Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.

Ground to Air

By Suzie2b

The Rat Patrol rolled onto Benghazi's air base and stopped in front of headquarters. Troy got out of the jeep as he said, "Make sure the jeeps are stocked and ready to go while Moffitt and I report in."

Hitch nodded. "Right, sarge."

As Troy and Moffitt headed for the door, they heard the two jeeps drive off. Inside the sergeants went over to an aide's desk and Troy said, "I'm Sergeant Troy. This is Sergeant Moffitt. We're to report to Major Carlton."

The aide pointed and said, "Down that hall. Second door on the left."

Troy and Moffitt found the door with a brass plaque with the name "Major Thomas Carlton" engraved on it. Troy knocked and they waited for the word they could enter.

Once inside the two sergeants stood at attention and saluted as Troy said, "Sergeants Troy and Moffitt reporting as ordered, sir."

Major Carlton returned the salute. "At ease men. Have a seat." The sergeants sat in the chairs in front of the major's large desk. "Have you been informed as to what this assignment is about?"

"No, major. We were only told to report here."

Carlton stood and went to a map on the wall as he explained, "It's basically a recon mission." He circled a wide swath of desert with his finger. "One of my planes will be in the air taking reconnaissance photos over four predesignated sites. One site every other day."

Moffitt asked, "What do you need from us, major?"

"Each one of these sites is armed with anti-aircraft guns. You and your men are to get to each site ahead of that plane and do whatever it takes to keep my boys in the air."

Troy asked, "Where exactly are these predesignated sites, sir?"

Major Carlton returned to his desk and sat down. He picked up a file folder and handed it to Troy as he said, "Everything you need to know is in here."

"When do we leave, major?"

"You'll leave first thing in the morning. The first plane will be in the air the following day. You'll report to Captain Cox to coordinate your plans. He should be in hangar number two."

Troy and Moffitt left headquarters to locate Hitch and Tully, who were waiting patiently with the jeeps at the small motor pool. When the sergeants joined them, Tully asked, "So what's the mission? We aren't going to be jumpin' outta an airplane again are we?"

Troy smiled. "Nope, we're going to stay on the ground this time. We're going to run interference for one of Major Carlton's planes so they stay in the air."

Moffitt explained, "That plane will be taking photos at four different sites."

Hitch questioned, "What do the flyboys need us for? They'll be in the air."

Troy replied, "Each one of these places as anti-aircraft guns. We're assigned to do what we need to keep those guns from firing on that plane."

Tully moved the matchstick to the corner of his mouth as he said, "That's a pretty tall order."

Moffitt nodded. "Yes, it is. The upcoming days are going to be quite busy for us."

Troy said, "Okay, let's go find Captain Cox and get things coordinated."

##################

Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully drove over to the hangar with a large 2 painted on it. They walked in and Troy grabbed the first man he saw and asked, "We're here to talk to Captain Cox."

The guy turned and hollered, "Hey, cap! These guys wanna talk to ya!"

Troy and his men started towards a tall, slender man with close-cropped sandy hair and a ruddy complexion that resembled a slight sunburn as he walked in their direction. When they met halfway, the four allies saluted and the captain said, "I'm Captain Arnold Cox. You must be the infamous Rat Patrol we've all heard about."

Troy nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm Sergeant Sam Troy." He indicated each of his men as he said, "This is Sergeant Jack Moffitt, Private Mark Hitchcock, and Private Tully Pettigrew. We were told to coordinate our mission with you."

"That's right. Come with me." They walked across the hangar to an office. Inside was another man that the captain introduced, "This is Flight Officer Wayne Taylor. He's in charge of planning and navigation." Cox pointed to the four men with him. "Sergeants Troy and Moffitt. Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew. They're going to be our ground crew for this job."

Taylor gave the others a nod and said, "I've been going over our plans. Have a seat. We really need to get things coordinated. I really don't want to get shot down."

There was a knock on the door and a red headed private stuck his head in. "Cap, First Lieutenant Collins wants to see you."

Cox said, "I'll be right there." He looked at his flight officer and said, "These guys have to leave bright and early tomorrow, Wayne. So make sure you go through everything before you all turn in."

Taylor said, "Yes, sir. I'll take care of it."

##################

The next day, just as the sun appeared on the horizon, two jeeps were skimming the desert floor in the direction that would take them to their first target … two hundred miles west of Benghazi.

