Wilhelm "William" Foster, formally part of one of many resistance fighters from the Second World War and now a genuine US citizen and CIA, had been watching and waiting in that Tokyo park, in all of his meeting spots, all day and well into the night. He was still waiting for Claus Schultz to show up and it had been hours since that gunfight. He didn't know what was going on and had even held his men back before having them carefully walk through the woods, staying away from their first place of interaction.
However, Wilhelm was a little uneasy. Too uneasy, to be sure, and also sick with nerves, on top of that.
Where the hell could Claus be?
Since that night Claus had called him from Tokyo to his wonderful home in Guam and had him and his subordinates check out a certain "Major Floyd", he had not been sleeping or keeping himself neat, knowing that this man was now a person of interest. Every file had been combed through cautiously and every person interrogated to see what kind of person this man was and why he was somehow connected to their line of work, one that would bring down Nazism once and for all. There wasn't much so far, but the information that Wilhelm had gathered was worth it.
Too bad, though, it had to kill a few innocents along the way. Flagg always turned the other way, even if it cost him another arm and leg. But it was what destroying the un-American way of life is all about, according to him.
And now, just as Wilhelm was about to meet Claus to bring forth information (for whatever reason Claus wanted it), he had heard gunshots, that gunfight that he always dreaded in each encounter with every agent. Running in the opposite direction with his men and aides, he hid with the others at the second spot he agreed to meet Claus at. Yet, nobody had arrived yet, not even Claus' new Army friends, who might have might not have known where to turn to next. Claus mentioned them, saying that that they were on their side, but did not know much…and were a thorn in Flagg's side nonetheless.
"Especially that Hawkeye Pierce," Claus whispered as Wilhelm listened sleepily, his wife Lily yawning as she realized that her husband was awake and on the phone once more. "I'm sure those two would like be water and oil."
Dammit, where are Claus and his Army idiots now? Chickened out on us?
"Damn the man who wakes up a man and his wife in the middle of the night," Wilhelm cursed silently as he still stood on the fallback position, thinking of his lovely Lily in Guam, still waiting for him to come home safely once more. "Damn Claus and his filthy wife, that dead so-called nurse who used to dote on that filthy son of theirs and then send him far away. Damn to hell General Hannibal most of all, that rat!"
"Sir?" Wilhelm's youngest aide, Lucy Wilder, looked up to her boss as she looked from her binoculars to Wilhelm. "Are you ok?"
Wilhelm waved his hand dismissively, the scowl wiped from his face quickly. "Yes, yes. I wonder why Claus hasn't showed up though. It isn't like him."
"Grief that Winifred is dead?" Lucy suggested crudely, bluntly even. "Who knows, Sir? Perhaps Claus had other plans with other women?"
There was no love lost between the two women and Wilhelm knew it. The first time Winifred had met Lucy was the last time Lucy allowed anyone near her eyes with long fingernails. The Nazi turned nurse (or so Claus had said quietly) had purposely grown her fingernails out long enough to scratch Lucy's eyes out. Luckily, though, the aide moved fast and the nurse grazed her cheeks.
"No, I doubt it, Lucy. Something must have happened. Get some scouts over to that meeting spot and get a move on with it. Check the area alone if you need to and bring them in for backup, for all I care. I'll be on the other side in a few minutes with you all if you don't get back here."
"Right, Sir." Lucy started to move, but then stopped when Wilhelm raised his hand in an authoritative motion to get her attention again.
"You know, Lucy," Wilhelm started, rubbing the scruff that started to form on his chin, "I'm pretty sure that Flagg's got his own boys down there as well. Make sure that they aren't smearing anything on the Army guys that Claus has with him. They have to know they're all on the same side, like it or not."
"Yes, Sir."
"And one more thing, Lucy. Make sure that none of General Hannibal's goons are over there as well. I don't know if they've found out about Winifred or even Claus yet, but if they do, Flagg would want to know about it, especially when we're through here. Those Nazis are going to be making their own move soon enough and start pointing fingers. I know we're pretty close in bagging the whole organization, but I want to be there before Flagg sniffs a thing and ruins everything with his pathetic fighting styles. I bet he hasn't seen the change in the air yet and I want to keep it that way until we have the whole picture to send to him. Know what I mean?"
"If he hasn't already known about all that," Lucy snickered lightly as she dodged her way through the trees and climbed up one. "Yes, Sir!"
~00~
Hawkeye scampered nervously through the park he and Klinger were with not even a day ago, dodging thick branches left and right as he searched for the spot that he and Claus were in seconds before the MP's came in to kill or arrest them. It seemed like, after being frightened by Kellye, that he needed some air, since he couldn't sleep. The only way to get the images out of his mind was to walk away from them. He needed to find something, but what it was, he could not tell.
