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Der Meißel der Seele	By : Wertiyurae Category: G through L > Hogan's Heroes Views: 1600 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the television series that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
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Chapter 11: Mission Impractical
If Hogan hadn’t been completely, one hundred percent, certain of his subordinate’s loyalty, he would have thought that Sergeant Carter had been trying to kill him. No explosions but far too many near misses - he could feel his hair turning gray from all the scares he’d had. Never mind the fact that, through it all, Carter had the same idiotically happy grin on his face . . .
He was so grateful to be topside again in one piece that he almost kissed the floorboards. He didn’t because he was the senior officer and he had to maintain a certain image. Also, it didn’t appear that whoever was in charge of keeping the floor clean was doing all that great a job. He had to make a note about that.
“So, what did you think, sir?”
Hogan stared at the Sergeant for a long moment before smiling a bit. “I’m glad that you’re on our side.” Then he brushed the dust off his pants (from hitting the dirt during one of those ‘near misses’ he’d had in the tunnel) and asked Carter if he had something to work on now.
Carter looked almost confused. “Yessir, I still have to work on the bombs for the next mission, remember?” He rubbed his chin. “I could’a sworn I told you about that during the tour . . .”
“Of course, of course, I remember now” Hogan said hastily to cover his lack of attentiveness. Although, who could blame him for not listening to words when death kept jumping out at him? “Maybe you should finish that up while I get the necessary supplies.”
“Aye, sir,” the Sergeant saluted and left, presumably, to get the bombs ready.
Hogan allowed himself a sigh of relief. At least that was over with. Unfortunately, now that the tour was over, he had work to do, namely, getting wallpaper out of Klink. The only question was did he ask Kinch what Adler and Klink had talked about or did he go and just play it by ear? Odds were that whatever Adler had to say wouldn’t make much of a difference in the game plan and, if something important had happened, Kinch would have let him know.
Leaving Barracks 2 and heading towards the office building, Hogan was honest enough to admit that that wasn’t the only reason he didn’t go and see Kinch. He was tired of that nagging feeling of guilt he had whenever he thought too much about Klink and his circumstances and seeing Kinch, remembering his words from yesterday, would only make the feeling worse. It wasn’t something that Hogan was exactly proud of, running away like this, but there just wasn’t time to worry about Klink and what he should have done.
Besides, now that General Adler had gotten what he’d wanted . . . well, it was over, wasn’t it? Soon things would be back to normal. Maybe they were normal already and Hogan was just doing too much brooding to see it. Maybe that look of terror he’d seen on the Kommandant’s face had only been his imagination after all.
And maybe, a snarky voice remarked coolly, you’re just in denial.
Hogan shook his head and did his best to ignore the taunt. He didn’t have time to talk to himself right now.
He flashed a smiled at Klink’s lovely secretary. “Good morning, Hilda - you look very . . .” His greeting trailed off as he noted her strained and worried expression. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Hilda said resolutely before her resolve weakened. “Well, maybe - I don’t know.”
“Sounds serious,” Hogan said, keeping his tone light in an effort to bring a smile to her face.
She frowned at him. “Colonel, if you are not going to take this seriously -”
Raising his hands in surrender, Hogan did his best to look contrite. “No, I’m listening.”
Still frowning, Hilda sniffed a bit before her obvious ire faded. Then she looked around the office as if afraid that someone might be listening. When she was satisfied, she leaned forward on the desk, incidentally giving Hogan a very good view of her cleavage, and whispered: “I think there’s something wrong with the Kommandant.”
“Really?” Hogan asked, all thoughts of Hilda’s cleavage leaving his mind. So, maybe it hadn’t been his imagination. Then again, it could be that Hilda was just overreacting. “What makes you say that?”
She looked around again. “I came in early this morning and I wanted something to do, so I went into the Colonel’s office and do you know what I found?”
Hogan shook his head.
“It was a disaster in there. Papers all over the place and it smelled like someone was sick.” Hilda bit her lip and looked around a third time. “I went out and I asked Corporal Langensheidt to come see if the Kommandant was all right.”
“Was he?” Hogan asked, already knowing the answer to this question but wanting to hear some conformation.
“I thought he was at first, he only looked a little tired but he seemed all right. But then he just stared into space and acting like he forgot we were there.” Shrugging slightly, she continued. “I thought maybe he was just tired but then he screamed at Langensheidt just for standing there.” She stared up at Hogan, her eyes wide. “I’ve never seen him act that way before.”
Hogan smiled, but didn’t feel it. “I’m sure he just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, that’s all.”
Hilda seemed uncertain but willing to be convinced. “He did say he felt ill last night.”
“Well, there you are! It sounds simple enough to me,” Hogan said, to calm the secretary’s worries not because he believed it. This whole thing was sounding more complicated all the time. Even as he told himself that he and Hilda were making a big deal out of nothing, Kinch’s warning ran through his mind again: “He might not be the same.”
“What do you mean?”
Realizing that he’d said this last out loud, Hogan shook his head and gave a reassuring smile to the confused girl. “Nothing, I was just thinking out loud.” Both to get her mind off of his remark and to do what he’d come in here to do in the first place, he changed the subject. “Could you tell the Kommandant I want to see him?”
The distraction worked. “Are you sure you want to?” Some of her worry remained but her expression has shifted to something that Hogan was much more used to dealing with when he was with her. She stood and walked around the desk, coming close to where he stood before laying her hand on his arm in suggestive manner. “Wouldn’t you rather spend some more time with me?”
“Yes,” Hogan replied truthfully. What man wouldn’t rather spend quality time with a woman than get to work? Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the men he commanded, Hogan was not the sort to put pleasure before business. Of course, he was allowed a weak moment every now and then. But that moment wasn’t now. “But if I take you up on that offer, I could be here all day.”
“You say that as though it would be a bad thing,” Hilda mock pouted as she gave his arm a squeeze. Then she sighed, pulling her hand away. “Very well, Colonel. I suppose I can wait.” She turned and walked to the office door before turning back long enough to give him a wicked smile. “For now.”
Primly, she knocked on the door before opening it slightly to poke her head inside. “Kommandant?” A short pause. Then, a little louder: “Sir?”
“What!” Hogan heard Klink shout at last, sounding very annoyed for some reason.
Hilda backed up and stuttered that Hogan wanted to see him.
Another pause. “Of course,” Klink’s voice, now much more cordial, “send him in.”
She stepped out of the doorway and looked at Hogan, looking worried all over again. “He will see you now, Colonel.”
Hogan offered her a quick smile and patted her arm. “Don’t worry about it, okay.”
She half smiled back. “Okay.” Then she went back to her desk.
As soon as Hogan stepped through the door, he saw that the Kommandant wasn’t in his usual spot behind the desk. Instead, he’d been sitting in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk but he stood almost immediately, a wide but nervous smile on his face. “Ah, Colonel Hogan. What a pleasant surprise.” He paused and swallowed. “Please shut the door.”
Hogan quirked an eyebrow as he casually kicked the door closed. There were only two reasons that Klink ever acted happy to see him: if he had some news that he wanted to rub in Hogan’s face or if he wanted something. Seeing as he lacked the confidence that usually came with believing that he had the upper hand, odds were that he probably wanted something. But what?
“Sit down, sit down,” he said quickly, moving away from the chair he’d gotten out of. “How about a drink?”
Yes, Klink definitely wanted something and Hogan wasn’t in the mood to wait all day for the man to get to the point. But before he had a chance to decline, Klink had already made his way over to where he kept his liquor and was already opening the bottle. That was fast! He narrowed his eyes, taking in Klink’s jerky movements and total absorption in his task. What was going on here?
Hogan had been about to sit down and wait when he noticed how much trouble the Kommandant was having trying to fill the glass. His hands were shaking so badly that it was only a matter of time before he spilt it everywhere. As if it wouldn’t take Klink long enough to get around to saying what he wanted as it was!
He started walking towards Klink, feeling annoyed. “Why don’t you let me take care of that, sir?”
Klink’s reaction wasn’t quite what Hogan was expecting. He hastily dropped the bottle and the glass onto the desk and backed away until he hit the wall. Then he just stood there, looking as though he was on the verge of panic.

