Chapter Text
“Truck coming in, Colonel,” Baker said.
Hogan and the crew looked up. Sure enough, a transport truck was entering Stalag 13. It drove to the building that held the commandant’s office.
“New prisoner?” Newkirk guessed.
“Must be,” Carter agreed.
Corporal Langenscheidt got out of the driver’s seat and went to the back of the truck. He opened it and a familiar form got out.
“It’s Kinch!” Hogan cried, a smile spreading over his face.
Hogan and the others excitedly rushed over.
“Kinchloe!”
“Kinch!”
“What are you doing back?”
“How are you?”
“It’s been ages, mate.”
“Alright, settle down,” Hogan called over the group. He offered his hand to Kinchloe. “It’s good to see you Kinch. I hate you had to get dragged back here,” he added with a knowing wink.
“Thank you, sir.”
Behind Hogan, the camp gates opened again. Another transport truck came in and parked directly behind the camp truck. Major Hochstetter stepped out of the passenger side of the truck, glaring at them until he spotted Langenscheidt.
“Get this truck out of here at once!”
“Yes, Major!” the corporal faced the prisoners. “All of you get out of the way! Schnell!”
Hogan and Kinch led the group away from the trucks and office building, though they kept a close eye on the new truck.
“I just got back and you guys are already getting visits from the gestapo,” Kinch muttered.
“Never a dull moment,” Hogan answered.
The gestapo truck pulled forward several yards and the driver exited at Hochstetter’s orders.
“Take her to the cooler. I will go talk with Klink. Schnell.”
“Jawohl, Major.”
The driver went to the back of the truck and a moment later, he pulled a young blonde woman out, obviously a civilian. She struggled against his hold. Hogan and his men stiffened. Women were rare in a prisoner camp. She looked over at the men. Surprise crossed her face, but she was pulled away quickly.
“No way,” Baker whispered. “It can’t be.”
“Someone you know?” Hogan asked. Baker said nothing, instead jerked his head towards their barrack. Hogan nodded in agreement. “Let’s see what Hochstetter has to say first.”
The group went into the barrack as quickly and casually as they could. They all went to Hogan’s room. Kinch was already plugging in the coffee pot. He took out the basket and turned it on just as Klink’s voice came through the speaker.
“Absolutely not!” Klink cried.
Across the parade grounds, Hochstetter helped himself to a glass of Klink’s brandy as Klink paced irritably.
“You cannot walk into my camp and treat it as your headquarters every time you catch a spy. This is my camp, Major! I make the rules here!”
“I have orders from General Burkhalter. I am holding Mademoiselle Hark here for interrogation. Once I have finished with her, the execution will be held here as well.”
“General Burkhalter?” Klink swallowed nervously. “How long will you need?”
“A few days. No more than a week, I’m sure.”
Klink leaned forward, intrigued despite himself.
“Is she really so dangerous that Gestapo headquarters can’t hold her?”
“She was the aide to a scientist working on a powerful weapon for der Fuehrer. The weapon is so powerful and secret that it is on a need to know basis only. I have to know how much she knows and how much she has told the allies.”
“Donner vetter!” Klink thought for a moment. “Fiona Hark. An unusual name for a French spy.”
In Hogan’s office, the men chatted while Hogan was in deep thought.
“This sounds big,” Newkirk said.
“We need to find out,” LeBeau said.
“Do we know what cell they put her in?” Hogan asked.
“I think Scotty went to see after Schultz left,” Carter said.
“Baker, you seemed to know her and it looked like she recognized you.”
“She looked like a girl I knew back home named Holly Pond, but I can’t be sure. Hochstetter called her a different name…”
“When we go out on missions, we carry fake identifications,” Newkirk said.
“And the girl I know was a red head.”
“It could be hair dye,” Kinch said.
“What can you tell us about her?”
“She lived on a farm with her parents until they died in a car crash just before we graduated high school. I didn’t hear much after that.”
Hogan frowned thoughtfully.
“If it is the same person, how would she end up in Germany and why would they think she’s French?”
“Holly speaks fluent French,” Baker said. “Her mother was from Paris.”
“A woman in camp and she’s French?” LeBeau rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“Take it easy, Louis,” Newkirk said.
