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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"Get down there; watch your head," Le Beau said, not letting any warmth into his voice as he pushed Townsend down through the tunnel entrance and then followed him down the ladder.

Carter and Kinch brought up the rear, then led Townsend down to the radio desk. "Anyone you need to tell you got home safe?" Kinch asked.

Townsend looked around him in wonder, too amazed by what he saw to listen properly. "Uh…" He let his eyes roam the walls, the ceiling, the wires, the oil lamps. "What?"

Kinch shot an amused look at Carter and Le Beau. "Do you need us to radio London so they know you got here all right?"

"Oh. Uh, I suppose you should."

Taking his seat at the radio, Kinch started flipping switches to bring the radio to life, then began pumping the antenna lift. With everything in place, he put on the headsets and started speaking. "Papa Bear calling Goldilocks."

Townsend went to the desk and looked the radio over with interest. "You chaps built this yourselves?" he asked while Kinch was waiting on a reply. "Very well done."

Kinch nodded and was about to answer when the headsets crackled to life. He listened, then spoke into the microphone. "Affirmative, Goldilocks. The package arrived unharmed." He paused, then shot a glance at Le Beau and Carter before speaking again. "Um, negative Goldilocks. He's still out of the den." Another pause. "Roger. I'll have him call the moment he gets back. Papa Bear out."

Kinch sighed and switched off the radio. "Carter, what happened out there?"

Carter shrugged uncomfortably. "The Krauts were coming and the Colonel said he'd run diversion one way and we'd run another. He didn't want me left on my own," he said, guilt touching his voice. "But Newkirk said he wasn't going to leave the Colonel alone, either, so when we met up with you guys, he took off to find him." He screwed up his face in anger. "And he might have gotten to him a lot sooner, too, if I could have found my way to the rendezvous point on my own."

"Hey, Carter. Do not worry about it so much." Le Beau went over and put his hand on the American's arm. "That is just the way the Colonel is; many times he has sent us back to the camp first while he's distracted the Boches. You'll see, it won't be long before they are back and we find out that Newkirk's been grounded for a month as usual." The Frenchman smiled reassuringly at Carter, but the look he gave Kinch revealed just how concerned he really was.

"So," came Townsend's voice, startling the men who had actually almost forgotten he was there, "your commanding officer is away, and one of his men is gone as well, since he clearly disobeyed the Colonel's orders. What will be done now?"

"We wait." Kinch had caught Le Beau's glance and nodded slightly in return before looking at Townsend. "It's about three hours until roll call, so there's plenty of time for them to get back." I hope.

"And what happens if they don't?" Townsend asked. He shook his head. "I'm afraid I've come in at a bad time," he said.

"You can say that again," Le Beau muttered.

"I need to speak with Colonel Hogan as soon as possible," Townsend persisted.

"So do we," Kinch replied with a touch of impatience. So do we.

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Newkirk stumbled along through the woods with Hogan slung over his shoulder. He was trying to be careful and not jostle the unconscious man, but the Germans escorting him had other ideas. The Englishman's command of their language was good enough to let him know that they weren't happy with the slow pace, and he had to fight to keep from telling them off over it.

Can't let them know I understand them as well as I do. I might learn something useful if they think it's safe to talk in front of me. Newkirk shifted Hogan's weight a bit as he kept walking. Lousy Krauts. I still owe that one big fellow for the rough way he searched the gov'nor. Occupied with watching where he put his feet, Newkirk didn't see the rifle butt coming until it slammed into his side, wielded by an impatient guard who thought his prisoner needed a little encouragement to move faster.

The blow knocked Newkirk to the ground and sent Hogan sprawling. The Corporal groaned in pain and scrambled to his feet, fists balled and clearly intending to go after the guard that had struck him until the clacking of several rifle bolts brought him up short. He stood glaring at the Germans until he heard a quiet moan coming from where Hogan had landed.

Newkirk started to go to Hogan, but the guard's rifle and his grunt indicated that wasn't an acceptable move. So the Englishman watched as Hogan stirred slowly, then, groaning, struggled to sit up. "Wha—?" Hogan began, touching a hand to the growing bruise on his head. He winced as he tested his body, then he finally focused on his surroundings, seeing only the RAF Corporal looking worriedly at him. "Newkirk?"

I've gotta let him know what I've done, and fast! "Take it easy there, fella." Newkirk raised his hands to let the Germans know he wasn't planning to move. He looked over at Hogan and spoke loudly and clearly, hoping the American would pick up what he was saying and understand. "We've been captured by the Krauts. Remember: don't give them anything except name, rank and service number... Private." Please, gov'nor, don't let your wits be so scrambled that you can't make sense of this and go with it!

