To answer a few questions I've been getting. One: No, I did NOT invent Heinrich. He is mentioned in Season 6. (Sorry, I haven't got around yet to figuring out what episode), and two. Yes. As it turns out, Hans Wagner was indeed an alias in the show. That was COMPLETELY unintentional. But it works! :D )
Also IMPORTANT! For the Papa Awards, every author needs to select 1-2 catagories for their work. I am open to suggestions from you guys as to what catagories fits it best. Drama, Comedy, Unique, and/or General. THANKS! :D
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Hogan was laying on the hard bunk in the cooler when the lights were turned out, signally the end of another day. Sitting up, Hogan patiently waited for the stone to be moved. He didn't wait more than 30 seconds.
"Colonel?" Doe's voice was heard again. Hogan walked over.
"Yes, Doe. I'm here."
"Good sir, if you will climb through here, yes that's right. There is a step, yes Sir, just like that." Doe stood back, letting his CO through, handing him the lantern once he was down. Hogan marvelled at the work on the tunnel extension.
"You boys have been doing a lot of work while I was gone." Hogan was amazed at the work.
"Yes Sir. We're working on stability at this end right now, but I can fill you more in later." Doe led the way to a small sitting area near the cooler entrance.
"What's this?" Hogan, took the lantern from Doe's hand and looked at the chairs. "This is a parlour of sorts, Sir. So that way we can chat with those in the cooler, but still be nearby in case they need to go back up. I know you didn't order it, Colonel, but-"
"No, it's a fine idea." Hogan was impressed. He sat down in the chair. "Now can you please explain to me what is going on?" Hogan leaned back, listening to the man in front of him explain everything. Nodding as the story went along.
"I hope you aren't angry, Colonel. Kinch did because it was the only way we could think of to get both Klink and Schultz back." Doe didn't meet the eyes of his Colonel. Hogan sighed before answering.
"No, Doe. I'm not mad. I'm actually….impressed. You guys have done a great job with it. I'm proud."
"You…you are, Sir?" Doe looked up at his CO.
"Yes. Although I cannot say I am pleased with the holes in the fence. But I understand now why you did it."
"Yes Sir, we didn't want them digging and finding our tunnels."
"Understandable. Sacrifices had to be made, and everyone made the right choice. So I will talk to Burkhalter tomorrow about possibly getting at least Schultz back. And hopefully we will be back in business by the end of the week."
"Sir, what about the pair of Bährs?"
"I'll deal with them. Just keep an eye on things down here. I don't suppose LeBeau is down here is he?"
"No, Sir. He's in the cave towards the south. What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing. I was just hungry." Hogan turned and walked back towards the ladder leading up to the cooler. "Guess I should get back in before they miss me." He climbed up, handing Doe back the lantern as he did.
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The train finally pulled into Frankfurt am Main, as the sky darkened. Most of the passengers were panicked and rushed off the train before being stranded outside after curfew. Wagner's contact shoved him through the crowds towards a man standing next to two bicycles. The two men nodded at each other before, Wagner's contact turned back towards the train. Wager was left looking at the man in his late twenties with the bicycles.
"Ach Hansi!" The man grabbed Wagner by the shoulders and hugged him, he reciprocated.
"Um, Brüder! Hallo. Hast du Papa gesehen? (Brother! Hi. Have you seen Papa?)"
„Leider nicht, aber er spricht bald mit Mama. Ach, siehst du! Du bist noch ein Baby. (Sadly no, but he will speak shortly with Mama. Oh look at you! You are sill just a Baby.)"
„Bitte, ich will mit Papa reden. (Please, I want to speak with Papa.)"
„Du bist wie ein Bär, 'ich will, ich will, ich will.' (You're like a Bear. 'I want, I want, I want')" The contact smiled. „Komm. (Come.)" He handed Wagner a bicycle, as he got on his own. Wagner looked nervous at the bicycle, as his leg was still badly injured, but figuring it was cycling or death, he got on. The two peddled in silence to a house outside of town. In the darkened streets it was difficult to see and avoid patrols. Yet, the contact seemed to know every street, and the route of every patrol, as they zoomed out towards the country. Wagner held his breath as the saw the beauty of the landscape, with a slight moon casting its rays down, illuminating the road before them. The beauty momentarily took Wagner's mind away from the constant pain in his leg. After a hard 30 minute silent ride, the two men pulled up in front of a small house. The contact took the bicycles and lead a limping Wagner into the cellar.
The cellar was dark and damp, even after the contact struck a match and lit a small hand-lamp.
"There." He replied in British English pointing to a darkened corner. "There is a small bed of blankets for you."
"You speak English?"
