"So what now?" asked carter as he looked down at his childish looking Colonel "Andrew quit, can't you see we're working?!" shouted Newkirk annoyed as he sewed the last seams of the shirt together, it was a pure white shirt. With one difference: it was wired under the obvious hood. "So Colonel here you press, then everything will be done automatically by yourself. Do you understand?" asked Kinchloe as he attached some kind of cable under the shirt. It was stuck between hogan armpits, barely visible, perfectly hidden. Although hogan was very slim for his current age, and a bit too short, the device was not visible, as I said, perfectly hidden.

"The idiot didn't give me a proper time. So we'll have to improvise, does anyone have any ideas what we could do if he's not there?" hogan asked the group, Lebau shaking his head while thinking what he could do. Generally it looked gray with a plan in the group "Colonel I can think of something, what if they were hiding nearby?" said carter proudly as no one else threw in an idea. Immediately people complained to carter, only hogan looked thoughtful at the plan. "Andrew's not wrong, the plan might work-" immediately hogan was interrupted by kinchloe "but Colonel, here's the risk that the guards from the stalag might come, and klink will probably be called here. Or worse, hochstetter," kinchloe said, explaining a what-if scenario.

"We have no other option, or do you have a better idea, kinchloe?"

"Uh no Colonel, but we have to take the risk if we have to."

Clapping now Hogan said, "So that's it! What time do we have, newkirk?" the englishman looked at his watch, it was 16:10, 18 minutes to sunset. "twenty minutes to go Colonel" said the Englishman as he looked at his Colonel "I suggest you get out there right away, from what we've seen he'll be here sooner than we think" interjected Kinchloe, the Colonel looked thoughtful.

Colonel looked thoughtful as he walked towards the tunnel leading to the tree stump.

"Isn't it a bit early colonel?" asked a voice, probably lebau. But it doesn't matter now!

"Colonel, don't do anything you'll regret!" shouted carter to hogan, who was by the ladder, scowling, still stretching hogan just before he got on the ladder and climbed up. "Colonel, are you sure you want to go out alone?" lebau asked his colonel, who breathed in and out. "You heard him, didn't you? If anyone comes with me, something bad will happen." spoke Hogan as he cautiously opened the hatch. There's either his death, or Allied victory.

A

From

On

Off

Slowly Hogan opens the hatch and climbs out, only about 30 yards away, it's gruber, back turned to him. Slowly he closes the hatch before any of the guards see him. As far as hogan knows, gruber has personally trained his men. They're supposed to be like sniffer dogs, but what happened in the barracks must have been an exception. Hogan had been damn lucky then probably- "THERE'S A BOY!" yelled an unknown voice in front of him, hogan idly ran to the soldier while he ran to him.

Hogan watched as gruber grew a slight smile as he stood waiting at the gates of the stalag, in all its disgusting glory . "Where are your parents young?" the soldier asked why the young is here. When was this one before him? Hmm. Hogan must have been lost in thought as the soldier sat kneeling in front of him, not waiting for the answer, the soldier asked another question, "how short and skinny you are, how old are you?" the question confused hogan, he should be about 13. Well at least that's how he looks, hogan had always been thin and small. The growth started later, but no one wanted a newsie who was grown up, but that's in the past!

"Fischer bring the boy here, we have been waiting for him," shouted a stern voice. The soldier did as he was told and pulled the boy toward the car, to say the least it was virtually mechanical of the soldier. "Let go of me, it hurts!" whimpered hogan as the soldier squeezed his wrist hard, he didn't notice how the soldier stopped short as he looked closely at the boy, the boy was American with broken German. Amazing! "What are you waiting for!!! The boy won't run away from you!" said Gruber annoyed as he got there himself and pulled Hogan into the car himself.

"Ouch" whispered hogan as he sat down in the middle of the car, slowly rubbing his reddened skin. "Must have hurt," Gruber said as he sat down next to hogan and took his wrist. He slowly stroked it "we should go home and ice it before it gets worse." gruber spoke in soft tones as he thought out loud about what could be done. hogan pulled his joint away "why?"

"What why?"

"Why did you do this to me?!" hogan yelled in frustration, but immediately got a slap in the face from gruber. "I don't owe you an answer, you ungrateful boy!" Anger showed in the eyes of both, but only one showed burning hatred that could engulf entire forests in flames. Any arsonist would have been jealous of Hogan's rage. Gruber doesn't like it, no, he hates that look.

"Don't look at me like that."

Hogan did as he was told.

"From today you will also call me Father-"

"WHAT?!" hogan looked outraged at gruber's request. But gruber continued "and from today you will speak to me only in German, no more English like you did with Klink. Speaking of Klink, he's there,Hogan's "father" said dryly when he saw Klink's car.