The Unsung Rescue

"Look, less than a month ago, [Tiger] saved my life. She saved us."

Colonel Hogan in Operation Tiger

Late. They were late. Richard Baker, who normally had no issue sitting still for hours monitoring the radio, paced the tunnels unsure of what to do. For the others weren't just late, they were very, very late. They had long passed 'delayed by passing patrols' late. And they were hours past 'something went sidewise on the mission and they had to improvise' late. They had flown past 'we need to make plans in case the others miss roll call' late and were firmly in the 'something must have gone seriously wrong and it's time to time to check with their Underground contact in the Abhwer' late.

Hogan, Kinch, Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau were late and the only thing Baker could do was wait. Wait for their return, wait for roll call, wait for their Abwehr contact to confirm or deny the growing fear in the pit of his stomach.

"Baker." The radioman turned and saw Foster hurrying down the tunnel. "Any news?" the POW asked.

"No."

"Barnes and Davis cut a hole in the south fence. Addison spotted Klink up and moving in his quarters. Roll call will be soon."

Baker nodded. "Right. I'll wait down here until the last minute. Tell the others to delay as much as they can. If they don't return, Klink will think we're trying to cover their escape."

Foster opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sound of the radio. Baker moved quickly, putting on his headset as he whispered a silent prayer that the news would be good.

"Well?" Foster asked when Baker finished but didn't immediately start speaking.

"They've been captured. The Gestapo found them sneaking into the rocket factory and is holding them at their headquarters in Duisburg."

"What do we do now?"

Baker hesitated. This wasn't normally his role. He was no Hogan, able to come up with impossible plans at the drop of a hat that somehow always managed to get the job done. He was no Kinch, with the strength to hold things together until they were made right again. He didn't have the improvisation skills of Carter or Newkirk, the passion of LeBeau. Any of the others would have been better suited in this role, but they weren't here. And unless Baker did something, he would never see any of them again. So with more confidence than he felt, he said, "We rescue them."

Schultz was good at knowing when there was monkey business going on. For he had guarded his boys for years and he knew their tricks and their antics better than anyone. Now, if he had a choice in the matter, he would have preferred to know nothing about any monkey business at all. But in spite of his preference, there was no prisoner who could sneak monkey business past him, that was, unless the prisoner wanted to sneak monkey business past him.

Therefore, when Schultz burst into Barracks Two, yelling at his boys to get up, he began to suspect that there was something going on. But whatever it was, it wasn't monkey business. It was something worse.

Oh, it looked like monkey business. Davis yelled at him to turn off the lights while Addison grabbed his rifle and Mills babbled on about some nonsense. It was a normal morning, expect for the fact that Schultz couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Suddenly, he froze and didn't even flinch as socks and other assorted dirty laundry hit his ample stomach. LeBeau should be the one yelling at him, Newkirk should have stolen his rifle, Carter should be babbling on about some nonsensical thing.

Panicked, Schultz pushed the POWs out the door as he searched for the familiar troublemakers, but they were nowhere in sight. Once outside, he marched to the end of the line. He was going to give Colonel Hogan a piece of his mind. He had warned the officer in the past that one day he would go too far and this was too far.

But Hogan wasn't there.

Schultz moaned. This was bad. This was very, very bad. He closed his eyes and told himself that as long as he couldn't see the see the prisoners, he could pretend that they were there.

"They're gone, Schultz," Baker said softly.

Schultz kept his eyes closed. "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!" But as much as he didn't want to hear, to see, to know, the fact that Baker was the person who spoke told the guard that one more piece of bad news awaited him. Not wanting to look, but unable to turn away, Schultz opened his eyes and discovered another empty spot - Kinchloe was also missing.

"Report!" Klink's voice called out.

Schultz was shaking as he stepped forward to face his commanding officer. After one quick glance back to make sure no one else had disappeared, he said, "Herr Kommandant, I beg to report that five men are missing."

"Impossible! Colonel Hogan, what do have to say ..." Klink stumbled as he realized the object of his ire was not present. "Schultz! Where is Colonel Hogan?"

"He's not here, Herr Kommandant."

"Sound the alarms! Let loose the dogs! No one escapes from Stalag Thirteen!"

