Weaving a Web to Freedom, Book 2
Undoing The Past
By Marty Miller
Background information for this story is from the HH Episode "The Meister Spy"
Chapter 4
Hogan entered barrack two after his meeting with Colonel Klink, and stood at the head of the wood table in the center of the "common" room. His men, eager for the details of Hogan's encounter with the Kommandant, gathered at the table in front of him. Normally they would have listened in on the "bug" planted in the Kommandant's office but, with the SS in camp, it was off limits.
Hogan looked at his men. "Well…," he paused and let out a frustrated breath, "…the Kommandant doesn't know any more than we do."
"Are you sure, Colonel?" Carter spurted out, "I mean, do you think he's lying, sir?"
"I don't think so." Hogan turned, grabbed his coffee mug, and walked to the stove to pour a cup of coffee. "He did say he believed they were gathering information concerning 'us'. Just whom 'us' referred to was left open." The Colonel paced back toward his men.
"Well," Kinch began as he dabbed his cigarette out, "I guess we'll just have to wait for the ax to fall."
"And hope it doesn't fall on us," Newkirk added.
Hogan nodded, his eyes were fixed on the table as his mind flashed through different worse case scenarios. "Oh, one more thing, I've been confined to barracks for a week."
The room went silent, "Couldn't you talk your way out of it, Colonel?" Corporal Louis LeBeau asked.
"I didn't have a chance to try. Just as Klink pronounced his sentence, the phone rang. Klink acknowledged Burkhalter and I was dismissed. Schultz was ordered to walk me back. I even have to have a guard walk me to the latrine."
"A guard, Colonel? Kinch asked. "Doesn't Klink think the SS is enough?"
Hogan swung his right leg down from the bench, where he had been leaning in talking to his men at the table. "I know… I was surprised too. Klink is playing it safe. He's afraid I'll make him look bad in front of the SS. I wish I knew what Burkhalter was telling Klink right now. It could be useful information for us." Hogan walked back to the stove and poured more coffee in his mug. "I'll be in my quarters."
His men watched as the door closed behind their Commanding officer.
"Le Colonel is worried", LeBeau observed.
"Well, I'm not too bleeding happy myself," Newkirk dropped his cards on the table and stood to pace. "I just know Strasser fits into this somewhere. It makes sense that someone would come looking for him!"
"We've been in tighter spots before," Carter reminded his colleagues. "The Colonel's always thought of a plan."
"Right, but it would be good to know what were planning for… I mean do we wait to see how this plays out, or is this the end of the line?" Newkirk asked.
"Carter's right, Newkirk," Kinch answered. "We've just got to wait for more information. We have too good of an operation here to bolt and run."
Newkirk stopped his pacing and turned to look at his comrades. "Well if were "going down" I can't think of any men I'd rather be with." His eyes and thoughts moved to the closed door at the other end of the room. ~Or any officer I would have rather served under.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvv
Colonel Klink, slowly put the phone back on its cradle. ~ Captain Martin really is Hans Strasser? But then, how did Lieutenant Miller give the same story that Martin…Strasser presented to me? Hogan and Miller came to my office and… they said…
"Hoogaan!" Klink exclaimed out loud.
The anger that had burned itself out in Klink just minutes earlier was burning bright again. Jumping up out of his chair, he grabbed his coat as he passed into the outer office. Hastily placing his cap on his head, he crammed an arm into a sleeve, as he opened the door to the outside and shot across the compound heading for Barrack 2.
"SCHULTZ!"
Schultz turned from the soldier he was talking to in time to hear, "Announce me to barrack two," and he raced to get there before the Kommandant.
"Achtung, the Kommandant is here," he bellowed as the door flew open and banged against the wall. Colonel Klink barreled into the room looking around frantically for Hogan. Not seeing him, he dove straight for the door to Hogan's quarters.
Hogan was just hitting the floor from his top bunk when Klink marched in.
"COLONEL HOGAN, I WANT ANSWERS! Klink demanded, red faced.
"Answers?" Hogan had a feeling that the "ax" the guys had been talking about earlier, was on the downward swing. "I'll be happy to give them to you," he took a step toward Klink with a questioning look on his face and flippantly asked, "Did you have any particular question in mind?"
