Carter hung his head over a pot of bubbling liquid and sniffed deeply. With a sigh of longing, he glanced over both shoulders. LeBeau leaned against the nearest bunk with his back to the stove, bickering with Newkirk as usual. In the blink of an eye, Carter stuck his finger in the liquid and thrust it in his mouth. A sharp swat stung his arm. Carter whipped around to find an annoyed Frenchman behind him, wooden spoon in hand.
"For that, you can do the dishes tonight," LeBeau said.
"Aw, come on, Louis," Carter protested, "It was just a taste."
"Oh yeah? When was the last time you washed your hands?"
Carter blushed. Newkirk snickered as he absent-mindedly shuffled his deck of cards. Kinch, seated on the opposite end of the table, merely shook his head in amusement as he turned a page of his book. The bickering stopped when the bunkbed lifted, revealing the tunnel below. Hogan emerged seconds later, a yellow scrap of paper with a hastily scrawled message in his hand.
"What's the word, Colonel?" asked Kinch.
"Looks like the krauts just finished converting an old factory not far outside Hammelburg into a nuclear laboratory. Production is set to start in a couple days. It seems London wants us to level this laboratory before it has a chance to start running."
"One problem, Colonel," Carter remarked, "we don't know the layout of this factory or anything. How'll we know where to set the explosives?"
"Not a problem. London's already on it. They're sending an agent our way by the name of Snowgoose. She has the blueprints to the lab and all the information we'll need."
"She?" LeBeau rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "Mon Colonel, I volunteer to meet this agent."
"Hang on, now," Newkirk protested, "you've met the last two female agents that came through here. I think it's time ol' Newkirk had a crack at a dangerous mission."
"What about me?" asked Carter. "It's my turn to go on a mission, anyway. I'd hate to be considered a slacker."
The bickering rose in volume until Hogan finally waved his arms for silence. "All right, pipe down! Let's do this the democratic way." He produced his cap and tossed it on the table. "Each man puts his name in the hat. Whoever I draw gets to meet Snowgoose."
They did as he said. Naturally, Newkirk won. To avoid the scoffing which was bound to occur, Hogan leaped right into details.
"We're to meet Snowgoose by the fountain in town at noon exactly. The code phrase we'll use will be 'I believe it may snow tonight.' Snowgoose has to answer, 'Yes, it will be bad for my young calf.' Then we'll take her back here to review the blueprints."
Newkirk cocked his head. "We, Colonel?"
Hogan responded with a sneaky grin. "That's right. I can't let you go out alone. It'd be too dangerous… for Snowgoose."
Newkirk rolled his eyes and ignored the snickers from his amused teammates.
"All humor aside," Hogan continued, "this isn't just an average mission. Destroying that lab is top priority, and you can guarantee it'll be extremely guarded. Now, I don't know who this Snowgoose is, but if London trusts her to help us with this mission, then I've no doubt she's one of the toughest, most skilled agents in Germany."
