This story takes place several weeks after See Some Evil, Do Some Evil and right after Do Not Drink While At War, although it's not a sequel, it deals with an ongoing situation that will continue haunting Newkirk for the next few stories.

Of Strenght And Thunder

by

Sierra Sutherwinds

I

"Boy, some thunderstorm we had last night." Carter took his mug and waited for his turn in the line for coffee. "I bet they're gonna make us fill the puddles on the main road from here to Hammelburg."

"Don't give them any ideas, our schedule for this week is complete. If Klink needs manual labour he'll have to do it himself." Hogan was already at the table, drinking his coffee while reading the last message from London.

"LeBeau and Kinch are not here yet?" Carter frowned, looking around.

"London's courier was delayed for some reason. Kinch and LeBeau spent the night at the underground security place. They'll come back at dusk."

"Who's that chap anyway? Is this another secret mission we shouldn't know about?" Newkirk jumped down from his bunk and moved to the stove.

"London is sending a courier with a mission of communications and demolition. They say that he also works with explosives, your league, Carter."

"Neat! Finally, someone I can relate to. No offence, guys, but sometimes it's hard to communicate with y'all." He passed the coffee pot to Newkirk and went to sit at the table.

"No kidding." Newkirk's chuckle faded when he realized that the pot was empty. "We ran out of coffee. What, Klink cut our rations again?"

"Sorry about that, but, here, you can have mine." Hogan gave him his mug and went to his office. "Let me know when Kinch and LeBeau are back."

Newkirk smirked and finished Hogan's coffee. "Glad to know I still can be useful," he said after the colonel closed his door behind him.

"Don't be like that, he worries about you… so do we."

"I've just been grounded because he doesn't trust me. I don't blame him but, still," he exhaled deeply. "Oh, well, let's go outside, I could use some fresh air." He stopped at the door, with his hands on his hips. "Didn't we hear thunder and lightning last night? It doesn't look like it has rained at all."

Carter stepped out to admire the nice weather and the dry ground. "Weird, I saw lightning through the windows… They sounded like fireworks. I'd swear it must've hit the sentinels tower."

"That's still standing."

Carter shrugged and sat on the bench by the door, looking at his friend. He had more important things on his mind than thunderstorms that were not there. "He trusts you, Newkirk, the colonel. Maybe you can't see it that way but he's trying to give you time."

"I know and it's okay. I'm not complaining." He sat next to his friend. "All this is the guv'nor's operation, he can put and remove anyone he pleases."

"Why do you say that? You don't want to leave, do you? We're a team."

"Carter, if a member of the team is not meeting the expectations, they have to let him go."

"That's not going to happen. You're one of the best. Don't you remember all the times you've saved our lives? Besides, where would you go? We're still POWs."

Schultz was still around the corner when he saw the two men talking outside. He hastened his pace, gesticulating to catch their attention. "Get inside! Schnell, Schnell!"

"Hey, good morning, Schultz. You got up early today."

The sergeant took a deep breath and shook his head at Carter's cheerful greetings. "I haven't slept a wink… something awful happened last night. Captain Berend Heinrich was in Hammelburg, visiting some friends."

"Awful indeed… You're giving me nightmares with that image," Newkirk nodded condescendingly.

"That's not the awful thing!" Schultz glared as they began to laugh. "He disappeared… he said he was going out for a walk and then, he vanished."

"Okay, you can't find the bloke, that doesn't mean anything. Maybe he went for a long walk or found someone prettier than his friends."

"Or just went to sleep early… with the storm we had last night."

"What storm are you talking about, Carter? It was only a huge lightning bolt that struck some power lines. We have a blackout."

"Really?"

"That means that the electric gates are down?" Newkirk straightened up with a grin.

"Don't get any crazy ideas, Englander, we have orders to shoot to kill."

"Roll call is going to be really interesting this morning… or should I say, run call?" Newkirk smiled, turning to Carter who chuckled loudly.

