Carter muttered to himself that the dull, overcast sky would only help Lechner camouflage further. The German already nearly matched his wintry surroundings pretty well. Softly weaving his way around the evergreens, Carter kept an eye out for any signs of something even just slightly out of place. It hadn't snowed, and it wasn't very windy. Why couldn't he find any tracks?

Hammelburg was miles away. The Stalag was completely isolated aside from a few scattered farms. That didn't stop Carter from feeling as though he was being watched every single time he went outside the wire alone. With the others, he felt fine. He felt more secure, more confident. When he was alone, he felt vulnerable. If something happened, it would take time for Hogan and others to find him.

This time, the feeling of being watched was significantly greater. Carter was afraid to look over his shoulder, certain someone was there. He felt a strange blend of relief and discomfort when he felt a very cold breath brush his neck, and slowly turned to see Lechner's striking blue eyes between two snow-laden pines.

"Hey, Lechner," Carter said, softly. He braced himself for the possibility that Lechner would run, so he didn't make any sudden movements. For a moment, he saw himself as an underweight and nervous teenager, staring at a deer in the forest at the end of the street he lived on. He had always wondered why his Sioux relatives associated him with deer. Was it his tendency to stare ahead aimlessly? Was it his build? Whatever it was, he never took it seriously until that evening when he spotted the young white-tailed buck staring right back at him as he headed home from his job at the local drugstore.

He knew deer were flighty. Not wanting to spook the buck, Carter turned slowly, pausing when he saw the deer's long ears flick upwards, then continued turning. He expected the buck to run at any moment. He didn't want to even speak, lest that was what sent the deer running.

He was pulled from his memories when Lechner took a step to his right. Carter was about to start cursing at himself for screwing up, thinking Lechner was going to run, but stopped when he saw the German wordlessly beckoning for him to follow. Everything has to be on his terms. It's the only way he'll let us help him. Nodding, Carter followed him. Occasionally, Lechner would look over his shoulder, making sure Carter was still behind him. At some point, Lechner gestured for him to stop, and directed him to move to the side as he turned around.

Carter didn't say a word as he stepped over to his left. Lechner made a gentle waving motion with his hand. Snow blew over their tracks, covering them completely.

"I guess that explains why I couldn't find your tracks," Carter said, breaking his silence.

Lechner gave him a single nod, then motioned for him to keep following. They would pause so he could cover their tracks every so often, as his range was not unlimited. Eventually, they reached an old and empty barn situated on a hill overlooking a road leading into Hammelburg. The view was long and covered in a thick blanket of snow. Trees and homes and barns dotted the rolling landscape in front of them. Looking behind him as they climbed the hill, Carter could see the watchtowers at the entrance of Stalag 13. He hoped he hadn't been discovered to be missing.

"Come," Lechner said. "Inside." He pointed to the barn, then waited for Carter to pass before covering their tracks again.

"Why are we here?" Carter asked when they were both in the barn. The doors could still close, though the missing shingles and gaps in the walls did nothing to grant them complete privacy.

Lechner was quiet again. He paced the length of the barn before sitting on the ground. Once Carter had done the same, he let out a heavy sigh. "We are here because I am not comfortable discussing my past in front of your friends."

"You know you can trust them, right? I don't understand why you aren't comfortable."

"If you had gone through what I did, you would understand. Then again, I would not wish my past on anyone, not even the people who hurt me." Lechner sat cross-legged, looking down at the ground before regaining eye contact with Carter. "It is the feeling of being crowded that makes me uneasy. I know your friends do not wish to harm me, but it reminds me far too much of being trapped in the laboratory with Kaschel and his... assistants. Being underground, with no windows, no natural light, also did not help."

"Why didn't you say so?"

"I was not sure your Colonel Hogan would take me seriously."

"He would have if you had asked. I mean, it's a little late now, but—" Carter shrugged, "we're here now."

Lechner nodded. "I trust you. I have not trusted anyone in a long time, not since my own commanding officer betrayed me to hand me over to the Sorcery Division."

Carter moved to sit next to Lechner. He had a feeling the young German was going to need a shoulder while he told his story.

It was nice to finally have some time away from Kaschel when Veidt returned to his hotel room. He finally had a chance to shed his uniform and feel more... normal. After drawing up a hot bath, Veidt lay out his nightclothes and the fluffy, oversized complimentary robe from the linen closet before getting in the tub. The hot water seemed to relax his muscles instantly and his stiff soreness from standing in the cold all morning melted away. Giving a heavy sigh, Veidt submerged as much of his body as he could, leaving only his head above the water. He closed his eyes, drinking in the sweet scents of the soaps around him. His mind was clearing and now he felt as though he could finally put a plan together to catch Lechner before Kaschel did.