Tiger dove under a bush when she heard the sounds of soldiers traipsing through the woods. There were two of them. They looked anxious as they scanned the trees. It was obvious that they were searching for something - or someone - but they weren't doing a very good job at it as they completely overlooked her hiding spot.

Once the coast was clear, she crawled out from under the bush, rose and brushed the leaves off her skirt. The sight of the soldiers was concerning as it was the third patrol she'd had to dodge since leaving Hammelburg. It wasn't that she was afraid of discovery - she had a good cover: she would pose as a heartbroken young woman searching for the father of her unborn child. She had a letter in her pocket stating that her lover was a guard at Stalag Thirteen. No, what was concerning was what the presence of these soldiers meant for the men at Stalag Thirteen.

A few hours ago, Tiger received a message she never thought she would receive: an SOS from Papa Bear asking for immediate Underground assistance. She had dropped everything, put on one of her best disguises and hopped on a train to Hammelburg. She knew that whatever had happened to cause Hogan to ask for help would be bad. Hogan's operation was known for pulling off the impossible, for saving others - including her - from situations that would have resulted in certain death. Hogan never asked for help. Never. Except, today he had. He had asked for her. Hogan had been her savior and now he was asking for her to save him.

Hogan needed her. And a part of her treacherous heart leapt at the thought. She wanted nothing more than for him to hold her in his arms and show her just how much he needed her - both as a woman and as a leader in the Underground.

Tiger shook her head. She couldn't afford to get distracted. She had a job to do. And she would be of help to no one if she failed to arrive at her destination. Focusing all her attention on the woods around her, she made good time - only having to dodge one more patrol. And once she found the tree stump, she climbed down into the familiar tunnels.

She was careful to make some noise as she walked towards the radio room. The last thing she wanted to do was startle one of Hogan's men in an emergency situation. But her concerns were unfounded as there was a man she didn't recognize waiting for her. The POW was colored like Kinch but shorter and lighter skinned. He held out his hand as she approached. "My name is Richard Baker. You must be Tiger."

She took his hand and shook it. "Oui. Hogan sent for me. He said there was an emergency."

Baker looked grim. "Colonel Hogan doesn't know you're here. He's been captured by the Gestapo."

Tiger was unable to suppress a shudder as memories of her time spent under the Gestapo's "care" threatened to come flooding back. But she quickly stilled herself and stood up straight. She didn't have time for memories. She would be strong. Not just for Hogan, but for everything she fought for and believed in. Because if he broke, it wouldn't just mean the end of Stalag Thirteen, but of her operations as well. Papa Bear knew too much. "What happened?"

"Hogan, Kinchloe, Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau were captured while trying to blow up a rocket factory last night. They are being held at Gestapo Headquarters in Duisburg. According to my contact in the Abwehr, they don't know that they just picked up Papa Bear, but..."

Tiger interrupted, "But it is only a matter of time until they realize just who they have in their cells. We will need to move fast. I can contact my agents and put together a plan. We may be able to stage a rescue tomorrow night, the day after at the latest. "

"That's won't be fast enough."

"Do you doubt Hogan's ability to defy the Gestapo or the courage of his men?"

"Of course not," Baker said, his voice oddly calm. "But I contacted London to ask for help. They're going to bomb Duisburg at 0200 tonight. I asked for more time, but they aren't willing to take that risk."

Tiger sank into the closest chair. How could they? After everything Hogan had done for the war, they would just throw away his life and lives of his men! They weren't even going to try to save him! But even in the middle of her shock and rage, she remembered how, in a Gestapo cell in Paris, she had begged Hogan to give her a gun. Her situation had been hopeless and she would have considered it a blessing to be able to kill herself before being forced to betray her country and the people she loved. Hogan would think the same way. But to not even be given a chance...

"London has given me the go-ahead to attempt a rescue today," Baker said. "They don't want to kill him if they don't have to."

Tiger didn't find Baker's words very reassuring. But they didn't have time to argue. 0200 was only twelve hours away. "My agents won't be able to get here in time. What about the men here? Is Olsen around?"

"Olsen is out on assignment and won't be back in time. The others can help us prepare but we don't have anyone left who is trained to work on the outside."

"And you?"

"I've done jobs outside the wire, but I can't pass as German."

