Chapter 9 – How to Save A Life

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

'What do you mean no?!" Newkirk's demand was so loud, that down in the tunnels, LeBeau paused his work on the microphone disruption devices that he and Daniels were working on, and glanced at the trapdoor.

Above them, Newkirk slammed the newly created harness onto the table, glaring at Kinch, "I made this ruddy thing, he got left there because of me being too injured to bloody move, and now you're telling me I can't even get him out of there!"

Kinch glared right back, before turning his attention back to the climbing gear he was trying to fix for their mission tonight, "That is precisely what I'm telling you, it's good to know your ears aren't as broken as your arm," he sniped back pointedly, "just how useful do you think you're going to be when you can't lift your arm more than a couple of inches without nearly collapsing in pain?" the temporary commander asked and watched Newkirk's face as he registered that this was a valid point,

"But-"

"But nothing! You will be a danger to us and yourself, Newkirk, and I will not have you take any risks,"

"Who the hell-" Newkirk stated, his eyes practically glowing with indignant anger, despite the logic behind the ban being apparent to him,

"Your current commanding officer," Kinch's voice might as well have been steel when he cut across Newkirk. There was a moment when English corporal looked like he was going to continue his argument, before the fight seemed to drain right out of him, and he sank back into the chair,

"I feel so useless," the words were so quiet that Kinch nearly missed them over a wave of laughter from a group of men on the other side of Barracks 2. Kinch felt as if a hand was squeezing his heart, as he looked at the Englishman who had started fiddling with the threads on the harness they were going to use for Hogan, understanding now why he was so adamantly demanding to be taken along. He had woken up earlier that morning in less of a foul mood than expected, though he still wasn't talking to LeBeau as he was the one who sedated him through his food and drink. Colour was returning to his skin and though it was clear he was not up for anything more strenuous than breathing, he was clearly in an improved condition, news of which was a sweet relief for the otherwise downtrodden men of barracks 2. Kinch reached out and placed a gentle hand on Newkirk's good shoulder, causing the corporal to look up in surprise,

"You are alive and you have survived to design this excellent harness for Hogan's rescue," Kinch nodded to the leather contraption sitting on the table, "it might not feel as useful as physically going in after him, but when he gets back, he'll be happy to know you were safe. You are far from useless Peter, without you, we wouldn't have a chance of getting him out in one piece," They held each other's gaze for a moment that seemed to stretch before Newkirk seemed to centre himself and nodded, "right you are, Kinch," he said, his voice still quiet, but lacking that despondent tone that had infused it since the corporal had been returned to them.

"I did it!" the loud exclamation accompanied by the banging of the trapdoor opening had them both jerking out of their moment of contemplation and turning to Carter, who excitedly bounded towards them, his arms full of wires and electronic boxes,

"You defused it?" Kinch asked, a slow smile spreading as Carter nodded,

"In 25.6 seconds!" Carter added and even Newkirk laughed, getting up somewhat gingerly and patting him on the back,

"Well done Andrew, me old mate," he said, grinning as the demolitions man puffed up,

"Now I'll go practice it while hanging, as Rudolph said that it might feel different, and they could have placed the charges in an unexpected place," and with that, he was back down the ladder into the tunnels,

"I had complete faith in him," Newkirk said, turning to Kinch,

"Oh, sure," Kinch replied and they both chuckled as they returned to the harness and climbing kits.

Night came upon them quickly, bringing with a snow and a blasting cold wind. Kinch frowned as they gathered outside for roll call, thinking that this weather might cause them all sorts of problems while climbing,

"It is very cold and windy, Kinch," LeBeau said, the look on his face indicating to the sergeant that this was not just a casual comment about the weather, but that the Frenchman had been thinking along the same lines as Kinch,

"I know, but we will just have to manage," Kinch replied.

Roll call finished quickly, as even the bald eagle himself wanted to get out of the quickly worsening weather conditions.

The three men hurried into the tunnels, bidding a worried looking Newkirk goodbye at the Colonel's office, "Just…come back safe," he said, watching them walk away and they nodded, understanding the frustration he must feel watching his mates walk away into danger while he sat in the prison camp.

