in your room, Colonel Hogan. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all Major, I'll send you the cleaning bill" Hogan smarted back.
"Hogan!" Klink bellowed.
Hogan scowled at the reprimand and then looking around at the rest of the barracks, asked, "Now that you've searched us and helped yourselves to our things, do you want to tell me what you were looking for?"
"Watch what you say, Colonel Hogan; falsely accusing a German soldier of stealing brings harsh penalties to the accuser." Hochstetter growled. "We've only confiscated suspicious paraphernalia."
"Yeah, it's hard telling what you might find hiding in a chocolate bar!" Hogan backtalked.
Finding himself once again coming up empty handed where Colonel Hogan was concerned, Hochstetter's anxiety spewed out. "I did not want to come here! I… We're not done, Colonel Hogan!"
The Major clenched his fist. Am I grasping at straws here? No, Lieutenant Dredner saw the footprints, too. The suspects did head in this direction. But I must be careful. I must perform a thorough search of the woods.
Not wanting to admit defeat, Hochstetter spun around and exited the barracks.
Klink looked at Hogan questioningly and then turned to follow the Major.
Hogan followed Klink out the door, while his men dispersed and began putting what was left of their belongings back together.
"Just a minute Kommandant," Hogan called.
"Colonel Hogan, go back inside," Klink ordered over his shoulder and struck off across the compound.
"Kommandant, you can't just march in, search us, ransack the barracks and march out without telling me what's going on. As senior POW officer I…"
"Schultz," Klink called, before addressing his disobedient prisoner. "Colonel Hogan, I can do whatever I want!" The rotund sergeant stopped giving orders to the guards and, seeing the confrontation, came huffing up to Klink's side.
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant," Schultz puffed, while trying to judge how far the American Colonel had got himself into trouble…this time.
"Escort Colonel Hogan back to his barracks." Klink looked at Hogan sternly.
Schultz, relieved to only be returning Hogan to his barracks, stepped forward.
"Just a minute, Schultz," Hogan looked back at Klink. "You didn't answer my question, Kommandant."
"Colonel Hogan, please," Schultz felt his relief being replaced with apprehension.
Klink's patience was running out. "Schultz, put Hogan on report and get him back inside!"
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant." Schultz raised his massive arms to herd Hogan toward his barracks, but was stopped by the sound of Hochstetter's voice.
"I'll answer your question, Colonel Hogan," Hochstetter, a few steps ahead, turned back to the American.
Momentarily closing his eyes in dreaded anticipation, Schultz opened them, dropped his arms and stepped aside.
Hochstetter stepped closer. "It is yet to be seen if you and your men are in any danger, Colonel Hogan. We are looking for a traitor to the Fatherland. We know he is in this vicinity and that he met someone just two miles from here. He will be found! You… "
Hochstetter pointed his finger in Hogan's face, as the American stared unflinchingly back at him. Suddenly, a truck pulling into camp, stopped Hochstetter mid sentence as he turned his head to look at it. Recognizing it as a prisoner transport truck, the Major's hopes again soared. "It looks like the answer to your question may have just come through the gate." Turning his back on Hogan, he slammed past Klink on his way to see his new prisoner.
"Schultz, take Hogan back now," Klink growled. Hochstetter's having enough fun without you out her adding to it, Hogan! Shaking his head, he hurried to follow the Major over to the truck.
"Come, Colonel Hogan," Schultz urgently nodded in the direction of the barracks.
"Wait a minute, Schultz." Hogan looked around Shultz at the truck.
"Nein, Colonel Hogan!" Schultz said firmly, wanting to remove Hogan from the Kommandant's and Hochstetter's sight. "The Kommandant said for you to go back to the barracks now."
"Who's in the truck, Schultz?" Hogan asked, stalling for time. His feet still planted in place.
"I do not know who is in the truck. I do not want to know who is in the truck. You should not want to know who is in the truck. Now, come, let's go." Schultz moved his great bulk toward Hogan.
Two SS soldiers jumped down from the back of the truck while a third and fourth threw a prisoner down to them.
Hogan froze, as the man was turned to face Hochstetter. He recognized him as the contact he had just met with earlier that evening. Great! Hogan's view was cut off as Schultz reached for his arm, turning him back in the direction of his barracks.