"Yes. My wife and I both study, the language. My father was a business man with many English customers. Sadly those days are gone." He sighed deeply, missing the days when things were better before the first war. "You will stay here tonight. And be absolutely silent. I will not have my wife and children knowing you are in here. If they find out, I will turn you over to save them. Is that understood?"
"Completely." Wagner was nervous. The contact looked around the small cellar.
"Stay in that corner. There is some food and water there, and a chamber pot. I will come for you tomorrow, and we will be on our way again. You will meet up with your next contact. He will take you then."
"How will I know him?"
"He will be carrying a children's book. He will find you. He will ask, 'Hast du die Geschichte der drei Bären gelesen?' (Have you read the story of the Three Bears?) You will reply, ‚Leider nicht, aber ich will sie hören.' (Unfortunately no, but I want to hear them) To which he will then reply, ‚Ich kann dir die Geschichte nich selbst lesen, aber ich weiß jemand, der kann.' (I can't read the Stories to you myself, but I know someone who can) You will then reply, ‚ist er so groß wie ein Papa Bär? (is he as big as a Papa Bear?)" His answer will be ‚'ja, ein größer mann gibt es nicht.' (yes, a bigger/greater mann there isn't)" The contact had Wagner repeat it, and then turned to go back outside, locking the cellar behind him. Wagner layed down, memorizing the code, and starring at the spiders above him. It was a long day, and tomorrow sounded like another one. Eating a Brötchen with cheese, Wagner decided to get some rest.
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Hogan was let out of the cooler the next morning just in time to see Major Hochstetter drive franticly up to the gate. Tilting his head, he tried to figure out why the crazed man would have been called. Surely there is no reason for him to be here. Not unless the underground is setting off more Döner meat factories. Hogan walked over to his barracks. As he did so, he noticed that the guards, who weren't out looking for the men, were fixing the holes in the wire. Guess that's why they let me out, Hogan laughed aloud.
Entering the barrack, he crossed over to his office. However the coffee machine was not were it was suppose to be. Of course, Kinch probably moved it. Hogan crossed his arms trying to figure out what to do. Shrugging he crossed the compound again, this time towards Kommandant Klink's former office. The closer he got the louder and clearing Hochstetter's ranting became. Nodding to Helga, he pushed open the door.
"-damit muss er hier sein! (-so he must be here!)" Hochstetter finished screaming. Turning around at the sound of the door opening. "'Wer ist dieser Mann' (1)? (Who ist his man!)"
"Er? Colonel Robert Hogan, ranghöchster Offizier de' Gefangene…. Wenn's Gefangene hier gifft. (He? Colonel Robert Hogan, Senior POW Officer of the prisoners… that is, when there are prisoners.)" Bähr crossed his arms. „Hogan fat are you doing hair. You must alone in your cabin." Bähr starred at Hogan. Hogan laughed the man's English.
"Trust me. There is no better place I would like to be than in my, 'cabin' you say? But I saw a car drive up, and I thought there might be information about my men, so I came to find out.
"Hogan sere ist no information. Go afay." Bähr turned towards Hochstetter, who was eying Hogan.
"Colonel Hogan? What do you know about a Sergeant Andrew Jonathan Carter?" Hochstetter's eyes barrowed through Hogan's soul.
"Sergeant Carter? Nothing except that he escaped your clutches." Hogan smiled.
"I would not smile if I were you, Hogan…."
"Oh? And why not may I ask?"
"Because you had something to do with it. And with the disappearance of the other men as well."
"Sorry, but you really should stop listening to those voices in your head. Because I can honoustly tell you, I didn't have a thing to do with either of them." For once, Hogan chuckled to himself.
"I'm watching you, Colonel Hogan…"
"Well if you really don't have anything better to do, go ahead. But I get a little nervous if people are watching me while I sleep. So keep that in mind if I start throwing things at you."
"Colonel Hogan, you are gone!" Bähr stood up and pointed at the door.
"Alright, alright. Don't get your Mein Kampf in a bunch." Hogan turned and closed the door behind him, trying to listen in. However, Oberfeldwebel Bähr, whom Hogan had walked directly passed in his rush to hear what was going on, clasped him on the shoulder, and lead him outside. Hogan would have to find that coffee pot and fast if he wanted to hear what was being said. He ran back over to his barrack and climbed down into the tunnel.
"Doe? Who all is down here?" Hogan yelled striking a match to like a candle.
"I'm here, Sir. What's wrong?" Sparky appeared out of nowhere.
"Do you know what happened to the coffee pot from my quarters?" Hogan asked flustered.
"Yes, Sir. It's down in the radio room." Sparky didn't meet his Colonel's face. He still felt incredibly guilty about causing the whole mess.
"Good." Hogan walked towards the radio room at full speed, and once in turned on the tunnel internal radio to hear what was going up directly above them.
"Also kommt's zum Austrag. (So it's settled then)"
"Aufgemacht. (Agreed.)"
