The Aftermath of Failure Raid

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"They headed straight for the wadi," Moffitt observed.

"They're just sitting there," Hitch added.

"It's too late for lunch and too early for supper," Troy responded.

"Maybe they're lost," Tully suggested.

"No, their course change was abrupt and direct," Moffitt answered. "Their intent was to come here."

"They came here for a reason," Troy agreed. "Maybe someone wants to take up where that crazy major left off."

The four of them were above the wadi where Major Alderbeck had trapped them earlier.

"Hey! Look over there" Hitch pointed to a small number of soldiers walking around the wadi in a tight group.

"A colonel," Troy noted, "well, what do you know." He sounded almost amused. "The hunters are getting higher in rank."

"What do you suppose he wants?" Moffitt looked more worried than amused. They had barely survived Major Alderbeck.

"I don't know," Troy smiled, "maybe we should go ask him."

"Troy!"

"He must be important Moffitt," Troy argued. "Why else would Dietrich try to hide him in a convoy?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because we have kidnapped a couple of high-ranking officers who were driving across the desert without a large enough escort." Moffitt knew what Troy was going to say before he said it. "If we are going to go after him, it's not going to be easy. He has an entire convoy to protect him."

Troy smiled. "Then someone is going to have to distract the convoy."

"I assume that that someone is me, and Tully, of course. Just how do you want us to do it?"

"Headquarters sent us out to destroy that convoy. You and Tully can circle around and hit it from the other side." Troy shrugged. "While the two of you are doing that, Hitch and I will ask the colonel to join us."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, but do you have a better idea?" Troy turned to eye the other sergeant.

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"Then we'll doit my way. You and Tully take your jeep and hit the convoy. Do as much damage as you can with one pass, then get out of there. Hitch and I will be as quick as we can."

"Be careful Sarge," Tully urged before he headed to his jeep.

"We may not be able to help you if you run into trouble," Moffitt warned.

Troy nodded. "I know."

"They may not follow us."

"We'll be quick," Troy repeated.

"You'd better be," the Brit growled. "I don't like this."

"Why? Because someone else is sticking their neck out? What about all of the times you went in alone? Do you think any of us want to leave you do that?"

"All right, I guess you're right, I don't have any right to object."

"You do Doctor," Troy answered with a sigh. "You're worried about us, I get it. But this is the best way. We can take care of ourselves. You and Tully need to be careful too. You don't have any back-up either."

Moffitt smiled. "I have Tully driving."

"And I have Hitch watching my back," Troy countered. "Let's do this before the colonel loses interest in the wadi and goes back to the convoy."

"All right," the Brit nodded. "We'll see you as soon as we lose anyone who chases us."

"Head east," Troy ordered. "We'll wait for you in the hills about six miles from here. We'll be watching for you."

"We'll be there." Moffitt nodded curtly and ran to his jeep. Tully had it running and they took off as soon as Moffitt slid into his seat. Tully gave a wave without looking back.

Hitch and Troy watched as the other jeep drove around a dune. Neither of them spoke until the other jeep was out of sight.

"Are you ready Hitch?"

Hitch checked his weapons and nodded. He bit down on his gum and stood straight.

"Do you have your knife?"

"Never leave home without it," the blond grinned. He tapped his leg where the knife was concealed.

"Keep it handy, maybe we'll get lucky and we can do this quietly. I'm hoping most of the guards around the colonel will go to help defend the convoy. Let's go."

Hitch nodded and followed the sergeant to the very edge of the wadi.

The sound of Moffitt's 50 caused the Germans in the wadi to crowd around the colonel. When it became clear that the attack was aimed at the convoy, the colonel sent most of his escorts to help in the defense. The colonel and his remaining escorts moved to the rear of the wadi where they assumed he would be safe from the gunfire.

Troy motioned for Hitch to follow and he led the way to the gap that led to the floor of the wadi. The same cover that had hidden the Germans when they attacked Tully and Moffitt now provided Hitch and Troy with concealment. The two of them slipped quietly up behind the colonel and his men. They could hear the colonel asking his escorts a series of questions. They couldn't understand the words, but they heard the 'rat patrol' mentioned several times. Troy glanced over at Hitch and grinned when they heard it mentioned again.

