A Wild Ride

By AliasCWN

Lt. Tyler Ryan grabbed for a handhold on the dash of the jeep for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. Fresh off the plane from the States, the desert heat was stifling. The long bone-jarring ride at insane speeds wasn't improving his mood either.

He glanced over at his driver and debated whether or not he should complain again. So far it hadn't had any effect on the driving. The blond private in the red hat only smiled at him and continued to hit the pot holes with teeth rattling regularity.

The impact of yet another hole made the decision for him.

"Private, slow down. Where did you learn to drive anyway? My grandmother drives better than this and she's half blind. I do believe you have hit every single hole in this road."

The blond looked over at him and blew a bubble with the gum of which he seemed to have an endless supply. He smiled slowly before turning back to watch the road.

"Private!" Tyler called impatiently. He planned to report the young soldier for insubordination when they got to their destination.

The jeep slowed and came to a stop. The driver put the transmission is reverse and backed up about fifteen feet before stopping again. He then started forward again, hitting a particularly deep hole in the process. The jeep then continued along the road at their former speed.

The Sargent sitting on the radio in the back of the jeep leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder. The private slowed and glanced back.

"What was that?"

The driver smiled at his sergeant. "Missed one."

"One what?" the sargent demanded.

"A hole." He answered with a smirk as he glanced over at Tyler.

"Hitch."

The blond returned to his driving, picking up speed but still not avoiding the holes.

Tyler sat in stunned silence. The sargent shook his head but didn't say anymore. He settled onto the radio again and adjusted his hold on the base of the 50 caliber.

The second jeep assigned to take him to his destination caught up and drew alongside. The British sargent in the passenger's seat cast a questioning look at his fellow sargent. The two seemed to communicate wordlessly and the Englishman threw the blond a frown. The blond smiled at him too but didn't slow the jeep.

An hour later found them still on the same road and still moving. Tyler was surprised when the sargent, Sargent Troy, he remembered, called a halt. The two jeeps pulled off the road into some truck-size rocks and stopped. The two privates immediately jumped from their seats and pulled camouflage nets out of the back of the vehicles. They quickly spread them between the rocks to cover the jeeps. One of them then climbed onto the rocks beneath the net with binoculars to keep watch.

Tyler watched as the second man ran back to the road and began to brush away their tracks between the road and the rocks. Then he serviced the jeeps, filling gas tanks and radiators. Tyler was surprised that no one spoke as they went about their duties. There were no orders given or questions asked. Every man knew what to do suggesting that they did this sort of thing quite often.

"Get some food and drink Lieutenant. This is the only stop we'll make before we reach base. Stretch your legs a bit too but stay under the net." Sargent Troy walked away to talk to his fellow sargent, leaving Tyler alone.

Tyler watched as the four men went about their routine, He had been surprised when Colonel Wilson had introduced him to the Rat Patrol. The Colonel had actually seemed proud of the four dusty, unkempt men who had answered his summons. He'd assured Tyler that if anyone could get the secret dispatch through, it would be them. The officer had touted their desert experience and skills. He'd even called the two drivers the best desert drivers in North Africa. After the wild ride he'd just endured, Tyler was beginning to think that maybe this was the Colonel's idea of a joke. Maybe it was customary to play a prank on the 'new guy'. He gripped the courier bag he carried and wondered what he had gotten himself into. ****************

Despite his worry, Tyler managed to fall asleep in the jeep. The rush of activity as the privates pulled the netting down woke him. Again, no one spoke, they worked quickly and efficiently. Within a few minutes they were ready.

The blond private again climbed behind the wheel. He started the jeep and waited for his sargent to get seated.

Tyler repositioned his bag on his lap and dropped his hat between the seats. It was too hot to wear it. The driver looked down at this hat and hesitated.

"How long have you been in North Africa?" the young soldier ask.

Since he was wearing goggles it was hard for Tyler to see his eyes. He couldn't tell if the soldier was serious about the question.

"I just got here. Why?"

The blond nodded at the hat between the seats. "You'd better wear the hat Lieutenant. You get sunstroke pretty easy out here. Especially if you're not used to it. Drink more water too." Not waiting for a reply. He pulled back onto the road and stepped hard on the gas pedal.

Tyler watched the private's profile as they drove. Finally he decided that the advice was sound and apparently sincere. He reached for his hat and pushed it firmly on his head. The driver glanced over and nodded slightly before ignoring him again.

They made good time for the next hour. Tyler noticed that they did occasionally swerve around the deeper holes. He decided to quit complaining and just concentrate on staying in the jeep.

He was pulling himself back into the seat after an especially hard bump when he realized that something was wrong. The jeep was speeding up and the driver was leaning over the wheel, all pretense of relaxation gone.

"Hang on." The sargent shouted in his ear.

'What's he think I've been doing?' Tyler thought to himself. He thought the ride had been wild before but now it took on nightmare characteristics.

The two jeeps raced side by side along the road at a crazy speed. Tyler could hear a loud droning that was getting louder. Suddenly he realized what was happening. He looked up frantically trying to spot the approaching aircraft. He almost lost his balance as the sargent yelled 'now'. The jeeps instantly split apart, each heading into the desert on opposite sides of the road. The deep rattle of machine guns split the air as the Stukas made a strafing attack, the bullets tearing up the road where the jeeps had been moments before.