Frowning, Hogan picked up the bottle and the glass, trying to ignore the way the Kommandant was watching his every move. He filled the glass and held it out to him, noticing as he did so that Klink shied away from his outstretched hand. “I think you need this more than me.”
Fear and gratitude held an uneasy truce on the Kommandant’s face as he gingerly took the offered glass. “You’re probably right.” Then he regarded Hogan warily, as though he was some kind wild animal that might turn on him given the chance. “W-would you mind sitting back down?”
“Not at all,” he said calmly as his mind raced. What was going on here? Just when he’d about convinced himself that he’d been imagining things at Roll Call even with Hilda’s story! There was no denying it now, though. For whatever reason, Klink was terrified of him and Hogan could not imagine why.
Sure, Hogan had threatened him before – hinting about the Russian front or possible troubles with the Gestapo – but never to the extent where the Kommandant should be afraid that Hogan himself poised any real danger to him. And he’d certainly never threatened the man physically so why was Klink cowering like Hogan was going to hit him?
By the time Hogan had taken his seat, the glass was already empty and Klink looked calmer but Hogan decided that it was probably due to the distance between them than the contents of the glass.
“Now, Colonel,” Klink began, sitting behind the desk and sounding as though he’d regained some of his composure, “I’ve been thinking about your request for the wallpaper and I’ve decided that you can have it.”
Finally, a little good news. “That’s very generous of you, Kommandant – you might just be an actual human being yet.”
Klink opened his mouth, looking almost as though he’d taken what Hogan had said to heart, before shaking his head. “Yes, well, you can have it but I’d like you to do something for me . . . a favor.”

