Chapter 8: Hochstetter's Return

I should have known that I couldn't keep him away until the end of the war. I wish there was something else I could do to protect them from this mad man. I am all out of money so I can't buy their freedom again. I guess I will have to let him have his way again. "You have my cooperation." Klink said with a heavy heart.

"I don't want you involved. Just let my men and I do what we want and stay out of the way. If you interfere like last time, I will have you shot and sent to the Russian Front!"

"This is very bad men. Carter are the tunnels wired just incase we have to close up shop?" Carter just nodded "No matter what, I want you to keep the operation running for as long as you can. At the first sign of trouble I want you out of here. And under no circumstance are any of you to risk your lives or the operation to save us. If I have to I will make it an order." Hogan said trying to hide his fear.

All of the men wished they could do something to help Hogan and Maria out. The situation looked helpless. Major Hochstetter and his goons barged into the barracks and aimed their guns ready to fire. Hochstetter motioned for two of the goons to grab Hogan and Maria. They were pushed over the table and their hands handcuffed behind them. While Maria was still bent over the table, Hochstetter bent over her and whispered in her ear. "I am looking forward to picking up where I left off." Hochstetter glanced at Hogan and saw his anger rising. Hochstetter grabbed Maria by the hair and threw her against the barrack wall and started kissing her. Hogan exploded.

"You SOB! Get your hands off of her! Your dealing is with me. Leave her out of it!" There were two goons holding Hogan and one with his gun trained on him trying to keep him under control.

Hochstetter smiled because he got the reaction he was looking for. "I want a guard on all four sides of this barrack. Take Hogan to the cooler. I want to have a talk with him." Facing Maria again he patted her on the cheek "Don't worry my dear, I wont forget about you. They say good things come to those who wait and I am saving the best for last." He kissed her again and left with Hogan and went to the cooler.

Maria could feel the fear and dread rising up within her. Memories of the months she had spent in his custody flooded her mind. She felt like crying, screaming and running as fast and far as her legs would take her. She was just about to accept Hochstetter's treatment when Klink's words came to her 'Freedom is worth fighting for. As long as you fear him, you can never be free.'

"Newkirk get the handcuffs off of her. We have to get you out of here." Kinch said as they moved toward Maria.

"Wait! When Hochstetter comes back here and finds that I am gone, he will tare this place apart looking for me and probably torture you to get the information. We have to face it that there is no way out of this." Maria hung her head down trying to get a handle on the panic that was in her. "Please honor Colonel Hogan's last request. For those of you that pray, start praying. Right now that is the only thing we can do and the only hope we have."

"This waiting is killing me. It has been hours since Hochstetter took the gov'nor away." Newkirk said as he threw the deck of cards.

Two of Hochstetter's goons came in the barrack door dragging an unconscious Colonel Hogan. They just dropped him on the floor. Maria kneeled down beside him and whispered "I love you Robert." Then the two goons jerked Maria up "Let go! I can walk by myself. I know the way to the cooler." With a deep breath, Maria walked toward the cooler without a look back.

"There goes a brave woman." Newkirk commented and the rest nodded their heads in agreement.

"Newkirk, get me some towels. Carter get some water. LeBeau get some bandages." The men did the best they could to care for their injured CO.

COOLER

"Its been a while dear. Miss me?" Hochstetter asked with a sly smile.

Maria smiled back and answered "With every bullet so far." Then she started laughing

"I didn't think it was that funny."

"With you being so short, it probably went right over your head."

Hochstetter was starting to turn red with anger. "You would do wise to be nice to me. I could go easy on you. I could make things comfortable for you. Maybe even work your freedom out."

Maria just looked Hochstetter in the eye and smiled. "I am already free. Besides, you're not the only one that knows how to inflict pain." Maria kicked Hochstetter as hard as she could. Hochstetter let out a cry and fell to the floor bent over.

The guard closest to her hit her right hip as hard as he could with the butt of his rifle and the other guard hit her in the back with is rifle After Hochstetter caught his breath again he growled "Brake her leg!" One guard held up her right leg as the other brought the butt end of his rifle down on her knee as hard as he could. She heard her crack and let out a scream that could be heard outside of the cooler. "But I know how to inflict more pain." Hochstetter said through gritted teeth. After a while of Hochstetter proving his point. Maria was about to succumbed to unconsciousness when she heard him say "Wonder how they would like to take a trip to Dachau?"

Sometime that evening, Maria came to. She noticed that Shultz was the one left to guard her cell. "Hay Shultz." She whispered Shultz turned around. "Get word to the boys to get Hogan out of here. Hochstetter is planning on taking us to Dachau. It's too late for me, but not him. If they refuse, tell them it's an order." Before Shultz could say anything, Maria drifted off again.