The 50 caliber in the back of the jeep began to fire, throwing hot bullet casings into the air. Tyler watched them fall, no longer wanting to see the plane that would kill him. An explosion drew his attention and he watched as flames erupted around a cloud of smoke where one of the stukas had hit the ground. The jeep made a sharp turn that threw him against the driver's shoulder. He pulled himself upright and searched for the second stuka. He saw it coming straight for a bomb run on the other jeep. As he froze in place, the driver drove straight toward the second jeep at an angle. The sargent opened fire again and Tyler saw the plane wobble and tip before it released it's bomb. He watched in horror as the bomb dropped, hitting the ground and sending a huge cloud of sand into the air. To his relief, the second jeep appeared, driving out of the cloud and headed their way. The plane was nowhere in sight.

Both jeeps stopped and the privates immediately began to check the vehicles for damage. The sargents reloaded the 50's and kept watch.

"Everything okay?" Troy ask the two privates.

"Okay Sarge." The blond answered.

"Ready." The second driver confirmed.

The sargent looked over at Tyler. He was already seated on the radio, obviously ready himself.

"Ready Lieutenant?"

"I think so. Do you do this often?" Tyler ask. His legs were still shaking from the adrenalin rush.

"More than we like." The sargent laughed easily. "We try to avoid it whenever we can."

"That's why you used the net at the break?" Tyler's curiosity was aroused and he decided he needed answers. It seemed he had a lot to learn.

"That's right." The sargent nodded, his eyes scanning the sky. "They watch this road. That's why we travel so fast. Maybe we can finish this discussion later. Those planes will have radioed our position. We need to move."

Tyler got a firm grip on the dash with one hand and his satchel with the other. Looking at the blond, he nodded and braced himself.

The blond laughed at his preparations and started along the road at a mad pace. Now Tyler kept his eyes on the sky as he rode. But by doing so, he missed the next warning.

The jeep slowed but didn't stop. Tyler dropped his eyes from the sky to look at the driver. The young soldier was studying a group of rocks along the road ahead, much like the ones they had taken shelter in earlier. Tyler looked but he didn't see any cause for alarm. When the jeeps swerved out into the desert and raced away, he was puzzled.

Holding on, he twisted in the seat to ask the sargent for an explanation. Even as he turned the answer became apparent. Lumbering out of the rock cluster were two German halftracks. They began firing as soon as they cleared the rocks. The shells rocked the fast moving jeep. Tyler yelped and grabbed the seat as the jeep began to swerve left and right to avoid the German fire. Bits of sand and rock battered his face as the near misses rained around them. After what seemed like forever but was actually only minutes, the light little vehicles outran the heavier armored ones.

The two privates kept to the desert for several miles before they angled back onto the road. Again they stopped, and again they checked each jeep carefully for damage. And again the two sargents reloaded and kept watch. Then the little party resumed their journey.

"How did you know?"

"What?" The blond ask, not looking away from the road.

"How did you know they were there?" Tyler repeated. "I couldn't see them behind those rocks."

"I didn't." the driver answered. "I just got suspicious and took precautions."

"But what made you suspicious? That wasn't the only pile of rocks we passed."

"It was the only one that had tracks going in and none coming out." The private explained.

Tyler remembered the other driver erasing the tracks where they had entered the rocks. Suddenly it all made sense.

"Do you think we'll run into them again?"

"Maybe on the way back." The private gave him a reassuring smile. "They don't have very many patrols this close to our base. Relax Lieutenant, we'll get you there."

Tyler found he believed him. Ever since the stuka incident he had begun to think that maybe the Colonel had been right all along. These guys really could get his dispatch through. He sat back in his seat and tried to relax. It wasn't easy with al the pot holes they kept hitting.

"Well Lieutenant, we thank you for your help getting that dispatch through. That information saved a lot of lives today." The Colonel returned Tyler's salute and reached out to shake his hand. "I guess you'll be heading back to the States now?"

"Yes Colonel. I only hand delivered the packet because I understood all the data. I helped develop the information and the plan to use it."

"Well it was darn good work Lieutenant. If you ever need to deliver anymore, look us up."

Tyler nodded.

"I guess you could have your Rat Patrol give me a ride if it's not too much trouble." Tyler suggested.

"Not too much trouble Lieutenant. Troy said it was a pretty uneventful trip. Not much out of the ordinary." The Colonel explained. He laughed as Tyler's eyes got wide with surprise.

"Uneventful." Tyler repeated.

"Troy's little group finds trouble like that all the time Lieutenant. If it doesn't find them, they go looking for it. This was just another day for them. I told you, they have lots of experience in the desert. They didn't give you any attitude did they? They can get a bit hard to handle at times."

Tyler remembered that he was going to report the blond driver for insubordination. Now he couldn't remember just what had inspired that decision. Things had taken on a new perspective and suddenly he didn't feel disrespected at all.

"No." he answered. "They were the perfect escorts Colonel. Couldn't ask for better. Thank them for me. I didn't see them around this morning."

The Colonel looked as if he was going to say something but decided against it. He gave Tyler a funny look but didn't comment.

"They went out after a convoy at first light. Won't be back until sometime this afternoon if all goes well." The Colonel explained. "You've got to keep those boys busy or they get bored."

Later that afternoon Tyler boarded the plane that would take him home. He'd tried to thank the Rat Patrol in person but was told they weren't back yet. As the plane gained altitude he idly watched the desert stream by beneath them. Just as he was about to turn from the window he spotted two little jeeps with heavy machine guns mounted on the back running side by side toward the base.