"Private—" Hogan started to protest automatically. But just as the word came out, the rest of what Newkirk had said sank in. We've been captured by the Krauts. Hogan frowned. I don't remember that happening…. A shiver raced through him and he brought his hands up instinctively to rub his arms, only to realize his bomber jacket was missing. Private. He's gone and stopped me from being a Colonel anyway! One hand reached slowly up to his collar as he looked down to his breast pocket for wings that were no longer there. And he was thorough; no bird, either.

Hogan's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light and he saw the gleam of four rifles aimed at him and at Newkirk. Then, bringing his hand up again to hopefully soften the throbbing in his head, he said softly for the Germans' benefit, "Private James Dane." And with a glance at the Englishman, he added, reaching for information, "I won't forget… Corporal…"

"Corporal Richard Kirkland," Newkirk said, giving his own false name as he nodded in relief. He's got it and he's gonna go along. "You took a fall while we were running and knocked yourself out, Private. That's when the Jerries caught up with us."

The same guard that had struck Newkirk before stepped up and shoved him toward Hogan. The Englishman stumbled forward, nearly falling, and turned to glare at the German. But his protest was cut off by the curt orders snapped out by the guard. "Schweigen! Kommen Sie dort, bekommen Sie ihn zu seinen Füßen, und bekommen Sie das Bewegen!" The accompanying gestures made it clear what the guard wanted done, and when.

Newkirk took a deep breath and reached down to help Hogan to his feet. "I don't understand what he's sayin' there, but I think he wants us to get moving, mate." He made sure the guards couldn't see the quick grin he gave Hogan, as he actually knew perfectly well what had been said, thanks to the German language lessons he'd been taking for months back at Stalag 13. Silence! Get over there, get him to his feet and get moving!

Hogan let Newkirk help him up, grabbing him unexpectedly as dizziness set in. Newkirk held fast and watched him anxiously for a moment, then Hogan pulled away, nodding. "It's okay," he said. "I just wasn't ready for the sudden move." He looked at Newkirk. "So, what exotic locale are we going to?" He took a step and felt his leg cave in, nearly pulling Newkirk down with him as he struggled not to lose his footing. Finally he took a couple of nearly unbearable steps and said, "Wherever it is, I hope they have a five star hotel. I could use the rest."

"I don't know; this lot hasn't been too talkative." Newkirk took a glance at the guards, then moved next to Hogan. "Here, let me help for a bit. I'd rather you leaned on me now than to have to carry you again when that knee finally gives out." He grinned for a moment. "No arguments now... Private."

Hogan frowned. "I told you to go back," he whispered. "And if carrying me is how I ended up on the ground in a heap, Corporal, I'd rather walk, as well." Though his words seemed harsh, Newkirk could hear the hidden gratitude in them. "It's not going to be easy for us," Hogan finally said regretfully, reluctantly accepting Newkirk's support as they began walking in the direction indicated by the rifles. "I wish you had listened."

"Had to come after you; after all, you'd have done the same for me," Newkirk whispered in reply. He paused, taking a quick look to make certain none of the Germans was close enough to hear before going on. "As to how you ended up in a heap, you just ask that big Kraut that likes pushin' people around about that."

"He's not the only bossy one around here," Hogan said with a wry smile. "What happened to me staying as the commanding officer and you being the non-com?"

Between the darkness and watching where he was walking while supporting the Colonel, Newkirk didn't see the smile that changed Hogan's comment from criticism to dry wit. "I did what I had to do," he said quietly in reply. "And I'll accept the consequences. All of them." The Colonel's angry with me over all this. I can understand that, but still... I couldn't leave him out here all alone. I couldn't face the others, or myself for that matter, if I'd abandoned the gov'nor.

Hogan wiped the sweat off his face. "Let's hope you don't have to." He paused. "I may be cranky as Hell when I find out what you've done with my jacket, but…" Hogan paused awkwardly, then: "I'm glad you're here." Then, to change the subject, and because he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but his throbbing leg, Hogan gripped his thigh as he continued struggling along and said, "God, this hurts. I hope they get tired of walking soon."

"Don't worry; the Krauts will never find your coat." Hogan's words relieved the Englishman's worried thoughts. I know it's no picnic we're heading for, but at least we're in it together. Newkirk paused and smiled slightly. "I'm glad to be here, too, sir."

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"If we had not had to go to get the Group Captain, we would have been there to stop the Colonel and Newkirk from getting themselves in trouble," Le Beau sniffed.

Kinch glanced over toward Townsend, who was busily looking over some of the equipment Carter was painstakingly explaining. "Yeah, but orders were orders. We did what the Colonel told us to do. We had no way of knowing they were going to run into trouble," he said quietly.

"Bah," spat Le Beau. "And now if there is trouble, Headquarters will blame Colonel Hogan and say he is not fit to command—and it was them that gave him the trouble in the first place!"

