AN: Well.. here's the last chapter! It's a little closer to the episode I know but I added in some extra Big Brother Tully at the end :)
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With the German no longer flying overhead, a quiet but uneasy lull came upon Tully and the others.
The only reason it was uneasy? Corporal Frank Meekin himself. Who seemed to have the inability to share a smoke with Troy. Or even settle down and polish his little handgun like Tully was his rifle.
But even Meekin's uneasiness disappeared into the background. And Tully was finally able to focus fully on polishing and caring for his rifle. Every few minutes though, he'd look up to check on Hitch.
The kid himself seemed like he was calmer than earlier. At least as calm as he could look as feverish as he was. But at least he wasn't struggling against Troy or mumbling that Meekin shot him.
Meekin. Good Lord, if Tully had his way he'd have left the troublesome man on the side of the road for the Jerries to find. Tully looked over at him again, Frank Meekin really was the only one who hadn't settled down.
And then, Moffitt said the five little words Tully was hoping to hear. "We just might make it!" The young Englishman said happily, causing a thrill of hope to run through Tully's heart.
Now Meekin really disappeared. Tully even leaned back and took a deep sigh of relief. Even Troy seemed to calm down, taking deeper puffs from his cigarette.
Until Meekin shot up, went to Moffitt and said "Stop the truck!" Tully wondered what caused him to act so stressed. He put down his rifle and pricked his ears to figure out what was going on.
"Why?" Moffitt asked. He received the answer almost instantly, "I'm sick! Ya gotta stop the truck, c'mon please!"
"Well that's too bad." Was what sent Meekin to sit back down on his seat. Tully couldn't tell if he was lying about being sick or not. Because he was certainly the right shade of green to actually be sick.
For some odd reason though, Meekin kept looking back at the fuses with absolute terror in his eyes.
Tully was now on edge. He was within an inch of going over to Hitch's side in case Meekin decided to become violent. He put his polishing cloth down, ready to defend his little brother if need be.
Meekin continued to sit and jitter, his teeth clenched as they drove on. For some odd reason, he kept shooting a glance at the altimeter. Tully decided it wasn't going to worry him and went back to polishing his gun again.
Until Meekin shot up again and shouted "I gotta get out!" And he was instantly tackled by Troy before he jumped out of the truck.
"You gotta let me out, don't you understand!? I set the fuses!" Meekin cried, struggling in Troy's grasp. "We're gonna go sky high!"
Troy lifted the panicking Corporal up by his lapels. "We're gonna what!?" He roared as Meekin squirmed under his gaze.
"I set the fuses to three hundred feet, we're gonna blow sky high, now let me off!" He begged, still struggling in Troy's grasp.
Tully looked at the altimeter and noticed with a thrill of terror that the altimeter was within a meter or two from reaching three hundred feet. Troy must've seen it too, because he shouted "Moffitt, stop the truck!"
"He set them alright." Troy said, his eyes hardening when he looked Meekin right in the eye. "Now unset 'em."
But Meekin didn't have the chance to answer. Because after Troy had spoken, they heard a German accented voice command "You in the truck, out! Out!" The Germans had definitely been radioed their position.
But Meekin didn't unset the fuses. Or even say he couldn't for that matter. The moment Troy's attention was elsewhere, he squirmed out of the Sergeant's grasp and bolted out of the back of the truck.
"Meekin! Meekin!" Troy called, but it was too late. Tully flinched when he heard the gunshots. He didn't need to look outside to know Meekin had been shot dead.
"Schnell! Schnell! Hands up, Americans!" One of the Germans ordered, shoving his machine gun through the canvas flap. Troy went outside with his hands up. Meanwhile the krauts started shouting more stuff Tully couldn't understand.
Slowly but surely Tully lowered Hitch out of the truck with Troy's help. The entire time he had the German Commander's gun trained right at him and the two Sergeants. "Throw your weapons away, now!" The head kraut ordered.
Troy and Moffitt begrudgingly threw their pistols to the ground. Tully had left his own gun in the truck. "They're waiting for the fuses at Bachter's command post." The commander said with a victorious smirk. He gestured to Hitch, "Take him with you."
The three Rats lifted Hitch's stretcher and carried him to the armored car as ordered. Then Troy said something that confused Tully. "Stall, keep stalling." But then it hit Tully, Troy meant to attack the moment the fuses blew.
"Easy. Easy." Troy said to the jerries behind him when he and Tully lowered Hitch's stretcher. He stood up with his hands in the air. Tully did the same, keeping an ear out for his next order.
The Commander ordered his men to get in the truck, Or something along the lines at least. He gestured to the truck and some of his men loaded up into it and drove off.
"That truck's gotta be at the three hundred mark." Troy observed, watching as the vehicle got farther and farther away. "Maybe those fuses don't work." Tully guessed with a shrug.
Then all of a sudden: BOOM! And at that, Troy swung at the man behind him, hitting him square in the jaw.
Another explosion finished the truck off. After sharing a look, the Rats loaded their wounded buddy into the armored car before getting in themselves. With everyone loaded in, Moffitt drove off.
"Well we know the bloody fuses work!" The Englishman chuckled when they drove past the now burning vehicle.
"How's Hitch?" Troy asked when they stopped. Tully looked down at his little brother and rested a hand on Hitch's forehead. A relieved smile spread across his face when he noticed the kid's fever had gone down significantly.
"Over the hump, Sarge." Tully said, "over the hump."