Berlin, Outside the Flat of Heidi Kaufmann
July 22, 1944, 1820 hours
They had been sitting for a couple hours when Hogan spotted a woman walking down the street towards the building. "Marya, is this Heidi?" he asked.
Marya looked at the woman. "Yes, it is Heidi," she replied. "We will talk to her before she goes in."
Hogan and Marya got out of the truck and met Heidi on the corner. "Fraulein Kaufmann?" Hogan asked.
Heidi looked at the two SS men in front of her in disgust. "You have not bothered me enough?" she asked.
"Heidi, it is me," Marya said.
Heidi looked at Marya. "You are Greta, Kurt Wagner's sister," she said. "Only I know your name is Marya."
Marya nodded. "I see that you know the situation," she replied.
"I know that I am in danger because of people like you," Heidi replied bitterly.
"We have come to get take you away from here," Marya said. "Do you know where Hans is?"
Heidi nodded. "He is hiding in my flat," she replied. "I will show you."
Hogan put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "It would be better if my men went in," he said. "We will get you settled in the truck."
"But there are some things I want to take with me!" she exclaimed.
Hogan shook his head. "I am afraid that's not possible," he said. "We need to travel light."
Heidi mumbled a curse as she removed her keys from her bag and handed them to Hogan. "First floor," she said. "Hans is hidden in a small niche behind the bureau in the front room. Move the bureau and remove the paneling."
Hogan smiled at her before turning towards the truck. "Carter. Newkirk." The two men came running. "Go in and get Teppel. First floor flat, you'll find him hiding in a niche behind the bureau in the front room."
"Right," the two men said.
"LeBeau, come and help Marya get Heidi settled in the truck," Hogan ordered.
Marya put her arm around the visible upset Heidi. "It will be fine, Heidi," she said. "Soon you and Hans will be away from here and safe."
Heidi looked at Marya. "I was safe until all of this happened," she said dryly.
- - - - -
"They have stopped the woman," Gerhardt Lang said, adjusting his binoculars. "And two men have gone inside the building." He heard his two men shifting on either side of him. "I think we had better move in."
"What about the men in the truck?" one of his men asked.
"I will come in from the front and you two come in from behind," Lang said. "Get everyone out of the truck and get their weapons."
His men nodded their acknowledgement.
"Go!" Lang said, emerging from his hiding place.
- - - - -
Hogan watched as Carter and Newkirk led Major Teppel down the steps to where he was standing. "Major Teppel, how nice to finally see you again," Hogan said with a smile.
"Colonel Hogan," Teppel said. "I assume you've come to get me out of this mess?"
"Captain Hoganhoffer," Hogan corrected. "Come on, let's go."
Before they could move, Gerhardt Lang came running across the street. "Nobody move!" he shouted, pointing a gun directly at Hogan.
Hogan stared at the man without making a move. He heard scuffling behind him and could tell that his men were being rounded up.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hogan asked angrily, putting on his best SS officer act.
"We cannot allow you to take these two people," Lang replied.
"What is going on, Hogan?" Marya asked as she was herded to the side of the truck with the rest of Hogan's men.
At the sound of her voice, Lang looked over at her curiously. "That one, bring him here," he ordered his men. Marya was shoved over to stand by Hogan. Lang studied her closely and then suddenly ripped off her moustache. "This one is a woman!" he exclaimed.
At Lang's sudden movement, Hogan flinched protectively, planning to come to Marya's aid. Lang was quick and turned his gun on Hogan. "Do not move or you are dead," he said.
Marya stepped forward. "Who are you?" she asked.
Lang shoved her back into place. "No questions," he said harshly.
Marya cocked her head and stepped forward again. She said several words in Russian. Lang lashed out and backhanded her across the face. Marya staggered but did not fall. Once she had steadied herself, she ran towards Lang, surprising the man. She punched him in the face, all the time repeating the Russian words she had said before.
Lang staggered backwards, his free hand rubbing the side of his face. With a growl, he raised his gun towards her.
Hogan tensed, about ready to charge the man. Suddenly, another man came running up and grabbed Lang's arm, pointing the gun skyward. "Lang, what are you doing!" the man shouted.
"He is making a very big mistake," Marya replied. "Colonel Hogan, this is Major Kurt Wagner – the last person we have been waiting for."
"You came just in time," Hogan said.
Wagner took the gun from Lang. "Do you know who this is?" he asked.
"No," Lang replied. "They looked like SS to us."
"Yes, SS who happened to be yelling the recognition code you were supposed to ask for!" Wagner said angrily. "The woman that I saw you strike is Marya."
At the mention of the name, Lang's eyes widened. "She did not say," he mumbled.
"Of course she did," Wagner replied. "She was using the recognition code. I heard her."
Marya had been very silent, glaring at Lang. Now she calmly walked over to Wagner and took Lang's gun from him. Without a word she raised the gun and shot Lang between the eyes. "I cannot have idiots working for me," she said, throwing the gun down on his body.