They stripped quickly as they could, getting into their climbing gear now to limit the time of their exposure once they were outside gestapo HQ. Rudolph was also suiting up with them, painting his face with the black grease they used, "this weather will hinder us," he said, looked at the others and Kinch nodded,

'Yeah, but it will ruin every patrol out there too, it's good news for us,"

"Especially because we have everything to lose," LeBeau added, his face set in a grim mask of determination,

"Except we're not going to lose," Carter added in and the four of them paused, looking at each other, taking a moment to contemplate that no brave words could hide the fact that their chances of success were low and the risks were very high.

"For Hogan," Kinch said, his low voice barely making it past the group of four,

"For Hogan," the other three repeated and then moved off to the emergency tunnel, for better or worse, they were committed now.

The drive to gestapo HQ was tense, but problem free. Snow was battering their little van now, and the wind had picked up to gale force, throwing tree branches and whatever else that was not firmly held down, against the car as it made its way through the outskirts of town, heading to the eastern perimeter, where they would leave the car before walking ten minutes to the back wall of the HQ.

That ten-minute walk suddenly seemed like it was going to take a whole heap longer.

"Did you bring the snow gear for Hogan?" Kinch asked as he strapped his own spiked snow shoes on, the metal clanking against the bottom of the van, huddled as they were in the back,

"Yeah, it's here," Cart said, indicating a satchel, "I left the jacket in here though, cause the bag has no room,"

Kinch frowned, "He could be very sensitive to the cold after…" Kinch stopped himself there. Worry and fear had to wait until after Hogan was safely in their arms and out of gestapo claws,

"He can have my jacket," Carter said without hesitation and Kinch nodded,

"We're here," LeBeau said, twisting in the driver's seat as he pulled the van around to face back to Stalag 13 for a quick getaway, killing the engine, and manoeuvring himself into the back with the others,

"Okay, so let's go over the play again," Kinch said, "Carter?"

"Once we get to the window, I'll open it and do a quick scan of what's happening inside, before defusing the timer, which should be to the left of me," Carter said,

"LeBeau?" Kinch prompted,

"I will steady Carter, and as soon as he is done, I will go straight for the Colonel, and put him in the harness, regardless of his consciousness,"

"Good, Rudolph?"

"I will stay outside, keeping an eye out for guards or patrols, though I know they do not patrol this area as they have a shortage of men. I will hoot if I hear or see anything,"

"And you're sure you'll be able to walk?" Kinch asked, "cause now's your chance to pull out," The young German seemed to pull himself up to sit a little straighter,

"I will do this for the sake of your commander," he replied and Kinch accepted that the young man would not join them if he truly thought he was going to be a liability,

"Right, and I will be listening at the door for any signs of movement, although now it's lights out across the building, correct?"

"Yes Kinch,"

"Alright," Kinch picked up his grappling hook climbing set, "this is it. If we don't make it-"

"We will," LeBeau cut across him, "failure is not an option,"

Kinch looked about to argue before dropping it. If they were walking to their deaths, they would do it with their heads held high.

With that, they opened the back doors of the van, closing and locking it as the last man clambered out and into a foot of snow, the wind clawing at them, trying to get under their clothes, biting their skin through every crack and opening it could find,

"Damn this weather," Kinch muttered under his breath as they started off, heads bent, and ears alert, walking down the empty road,

"I really don't think we'll have to worry-about-patrols-tonight," LeBeau panted, the shorter man genuinely struggling to keep up, though he sank into the snow banks less than the others,

"No need to fear, we are nearly there," Rudolph said, more used to these kinds of conditions than his companions,

"I fear I will tire before we even get there," Kinch replied, his breaths also coming a little shorter and sharper than normal, his eyes watering in the terrific wind that pushed against them, as if nature itself was on the gestapo's side tonight.

"No need to fear," Rudolph repeated again, this time pointing in front of him, and through the white haze around them, they made out a dark shape rising in front of them, "That is the back wall," he said, "come, we will have more shelter when we are closer,"

The promise of slightly improved conditions had them picking up their place, and finally, blessedly, coming to rest against the frigid concrete wall of Gestapo HQ, the red Nazi flags above them, waving madly in the wind, the windows all darkened and foreboding. They took a minute to gather themselves.