Hochstetter, arriving at the truck, placed his domineering presence within inches of his hostage's face. "Well, Herr Baum, we have you at last." Turning to Lieutenant Dresdner he asked, "Have you searched him?"
"Jawohl, Major. We found nothing."
"Who did you pass the stolen documents to?" Hochstetter demanded.
Baum stood silently staring forward.
Hochstetter delivered a backhand. "You might as well answer me and save your self a lot of pain, because we will soon have your accomplice…I promise you!" Baum remained silent. "Take him to the cooler."
Hochstetter looked longingly at his prisoner as he was led away, fighting the urge to begin his interrogation, immediately. No, first, he would search while the trail was hot, just in case Hogan and his men were not involved. He would not put all of his eggs in one basket…not again! Hochstetter turned and started barking orders. "Fan out and keep searching the woods. Whoever they are they were ahead of us." And headed in this direction, he thought. Looking back, he saw Schultz depositing Hogan back inside of Barrack Two. You always seem to be in the middle of the action, Colonel Hogan!
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Kinch stepped away from the door as Hogan entered. "That's him," Hogan muttered.
"I was afraid of that," Kinch answered, taking a last look at the man being marched to the cooler, before he shut the door.
"What do you mean, that's him?" Newkirk asked, already knowing the answer. "You mean that's who you met with tonight?"
Hogan nodded.
LeBeau, who had been picking up the mess in Hogan's room, stuck his head out the door. "What happened?"
"Hochstetter's got our contact," Newkirk answered.
Oh, no!" Louis walked to the table and sat down.
"Well at least he's here!" Carter said, stuffing the last of his belongings back in his bag.
"What do you mean, 'at least he's 'ere?" Newkirk demanded.
"Well, we can bust him out!"
"Oh, yeah, and how do you plan to do that with Hochstetter and the SS guarding him?" LeBeau questioned.
"We've got another problem." Kinch interrupted. "How are we going to get this information to London? I can't use the radio with a radio detection truck sitting in our front yard!"
"And we can't risk leaving camp with all those SS troops in the woods," Hogan added.
"What a bleedin' mess!" Newkirk turned, and took his frustration for a walk to the back of the barracks.
Hogan, staring at the floor, folded his arms in front of him and paced toward the door of his room and back. And then…did it again. Eventually on his third trip he paused and looked at his men, a hint of a smile appearing before he turned for one last trip and a final think-through.
Newkirk walked back up to the group and rested his hand on Carter's shoulder, where he sat next to LeBeau. "Thought of something, Colonel?"
Carter looked up at Newkirk, "You know he has! He always does." Then practically leaping at Hogan asked, "What is it, Colonel?"
Hogan nodded to himself, still not looking at his men, as he replayed his plan in his head checking for holes. Satisfied he turned and faced the anxious group. "Kinch, make a phone call to our contacts in Hammelburg. Give them a coded message to be watching for our courier and to use plan B."
"They probably have the phones tapped, too, Colonel," Kinch offered.
Hogan nodded his agreement. "You'll have to wait until morning, when it can be disguised as a routine call for supplies." Hogan looked at Carter. "Andrew, can you make up some small explosives with a lot of smoke?"
Carter smiled. "Sure can, Colonel."
"Something to make a burning truck more of a spectacle. I want it to look like it could set the camp's buildings on fire and threaten an escape."
"Gotch ya, buddy...I mean, sir! Yes, sir!" Carter stammered as he stood to go below and get started.
"Carter," Hogan called, stopping the enthusiastic Sergeant in his tracks. "Get some sleep first. You can wait until after morning roll call."
"Yes, sir," Carter saluted.
Newkirk shook his head at his energetic friend and then asked, "What about me, Colonel?"
"Oui, and me. What do I do?"
"You, gentlemen, have a boiler to fix!" Hogan turned and walked to his door before turning back, "That's it, get to bed. Tomorrow's a busy day!" With that, Hogan entered his room and closed the door.
Newkirk and LeBeau looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Repair the boiler?" Louis repeated, confused.
Newkirk shook his head and stared at the closed door. "Don't ask me! I gave up long ago trying to figure him out." Then, looking back at LeBeau, confessed. "What bothers me most is when he goes bonkers, we'll never know the difference!"
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