Chapter 8:

Night came and went. Soon it was morning, and two Gestapo officers were roughly escorting Klink out of the cooler and towards Hochstetter's car. When the colonel got there, he had both Burkhalter and Hochstetter himself waiting for him.

Great, Klink thought. My last few hours of living, and these are the last two I'm going to see.

"Klink, you have any last words to say before leaving for Berlin?" Burkhalter asked, with a sneer.

"Herr General, I swear to you I had no involvement with the sabotage of that train. You can ask any one of my guards, they will confirm my story." The kommandant stated, hoping and praying there was some mercy left in his ex commanding officer.

"Ja, and I'm sure it will be a lovely story to hear...on your deathbed." Hochstetter snarled.

Klink swallowed a huge lump in his throat.

It was at that point that Schumann made his way over to the three and was 'shocked' at the sight he was seeing.

"Herr General. What are you doing with Herr Kommandant?" He asked, surprised.

"This man is no longer your kommandant, Sergeant. He is a traitor to the Third Reich and is on his way to Berlin to serve death as a punishment." The short major answered.

"Major Hochstetter, please. I swear on the top of 'Mein Kampf' that I had nothing to do with that sabotage." Klink begged.

"Gentlemen, throw him into the car," Hochstetter ordered.

The Gestapo officer on Klink's right opened the car door and was about to thrust the colonel inside, when a voice in the distance made him pause in his action.

"Major Hochstetter!" The man's voice called. The Germans were soon joined by Hogan and Kalina.

"What is this man doing here?" Hochstetter growled, to Burkhalter.

"Colonel Hogan, if you have any last words to say to Colonel Klink, say so now," Burkhalter said, his hands clasped behind his back.

Kalina kept her eyes fixed on Schumann, resembling a mad animal about to attack. Her eyes had white flames inside them and was grinding her teeth to keep herself from blowing up at the military soldier.

Both Hochstetter and Burkhalter turned to the young girl, observed her appearance, and began to question what was wrong.

"What is it, Fraulein? You look deeply angered by something." The Gestapo major stated.

Kalina would not answer. She knew if she opened her mouth, something would come out that she would later regret saying. If she learned anything from her father, it was to keep your mouth shut if you could not say a nice thing about anything or anyone.

"Probably disgusted with the crime her own flesh and blood has committed against our country. I know I would be," Schumann said, glaring at Klink.

"The only one I'm disgusted with is who I'm looking at now," Kalina said, her voice low and eerie. It scared even Hogan, Klink, and Burkhalter to hear her voice in such a tone. "I know you made that fake phone call, I know you gave the orders to shoot Langenscheidt, and I've got a transcript right here for Major Hochstetter to see and prove it!"

Hochstetter grabbed the piece of paper from Kalina's hand, and both he and Burkhalter read over it. They became highly interested in the details taken and finally looked over at Schumann.

"This transcript is quite detailed, Sergeant," the big general said, with a glare.

"So much description and accuracy to not be fake," Hochstetter added.

Klink snapped his eyes towards Schumann and scowled at him.

"You ordered for one of your own comrades to be shot for no good reason?!" He demanded.

"Herr General, surely you're not going to believe a stupid American and naive child regarding such a serious matter." Schumann argued, ignoring Klink completely.

"They aren't lying, Herr General," Kristman said, coming up behind his fellow comrade.

"Sergeant Kristman?" Klink gasped.

"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant. What Colonel Hogan and Kalina say is true. I warned Corporal Langenscheidt the night he was shot to not listen to Sergeant Schumann's orders given to him by General Burkhalter. I heard him yell out in German to fire at an intruder, when it happened to be Langenscheidt the entire time going to speak with Major Hochstetter regarding something."

"I never gave any orders to have Langenscheidt outside the camp," Burkhalter said, his eyes trailing back to Schumann in suspicion.

When everyone had their eyes on Schumann, Hogan turned to Kalina and gave a wink. She looked back at him and responded with the same gesture.

"Herr General, I…" the sergeant under interrogation never finished his sentence, when he felt Kalina's boot kick him hard in the back of his foot. "Awck!" He yelled, then snapped his attention to the girl. He stormed over until he was less than an inch away from her. Kalina, however, remained unfazed and stood her ground with a hard, cold look on her face.

"Du kleiner Rüpel. You want me to do the same thing to you that I did to your father?" Schumann barked.

At that point, besides Hogan, everyone's eyes were bulging at what they were hearing. Klink had been telling the truth the entire time. Hogan and Kalina had been right about everything.

Klink's daughter gave an evil grin and glared her eyes at the man.

"I think you've said quite enough." She hissed.

"Why did you do it, Richard, why?" Kristman ordered.

"Stalag 13 is a joke. Kommandant Klink can't run this camp, I'd do much better of a job than he does!"

