Slightly early update, to make up for the super late update 'last week' that ended up being this week. But in the meantime I got a award in my medieval group! Basically for being awesome. So yeah, I'm pretty stoked.

Kaitlynn it's your time! Finally!

Thank you to TinySprite and all you authors who encourage and stoke the fires of the fandom. thank you to all you readers who keep encouraging me to write and post.

Stalag 13

When the unknown staffcar came into camp, it caught everyone's attention. Even the kommandant's speech had not calmed all of the prisoner's fears. The very welcome sight of Hogan in his familiar bomber jacket and cap had a near instantaneous effect, however. Every prisoner who saw him immediately brightened up. Hogan's men had kept things running but they were not Colonel Hogan. Word of his return spread quickly and a certain small group immediately went to his office to set up the coffeepot to listen in.

The faux Abwehr officers escorted Hogan into the kommandant's office, surprising Klink at his paperwork.

Klink jumped to his feet, spreading his hands to welcome them in. "Gentlemen! So glad that you have returned. Colonel Hogan..." Klink paused in horror at the sight. "What happened to your eye?" The dismay in his voice was obvious. First the Englander and now Hogan? And Burkhalter due to arrive tomorrow? Klink wrung his hands and turned to the two Abwehr. "What did you do? I did not think you would... damage my prisoner."

"Silence." The first Underground agent was excellent at playing scary German officers and enjoyed terrifying stalag officers best. "The prisoner elected not to be cooperative. He learned that the Abwehr have no patience for games." His frown took in Hogan's black eye. "He is not greatly injured. You coddle these enemy prisoners." He waved a hand dismissively. "He knew nothing useful. We are returning him to rot in this pig sty for the rest of the war." His harsh gaze fastened on Klink long enough to make him squirm. "Keep these enemies of the Third Reich secure. Heil Hitler." With the traditional Nazi salute, both agents left, the very image of nasty impatience.

Klink came around the end of his desk to peer closer at Hogan's face. "Are... are you in need of medical attention, Hogan?" It was clear that he was uncomfortable and Hogan had to struggle not to smile.

"I'm fine, kommandant." Hogan sighed heavily and reached up to touch his swollen eye. "I'm sure it looks worse than it is." He tried to look tired and cowed. "I really would like to just go lie down and rest. Those Abwehr are brutes." He really wanted to go check in with his men and pass on all of the information he'd picked up during the meetings with the Underground.

Klink nodded. "Yes, yes... but you will make it clear to your men that it was not my fault, yes? I mean, not that I am soft on you prisoners but they have been so... restless since the incident with Corporal Newkirk."

Hogan winced. Just what he feared. He had hoped that he could leave camp without anyone causing trouble but he should have known Newkirk would pull some sort of stunt. Well, he sighed, he would go visit the Englishman in the cooler and at least listen to his side before deciding whether to convince Klink to let him out or not.

"Yes, Kommandant Klink, I'm sure my men will know who to blame." He paused while Klink looked relieved. "I mean..." He enjoyed the growing expression of dismay on the German officer's face. "You did allow them to remove me from the camp without even an advocate from the Luftwaffe... but I'm sure the men won't blame you for all the torture and deprivation I've gone through all this time." He sighed again. "It's not as if they would riot over one of their own, especially their Senior Prisoner... being treated harshly." He looked at Klink earnestly. "I'm sure they'll take into account that you didn't actually hit me yourself." He waited for the tiny bit of hope to appear in Klink's face before adding. "You just let another German officer do it."

Klink had gone pale, Hogan's words accidentally painting the picture of what had happened only a few days before with Newkirk. The prisoners had been so close to an uprising with just the corporal being treated so poorly and this was Colonel Hogan. "Well, I... I could hardly interfere in... in Abwehr business... I mean..."

"Oh sure, sure... you're just a Luftwaffe colonel, the kommandant of the only prisoner camp with a perfect no escape record. It's not as if you couldn't have sent someone to make sure I was treated according to the Geneva Convention." Hogan enjoyed needling Klink but he really did need to get to his men and make sure everything was running smoothly. He frowned slightly. And find out what shenanigans Newkirk had gotten caught at. "At any rate, I will be certain to tell them what happened." He gestured at his eye. "In detail." Hogan's familiar smirk appeared as he headed for the door.