I'll have to rewire the phones so if the Gestapo calls, they will get me instead of him. I'm not exactly an expert in that. Why didn't I think of that before volunteering? Veidt opened his eyes, silently cursing himself. He accepted the task without really thinking about it, as he was determined not to repeat the wrongs of his past. Spying on his superior and passing on what he learned was one thing; actively rescuing someone he would have been charged with handing over to the Sorcery Division over a year ago was another. Suddenly, being in the water wasn't so relaxing anymore.

Veidt sat up, heart pounding. I actually enjoyed what I did! I thought I was doing something right! Leaving the tub, Veidt quickly threw a towel around himself, feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. The thoughts and memories of that... other person. That other person who looked like him, sounded like him, and had very similar desires to him. But that other person wasn't him, was it?

He had frequent nightmares where he faced a twin of himself. An evil twin of sorts, one who was willing to ruin the lives of innocent people just to get some sense of validation. One who sent people with just a shred of magical power to be tortured and experimented on. That twin always beat him, and during the day, he was deathly afraid that it would come back. That wasn't possible, was it? Not after everything that had changed.

His hands shook as he got dressed and put his robe on, wrapping himself tightly in its warmth. He sat on the bed, a sick and familiar knot building in his stomach, trying to tell himself that things were indeed different now, and that he needed to complete his mission. He looked over his shoulder at the door, then at the clock on his nightstand. Just a few hours until sunset. Kaschel tried to be in bed at a reasonable time, usually no later than ten o'clock. Surely that would give Veidt plenty of time to analyze the wire situation.

Lechner was quiet for several long minutes before shifting his gaze to Carter and sighing. "When I was conscripted, I thought that would be a good way to hide. Just be inconspicuous and hope no one would find out what I really am. But that is not exactly easy when your family is entirely ice Conjurus. The medical officer who looked at me was nice and said he was willing to overlook it and falsify my records so I could stay in. My platoon was sent to France, then Denmark, then Norway. I was part of the occupying force in Norway, and it was an incident with the Norwegian Resistance that got me in a trouble.

"Someone put a bomb in our barracks. Ten men were killed, including three I had gotten close to. I was lucky to get out with a broken leg, after being thrown against a wall from the explosion. While I was being treated, our medic... our medic was confused about my temperature, just like... just like your Sergeant Wilson. My commanding officer asked what the problem was, and... the medic decided to bring up the idea that I was not, well, normal." Lechner drew his legs up, and his voice began to crack. "I was taken away that night by the SS."

Carter gently put his hand on Lechner's shoulder.

"I was taken to a lab. I-I do not recall where it was, because I had been blindfolded and sedated. When I arrived, they waited for me to wake up. I-I remember Kaschel was there, and several other men in black uniforms. Kaschel explained to me why I was there, and I was asked a lot of questions about Conjurus and magic and witchcraft. Each time I refused to answer, I was threatened with a glass of hot water. I don't know if they were going to pour it over me or make me drink it, but I answered their questions. Then I was left in a cell for a few days, with the bare minimum of food and water. At the end of the fourth day, Kaschel came to me, and told me that the SS had raided my parents' home. They resisted, and so... they were both shot. All our records of being ice Conjurus were found hidden under the floorboards. Kaschel told me I did not need to worry about being shot next because the records proved that I was a perfect specimen of two unbroken lineages, German and Conjurus.

"I think he expected that would make me happy. He tried getting me to cooperate by improving my food, giving me more water. When that yielded nothing, he said it was time for the 'hard way' of cooperating." Lechner unbuttoned his heavy jacket, gradually pulling away layers of clothing before untucking his shirt from his trousers. He was completely unbothered by the cold, though Carter was shivering more just watching him. Lechner lifted his shirt, revealing a series of long scars marring his pale skin on his chest, stomach, and right side. The scars had clearly been crudely sewn shut.

"How did you get those?" Carter wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"It is fairly well-known that my people have an ability to clot wounds faster than someone without magic. We can freeze them and then let them heal naturally. Kaschel was, shall I say, interested in that. I was held down on a table and cut open. No sedation. He and his pretend scientists wanted to see how long it takes for us to heal a serious injury. I was... hurt in many ways, similar to how soldiers would be hurt on a battlefield, just to test that ability." Lechner put his uniform back on, looking distant. "I was special and treated worse than dirt at the same time. I was their perfect specimen, but they treated me no differently than the people they want to destroy."

"How did you escape?"