Approximately eight hours later, after only stopping when necessary, the Rat Patrol arrived at their destination. They were sore from the long ride and took the time to stretch the kinks out of their muscles.

Troy looked at the top of the hill they'd hidden behind and said, "Get the binoculars. We should be able to see those guns from up there."

The German battalion was at least one thousand men strong. Among their armament was a 2 cm FlaK 38 and a 45 mm 21-K—both were large anti-aircraft weapons.

Hitch said, "This shouldn't be too difficult. All we have to do is go in tonight and blow them up."

Moffitt said, "Remember what Flight Officer Taylor told us … the Germans can't suspect anything until it's too late."

"Oh yeah."

Troy said, "We will go in and do a little maintenance though. Let's go check the schematic drawings we brought."

Tully got the drawings for the two guns in question and laid them out on the hood of the jeep. "If we jam up the firing mechanisms and the gears…" He pointed to significant places on each drawing and continued, "Here and here, they won't be able to get the guns shooting again until well after the captain flies over."

Hitch asked, "What are we going to use to jam the guns?"

"How much bubble gum do you have?"

"You're kidding!"

Tully grinned. "Nope. Those guns will be down for at least a week while they clear that stuff out. Every time they try to fire the gears will spread the stuff around."

Hitch made a face, hating to give up his coveted supply of bubble gum. "I just picked up a new batch before we left Ras Tanura. I think we can make it stretch far enough." He sighed and said, "At least it's going for a good cause."

With everyone in agreement of the plan Troy said, "Let's get some rest. Tully, you're on first watch. Wake Hitch after two hours. Moffitt will be next and then me. Dinner's going to come in a box tonight. We can't take a chance on a fire."

##################

They each did their stint on watch, having a K-ration dinner at the same time. At midnight Troy and Moffitt woke Hitch and Tully. It was time to go.

Hitch doled out pieces of bubble gum to everyone. Each popped one in their mouths with the rest going into their pockets.

Troy led his men across the desert to the German encampment. There were coils of razor sharp concertina wire stretched out along the perimeter with guards stationed at regular intervals. Moffitt had located a chink in the armor though. Just before dark he pointed out one small opening between two coils of wire that didn't quite meet … and it was dead center between two guards. Troy agreed that it was their best bet to get in.

They quickly got to the opening and managed to get through without being caught by either the guards or the wire. The four Allies hurried to the cover of the tents and made their way to the anti-aircraft guns.

When they were where they could see the base of the guns, they first made sure there was no one manning them, then silently split up—Troy and Hitch took the 45 mm K-21 while Moffitt and Tully went to the 2 cm FlaK 38.

Hitch and Tully quickly got into the workings of the weapons with the few tools they'd brought. Then they began wiping away grease before putting the pre-chewed bubble gum into the firing mechanism and the gears. Troy and Moffitt each handed over their chewed gum as Hitch and Tully popped one more piece in their mouths and chewed them into sticky messes as they pressed the sergeants' blobs of gum into place. After placing the final piece, both privates grinned with satisfaction as they closed things up.

They managed to get out the same way they got in and ran back to their camp. Once they were there, Troy said with relief, "That went well. Now we wait."

##################

Two hours after sunup the radio that was on in one of the jeeps came to life with Captain Cox's voice, "Mitchell 5 to Red Fox, over."

Troy took the mic and said, "This is Red Fox Mitchell 5. We've gummed up the works. You're clear to go in. Over."

"Great to hear it, Red Fox. We should begin our flyover within twenty minutes. Over and out."

It wasn't long before the Rat Patrol could hear the sound of a B-25 Mitchell aircraft. Moffitt said, "That'll no doubt be Captain Cox and his team."

They watched the air and soon saw the medium bomber appear overhead. The German encampment went on alert and the anti-aircraft guns were leveled at the aircraft. However, nothing happened. The big guns remained silent as the Germans ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Troy stared through his binoculars and said with a smile, "It looks like it worked."

Cox made two flyovers and then headed off. On the radio he said, "We got what we need, Red Fox. We'll see you next time. Out."

"Okay, let's shake it. We have a long way to go to get to the next target."

They headed north, arriving at their destination well after dark. Troy and Moffitt stood on a dune to survey the base they'd been looking for.