"Hogan!" Klink's protest made him stop at the door. "Uhh... dismissed." He gave a half-hearted salute.

"Thank you, kommandant." Hogan flipped a quick hand up and disappeared through the door. He spared Helga a little moment, giving her a quick kiss and letting her fuss over his bruised eye. She didn't seem as upset over it as he would have expected but he enjoyed the sympathy and petting anyway.

As he crossed the compound, hitching the collar of his jacket up around his ears and nodding greetings to the prisoners who seemed to suddenly all have business near his path, he smiled and made certain that he looked confident and calm. He wanted to make certain that everyone knew that he was back and things were normal and nothing was wrong. The men seemed more anxious than they should have been and he sighed.

Pausing to speak with a few men at a time, he reassured them that he was fine and no, no one was coming to take anyone away and yes, he was back and no, he was just fine and that his bruised eye was only due to an accident. A few of the barracks' chiefs made sure to welcome him back and shoo the others away. "Hey, everything will be fine. Don't worry."

One of the younger men was frowning at him anyway. "I'm glad you're back, sir. You'll make sure about Newkirk, too, right?"

"Yes, I promise, I'll go take care of that too. No problems." Hogan clapped his hands together. "Business as usual, right guys?" He walked away, still smiling but wondering why all the fuss.

Hogan didn't quite reach the barracks before the door opened to spill out Carter and Kinch. Carter rushed him, all smiles as usual and Hogan struggled not to laugh at his puppyish enthusiasm. "Hey guys, I'm back, I'm fine."

Carter nodded. "What happened to your eye? I'm glad you're back, boy, things have really been crazy since you left and Kinch has been taking care of everything but he couldn't stop that Major-General, and LeBeau was so mad but you know that no one can keep Newkirk from doing stuff that he thinks he's got to do and none of us thought the guy would take him away but..."

"Carter, breathe!" Kinch gestured Hogan inside. "Sorry, Colonel, I really did try to keep a lid on things."

Hogan smiled as LeBeau handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks, LeBeau, I missed your coffee." He smiled ruefully. "You guys aren't going to believe it, but I got this black eye from walking into a door."

Carter blurted out "No, you couldn't have! Someone hit you!"

"Nope, it was dark and I thought I heard someone. I got up and was sneaking to see who it was and smacked my face on the open door. Turned out it was just Johan getting coffee too." He shook his head and sighed at Kinch. "Well, look, Kinch, I'm sure you did your best. But even I can't keep Newkirk from getting into trouble." He chuckled, missing the exchanged looks between his crew. "It's all we can do to keep tabs on the Germans and sabotage the war, we can't keep him on a leash too." Now he laughed outright. "Maybe I need to call London for a team just to do that." He turned to Kinch and the others. He noticed none of them were laughing along with him, not even Carter. "What?"

Olson hopped off his bunk and came over. "Newkirk was taken away by a German Army Major-General." He looked at the others. "After they beat him. Newkirk didn't do anything wrong. The Kraut was just here to get his jollies beating prisoners."

"Wait..." Hogan's brain suddenly clicked all the facts together. "Newkirk isn't in the cooler for some prank?"

"No, boy... I mean, sir, Newkirk isn't even in camp!" said Carter.

Kinch cleared his throat. "We couldn't stop the guy, he threatened to shoot Newkirk, and to shoot any prisoner who got in his way. There just wasn't time. But it's okay, sir... we..."

Hogan interrupted, heading directly for the false bunk. "It's not okay! If that Major-General figures out Newkirk is part of an Underground operation we could all be sunk! We have to alert the Underground and see if they can track them down... contact London and find out any information on this officer..."

"Sir!" Kinch grabbed his arm to stop him. "We took care of it. We did all that and then I got Burkhalter involved and the general found them."

LeBeau spoke up quickly. "Oui! And now Burkhalter is bringing Newkirk back tomorrow when he comes to inspect the camp."

