Chapter Text
Tully snapped awake as sand crunched under a boot. Her focus narrowed onto Dr. Yusuf and a beautiful blond man she’d briefly caught sight of before passing out. Miles Merry, gorgeous and currently the starring role of one of her more lurid fantasies involving wickedly clever Arabic princes and swooning damsels. Fueled, in no small part, by Mozenrath from the Aladdin TV cartoon.
“Wow,” Miles said blankly, “you’re up.”
“I’m up.” She agreed. Cooler air was rustling through the tent, a comfortable temperature with the fire pit on top of which a tea set was sitting. “How long was I out?”
“Several hours.” Yusuf poured her a cup of tea with the grace of a lady. “It is nearly dusk.”
“Why didn't you wake me?” Her grumble split by a yawn which she buried in her shoulder. It was a nice smelling tea and probably a gift from his grandmother.
“And have you be more useless?” Smoothly accented, Helen Moffit faced her completely. “Absolutely not. You need your sleep, and we have everything in hand here. We even have a modest battle plan. How are you at tracking water sources?”
“I…was in Death Valley for over a year. I know how to find buried caches very well, and find whatever natural source there might be. I don’t know the first damn thing about this desert.” It was a really nice tea too. She sipped quietly.
“I do know rocks,” Miles said from his little bed, eyes opening. “I do actually have a degree in it.”
Yusuf looked more surprised than Tully felt was warranted. Miles was pretty, not stupid. “Then that sells it.” Helen continued. “An archeologist, a geologist, and…a naturalist are an excellent team. That will sell the idea. I’ve picked up a few things that might look good as supplies. Vials, a few chemical compounds, and several notebooks…and pens.” Moffits manic, almost overly excited tone sent a shiver down Tully’s spine. “Look, this place is amazing and I want us to get as much information as we can. I remember just enough from my own excursion to know where to start looking. It will sell the idea; but we have to keep a close look out for Nazis, Allies, and everyone who wants a piece of us. Yusuf, I spoke with one of the locals. They’ve agreed to lend us horses for an afternoon if you don’t mind looking in on a few elders.”
Tully straightened, grateful that someone else seemed to be thinking. “We still have our phones.” Her backpack full of technology, scanners, plastic, chargers, and short-wave radios. “Oh, the radios will work…but we’ll need to be careful because if we get captured with those, we’re all fucked beyond belief.”
Miles straightened, taking a cup from Yusuf. “This still doesn’t explain how to get back.”
“It doesn’t…but we can look for information under the guise of our academic research.” Helen pulled her note book out. “My grandfather did leave notes…but it rather reads like something from Good Omens.”
“I love that series,” Yusuf mused. “I will ask for information while I am out tomorrow.”
Tully nodded, emptying her cup. “Alright…does anyone have any food?”
“I do.” Helen smiled at their disbelieving expressions. “I didn’t just find spies when I was out and about. I arranged a few things.”
Tully grinned, saluting her with her empty cup.
It was odd to wake in a world so familiar yet unfamiliar. For the first time since she’d arrived in the past, waking up without guards or watching eyes and relentless soldiers dogging her footsteps. There was a measure of freedom in her movements she had missed. Getting ready, slathering sunscreen over her face, ears, neck, and arms before pulling on one of the lighter wraps. Still early when they ventured into the desert with their hodge podge scientist equipment.
“I don’t have a gun,” she told Moffitt, who twisted around in her saddle.
“Do you need one?”
“I’d like one.” Tully clarified, raising the binoculars and peering over the horizon. “We’re supposed to be in neutral territory, but if the Nazis were willing to kidnap you then we need to be careful.”
“Do you even know how to use a gun?” Helen asked, directing her horse alongside Tully who twisted her lips into a wry smile. “I think that means yes, but really. More guns will only inspire them to try and kill us.”
“They won’t kill us until we lead them to a water source,” and pointed at a distant bit of rocks. “Let’s check that out. I see water marks on those stones..”
Moffitt grinned. “You’re very clever. How old do those water marks look?”
“A few centuries old, but enough to pretend. With a gun, Lady Helen, I can actually return fire or shoot wild animals that might be trying to sneak on us. There’s more animals out there than just Nazis. Please tell me you have a knife.”
Helen nodded, curiously eyeing Tully as their horses cantered across the desert road. “Don’t you feel a bit odd, leaving them behind?”
“No.” With Merry still disguised as a woman and working alongside Yusuf in the nearby town it was safer than the open desert. They’d have to return the horses that evening, so maybe they might have more intelligence than them.
“I mean to say, wouldn’t you feel safer with them?”
