What's That Noise?

By: AliasCWN

"What's that noise?" Troy cocked his head to one side as he listened to the sounds of the jeep. They were headed back to the base after a rather routine recon and hadn't encountered any fighting that would have damaged the vehicles.

"What noise Sarge? I didn't hear anything?" Hitch slowed the jeep and cocked his head to listen to the jeep sounds too.

"I heard it," Troy insisted, "but I don't hear it now."

"What did it sound like?"

"A clanking noise," the sergeant answered, "not real loud, but I definitely heard something."

Hitch listened again and shook his head. "I didn't hear anything."

"It's gone now," Troy answered with a shrug. "Maybe it's nothing."

"Maybe a rock hit the bottom of the jeep." The blond still had his head cocked to one side as he tried to catch any unusual sound.

"Maybe," the sergeant agreed, "but it didn't really sound like a rock." Troy shifted in his seat so that he could look at his driver without twisting his body. "You and Tully went over the jeeps before we left the base, didn't you?"

"Yeah Sarge," Hitch answered, "we always go over them before we leave on a mission."

"Then it must be nothing."

"But you said you heard something."

"Maybe a rock like you said," Troy suggested.

Hitch frowned. "But you said it didn't sound like a rock."

"I'm no mechanic, what do I know?" Troy shrugged.

They rode in silence for the next half hour.

"There it is again."

Hitch slowed the jeep at Troy's comment. Despite listening for several minutes, he still didn't hear anything unusual. Troy tried to point out the sound, but Hitch didn't hear it.

Tully's jeep caught up and drove alongside. "What's up Troy?"

Troy looked across at his fellow sergeant and shrugged. "The jeep is making noises but Hitch can't seem to hear it."

"What kind of noise?" Tully asked.

"A clanking noise," Hitch answered, "but I haven't heard it. It doesn't do it all of the time."

"Maybe it's coming from the other side of the jeep," Tully suggested. They stopped the jeeps to listen.

"I stopped the jeep and listened, but I still couldn't hear it," Hitch explained. "Sarge says he's only heard it twice," the blond added.

Tully nodded. "We'll check it out when we get back to the base, unless it gives you trouble before then."

Hitch nodded his agreement.

"Is it a faint sound?" Moffitt asked. "Sounds sort of like a rock hitting the bottom, but not quite?"

Tully twisted around to look at the sergeant. "How would you know that Doc?"

Moffitt shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I thought I heard something similar."

"But we weren't that close to Hitch's jeep." A ridge formed between Tully's eyebrows as he tried to understand what was going on.

"I didn't hear it coming from Hitch's jeep," the sergeant explained as if it should have been clear. "The sound I am describing came from underneath our jeep."

"You didn't say anything about hearing any sound." Tully frowned at the sergeant.

"I was under the assumption that you heard it too. You don't usually miss a thing like that Tully. I didn't mention it because I thought you would have mentioned it if you were concerned. You seem to know instinctively when something is wrong with the jeep."

"So, you're saying that my jeep is making noise too?" Tully watched Moffitt as he waited for an answer.

The Brit shrugged. "Unlike Troy, I only heard it once."

"Maybe it really was a rock hitting the undercarriage," Hitch suggested hopefully. "When Sarge first heard it, we were driving over some pretty rocky ground."

"But I didn't see any rocks when I heard it the second time," Troy clarified.

"I didn't hear it," Hitch frowned.

"Well, I heard something," the sergeant insisted.

"We have a few hours before we reach the base," Moffitt began, "perhaps we will hear it again before we get there. I suggest that we all continue to listen, perhaps we can get to the bottom of this."

"The bottom of what Doc?" Tully asked. "If there's a noise, we should check it out in case there's a problem."

"It can wait," Troy decided, "unless it gets worse, or causes us trouble. We should have the next couple of days off so you'll have plenty of time to find the problem."

They started out again, but at a slower pace.

Tully listened to the sounds of the jeep as he drove. There were the usual sounds, and the sounds of an occasional rock being thrown up to hit the undercarriage. "Does that sound seem familiar Doc?"

"Yes, it does," Moffitt answered. "It sounds like a rock hitting the bottom of the jeep."

"That's what it was," Tully nodded. "Was that the sound you heard?"