Moffitt sighed. "There it is. I can just make out the outline of the guns, but we won't know what they are until daylight."

Troy agreed and said, "Yeah. We can get some rest and a decent meal tonight."

"Yes, we're well concealed among these dunes and the wind is in our favor for a fire."

Tully quickly had a hot meal of noodles and lima beans with cubed spam. After he ate, he went out to relieve Hitch on watch.

The night remained quiet as each man took his turn watching the base.

##################

Morning came and after breakfast, Moffitt trudged up the dune where Troy was laying on his belly with binoculars. He lay down next to his counterpart and asked, "Well, what do we have?"

Troy lowered the glasses. "Looks like a 3.7 cm FlaK 37 and a FlaK 18."

"Our biggest problem will be getting past the guards that are posted out there after dark."

"Yeah, but at least we don't have to go on base to get to our targets."

Moffitt nodded his agreement. "Why don't you go down for some breakfast. I'll stay here."

The Allies spent the day watching the activities of the German base. Patrols came and went. The guards at the anti-aircraft guns were changed every three hours like clockwork along with the gunners. However, the gunners wouldn't be there once the sun went down. Hitch and Tully went over the schematics for the two guns they were going up against, deciding where to place their sticky little surprises.

That night Moffitt and Tully woke Troy and Hitch. It was time to go. Hitch again doled out bubble gum and they were off. As luck would have it, the half-moon was bright in a cloudless sky as they crouched low and ran silently across the desert sand to get to their targets.

They managed to hide behind some scrub just as one of the German guards looked their way. He acted like he might've seen something in the moonlight, but after a minute of searching with binoculars he decided there was nothing to see and lowered the glasses.

After watching the guards the night before, the Rat Patrol knew there was a five minute interval when there would be no one at the guns as the guards left to go on base, meeting their replacements to make reports at the gate.

Troy checked his watch and whispered, "Get ready."

They were hiding just a few yards from the guns. As soon as the guards walked away, Troy and Hitch headed for the FlaK 18. Moffitt and Tully ran to the 3.7 cm FlaK 37. As quickly as they could, Hitch and Tully got into the guns, placed the pre-chewed gum in the works, and closed things up. The Germans wouldn't have a clue that they'd been there. They got out of there with a minute to spare.

Back at camp they rested and waited for daylight. Then they heard Captain Cox's voice and the short conversation was much like the previous one, "Mitchell 5 to Red Fox, over."

Troy took the mic and said, "This is Red Fox Mitchell 5. Everything's set. Over."

"Good to hear, Red Fox. We should begin our flyover within thirty minutes. Over and out."

They heard the plane before they saw it and watched the gunners scramble to get to their places. Then Captain Cox started his flyovers for the photos, and the Germans were beside themselves trying to get their anti-aircraft guns to fire.

Once the plane had gotten what they'd come for, the Rat Patrol headed east for the next target.

##################

Again the Allies got to the coordinates after dark. It was another large German battalion encampment at an oasis and they could see guards stationed at the base of the guns as well as around the perimeter of the camp.

Troy said, "Looks like the word may have gotten out."

Moffitt nodded. "Could be. It's going to be a bit more difficult this time."

After a halfway decent night's sleep, the guys were up early for a cold breakfast.

Troy went up on the rocky hill to spell Tully. "What do they have?"

Tully twirled the matchstick in his mouth and said, "A 7.5 cm L/45 M/16 and a 12.8 cm FlaK 40. Would it hurt them use at least some of the same guns?"

Troy smiled. "That would make things too easy. Go get something to eat. I'll take over here."

The day passed much like the others. Waiting, watching, and checking schematics. It was a long, somewhat boring, day.

That night they used the oasis' trees and the camp's tents as cover. They slipped between the guards on the perimeter and came up to the guns from behind so the guards there wouldn't see them. Troy and Moffitt hid in the darker shadows to keep watch while Hitch and Tully went to work.

Tully got into the workings of the 12.8 cm FlaK 40. He wiped away the grease and packed two pieces of gum in the gears, then he reached for the firing mechanism as he chewed another piece of gum. Tully pulled the mechanism back, intending to push the sticky gum inside. However, there was just enough grease on his fingers that the stiff mechanism slipped as he reached in, slamming down on his hand.

Moffitt heard a quiet snap and an equally quiet grunt. He quickly moved up to check on the private. He whispered, "Are you all right?"

