Hey there!
Another chapter is finished. It took me long but this afternoon, when I had to learn some biology stuff and didn't want to do it, I wrote the last part of it and here it is.
Thanks for all the reviews, I really loved to read them. Keep on writing them!! :)
Now, read and have fun with the new chapter!!
Isa :)
Chapter 3
The next morning came brightly. It was still freezing outside and the snow was glittering in the early morning sun. Roll call was late on this morning, because Klink and most of the guards had been in the forest nearly the whole night, looking for Carter. Anyway, they hadn't been successful. Because of this Klink was in a very bad mood this morning. As Schultz reported to him that all prisoners were present except Carter he went to Hogan.
"Well, Colonel Hogan, the both of us were getting along well until now and I won't appreciate this to change", he barked and glared at Hogan.
The Colonel looked still awful, but he didn't care.
"Me neither, Klink", he said.
"That's fine. Maybe you wouldn't mind telling me where your man Carter went", Klink tried to sound gentle.
"I would, but I don't have a clue", Hogan answered.
"I don't believe you", Klink hissed.
"And I don't care", Hogan said.
Klink looked angry at him and then went to his office. The prisoners themselves went to their barracks, followed by Schultz.
"Please, Colonel Hogan, where is Carter? The Colonel will have my head if I don't find him", Schultz said and sent a pleading look in Hogan's direction.
"Do you really want to know, Schultz?", he asked and a spark of the old humor could be seen for as second in his eyes.
"No no, I don't want to know anything", Schultz nearly shouted and rushed outside before he could see or hear anything he definitely didn't want to know.
Hogan looked at his men and could see a question in their eyes nobody dared to ask.
"Okay, what's up?", he asked patiently.
"Colonel, we … aren't sure how it would go on?", Kinch said bravely.
"I haven't decided yet", Hogan answered, sighing and avoiding eye-contact.
"Surely we need somebody to replace … him", LeBeau nearly whispered then, not sure hw his friends would react.
"Nobody could replace him", Newkirk said a bit harsh.
"I know, mon ami. But no one of us can build bombs like he did", LeBeau looked at him wide eyes.
"Yeah, I understand. But I think it's too, uhm, early", Newkirk replied.
"Are there any assignments from London, Kinch?", Hogan asked the Sergeant, trying to get his mind off the loss for a few seconds.
"Not yet, Colonel. After I told them what happened, they sent their regrets and maybe will give us kind of a break", Kinch answered.
"Fine", was all Hogan said. On the one hand, that was great because now they had time to mourn over their friend like he deserved it, but on the other hand they hadn't something to distract themselves from their mostly sad and guilty thoughts.
"Colonel Hogan, Colonel Hogan", Schultz entered the barracks, shouting.
"What's up, Schultz?", Hogan asked, a bit surprised. Again he had to face the consequences of Carter's disappearance: Nobody was there to watch out and tell them whether someone was going to enter the barracks.
"The Kommandant wants to see you in his office. Immediately", Schultz said, still gasping for air.
"Why, Schultz?", Hogan asked, but still had an idea why Klink wanted to see him in his office. Maybe the Kommandant thought that he could get Hogan to tell him something about Carter's escape.
"I know nothing, nothing, Colonel Hogan", Schultz said and it sounded like a mantra. Schultz always pretended to know nothing, but in fact he knew a lot. He himself couldn't say why he did that, maybe it was just more comfortable.
"Well, I see. Tell the Kommandant I'll be there in a few minutes", Hogan said then.
"But Colonel Hogan, please, the Kommandant told me to bring you to his quarters immediately!"
"Easy, Schultz, I'll be there in a few minutes. If this isn't enough for Klink, then tell him the thruth", Hogan said, at least a little bit smiling.
"The truth?", Schultz echoed with some fear in his voice.
"Yeah, that I'd like to help my men finish the tunnel to-", Hogan said.
Schultz interrupted him. "No, I hear nothing, I know nothing. Nothing, nothing!"