"Just now, yes," the Brit agreed, "but it's not the sound I heard earlier." He looked over at Tully, smiled, and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but the sound I heard earlier was different."

"Different." Tully nodded, disappointed. "Okay, I get it."

"You do? That's wonderful." Moffitt smiled. "Can you fix it?"

"The rock, yes, the other sound, I don't know. I still haven't figured out what it is."

"It wasn't a rock," the Brit declared with confidence.

Tully sighed. "I believe you Doc. But I still haven't heard it so I can't tell what it is. If I don't know what's causing it, I can't do much about it."

"So, we're back to square one?"

"We might be if I could hear the sound," Tully muttered. "But I haven't heard anything, so we can't even be on square one yet. We're somewhere before that."

"Troy heard it, and I heard it. Whatever we heard was real."

"Then I'll fix whatever it is, as soon as I find out what it is," Tully answered. He sighed again. "I'll keep listening Doc, but I just can't figure it out."

Troy was still listening too. "There! I heard it again Hitch!"

Hitch stopped the jeep again. "I didn't hear it Sarge!" The frustration was evident in the blonde's voice. "What did it sound like again?"

"A clanking noise," the sergeant repeated. "Faint, but definite. I don't understand why you don't hear it. Maybe Tully's right, maybe it's on this side of the jeep."

"Maybe my hearing is still affected by those bombs that dropped next to the jeep," his driver suggested.

"That was a week ago," Troy responded. "Have you been having trouble with your ears?"

"Not that I noticed," Hitch answered, "but how else do you explain hearing that noise while I can't?"

"Like a said, it's faint."

"But you heard it three times! I haven't heard it even once, and I was listening."

"I'm sure you and Tully will figure it out once we get back to the base; I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Sarge, but this is really frustrating!"

"I'm pretty sure that you'll have a few days to find the problem before we get another assignment. Things have been pretty quiet around here lately."

"Trouble, Troy?" Moffitt jumped lightly to the ground as Tully stopped next to the other jeep.

"Not really," Troy answered. "I just heard the noise again is all."

"I still didn't hear it," Hitch added.

"We'll check both jeeps when we get back," Tully promised.

"Did Doc hear the noise from your jeep again?" Hitch asked Tully.

"Yeah, once more," Tully nodded. "But I didn't hear it this time either."

"All I want to know is," Troy interrupted, "can we make it back to the base without breaking down?"

Tully and Hitch exchanged looks before Hitch left Tully to answer the question.

"I guess so, Sarge," Tully answered after a few seconds. "So far the noises, or whatever is making them, haven't caused us any problems. We should be able to make it back to the base."

"Then let's go," Troy ordered. "Stopping all of the time is getting us nowhere."

"Right Sarge," Hitch answered. His complexion was a little too red to attribute to the blazing sun. He avoided looking at the sergeant as he started the jeep and put it in gear.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, other than both sergeants hearing the sounds again. There were no more stops until they pulled onto the base.

"Take care of the jeeps," Troy ordered as Hitch dropped him off in front of Captain Boggs' office. "Moffitt and I will report to the captain and tell him that the Germans are still sitting tight. We'll find you if he has another assignment for us, but I expect to get a few days off."

"Got it Sarge," Tully answered for both drivers as he dropped Moffitt next to Troy. Both jeeps took off, headed for the motor pool.

They met later for supper and Tully and Hitch reported that they still hadn't discovered the source of the mysterious sounds. Troy told them to keep looking.

The next day started out with both privates headed for the motor pool. Troy and Moffitt spent the day relaxing, enjoying their free time. Late in the afternoon, a messenger knocked on their door. Troy got up and answered the door.

"Sergeant Troy?"

"That's me," Troy answered as Moffitt joined him at the door.

"Captain Boggs wants to see you right away," the messenger announced.

"Just the two of us?" Troy asked.

"All four of you," The messenger answered. "Someone said your men were at the motor pool so a runner went there to find them. They'll meet you at the captain's office."

"We'll be there," Troy replied.

"The captain said to hurry Sergeant, it's important."

"On our way," Troy answered as he turned to reach for his hat.

The messenger nodded ant turned away. In the time it took Troy to get his hat, the messenger was gone. They headed for the captain's office immediately. Hitch and Tully caught up with them on the street outside of the building.