By pure luck, the spy’s room was the one of the cells that held an entrance to the tunnels. Hogan listened carefully for a moment before slowly opening the tunnel and sliding out into the cell. A woman with blonde hair watched him from the bed with a raised eyebrow. Hogan smiled at her, but his smile quickly faltered at the sight of the bruises around her neck. Hochstetter had already been hard at work on her.
“Hi, the name’s Hogan. I’m the senior POW. And you are?”
“Je ne suis pas amuse.”
“Do you speak English at all? My French is pretty rusty.”
“Je me fiche de la langue que tu parles. Je ne parlerai pas parce que je ne suis pas un espion. Reprends tes mensonges d'où tu viens.”
“Right…” Hogan considered a moment and then held up a finger, indicating she needed to wait a moment. “I’ll be right back.”
Hogan returned a little while later with LeBeau, armed with crepes. The woman watched them cautiously as the reemerged from the tunnel. She smelled the air, obviously tempted by their peace offering.
“Okay, LeBeau,” Hogan started. “Make the introductions, will you?”
“Bonjour. My name is Corporal Louis LeBeau,” he said in French. “This is Colonel Hogan.”
“What kind of Gestapo game is this?” she asked, eyeing them and the crepes suspiciously.
“No games. We want to help you. Here, I made you some crepes.”
“You eat them first.”
“Certainly.”
“LeBeau?” Hogan asked.
“She thinks we’re gestapo trying to trick her. She wants me to eat the crepes first to make sure they aren’t poisoned.” LeBeau took a bite and swallowed as the woman watched. “See, there’s nothing wrong with them. I would rather die that taint perfectly good crepes with yucky poison.”
“Then you, unlike me, are a true Frenchman.”
LeBeau handed the plate over and she began eating as though she had not eaten in days, which she hadn’t. They allowed her to eat in peace.
“What is your name?” LeBeau asked when she finished eating.
“Call me Fiona Hark.”
“Madmoizelle Hark, why did you say you aren’t really French?”
She cast them another look, but seemed to finally trust them.
“Because I’m American, not French,” she answered in perfect English.
Hogan nodded.
“So Baker was right. You’re Holly Pond.”
She gave him a hard look, instinctively suspicious, but it softened quickly.
“So… that really was Richard,” she said sadly and wrapped her arms around herself. “How is he?”
“He’s just fine. Right now, we’re more concerned about you and what the gestapo wants with you.”
Holly gave Hogan a hard look and then glanced at the tunnel entrance behind him.
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice much quieter.
“What don’t you understand?”
“That tunnel. You are prisoners of war. Why would you tunnel in here and not out of camp?”
“This is not your run of the mill POW camp,” LeBeau said. “We don’t escape. We’re all stationed here.”
“Why?”
LeBeau looked at Hogan who shook his head sadly.
“With the gestapo in town, the less you know the better. Let’s just say we are a travel agency for those who need it.”
He gave her an expectant look but Holly shook her head.
“I appreciate the thought but it’s impossible. But I have information that must get back to the allies, if you can.”
“What kind of information?” LeBeau asked her.
“I was assigned by the OSS to follow a German engineer by the name of Fritz Orlowski. He has been designing a new technology that will be able to perform advanced mathematics used by physicists. Months long equations done in a matter of minutes. That can give the Germans an edge in the arms race. I have the blueprints for the computer and need to get them out of the country.”
“You’re in luck,” Hogan said with a grin. “This is right up our alley. We can take those plans and have them on their way to London in a couple of days.”
She nodded solemnly.
“Good. There isn’t much time. Turn around.”
“Why?”
She scowled haughtily at them. They took the hint and turned around. A moment later she allowed them to face her again. She held a baby blue garter in her hand. She offered it to Hogan.
“I took photos of the blueprints. The film is hidden in this garter. Take it now and go before they come back.”
Hogan took the garter.
“We’ll take care of it.” Hogan gently touched the bruise on her cheek. “Once we do, we will find a way to get you out of here too.”
She brushed his hand away, though not roughly.
“The information is more important than me. Go, before the guards come back.”
Her eyes were oddly distant and unfocused as she spoke. Her tone was flat. Hogan and LeBeau exchanged uncomfortable looks. She had already accepted her death and that troubled both of them. Back in the tunnel LeBeau looked up at Hogan.
