"All right, Peter, I need to take a look at him now." Wilson reached for the box, in which Andrew was now sitting on his blankets, shouting something up at Newkirk in a high-pitched voice. The sounds he was making were more squeaks than words, Wilson noted, and that concerned him. He also saw that Carter's entire head was now covered with mouse fur and it was beginning to change shape. From the neck down, though, he was still fully human.
Newkirk held the box protectively for a moment, but finally surrendered it. "A'right. Don't lose 'im, though." He couldn't help thinking about how distraught Andrew had been a couple weeks ago when Felix went missing. Peter had never thought he'd be glad to see a rodent, but when Felix came skittering back out of that mouse hole and up onto Andrew's bunk to greet his friend, he'd been pleased as punch for the kid.
"I won't," Wilson promised. "In fact, I can do my examination right here and you can keep an eye on him the entire time." He picked Andrew up and looked him over. When he brushed a finger over the furry head, Andrew chittered at him. He seemed happy with the touch. The coloring of his fur, which Wilson now watched begin its slow creep down Carter's neck, was identical to Felix's. If it continued in that way, the pair would be as alike as twins.
He lowered Andrew back into the box. "He seems healthy, thank goodness. Peter, you need to be careful to keep him and Felix clean. Don't let them have contact with any other mice in the barracks. They could pick up diseases and pass them on to us. We have to be prepared for this transformation to be complete in a matter of hours if I can't figure out a way to stop it. I'm going to head down to the lab now."
Peter groaned. He didn't mind taking care of Andrew, but taking on Felix as well didn't exactly fit in with his plans. He didn't like vermin as a rule. Andrew was different. Andrew was his friend and would be no matter how far this change went with him. Still, Felix was Andrew's friend too, so he supposed he could make the sacrifice. He gently scratched Andrew on the head and almost chuckled when Andrew gave him a satisfied little squeak in response. "Wilson'll figure this out, mate," he promised. "We'll have ya back to rights in no time."
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
"Sergeant Schultz!"
Klink's rising tone told Schultz that the commandant was not amused. He saluted and then stood there trembling. "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir!"
"I hope you've been practicing your Russian, Schultz." Klink glared at him through his monocle. "I have a feeling you will need it very soon." He rose to his feet, the report from roll call in his hand. "What nonsense is this you have written here… Sergeant Carter absent because he is turning into a mouse?!"
Schultz wagged his head. Klink rarely took an interest in his reports. "It is only what the prisoners have told me." he protested. "I know nothing!"
"That much is evident," the commandant sneered and shook the papers in Schultz's face. "I can't show this to General Burkhalter, Schultz! He is coming today to review my paperwork and if he sends me to the Russian front, I'm taking you with me, I can promise you that!"
Neither of them was aware of General Burkhalter at the door to the office, listening to everything that passed between them. The General fastened on one comment in particular, the one about Sergeant Carter turning into a mouse, and his usual scowl turned into a victorious smirk. It worked! It really worked!
He barged into the office, enjoying the way Klink and Schultz jumped at his appearance. "Klink!" he declared. "I want the men out of Barracks 2. Mandatory exercise. They will run laps for the next hour. You and Schultz will oversee them."
Klink and Schultz just stared at him idiotically. He rolled his eyes. "Now!"
Ten minutes later, the men had fallen out. Carter, however, was absent, Burkhalter noticed. And this was precisely what he intended to investigate. Once the men had started on their laps, the general made his way to Barracks 2. He pulled on his gloves before touching the door. There were no men lolling about in their bunks, so Carter was not simply playing sick. If he were in the infirmary, a report would have been made. Burkhalter searched and searched for any sign. At last, he noticed a mouse hole near a set of bunks. He bent over and looked inside, only to find a small box. When he pulled it out of the hole, he discovered a mouse-sized man sound asleep next to an actual mouse. The man had whiskers and now a headful of mouse fur and a tail just starting to poke up from under the waistband of his pants. And his tiny hands were just beginning to change into tiny paws. And the mouse, well, it actually bared its teeth at the sight of the general.