Tiger wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or weep. One woman, a colored man and an impossible deadline. The situation felt like a cruel cosmic joke, except she had no doubt that if Hogan were here, he would have found a way to save everyone somehow...

Shaking her head, she berated herself. She didn't have time to panic. It was true that she was no Hogan, but she was a leader in Underground. She might not have his military training, but she was just as experienced in sabotage and intelligence gathering. She would not let fear stop her. She would do this.

This time, a tiger was going to rescue a bear.

Baker's stomach was in knots as he pushed open the barracks' door and stepped outside. It was only a few hours ago that he swore that he couldn't pass as a German and now he was going to attempt just that. At least his disguise was better than Tiger's. They both were dressed as camp guards but they had made no attempt to hide the fact that she was female. No, they were counting on the sight of Tiger and the shadows present at dusk to mask the color of Baker's skin.

Walking over to the motor pool, Baker pushed open the gate and spotted just the man he needed underneath a car, his legs sticking out. Rushing over, he starting breathing heavily as he begged, "I need a car. Please help me."

The guard didn't move. "Every vehicle is being used for the search. Kommandant's orders."

"I can pay. I'm desperate."

The guard rolled out from under the car. "Can't help you."

Baker waved Tiger over and grabbed her hand. "It's not for me. It's for my friend. I snuck...uh... him in last night. He needs to get home."

The guard stared at Tiger, his eyes running up and down her body, taking in all her curves. She stepped forward, blatted her eyes and said, "Please."

The guard sighed, stood up and grabbed the money Baker was holding. "Have the car back by morning roll call or Klink will have all our heads."

Keys in hand, Baker and Tiger climbed in the car and drove out the front gates. No one stopped them or questioned them as they headed north. While he drove, Baker couldn't help but glance at his companion. He had heard a lot about Tiger, and the truth was, he had wondered if she was really as good as his friends claimed. She was only a civilian, after all, and a female civilian at that. But in the past several hours, he had watched her take control of this situation, analyze her resources and come up with a plan only slightly less crazy than the plans his CO normally created. No wonder Hogan spoke so highly of her. And while he had no idea if her plan would work, for the first time since hearing that the others had been captured, Baker had hope.

Tiger stepped out onto the street and smoothed her jacket and skirt. Everything was order. It was time. She stepped forward and heard Baker close the car door behind her. He was playing the role of her driver, a job she had reassured the POW that the Gestapo would view as appropriate for a mixed race child of a French Senegalese soldier and a German mother. He had not been familiar with the so-called Rhineland Bastards, but once aware of a believable way that he could accompany her, he didn't hesitate to agree to her plan.

Looking at the Gestapo Headquarters, she pushed aside her fears and memories and instead stood up straight and looked at the place with a steely gaze. Right now, she needed to think of the Gestapo not as her enemy but as her ally. She was a loyal supporter of Vichy. She was on a mission for their mutual benefit. She would walk right through that door without fear and that was exactly what she did.

Once inside, she approached the officer on duty and said, "My name is Michelle Dubois. I work for Major Calle at the Bureau of Anti-National Activities. I need to speak with Major Voigt."

"Papers."

Tiger handed over the documents identifying her as an employee of the Vichy government. Baker was ignored.

"Everything is in order. May I take a take a message? Major Voigt is busy."

"Major Voigt's business is why I am here. We received word that he captured a group of saboteurs last night and we have reason to believe that some of them are men that we have been after for quite some time."

The Gestapo officer bit his lip as he considered his options. "Wait here." After several minutes had passed, he returned and said, "Follow me."

Tiger and Baker walked behind the man who suddenly stopped after a few steps, turned and asked with a sneer, "Must that accompany us?" There was no doubt as to whom the "that" was.

Tiger sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. My driver is needed to identify one of the men I am after."

The Gestapo man's face remained set with anger, but he didn't make any further protests as he led them to Major Voigt's office. The Major was an older man with cold eyes that threatened to look right through Tiger and uncover the truth of her deception. But she didn't flinch and instead met those eyes and exchanged the proper pleasantries when she was introduced.

Major Voigt gestured for her take a seat. "My Lieutenant says you have information about my prisoners."