And I needed to walk away out of that hotel. Too bad I can't do it in Korea.
The woods were so deep that Hawkeye couldn't remember the way. Surely, it being just before dawn and still night technically, he would be circles for a while. However, when he spotted a unique tree in the first rays of light that he kind of remembered seeing when Claus led him and Klinger to their meeting spot, he held some hope that he might find what he was looking for, whatever it was. He then hooked a left on the obscure trail behind that tree and walked slowly until he found the space where he and Claus stood not even a day before.
I wonder…
Hawkeye ambled to the same position he held when he and Claus heard and ducked gunfire. Standing there, the same way he did before the guys with guns came by, he looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. Nobody seemed to be around except for, perhaps, the ghosts of those who still hover, also searching for an answer to a question that could not be asked out loud.
Suddenly, Hawkeye heard a loud rustle over his head. He thought it might have been an early morning bird nestling above with her young, but when the wind seemed to whoosh all around him with the hot summer air, he covered his face in defense, unable to protect himself without his trusty golf clubs. When he realized that he was in no immediate danger as the wind seemed to turn into a presence, he slowly uncovered his face, seeing a petite, brown-haired woman in front of him.
"Well, hello there, Doll," Hawkeye muttered, turning his charm on (as well as his best smile). "Where did you from?"
The woman was not amused and showed it on her face. Lines of dissent began to cover her young face, wrinkling it.
"Hey, I'm only a lonely bachelor, looking for some company," Hawkeye purred, rubbing his raven head on the woman's shoulder with some affection. "Care to join me for a picnic? Granted, I don't have much food on me, but there's always breakfast at the –"
"Where's Manfred Schneider?" the woman growled, pushing Hawkeye away as she drew her gun on him. "And what did you do with Claus Schultz?"
"Wow, lady, I don't know what you're talking about," Hawkeye protested loudly, putting his hands up in surrender as he turned serious. "I don't know who this –"
"Where is Sergeant Aaron Church?" the woman then asked slowly, exasperated as she made circles with her gun barrel. "The two names are one and the same person. Come on, Captain. I know that you know. You've been following the leads for a couple of days now. You know who the players are and what they've been doing. Now, tell me before I blow your brains out: where…is…Sergeant Church?!"
"Well, I don't know…at camp, I guess. Why are you asking?"
The woman sighed, forgetting momentarily about Claus Schultz, as she aimed for the temple, aggravated with Hawkeye's game of stupid, as she viewed it. "Listen, I don't have time to fool around here. Come with me."
"Now?" Hawkeye looked around him. "Now and at a time like this?"
"Yes, come now, or the last thing you'll remember me shooting at you." The woman was angry, her face turning into a shade of red Hawkeye didn't know existed with any woman. "Now, get moving, Captain, or you'll regret it."
"You know, I think I left my better half in my spare Army jacket," Hawkeye started as the woman grabbed him brutally by the collar and started dragging him away, slowly edging her hand up to his ear for maximum effort. "This one hasn't seen any –"
"Oh, shut up, will you?!" The woman sighed again, dragging Hawkeye across the woods.
~00~
BJ suddenly woke up with a start and then fell back asleep, aware that there was an empty space next to him. Half asleep and still dreaming of home, he thought that Peg had gotten up to feed Erin and would be back soon, smelling like milk and baby spit-up. Smiling, he snuggled right back into his pillow, reaching for the other side of the bed, until he heard some loud snoring.
Immediately, he woke up completely. BJ then looked around, realizing that he wasn't home in San Francisco, but in a sleazy Tokyo hotel, where he had been staying for almost a day now. He wasn't the loving husband and parent at home, but he was a doctor on the run at war, trying to liberate his campmates and his name. He wasn't a free man, but one accused of conspiracy and murder.
Dammit…could this day get any worse?
Rubbing his eyes and tugging at his moustache nostalgically, BJ almost got up and walked out of the room, but stopped himself from getting into the colder air. Instead, he listened to Charles' snoring, full of rhyme and soothing, in a fashion. Then, he watched as the light breeze from the open window billowed Klinger's nightgown open, a sure sign that all was well, even if his hairy legs were raised by goosebumps. The same wind was even caressing Kellye's dark hair as she slept peacefully, perhaps for the first time in days now. Hawkeye was sleeping on the other side of the bed…
And Hawkeye…wait, where is Hawkeye?
The other side of the bed, BJ noticed as reality and not his dream set it, was empty. Hawkeye was gone.