“We can get the film to London, mon colonel. But can’t we do something for Holly as well? You heard the goons earlier. Hochstetter is going to execute her.”
“I’m working on it, LeBeau.”
Over the next twenty four hours, Hogan came up with a rotating schedule so that someone watched the cooler at all times so he knew when it would be safe to contact her again. However, the Gestapo rarely left the cooler. Her screams could sometimes be heard from the barracks. Baker had trouble sleeping that night, frustrated to be unable to help his old friend.
Finally, the next day…
“The gestapo just left the cooler,” LeBeau reported. “I’ve got her next meal all ready.”
“Thanks, LeBeau,” Hogan said. “Baker, you take her tray up. Might be nice to catch up with an old friend.”
“Yessir.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Baker took the tray of food and rushed through the tunnels to the cooler. He tapped out “shave and a hair cut” on the door. Two thumps replied. “Two bits.” He smiled and pushed the door open. He then stepped into the room, put the tray of food down and looked at Holly.
He took a reflexive step back in shock. She had large welts on her arms and legs. He was sure There were more under her clothes. Deep green bruises covered her neck and face. She sat on her bed with her knees to her chest, trembling.
“Holly!”
Baker rushed to her side, pulling his jacket off to wrap around her.
“Je vais bien,” she said at once. She cleared her throat but it did not remove the hoarseness in her tone. “I’m okay. Just cold.” She gave him a small smile. “It’s good to see you, Richard.”
“Likewise, though I wish it was back home.”
“I remember reading in the paper, you’d gone missing. Have you been here the whole time?”
“Nah. Just a few months.” He sighed heavily. “This is the part where we’re supposed to tell each other that we look great, but we’d both be lying.”
Holly managed a soft chuckle. He smiled in return.
“Even in the pits of Hell you find a way to make me laugh.”
He put a brotherly arm around her shoulder.
“We’re gonna get you out of here, Holly. Just hold on, okay.”
“I trust you, Richard.”
Hogan wasn’t sure which was worse: the screams echoing from the cooler the previous day or the silence that claimed it now.
“Schultz said the Gestapo ordered medical supplies this morning,” Carter reported quietly. “Why would they do that if they just plan to execute her?”
“I’ll tell you why,” Newkirk growled. “If they can keep ‘er healthy longer, then they can torture ‘er longer.”
Newkirk had more run-ins with the Gestapo than any of them, so no one questioned his assumption.
“There they go,” Carter said suddenly.
The other two looked up to see Hochstetter and his men leaving the cooler, scowling.
“It’s too quiet,” Hogan said. “I don’t like it.”
“But what can we do?” Carter said. “It’s not like we can blast her out.”
Newkirk saw the lightbulb come on behind Hogan’s eyes.
“Or can we?” He tapped his chin with his index finger. Hogan always got fidgety when he was plotting. “Tell me, the Gestapo plan to execute her once they’re done, right?”
“Right,” Newkirk answered uncertainly.
“They can’t execute her of she’s already dead, though.” He adjusted his cap. Carter and Newkirk exchanged confused looks. “Newkirk, take the lady her dinner. Carter, gather the others and meet me in my office in ten minutes.”
“Where’re you off to?”
“I’m off to plant the seeds of doubt in our beloved commandant.”
Newkirk entered the cell carrying a tray of food for Holly. The woman lay on her cot, her back to him and did not move as he came in.
“Miss Pond?” he started as he set the food tray down. “I’m Peter Newkirk. I’ve brough’ you somethin’ to eat.”
She didn’t move. Was she sleeping? The gestapo had just left. Perhaps she was exhausted from the ordeal. He suddenly noticed the water on the floor. He tapped her shoulder. Her shirt was wet.
“Miss Hark?”
He shook her shoulder gently. She rolled off the cot, unconscious. He caught her before she hit the ground. Her hair, shirt, and even the fresh bandages wrapped around her arms were soaking wet and her skin was cold. He desperately felt her neck and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a pulse. She was still alive. He carefully lifted her back on the cot and rushed into the tunnel again. He returned several minutes later with towels and blankets. He peeled her shirt off and wrapped one of the towels over her chest. He then used another towel to wrap her hair. He wrang the extra water out of her shirt and lay it so the sliver of sun coming through the window could dry it faster. Finally, he returned to her side and began vigorously rubbing her arms and shoulders to warm her up. Several minutes later, the woman stirred. She tensed when she opened her eyes and found a strongly built man kneeling over her.