"What's going on Sarge?" Tully asked as they fell into step with the sergeants. "I thought you said we had a few days off."

"You don't think we're going out again, do you Sarge?" Hitch asked.

"I don't know," Troy answered. He looked over at his driver and stopped when he saw the expression on his face. "What's wrong Hitch?"

"Maybe nothing," the blond answered with a quick glance toward Tully.

"Just what does that mean?"

"It all depends on why the captain wants to see us," Hitch explained with another look toward the other private. "You said we had a few days before we went out again."

"You know we can never count on that," Moffitt reminded all of them.

"But you told us to fix the jeeps," Tully added.

Troy and Moffitt both paused.

"Did you fix them?"

"We couldn't find the problem," Tully answered.

"But we're still looking," Hitch added.

Troy relaxed. "That's okay, the noise didn't seem to be anything serious anyway."

"But it could be a sign of something about to break," Tully argued. "We can't afford to have the jeeps break down out there."

"I don't really believe we have to worry about that," Moffitt replied. "The two of you take very good care of those jeeps."

"We went over everything, but we couldn't find the problem," Hitch explained.

"You can look again later," Troy answered as he started off again.

"Uh, Sarge." Tully and Hitch both stopped, forcing the sergeants to do the same.

"What?"

"We're still looking for the problem."

Troy nodded. "And you can get back to it later."

"I hope we have time," Hitch replied.

"You'll have plenty of time when we get back. We may not even have a new assignment. The messenger didn't say why the captain wanted to see us." Troy started to walk again but the privates didn't follow. Seeing the guilty looks on their faces, he stopped again. "What aren't you telling me?"

"We're still looking for the problem," Tully repeated.

"And we took the engines apart to look for whatever was making the noise," Hitch continued the explanation.

"Okay," Troy nodded. "And you put them back together again without finding the problem. I get that."

"That's the problem Sarge," Hitch answered quickly. "We haven't had time to put them back together yet." He hurried to continue. "We can do it Sarge, we just need more time."

"You mean the jeeps aren't ready to go?" Troy looked from one private to the other. He didn't need them to confirm it, it was written all over their faces.

"You said we had a few days," Hitch argued. "We thought we would have time to put them back together."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and saw the same look of surprise on the other sergeant's face. He shook his head. "Okay, don't worry about it. I'll take full responsibility for it. I told you to find the problem. I just hope we aren't going to need them just yet."

"I hope not," Hitch added in a low voice.

"Me too," Tully added, sounding just as guilty.

"We'd better get going," Troy suggested. "That messenger said it was important and the captain wanted to see us right away."

"It sounded very much as if we were going to be given a new assignment," Moffitt warned.

"Yeah," Troy answered, "but we may be able to delay our departure long enough for Hitch and Tully to get the jeeps ready."

"I hope," Moffitt answered.

"Me too," Troy muttered under his breath.

They were ushered directly into the captain's office as soon as they arrived.

"Troy. Come in. Come in." The captain waved them into the office and motioned for them to close the door behind them. That done, they lined up in front of his desk. "Have a seat Sergeant." The officer indicated the four chairs lined up facing his desk. "I have a new assignment for you. Sit." He repeated when none of the four men moved. As they took the seats, he continued. "I just received word that one of our units is pinned down by the enemy. There's a colonel with that unit Sergeant. We can't let that unit fall to the enemy. I need you and your team to go out there and help them out. They can't hold out much longer so you are going to have to leave right away. I'll give you the coordinates and the password to use when you make contact." The captain looked up at the sergeants and paused at the expression on their faces. "Is there something wrong?"

Troy bit his lip and looked over at Moffitt. "Our jeeps aren't ready to go out Captain."

"A half hour should give you time to restock them. Why don't you send Hitchcock and Pettigrew to do that while I fill you in on the details?"

Troy cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it's more than that Sir," Troy answered. "Tully and Hitch have the jeeps torn apart looking for a noise."

"Torn apart?" the captain repeated. "You mean they took a wheel off or something?"

"They took the engines apart," Troy answered.

"They did what?" The captain stood up so suddenly that a coffee cup fell from his desk and hit the floor. He pinned the privates with a look. "But they put them back together again? They know how to do that. They're good mechanics."

"Yes sir," Troy agreed, "but they haven't had time to do that yet."