“A pacifist and a geologist?” Tully asked skeptically, rising in the saddle to get a better look at a dust cloud rising in the distance. “Shit, incoming. Follow me.” Digging her heels in, the horse broke into gallop. To Helen’s credit she followed rapidly and silently until they were undercover of the rock formations. Securing the horses, they climbed to a higher vantage point.
“What is it?” Helen whispered thought the sound would not have carried so far.
“Nazis,” Tully replied, “I’m spotting two half-tracks, a staff car….and a truck. It doesn’t look big enough to be a supply convoy so maybe an escort?”
“What do they want?” Helen wondered, shifting closer and taking the binoculars as Tully passed them over. “They’re headed for town.”
“They might want to buy something…or take something….or someone.”
“Yusuf is from a political family.”
“But.” Tully squinted. “That’s not Dietrich. I can’t see a rank from here. Wait.” Twisting around, she pointed to another dust cloud. “That’s not good.” One moved in from the west and the other from the Northeast and would doubtlessly converge on the town. “Ahhhhh, they’re here for us.”
Moffitt’s alarm ratcheted up but her breathing remained steady. Long experience that Tully could only guess at, keeping her calm.
“Bugger all.”
“Mother fucker.” Digging her radio out, she tapped out the emergency code to Yusuf. He clicked back, and she turned it on.
“Mosquitoes in from west and Northeast. Over.”
“Acknowledged.” Merry replied. “Rendezvous in cave. Over.”
“Rodger wilco. Oover and out.” She flipped the radio back into her belt.
“Won’t they hear that?” Helen asked. “Is that an encrypted channel?”
“It is.” Tully scooted backward. “We’ll take the long route back. I think we have enough time to fake data gathering. How fast can you get photos of those rocks?”
“About as fast as you can get those water marks noted.” Helen winked.
“Thirty minutes?”
“Thirty minutes.”
They were done close to an hour later. Marking up their maps and notebooks and brainstorming ways to get back to the 21st century. Taking the longer route back to town, Tully felt exposed atop the horse. Too often she could feel eyes on her, weapons she couldn’t see prickling the nerves beneath her skin. They were being watched…they were being followed.
#$#$
Miles was glad he’d taken so much of his free time to read about medical techniques for his roles. It was good now, even disguised as a woman, he could pretend with Yusuf. Disinfect, bandage, clean, comfort, and move to the next person. A young boy hadn’t said much he’d set the broken ankle; and a figure ducked under the tent flap.
“Nurse,” the man called. “Nurse.”
“Yes?” He stood, pitching his voice low and sweet. At the end of the medical tent stood a man who had begun volunteering and then decided to stick around. He seemed to be a polite fellow, but why he was here was a complete mystery.
“The doctor has asked to speak with you.” He held the flap of the tent open as Miles, picked up his case and shuffled out. Outside in the dark brilliant afternoon sunlight Dr. Yusuf was standing next to a pile of supplies. Interesting, and not particularly alarming.
Crossing the distance, he waited for Yusuf to stop speaking to the man in front of him. Only once he’d gone, did the doctor turn. “Ah…Nurse.”
“Doctor?”
As they pretended to work over their notes, the man whispered. “They are coming and will be here. Tully warns that they are coming from both ends of town. We must rendezvous with them.”
“Where?” Miles knew a lot of things, he didn’t know alot about desert towns in the 40’s. It wouldn’t do to get nervous; but he’d seen too many war films to know that the Nazi’s were anything but shitbags…plus…ya know, history.
“The notebook,” Yusuf replied. “Contains coordinates of a cave we will be able to take refuge in as we head north. We will be taking horses…can you ride?”
Miles’ fear lifted just long enough for him give the man a glare. “Ride a horse? Do I know how to ride a horse?”
“ Not like a cowboy or a hero…like a person?”
“I…” He let out a gusty sigh. “Yes, I know how to ride a horse. I was kidnapped on one, remember?”
“Good. Pack what you can and meet me back at our camp. If you’re intercepted, go north to the mosque. Back there, there is a small cellar to hide in where you will be safe.” Intercepted . Miles stepped away from the doctor, unable to consider what might happen if he were intercepted.
Abducted…they’d find out he was a man. A woman in man’s clothing was a joke, but a man in woman’s clothing was a death sentence. Well, he had his marching orders. Doing his best to be surreptitious, he wound down his duties at the medical tent. It wasn’t long before he’d made it back to their tent. Packing the last of Tully’s and Moffit’s things away, Yusuf came back in time to collapse the tent. Before he knew it, they were both mounted up; making their way out of town just as the sound of approaching jeeps and half-tracks rumbled around the stone walls and roofs.
Well, they were getting out here just in time.