"Heil den Bart! (Heil the mustache!)"
"Heil." Hogan heard the sound of the door to the office being opened and shut again.
"Damn! I missed it." Hogan clenched his fists.
"Sir. Um, may I help? Please I want to redeem myself to you. I know this is all my fault. Please Sir! Please lemme help to make it right." Sparky still didn't look at Hogan. Hogan turned, startled by the man's plea.
"Alright. You can start by getting that coffeepot up and back in working order in my quarters pronto." Hogan saw the man's face show relief.
"Thank you, Sir."
"Sparky. I still haven't made up my mind on which punishment best fits your crime. However, if you can help me straighten out this situation, I just miiight forget about it." Hogan saw the relief on Sparky's face turned back to nervousness.
"Thank you, Sir. You wouldn't be disappointed."
"I better not be." Sparky nodded nervously at Hogan and took the coffeepot and started cautiously towards the exit, praying no guard would find him. Hogan watched as the man disappeared from sight, and sat down briefly. He had no idea what to do if this didn't work. Getting Klink and Schultz back would be easy. But with Carter still officially missing on the records, he may not be able to save their necks the next time something comes their way. Hogan buried his head in hands, pretending that nothing around him existed. The war. Their travel agency, London's orders, and pretending to be a sabotage group. All Hogan wanted was to be 10 again, and defending his tree fort from the other neighbour kids, and pretending to be a knight.
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Hans Wagner felt as if the whole world knew that he was an escaped Prisoner as he sat on the small regional train making the last part of his journey towards his destination. Unlike before, his contacted didn't go with him, living Wagner feeling extremely vulnerable. Whipping his sweaty palms on the sides of his trousers, he absent mindedly rubbed this cut on his leg, and thought about what he would do at first chance when he was back in England. Write Mary Jane. He smiled. And then take a bath. After that maybe-Wagner heard a sound behind him. There was an identity check going on. Swallowing nervously, Wagner pulled out both his Identity Card and Ticket.
"Ausweis und Karte bitte. (ID and Ticket please)" The man asked, whom to Wagner looked like he had been a body builder before the war. Wagner nodded and handed both Papers over.
"Wagner, Hans. Sie fahren nach Hammelburg. (You are travelling to Hammelburg.)" Wagner remained silent and nodded. "Was ist denn los? Könnten Sie nicht sprechen? (What's wrong? Can't you talk?)" The man laughed, Wagner felt faint.
"Er…erkal…erkaltet… I'm s…si…sick.)" Wagner pretended to be horse. The man nodded, understanding.
"Ach, wie schade. Danke Herr Wagner. (Oh how terrible. Thank you Mr. Wagner)" Wagner nodded as the man turned to the next person on the train, before turning his head back out the window. However out of the corner of his eye he saw a man get up and leave before security was able to question him. Noticing the man as well, the security began to chase after him, driving him into the next car. Wagner looked down the isle with the rest of the passengers, just in time to see the man arrested.
"Nein! Nein!" The poor man yelled. Wagner continued to look on in morbid fascination.
"Sagen Sie mir, wer Sie sind! (Tell me who you are!)" The man who had checked Wagner's ticket yelled, twisting the other man's arm behind his back. However the man merely yelped in pain. "Sagen Sie mir! (Tell me!)"
"Alright! Alright! I'm not a spy, I'm an escaped Prisoner! Honoustly!"
"Wer sind Sie? Warum tragen Sie diese Kleidungen? Sind Sie Spion? (Who are you! Why are you wearing those clothes? Are you a spy?)"
„What? I'm sorry I only speak English and French!" The security man looked confused, and starred at the other passengers. All whom looked away. There must be someone here who speaks English or French. Wagner thought to himself. However no one spoke up and the large man shook the smaller again.
"Sind Sie Spion? (Are you a spy?)"
"Look I'm sorry, I can't understand what you are saying! Please don't shoot me! Please! Um! Um! Nicht scheißen! Nicht schießen! (Don't shoot! Don't shoot!)" The man smaller man pleaded. Wagner had a decision to make should he sit idlely by, or step in. But if he stepped in, they may think he is a spy….what should I do? Wagner's heart pounded.
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At that same moment, Major Wolfgang Hochsetter was investigating the woods around the Stalag Luft 13, with the dogs from the camp. Noticing a cave up ahead he headed towards it. Letting the dogs in first, Hochstetter yanked a hand lamp from one of his fellow men.
"Is there someone in here?" He sneered, looking around for the dogs which he had sent loose in. "Any prisoners?" However a moment later the three dogs which Hochstetter had let loose came tearing out of the cave, yelping. Hochstetter turned ignoring the dogs, and took a step in.
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(1) Not my line. A direct quote from the series.