Then the Sergeant escaped from the barracks.
"What may Klink want?", Kinch asked.
"Maybe he thinks we know something about Car-, uhm, the escape", Hogan didn't dare to speak the name out loud.
"You can't tell him", LeBeau nearly whispered.
"I won't", Hogan said and wondered for a second whether his men had lost something of the confidence they had had in him.
LeBeau nodded.
Feeling that there was nothing left to say, Hogan went outside an headed for the office of Klink.
Kinch went downstairs to the tunnel to do something, maybe work out a more efficient radio or else, he had to do something to get his mind off his fallen friend. LeBeau tried to cook something and remembered how Carter had preferred his American food. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember any recipe. So he cooked some Ratatouille, unless he knew that no one was going to eat it because they all seemed to have lost their appetite. Newkirk sat down on Carter's bunk and felt simply tired. He hadn't had much sleep last night and then decided to lay down. Maybe he could forget his sorrow while taking a nap. Within seconds he was asleep and his last thought was him wondering whether Carter would really like him sleeping in his bunk.
Hogan went into the office of Kommandant Klink.
"You wanted to talk to me, Kommandant", he said while entering.
"Not only me, Colonel Hogan", Klink answered and made a gesture in the direction of a man in a black SS-uniform who stood at the window, watching whatever was happening outside.
"Oh, what a surprise! There's someone to visit a prisoner of war!", Hogan said a bit sarcastically.
"Yes, what a surprise", The visitor repeated and turned to face Hogan.
The Colonel could hardly avoid gasping for air because it caught him by surprise to suddenly face Major Hochstetter.
"Good morning Major, got hit by a truck?", Hogan asked with his mind still numb. He hoped nothing of the great surprise he felt was shown on his face.
Hochstetter snorted. "Not really, Hogan. It was a flying car."
"A flying car, and where was the driver? In Wonderland?", Hogan asked the only quite silly questions that came to his mind. He still couldn't understand. This couldn't happen!
"Very funny. The car flew because of an explosion caused by a saboteur at the new munitions factory", Hochstetter informed Hogan with something he was sure the American Colonel did still know. He suspected Hogan and maybe some of his men to help the Underground. If they did, they were also responsible for the mess his was now. There were burns all over his body, a deep wound on his left arm and a lot of bruises. If Hogan helped the Underground, he would pay for it.
"Oh, I didn't hear anything about it", Hogan said light-heartedly, but it was hard for him to keep the mask on his face.
"That was what I expected. If it comes to some saboteurs and the things they did you always have no clue", Hochstetter said and sounded so suspicious that right in this moment Hogan knew that it could get dangerous for him to work this out.
"Well, why should I have?", Hogan asked, not sure what he should do.
"Shut up an listen to me", Hochstetter barked.
"Yes, shut up and listen to him", Klink repeated and glared at Hogan through his monocle.
"This isn't your business, Klink", Hochstetter growled, annoyed by the Kommandant.
"Oh yes, I know, shut up and sit down", Klink murmured.
"Only to your information, Hogan, I caught the saboteur just before the explosion and when I wanted to take him to my car, the bombs went off. This man is still at the Gestapo headquarters, and when I question and I find out that you are involved in this, then you will be shit", Hochstetter barked and his face went red. If it was another day, Hogan would find this quite amusing, but right in this moment his couldn't do anything then bit his lower lip.
But instead of showing his surprise and relief, but also fear and light horror, Hogan said:"Excuse me for interrupting you, Major, but why are you sure the explosion was caused by a saboteur? Isn't there any chance that it was caused by technical (Versagen)?"
"Yes, why are you so sure?", Klink said and received a deathly glare from Hochstetter what made him to want to hide behind his desk.
"Because I caught a man who looked suspicious and if he wasn't a saboteur, my questions wouldn't hurt, would they?"
"I doubt that, Major. But when you caught that man just before the bombs went off, he wouldn't be that healthy, too?", Hogan asked after a great idea came to his mind. He still wasn't really able to realize that there might be a chance that Carter was alive.