"No run call, I mean, no roll call for today. Everybody is indoors until the power is back and the murderer is found."

"Murderer? What murderer?" Carter exchanged glances with Newkirk.

"They found a headless body in the forest."

"Let me guess, he was dressed like Captain Heindrich." Newkirk crossed his arms over his chest.

Schultz nodded with a sad sigh. "They're still looking for the head but yes-." He stopped to dart an indignant stare at them. "Are you having fun? You don't have any idea who Captain Heinrich is, do you?"

"Not a clue," Carter shrugged. "Do you need volunteers to run to the forest? I mean, look for the head in the forest?"

"C'mon, Schultzie, don't lose your head over this… oops, sorry about that." Newkirk pushed Carter back to the barracks. "Let's go, Carter, I don't think our help is appreciated here."


"Where are they? They should be here by now. " Carter walked from the trapdoor to the window and back to the trapdoor. "There're patrols everywhere. They won't be able to pass through them."

"Don't forget the head hunter."

"Newkirk, you're not helping." Hogan shared Carter's concern and also understood Newkirk's apparent unconcern. Each of his men had their particular way to deal with adversity, even him. If Kinch did not report soon, Hogan would start making infuriating calls to London. In the meantime, he had to play it calm and firm. "If they don't come today, they'll come back tomorrow. We'll put the rest of tonight's assignments for tomorrow evening. Kinch is in charge of this one and we need to trust he's making the best decisions."

Almost on cue, two knocks on the boards alerted them to the party's arrival. Kinch climbed up the ladder first and waited till LeBeau and the British agent emerged from below.

A sense of accomplishment filled the barracks as Hogan watched Carter jump to greet Kinch and LeBeau. Newkirk stood behind, no less relieved. Tonight, they could rest at ease after the long hours of waiting.

"It's been a ruddy long day, innit?" Newkirk patted Kinch's shoulder. "I'm glad you made it, lads… and guest."

"It was difficult. With the lines down it was little we could do to tell you that we were okay." Kinch nodded to Hogan and went directly for the coffee pot. "Are we out of coffee again?"

"At least we found our contact with the underground. That part went all right." LeBeau moved near the heat of the stove. "Ne t'inquiets pas, I'll make cocoa." He searched in a box by the windowsill. "Duncan, would you like some? We are short on something stronger."

"Don't worry, Louie, cocoa sounds really good, thank you."

"Colonel Hogan, this is Duncan MacLeod, London's courier." Kinch put the mugs on the table.

Hogan's attention was directed to the tall man, dressed in a black leather jacket and a turtle neck shirt, who offered him his hand with a kind smile.

"Papa Bear, I presume." His voice was deep but soft, with a slight accent. "It's an honour to meet you, sir."

"Robert Hogan. Nice to meet you too." He shook his hand. "Please, take a seat… Duncan MacLeod? Don't tell me… you're Scottish."

"I couldn't deny that, could I?" Duncan chuckled.

"Highlander?" Newkirk sat in front of him.

"Born and raised… Londoner?"

"Peter Newkirk, pleased to meet you," he nodded.

"And I'm Carter, Andrew… Bulfrogan… North Dakotan? American, but just Carter is okay." He took a place next to Newkirk. "Are you an expert in explosives? Anything new in the field? I try to keep updated but well, we're stuck here now. I'm not complaining, we're well informed but it's hard to keep up with the new stuff and-"

"Slow down, Carter, he just got here." Newkirk scolded him.

"Que t'ai je dit? Il ne s'arrête jamais." LeBeau made a very French gesture with his hand, coming to the table with a steamy pot of cocoa.

Duncan smiled shyly as he took the mug from LeBeau.

"Duncan is fluent in French, and German, from what I've heard."

"That's part of my training, Kinch, it's not a big deal."

Hogan accepted that as a trait of modesty from someone who wanted to keep a low profile. "Tell me about your mission and what we can do for you."