Burkhalter looked over his find with a triumphant grin. "This is the discovery the Fuehrer has been hoping for!" he exulted. "If we figure out what made it work, we can turn the Allied soldiers into harmless little mice, row by row, and our victory will be assured!" He straightened up and smiled. "And I shall rise even higher in the Fuehrer's esteem." He stashed the box in his leather satchel. It should be safe enough from mouse teeth for the time being. Somewhere in this God-forsaken stalag, there had to be a small cage he could transfer the creatures to.
He slipped back out of the barracks and hurried to Klink's house, which he had commandeered upon arrival, hopeful that none of the prisoners had seen him. He would say nothing about this to Klink or anyone else. All the glory of this endeavor would belong to him.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Down in Andrew's lab, Wilson looked over the compound that had been left behind on the worktable. The chemicals were nothing unusual. Certainly nothing dangerous by themselves. Upon closer investigation, though — taking great care that his nose and mouth remained covered — he found one unusual thing. Mixed into the compound were several short tufts of grey fur. Mouse fur? Probably. Had Carter intentionally mixed that in or did his pet mouse shed as it traipsed across the table? However it had happened, apparently the effects had been devastating. At least it gave Wilson ideas for how he might restore the young tech sergeant.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
Once the hour of enforced exercise was over, the men filtered back to Barracks 2. Peter went straight to the mouse hole. He bent over to look inside, then straightened up, eyes wide with horror. "'E's bloody gone!"
Hogan turned to stare at him. "What?"
"Gone, Guv. Box an' everythin'. Someone took 'im!" Newkirk scowled. "Do ya think Klink…"
Hogan shook his head. "No, he'd have no reason to be over here. Besides, you saw him. He was out with us and Schultz the whole time."
"I saw Burkhalter coming out the door, Colonel," Olsen volunteered. "When I got permission to go to the latrine. He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary."
"Or the mouse," said LeBeau darkly. "I bet he stole our André"
"Probably dreaming up some super mousifying weapon for the Germans to deploy," Newkirk muttered. "We have to get him back, now!"
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
"Colonel Klink, I am swearing you to the utmost secrecy." Burkhalter paced the length of Klink's office and back again. He had his leather satchel under his arm.
Klink tried to maintain his dignity, but he still managed to dither as he breathlessly replied, "Oh, of course, General Burkhalter, of course. You can trust me!"
"I had better be able to trust you," Burkhalter snapped. "If you do not keep utter silence about this, I will have you at the Russian front within hours!" He stopped his pacing and patted the bag. "What I have in this satchel is the secret that will lead to a swift and glorious victory for Germany. I have sent for a renowned scientist from the Scientific Institute for the Furtherance of our Glorious Reich to study it. He is on the way."
Klink's eyes were big as platters. "Utter silence," he promised. He pinched his fingers together and held them to his lips for a second. "I lock it up and throw away the key," he said, pantomiming the action.
Burkhalter waved away the buffoonery. "Enough, enough. I am looking for a mouse cage. I found nothing suitable in your house. Something strong, reinforced, escape proof."
A smile stretched across Klink's face. "We are all about escape proof here at Stalag 13, General. The prisoners don't even bother to try anymore because they know they'll never slip past eagle eye Klink!" He grabbed his keys from the desk and moved to the closet. "I have some metal lockboxes in here. With a few holes punched in the lid, one would make a passable cage." He pulled out a lockbox and offered it over to Burkhalter, along with a combination lock. "Very secure, sir. You can set the combination to any numbers you like."
"Excellent." Burkhalter pulled the box out of his satchel. He didn't miss how Klink leaned in to get a look, and then gasped.
At this point, Carter was more than half mouse. From the waist downward, he was still human, but the change seemed to be spreading rapidly. He looked up at them, eyes beady and unblinking, and squeaked.
"So, it was true, what Schultz wrote!" Klink exclaimed. "I thought… I mean… well… it's… it's not possible!"
"Clearly it is, Klink," Burkhalter said as he placed the box and its contents into the metal lockbox. "Can you imagine, row upon row of Allied soldiers suddenly transforming into mice? My scientist has already been working on this very thing. He should be arriving any moment now."