“It’s alrigh’,” he assured her. “I’m Peter Newkirk. Colonel Hogan sent me.”
She realized she was missing her shirt and only wearing a bra, hidden by a thin towel. She did not answer him but merely gave him an accusing glare clutching the towel to her breasts.
“Righ’, I have a good excuse for that one. You were soaked and freezing. Your shirt is right ‘ere drying. ‘Ere.”
He draped a fresh blanket over her. She finally started to relax.
“Thank you,” she said quietly as she sat up, carefully holding the blanket to keep herself covered.
“Easy there,” he said, helping her sit up. He then nodded towards the tray of food. “’Ave something to eat. You’ve got to keep your strength up.”
Holly leaned her head back, resting it on the wall behind her, and closed her eyes.
“What’s the point? Either I die from the torture or they execute me.”
A tear slid down her cheek. Newkirk sat next to her and put her arm around her.
“Don’ say that. You’ll be alrigh’. The colonel’s gonna get you out of ‘ere.”
“How?”
More tears fell as she shivered. Newkirk held her close.
“He’s working on that as we speak.”
“I’m not worth the risk. You don’t understand…” Her voice trailed off pitifully.
“We ‘elp spies and defectors all the time. You’ll see. You’ll be back on tha’ family farm by Halloween.”
Holly stood, keeping the blanket around her like a cape.
“What has Richard told you about me?” she asked after a long silence.
“You ‘ave a farm. Your parents died in a car crash nearly ten years ago. He also vouched for you. Said you and your family were some of the few people who was nice to ‘im and his family.”
She sighed.
“I come from a dry town and I was a rum runner.” Newkirk blinked in surprise, but said nothing. “It was how I made money after my parents died. I couldn’t run the farm on my own and there was no money for a hired hand. So… I did what I had to. The sheriff knew, but he could never catch me. That is… until about a year ago.” She sighed and poked a hand through the blanket to run her fingers through her hair. “The sheriff dragged me in and was going on about throwing the book at me, using me as an example and how I couldn’t hide behind my petticoats anymore.” She rolled her eyes. “The usual guff. But then these two suits came in and flashed some badges at the sheriff. They were from the OSS and told the sheriff they were taking over my case. He left and the agents offered me a deal. They would wipe my record clean and pay the mortgage on my family’s house if I did them one little favor.”
“To spy on the computing machine bloke?” Newkirk guessed.
She nodded at her shoes.
“I was facing twenty years in prison otherwise so I accepted. My mother was French so I already knew the language. I was given fake identification and a backstory and dropped behind enemy lines. The rest you know.” She looked up at him. “They used me because I’m a nobody. I’m expendable. But you… you and your people, this operation… I can’t let you all risk your lives for my sake when I came here knowing it was practically a suicide mission.”
“I see.”
Newkirk considered her for a long moment. Finally, he patted the space on the cot next to him invitingly. She hesitated and then joined him.
“My dad was a tailor and started training me to take ove’ when I was eight. But I didn’ want ‘is life so I joined the merchant marines when I was fifteen years old. I was big for my age and I lied saying I was eighteen. I boxed to earn extra money and to keep the others from botherin’ me.
“After some time, I left and turned to petty crime and underground boxin’. Most of the fellas here think I was a magician ‘efore the war, but truth is I was a pickpocket and thief. I was ‘eading down a dangerous path. I only joined the royal air corps to get out of trouble with some dodgy folk I owed money to. Turns out I’m good at one thing the military needed. Ended up a sniper and that’s when I was captured and brough’ here.
“It was ‘ell on earth. People were starving. The guards stole what little we had. But then Colonel Hogan arrived and star’ed this whole operation from scratch. ‘E even offered to let those of us who ‘ad been here the longest like me go home. But I refused. It was under ‘is leadership that I realized what was really important.” He placed his hand over hers. “I’ve also learned that how we get started in life doesn’t matter nearly as much as how we grow and change.”
He met her eye as another tear slipped down her cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb.
“Newkirk…”
“Call me Peter.”
“Peter. Thank you for…” She placed her hand on his upper arm and stopped. “Oh!”
“Is everythin’ alright?”
