The Truce
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 3
Sam Troy studied the German base through the lenses of his binoculars. They had reached the base undetected and now needed to locate the Captain himself. Troy wasn't sure that he could trust any of Dietrich's junior officers so he wanted to be sure that the Captain was home. He glanced back at the jeep occasionally, worried that Greta might find a way to alert the base. He smiled to himself when he saw that Hitch had moved her away from the jeep and was now standing guard between her and the vehicle. Turning back toward the base, he continued to watch for a sighting of the Captain.
The sun was starting it's descent in the sky before Dietrich put in an appearance. Troy watched as the Captain stepped out of his office and walked across the base. Even from a distance the Captain looked tired, his step slow and his posture less stiff than normal. His usually crisp uniform appeared rumpled and dusty. Troy scanned the compound quickly, seeing nothing to alarm him. Lowering the glasses, he slid down the slope to the jeep.
Hitch looked up as Troy approached, ready to move fast if something was wrong.
"He's there."
Hitchcock nodded, his face suddenly serious.
"Let's roll."
Hitch nodded again, chewing furiously on his gum. His eyes went to Greta, who sat in the shade of a stunted tree. "I'm ready to let Dietrich deal with the lady. I'd rather face a tank than deal with her."
Troy looked toward Greta. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He motioned for Greta to get into the jeep. Pulling out a white cloth, he fashioned a flag for the meeting.
Hitch drove into the open desert facing the base. The white flag was prominently displayed for all to see. He paused well out of range of the German guns. Hands on the wheel in plain sight, he waited for orders from Troy.
Troy too kept his hands in plain sight. He stood in the back of the jeep and waited for a response from the base.
They were spotted almost immediately. The sounds of shouting carried in the clear desert air. German troops raced to take positions around the perimeter of the base. Men scurried toward their vehicles, waiting for the orders to pursue the jeep.
Troy watched, waiting for Captain Dietrich to appear and take charge. His junior officers were trying to prepare for an attack, ignoring the white flag. Troy tensed, ready to tell Hitch to pull back if anyone tried to fire on them. The beehive of activity slowed as men found their positions.
The two Americans had watched all of the activity, they could see all of the guns pointed at them, yet no one had fired on them so far. There was a hush that fell over the camp's defenders as the tall form of the Captain appeared at the gate.
He strode out of the gate with his hands clasp behind his back. Stopping just clear of the gate, he paused to study the situation. Noting the white flag, he turned to give orders to his men. With one more glance behind him, he started toward the jeep.
"Hitch, take us toward the base; if Dietrich is going to be saddled with the 'princess' here, the least we can do is save him a little walk."
"Right Sarge." Hitch nodded and took the jeep closer to the base gate. Troy remained standing in the rear for a better view of the base defenders.
Dietrich met them more than halfway, picking his spot and waiting for them to reach him. He didn't recognize the girl but he had heard about the capture of the Colonel and his daughter. Suspecting that he knew what was happening, he spoke first.
"What is this Sergeant? Are you trying to impress me with your ability to capture a mere girl?"
Troy grinned, showing his even white teeth. "Not at all Captain, actually we had no idea that the girl was there until it was too late."
"Then this is Colonel Von Reiter's daughter?"
"The one and only." Troy responded, adding 'I hope' under his breath.
"And what, may I ask, are your plans for her?" Dietrich was watching Greta, trying to determine if she understood what was going on.
"Well Captain, I thought you'd never ask." The sergeant answered with a cocky grin. "We were kind of thinking that we'd leave her here with you. Fighting women is not our style."
Dietrich cocked his eyebrow in surprise. "And just what is it that you wish in return?"
"Not a thing Captain, she's all yours. Just ask her to get out of my jeep so we can be on our way."
"What about her father?"
"What about him?"
"I don't suppose you wish to return him too?"
"Not likely Captain, maybe after the war."
"And if I refuse to accept her?"
"Do you know her Captain?"
"No."
"Sure sounded like it." Troy responded. "But you won't refuse Captain; you're too much of a gentleman. Besides, she's a Colonel's daughter; your superiors would have your head if you refused our offer."
"Quite right Sergeant." Dietrich agreed.
" I wouldn't really blame you if you wanted to take that chance." Troy added in a lighter tone.
Dietrich's eyebrows shot up again in question.
"She's quite the prima donna and a pain to boot." Troy replied to the unvoiced inquiry. "I wish you luck."
Dietrich paused, at a loss for words but as the explanation sunk in, his eyes started to sparkle with amusement.
Troy had no doubt that the German officer found the girl's attitude commendable.
Thinking better of making a comment, Dietrich spoke to Greta in German. His eyes widened at her angry response before narrowing at her explanation. "Fraulein Von Reiter says that your driver grabbed her." Dietrich eyed the private in question. To his surprise, Troy nodded that it was true.
"He did Captain, though if he had it to do over again he might let her sit on the scorpion this time. She bit his hand as a reward for saving her life."
Dietrich glanced at the driver's hands. The red teeth marks were clearly visible on the back of one hand.
"He couldn't have just warned her?"
"She doesn't speak English Captain and there wasn't time to let Moffitt translate for her. Besides, the lady seems to enjoy doing exactly the opposite of what she is told. Heck, she might have sat on it just so she could blame us."
"She doesn't like you I take it." Dietrich observed dryly.
Hitch tried to smother his chuckle.
Dietrich looked at him suspiciously.
Hitch, seeing the Captain's expression, tried to explain. "I think that scorpion liked us better than the lady does Captain. He would have killed us to protect himself, her, she'd enjoy it."