"Yes, sir. My superiors received word that several saboteurs we have been searching for had managed to cross the border into Germany. Our informant claimed it was to meet up with the German Underground and carry out their work here. I was on my way here to warn you when I heard about the attack on a local factory."

"And you can identify these men?"

"Yes, sir. Most of them. We are also looking for a colored man whom my driver knows by sight."

Those eyes continued to study her as she spoke, weighing her every word, but when she finished, Voigt must have come to a decision, because he said, "I did capture five men sneaking into a rocket factory last night. One is a Negro and at least one of the others is French. They aren't talking ... yet. So a positive identification would be an assistance in my interrogations."

Tiger opened her mouth to thank the man, when he held up a hand to stop her. "But I must make one thing clear, regardless of what you discover, these men are my prisoners and will remain so."

Tiger smiled. "My duty is to see that France is safe from all those who seek to undermine our alliance with the Third Reich. I trust that once you are finished with them, they will be no threat to Germany or France ever again. Major Calle just asks that if you uncover further information of traitors operating in France, you pass on that information for our mutual benefit."

Voigt laughed. "Tis a pity you are not German or I would have you assigned to my office."

Tiger lowered her eyes to hide a blush that was not there. "Thank you, Major. You are most kind."

"Becker!" Voigt hollered and his secretary stepped back inside the office. "Move the prisoners to room three." Then once he was gone, the stern officer's gaze softened as he picked up a teapot and asked, "Tea?"

Tiger tried not to think too much as she sipped her tea and laughed at the major's jokes. The man was flirting with her! It sickened her to think that this man could put on such a pleasant face when he was almost certainly guilty of unspeakable horrors. But she forced herself to push those thoughts away; the one thing she could not afford to do was react at the sight of any "care" given to Hogan and the others. She was going to be allowed to see them. Her plan would have a chance!

Tiger held onto that hope as she followed her enemy to where Hogan was waiting and stepped inside. Her eyes immediately swept the room and reassured herself that all five men were present and alive. But her eyes stopped their search when they met Hogan's. Her heart leapt, his mouth started to open in shock, but he turned the movement into a whistle. "Major, now that's what I call service. I was just hoping for fresh bread for supper, but you send us this beauty. And to think I doubted your commitment to improving our-"

"Silence!"

Tiger couldn't help but be amazed. Other men or women facing imprisonment and worse either begged or remained silent, but not Hogan. From Voigt's reaction, she suspected that this was not the first barb sent his way.

"This woman has been sent by the Vichy government to assist in our interrogations. You will stand at attention and allow her to inspect you. Any man who does not cooperate will be punished."

"Traitor!" LeBeau yelled.

Voigt nodded and a guard slammed the butt of a rifle into the Frenchman's stomach. Tiger walked forward and stared at the prisoner while he fought to regain his breath. Once he could stand straight again, he gave her a look of pure hatred when she said, "This one I know."

Then taking two steps to the right, she stood in front of Carter, who smiled weakly as he said, "You know, ma'am, I've never seen a woman jailer before-"

"I do not know this man."

She kept moving, then she came to a stop just a few feet in front of Hogan. She didn't dare let any emotion flicker across her face but she couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes or the worry lines that covered his face. But as she gazed into his eyes, that familiar spark was there...

Voigt stepped forward. "Fraulein."

Tiger forced herself to look away. "I thought he looked familiar but I was mistaken."

Newkirk was next. His face was swollen but he was all smiles as she stood before him. "Fraulein, you must be an angel sent to ease this prisoner's woes. The sight of you..."

Tiger mentally shook her head. Hogan's men could never resist, but the fact that Newkirk could still flirt in a dirty Gestapo dungeon told her that these men had not given up hope.

Stopping in front of Kinch, she noted that the man was injured. His right arm hung limply; she suspected a broken shoulder. Had their captors broken it or was the injury the cause of their capture? She studied the colored man for a few moments before gesturing for Baker to approach.

Baker came to a stop in front of Newkirk and Tiger stepped back to give him a better view. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Is it him?"

"Yes."

Tiger held out her hand and Baker handed her briefcase. She walked up to the table in the middle of the room, opened the briefcase and began to rifle through her papers. "The short one is Jean Gallois." She pushed his dossier across the table. "He has been a member of the Communist Underground for at least two years. He has family in Nice - the information is in the file. Specializes in explosives. We believe he is responsible for the destruction of several factories and trains in the Rhineland area."