"Take it easy, Louis. We don't know that yet, and besides, there's still time for the Colonel and Newkirk to get back before roll call." Kinch glanced at his watch. Three hours. Come on you two, quit fooling around and get back to camp! "But until then, we sit tight and start figuring out how to keep the Kommandant from finding out they're gone in case they don't make it back in time."

"I think we should go after them," Le Beau declared.

"Yeah, well, we can't. You know the Colonel's orders in a case like this: get ready to close down the operation and get everyone out before all Hell breaks loose." Kinch sighed and shook his head. "Look, I know how you feel. I wanted to take off right after Newkirk just like you did. But you know as well as I do that Colonel Hogan's counting on us to take care of things here for him. We'll just have to wait and hope that Newkirk can take care of things out there for us, and bring them both back safely."

"The way Pierre operates sometimes, you may find that it is le Colonel who ends up having to do the rescuing. He was probably fine on his own." Le Beau scrunched up his face. "Now there are two of them out there, and we will have to cover for them both!"

Kinch shook his head knowingly. "Look, don't worry," he said gently. "They'll both be okay." Le Beau nodded dispiritedly and let down his indignant front. "If Colonel Hogan gets himself in trouble, Newkirk will be there to pull a rabbit out of his hat. And if he gets in trouble, the Colonel will be there to catch him—and then court martial him for disobeying orders in the first place!"

"Oui. Colonel Hogan will be very angry with Newkirk when it's all over with. Pierre is lucky we don't have our own cooler or he might have found himself spending thirty days in it." Le Beau sighed and looked over at Townsend. "What do we do with him in the meantime?"

Kinch drew himself up and in his best British upper-crust accent answered, "Well, what do you think? Offer him a jolly good cup of tea, old chap!"

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Hogan threw a cross glance over his shoulder at the guard prodding him into the delousing station. Limping heavily, and shivering in the cold, he followed Newkirk into the inhospitable hut.

"I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't just done this yesterday," Hogan complained under his breath. "I wasn't due to get itchy again for another four days, at least!"

Newkirk nodded and rubbed his jaw where he'd been backhanded after the guards had found his "pencil sharpener" during the obligatory strip search. He'd always known that carrying the hidden knife in a POW camp was dangerous, but doing so was second nature to the Englishman. It had never been found during searches back at Stalag 13; then again, this wasn't Stalag 13, and the guards here didn't seem to be too worried about pushing people around. "Right," he said quietly. "I don't think I'll ever be able to smell carbolic acid again without thinking of times like this."

"I'm hoping not to smell carbolic acid at all after this is over," Hogan replied. "We've gotta get out of here," he said, grunting in surprise as the shower began. He turned his head away from the spray and spat out the chemicals that had gotten into his mouth. "Klink's expecting us at roll call and we haven't got permission to be out after hours. I have a feeling the Kommandant of this camp isn't going to be giving us a pass, either, if these gentle guards are any indication." Hogan rubbed his head where it had struck the rock. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep before the mission began, too worried about the arrival of Townsend and the man's purpose for being at Stalag 13 to get any real rest. Now, his lack of sleep combined with the knock from his fall and the rough handling by the guards here at Stalag 2 was making him feel much less than one hundred percent. But he fought the sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, knowing he would have to be running on all cylinders if he and Newkirk were to get themselves out of this mess.

"Security looks pretty tight here. We're being guarded two-to-one, and the Krauts have machine guns instead of rifles." Newkirk wiped the delousing spray from his face, and ducked under one of the shower heads to work more of it into his hair. "This isn't exactly a crackerbox we're in here, gov'nor. Have you come up with any ideas on how we're gonna get out?"

"I'm still trying to figure out how we got in," Hogan replied. "I don't have any answers yet. But next time, do me a favor and let me outrank you?"

"As far as I'm concerned, let's try to avoid a next time, all right?" Newkirk braced himself for the shower that followed the chemical spray, gritting his teeth against the cold water as he tried to get as much of the carbolic acid solution off his skin as quickly as possible. "Blimey, glad that's done."

Hogan shivered and nodded, grateful when the ersatz towel was tossed at him carelessly as the water was shut off. Straw's warm, he reasoned; I'm not too proud to use it, especially in this weather! "I wonder when we get to meet the Kommandant."

Newkirk shrugged as he pulled on the grey work clothes they'd been given when their uniforms had been taken away to be cleaned. "No idea on that, but judging from his men, I'll bet he's a real charmer."

"The Adolf Hitler School of Charm and Grace," Hogan said. He turned to look at the guard who had made some sort of sound at the men when they didn't seem to move fast enough. When the man growled, "Raus," Hogan sighed. "Makes me miss Schultz… almost." Then he finished buttoning the overalls, and headed out with Newkirk into their new prison home.