Kinch turned to the others. "Shovels," he said tersely.
They dug for several minutes, working at one end of the barrier, before LeBeau suddenly hushed them. "Carter?" he called.
"That you, LeBeau?" Carter's voice was higher pitched than usual. "Some more of the roof came down. Boy, was I scared."
"Okay, Andrew," said Kinch. "We're digging as fast as we can. Just stay calm."
"That's easy for you to say," replied Carter crossly.
Kinch didn't reply; he was scrutinising the barrier again. "I don't know about this," he murmured. "A lot of that stuff up there looks really loose; one wrong move and the whole lot's going to fall in. Maybe it would be better..."
He moved closer to where they had been digging. A couple of roof beams had fallen against each other, holding up the fall of earth above them and creating a narrow opening in the barrier which allowed sound to pass back and forth. "Carter, you still there?"
He knew it was a stupid question, as soon as he spoke, and Carter answered it as it deserved: "Sure, Kinch, where else would I be?"
Kinch hesitated. He didn't like this, but with the immediate danger he now knew was overhead, it was starting to look like the best way out. "You know how I told you not to use the emergency tunnel? Well, I was wrong. You better give it a try."
There was a pause before Carter replied. "I don't know, Kinch. There's a lot of dirt down there."
"Okay, Carter, I know, but just go and have a look, at least."
"And what am I supposed to do once I get out?" Carter was beginning to sound annoyed. "I'll be right outside the wire. What's everybody going to think?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" interrupted Newkirk. "Carter, just get your arse out through that emergency tunnel. Now."
An even longer pause.
"Guys...what's wrong?" said Carter.
Kinch sent an exasperated glance at Newkirk. "Nice going," he whispered. Then, raising his voice. "Carter, we didn't want to worry you. But you have to get out of there, fast. Our planes left a surprise package in the yard last night. A live bomb. And it's right over your head."
It had been getting uncomfortably warm in the confined space on the other side of the wall of earth, and in spite of the circumstances Carter had started feeling sleepy. That piece of information brought him wide awake, and sent a chill through him.
"A live bomb?" he stammered.
"Yeah. And it's going to take too long to dig you out from this side. You better take the emergency tunnel. But be careful."
Carter started towards the tunnel, then stopped, as something occurred to him. "Hey, Kinch? Why aren't you sending the code to London? I mean, seeing there's a bomb in the yard, just like we planned...well, not exactly just like we planned, but..."
"Carter, never mind about the code. Just get out of there."
"But, Kinch, we spent ages getting hold of that code, and this is the perfect chance..."
"It would be, if the radio wasn't smashed," muttered Newkirk. Unfortunately his voice was the kind that carried easily. Carter heard every word.
"Oh, boy," he said, leaning on the bomb. "This is all my fault."
"Newkirk, why don't you keep your big mouth shut?" hissed LeBeau.
Kinch tried to keep his voice level. "How do you figure that, Carter?"
"Oh, come on! You know I messed up, forgetting to put the film in the camera. If we'd gotten the pictures the first time we tried, London would have the code by now."
"He's right, you know," whispered Newkirk.
"Sure I'm right." Carter had heard him again. LeBeau glared at Newkirk, who held up his hands in apology.
"Look, Carter, there's nothing we can do about it now," said Kinch.
"Well, sure there is. What about that old radio you were fixing up for the Underground? Isn't it working yet?"
"Oh, yes, it's working," Kinch's voice had taken on an edge. "I was testing it just last night, in the workshop. Which is right next to where you are."
"Well..." Carter glanced doubtfully towards the small cubby-hole where repairs to equipment were carried out. "Well, what if I get it going, and send the code from in here?"
"Couple of problems, Carter. First, it's not connected to the antenna, so it hasn't got the range, and second, the photos of the code book are all on this side of the cave-in. And third, in case you forgot, there's a bomb right above it."
The logic of Kinch's reply seemed inarguable. Carter slumped against his own bomb again. For a few moments, he gazed up at the mass of earth, illuminated by the flicker of the last remaining lamp, which lay between him and the others. Then he straightened up, and went closer to the barrier.
"Hey, Kinch," he called. "There must be some gaps in the dirt here, right? Because I can hear you guys okay."
"Carter, stop wasting time," said Kinch, in a tone which gave an accurate measure of how little patience he had remaining.
"No, but this could work, Kinch. What if you run a wire through one of the holes, and connect it to the antenna, and I fix it to the radio in here?"
"What good would that do? You still don't have the code."
"We'll think of something. Come on, Kinch, if we don't do it now, it could be days before we get another chance."
Newkirk started to speak, then stopped, remembering how well his voice travelled down here, but the others knew what he was thinking. Carter had a good point there. Not good enough, as far as Kinch was concerned.
"Then it'll have to be days. Don't make me say it again, Carter. Get out of there."
Carter hesitated, then said diffidently, "You know, Kinch, strictly speaking, I don't have to take orders from you. And I'm not going anywhere till we get that code sent to London."
Kinch exchanged a stupefied look with Newkirk. In all the time Carter had been at Stalag 13, never once had he even hinted at pulling rank, until now. "Andrew..." Kinch began, then stopped, breathed in, let it out again. "Fine. One problem at a time."
"Shouldn't we let Colonel Hogan know?" whispered LeBeau.
"I think the colonel's got enough to worry about," observed Newkirk dourly. "He's got a bomb to deal with."
"Which he doesn't know yet is a real one," LeBeau snapped back. "He could set it off by accident."
The same thought had been worrying Kinch for some time now. "LeBeau's right," he said. "I'll go and tell him. You figure out how to feed that wire through to Carter."
He left them to it, and ascended to the barracks.
"You know what, LeBeau?" grumbled Newkirk fiercely, as he started excavating again. "If I get out of this alive, and Carter gets out of this alive, I'll wring his ruddy neck."
"I can still hear you, Newkirk," came the slightly miffed reply from the other side of the barrier.