After one of Hochstetter's goons came to relieve Shultz, he went to barrack two to tell them what Maria said.

"She told us not to hide any one and now she wants us to hide the Colonel. I don't think he will agree with her." Kinch stated

"She figured that you wouldn't do it so she told me to tell you that it is an order."

"An order? Whose order?" LeBeau asked

"Didn't say. But Dachau is not a nice place. I don't want either one of them to go there. Unfortunately with Maria having a constant guard on her it is impossible to get her out. Hogan is easier. I know you have ways of making people disappear. Since there are no guards around the barrack, it will be easier." After delivering his message, Shultz left.

"So what to we do mates?"

"The Colonel wont be happy with us." Commented LeBeau

"He will probably court-martial all of us." Carter stated

"So that settles it. We hide the Colonel in the tunnels until this blows over." Kinch answered. After we put Colonel Hogan in the tunnels, we are going to disassemble the tunnel entrance so he can't come back up here. Then we will get some shut eye."

When Hogan woke up, he found himself lying on the cot Kinch uses when he has to stay by the radio all night. Giving a slight moan, he got up and tried to trip the latch to open the entrance in barrack two. Nothing happened. What is going on? He looked at his watch and saw that it was time for roll call. He made his way down the tunnel that lead to Klink's quarters. He looked out the window and saw the guards and Hochstetter coming out of the cooler. He couldn't help but notice that Maria was practically being carried and wasn't putting any weight on her right leg.

"Where is Hogan?" Yelled Hochstetter.

"I beg to report Herr Major that he is not in barrack two." Shultz replied nervously.

Hochstetter walks up to Kinch, "Where is Hogan?"

"Don't know sir. We placed him in Maria's room and when we woke up he wasn't in there."

"You lie." Hochstetter slapped Kinch. "Sound the alarm. Get the dogs out. I want this place turned upside down starting with barrack two. I will find your tunnel, even if I have to have the entire building torn apart. No one rests until he is found!" Hochstetter ordered. Klink was trying to hide a smile when Hochstetter stood in front of Klink. "I am holding you responsible! In the mean time I am going to take someone else in his place." Hochstetter faces the prisoners and points to Carter. Two of his men grab Carter and started to handcuff him. Maria saw the look of terror in Carters eyes. Klink and Maria started to protest at the same time. "I came here for two prisoners and I am leaving with two prisoners!"

Maria did a jump kick since she could not put any weight on her right leg and Hochstetter flew backwards and hit the ground. Maria did a summersault and had her hands in the front of her. She sat on top of him and started beating him until the guards were able to pull her off. All the prisoners were cheering. Even Klink was silently cheering.

"What on earth is she doing?" Hogan said, "Is she trying to get herself killed?"

Hochstetter got up and pulled out his Lugar and pointed it at Maria. She elbowed one guards and hit the other and ran toward Hochstetter, only to be stopped by the third hitting her between the shoulders with his rifle. As Hochstetter was wiping the blood from his mouth, he ordered, "Tie her to the back of the truck. Someone bring me my whip! No one attacks a member of the Gestapo and gets away with it."

The guards did as ordered. Maria steadied herself for the pain she knew would fallow. With the first crack of the whip, everyone flinched and Maria just shut her eyes and concentrated on keeping her body relaxed. With each crack of the whip it was harder and harder to not react. By the fifth crack, Maria started to flinch and bit her lip not to let out a cry. Her concentration was loosing focus. By the tenth crack, she hit her injured knee on the truck. The pain in her knee made the whip more bearable. She glanced toward Klink's quarters and saw Hogan watching. She did not want to draw attention to him so she turned away. By now she has lost count of the cracks. Her back was going numb with pain. Her strength was leaving her fast. The stubbornness in her caused her to remain standing as long as possible. Eventually, her strength left and she fell unconsciously. Hochstetter was going to keep whipping her, but Klink grabbed the whip when it came back. "She no longer feels anything. No more."

Hogan just sank down and sat under the window. Tears started to well up in his eyes. He buried his face in his hands and started to sob. That was the most painful thing he had to watch.

Klink had just walked into his quarters and saw Hogan sitting under the window sobbing. Hogan just looked up at him, but said nothing. "Klink don't you have a prisoner to look for?" Hochstetter bellowed with anger and not getting the satisfaction of finding a tunnel in barrack two or Hogan.

Klink turned around and stepped to block Hochstetter's view of Hogan. "I have my men looking everywhere. I am getting ready to join the search outside the wire."

"You will let me know when you have found him?"

"You will be the first person I call. Good day Major." Hochstetter left and Klink faced Hogan.

"Why?"