Tully was trying to pull the firing mechanism off his hand and whispered through gritted teeth, "I'm caught."

Moffitt squeezed in next to his friend and saw the predicament he was in. He quickly pulled the offending mechanism off Tully's hand, which immediately began to bleed. Without a second thought, Moffitt wrapped his ascot around the wounded hand as he whispered, "Did you get done?"

Tully simply nodded and held his bandaged hand against his chest. When they met up with Troy and Hitch, they both looked at Tully worriedly, but didn't say anything. As quietly as they'd arrived, they were gone.

Back at camp Troy asked, "What happened?"

Moffitt unwrapped his ascot to examine Tully's hand. "The firing mechanism came down on his hand."

Hitch stepped up with a med kit as Troy said, "Tell me you got the job done."

Tully nodded with a hiss of pain. "It got done, sarge."

Troy sighed. "Good. I don't have a desire to go back in there tonight. How's the hand."

Moffitt said, "There are gashes on both his palm and the back of his hand." He looked at Tully. "I don't know how, but it doesn't feel broken."

Tully grimaced and said, "I guess it's all the milk I drink."

Hitch smiled slightly. "Makes for strong bones."

Tully managed a small smile of his own as Troy said, "Okay, Hitch, go on watch. I'll help Moffitt with Tully."

"Right, sarge."

Moffitt noticed Tully was getting a bit wobbly on his feet. "Let's get you sitting down before you pass out."

Troy quickly spread a blanket on the ground and helped Moffitt ease the private down on it.

Tully crossed his legs and said quietly, "Sorry I messed up, sarge."

Troy clicked his flashlight on and looked his private in the eye. "You didn't mess up, Tully. You got the job done. It's just unfortunate that this happened."

"I guess I didn't get all the grease off my fingers before I pulled it up and it slipped…" Tully groaned as Moffitt began to clean the wounds with alcohol.

Troy held the light and winced at the ragged tears that were still bleeding a bit. "Can you stitch him up?"

Moffitt replied, "Not yet. I can't be sure it's clean until we get some daylight. I'll do what I can now and after we get to the next target, I'll see what I can do about stitches."

Troy held the flashlight steady while Tully griped the sergeant's shoulder as Moffitt carefully cleaned and bandaged the private's injured hand. "Easy, Tully. He's almost done."

Finished, Moffitt gave Tully a shot of morphine and had him lay down. Troy went for another blanket as Tully asked, "When do I go on watch?"

Moffitt said, "You don't. You just get some sleep tonight."

Tully began to argue as Troy returned and covered the private as he said, "He's right. Tonight you just rest. Tomorrow we're on the road again."

Tully sighed, knowing they were right. "Okay, but if you need me…"

"We know where to find you."

##################

Morning came and Captain Cox's voice was on the radio again. "Mitchell 5 to Red Fox … over."

Troy had been waiting in the jeep and picked up the mic. "This is Red Fox Mitchell 5. We're ready and waiting. Over."

"Sounds like a plan, Red Fox. We should begin our flyover within the hour. Over and out."

They waited as Moffitt worked on Tully's hand. When they heard the aircraft's droning engines in the distance, Troy and Hitch went up to wait and watch.

There was a flurry of activity in the German encampment as the B-25 got closer. Then the gun barrels were moved into position as soon as the airplane came into view. However, the big guns remained silent.

After Captain Cox flew over twice, he headed off. His voice was heard as he said, "One more time, Red Fox. Out."

Troy and Hitch went back to the jeeps. The sergeant asked, "Is everything ready to go?"

Hitch nodded. "All set."

The two of them stopped and looked down at their two friends. Troy asked, "How's it going', Tully?"

Tully looked up. "It's goin', sarge."

Moffitt was just finishing off the thick bandage and said, "I've cleaned the wounds as well as I could and stitched him up. There's a lot of bruising as well. I suggest I do the driving for a while."

Tully grimaced and hissed at the slightest pressure. "I hate to admit it, but I think he's right."

"As soon as you two are ready, we'll get out of here. We've got a long drive south today."

Hitch said, "I'll help stow the medical stuff and get Tully into the jeep."

##################

After another long hot day, the Rat Patrol arrived at their next destination just as the sun disappeared.

Tully adjusted the sling as he said, "According to those reports we have this is supposed to be a smaller group."

