Chapter 11---Hogan Explains Finally

Hogan, caught off-guard by Newkirk's statements, was momentarily speechless. When he was finally able to regain his senses, he walked over to his closet and pulled out a small mirror and looked at his neck. He saw the beginnings of what were ugly bruises on his throat. Sighing, he put the mirror back in his closet and turned towards his men.

"Newkirk, you purposely disobeyed my direct orders nobody was to follow me, didn't you?" Hogan felt his anger rising.

"Yes, sir, I did," Newkirk replied, determined to stand his ground this time. "I saw you and Metzger and heard most of the conversation. And I saw him grab you by the throat. He's blackmailing you, Gov'nor, isn't he? He wants you to get that art collection he stole that we took away from him back. I heard him so don't try and deny it. If you had just gotten out of the way, Colonel, I could've had a clear shot at that bloody bastard and that would've been the end of it. Problem solved. Now you can court-martial me if you want, sir. But given the chance, I'd still do the same thing. I'll always cover your back, Colonel."

"I should kick you off this team for what you did, Newkirk," Hogan found himself raising his voice. "And if there was someone who could do what you can do, I would."

"If that's what you want to do, Colonel, I can't stop you. But just keep this in mind, sir. We all care about you and don't want anything to happen to you. It's obvious you can't handle this alone. You need help. So instead of trying to shield us, let us help you."

"Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto, sir," Carter chimed in innocently.

"And that message from General Butler, Colonel," Kinch explained. "You contacted him didn't you?"

Hogan didn't respond. He ran a hand over his dark hair.

Kinch continued. "That's why the message came over the emergency frequency, isn't it? And that was why you didn't want anybody down in the tunnels when you contacted London, isn't it? You spoke with General Butler to advise him that Metzger might be sending info to London claiming you were a traitor. Colonel, we know you want to protect us, but you can't protect us from everything. Besides, don't you think us not knowing might be more harmful than you trying to go it alone?"

Hogan looked at his radioman. "What are you saying, Kinch? Are you telling me I'm putting all of you in danger just so I can play hero? Because if you are...."

"That's not what I'm saying, Colonel. Please don't put words in my mouth. What I'm trying to say is if Metzger was to come after one of us to show you he's serious, we'd never be prepared for him. And I'm also not saying that you want to play hero. But I do think you trying to handle this alone is going to have the opposite effect in the long run."

"Please, mon Colonel," LeBeau added finally. "Don't shut us out. We're a team. We rely on you to come up with the ideas and plans whenever we need one. So rely on us to help you."

Hogan began to pace with a hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't," he said to no-one in particular. "I don't want you fellas involved. This is my problem. Can't you understand that?"

"Don't you trust us, Colonel?" asked Carter with a sad look on his face.

Hogan stopped pacing and looked at the young sergeant. "That's not it, Carter. I trust all of you with my life."

"Then what is it, Colonel?" Carter asked. "You say you trust us with your life, yet you don't seem to trust us to be able to help. You can't have it both ways, sir. You either trust us or you don't. And frankly, Colonel Hogan, from where I stand, it looks like you don't trust us."

Hogan could see the hurt in Carter's eyes. His anger faded. "Carter, I trust all of you. I truly do. It's just that this time I don't want any of you involved. But that's because if something goes wrong and something happens, it'll only happen to me. I'm suppose to take the hit, not you fellas."

"Mon Colonel. Nous savons quel est dans votre coeur. Mais vous devez examiner nos coeurs et voyez que nous donnerions nous vies pour vous.(1)" said LeBeau.

Hogan looked at LeBeau who was fighting to control his emotions and keep the tears from falling. He finally sighed and sat down at his desk. He motioned for the men to sit on his lower bunk.

"You fellas want to know what's going on? All right, I'll tell you. To answer your question, Kinch. Yes. I did contact General Butler to inform him of Metzger's threat to send doctored evidence that I was a traitor if I didn't recover the artwork for him. I felt I needed an ally in London. That was why I didn't want anybody below when I used the emergency frequency to contact Butler."

"What about Metzger, sir?" asked Newkirk.

"You were right, Newkirk," Hogan replied with a chuckle. "He is blackmailing me. When Kinch received that message from Skyhawk for a meeting a few days ago, Metzger was there instead. He struck me with his gun and handcuffed me. Told me he wanted me to recover his artwork that we took from him, and gave me two weeks in which to do it. I have until April twenty-sixth. If I refused or tried and failed, He would either send the doctored information to London claiming I was a traitor in which case I would probably be hanged, or he would turn me over to Hochstetter. So in order to gain some time, I agreed to do it."