"Hochstetter," Burkhalter commanded. "Release Colonel Klink and have Sergeant Schumann arrested for sabotage, treason, murder, and attempted murder."

"Jawohl, Herr General," the major said, and gestured his men towards Schumann.

The Gestapo officers behind Klink removed the colonel's handcuffs and placed them on the guilty party.

"Throw him in the car," Hochstetter ordered, and watched his two men thrust their new prisoner into the vehicle.

"Klink," Burkhalter said, face to face with his subordinate. "I...should have believed you this entire time. Perhaps certain events wouldn't have happened otherwise...I..am sorry."

Hogan and Kalina stood agape at the two men. Did Burkhalter just apologize for something? Either that, or both were losing their hearing.

"Oh, Herr General, there's no need for an apology. I probably would have done the same thing had I'd been in your shoes. This was just a one time thing. After all, no one can get past the great General…"

"Klink…"

"I know, shut up, Klink."

"I am dropping all of your charges and reinstating you as kommandant of this camp."

"Thank you, Herr General!"

Kalina's face brightened, and she ran towards Burkhalter and wrapped her arms around, startling the man.

"Danke, danke, danke, Herr General!" She cried, with glee.

Burkhalter patted the girl's shoulder with an unamused look to his face.

"Just be grateful you're a child. Had you'd been another officer, I would have you sent to the Russian Front for invading my personal space."

At that remark, Kalina quickly stepped away from the general, clasped her hands behind her back, and hung her head in shame.

"Well, all's well that ends well. Well, there is one thing that could've gone better," Hogan said.

"And what would that be, Hogan?" Burkhalter asked, with curiosity.

"Couldn't you have taken both of them?"

"Hogan!" Klink bellowed, shaking his fist in the air.

Kalina could not help herself but giggle at the exchange. All Burkhalter did was roll his eyes, thankful to the heavens that he was soon leaving the nightmare he called Stalag 13.

In the infirmary, Wilson was having a casual conversation with Langenscheidt, who had woken up from his coma and was smiling. The two men were interrupted when the door to the building opened, and Hogan, Klink, and Kalina made their way inside. Seeing the young corporal awake and socializing, the three felt big grins make their way to their faces.

"Langenscheidt!" Kalina cheered, running towards her friend. When she got to him, she gently wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his. "I missed you."

Langenscheidt silently smirked and hugged Kalina back.

"It looks like he's gonna make it," Hogan said, looking at both Klink's daughter and guard.

Wilson chuckled softly.

"I knew Langenscheidt was too stubborn to die. His heart is getting stronger and has no signs of abnormalities," the medic said.

"Corporal Langenscheidt, how are you feeling?" Klink asked friendly.

"Tired, but alright, Herr Kommandant...Herr Kommandant. How did you get out of the cooler?" The corporal replied, his eyes widening at the sight of his commander.

"It's a long story we'll tell you later," Hogan said.

"Papa's cleared of his charges, Langenscheidt," Kalina said.

"Ah, gut, sehr gut. There's just one thing I need to know," Langenscheidt answered.

"What's that?"

"How did it happen?"

Kalina giggled and again hugged the corporal, who closed his eyes and smiled in surrender. He guessed he would just have to wait until he was fully healed.

With Klink's name cleared and Langenscheidt expected to make a full recovery, Hogan's smile widened. It was good to have things back the way they were supposed to be.

"I am pleased to say that Camp Medic Wilson thinks Corporal Langenscheidt will be back to work within a month," Klink said, sitting at his desk.

Two days had gone by since Langenscheidt had regained consciousness and was improving remarkably. Though extremely fatigued, he managed to have a decent length conversation with a visitor and was eating well. He could even sit up a little bit if propped up with a pillow.

Kalina and Hogan, both standing in front of the kommandant, gave wide smiles.

"I'll just have to visit him everyday until he's better then," Klink's daughter answered.

The three were about to discuss a new topic, when the door to Klink's office opened, and Burkhalter made his way inside.

"Ah, General Burkhalter. Back so soon?" Hogan asked.

"General Burkhalter, what are you doing here? I thought you'd gone back to Berlin!" The kommandant gasped.

"I had, but I was curious to know how Corporal Langenscheidt was doing. I got your report saying he had regained consciousness," the burly general said calmly.

As Klink was about to answer, his telephone began to ring. Curious at knowing who was on the other line, the colonel picked up the phone and answered.

"Colonel Klink speaking," he said. A sudden smile grew on his face. "Uncle Gustav, it's so good to hear from you. How's your car doing?" Gustav must have answered with something horrific, when Hogan, Kalina, and Burkhalter saw Klink's jaw drop and color drain. "How much is it to fix?...Uncle Gustav, is the car really worth that much money to repair, I'm sure you could find a new car at a much cheaper price...What?...6000 Marks?!"