Hitch gave a nod and said, "Yeah, more like a company instead of a base or a battalion."

Troy said, "Let's go see what's out there."

At the top of another sand dune, Troy and Moffitt peered through the darkness with binoculars at their final target.

Troy said, "I make out three guns."

Moffitt gave a nod of agreement. "That's my count as well."

"This one's going to be a little trickier."

"Morning will tell us more."

##################

At sunup, Troy trudged up to where Tully was on watch. "What do we have?"

Tully handed the binoculars to the sergeant and said, "Two 2 cm FlaK 38s and one 3.7 cm FlaK 37. My guess is there's around 150 men in that camp."

"The number of guards hasn't changed. They're still doubled."

"And they've suddenly added guards around the guns. I think they may know they're next."

"Yeah." Troy lowered the glasses and turned to face the private next to him. "Tully, Moffitt and I had a talk. We think it might be best if you sit this one out."

Tully looked shocked as he said, "Why? Just because of my hand?"

"I'm afraid so…"

"I hurt my left hand, not my right. I can still hold a gun and chew gum. Moffitt can do…"

Troy shook his head. "And what if we get caught this time? You won't be able to fight your way out…"

Tully argued, "But there's three anti-aircraft guns this time. You guys can't go in shorthanded, sarge."

Troy saw the earnest expression on his friend's face. "Tully…"

"At least give it some thought."

Troy sighed and gave a nod. "All right. I'll think about it. But I'm not making any promises. Go on down and get some breakfast and let Moffitt check your hand."

##################

The day wore on and it was almost dark when Troy said, "Okay, Tully, I've thought it over. You're staying here."

Tully frowned. "But, sarge…"

"No argument! You're to stay put." Troy recognized the look the private wore and said, "Do I have to make it an order?"

Tully sighed. "No, you don't have to make it an order."

When it was time to go, Tully watched as Hitch passed out bubble gum. Hitch said quietly, "I wish you were coming along, Tully."

"So do I, Hitch. But I'll be watching … just in case."

As Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch disappeared into the inky darkness, Tully quickly made his way up to keep an eye on things. As he looked out at the desert between him and the Germans, Tully couldn't see his friends, but he knew they were there.

##################

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch made short work of the expanse of sand and scrub to get to the perimeter of the encampment. There was no razor wire to worry about this time and they were able to slip in after one of the guards passed their hiding place.

They quickly moved between tents, being extra vigilant for any of the German guards. When they got to the three anti-aircraft guns, they split up so each could work on one gun.

Troy and Moffitt had spent time with Hitch and Tully going over the schematics so the sergeants would know the best places to put their wads of gum. The three of them slipped passed the guards at the guns and silently went to work and finished in record time. However, it wasn't fast enough.

Suddenly, the three Allies were bathed in light as large flashlights came on around them.

##################

Tully watched as dark shadowy figures moved around the German encampment. He occasionally caught a fleeting glimpse of three crouched shadows moving around the tents and knew it was Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch. Tully squinted into the darkness as he then stared at the large guns that were their targets, gripping the machine gun tightly in his right hand.

And then it happened. Beams of light lit the area around the guns. The Allies had been caught. Tully didn't hesitate—he headed down the sand dune to cross over to the part of the camp where the anti-aircraft guns were located.

He hunkered down behind some scrub as close as he dared. He could hear a loud voice asking questions in German, but Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch remained silent. Peeking through the branches Tully could see his friends had, or course, been disarmed and the three machine guns had been slung over one of the guards shoulders.

Tully pulled his own gun from his shoulder and took careful aim at the loudmouth, which appeared to be the company commander. A single shot hit the commander in the head and he fell like a rock. Another shot hit the soldier that was holding the Allies weapons.

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch moved quickly to retrieve their machine guns as Tully let loose with volleys of bullets, taking down one German after another before they knew what was happening.

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch didn't stop to look around. They beat feet out of there and didn't stop until they were at the jeeps.

Looking around, Hitch asked ungently, "Where's Tully?"

A tall figure appeared at the top of the dune and Moffitt pointed. "There!"

Tully took one last step before he passed out and tumbled down to the bottom where his friends met him. Troy said, "Grab him and let's get out of here!"

Moffitt and Hitch loaded Tully into the back of Olive and they disappeared into the night, leaving the Germans to clean up the mess.