"Be that as it may Private, I would hope that you acted like gentlemen and respected her honor." Dietrich watched Hitchcock as he voiced his concern.
"No one touched her except to protect her Captain; you have my word on that. Her honor is intact."
Dietrich nodded, accepting the statement for what it was. The explanation fit with what he knew of Troy and his men. Turning to Greta, he politely ask her to get out of the jeep.
Greta watched as Captain Dietrich approached the jeep. She eagerly anticipated the attack from the base. When it didn't happen, she frowned at the tall officer who spoke so politely to her captors.
When he asked her how she had been treated, she launched into a tale of woe and grief. She told the Captain how the driver had grabbed her arm and treated her roughly. She waited as he questioned the Americans, surprised again when he seemed to accept their explanation over her own. Frustrated, she accused them of other infractions hoping to force the Captain to defend her honor. Again the officer seemed to accept their explanations. Angry now, she looked past him toward the base. She couldn't help but notice all of the guns pointed their way.
She was pulled from her musings by the voice of the Captain. He was politely asking her to step out of the jeep. She glanced back to count the rifles pointed their way as the Captain repeated his request. Seeing her chance, Greta refused to move unless someone helped her out of the vehicle. She insisted that if the Americans were truly gentlemen, they would help her out. Furthermore, she didn't want just anyone to help her; she wanted the private to do the honors. Greta figured that if she could get the driver out of the jeep they would be at a disadvantage when the base attacked.
Dietrich shrugged and translated for her. "She wants Private Hitchcock to help her from the jeep to prove that he is really a gentleman." The Captain smiled as Hitch turned his head to roll his eyes.
Hitch looked at Troy who nodded his permission. The private slid from his seat and walked around the jeep. Reaching the other side, he gallantly offered his arm to Greta.
Greta smiled coyly and reached for the offered arm. Stepping daintily from the vehicle, she held onto the arm with both hands. She could see the surprise in his blue eyes as she gripped him tighter and spun them both around in a circle.
Screaming as loud as she could, she called to the soldiers on the base to shoot the Americans.
The private caught his balance and stepped away from her. A shot rang out and the private fell as a bullet ripped his leg out from under him. He yelled in surprise as he fell and his eyes searched for his sergeant.
"Sarge, go!"
Dietrich yelled toward the base, giving orders to his men.
A second shot was fired and the blond private fell forward, the back of his shirt turning red with blood.
Dietrich jumped between Troy and the rifles on the base. His voice rose in anger at the shooter who had disregarded his orders.
Troy leaned around the Captain to locate his driver. Hitchcock lay motionless, the wound in his leg turning the desert sand a deep red. His back had an ever widening circle of red that spoke of a serious injury. Troy tried to push past Dietrich but the German grabbed his arm and yelled 'no'.
A glance toward the base revealed two patrol cars racing toward them loaded with soldiers brandishing rifles. Knowing that he had no other choice, Troy threw one last glance at the blond before yanking his arm out of Dietrich's grip. Diving for the jeep, he left the girl and Captain Dietrich behind in a shower of dust, his own eyes too full of tears to see clearly.
The patrol cars gave chase, the Germans determined to catch him. Without a second person to act as gunner he was forced to rely on his own driving and the speed and agility of the jeep to get him clear. Bullets whizzed past his head unnoticed as he steered the jeep blindly. He considered stopping and making a stand, an eye for an eye. He knew he would get some of them before they got him. His drivers' face, with his infectious smile, flashed before his eyes. Blinking back the tears, he kept driving, knowing that stopping wouldn't change the outcome in any positive way. He'd made a tragic error in judgement and Hitch had paid the price. It only seemed fair that he should have to live with his ghost.
The patrol cars continued the pursuit despite falling steadily behind. It wasn't until the sun had set and they lost him in the darkness that they admitted defeat and finally turned back. Even then, Troy considered setting up an ambush and evening the score.
In the end, his own good sense prevailed and he drove on. He knew that making the war personal would not end well for anyone. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he stopped long enough to plot a course toward his own base. Using a well-beaten road frequented by the Germans, he put another twenty miles behind him before he stopped for the night. Making a cold camp, he curled into the seat of his jeep to try to get some sleep.
It wasn't the cold night air or the cramped space that kept him awake. The face of his driver kept floating in front of his eyes. Even squeezing his eyes as tight as he could didn't block the image. Hitch looking up and smiling when he caught someone watching him. The constant supply of bubble gum and the bubbles he was so fond of blowing. The pop as he broke the bubbles. Troy had always thought that the sound was louder when Hitch was annoyed or angry about something.
He could picture those big blue eyes looking to him for directions. The way that they twinkled when Hitch was happy, which was most of the time. Those same eyes could darken with anger or determination, depending on the circumstances. Troy could almost hear the blond's laughter as he sought the oblivion of sleep. He doubted that he would ever hear it again except in his dreams.
He groaned aloud, cursing himself for not realizing that they were too close. He'd warned Hitch that the girl was dangerous and then he'd allowed her to manipulate them anyway. If only he had insisted in helping her out of the jeep himself, or better yet, had insisted that Dietrich do it. He'd let Hitch down, his driver had counted on him to correctly assess the danger and act accordingly. He had failed miserably.
He relived the events over and over in his mind, trying to find a way to change the outcome, but it was too late. He'd seen the wounds, the blood, and the boy's still face.
Tomorrow he would return to the base. Tomorrow he would find a way to tell Tully and Moffitt that he had made a mistake. Somehow he would find a way to tell them that Hitch had paid the ultimate price for trusting him.
When sleep finally came, his nightmares were no more restful than his visions while awake.