Both Hogan and Kalina had their jaws hanging from their hinges, turned to look at one another, then looked back at the kommandant with their eyes wide.

"Uncle Gustav, there must be a cheaper solution someplace...you're leaving for Berlin?...There might be more options there they say?...But Uncle Gustav, what will happen to Kalina?...Have her stay with me until further notice?" Klink continued.

The hearing of that sentence made Klink's daughter smile wide, and her face glowed like the sun.

Burkhalter turned his eyes to Kalina and looked at her carefully, then back at his subordinate again with a neutral expression.

"No, it's not a problem at all! I'd love to have my daughter to stay here, but I'm not sure it would be alright with General Burkhalter...yes, Uncle. I will discuss it with him as soon as I'm done talking to you...I wish you luck with your trip to Berlin...Heil Hitler." With that, Klink hung up his phone and turned to his commander. "My Uncle Gustav has to go to Berlin to see if he can find cheaper finances for either fixing his old car or buy a new one. He suggests Kalina come live here until he has settled on a decision."

"Oh please, General Burkhalter! I'll help the guards and watch the prisoners, help Fraulein Hilda with secretary duties, I'll even clean your car every time you come to visit!" Kalina begged, her hands clasped together before her.

"Don't make me send her back to her step father's place, Herr General. He treats my little girl so poorly. And her mother is nowhere near mentally capable of raising a child," the kommandant said, trying to make his case. Having Kalina with him at camp would be the best gift of all out of this entire war. Even better than a promotion to general!

"I am sorry to say that Kalina's step father is dead, Klink," Burkhalter said, still no expression to his face.

"What?" Klink gasped.

"He was killed in combat against a rogue Gestapo officer that had turned traitor. He's been dead for four months now."

"What about Janine? How has she been handling the loss?"

"Not well. As soon as she received the news her husband had been killed, she had a complete mental breakdown. I had her sent to a mental hospital to recover from the trauma."

"You mean to tell me my baby has nowhere to live?"

Burkhalter did not answer.

"Herr General, please let Kalina stay here. I won't slack off on my duties, I'll keep my perfect no escape record intact, I'll clean your car when you come to visit!" Klink pleaded, him now doing the bargaining.

Burkhalter looked at Klink for a long while, then made his eyes to Kalina.

The small teenager gazed at the general with her big blue eyes, pleading to come live at Stalag 13. Her lips and hands were trembling. She knew the decision was Burkhalter's, and she prayed that he would make the same decision she had made.

Burkhalter turned his attention back to the German colonel and saw the same look in his eyes.

After a long period thinking about the matter, the Luftwaffe made his decision and answered.

"Alright...she can stay. But just until your uncle can find financial aid."

Kalina squealed with delight and rushed into her father's arms. She and Klink both held onto each other tight, and their faces were brighter than the sunshine.

Hogan could not help but smile. He liked Kalina, and he was glad that she got to be with her father again. He knew how much she had missed him since being assigned to Stalag 13 in 1940. Who knew; he might even make her a member of his team.

"Danke, Herr General. I will keep my camp running with the same authority as always, I promise you!" Klink promised.

"I will hold you to that. If you excuse me, I am off to the infirmary." Burkhalter answered. He walked out of the office and was soon gone from sight.

The two Klinks looked at the direction Burkhalter had gone in, then back at each other and hugged one another.

"Kalina, I'm sorry you have to be kept behind all these fences and wires now," Hogan said, making his way over to the two Germans.

"Don't be sorry, Colonel Hogan. I like it here," Kalina answered, with a smile.

"Schultz!" Klink called out.

It did not take more than three seconds for the big guard in calling to appear.

"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant!" He spoke boldly.

"Show Kalina the basic duties of camp guards, won't you? She'll be staying with us for awhile."

"Really?!" Schultz cried, with glee.

Kalina sprinted towards Schultz and grabbed him by the hand.

"Come on, Schultz! I wanna tell Corporal Newkirk, LeBeau, Sergeant Carter, and Kinch," she said energetically.

The two of them quickly disappeared from the office, the young girl's laugh heard in the distance.

Hogan and Klink walked over to the office window, opened it, and looked out to see Kalina talking with Hogan's men. Although the conversation could not be heard, the topic became obvious when the four enlisted men starting smiling and bringing Kalina and Schultz in for a group hug and huge celebration.

Both colonels chuckled at the sight. It would be a nice change in camp having Kalina around. She made the war a bit more bearable with her little laugh and bubbly personality.

"Kommandant, I think things around here are gonna be a little bit better from now on," Hogan said, his eyes never leaving the sight of the group of six.

"Colonel Hogan, I think that's the first thing I've ever agreed with you on," Klink answered, his eyes sparkling like the ocean.

The American smiled wider at the German, then returned his eyes to ahead of him. Both colonels watched in content silence, as they saw a radiant future ahead for Stalag 13.