"Look Hogan, I don't want to know how you got in here, but when I come out, you better be gone." Klink went into his bedroom and got on the phone. "My friend I need your help with a problem. Here is what I need from you…"

ROAD TO HAMMELBURG

Hochstetter decided to ride in the back with Maria and Carter. Maria was laying face down on the floor and Carter was kneeling next to her facing the front of the truck. Hochstetter's staff car was in front of the truck. Hochstetter bent down and stroked Maria's cheek. "Why do you force me to treat you like this?"

"Get you hand off of her you filthy animal." Carter demanded

Hochstetter backhanded Carter "No one asked you to speak swine."

The truck came to a sudden stop. "What is going on up there?" Hochstetter yelled very frustrated with the interruption.

"Sir, there is a downed tree across the road. We will have it moved in a moment." A little while later Hochstetter heard one of the guards calling for him "Major can you come out her for a moment we need your help."

"You move and I will shoot you." Hochstetter said to Carter as he got out of the truck and started to walk toward the front. When he got to the front of the truck, someone in a mask jumped in front of him and pointed a gun at him.

"What is go…" Is all Carter heard. He felt a sting on his neck and then his body fell limp.

"Major you have caused enough trouble. I have tried to be patient hopping Papa Bear would take care of you, but he didn't so I am."

"I recognize that voice. Who are you?"

"I'm Cottontail, but you might better know me as…" Cottontail removed his mask

"YOU! What are you trying to pull?"

"Good By Major." Cottontail pulled the trigger and Hochstetter fell to the ground dead.

"Place the two prisoners on the side of the road. Be careful with Maria, she has an injured leg. Lets get everything cleaned up. I will handle the staff car, Buckeye get into the truck and fallow me."

Cottontail and Buckeye drove the two vehicles with the bodies into a cave. Once outside of the cave, Cottontail blew the entrance of the cave. Burring all evidence inside. Cottontail went home and called Gestapo headquarters. Sounding like Major Hochstetter, this is what he said, "This is Major Hochstetter. I am going to an undisclosed location to interrogate some prisoners. I will check back in later. Good by."

STALAG 13

Klink and Shultz drove back into camp after pretending to search for Hogan. Klink went into his office and Shultz went to barrack two to see how the guys were doing. "Ah, Colonel Hogan good to see you. I shall tell the Kommandant you are here."

"What…Why did Hochstetter have to take Carter?" Hogan asked shakily.

"Do mad men have to have a reason for their actions?"

"I guess not, but why Carter?" Hogan hung his head and walked over to his bunk.

"I'm sorry fellas for everything. I am going to go and let you boys be alone." Shultz opened the door and heard some one yelling

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I surrender!"

Shultz looked toward the gate to see whom it was "Its Carter!" Everyone from barrack two came out to see for themselves. Shultz went to the gate. "Carter what is going on here? You left with Major Hochstetter?"

"What is going on here?" Klink demanded as she came out of the Kommandantur. "Carter, What are you doing here?"

"I will explain in a minute, but first you need to get a truck to get Maria. She was still unconscious and I couldn't carry her with my hands cuffed behind me."

"Shultz get the truck. Colonel Hogan you are coming with us. Carter show us where she is and tell us what happened."

Everyone got into the truck. Carter started to explain "We were on our way when the truck stopped. The guard said it was because of a downed tree. Then one of the guards asked Hochstetter to get out and help them. I felt a sting on my neck and all went black. I came to on the side of the road with Maria. I drug her under some bushes off the side to help protect her. Then I walked back to camp."

Carter showed them where he hid Maria. "Shultz put her in the back and drive to the hospital." Klink ordered.

HAMMELBURG HOSPITAL

Maria started to come to. She was lying on her stomach and was facing the window. After a moment her eyes adjusted and saw Carter sitting in a chair. "Where are we?

"Hammelburg Hospital. How are you felling?"

"Okay considering. What happened? Why are we here?"

"It was my idea." Maria turned her head and saw Hogan lying in the bed next to her and Klink standing in the doorway.

"I don't understand."

"I guess Hochstetter changed his mind. He left both of you lying on the side of the road. Given yours and Colonel Hogan's injuries, I decided to have both of you brought to the hospital. Carter requested permission to stay."

"Thank you Kommandant."

"I know that in your condition, I don't have to worry about escapes, but for good measure I am leaving Shultz here. The doctor said that you should be able to go back to camp tomorrow. Good day."

Maria, Hogan and Carter looked at each other; all having the same question on their minds. Carter was the only one to asked it. "Colonel, what are we going to do about Hochstetter when he comes back?"

"Right now I don't know. We will just have to wait and cross that bridge when we come to it. That is if you don't blow it up first." Hogan answered. All started laughing. Well as much as one could with their injuries.

Stay tuned for Everyone Has A Secret Part 2. Thanks for all who read and reviewed.