Neutral Territory
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
Sam Troy climbed out of the jeep as his driver shut the engine off.
"You and Tully stay here; Moffitt and I will go into town and check things out."
"Right Serge." Hitchcock acknowledged as he popped a big bubble.
"You know what to do?"
"We got it Serge." The blond answered, glancing toward the other jeep.
"All right, we'll take this jeep; you and Tully can have the other one. Keep your eyes open and be extra careful." Troy reached for the machine gun on the driver's side fender and handed it to the blond. With a nod to Moffitt, who quickly left his jeep for the one Troy was driving; Troy motioned for Hitchcock to get out of the way.
Hitchcock vacated the driver's seat and stepped around to get the second machine gun as Troy slid into his place. Troy pressed the starter and hesitated just long enough to be sure that Moffitt was seated. The two sergeants headed for the nearest town, leaving the two privates to wait for their return. Both men glanced back once to see Hitch standing guard while Tully took a blanket and made himself comfortable under some scrawny trees next to a large boulder. The wadi was small but it hid the jeep extremely well. They had used this particular spot to camp on more than one occasion and Troy knew it was hard to see if you didn't know it was there.
Their destination was a fairly large town a few miles from the wadi. Located in no-man's land, both sides had declared it a neutral territory. As they got closer they began to spot numerous vehicles from both sides. The Allied vehicles they ignored, but both sergeants kept a careful tally of the German cars and trucks.
Soldiers from both sides walked the streets unarmed; it was against the rules to carry firearms in a neutral zone. Troy glanced at the empty holster for his machine gun and wished that he had it within reach. Moffitt saw him looking and smiled in understanding. Armed only with knives, they were at a distinctive disadvantage if the Germans decided to ignore the rules.
"Let's get a drink before we check out the town."
Moffitt nodded his agreement, his eyes scanning the streets out of habit.
As Troy drove he took note of the streets and intersections that they passed. He automatically counted the German troops and vehicles. With a touch of unease he noticed that some of the Germans were staring at them as they drove by.
"The guy in civilian clothing, standing in the doorway of the shop on our left." Troy muttered the warning under his breath to Moffitt. Both men pretended to be looking ahead while their eyes studied the man in question.
"Could be." Moffitt responded in a conversational tone without turning his head.
Troy sighed. "It didn't take them long to spot us."
"Did you expect to just drive in without being recognized?" The other sergeant's smile told Troy just how much he enjoyed the element of danger they were facing.
"I had hoped that we could at least get a drink before they found us."
Moffitt's snort of laughter made it clear that he had never considered that a possibility at all.
"Okay, so it was wishful thinking." Troy admitted with a crooked grin. "Let's get that drink anyway."
Moffitt's dark eyes crinkled at the corners with amusement but he chose to remain silent and agree with a simple nod.
Troy found a place to park the jeep on the street near the tea house that served alcoholic drinks to 'non-believers'. Both sergeants climbed out of the jeep and began knocking the dust off their clothing. While Moffitt watched the street, Troy discreetly reached under the seat and pulled out a flat yellow envelope. With a quick glance around, he tucked it under his shirt and smoothed the material over the bulge.
"I'll be right back; I need to make a stop at the latrine before we go in." Troy called across the jeep to Moffitt in a voice a bit louder than necessary. Moffitt nodded and sat on the jeep's fender to wait for his return.
Darting between the buildings, Troy hurried toward the latrines. He paused near them, at a wall of crumbling stone, and ducked behind it. Kneeling, he pulled the envelope from beneath his shirt and hid it under some loose rock. A quick look around and he resumed his journey to the latrine. Once inside, he peered through the crack in the door, checking for movement near the wall. Satisfied with the results, he waited a few minutes before he rejoined Moffitt.
The British sergeant was still sitting on the fender when he returned. Troy gave him a barely discernable nod before turning from the jeep toward the tea house. Moffitt slid to the ground and followed him into the building.
The poorly lit interior was downright gloomy after the bright afternoon sunlight. The music, an Arabic tune with a fast beat, was loud after the quiet of the street. Troy let his eyes wander to the twirling bodies of the dancers as they spun and gyrated for the entertainment of the customers. A tap on his shoulder beckoned him to follow Moffitt as a waiter showed them to a table. Moffitt ordered for both of them as Troy turned once again to watch the dancers. The two men sat in silence enjoying the show until their drinks arrived.
"Don't look now, but our friend from the street just joined us." Troy kept his drink in front of his face as he whispered to Moffitt. Pretending to watch the dancers, Troy kept his eyes on the arrival.
The man from the street scanned the room until his eyes came to rest on the sergeants. Handing the waiter a tip, he spoke rapidly into this ear. The waiter nodded, took the offered money, and led the way to a table near the sergeants.
Troy leaned back with a half-smile on his face and ignored the newcomer.
They nursed their drinks, enjoying the coolness of the building after the long, hot jeep ride. Finished with the first one, Moffitt ordered a second round.
"Our friend doesn't look too happy."
Troy chanced a quick look after Moffitt's comment to see their 'shadow' frowning into his glass. The drink in front of him looked like it hadn't been touched. The sergeant looked away hurriedly as the other man raised his eyes.
"I guess we should go; Tully and Hitch will be starting to worry." Troy emptied his second drink much faster than his first. Moffitt followed his example and the two men got up and made their way to the door.