"Silence!" Klink slammed the door to Hogan's room. "I just spoke to General Burkhalter," Klink advanced on Hogan.
"And?" Hogan asked.
"And Captain Martin is Hans Strasser!"
"You're kidding?" Hogan feigned surprise. ~ Worse case scenario number one: Strasser got someone to listen to him. I can't say I'm surprised. ~ Hogan felt his stomach tighten.
"Do I look like I'm kidding, Hogan!" Klink paced to the left of his Senior POW, his left arm pumping the swagger stick back and forth in a nervous gesture. "And I treated him like a prisoner!"
"I suppose your going to say that's my fault."
Klink glared at Hogan, "Yes, it's your fault!"
"You locked him up in the cooler!" Hogan exclaimed, as he turned to face the Kommandant.
Klink locked gazes with the American, "You and Lieutenant Miller came into my office spouting the same story Captain Mar….Strasser gave me, making me think Martin, I mean Strasser, had lied. How did you know what he said to me?" Then a thought hit him. "Were you eavesdropping, or should I say spying, at my door?" Klink paced to the other side of the room.
"Kommandant, would I do that…well, maybe I would… but I didn't this time." Hogan assured realizing he couldn't play that angle. Too many people knew he was out in the compound at that time.
"Well, I'm waiting for an answer, Hogan! Why did you and Lieutenant Miller come into my office with that story?" Klink spun around to look at Hogan and angrily warned, "I'm prepared to call the guards if necessary."
"Oh, all right." Hogan sighed, "Don't call the guards." quickly concocting a story, he took a step toward his bunk and rubbed the back of his neck to buy time. In a few seconds, he turned to face Klink and lied.
"Lieutenant Miller said that Captain Martin had given him instructions to wait 15 minutes and then go to your office and proclaim he was Strasser on a secret mission and….. Well, the rest you know."
"Whaaat? You expect me to believe that? Why would Strasser want to discredit his own story?" Klink's hand was twisting at the end of his swagger stick.
Hogan paced over and stood in front of his door. "It's the truth; Lieutenant Miller said that Captain Martin told him, while they were in the back of the truck being transported here, to say that he was Hans Strasser and that he had vital information on the next Allied invasion." Hogan had his voice raised, so his men could hear his statement.
"Well, let's just see about that! " Klink said taking a step to go around Hogan.
Hogan stepped with the Kommandant keeping himself between the door and Klink. "Where are you going?"
"To see Lieutenant Miller. Now, move out of the way!" Klink ordered.
"You mean you don't trust me?" Hogan stood with his hands on his hips starring back at Klink.
"NO! Move out of the way or move into the cooler, Hogan!"
"OK, fine! Go check with Miller." Hogan stepped aside; hoping his men had heard his proclamation and figured out what needed to be done.
"Oh, well thank-you for your permission," Klink turned a sarcastic face to Hogan. "Sometimes, you forget you're a prisoner here, Colonel. I'll deal with you later."
Hogan replied cynically, "I thought you already did, when you confined me to barracks."
Klink stopped and looked Hogan in the eye, "If Miller doesn't have the same story, you'll find out what it means to be dealt with!" Klink reached for the door, swung it open and stormed across the outer room and through the door to the outside followed by Schultz.
Hogan stepped into the common room and looked around at his men hoping he would find one of them gone.
Kinch anticipated Hogan's next question. "Louis went to get your message to Miller, Colonel."
"I knew you'd come up with a plan, Colonel." Carter added.
Hogan's face relaxed slightly, he shook his head and crossed his arms. "We've got our work cut out for us guys. I don't have to tell you, there's a lot at stake here." Anxious faces greeted Hogan as he moved toward his men.
Newkirk took a step toward his Commanding Officer. "We're with you Colonel."
Kinch nodded.
"Thanks," Hogan answered just as the door opened and Louis came rushing in.
"Miller got the message. I had to go out the window to keep from running into Klink. I could hear him yelling half way across the compound." LeBeau laughed, as he rubbed his arms trying to warm up. "Where do we go from here, Mon Colonel?" LeBeau knew Hogan had already worked through some rudimentary plan.
Hogan looked at LeBeau and smiled. "Glad you asked, Louis. Here's how were going to play it."
