Tower? What Fricking Tower?

Gertrude stepped out of the Kommandantur and into the harsh sunlight. She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes used to the cloudless sky. Karp stood next to her, his arm linked in hers, body ridged as a board. It was obvious her touch did not send any waves of ecstasy or passion through him. She filched at the thought of what their wedding night would be like. He would be doing his duty in a cold robotic fashion without any tenderness or need. His motives would be simply to make it impossible for her to seek an annulment. After that night, it was unlikely he would touch her again. He would reason, correctly, Gertrude thought, she would not ask for a divorce and let the world know she was so undesirable, not even her husband wanted to be intimate with her.

She felt panic build in her chest and fought the urge to call him out as the base liar he was. Gertrude looked up at him and saw her was looking at her with a quizzical expression on his face. She realized she was clutching his arm, her nails digging into the fabric of his coat. Knowing he was more concerned with her damaging his coat than anything he might feel for her, she willed herself to relax. She smiled up at him, which he did not return. Instead, he turned and looked out at the camp. A surreptitious leer briefly crossed his lips. She imagined him going from building to building, urinating on each in order to mark everything in the camp as his. She felt a pang of sympathy for Klink. If she failed in detangling herself from this man, she would not be the only one to suffer. Karp's boot prints would be all over the Klink's back in his mad rush for the Kommandant's chair. If he thought she was going to sacrifice herself or Klink on his narcissistic altar, he had another thing coming.

A young dark haired Obergefreiter, who she remembered from her kidnapping, rapidly approached them. He saluted both of them while wearing a broad gelastic grin on this face. Karp gave the young man an indolent one fingered salute. The Obergefreiter appeared unfazed by the superior officer's blasé response.

"Herr Major, Frau Linkmeyer, I have been instructed to show you around the camp and answer any questions you might have."

"Danke," replied Gertrude warmly. "You must forgive me; I remember your face but am unable to place your name."

The Obergefreiter tilted his head slightly to the right and surprisingly, favored her with an even larger smile. "It is to be expected gnädige Frau, as I am just one of many. Obergefreiter Karl Langenscheidt at your service," he replied snapping off another salute.

"Oh yes, now I remember. You drove me back to camp after the kidnapping." She watched as he bobbed his head in assent. "I remember how kind you were to me. I am sorry I have not taken the time to properly thank you."

"Really Gertrude, you shouldn't be so friendly with the enlisted men. They'll get the wrong idea," Karp said in a bored apathetic tone.

"What do you mean?" Gertrude replied making a conscious effort to bite back her anger.

"You give this sort the same courtesies as you would a person of import. He is enlisted and not even a NCO. What could you be thinking? Next thing you know he'll be strutting around here thinking he is just as good as you or I."

Gertrude looked at her fiancé through slitted eyes. Turning to the solider standing before her, she noticed he now looked uncomfortable and tense. His smile had faded from his face as he moved nervously. His eyes were rapidly glancing between the two individuals standing before him but he wisely kept to his own counsel.

"What did you do before the war?"

"I was a teacher," Langenscheidt hesitantly answered.

"Where?"

"Georg-August-Universität Göttingen."

"A professor?"

"No, I was working on my advanced degree when I was drafted." Langenscheidt gave her a shy but conspiratorial look. "They practically had to drag me to the recruiting station."

She looked up at Karp and asked, "And where did you attend University, my dear?"

"Never mind," Karp replied briskly dismissing her question. "You are supposed to show us around, no?"

"Yes Herr Major," Langenscheidt replied with a relieved look and his trademark smile back in place. "Our first stop will be the delousing station," he said as he motioned to his eight o'clock.

"Fine, then let us get on with it," Karp grumbled.

HHHHHHHHHH

By the time of the party Klink had promised her, Gertrude was happy because she could finally move her plans forward. For days she had been about to go out of her mind with boredom. Karp lay around the VIP quarters having his meals brought to him, while he smoked those fetid cigars. She was unsure where he had purchased them but to her they smelled as if they were had been stored in a monkey's butt. Not at all the pleasant aroma she remembered from her father's cigars. Even the half-hearted attempts Klink made to familiarize Karp with the operation seem to tire the man to the point of exhaustion.

Her eyes wandered around the room and she noticed the young woman Klink had brought as a date. Gertrude could have sworn she had seen her somewhere before. After staring at her for a few moments, it finally came to her. She was the sister of Hauptmann Richter, General Wexler's aide. Gertrude remembered seeing her with her brother at one of General Nehring's parties. She knew both brother and sister where heavily involved in the resistance movement.

If memory served her correctly, their uncle was Generalfeldmarschall Rudolf Richter, who mysteriously died when his car's gas tank exploded while visiting the camp six months ago. She remembered the event somehow involved Major Hochstetter. She wondered if the American Officer had anything to do with the incident. Her woman's intuition told her to bet the farm he had been the instigator in the entire fiasco.