Voigt showed no reaction as he leafed through the dossier. "And the Negro?"

"Oumar Sambou," Tiger said, handing over a second dossier. Born in Paris to Senegalese parents. He is a member of Gallois' cell. Experienced in small arms and hand-to-hand combat. The tales of his barbarity are in his file." It pained Tiger to speak such lies about one of the most gentle, kindest men that she had ever known. But her enemies would be more apt to believe her if she played into their prejudice and, most importantly, did not pay attention to what Baker was doing behind her. "You did France a great service by capturing him."

"These notes will be of a great assistance to me. I can assure that these men will trouble you no further. I will send along any new information I learn. Becker will escort you out. Heil Hilter!"

"Heil Hitler," Tiger replied.

Then without looking back, she followed Lieutenant Becker out the door. She stayed in character as she stepped back out into the night air and strode over to the waiting car. Baker opened the door and as Tiger slid inside, she whispered, "The package?"

"Delivered."

Tiger breathed a sigh of relief, they may not be out of danger yet, but they still had hope. For Hogan and his men now had everything they needed to make an escape. It was all in her friends' hands now.

Nine men.

Nine.

There should be fifteen. Schultz had hoped for fifteen. He had expected ten. But nine, nine was a disaster. And that was with refusing to see or know that the man standing in Olsen's spot was not Olsen. Because he could not, would not admit to himself nor to Klink that there were only eight prisoners present. He didn't know how he was going to admit that there were only nine. What was he going to do?

"What's the matter, Schultz?" Barnes asked.

"I think he forgot how to count," Davis said.

Schultz groaned. This was no time for jokes. "I did not forget how to count. I know how to count. I should count ten men. No, I should count fifteen men. But I counted and I counted and there are onlynine!

"Nine?" Foster looked confused. "Don't you mean ten?"

Schultz was firm, he would not let the prisoners confuse him. "I counted three times. There are only nine. Sergeant Baker is missing."

Comprehension dawned on Foster's face. "Oh! Baker's not missing. He just left to go pick up the others. He'll be back."

Back! Schultz could only hope that they would all come back. They always had before. But he didn't want to think of why Baker had to leave. Because that suggested trouble and Schultz didn't need any more trouble. He was already in enough trouble.

"Schultz," Addison said, "don't tell Klink about Baker. He'll only notice if you tell him."

"Yeah, and you don't want to tell Klink that you lost another prisoner, do you?" Greensburg added.

That was true. Klink was so worried about the escaped prisoners that he surely wouldn't realize that one more was missing. "But what do I tell the Kommandant?"

"The same thing you always do..." Garlotti began.

"Nothing," the remaining POWs chanted in unison.

And nothing was exactly what Schultz did.

Baker did his best to stand still, to guard his post, to appear to any passerby to be just other soldier charged with keeping the streets of Duisburg safe. But on the inside, he was a bundle of nerves. His attention was focused solely on the building across the street while he watched for any sign that his friends had made their escape, his eyes only leaving the structure to glance at the watch on his wrist.

0105

Late. They were late. Again.

They were on a tight schedule but the next step was out of Baker's control. Even though the coded note he had smuggled to the others told them they needed to meet at this corner no later than 0100, there was no guarantee that the Gestapo would cooperate with those plans.

He had to trust. Trust that Hogan would be able to use his silver tongue to give him and his men a moment of privacy to plan. Trust that Kinch would decode the message in time. Trust Newkirk to unlock their cells and Carter to create a diversion. He had to trust that LeBeau and the others would find a way to overpower or trick the guards and gain their freedom. For Tiger's plan had worked. Baker had walked into Gestapo Headquarters with as many useful items hidden in his clothing as possible. From the two guns in his waistband to the smoke bombs in his pockets, to the lock picks hidden up his sleeve, Newkirk had found and lifted them all. Baker just needed to trust that the Gestapo had remained ignorant of what he had done and that his friends would find a way to escape.

0111

With every passing second, it began harder and harder to wait and do nothing. But he would not flee. He would stand his post until the bombers came. He would hold onto hope.

A ray of light, an open door and a man in a Gestapo uniform walked out followed by another and another. Could this be it?