She was looking at his arms, allowing her eyes to really take in his appearance for the first time as her gaze moved over his strong shoulders, took in the way his sweater stretched across his broad chest, sweeping over his black hair and finally his piercing blue eyes.
“I know you said you boxed but I didn’t realize…” She cleared her throat, her cheeks pink. “Never mind.”
She stood quickly and crossed the small room. He smiled despite the circumstances. It had been a long time since a woman had blushed in his arms. It had been longer since he trusted someone enough to be honest about his past. Newkirk got to his feet and crossed the room. He stood close to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“We act soon. The colonel is goin’ over everythin’ with the others now,” he told her. He stepped closer, his chest pressing into her back. He wouldn’t have been so brazen, but her blushing cheeks stirred something in his chest. “Everythin’ will be alrigh’.” His hands slid down to her waist. “You’ll see.”
She turned to face him. She looked up at him and for the first time, he could see hope in her eyes. Her hands found his chest and he felt his heart skip a beat. Poking her arms through the blanket caused a gap. He could see her bra and the shadows of other injuries.
“Thank you, Newkirk.”
“I said call me Peter, Miss Pond.”
She leaned close and whispered, “Call me Holly.”
His hands slipped around her, but he made sure not to shift or remove the blanket.
“Such a beautiful name.”
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger a moment.
“Thank you, Peter.”
She kept her eyes on his, as she lowered herself flat on her feet. She could feel his heart hammering against her palm. Newkirk cupped her cheek in one hand and tightened his hold on her waist with the other. Her cheeks flooded with color. He lowered his head.
“Newkirk?”
The pair pulled away from each other as Carter entered the room. Holly quickly tightened her hold on the blanket around her.
“What is it, Andrew?” Newkirk asked irritably.
Carter smiled and took off his cap seeing Holly.
“Hi there, Miss Pond. My name’s Andrew Carter.”
“What is it, Andrew?” Newkirk repeated, annoyed.
“Right, Colonel Hogan is looking for you. Roll call is soon and we need to start getting things ready to get Miss Pond out of here.”
Newkirk checked his watch and then cast Holly a pained look.
“Are you gonna to be alrigh’?” he asked her. She nodded, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. “I’ll be back,” he promised.
He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Carter smiled.
“You sure don’t waste time, do you Newkirk?”
Holly raised an eyebrow. Newkirk glared at Carter.
“Shut it, Carter.”
Carter looked back at Holly.
“Colonel Hogan will be back after role call to tell you the plan. I think you’ll like it.”
“Come on,” Newkirk grumbled, pulling Carter along behind him. He cast Holly one final look before closing the entrance to the tunnels.
Hogan and his men stood in formation, bracing against the cold, as Schultz counted them. Klink and Hochstetter waited on the porch of the former’s office.
“REPORT!” Klink called.
Schultz saluted.
“All present and accounted for, herr colonel.”
“Excellent. Dismissed.”
“Colonel Klink,” Hogan called before Klink and Hochstetter could go back inside. “Have you fixed that gas leak yet?”
“It’s none of your concern!” Klink replied irritably.
“I bet Major Hochstetter is concerned,” Hogan continued as he approached the men. Behind him Schultz herded the others into the barracks. Newkirk managed to trail behind the fat guard slowly, so he could hear Hogan. “A gas leak in the cooler puts his men at risk as much as mine.”
“Vat gas leak?” Hochstetter said dismissively. “Ve have not noticed any gas leak.”
“Colonel Klink, I’ve mentioned this to you several times!” Hogan continued. “When something happens don’t go trying to pin it on me!”
“Dismissed, Hogan!” Klink said sternly.
Hogan pretended to frown in annoyance but smiled the moment he turned back to the barracks. Newkirk gave him a look as he followed his commanding officer into the barracks.
“A gas leak, sir?” he asked quietly.
“Do you have a better excuse for why the cooler blew up?”
“Blow up the…?” Newkirk started in a harsh whisper but stopped himself quickly. “Beggin’ the colonel’s pardon, but ‘ave you lost your ruddy mind?”
“Trust me, Newkirk. LeBeau will fill you in. I need to let Holly know the plan.”
“Beggin’ the colonel’s pardon, but have you lost yer damn mind?” Holly cried, her southern accent suddenly much thicker.