"Why is there no fence?" LeBeau asked, the question having bothered him from the moment they had spotted the HQ,

'Because this is a secret. This is meant to just be a lodge for holidaying soldiers, not a military base," Rudolph replied and LeBeau nodded his understanding,

"Well they're about to lose a guest," Carter said, his teeth flashing, a momentary spot of light in the otherwise extremely dim conditions,

"Let's get to it," Kinch leaned away from the wall, dropping his backpack as the other two did the same. They unpacked the climbing kit, snow barrelling in on them as they did, and Kinch squinted up, the wind and the darkness not at all helping him locate the right window,

"third floor, fourth window from the right," Rudolph said, following Kinch's gaze, "so the best place to launch would be…" he trailed off as he paced off to the left, about 10 metres from where the others were standing, "here," he finished, his voice muted in the sheer blankets of snow, but carried by the wind,

Kinch merely nodded, and the others picked up their gear and moved to the right spot. Each of them readied their grapple gun and aimed at the high roof, five floors up from where they were, "lets hope German engineering holds us in place," Kinch said, "on my count, three, two, one," on one they each fired the guns, and winced in turn from the recoil as the grapple sped away from them. To what sounded like to the four espionage agents, an almighty clank and crack, two of the three hooks lodged themselves into something, while Carter's came crashing back down, the young sergeant saved only by Rudolph's reflexes, pulling him away from the heavy metal projectile.

There was silence for a full minute, as the three sat tensely, waiting for some reaction to the noise that sounded like an entire army to they who were trying to be as quiet as possible,

'Thank God," Kinch finally breathed out,

"But my hook didn't work," Carter said, looking completely put out,

"Doesn't matter, you and LeBeau go up first, Rudolph and I will steady the lines from down here,"

"Okay," Carter finished hooking all his tools to his belt, before hooking his climbing harness to the guide rope as LeBeau did the same from the right of him,

"Ready?' Kinch asked, and the two men nodded, before putting their dominant arm and leg on the wall and pushing, so that the hook on the guide line slid upwards, the snow and the cold making the metal rub against each other with greater friction than normal. They then used their other arm and leg to pull on the guide rope and hoist themselves up. The hook clicked into place with each pull, and allowed them to reach further up and pull themselves with the assistance of the rope.

It was slow going with the wind pushing and pulling them, and cold turning their fingers numb, but they were absolutely focused, keeping themselves moving ever upwards, past the first-floor window, the window itself providing useful crevices and cracks for latching onto, and then, tiring now, past the second window. For one heart stopping moment, as Carter went to put his weight onto the window sill, it cracked and he would have fallen to his death had the hook on the guide line not immediately locked into place with his sudden downward movement, leaving him dangling wildly in mid-air, LeBeau desperately reaching out to grab him and help him realign himself.

On the ground, their hearts going a mile a minute, Kinch and Rudolph had stifled their cries and instead focussed on keeping the guide rope as steady as physically possible, though it had been ripped out of Rudolph's grasp thanks to the sudden change of weight. They watched with baited breath as Carter righted himself, before starting to climb once more, a cut on his face from banging his head against the wall, invisible to those on the ground, stinging the sergeant's eyes and caused blood to obscure his vision,

"There's blood in my eye," he said, as they climbed and LeBeau shot him a concerned glance, "it's just a scratch," Carter was quick to reassure as he heaved himself upwards, their third floor target window coming into sight now,

'Facial injuries bleed," LeBeau replied, the lighter man naturally more agile and not struggling as much with the climb. A particularly nasty breeze hit them both just then and it was all they could do to cling to the wall and hope they could hold on until it passed. Carter took that moment to mop up some of blood with his scarf, hoping there would be a chance at the window to bandage it properly so he could see.

At last, at long last, with a massive heave, Carter managed to pull himself to face level with their target window, as LeBeau quickly followed to his right. The window ledge was wide and made of solid stone, unlike the wooden one below it, so Carter quickly manoeuvred himself onto it, sitting himself down, his burning muscles thankful for the rest. In another moment, LeBeau joined him and they both took in large lungful's of bitterly cold air,

"Let me see your face,' LeBeau said, taking Carter by the chin and turning his head to face him, "ah, that looks painful," he said, drawing out a very dim torchlight to better see, not worried about anyone in the town or any guards on duty spotting a light due to the blanketing effect of the storm,

"It doesn't hurt too much," Carter said, "The cold has probably numbed it some, though," he added with a quiet chuckle, as LeBeau used some utility tape and a strip of his shirt to make a makeshift bandage, if only to keep the blood out of Carter's eyes,

"How's that?" LeBeau asked and Carter reached up with a hand to feel it, mopping any remaining blood off his face,

"Perfect. Now, the window," he said, turning around carefully, hooking a little lockable footrest onto his guide wire and handing the other side to LeBeau who did the same. It would provide a little platform to give them something to lean back on to give themselves better access to the window. Carter carefully lowered himself onto the platform, easing his weight onto it, to make sure it could take his weight, as LeBeau, being the smaller between them simply knelt on the concrete platform, leaning against the wall.