By the time they stopped in a wadi for the last few hours of the night, Tully was awake and in pain. Moffitt unwrapped the now bloody bandage while Hitch stood next to him with a flashlight. Upon seeing the angry red, purple, and black bruising around the bleeding wounds, Moffitt sighed and said, "You've completely undone all my handiwork, Tully."

"Sorry, sarge."

"Don't 'sorry, sarge' me. You were to stay in camp." Tully tried to pull his injured hand away from Moffitt, who held tight and said, "Hold still."

Tully groaned, squeezed his eyes shut, and put his head back on the spare tire as Moffitt poured alcohol over his wounds.

Hitch said in his friend's defense, "Troy didn't make it an order, sarge."

Moffitt examined the wounds and said, "No, he didn't, but perhaps he should have."

Tully said quietly, "When I saw you guys get caught … I couldn't just wait-n-see what would happen."

Troy wandered over and said, "It doesn't look like we were followed. How's the hand?"

Moffitt said, "He managed to destroy my sewing job. I'll have to pull what's left of the stitches out and redo everything."

"You did good out there, Tully. Thanks for getting us out."

Tully took a shaky breath. "Thanks, sarge. Did you guys get the guns taken care of?"

Troy gave a nod and said, "We did. Now let's hope they don't have it cleaned up before Cox and his people get there."

"They'll have to dismantle everything to clean the gum out." Tully hissed with pain as Moffitt worked.

Hitch said, "Moffitt's pretty mad that Tully didn't stay in camp like you told him to, sarge."

Moffitt groused, "I'm not mad. I just think, what with his injury and all, he should've stay put." He pulled the remnants of the stitches out one at a time with tweezers. "Now I have to redo it all in the morning." Moffitt looked at the pain in his friend's eyes as he said, "Actually, firing that machine gun must have been terribly painful."

Tully said, "I really didn't notice until I was almost to the top of that sand dune."

Moffitt got Tully's hand taken care of for the night and gave him a shot of morphine.

##################

Another morning, another call from Captain Cox. "Mitchell 5 to Red Fox, over."

Troy went to the jeep and spoke into the mic, "This is Red Fox Mitchell 5. We may have a problem. Over."

"Oh, and what might that be? Over."

"We got caught last night. We got the guns taken care of, but can't confirm whether or not they'll still be out of commission when you get there. Over."

Cox said, "Right. Thanks for the warning. We'll see what happens. Over and out."

After that, Troy went back to his men, where Tully was leaning against Hitch while Moffitt sutured his hand. "Ready to head back to Benghazi?"

Hitch smiled. "More than ready. A hot shower and clean sheets is all I want."

"Well, it'll take a couple of days to get back to base." Troy smiled and asked, "Think you can hold out that long?"

"It's going be hard, but I'll try."

Troy's smile faded as he looked at Tully's drawn and pale face and said, "Maybe next time I will make it an order."

Tully managed a wane smile as Moffitt said with mock anger, "Don't you dare!"

##################

When they got back to Benghazi, Tully was escorted by his friends to medical to get his hand checked before reporting in with Captain O'Connell. X-rays proved no bones were cracked or broken and the doctor was satisfied with Moffitt's stitching job. Though there had been no sign of infection, the doctor wanted Tully to take a round of antibiotics to be safe along with painkillers.

In the captain's office Troy and Moffitt explained how things went during their mission. Then Troy asked, "Did Captain Cox and his men get photos of that last sector, sir?"

O'Connell nodded. "Yes, they did, sergeant, and despite you and your men getting caught the guns weren't fired."

"That's good to hear, captain. We were a little concerned…"

Tully mumbled a little too loudly, "I wasn't worried." The others looked at him humorously. Tully's eyebrows rose as he said, "Did I said that out loud?"

They all chuckled at the slightly doped up private and Moffitt said, "I believe that's the painkillers talking, sir."

The captain said, "Well, it might be a good idea to get him to your quarters so he can sleep it off. Get me a written report tomorrow."

Troy said, "Yes, sir." He turned to his men. "You heard the captain. Let's go."

Hitch took Tully's arm to guide his friend out and Tully said, "I really didn't mean to say that out loud."

Hitch said, "We know, Tully."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No."

Tully started, "But I…"

As the door closed behind them, Captain O'Connell heard three distinct voices say, "Shhh!"