"I cannot remember what led me to decide to finally escape. I do recall it being a bit chaotic after Wahler was killed. Kaschel spent more time away from the place I was being held. When I was taken out of my cell for a routine exam, I pretended to fall, and when the two scientists were dragged down with me, I impaled them with icicles. I do not know how I was strong enough to do that. I did not care. I fled, and I have been running for the last two weeks."

For a moment, Carter couldn't speak. He simply tightened his grip on Lechner's shoulder, sighing sadly. "I... I'm so sorry that happened to you. I-I know saying that doesn't change anything, but—"

"I do not want sympathy. I just want to go somewhere I know I will be safe, although to be honest with you, no amount of distance from Kaschel will save me from the memories of what happened."

"If I was charge, you would be in England already." Carter gave a slight laugh. "Actually, if I was in charge, I doubt our operation would be as successful. I'm technically the newest member, and not an officer. I can be a bit... absentminded at times."

"I have yet to see that. I imagine if you were absentminded all of the time, you would not be allowed to undertake missions by yourself."

"Good point. Colonel Hogan did send me out here because he knew you responded well to me. That and I volunteered. None of us want you to get caught." Carter gave him a curious look. "Were you trying to get to England by yourself? Is that why you ran off?"

"I ran away because I had a feeling you would come after me. As I said before, I do not wish to be made to tell my story in front of everyone."

"So, you were more comfortable telling me in private, so I can tell them?"

"You could put it that way, yes."

Relief flooded Carter. Finally, they were getting somewhere. "You mentioned this morning that you talked to someone who knows Country Mouse—that's the codename of the man I gave the bomb to last night. Did you get a name?"

Lechner shook his head. "All he said was that he passed information on to the Underground from time to time, conversations he overhears from German officers and soldiers."

"We have a lot of people who do that for us in Hammelburg. That doesn't narrow it down much."

"He owns a restaurant two blocks away from the store that your Country Mouse runs."

"Mr. Landauer. We've worked with him a couple of times. Was he short and stocky? Reading glasses? Brown hair that's starting to thin at his temples?"

Lechner nodded. "That sounds like the same man I talked to."

"Alright. We need to talk to him to make sure he doesn't get put in any danger. No one can know you're here. You understand that, right?"

Another nod.

Carter stood. "Let's head back before we're missed." A part of him was still afraid of Lechner turning and running, but he sensed now that Lechner had told his story, he would be a bit more trusting.

Lechner covered their tracks all the way back to the tree stump. Even when he was on the ladder inside the stump, he covered their tracks surrounding it. Now, it looked like no one had ever left.

Carter was glad to be back, and relieved that he had made it long before roll call. The rest of the team all turned to look at him as he and Lechner climbed up the bunk bed ladder back into Barracks Two.

"You got him back. Well done, Andrew," Newkirk said with a nod.

"Thanks." Carter looked at Hogan. "Lechner got in contact with Landauer, the restaurant owner in Hammelburg."

"How did you figure that out?" Hogan asked.

"I told him," Lechner said. He backed away shyly when the attention was shifted to him.

"Do you know that your old friend Kaschel is going to have the Gestapo question everyone in Hammelburg about you?"

"No, sir."

"Was Landauer the only person you talked to in town?"

Lechner nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Alright. Newkirk, I want you to go warn Landauer."

"Right now, sir?" Newkirk asked.

"Right now. Be back before evening roll call—" Hogan was stopped by the sound of the barracks door opening, and whirled around to say, "Schultz, don't you ever knock?"

Schultz looked a little embarrassed, saying, "Colonel Hogan, I was ordered by Commandant Klink to make a surprise inspection, and—" Schultz paused, and raised a finger to point at Lechner. "Colonel Hogan, why is there a German soldier in your barracks?"

Lechner turned to face Schultz, who began stammering, "Th-Th-That's—"

"Nobody, Schultz, it's nobody," Hogan said.

Schultz shook his head. "No. No, Colonel Hogan, I cannot let this slide. That is the man that the SS are looking for. If the commandant finds out—"

"You'll be the one in trouble for letting him slip into camp."

Schultz sighed. "Fine. I see nothing, nothing." With that, he left the barracks.

Hogan waited until the door closed behind Schultz, then turned to Lechner with his arms folded over his chest. "You're lucky that was just Schultz."

"How do you know he won't tell anyone I am here?" Lechner asked.

"When he says he doesn't see anything, he means it. You're safe. For now."

Newkirk returned shortly before evening roll call. As he was changing back into his RAF uniform, he told Hogan and the others about his meeting with Landauer.