“There seems to be an echo in this camp,” Hogan muttered. “There’s nothing to it. We’re going to stage a distraction on one side of camp in the form of an attempted escape. Meanwhile, Olsen and LeBeau will sneak into the cooler. When the guards spot the three of you coming out of the cooler, my boys will make a run for the barracks while you will run back into the cooler. From there you escape into the tunnel.”
“That’s a terrible plan. The guards will chase me into the cooler and find the tunnel.”
“It will most likely be the gestapo that chases you, which suites us just fine. You also didn’t let me get to the best part. Once you’re safely in the tunnels, Carter will set off the bomb he’s planting right now.”
“It’s almost ready, Colonel,” Carter called quietly from two cells away.
Holly looked towards the door in surprise. Carter’s face appeared in the small barred window.
“Hi, Miss Pond, ma’am. Colonel, about this bomb. I’ll be able to set it off from the barracks but to make sure no one can follow Miss Pond into the tunnel, I need to set it off pretty quick once she’s back in.”
“How quick?” Holly asked.
Carter turned his attention to her.
“Once you go back into the cooler, I can give you to the count of fifteen. You’ll also need to clear the first corridor leading to the cooler in case it collapses.”
Holly ran her fingers through her hair, thinking. This insane plan was getting crazier and more dangerous by the minute.
“How far from the door to here?”
“About fifteen feet,” Hogan told her, suddenly looking a bit nervous after Carter’s announcement.
“And the corridor?”
“About sixty feet. When you go in the tunnel, take the first right, the first left and then straight for sixty feet.”
Holly took a deep breath. After several more deep breaths, she nodded.
“Fine.”
“Can you make it?” Hogan asked her.
“If I don’t, the alternative is the firing squad,” she answered darkly. “I’ve got nothing to lose.” She heaved another heavy sigh. “Okay, when are we doing this?”
Hogan looked towards the door.
“Carter?”
“I should be ready in about twenty minutes. I still have to run the wires for the bomb through the tunnels.”
Hogan checked his watch.
“We’ll go to work in half an hour then. Holly, be ready to move when LeBeau and Olsen get here.”
“This all feels overly elaborate. Why not just take me into the tunnels now and blow the place?”
“Because Hochstetter is paranoid. If he searches the rubble and doesn’t find a body, he’ll know something is up. But if he sees you run into the cooler before the explosion, there can be no doubt in his mind.”
“Even if he still doesn’t find a body?”
“Trust me. I know Hochstetter. We’ve dealt with him many times before.”
The cell door opened. Holly, spun, raising her fists, ready to fight. But it was only Carter rolling out a spool of wire. She lowered her fists and looked at Hogan incredulously.
“That was open the whole time?”
“No,” he replied with a smirk. “We have a key.”
“Excuse me, Miss Pond.”
Carter moved towards the tunnel, letting the wire unroll behind him. He smiled back at her.
“I’ll run the wire through you cell so when you leave all you have to do is follow it,” he explained.
Hogan placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders.
“Everything will be alright. Trust me.”
She signed and nodded.
Hogan made his way back to the barracks.
“Alright fellas, Holly has been filled in on the plan. LeBeau, Olsen, you’re going to enter the cooler through the tunnel and lead her out the front door. Once you’re spotted you two will run for the barracks and she will run back into the cooler. Make sure you leave the tunnel entrance open. I still need a volunteer to stage the fake escape on the other side of the compound.” Silence rang. Hogan frowned. “Don’t everyone jump up at once.”
Newkirk took a deep breath.
“I’ll do it, colonel.”
LeBeau and Kinch looked at him in surprise. Newkirk rarely volunteered for missions like this, especially when the gestapo was around. The whole camp knew about Newkirk’s time as a gestapo captive when he was first capture so no one ever said anything about him not volunteering. Only Carter, who had seen him embracing Holly earlier, was not surprised.
“Are you sure Newkirk?” Hogan asked softly. “It’s not just Schultz out there tonight. The gestapo will aim to kill if they get involved.”
“Most of the gestapo will be near the cooler. Besides, this is importan’ and none of you was speakin’ up.”
The men exchanged uneasy looks. Hogan nodded solemnly.
“Alright, Newkirk. Get ready. We act in fifteen minutes.”