"Yes, indeed, he looks quite awful with all his burns and wounds and his fever...", Hochstetter searched Hogan's face for a hint or something like this that would show him that the American Colonel knew the man. He himself wasn't sure whether he had seen this man before, but he seemed to know him. He still didn't knew why.
But Hogan's face was a mask. "So I can be sure that this so-called saboteur gets all the medical attention he needs."
"I'll leave this question unanswered because I've got something to do now. If something about him comes to your mind, Colonel Hogan, I'd like you to let me know this. You know, he'll get the best attention he needs, but if he answers my questions when I ask politely, I'll let him see the unpolitely ones", with this words Hochstetter left Klink's office, but his final threat stayed there.
"I don't know why but I have a feeling that he deserves every of his wounds", Klink murmured.
"After all, we all will get our punishment, in this way or in one another", Hogan said and tried a lightly smile.
"Colonel Hogan, you are dismissed", Klink said and waited for the American officer to leave the office. A part of the German hoped that Hogan really had nothing to do with the explosion. Then his thoughts turned to the escaped prisoner, Sergeant Carter, and he desperately tried to find a way to find the man until it was to late and he was too far away for Klink to reach him.
When Hogan stormed into the barracks, Newkirk was still asleep. In fact, he again dreamed of Carter. It was quite a strange dream. Newkirk simply stood there and tried to reach his friend who looked at him with a pleading look. Desperation could be seen in his eyes and also some fear. Newkirk shouted, but Carter's expression didn't change. Then Hochstetter appeared and placed himself between Carter and Newkirk. While the Corporal simply stared at him, Carter tried to run away, but he couldn't. It seemed like he was running against some walls. Hochstetter smiled an evil smile and watched the desperate tries of Carter to escape from him.
Newkirk woke up with a start when Hogan closed the door in a not so very silent way. A few expressions were seen on his face: desperation, fear, worry and also joy what surprised his men as well.
"Colonel? Did something happen?", Kinch asked
"You wouldn't believe what I found out!", Hogan bursted out and smiled like a little child who tells his mother that he won his first soccer match.
"We get two extra slices of white bread for dinner?", Newkirk suggested, still not so happy that Hogan woke him up because despite Carter's horrible impression he had liked it to see his best friend in his dream.
"It's better than this", Hogan responded, still grinning. Nevertheless a part of his mind already thought about a way to sort this mess in which they were in now out, but he allowed himself to be happy for a few moments.
"What's better than... Three slices of white bread?", LeBeau suggested, but didn't believe in this.
"Better than this", Hogan said.
"An extra chance to have a shower?", Kinch asked and couldn't understand why his CO was that happy.
"Think bigger", Hogan gave a hint.
"We won the war?", Newkirk asked and caused some of the prisoners in the barracks to cheer.
"Not that big", Hogan said.
"Come on, mon Colonel, give us a hint", LeBeau pleaded while he ignored the Ratatouille he began to cook.
"If everything goes right we will have the chance to get something back what we've lost", Hogan said, sure that they would understand now.
"Some of our accidentally lost chocolate?", Newkirk asked with slight humor which caused his room mates to smile because they thought on the reason of this incident.
"Seriously, now think on something we've lost, something bigger", Hogan got a bit annoyed because no one seemed to understand.
"Our freedom?", Kinch asked.
"Again, not that big. We've lost it some days ago."
"Felix?", LeBeau asked and thought on the little mouse which disappeared right after Carter's death.
"Wait, did you say Felix? Do you mean Carter?", Newkirk asked and said the name out loud after days of avoiding it. It felt quite strange, but it caused him to hope.
"Carter? Are you sure?", Kinch asked and raised an eyebrow. Did the Colonel go completely mad or did he tell the truth?
"Not really, but the best thing we can do is hope", Hogan answered and saw something he had missed he last couple of days: He saw his men smile.