'We open on the count of three, all right?" Carter asked, the weight of this moment not lost on either of them. They had no idea what they were opening this window to find. Hogan could be unconscious, he could be conscious but delirious, and make so much noise that it draws the guard. There could be someone in there with him. There were literally a countless number of factors they hadn't accounted for. This plan was laughed at by half-baked plans for its ridiculous reliance on luck. Yet here they were.

"Alright," LeBeau nodded and inserted the tool through the gap, positioning it to lift the catch from the inside,

'Three…two…one," LeBeau slid the catch and opened the window in one quick motion, starting the stopwatch which he placed on the sill. Andrew dove into the room, sailing through the blackout curtain and coming to stand up in the room, his torch out and illuminating the scene before him.

Hogan, asleep on a massive four-poster bed, the smell of blood and decay, the laboured breaths of their commander, the complete lack of light except that which was coming from his torch. His brain registered all of this in less than five seconds, but he had already turned away, deciding if there was someone who was going to shoot him, in his current, extremely vulnerable state, he wouldn't be able to do anything anyway,

"25 seconds!" LeBeau hissed from the ledge as Carter yanked up the blackout curtains and found the timer, ticking down to the right of the window. He hurriedly jammed the torch into his mouth and started dismantling the box as the timer continued ticking down,

23.40

He opened the box and took a moment to examine the wiring and was pleased to find it was of standard German engineering that he had been practising on all day

18.75

He worked to unplugged the C4 from the casing but it was still connected to the fuse

10.45

Carter reached into his belt to grab his cutter, but it slipped and hit the floor with a dull thud, taking his heart with it as fear spiked through him,

5.25

He could hear LeBeau's anxious whisper-shouting, but he knew he had no time to do anything, so he acted on instinct,

1.00

And yanked a wire he was relatively sure led to the trip wire.

Then there was silence.

And then Carter realised he could still hear Hogan's breathing, smell the foul stench of the room mixing with the frigid air, and he nearly whooped with joy as he looked up to meet LeBeau's gaze with a triumphant smirk. LeBeau grinned and hopped lightly into the room, as Carter lowered himself onto the ground, trembling with the near-death experience, his head hanging between his legs as he tried to steady his breathing. And so it was LeBeau who was the first to fully examine Hogan's room in the beam of his torchlight.

The corporal felt a growing rage as he looked at the blood, everywhere, clearly old and dried, on the carpet, on the bed, his anger and horror rocketing upwards in equal measures, as the light fell on Hogan. The colonel was tied down to the bed, his wrists, though mostly hidden by the ties, clearly a raw red from his struggles. There were a vast array of catheters and cannulas going into and out of the colonel and LeBeau felt nausea rising as he took tentative steps towards his commander, the colonel's chest rising and falling rapidly, his eyes moving wildly beneath his closed eyelids. His skin was a horrid grey pallor, and veins were standing out in stark contrast to his pale skin on his arms.

His uniform was barely recognisable under the blood stains and tears, and it seemed much loser, as the man seemed to have lost weight, almost shrunk into himself. LeBeau felt tears welling up as the horror of what they must have done to his colonel hit him.

'What the hell," the quiet exclamation behind him, had LeBeau spinning into Kinch's torchlight as the man clambered through, apparently having made his way up the climbing lines. Next to him Carter looked pale and shaky as he added his own torch to fully reveal the prone form of their commander.