Gertrude observed while the Fräulein was a guest of Wilhelm's, her eyes followed Colonel Hogan as he moved around the room. Klink seemed oblivious to her interest in the Senior POW or Hogan's interest in her. Poor Wilhelm, Gertrude thought, once again Hogan is using the Kommandant as a means to an end. She wondered how the proud Prussian's pride would hold up once all Hogan's tricks were brought to the harsh light of day. She thought it was likely Wilhelm's physical and mental health would suffer greatly. His record at the Stalag was the only thing he had and that was a farce. She felt some sympathy for the Kommandant and a little anger at Hogan. Intellectually she knew Hogan had a job to do and Klink was the enemy but did he have to do it with such glee. She wondered if it ever kept him up at night. Perhaps he was he able to compartmentalize and rationalize his actions. She thought the latter was the most probable. How else could any solider do his job and hang on to his sanity?

Gertrude looked around the room and saw Karp was keeping company with Oberst Klingemann's wife, Theresia. He seemed overly friendly to her, not that Gertrude minded, but she needed to keep up the pretense she was happy with her impending marriage. Crossing the room, she detangled him from the younger woman's presence and steered him over to where Hogan was talking with Fräulein Richter.

"Colonel Hogan," she began.

"Here's the happy couple now," quipped Hogan.

Ignoring him she continued, "I think it is time for you to meet the new adjutant. " Turning to Karp, "This is Colonel Hogan, Senior Prisoner of War Officer."

"Major, congratulations," replied Hogan.

"Yeah, thank you," Karp replied distractedly as he openly stared at Karin.

"Uh, Fräulein Richter," Hogan replied. He appeared taken back by Karp's blatant perusal of the Fräulein. Gertrude thought she detected a hint of protectiveness from Hogan. She did not detect any sexual tension between the two of them and concluded the woman must be one of his contacts.

"Yes, we have had the pleasure," replied Gertrude as she began her attempt to manipulate Hogan. She was anxious, as Hogan was not Albert or Wilhelm. She would not be able to lead him as easily but so much rode on the success of this plan failure was not an option. "Wolfgang, would you entertain the Fräulein while I speak to Colonel Hogan."

"Yes Gertrude."

"Not too much entertainment. Right Wolfgang? …Right…" She said, answering for him and purposely emasculating him in front of Hogan and the girl.

She moved away from the unlikely pair, compelling Hogan to follow her to the banquet table. As she spoke, she began to pile her plate with food to give him the illusion she was only half listening to the conversation. If she did this right, he would think everything was his idea.

"I want to ask you something. Is Klink upset by Wolfgang being made adjutant?"

"He is taking Russian lessons."

"It is possible that Wolfgang might take Klink's job someday."

"Really? When?"

"When I say so."

"Yeah, Klink is worried about his plan to move the guard towers."

"Yeah? Why should he worry?"

"He is afraid that some smart officer like Wolfgang might find out how expensive the job it is."

"I had no idea." No idea Karp was in possession of any intelligence.

"And tell the General."

"Yeah, Albert doesn't like it when the Luftstalags spend money."

"I don't think Wolfgang should mention it to your brother."

"Yeah but it would be very good for Wolfgang's career."

"Think of Klink."

As if you do. "By all means," Gertrude replied, happy Hogan was taking the bait. Leaning close to him she said, "Moving the guard towers is not necessary?"

"Oh there hasn't been a successful escape from Stalag XIII."

"So Klink has told me…and told me…and told me."

"So the position of the towers really has nothing to do with it."

Laughing, Gertrude responded, "I understand." More than you realize, Hogan.

She watched as Klink got up to introduce the General. Gertrude, once again on Karp's arm, was not listening. If she wanted to beat Hogan at his own game, she would have to stay two steps ahead of him. That would not be easy. The man was no fool and could grasp a situation and its inherent problems with lightning speed. Now she would let Hogan think he had won, while she added more pressure.

She watched Hogan move through the room as if he were the host instead of Klink. If that mobility were restricted, it would be only a short time before he began plotting how to circumvent the problem. She just needed to be ready to have him help her, while thinking he was helping himself. I wonder how he would feel about a guard inside his barracks at all times. She knew logistically it could not work for a long period. Klink did not have the men to support such an operation for any extended time. However, if she could do it long enough, Hogan might just come through for her.

Next: Oh Albert!

A/n:

Hauptmann (Captain) Richter is from "Cuisine a la Stalag 13".

Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Rudolf Richter is from "The Defector".

Walther Kurt Josef Nehring was General of the Armored Corps (General der Panzertruppe). Since Otto was a General in the Panzers, it would be only natural Gertrude would know him and to be invited to one of his parties.

In the closing credits, Fräulein Richter's name was spelled using the American variant. Since she is German, I have elected to use the German spelling.