Baker smiled as the fifth man joined the others - it was them. There was no mistaking LeBeau or Kinch's figures, even though the latter's face was covered with a black scarf. No words were said as Baker caught his CO's eye and gestured for him to follow. Leading the others down a side street, he stopped in front of a small ground floor apartment. He knocked three times - two long, one short.

Tiger opened the door and before she could say a word, Hogan swept her up in his arms as he entered the room. The lovers kissed while the others exchanged knowing looks as they piled into the room behind them.

0123

Baker cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt but we need to hurry." He grabbed the pile of Luftwaffe uniforms and started passing them out. "London is bombing Duisburg at 0200."

"What?" LeBeau exclaimed while he hopped out of his pants.

Carter threw his borrowed Gestapo uniform to the ground in disgust. "Boy, how do you like that? First, they tell us that they can't bomb the factory and then they decide they can after we've been captured!"

Hogan's expression grew cold. He turned to Baker and asked, "The target isn't the rocket factory, is it?"

"No, sir."

The rescued POWs froze as the implication of that exchange hit them. But the moment quickly passed...

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE BLOODY KIDDING ME!"

"Newkirk!" Tiger hissed as she helped Kinch strip down to his blacks, his right arm still hanging uselessly at his side. "You'll wake the neighbors."

Newkirk looked like he wanted to punch someone or several someones but he held his tongue while he finished changing.

Buttoning up his general's jacket, Hogan asked, "Is this mission authorized?"

"Yes. I had permission to attempt a rescue. I requested more time, but they refused."

"Ungrateful officers, English pigs," LeBeau muttered under his breath.

0129

Baker checked the door - time was running out. Their car was waiting just outside, but a new threat was approaching. "Gestapo coming!"

Tiger moved swiftly. She opened the closet and ordered the rescued NCOs inside. Then she let her trench coat drop to the floor, revealing a rather scandalous dress underneath before wrapping her arms around Hogan's neck. The officer immediately embraced the plan and the woman, carrying her to the bed in the middle of the room...

Baker turned back to the door. There were some things he just didn't need to watch. He tried not to jump when the door shook as fists pounded upon it. "Open up! Gestapo!"

Opening the door a crack and praying that the darkness would continue to mask the color of his skin, he looked straight into the eyes of the first soldier and said, "How dare you interpret General Hoganbecker when he is sleeping!"

"Stand aside," the Gestapo sergeant ordered before he and his partner forced their way into the room.

Tiger shrieked and Hogan jumped out of bed, only to get tangled up in his pants that were now at his ankles. "What is the meaning of this?" Hogan yelled as he struggled with his clothing.

"My apologies, Herr General, but I'm searching for a group of escaped prisoners."

"There are no prisoners hiding under my bed!"

"My orders-"

"Your orders are to vacate this room immediately or you will find yourself searching for prisoners on the Russian Front!"

"Yes, Herr General. I can see there are no prisoners here, Herr General," the man said as he backed out of the room.

0147

Baker cracked open the door again and watched as the soldiers knocked at the neighboring apartment. Words were exchanged and then the Gestapo moved on to the next house. This time no one answered and they disappeared inside. "Let's go."

Baker ran to the trunk, opened it and then tossed Newkirk the keys. Checking again that the coast was still clear, he waved Kinch and Tiger over. Kinch climbed in first. Baker winced as he watched his friend jostle his injured shoulder while he squeezed as far back as he could. Tiger quickly climbed in after him. Somehow, they both fit. Closing the trunk, Baker climbed into the backseat with Carter and LeBeau. Hogan sat down in the passenger seat as Newkirk started the engine.

0154

To his credit, Newkirk didn't immediately speed off, but drove normally through the streets and even slowed down as they approached a checkpoint on the outskirts of town. But before the car could come to a stop, the piercing wail of a siren filled the air.

0200

The bombers had arrived.

The guard jumped and looked up at the air in fright. When he looked back at the car, he frantically waved it through. Newkirk need no further encouragement; he pressed down on the gas and sped off into the night.

Schultz was not normally a praying man, but he said a prayer to every deity that he had ever heard of and a few he hadn't that there would be ten men inside Barracks Two. He would be in so much trouble if Baker was still missing. It would be worth his life if even more men were missing.