"Blimey, that bloody bastard!" Newkirk remarked, angrily. "I wish I had been able to shoot him."

Hogan shook his head. "Kinch, that message you received tonight from Skyhawk was from Metzger. He wanted an update on what I was doing to get back his artwork. I told him these things take time, he got angry. That's when Newkirk saw him grab me by the throat. He did apply pressure. He also threatened to have something happen to one of you to show me he was very serious if I didn't have any news for him the next time we meet."

"Filthy Bosche!" LeBeau exclaimed angrily. Suddenly, he looked into Hogan's eyes. "Colonel, you just said next time you two met. Does that mean he's going to be contacting you regularly for updates?"

"Yeah. He intends on keeping tabs on me. That was why the second meeting."

"Colonel, is Metzger and Skyhawk the same person?" asked Kinch.

Hogan shook his head. "No. But Skyhawk works for him. He promised me if he sends the documentation to London, he would have Skyhawk testify against me that I gave Allied secrets to him that would correspond with acts of sabotage against the Allies. That's why I needed to contact General Butler. I needed somebody to be made aware just in case."

The men digested what Hogan had told them. They knew they were all thinking the same thing. Metzger had to be gotten rid of permanently, one way or the other.

"Colonel, what if we were to confront Metzger and told him we know about his threat against you and told him to back off?" asked Carter.

Hogan practically jumped out of his chair. "NO! Absolutely not, Carter! I don't want any of you to approach Metzger. Not together or alone. Do you understand me? Promise me you'll all stay away from him!" Hogan realized he sounded like he was begging. Which he was.

"But Colonel...." Carter began again.

"Carter, listen to me," Hogan explained. "Metzger wouldn't hesitate to kill any or all of you just to show me he's serious. Or kill all of you just because you let him know that you know. I couldn't stand to have that on my conscience. So please, do not, under any circumstances, approach Metzger."

"All right, Colonel," Kinch replied as he approached Hogan, placing a hand on his commanding officer's shoulder. "We'll keep away from Metzger."

"Thanks, Kinch," Hogan replied, calming down somewhat. He returned to his seat at his desk. He let out a deep breath and looked at his men. "This strictly is on a volunteer basis. Are you sure you want to get involved in this? It could become extremely dangerous with Metzger."

"What do you want us to do, Colonel?" asked Kinch.

"We're with you boy. I mean sir," said Carter.

"We're behind you, mon Colonel."

"We'll always have your back, Gov'nor," added Newkirk.

Hogan's eyes misted over. "Right now I haven't got a single idea. But I do have a few things rolling around in here." He pointed to his head. "As soon as I come up with a plan, you fellas will be the first to know. Right now, I think we should all get some shut-eye. We've got roll call in a few hours."

The men and Hogan all stood. There were a chorus of 'good nights' exchanged and the men exited Hogan's quarters except for Newkirk. He paused and again faced the Colonel.

"Gov'nor, if you want to court-martial me for disobeying your orders and kick me off the team, I'll understand."

Smiling, Hogan placed a hand on the Englander's shoulder. "Newkirk, where am I gonna find another you anywhere? Nobody has your ten magic fingers."

"Then we're okay, sir?" he asked.

"We're okay, Peter. Besides, when do any of you ever follow my orders anyway?" Hogan chuckled. He shoved Newkirk towards the open door.

"One last thing before I go, Colonel," Newkirk said standing in the doorway.

"What's that?"

"Those marks on your throat are becoming ugly. You won't be able to hide them from Klink and Schultz. I have some actor's make-up in my footlocker, sir. In the morning, before roll call, I'll apply some of it and conceal them from prying eyes if you'd like."

"Thank you, Newkirk. I would like. Oh, and Newkirk...."

"Yes, sir?"

"Thanks for caring."

"You're welcome, Colonel. Goodnight." Newkirk left the room closing the door to Hogan's quarters.

Now alone, Hogan continued changing into his pajamas and laid down on the lower bunk, staring at the bottom of the upper bunk. In one way, he was glad the pressure of keeping this from his men now was off of him. But on the other hand, he was secretly afraid for their safety where Metzger was concerned. Metzger was no fool and a dangerous man. And Hogan knew whatever he came up with would have to be well thought out because no mistakes could be made. Too much was at stake. Sighing, Hogan turned on his side and closed his eyes, hoping to let sleep come to his weary body.

(1)"Mon Colonel. Nous savons quel est dans votre coeur. Mais vous devez examiner nos coeurs et voyez que nous donnerions nos vies pour vous" means 'My Colonel, we know what is in your heart. But you must look into our hearts and you will see we would give our lives for you.'