Carter nodded at them both. "And Burkhalter's aide said that Major-General Hendrich won't be bothering anyone again."

"I'm pretty sure that Hendrich is either on his way to the Russian Front or dead." said Kinch firmly. "His aide didn't say as much, but I got the impression that the 'not bothering' was because it was a permanent solution from Burkhalter."

Olson snorted. "Good riddance."

Hogan looked from one man to another in confusion. "Wait, you... I mean, I don't... it's all taken care of?" He took a deep breath. "Okay, someone tell me exactly what happened here!"

Kinch looked around and then stepped forward. "Well, sir, it started when…

Driving to Stalag 5 took longer than Newkirk would have thought. The roads had been bombed out in so many places that long detours were needed. By the time Burkhalter's car was passed through the front gates, it was late in the afternoon. Looking around the unfamiliar camp, Newkirk was more grateful than ever for Hogan and Stalag 13. The guards were coldly efficient and the thin prisoners that were out in the open were huddled in dirty clothing that wasn't sufficient for the weather. He saw sullen looks directed towards the staffcar but little interest. In contrast to Stalag 13, there was barbed wire between the actual prisoners and the administration area.

The bleakness brought back all his memories of the first camps he'd passed through and he scrunched further down in the seat. It did him no good as they pulled up in front of a large building that was obviously the kommandantur. Burkhalter got out to be greeted by the kommandant's aide and sergeant of the guard. The tall spare kommandant himself came out quickly to meet the general. The small group immediately moved away, Burkhalter being led to inspect the barracks first.

Herman ordered Newkirk out. "Raus... raus!" The guard jerked him out and shoved him along, complaining about how slow and stupid he was. He was joined by one of the stalag's sergeants who laughed and joked with Herman about the POW.

The Brit was taken to the cooler which made him sigh in relief quietly. If they had put him in a barracks, he would have worried more about the kommandant poaching himself a new prisoner. Burkhalter's promise would mean little, he was sure. One stalag would be just as well to the general. He was given a rough shove into a cell but made no protest about the treatment. Newkirk wasn't stupid and these were not their tame guards.

Herman grinned at him through the bars. "Stay Englander!" He turned to leave with the sergeant. "I hope the general leaves him here. He is stupid and nothing but trouble." Their voices faded as they left him to the cooler guards. Those were giving him a careful look.

Newkirk sighed heavily. He seemed to be doing a lot of waiting. Remembering how the journey had begun with Hendrich and Otto... he stretched as best as he could. Being bored and waiting wasn't so bad. It would give him a chance to go over his precious information again and again. Exhaustion was making things too fuzzy and he feared he would begin forgetting the details. Time to rehearse in his head would help.

And he had nothing else to do. He started to sit down in a corner and one of the guards stepped over to bang on the bars loudly. "Nein. No sitting." Newkirk stood back up and as an experiment, leaned on the back wall. "Nein!" The guard gestured with annoyance until Newkirk was standing in the middle of the bare cell. "Ja, stay."

"Ja, stay." repeated Newkirk tiredly. It was back to the old routine where a prisoner wasn't allowed to rest during the day. In theory it was one way to make certain that prisoners were too tired to plot or dig tunnels or climb fences during the dark of night when they were allowed to rest and sleep. In truth, it was a cruel game played by guards who enjoyed making their prisoners as miserable as possible. Out in the camp, not laying on the bunks during the day was easier, with space out in the compound to walk about and visit with other prisoners, play cards or work on projects. In the bare cold cells in the cooler, it was torment to have to stand there with nothing to do and no one to talk to and nothing to even look at. The only plus of being chucked into Stalag 13's cooler so often was Newkirk got to catch up on his sleep. Here, that obviously wasn't going to be an option.

He took a breath and reminded himself that things could be worse. He tried to relax and settle into an 'at ease' pose that would allow him to half-doze without falling over. He'd done it so often during training in the RAF that even his sergeant had given up on reprimanding him unless he started to snore. It served just as well here in Germany.

End Chapter

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