"We received a message from our network radio operator in the area. His position was compromised and he had to demolish the transmitter. I've come to install a new one in the new coordinates and I'll need someone to cover me while I'm at work. It has to be done tonight, before midnight."

"In that case, Kinch is your man. Besides, he's our expert in communications."

"Sir? I'd love to come with Duncan but London is airdropping the canister with med supplies for the underground tonight at midnight. LeBeau is coming with me."

"That gives us a five-hour margin."

"Less than that if we take into account that the patrols guarding the perimeter are going to slow us down." Kinch insisted.

"And the head hunter is still on the loose."

Duncan lowered his head when Carter mentioned the head hunter. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, perhaps I can radio someone in the local underground…"

"Oh, it's not your fault this is our busiest month. All of a sudden, everybody needs something from us." Hogan shrugged.

"What about Newkirk?" Carter asked.

Duncan glanced at the scene in silence. Hogan did not seem too keen on the idea and Newkirk kept his eyes on his mug. The rest watched expectantly for the colonel's final word.

"No," he said. "I have an appointment with the underground in two hours. We can't leave the store unattended. Carter, you'll go with Duncan." He got up from the table. "Gentlemen, we all have our assignments, let's put them in motion."


"I don't know, I still think that we should cancel all our outings until the killer is caught."

"Let it go, Carter. Whoever that killer is must be gone already. With all the patrols out there, he must have been caught or probably shot." Kinch adjusted his beanie hat on the same mirror that Carter was using to apply dark grease on his face.

"Tu l'as vu, Duncan? The killer with an axe?"

"Hey, no one said he used an axe." Carter almost dropped the mirror. "Now my mental image got creepier, thank you, Louie."

"It had to be an axe. How would you chop one's head otherwise?" The Frenchman chuckled.

"Well, a machete could work too." Kinch put on his boots.

"Or a sword," said Newkirk, sitting at the radio, idly watching the tiny lights flickering slowly. It was a quiet night, London did not seem in a hurry to call them.

"Hey Duncan, you were in the forest last night. Didn't you hear or see anything weird?" Carter came to sit at the conference table.

"Besides the uncanny thunderstorm, that is." Newkirk got up and stretched.

"Fortunately I didn't see anyone. Of course, I was too busy avoiding the patrols." Duncan, his arms crossed over his chest, was sitting on the bench by the wall. Watching them getting ready was rather relaxing. "And the storm, well, that was something."

Newkirk caught a quick frown from Duncan. It was of concern or sadness, he could not tell.

He raised his eyebrows but kept quiet.

Hogan came down the ladder in peasant clothes. He cocked his weapon and concealed it under his coat. "Guys, I'll go first, one minute later, Kinch and LeBeau. Carter and Duncan, you're the last ones. Ready?"

"I'm ready," Carter finished tying his boots and sprung up. "Shall I take a pistol?"

"Don't get so excited, boy," Newkirk smirked, as Kinch looked for one in the weapon chest. "Blimey, I remember when you used to be afraid of guns."

"I still am, but with that serial killer outside, I'm not going out unarmed."

"How do you know it's a serial killer, he's just killed once." Kinch signed for LeBeau to take his flashlight and follow him.

"Besides, he killed a Boche, he must be on our side."

"Forget about headhunters, please. We need to stay focused." Hogan headed for the ladder. "The patrols are nervous tonight. Be extra careful. I mean it, guys, come back in one piece."

Kinch waited for the trap door to close before climbing and opening it again. LeBeau came right behind him, giving an encouraging nod to Carter.

The young sergeant smiled and turned to Duncan. "Don't worry about anything, I'll get your back." He juggled with the pistol when he tried to tuck it in his belt and almost dropped it.

Newkirk shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You'd better watch your own head, Duncan."

"I always do." Duncan put on his beanie hat and picked up his duffel bag as he followed Carter up the ladder.

TBC