"He nearly jumped out of his skin when I approached him," Newkirk started. "I told him the ice chap had made it to us, and that the SS is trying to find his scent. Landauer then said that he's suspected Gestapo agents have already been in his restaurant. A couple of times today, there were two different men asking questions to random people."

"Did they talk to him at all?" Hogan asked.

"No. Not yet, anyway. We're approaching the busy hours, so there's still enough time left in the day for someone to question him."

"Our biggest concern is with the Gestapo having caught Underground agents in the past, they have a rough idea of what our code system is," Kinchloe said. "Landauer is going to have to be really careful who he talks to. All it takes is one slip. That, and Landauer has a son fighting in North Africa. If he gets arrested, his son could get in a lot of trouble, too."

"At least Landauer was warned. Our next job is going to be getting ahold of someone who's willing to escort Lechner to England," Hogan said.

"That won't be easy. The weather's going to get worse over the next few days."

"Did London say anything about that magic resistance group?" Carter asked.

"They said 'someone's already on the case,' but didn't say who, only that we can trust them if we run into them."

"That doesn't help us much," Newkirk said. "Anyone can say they're part of this magic group, then."

"Regardless of who it is, it sounds like their identity has to be guarded tightly."

"The other question is, if this person is already looking for Lechner, why don't we let them come to us?" Carter asked.

"Why are they looking for Lechner, though? Are they trying to help him escape as well?" Newkirk added.

Hogan was quiet for a moment. "I don't want to be stepping on the toes of another operation. Kinch, did London say where their main operation is located?"

Nodding, Kinchloe said, "They're all over Germany, sir, but their primary operation is a triangular territory between Augsburg, Königsdorf, and Munich. They pass on information about German tactics and projects, and send defectors to Switzerland. They're not big into sabotage."

"So, they're the quiet and subtle type."

"They've been moderately successful. It's a combination of civilian operatives and secret members in the German military. I think that's why they don't engage in sabotage—they don't want to accidentally kill one of their own."

"And London didn't say if the person the magic group sent is civilian or military?" Newkirk asked.

"Nope."

"Well, that's not exactly helpful."

"Actually, it is," Hogan said, snapping his fingers. "The person is definitely military. Otherwise, why would they give the absolute bare minimum about them?"

"True. A traitor in uniform would face a stiffer penalty if caught," Kinchloe added.

"That still doesn't narrow it down by much," Newkirk said. "What branch? Are they officer or enlisted?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think London will tell us."

Veidt repeatedly cursed himself as he buried a pair of wire cutters in the grove of trees in the courtyard of the hotel that night. The snow was deep enough for him to bury the wire cutters, and they wouldn't be found until spring. By then, they would be rusted and useless. He wasn't worried about them being found, but he was worried about how long it would take Kaschel to figure out what happened. Obviously Kaschel wouldn't be getting any phone calls, but Veidt hadn't been successful in switching his line with Kaschel's, as shown with the red marks on his fingertips.

Why did I think trying was a good idea? That was so stupid of me! Veidt threw another pile of snow onto the wire cutters, then started heading back to the hotel. When he got to the door, he kicked some snow onto his tracks. It was supposed to snow again the next night anyway, but he covered them just in case.

Veidt tried to remain as calm as possible as he entered the hotel. The lights had been dimmed and the only people awake were the night staff. They paid him no attention as he headed back up to his room, probably assuming that he had gone out for a cigarette or fresh air or something of the like.

Once he was back in his room, Veidt breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The Gestapo would have a much harder time reaching Kaschel. It would buy Lechner some time, but Veidt had his own mission to think of. He still had to get to Lechner.

He thought hard while changing into his nightclothes. Hammelburg had a sizable resistance known as the Underground, which operated in the roughly 161 kilometers between it and Düsseldorf. He and Kaschel had been warned that these people were dangerous saboteurs, and needed to be careful about what they said in front of people they didn't know. Perhaps he could find one of these Underground members, but he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them that he was on their side.

It is worth a try, though, Veidt thought. He tightened the band of his robe before going over to the tea set that had been brought into his room shortly before he left to try and rewire Kaschel's telephone. He had given up in a fit of frustration, and found the cutters in a toolshed. How he had been able to go in and out without waking Kaschel was a miracle. Pouring hot water over a bag of lemon ginger tea, Veidt wanted nothing more than to relax for the rest of the night and save his energy for the next morning.

I have no clue where to start in contacting this... Underground. He stared into his cup as the tea steeped, occasionally giving it a gentle stir. The local Gestapo probably have a list of people they suspect are members. A smile gradually spread across Veidt's face. And Kaschel will not suspect a thing if I go. The smile faded rapidly. But how will I keep him from accompanying me?