“A favor?” Why did that sound ominous?
Nodding, Klink paused and seemed to collect his thoughts. “I need a . . . a demonstration.” He hesitated for a moment, frowning, before his expression brightened. “I want you to stage an escape so I can show General Adler how we handle them here at Stalag 13.”
It wasn’t often that Hogan was caught completely by surprise. It was even less often that Klink was the one who managed to surprise him. But here he was, completely flatfooted at the craziness coming out of Klink’s mouth. It took him several seconds to come up with any kind of response. “You want me to stage an escape,” Hogan repeated slowly, giving Klink a chance to tell him that he’d heard him wrong, “to show General Adler . . .”
“How we do things at Stalag 13 – it’d be good for the men too,” Klink nodded and waggled a finger; “they’re getting a bit lazy.”
Now that the shock had worn off and Hogan was able to consider everything, he realized that he knew only one thing for certain and that was that Klink wasn’t telling the truth. About the only good thing about this was that the Kommandant wasn’t trying to insult his intelligence – Hogan would have been distrustful in any case, but he might have entertained the idea that Klink was on the level if it hadn’t been painfully obvious that he’d made this little scenario up on the spot.
So, what was Klink’s angle? A sneaking suspicion wandered into Hogan’s mind and he suddenly felt angry. He didn’t know why he felt angry – it wasn’t as though this would be the first time Klink had tried to pull something like this (the incident with the bugs in the barracks leapt to mind) – but he couldn’t deny that he was.
“Right, and then you turn me over to the Gestapo,” Hogan said hotly, letting his disgust show. And to think, he’d come close to actually feeling sorry for this two-faced, back-stabbing weasel! “I’m sure a nice recording of this conversation would have gotten you in good with the General but I’m not going to play!”

