Chapter 15---A Plan Discovered

Hogan's core unit was seated at the table in the common room drinking coffee, each lost in his own thoughts about what he was going to do. They turned when the door to Hogan's quarters opened and the Colonel walked out, grabbed his coffee cup from a nearby window sill and approaching the potbelly stove, poured himself some coffee. Replacing the pot on the stove, he turned and sat down at the table with the others.

"I gather Metzger hasn't arrived yet," Hogan remarked.

Each of his men looked nervous which didn't escape Hogan's keen observation.

"Not yet, Colonel," said Carter. He glanced at Newkirk.

Hogan looked around. His gut was telling him something was not right. "Okay, what's going on here? You guys are acting mighty nervous about something."

LeBeau was about to respond when Hogan held up a hand stopping him. "....and I don't want to hear it's nothing because I know better," Hogan added. "Now what's going on?"

"Nothing, Colonel," Kinch explained. "Honestly. We're just worried about you having to deal with Metzger."

Hogan sighed. "What aren't any of you telling me?" He looked at each man. "I suspect all of you or at least one of you is up to something. So, I'm going to ask this question one last time. What is going on?"

"Well that's a fine how do you do, sir," Carter muttered getting up quickly from the table causing the weapon in his jacket to fall to the floor at his feet. He looked down at the weapon on the ground as did Hogan, who bent down and picked it up. Holding it in his hand, the officer looked at Carter with narrowed eyes. "Care to explain this, Carter? What were you planning on doing with this? As if I didn't already know."

"I wasn't gonna do anything with it, Colonel. Really." Carter said innocently. "I just figured with Metzger coming into camp I should protect myself."

Hogan remained silent for a long moment. Shaking his head sadly, he again looked at the young sergeant. "Carter, I can tolerate a lot of things from the men under me, except lying. That I cannot and will not tolerate. I'm afraid I'm going to have to discipline you for lying."

"Discipline, Colonel?" asked LeBeau, surprised. "Why?"

"LeBeau, what kind of commander would I be if I let all the men under my command lie to me? I've always said you men you can tell me anything. But I will not accept lying." Hogan again turned towards Carter who stood nervously by with his hands stuck in his jacket pockets.

"Carter, you're fortunate I don't kick you off the team for lying to me...."

"Yes, sir...." Carter said quietly, hanging his head.

"So as punishment, you will not...."

"Hold it, Colonel," Kinch interrupted. "Don't punish Carter. What he was gonna do is nothing different than what I planned on doing." He reached inside his green jacket and pulled out a pistol and laid it on the table. "If you're gonna punish Carter, you might as well add me to the list."

"And me, too, Gov'nor," Newkirk replied as he removed his weapon and placed it on the table beside Kinch's.

Hogan, remaining silent, looked at LeBeau, waiting.

LeBeau nodded as he pulled out his pistol and added it to the collection. "And me as well, mon Colonel."

Hogan let out a deep breath as he took another sip of coffee. The anger could be seen on his face, and his men knew they were in for it.

"Colonel...." Kinch began. "Please try and understand. It's apparent to me that each of us all had the same thought and that was to protect you and not allow Metzger to harm you or worse. After everything you've been through with Freitag and Williams, we couldn't take the chance."

"And that's suppose to make me feel better, Kinch?" Hogan's voice was cold. "I expressly told all of you that I would handle it. But all of you couldn't leave it to me."

"Colonel, don't sit there and tell us you wouldn't have done the same thing if one of us had been in your place instead, because you know you would," Kinch reminded him. He knew he was pushing it with Hogan right now, but he didn't care. "Colonel, we'd rather have you as a live hero than a dead martyr."

Hogan glared at his second-in-command icily. "Kinch, how dare you speak to me that way."

"Colonel, I mean no disrespect. But somebody has to make you see that you don't have to fight this alone. We are a unit. If it meant in order to protect you I would have to kill Metzger, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and apparently so would Carter, LeBeau and Newkirk."

Hogan shook his head. "It is not your problem. Metzger is my problem."

Kinch shook his head in frustration. "Will you listen to yourself?" he said looking at his CO. "You're starting to sound like you want to be a martyr."

Hogan angrily jumped to his feet. "Kinch, you are dangerously close to insubordination. Don't push me!"

"I'm not," Kinch held his temper in check, knowing that it would be easy for him to say something he might not be able to take back. "All I'm trying to...."

"Colonel...." Carter said quietly. Hogan's head snapped around.

"What is it, Carter?!" he asked angrily.

The young sergeant swallowed the lump in his throat. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears. "Stop it, both of you. Colonel, you never use to fight with us like this before. I mean, we've always worked together as a team. Why should that differ now? Besides, this Metzger isn't just your problem. He's our problem as well. If he threatens you, he's threatening us and the operation. And if you try and handle him yourself and get caught or killed, than there's nothing left except for us to close up shop and get out."

"Carter...." Hogan's voice and face had softened. "I understand what each of you wanted to do, and I appreciate it. I do. But...."

"But what, Colonel?" asked Carter, wiping a tear from his face. "No matter what problems arose, we always dealt with it as a team. Why is this any different? It shouldn't be anyway. Not from where I stand."

Hogan let out a deep breath. He looked at Carter. "Andrew, you do make a point sometimes. You're right. We always deal with problems as a team and this isn't any different." He then faced Kinch and held out his hand. "Kinch, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me?"

With a broad smile on his face, Kinch gripped Hogan's hand and shook it. "Nothing to forgive, Colonel. Sorry about that martyr remark."

Hogan chuckled. "Don't be. You were right. I was trying so hard to keep you fellas out of it for your own protection, that I became blinded to the fact that by trying to protect you from Metzger I was really putting you in his line of fire. I'm sorry about that. Really."

LeBeau shrugged. "No problem, mon Colonel," he replied. "It's not like we haven't been in somebody's line of fire before."

"You're bloody right about that, mate," Newkirk added.

Just then, the barracks door opened and Olsen looked in. "Car pulling into camp, Colonel."

The men all hurried forward and looked out the door. They saw the shiny black staff car pull to a stop outside the Kommandantur. They also watched as Schultz hurried forward and opened the passenger side of the back of the car and saluted as General Metzger stepped out. The Luftwaffe General glanced in the direction of barracks two and noticed Hogan glaring at him. He grinned arrogantly at the American officer.

Hogan put his hands on his hips. "Well, gentlemen, let the games begin," he said.