Kinch took a deep breath and then instantly regretted it as the days of unwashed sheets entered his senses. He gagged and coughed, muffling it as much as he could, then gathered his thoughts, "those bastards will pay," he said quietly, moving forward quickly, "but we have to move him now. LeBeau, get the harness," he said, shining the light to the shelves and pleased to find a basic first aid kit there. He turned back around to see the Frenchman was still frozen. As much as he wanted to offer comfort, this situation would turn fatal if they didn't move soon, 'Corporal LeBeau!" he hissed and the Frenchman seemed to snap of out of it, "ready the harness, we're taking him home," the word home seemed to have awoken the corporal fully and he nodded, words seemingly beyond him at the moment. He walked over to Carter, who was physically trembling, to get the bags. He laid a gentle hand on his elbow to steer the sergeant into helping as well, and they had the full body harness ready to go in a matter of another ten minutes, all the while Kinch worked to remove the binds holding the Colonel down.

"Listen at the door," Kinch then quietly ordered Carter, who nodded and walked with light steps to the door, pressing his ear against it, trying not to listen to the quiet sounds of pain behind him as Kinch was unhooking the colonel from the various lines and equipment. There was a louder groan as the drug line was removed, and Carter closed his eyes, willing his heart to beat at its normal pace, his mind to clear of the anger and disgust and horror, all aimed at the Gestapo.

Finally, Kinch, who had been kneeling on the bed, was done. His own breathing was irregular, unable to comprehend how anyone could do this to another human being, still more unable how anyone could do it to this human. This kind and compassionate man, this sterling leader, this brilliant strategist. Oh, they were going to make the Gestapo pay, alright. Kinch bandaged the last of the wounds and said,

"Alright, we're ready, get the harness," LeBeau hurried over the window, his own hands trembling as he brought it back to Kinch, and they somewhat clumsily managed to fit Hogan's arms and legs through it, the man limp and silent now, his head lolling to the side. They tightened it at last and Kinch called to Carter, "come on, help us carry him,"

The Sergeant came over immediately and the three of them carried the Colonel as though he were made of glass, carefully moving him over to the window. All three were dismayed at how light he was, his collar bones showing through clearly through his dry and dirty skin. In silence, they attached him to the guide ropes, the storm outside now worse than ever. The little ledge Carter had put on earlier providing the perfect place to place most of his weight so he was suspended while doing as little damage to whatever wounds they couldn't see on him at the moment, "get him down, and then let Rudolph and LeBeau carry him back to the van," Kinch said and both Carter and LeBeau looked up in surprise, even as they attached themselves to the guide rope, carefully easing themselves under their precious load,

"Kinch?" Carter asked, but the man shook his head, the dangerous gleam in his eye almost invisible in the sleet that was now pounding against them. The senior sergeant took his jacket off and tucked I around Hogan's shoulder's strapping it onto the rope, "put that on him when you get down, and come back up Carter," Kinch said again, and then walked back into the room.

The journey down was much easier and quicker, which was probably for the best given the state the colonel was in. Rudolph gasped as they brought the Colonel down and was quick to help to get him out of the harness,

"Carry him to the van," Carter said, "can you two manage?"

Both LeBeau and Rudolph nodded, and started retracing the steps they had taken an hour ago, their previous tracks long since covered in the snow. Carter watched them go for a minute before beginning the climb back up, somehow reenergised despite the state they found their colonel in, because he sensed that Kinch had payback planned, and there was nothing on heaven or earth that was going to stop Carter from participating.

It wasn't difficult to get the Colonel back to the van. Both Rudolph and LeBeau found every step lighter and easier to make because they had their colonel. He was alive and while not well, he would get better. This whole traumatic experience was just about over. So, despite the sleet, and the biting cold, and the pain in LeBeau's back, Hogan was not a burden between them, but a source of energy, the reason they were out here in the first place.

They reached the van and opened the back door quickly, the doors banging open as a terrific gust of wind nearly bowled the two of them over, "Nearly there!" LeBeau shouted, and he and Rudolph heaved the Colonel up and into the van, laying him gently on the mat they had brought with them specifically for this purpose.

The man was still, unmoving but for the rising of his chest and the flickering behind his eyelids, but LeBeau's heart was full, full of anguish for the suffering this man felt, full of joy that they had gotten him out of that hell hole, 'I will inspect him for any further injuries!" LeBeau said, having to yell over the creaking and groaning of the van. Rudolph nodded,

"I will go back!" he replied and LeBeau frowned,

"Why?" the Frenchman asked,

"Because I believe your friend wants retribution for your colonel?" Rudolph asked but LeBeau had a feeling he already knew the answer. There was no chance they were going to let this go,

'Yes," LeBeau answered simply, as he removed the jacket and then what was left of the colonel's shirt,

"Then I will help them," Rudolph replied, before turning and leaving through the open doors, shutting them and the cold outside, leaving LeBeau with the task of caring for the man who truly never stopped caring for them.