"I see," the officer nodded slowly. "I assume that they found the source of the noise?" He glared at the privates.

Troy looked at Moffitt again. "Actually sir, there wasn't any noise."

The captain stood without speaking for a few seconds. "Are you telling me that they tore the jeeps apart for nothing?" The captain glared at the privates again. "I think someone had better explain."

"It was my fault Captain," Troy admitted. "I was playing a joke on them. I never expected them to tear the engines down. I guess I should have. They were just trying to find the source of the noise."

"A joke? A noise that doesn't exist? What about that unit out there waiting for your team to come to their rescue?"

"If we could borrow two jeeps Sir," Troy began. "I believe we can still be of help. We would need some grenades, and maybe some loads for Tully's bazooka. We could still take the Germans by surprise, and maybe drive them off."

"That sounds a lot less promising than your usual way of dealing with such things," the captain answered.

"I know Sir, but I think we could pull it off. We just need the jeeps and the firepower."

The captain ran a hand over his face. "Do you really think you could pull it off?"

"We won't know until we try," Troy answered.

"I applaud your ability to come up with an alternate plan, no matter how unusual. And I give you credit for doing it so quickly. Given your reputation, I don't know why I am surprised. And I have to applaud your honesty for accepting responsibility for your own jeeps being out of action."

"I couldn't let Hitch and Tully take the heat when it was my fault," Troy explained before the captain could go on. "I told them the jeeps were making noises and I told them that they would have several days to fix them before we went out again."

"I see," the captain nodded. "And why did you think that this joke was a good idea?"

Troy grimaced. "I figured that we would have a few days off since things have been so slow around here. I thought looking for the noise would keep them out of trouble for a few days. I never expected them to go so far looking for the source. In hindsight, I should have expected them to keep looking until they found something."

The captain nodded again. "Well, I'm not going to give you the other jeeps. I'm not giving you the assignment at all."

"I understand Sir, but I still think we could pull it off."

"That may be Sergeant, but, if we're being honest, I suppose I should tell you."

"Tell us what?"

"There is no unit in trouble."

"Sir?" Troy glanced at Moffitt again.

"Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew figured out what you had done. They came to me this morning, explained the whole thing, and asked me to help them turn the tables on you. You've been had Sergeant." The captain smiled broadly at the look on Troy's face.

"They knew?" Troy spun to see both privates grinning at him.

"We took those jeeps apart and couldn't find anything," Tully explained. "Then we got to talking. We would have saved ourselves a lot of work if we had figured it out sooner."

"That was mean Sarge," Hitch added.

"So, you didn't tear the engines apart?"

"Oh, we did," Tully confirmed.

"We were up all night putting them back together again," Hitch added. "We knew you would want them ready just in case we got an assignment. And we didn't find one thing wrong with them," he added in a hurt tone. "We thought we'd missed something."

"We almost tore them down a second time," Tully continued. "I'm glad we didn't."

Troy sighed. "I thought it would keep you out of trouble."

"We've been doing a pretty good job of doing that all by ourselves," Hitch answered.

"And we could have used the downtime too," Tully added.

"You're right," Troy agreed. "I had no reason to think you were going to get into trouble. At least give me credit for doing it for the right reasons, no matter how wrong I was."

Both privates nodded.

"We know why you did it Sarge, and we appreciate your concern. We just wish you would realize that we've changed."

"I know you have Hitch. I'll try to remember that in the future," Troy promised."

"Now that that is cleared up," the captain interrupted, "can I have my office back? Some people around here have actual work to do."

"Thanks for your help Captain," Tully called as Troy ushed them out.

"Yeah, thanks Captain," Hitch added.

"My pleasure," the officer answered. "Glad to help. Now get out of here. Take the day off."

"I really am sorry," Troy stated as they hit the street.

"Forget it Sarge," Tully answered, "we forgive you."

"Yeah," Hitch agreed, "we're even."

"We're going back to our room and get some sleep," Tully explained. "We didn't get to bed at all last night."

"We'll see you at supper," Hitch added.

"See you then," Troy answered.

"Sleep tight," Moffitt added.

The two groups went their separate ways. Hitch and Tully reached their room and prepared for bed.

"So, now what?" Hitch asked as he draped his clothes over the foot of his bed.

"Now," Tully answered with a grin, "we have to come up with some prank of our own."