As Klink stuttered his denials, Hogan’s ire faded as he noticed the Kommandant’s expression. He looked surprised. Not guilty or annoyed, like he would have been had Hogan actually sussed out the reason for his bizarre request, but genuinely taken aback. As though the thought of trapping Hogan had never crossed his mind.

And maybe it hadn’t. But then what did he want? “Kommandant,” he interrupted abruptly, deciding it was time to get to the bottom of this even if it meant being less than subtle, “I don’t know if I can even do what you’re asking me to but the only way I’ll even consider it is if you tell me what’s going on.”

For a long moment, Klink only stared, his eyes narrow and his mouth a tight line. Then he slumped, like a puppet with cut strings, and bowed his head. “I can’t -” He closed his eyes, looking defeated. “I can’t go into any details. All I can say is that I have a meeting with General Adler tonight that I . . . that I would rather miss.”

“Another one?” Hogan blurted out, aghast. Just when he’d thought that this mess was over with! He wanted to kick himself for not going to see Kinch before coming here – maybe then he’d have known about this development.

The Kommandant’s eyes snapped open and his mouth worked unsuccessfully for several seconds before he actually formed words. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, his voice low and tense. He stood up, shaking but with fear or anger, Hogan couldn’t tell. “Wh-what do you know about it!”

Hogan raised his hands and thought quickly. “Nothing, nothing. You just mentioned having a meeting with him yesterday, that’s all.” He hoped that Klink bought this because he wasn’t interested in trying to explain his knowledge otherwise. He had to be more careful with what he said, especially with the Kommandant on edge like this.

Frowning, Klink’s hand strayed to his mouth. “I did?” He half-shook his head. “I don’t remember –” he interrupted himself with a sigh as he slowly sat back down. “I suppose I must have.” He frowned a bit more before turning his attention back to Hogan, his expression hopeful and pleading. “So, will you help me?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Unless Klink had suddenly become a consummate actor, it was likely that all the Kommandant wanted out of this scheme was to avoid Adler. Hogan hadn’t spent much time with Adler but, considering what he’d heard last night, he supposed his couldn’t blame Klink for not wanting to . . . meet with him again. And, if Klink kept his word and Hogan was able to pull this little stunt off, he’d have his wallpaper and the mission could go as planned.

Of course, there were several cons to the plan. The first was how to convince the men to go along with it. They’d want more than ‘Klink’s giving us wallpaper in exchange for a diversion’ and they would be right to want it. Also, did he really want to give Klink proof that Hogan actually could escape if he wanted to? The Kommandant might not have his mind on entrapment now, but that could easily change later.

Hogan considered all these things but he was truly torn over only two points. A part of him said that he shouldn’t get involved in this Adler mess, that Klink had made his choice already and that he deserved whatever happened to him now. But there was a part of him that felt almost guilty about all the things he’d thought about the man since he’d first heard of the General’s blackmail; a part that didn’t want to turn Klink away now that he was actually asking for his help.
He couldn’t help but feel that both parts of him were correct and, until he could figure out where he stood, he didn’t think he should promise anything. However, seeing the hope on Klink’s face, he couldn’t quite bring himself to snuff it out. “What time?”
“10:30. Around 10:30,” Klink smiled, gratefully. “Tha – ”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Hogan said, giving the Kommandant a hard look. “I can’t promise anything.” Then, more gently: “But I’ll see what I can do.”
Klink seemed slightly disappointed but he nodded. “I understand, Colonel.” He frowned. “How will I know –?”
“If you hear a ruckus around 10:30,” Hogan said with a lightness that he didn’t really feel as he stood, “then it’s probably us.” He offered a salute and it was returned a half second later.
Hogan left, giving a distracted greeting and farewell to Hilda as he passed, his mind already working on the current problem he had on his hands. The ball was now in his court and now it was his turn to make a choice. He just hoped, walking back to the barracks, that he would make the right one.
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Der Meißel der Seele