Rudolph hoisted himself up the ledge with his leg screaming in agony, to the sight of a gun barrel in his face, followed by a surprised, "what are you doing here?" he looked up and gratefully accepted a hand from a surprised Carter, taking in the unconscious guards on the floor and the room that was now lit,

"Thought I told you to go with LeBeau," Kinch growled from his position on the floor, where he was working with the C4 Carter had removed from the window, dividing it, and rewiring it,

"I did and the Colonel is now safely in the van with your colleague. I thought I would come back and help you," Rudolph answered, wincing as he stepped towards and sat down on the bed before his leg gave out and he ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Well then, tell us what you know about the weak points in the building," Kinch replied, as Carter laid down the gun and moved to help the other sergeant,

"Weak points? Do you intend to demolish this whole building?" Rudolph asked, with a note of worry in his voice. Kinch paused in his activities to look up,

"Do you have a problem with that?" He asked, his tone dark and his voice loaded with a threat. Rudolph raised his hands in a placating manner,

"I ask only because what you are trying to accomplish is difficult, and dangerous, as it will involve going into the heart of HQ," he said,

"Okay, tell us where," Carter said, finality in his tone suggesting he also would broker no argument. Rudolph resigned himself to accepting that these men were not going to listen, no matter how suicidal their plan seemed,

"One you can put on the pillar in the stairwell, plant one bomb in the basement room, as when you walk in the second door on the right there is a gas tank and you could plant one there. The third bomb you could place on the first floor, in the lobby, where there is a large marble pillar that holds up most of the building, if what we were told in basic emergency evacuations and procedures is correct," Rudolph supplied and Kinch grinned at him,

"Perfect," he said, "three bombs, three locations, which is the hardest to get to?"

"The lobby, even at this hour it will be packed,"

"Very well, I shall go there," Kinch said and here Rudolph had to put his foot down,

"No Kinchloe," he said and the Kinch raised an eyebrow, "I am from here, they will not question me,"

"You're meant to be on leave, how are you going to explain being back?"

"I will go out the window and make my way around to the front, enter through there, say I forgot something, and needed to come back. My rooms are on the first floor anyway, so I can hurry in, grab my things, plant the bomb, activate it and be away. They will not suspect me,"

Kinch considered for a moment, "Very well, start going now, we're done here," he handed Rudolph the bomb and turned to Carter, "you put one on the main brace in the stairwell," he ordered and carter nodded, picking up his own C4,

"And you will go to the basement?" Rudolph asked, and Kinch nodded solemnly,

"I will, what is the guard presence like?"

"There will be no one in the basement, as long as you meet no one on the stairwell going down, you will be fine," Rudolph looked at the demo,

"How long is the charge set for?" he looked to Carter,

"Once you flick the red switch, we'll have fifteen minutes to get out," the sergeant replied, "so once you get to your target area, Kinch you'll have to wait five minutes to give Rudolph enough time to get into position," Carter turned to the German,

"Is that enough time?"

"It is, I know exactly where to drop this charge,"

"Good," Carted nodded,

"Where shall we meet when we are done?" Rudolph asked,

"Back at the van, plant your charge and get out of this building," Kinch replied, while moving the bodies of the gestapo men they took out earlier, while LeBeau and Rudolph were taking the Colonel to the van. He put them on the side of the bed away from the door and picked up one of the rifles they had carried with them, throwing the other one to carter,

"Set the charge, Carter, come back here and head straight back to the Van. Rudolph, I gather you'll be able to leave through the front door?"

"Yeah I will be," Rudolph nodded, shimmying out of his climbing gear, the overalls he has on under good enough to pass as a civilian pair. He reached down and picked up his C4 charge, smaller than the others, and slipped it into his pocket,

"This will be enough to bring down the building?" Carter asked, sounding apprehensive,

"Yes," Rudolph nodded, assurance woven into his tone, "we are targeting the weakest spots"

"Let's not waste any more time then gentlemen," Kinch said, making eye contact with each of them, before nodding and leading the way out into the comparatively bright corridor. Rudolph nodded and wished them luck, turning back to the window to make his way down and around to the front.

