Chapter 8: Rescue Attempt

Hogan moved fast, his men falling into step behind him.

The warehouse loomed above them and they quickly drew to the surrounding buildings.

'Haven't we been here before?' Carter asked.

'Yeah,' Newkirk said. 'We blew it up a few months back.'

'It's still deserted,' Hogan said. 'That must be why they picked that particular building for this. It's empty and it's close to the church.'

'Why's that a factor?' Carter asked.

'Because who would expect you to be hiding weapons in a church?' Kinch answered. 'What do you wanna do, colonel?'

'They'll be expecting us to sneak in through anywhere but the front door,' Hogan said. 'But they may also have all the doors covered.'

'So we go in through the windows?' LeBeau asked.

'Specifically, those ones.' Hogan pointed.

HH

The two men sat on the castle's balcony, watching the warehouse.

'Oh, that's clever,' Vasilli said.

'Hm.' Walter nodded. 'With a bit of luck, and a strong breeze, we won't even have to be seen doing anything.'

'That would be ideal.'

'You're not counting on it?'

'No.' Vasilli frowned. 'And I don't think Crina is either.'

'So, are we gonna move?' Walter asked.

'Not until they're actually in trouble,' Vasilli said. 'We want to save them, not alienate them.'

Walter nodded. 'I suppose you're right. Our methods do tend to scare the pants off of people – even the ones we're trying to save.'

'Which is partially why Hogan got the disclaimer on the violence.'

HH

Hogan was the last to land on the walkway.

As he'd expected, the upper windows were unguarded. There was a spot where the glass had been previously removed. That led Hogan to believe that the Duchess or the Count had previously entered the warehouse through that window. The higher vantage point also gave them a bird's eye view of the warehouse. The only problem was that of the walkway. It was made of metal. The men still did a very good job of landing quietly.

Wordlessly, Hogan sent Kinch and Carter in one direction, and LeBeau and Newkirk in another.

He himself had a pretty good idea where he'd find Tiger.

Slipping through the warehouse, he remembered the layout from the last time they'd been here. There was a small room that was used as an interrogation room before. Before the war, he imagined it'd been a supervisor's office. Hogan was sure that was where he would find Tiger.

As he crept closer, he heard the sound of chains being tugged at.

HH

Carter and Kinch moved slowly and carefully.

While Carter was a klutz, and Kinch had an "indiscreet" skin colour (as far as the Nazis went), they were both long-since used to moving quietly on Col. Hogan's orders. And this was a particularly important mission to the colonel. Both of them had full understanding of what the Colonel's sense of urgency was all about.

It didn't matter to him how much he had to risk himself for Tiger.

And they would never let him do it alone.

As they slipped around the warehouse, they both realised it was a little too deserted…

…Until they rounded a corner.

HH

LeBeau followed Newkirk as he picked a lock and led them into a deserted room.

'There's nobody around,' LeBeau whispered. 'I don't like it.'

'Me neither, mate,' Newkirk said. 'But it is supposed to be a trap for the colonel.'

'You don't think they thought we'd sneak in and are lying in wait somewhere, do you?' LeBeau asked. 'They have made a study of the colonel's tactics, no?'

'That's what worries me,' Newkirk grumbled, reaching down to look at a series of medieval style weapons. 'And I got a nasty feeling if they do capture us, they've got no intention to shoot us.'

Before LeBeau could respond, a German accent spoke from above.

'Very astute, my British friend.'

HH

A car pulled up down the road from the warehouse.

Crina turned her attention to it as Charles pushed the back seat forward and climbed out of the trunk. He moved into the front passenger seat. Pulling out her cigarette case, Crina took one out and lit it. Dragging the tobacco into her lungs, she then exhaled and looked across at the warehouse.

'Yeah,' she said. 'That's what I thought would happen.'

'His men have been captured,' Charles observed.

The Duchess nodded. 'And Hogan's about to be captured too.'

HH

Tiger had known he was coming.

She knew that. They were too close to him, and he was sure to find out. If he did not discover it on his own, they would let the information slip out to him. And he would come for her. It was what he always did. But her heart was in her throat at the very thought of it. So when she heard the door being carefully opened, she looked up in alarm.

Col. Robert Hogan quickly glanced around the room outside as he taped the door catch up.

Then he looked at her and stepped into the room. A quick glance around, and she knew he was looking for any place where a bug could be. But the room was big and empty. She'd looked around herself. And she'd run a few tests herself. It seemed odd, but the sort of things she'd yelled out, she'd know if there were any here.

'The inside of the room is unmonitored,' she said.

His eyes took her in. 'You're not hurt, are you?' He leaned over and took her hands, pulling a lock-pick out of his pocket.

'No,' she said. 'But you shouldn't have come. It's a trap.'

'I know,' Hogan said. One of her cuff's un-clicked and he slowly and carefully lowered it down to minimise the noise it made. 'By a batch of Rogue Nazis a bit smarter than the average variety.'

'You came here knowing it was a trap?' Tiger demanded.

Hogan pulled away the second cuff and looked up at her. 'Of course I did. You didn't think I'd just leave you here, did you?'

Tiger felt her heart pound against her throat. She knew that Hogan went out of his way to save her on a regular basis, orders or no orders. In fact, she knew he did it against orders more often than not. But she'd never thought that he'd willingly walk into a trap, even for her. His operation was too important.

'What about your men?' Tiger asked.

Hogan smiled and laid his hands on her hips. 'As if they'd let me walk into a trap on my own.'

Letting out a breath, Tiger stepped into his embrace. His arms wrapped securely around her and, for a moment, she was reminded of the life she had laid out in front of her before the war: a peaceful life where her greatest concern had been finding a husband and then bearing and raising his children. A part of her wondered, after all of this was over, if Robert Hogan could possibly be that man or if he would become "the One that got away".

Her mother had told her countless times in her childhood to count herself lucky if she found a kind man.

Now, with Hogan brushing his lips across her hairline and rubbing her back, she wondered at it. She didn't think he was the type to settle down, but she couldn't help but think of it. Tiger wondered if he loved her as much as she loved him; if that was what fuelled his rescue missions of her, regardless of what anyone else said.

'Come on,' he whispered. 'We have to meet up with my men and get you out of here.'

'Yes.' Tiger straightened up.

The door suddenly swung open behind them.

Hogan spun around, an arm going out as if to protect her.

The Nazi Sergeant in charge stepped in. 'My congratulations, Col. Hogan. We nearly didn't see you and your men's entrance. If my men hadn't been so quick to realise you were here, you'd have walked in and out with your woman.'

Hogan's eyes narrowed.

Tiger's heart sank.

AN: Okay, I'm not totally satisfied with how the Heroes got captured, but they had to get captured.