LeBeau knocked softly on the tunnel entrance. Two thumps responded. He quickly opened the entrance and he and Olsen crawled into the cell. Holly stood in the middle of the room, wringing her hands. She looked from LeBeau to Olsen to the door.
“Holly, this is Olsen. Olsen, meet Holly,” LeBeau said in a quick introduction.
Olsen smiled, took her outstretched hand, and kissed it.
“Are you ready?” he asked. She nodded nervously as he looked over her injuries. “I don’t see anything that will slow or stop your escape, but when this is over, come find me. I’ll take care of these cuts and welts.”
“Are you the camp medic?”
“Doctor, actually.” He smiled as he saw her eyes move to his sergeant stripes. “I’ll explain later.”
“We need to get ready,” LeBeau cut in. “The guards should spot Newkirk soon.”
“Peter?” Holly asked, alarmed. “He was assigned to be the distraction?”
“He volunteered,” LeBeau clarified. She chewed her thumbnail, looking towards the window. He placed his hands on her arms and looked up at her. “He’ll be okay, Holly.”
“We do this kind of thing all the time,” Olsen agreed. “When you go into the tunnel, follow the detonation wires until you get to the first room. You’ll be alright.”
The three got into position and waited.
“What’s taking so long?” Olsen hissed after a few minutes.
A gunshot broke the still night air. Holly tensed. A siren wailed. Dogs barked. Soldiers yelled. LeBeau and Olsen led the way out of the cooler as another shot ripped the air. Holly gasped. A gestapo guard heard her and turned around.
“Halt!” he cried.
“Go!” Olsen called.
LeBeau and Olsen ducked to the right towards the barracks as Holly ran back into the cooler.
In barrack two, Baker watched the action through a crack in the window. Carter sat crouched by LeBeau’s bunk, the tunnel entrance open with the detonation wires leading down. The rest of the men sat in silence, waiting.
A gunshot rang out. Carter swallowed nervously. Sirens wailed as dogs barked. Another shot fired.
“I see them,” Baker said suddenly, making sure to keep his voice down. “LeBeau and Olsen… There’s Holly. … The gestapo spotted her. Three went for the boys. Two are following Holly. She’s back inside.”
Carter started silently counting.
Newkirk frowned irritably. Schultz wasn’t on duty like he had hoped, but he had spotted Langenscheidt. The young corporal would likely be his safest option. However, Langenscheidt had not noticed Newkirk yet, despite the later being so close by and intentionally making noise. Newkirk stepped on sticks and leaves. He coughed and even tried a fake sneeze to get the guard’s attention, but nothing seemed to work. Newkirk sighed, hands on his hips and shook his head.
“Halt! Wer ist das?”
Newkirk spun around to find Private Gritz aiming his rifle at the Englishman. Newkirk ducked as he fired. Langenscheidt finally took notice of him and called out to the tower guards. Newkirk was blinded by the sudden spotlight on him.
“I surrender!” he called, throwing his hands up.
Another round fired close by, causing Newkirk’s ears to ring. Pain shot through his arm. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. He allowed the guards to arrest him and drag him back to camp, resisting only as much as he needed to put on a show. As the camp gates opened to let them in, the cooler exploded.
Holly ran back into the cooler as another guard turned their way. LeBeau and Olsen ran towards the parade grounds and barracks, taking three gestapo with them, but two followed her. They crossed the doorway. She had to the count of fifteen.
One…
She ran down the hall of cells, easily finding the one she just abandoned.
Two…
She flung herself into the cell slamming the door shut. Did it lock behind her? Did it matter?
Three…
The entrance to the tunnels was only left cracked. She pulled it open. The door was much heavier than she expected.
Four…
She managed to open the tunnel door as the gestapo yanked on the cell door. It held. One shouted at the other for the key.
Five…
Take the first right and then the first left.
Six…
She remembered the wire. Follow the wire, Carter and Olsen had said.
Seven…
She felt several of her cuts open, fresh blood dripping down her skin.
Eight…
How far had she run?
Nine…
How far did she still have to go?
Ten…
Was the tunnel getting longer?
Eleven…
Her muscles screamed in pain.
Twelve…
A light! She could see a light ahead! It still seemed so far away.
Thirteen…
She pushed herself harder. She was almost there. She had to be.
Fourteen…
She wasn’t going to make it…
Fifteen…
BOOM!