Turning towards the door behind them, and checking that the rifles they had picked up were locked and loaded, Kinch watched Rudolph climb out of the window before turning and shutting the door, locking himself and Carter out in the hallway. He took point as he and Carter headed for the main stairwell. Their footsteps were muffled on the carpet below them, and the light cast their shadows in multiple directions as they neared their destination. They stopped just before it, and Kinch edged the door open, listening for any footsteps,

"All clear," he whispered after he was satisfied, and opened the door fully, keeping the door open to allow Carter admittance, their footsteps soft on the cement. Kinch closed the door and nodded to the pillar in front of them, "plant here Carter," he said and the young man nodded. Just as Kinch was about to make for the stairs leading down to the basement, Carter threw his arm around Kinch, and hugged him,

"Good luck, brother," he said, pulling away but kept in place by Kinch's hand on his shoulder, a real smile gracing the other sergeant's face for what felt like the first time that day,

"And to you," Kinch tightened his grip on Carter's shoulder, "brother,"

With that Kinch turned away and hurried down the stairs, the darkness swallowing him up as Carter set the explosive in as an unobtrusive place as possible and settled down to wait the ten minutes for Kinch and Rudolph to reach their positions.

Kinch continued down the stairwell as light footed and as quickly as he could. The cold radiated from the cement and enveloped him, but he was powered but righteous anger as he slinked his way downstairs. It took him another minute to arrive on the basement level, and as he poked his head out cautiously from the stairwell into the basement corridor, he was pleased to see that Rudolph was right. With a determined smile, he made his way to the second door on the right as instructed.

Above him, on the ground floor Rudolph panted as he arrived at the front of the HQ, have fought his way through the snow. He spotted his friends on duty and called out a greeting to them. They raised their rifles in confusion before they realised who it was and shouted a greeting back, grabbing Rudolph's arm to help him through the door,

"What are you doing out here?" the first asked,

"I forgot the present I got for Mama, so I thought I would take it to her," Rudolph replied, laughing with a joviality he didn't feel as the bomb weight heavy in his pocket.

He was allowed in, every footstep he took feeling heavy and sluggish as the reality of what he was about to do hit him. He knew the gestapo needed to be taken down. But he had somehow forgotten that there were real, decent people who were going to die the minute these bombs went off along with the people who did what they did to Hogan. He walked in a mild haze up to his room and grabbed the first thing he saw before turning around. He slipped his hand into his pocket feeling the sticky C4 cling to his skin. For a moment his mind flashed back to the day he was taken from his family, dragged into a war he barely understood and didn't want to fight. They forced your hand he thought, but it didn't stop the guilt that washed over him as he made his way back downstairs. He felt the switch in his pocket, the switch that would turn the timer on. As he appeared back in the lobby, he spotted the vase standing conveniently in front of his target pillar. To the right was a man whose wife had just had a baby. At the front desk was another man who was two months away from being rotated home permanently to his wife and children. Rudolph felt every breath weighing on his chest as he thumbed the switch and eased the small block of plastic out of his pocket, keeping his gait steady. His heart was in his mouth he dropped the C4 into the vase with a quiet plink and kept walking, the voice of his former comrades echoing loudly in his mind. Like a vacuum seal being removed Rudolph forced himself to breathe again and walked out the front door, doing his very best not to look back.

Crouching next to the gas tank, Kinch set the fuse and gave up stealth for speed as he hurried up the stairs, heading back to the third floor, fully ready to shoot anything that got in his way. He emerged on the floor and sprinted back to Hogan's room, not sure why he felt the need to run as fast as he did, but knowing he could not stand to be in this building a moment longer. He burst into the Colonel's old room and simultaneously slung the rifle around his shoulders, before he shut the door behind him. He made his way to the window and hooked himself up to the line, as the snow soaked him thoroughly, now turning into heavy rain. He winced at the pain of its contact with his body but winched himself down as quickly as he could. Taking a breath of fresh air in, Kinch forced himself not to analyse anything that had happened tonight, but instead, headed back to their rendezvous point. They had a Colonel to get home.