I will finish this story if it's the last thing I do.
The night was cold and dark as the five men exited the tunnel, Hogan taking the lead as soon as they were clear of the search lights. They walked quickly and quietly, their senses on high alert for anything, noise or movement, that may be out of the ordinary. Carter followed closely behind the Colonel, both dresses in their German uniforms. Newkirk, Le Beau and Kinch followed, their dark clothes and face paint making them look more like shadows then men. They were fighting their way through a patch of thick underbrush, when a sudden rustle of leaves came from their left, and Hogan stopped dead. Carter, who'd been paying more attention to not making noise than to the Colonel ahead, walked right into Hogan's back, nearly knocking him over. Hogan's attention quickly snapped to the left, while Newkirk neatly caught the falling sergeant before he could land on his knapsack full of explosives. A deer jumped out of the brush, both scaring and relieving everyone. Carter smiled sheepishly up at Newkirk who rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically as he righted him.
"Blimey, Carter," the Englishman said, "can you try not blowing us all up?!"
"Um, I'll try," he answered, gaining a grin from Newkirk and everyone else.
"Come on," Hogan whispered, wanting to be off. He gave a quick wave of his hand, and said, "Let's get this over with."
They started off again, Carter leaving extra room between himself and his commanding officer in front, just in case. The first leg of their journey passed in silence and without mishap. They pushed through the last of the underbrush, entering a small clearing. It marked the departure of Newkirk, Kinch and Le Beau. There was nothing to be added to the goodbyes in the tunnel, so with a few silent handshakes, the three disappeared into the black forest.
Hogan and Carter paused, looking at the spot where the men had disappeared. This is it, Hogan thought, then glancing upward added, please, look after them. He turned and Carter mirrored his movements, both ready for the task ahead. They walked in silence, avoiding any noise that would draw attention to them. Within a few minutes, they could hear the first signs of life from the camp ahead of them. Complaints of two picket guards were the first things to meet their ears, and Hogan quickly motioned for Carter to follow him closely. They maneuvered around the pair of very loud Germans, jumping from shadow to shadow, and managed to slip past them easily. Hogan breathed a small sigh of relief as they passed the first obstacle. He looked back at Carter, who smiled and gave a thumbs up sign, enjoying the first small victory of the night. Hogan smiled back, amazed at how the boy could stay enthusiastic no matter the circumstance.
They caught their first glimpse of the rocket as they neared the main camp, a giant, menacing thing that looked almost alive in the flickering lights of the small fires that dotted the opening. It looked as if nearly all of the hundred and fifty men were in the small pup tents that filled the clearing or were huddled around the burn barrels that offered a small amount of warmth on the cold night. Six guards were stationed around the base of the rocket itself. A large wall tent on the opposite side of the make-shift camp marked General Schneider's headquarters.
Hogan grabbed Carter's attention, pulling him down behind a large, fallen tree that would block them from the view of any German who might be looking at the woods a little too closely. His heart was beating rapidly. They were trapped between pickets and an entire camp of Germans, and were about to destroy the last hope of the German war effort. He'd never really gotten use to the terror that always assaulted him whenever their lives were in danger, but he'd become a master at hiding it.
Carter carefully removed his pack, sitting it gently beside him on the ground while Hogan caught a glimpse of his watch; they had about fifteen minutes until the train was due. Hopefully it would be there on time, and Newkirk, Le Beau and Kinch would have the charges in place. They'll be ready, Hogan mused, they haven't let me down yet. His thoughts turned to Tiger, and he prayed she'd be safe. Her group began the explosions, and they needed to be ready before the train passed them. Every aspect of the plan ran through his mind, and he imagined every possible outcome of the night. There were a lot more things that could go wrong than right, but that was the same with every mission they accomplished. It'll work, he reassured camp behind them remained quiet, and there was no sign of the pickets a short distance ahead of them. He glanced at his watch again – only a few minutes left.
A sudden explosion ripped through the air, and everything happened at once. The red of the burning ammo dump filled the sky, and Hogan allowed himself a brief moment of triumph at the sight and sound of the destruction. Quickly he and Carter stood, the sergeant grabbing the pack and swinging it onto his back. The camp came alive in a mess of chaos and confusion. Men half in and half out of uniform scrambled out of their small tents, desperately trying to figure out what had awoken them. General Schneider fell out of his tent, the thin, graying man jumping on one leg as he attempted to pull on a knee high boot and locate the source of the noise at the same time. Officers were just beginning to yell at the other soldiers when the sound of the second, deafening blast filled the camp, this one even closer than the last. The General screamed orders to his officers, but his voice was lost in the pandemonium. The soldiers milled about, still barely awake and horribly confused. The scene was one of complete disarray.
Colonel Hogan and Carter plunged into the thick of it, elbowing their way through the mass of confused bodies, adding a shout of their own to increase the turmoil. The rocket was forgotten as the officers screamed and threatened and the enlisted men simply tried to figure out what was going on. Most of the tents were knocked over; a few of the burn barrels fell, hot ashes littering the ground. The darkness deepened as the fires went out, and men fumbled around, unable to see well enough to distinguish one another. Hogan led the way through the horde, ducking and weaving unnoticed through the ranks. Carter moved just as quickly and cautiously as Hogan, somehow managing not to trip and fall.
The base of the rocket was left unprotected. Carter shrugged out of his pack and quickly twisted the timer, giving them a little less than five minutes to get away. He passed it to Hogan, who placed it neatly beneath the missile, hiding it from view. No one noticed the two as they knelt there. The Colonel stood, grabbing Carter by the shoulder and pulling him back through the mass of men. The skyline turned red as the woods caught fire from the earlier blasts. Terror was still evident in the camp as they pushed their way through. The Germans were milling by the tree line, making it easy for the two to slip unnoticed out of the camp and into the safety of the forest.
The two ran for their lives. As they passed the deserted tree where the picket had been, Hogan felt like laughing. He turned and grinned at Carter, who returned the smile with a huge one of his own.
Suddenly, a German patrol appeared in front of the pair, and they ran straight into them. Both sides were confused in the eerie red glow of the forest, and in a moment of genius, Carter, remembering they were in uniform, yelled in his best German, "Sie sind da drüben!" 'They're over there!' He pointed hurriedly to the left, away from both sabotage sites and made to run in that direction, the five privates of the patrol quickly followed his lead, taking off after the invisible saboteurs. Hogan and Carter fell back, leaving the patrol to chase ghosts, and turned to run in the opposite direction.
Making sure to stay clear of the patrol, they took a small detour, bringing them close to the burning ammo dump. It was as he examined damage caused by the explosion that he saw her. Of course, Tiger never would listen to his order to leave once the job was done. Two of her men had stayed with her, and she ran to her dark haired Colonel the moment she spotted him.
Hogan pulled her to him, hungrily capturing her lips with his as the forest burned around them. He was reminded bitterly of their first parting, although it was Carter and not the Frenchman who pulled at his arm, urging him away from the woman he loved. For just a split second, he forgot everything around him but her; he could imagine that their world wasn't falling to pieces and that she could stay wrapped in his arms forever. He couldn't hold her tight enough, though, and they were ripped apart by so much more than just the men around them. 'After' was the only word she whispered to him before they parted, and he echoed her. They both knew how much the other loved them – the promise to meet again was much more powerful than words of undying love. Robert's eyes followed her as she was rushed away from him. She was needed elsewhere for now. She turned before she was out of sight, and their eyes met for a final time before she disappeared forever.