Gathering up his courage, he opened the door and stepped inside. "Roll call! Everybody up! Roll call!"

The prisoners moaned and complained like any other morning, but Schultz had eyes for only one man. "Baker," Schultz said once they were all outside. "Where have you been?"

"Same place I've always been. Right here."

Schultz groaned. This sounded like monkey business. Monkey business! If monkey business had returned did...did that mean that things would soon be back to normal? "Please tell me Colonel Hogan will be returning soon."

"Don't look at me, Schultz, how would I know?"

That settled it. Baker was playing with him. Hogan was coming back! At least he hoped Hogan was coming back. It would be cruel to tease him if he wasn't.

A voice called out from one of the guard towers, "Open the gates!"

Schultz immediately whipped his head toward the entrance. Someone - no, several someones - were approaching the front gate. Could it be? Yes, yes, it was them. Corporal Langenscheidt was leading Colonel Hogan and the rest of the missing prisoners back to camp!

Klink gave a small shout of glee before strutting forward with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face. But before he could say a word, Hogan opened his mouth. "Missed us, Kommandant?"

"Hogan!" The Kommandant's look of superiority was gone in an instant.

However, nothing was going to ruin Schultz's joy. They were back! They were all back! With a huge grin on his face, he saluted his CO and announced, "Herr Kommandant, all prisoners present and accounted for!"

Tiger was grateful for the chance to just sit, wait and catch her breath in the tunnels while she waited for the news that Hogan and the others had returned to Stalag Thirteen. She hadn't stopped moving, thinking, planning or worrying since she received the SOS call. But soon this all would be over, for she had no doubt that Hogan would find a way to safety return to camp. Her only regret was that Klink was certain to sentence the "escapees" to the cooler, which meant that their stolen moment before parting ways in the woods outside of camp would have to settle for their goodbye.

The sound of footsteps caused her to rise as Baker approached her. "The others are fine. Klink yelled a little and sentenced them to thirty days in the cooler."

"And Kinch?"

"His shoulder is broken, but our medic is confident it will heal. His only danger is going stir crazy while on bed rest in the infirmary for the next two months."

Tiger winced in sympathy. She suspected that, for a man like Kinch, the pain of the injury wouldn't be as bad as the pain of waiting on the sidelines while the others continued to fight. Thankfully, Baker had shown that he had the skill and the bravery to keep things running on his own. She owed him so much. If he hadn't called her... She mentally shook her head; it did no one any good to think about the what ifs.

Instead, Tiger leaned forward and kissed her new friend on the cheek. "Thank you for calling me and for all your help."

Baker blushed. "I should be thanking you. Without you, I don't know what I would have done."

"Then it is a good thing we found each other, no?"

"Indeed."

Tiger wanted to say more, but it was time to move on. Her mission was over and her unit needed her. "I should be going."

"Wait until dark. The woods are still full of guards and it will take time for Klink to call them all back. I wouldn't want you to run into them."

"Very well. Do you have cot I can sleep on?"

"We do, but I believe there is someone who would like to speak with you first." Baker turned and started down the tunnel.

Hogan! Tiger opened her mouth to ask how but quickly closed it and followed after the radioman. She knew she should be surprised but it wasn't that shocking to learn that Stalag Thirteen had a tunnel going into the cooler.

Baker came to stop and climbed up a ladder. He moved a stone and then climbed back down. "Go on up."

Tiger didn't hesitate and, once inside the cooler, she flung herself into Hogan's arms. Their lips pressed together and, in that moment, everything in the world was right. When they pulled apart, she smiled. She still couldn't believe her plan had worked. That Hogan was alive and he was standing in front of her. "You're safe."

He nuzzled her neck. "Only because you saved us."

"I couldn't stand by and let a man who means everything to our operations die. I couldn't let a man who means everything to me..." her voice trembled "...die."

A gentle kiss calmed her fears. He held her close and asked, "How long do we have?"

"Until tonight. I'll leave as soon as it's dark."

Their time together would be so short. Just a few stolen moments. Because as long as the war raged on, that was how it was going to have to be. For the call of duty would always be stronger than that of love. But they had today and neither of them were going to waste a single minute. For today, the tiger and the bear had each other and that would have to be enough.