They drew near the Germans and Troy crouched behind some bushes to wait for an opportunity. Hitch moved silently around him, moving closer to the Germans. Another flurry of gunfire gave Troy the opportunity he needed. He nodded at Hitch and watched as the private slipped up behind one of the guards.

Hitch rushed forward without a sound and grabbed the first soldier by the head. One quick twist and the soldier's neck snapped. The second soldier caught a glimpse of motion and heard the snap. He spun around to defend the colonel. Hitch left the first body drop and reached for the second man. His hand went to his knife, pulling it in one swift motion. He stuck it in the throat of the second guard to keep him from calling out.

The colonel reached for the gun at his side. The flap was snapped, costing him precious time as he reached to unsnap it. Troy wrapped his arms around the officer, pulling him off balance. The colonel struggled but the sergeant held on. When the officer began to yell, the sergeant released him with one arm so he could place a hand over his mouth. The colonel twisted free and took a swing at Troy. Troy ducked, falling back to avoid the blow. The colonel followed, reaching for his gun again as he took a step toward Troy. Troy kicked his legs out from under him and jumped on top of him as he fell. The two men rolled over and over, neither of them managing to stay on top for long. Troy was on the bottom when the colonel suddenly collapsed on top of him. He pushed the officer off to see Hitch standing above them grinning.

"It looked like you needed a little help Sarge."

"I had him," Troy growled, then he relented and nodded at his driver. "Thanks. Help me get him up the hill. We'll get him loaded in the jeep and get out of here. Tully and Moffitt won't be able to hold their attention for long."

Hitch helped lift the colonel's weight onto Troy's shoulder. As the sergeant climbed out of the wadi, Hitch watched his back and gave him the occasional push to help him up the slope. Just as Troy reached the top, there was a shout from the entrance to the wadi. Hitch fired a burst in that direction and ran up to join the sergeant. "Go Sarge! I'll cover you!" The blond crouched behind a rock and fire more rounds to force the Germans to take cover.

Troy nodded and made an awkward run for the jeep with the colonel's head bouncing against his back. He dropped the unconscious man into the passenger seat and leaped behind the 50. "Hitch!"

At Troy's call Hitch fired one more burst and spun to run for the jeep. He tossed the Thompson into the rear at Troy's feet and slid into his seat. The engine started with a roar and he hit the gas. Dirt flew out behind the tires as they peeled out, just as the Germans reached the top of the wadi's edge. Bullets hit the sand around them, a few hitting metal, but the jeep kept moving. They could hear the shouts of frustration as Hitch ducked around a dune and disappeared from view.

As they drove into the open desert Hitch could still hear gunshots from the other side of the wadi. He heard the sound of Moffitt's 50, and something bigger.

Six miles later they reached the wadi where Troy wanted to wait for the other jeep. He had Hitch back into a narrow gap between some rocks. Troy jumped out to help their prisoner to the ground.

The colonel was still groggy so Troy took the opportunity to check for other weapons. Finding none, he took the colonel's arm and steadied him until he could stand on his own. Then he led him to a rock so he could sit and recover.

"Relax Colonel, we're going to be here for a little while."

Colonel Bittenbender sat on the rock and reached up to feel the back of his head. The cut had stopped bleeding but the lump was tender to the touch.

"If that little lump is bothering you, I can take a look at it for you," Troy offered.

"I think I may live," the colonel responded.

Troy laughed. "I sure hope so Colonel. If you don't, we went to a lot of trouble for nothing."

"Then I was the target?"

"You were once we saw you," the sergeant acknowledged. "Our original target was the convoy, but you were too tempting to resist. My curiosity got the better of me. I was wondering what you are doing out here Colonel. With any luck, my other jeep took care of the convoy."

"You were after the convoy?"

"Yeah, someone reported seeing it and we were sent to hit it. You, you're just a bonus."

"I see," the colonel sighed. "The captain did say that you had some sort of sixth sense that led you to our convoys."

