A/N I want to thank ColHogan for all her help on the fight scene.
Olsen whistled going over the blueprints that were in the knapsack Tiger had retrieved from the SS facility. "This is good stuff," he spread the papers out on the worktable.
"His notes indicate what worked and what didn't in the trial phase," LeBeau translated the French for the others. The men poured over the material knowing what a difference it would make in the war effort.
Kinch looked over at Hogan who seemed lost in his own world. He hadn't said anything since Tiger had gone to talk with François. "Colonel, should we ask London for a courier plane for these?" Hogan didn't respond, which had the radioman concerned. "Sir?" Kinch tried again. All the men shared a knowing looking, understanding where the Colonel's mind had wondered off too.
"Go through this stuff. I'm going to check on Tiger," Hogan said laying down the paper he'd been holding for ten minutes without reading. He made his way back to the living area, but it was empty. Tiger asked for time to speak with François alone, and out of respect for her privacy, he let her go without an escort. However, after she exposed the man for a fraud, he didn't know how François would react, but Hogan's gut said he should make sure everything was all right. Exhaling deeply, Hogan decided to continue his search of the areas where they had empty tunnels that were seldom used since François seemed to like the area. As he got closer to one of them and glanced inside, his blood ran cold as he felt his heart drop into his stomach at the horror that met his eyes.
Continuing to rip Tiger's clothing, Francois glared with an animal lust at the exposed soft flesh. "After you've learned your lesson, I'm going to expose this operation. There's an exit to the surface just yards away. I'll be a hero escaping from the Allies, bringing the great Papa Bear down. Your precious Colonel will be shot for the spy he is. If you're smart and lucky, your life will be spared, but you'll have to agree to my story of us both being kidnapped. Then we'll have lots of quality time together once I get back to the facility, where every night you'll be allowed to please me. However, if you get out of hand there, you'll learn Von Eisenberg has a preference for blonds, and it wouldn't be the first time we shared a woman on the same night. Only he likes it rough," François laughed as Tiger continued to struggle as he squeezed her exposed thigh leaving a mark. She screamed the best she could through the gag. His hand went to his belt to unbuckle it.
Suddenly Francois found himself seized from behind roughly, jerked around until he was face-to-face with a beyond enraged Hogan a split second before the Colonel's fist connected with his face. Francois staggered backward before landing on his back. Hogan, tempted to pummel the man into the ground, restrained himself as concern for Tiger took over; he knelt down beside the woman he loved, starting to remove the gag.
Just then, Hogan was tackled from behind by Francois and the two men fell to the ground with Francois landing on top of Hogan, his hands wrapped around the American's throat and blood trickling from his own nostrils and down the side of his face. His eyes were filled with a murderous fury as he tightened his grip around Hogan's throat. The American drew back a fist and punched Francois in one eye causing a yelp from the Frenchman as he released Hogan to cover his injured eye. Hogan used the opportunity to roll his body tossing Francois off of him.
Hogan immediately got to his feet and roughly seized the front of Francois's shirt, drew back his other fist and struck the man repeatedly splitting his lower lip. The final blow caused the Frenchman to stumble back and land on the ground near Tiger where he was breathing heavily. As Hogan reached for him again, Francois struck the Colonel on the side of his head with a piece of board he had managed to grip. Stunned, Hogan staggered and fell to his knees, blood running down the side of his head. He used one hand to maintain his balance. Dazed, the next thing Hogan knew he was being punched in the face by Francois and sent sprawling, but somehow managed to regain his feet as the Frenchman charged at him again.
Francois ducked as Hogan swung and he felt a whiff of air pass over his head. He then launched himself at the Colonel, and the two men went down with Francois on top of Hogan again; but the Colonel raised his leg and with his foot on Francois' chest, shoved the man off of him. Francois went sprawling, neither man noticing the Luger the Frenchman had tucked in the back of his belt, fall out. Hogan slowly got up and launched himself at the Frenchman who was sluggishly getting to his knees, but Francois caught the sudden movement out the corner of his eye, and was ready for it. As they fought, neither man noticed that one of them had kicked the Luger away where it was hidden from view. He embedded his fist in Hogan's abdomen knocking the wind out of him. Francois then reached behind him with a smirk on his face for the Luger but didn't feel it. He had intended to shoot his enemy and be done with him. He saw Hogan staggering to his feet. Needing a weapon, Francois raced to the other side of the room; Marie's knife would serve the same purpose, he smirked. Killing Marie's lover in front of her with her own knife appealed to him. He spun around and faced Hogan waving the knife with a maniacal expression on his bloody face.
"I'm going to show you what happens when a man sleeps with another man's wife," Francois hissed. He lunged at Hogan with the knife but the Colonel dodged out of the way and the blade just missed him. "Never took you for a man who appreciates whores. So tell me, Colonel, did you enjoy screwing my whore of a wife? Did you pass her around making sure all your men were serviced?"
Hogan knew Francois was taunting him, trying to distract him; but hearing the man talk about Tiger like he was caused Hogan to lose all his self-control and lunge at Francois who swiped at Hogan with the knife catching him on the arm above the elbow, slicing open not only his shirt sleeve, but also his arm. The blood began to flow freely down his arm and hand and drip onto the ground.
"My relationship with Tiger is none of your concern," Hogan managed, wishing he'd been wearing his jacket because it might have saved him the sliced arm.
Francois sneered. "Tiger, eh? She is nothing more than a mangy, old alley cat and that is all she ever was! But she is my mangy, old alley cat!" He lunged at Hogan again but the Colonel was much quicker this time and despite the pain in his arm, he grabbed Francois' arm holding the knife, and tried to wrestle it away from him. Neither noticed that Tiger had freed herself from her restraints, and shakily tried to sit up, stars still dancing in her eyes.
Francois violently shoved Hogan away with his shoulder sending the Colonel slamming into the dirt wall before collapsing to the ground unconscious. A very small stream of blood began to appear from under his head. Standing over Hogan and breathing hard, he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Now, Colonel, you will find out that nobody tries to take what is mine!" Hearing movement behind him, he turned to see Tiger standing up.
"Leave him alone!" she yelled, taking a step closer to the men.
"I told you that you belonged to me and no other man will ever have you," François laughed manically. "Now where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted," he walked towards her. As he came in range, Tiger took everything she had kicking him in the balls, François went down holding his manhood. Unfortunately, she didn't make full contact and with the adrenaline rush he recovered too quickly, shoving her into the wall where she slid down it. "For that you get to watch him die by my hand." He walked over and kicked Hogan in the ribs, quite satisfied he was really unconscious. François then grabbed Hogan by an arm and drug his body towards the middle of the room.
Facing Tiger, François straddled Hogan's body, grabbed the knife with both hands, and raised it high preparing to drive the dagger through Hogan's heart. "This is what happens when you defy me."