"Dietrich gives us too much credit."

"How did you know I meant Captain Dietrich?" The colonel studied the sergeant in front of him suspiciously. The captain's description of the man came back to him. Smart, resourceful, and loyal to a fault; the sergeant looked the part. His lean, whip-cord muscles fit a compact frame that moved with the grace of a big cat. His sharp eyes seemed to take everything in in a single glance. The captain appeared to be everything the captain had said, and more. There was a cool competence about him that belied his lowly rank.

"We saw you leave Dietrich's base. It figures he'd tell you about us."

"I asked him."

"Did you also ask him about this wadi? Troy put one foot up on the rock and rested his Thompson across his knee casually. He leaned closer to ask his next question. "And just what is your interest in us? You aren't here to finish what that crazy major started, are you?"

"You mean Major Alderbeck?"

"Yeah," the sergeant nodded, "that's the one. That guy was certifiable you know. Crazy as a loon."

"He convinced our high command that his plan would work. He did a lot of research on you and your team." The colonel leaned back to see how the sergeant would react to that information.

"So he said," Troy answered. "A lot of good it did him in the end."

"How did you figure out what he was planning?"

Troy shrugged. "He told us."

"He told you how he planned to capture you?" the colonel asked in disbelief.

"Not in so many words, but yeah, he did," Troy answered.

"The what do you mean, he told you?"

"He told us that he was going to capture all of us and that he had done his research. He said he knew what made us tick. He said he understood us and he had a plan. I guess he didn't know us as well as he thought he did." Troy smiled at the prisoner.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Why? What difference does it make?"

"Just curious," the colonel replied, trying to hide the true reason for his questions.

Troy paused, thinking before he answered. "I guess it was after he caught Hitch. He tried to use Hitch to get the rest of us to surrender."

"My officers reported that you did surrender."

"Yeah," Troy admitted, "but on my terms, not his. Your major wasn't nearly as smart as he thought he was, not even close."

"So it would seem," the colonel agreed. "What happens now?"

"Now we wait for my other two men to show up and we take you back to our base. Our POW camps aren't so bad Colonel. Much better than the ones your guys keep trying to send us to."

"You can't blame us for trying," the colonel smiled. "You and your team have done quite a bit of damage to our war effort."

Troy grinned. "We try." The sergeant sobered. "But the major wasn't planning on sending us to any POW camp. He had his firing squad all picked out and ready. At least you don't have to worry about that."

"No, I am too valuable to shoot."

"True," Troy nodded, "but that's not the only reason. We don't make a habit of shooting unarmed prisoners."

"I know."

Troy looked at the colonel for a moment before his expression cleared. "Yeah, Dietrich probably told you that too."

"He did," the colonel confirmed.

"He's a good officer," Troy responded. "He keeps us busy."

"He respects you too, all of you." The colonel included Hitch, who still stood on guard.

Troy followed his gaze and noticed that his drover looked worried. He decided to see what was worrying him. "Stay here Colonel. Don't try anything foolish. I'll be right back."

The prisoner looked around and shrugged. "There doesn't seem to be anywhere to go Sergeant."

"Remember that and we'll get along just fine Colonel." The sergeant straightened and went to talk to his driver. "What's bothering you Hitch?"

The private looked over at the prisoner before he looked at Troy.

"Hitch?"

"Doc and Tully should have caught up by now," Hitch replied in a low tone that wouldn't carry to the colonel. "They didn't have that much further to go than we did."

"We don't know how far they had to go to lose their pursuit," Troy reasoned. "They'll be here."

"That's not all." Hitch kept his voice low. "I thought I heard some heavy firepower before we got out of range. Not Moffitt's 50, something bigger. It was far away, but it sounded like a halftrack shell Sarge."

"The only halftracks were parked in; I doubt they got a good shot at Tully and Moffitt. Tully would have stayed clear of them."

"You said you thought they were hiding something Sarge."

"Yeah, but it turned out to be the colonel."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"We'll wait a little longer Hitch."

"Okay," the blond answered, "but I have a bad feeling about this."