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"How do I end up in these situations?" Dietrich muttered to himself as he hauled himself up another sand dune. Sergeant Troy followed close behind. "I'm starting to believe that I was born unlucky. That or someone really has it out for me."
"What are you muttering about, Captain? The heat getting to you?" Troy called out and Dietrich cursed as he stumbled in the sand. His muscles burned from the effort.
"Nothing of the sort. We've only been out here a day or so, by far not the longest time for either of us." He snapped. Troy's eyebrows shot up at the Captain's tone but he kept his mouth shut. They cleared another dune and Dietrich finally caught sight of what they were searching for. A small settlement, more like a collection of clay buildings, was visible on the horizon. With that settlement came water and the end of the duo's shaky truce. Sergeant Troy huffed as he came to stop next to Dietrich.
"That's still a day away, we'll have to sleep in the sand again tonight." Dietrich frowned. The Sergeant was right but the thought of spending another night in the harsh sand was an unpleasant one.
The two traveled for another two or so hours before stopping to set up camp, if it could be called that. It mainly consisted of the two men sleeping as close together as they could while maintaining their scraps of dignity. The freezing temperatures were held off by a threadbare canvas tarp that Troy had been carrying in a bag with his supplies.The two of them had been in worse situations, at least this time they had shelter, water and food. Though all of those were in insufficient amounts and Dietrich was feeling a strong headache and exhaustion weighing down his limbs.
The sharp rays of the desert sun woke them. They set off after eating the last of their food. It would give them the strength to reach the settlement by mid-day. Hopefully. About halfway there, the sound of engines filled the air. They exchanged a glance before scrambling up the closest hill. Troy spotted the vehicles first and gave a whoop. Dietrich's stomach sank as the American jeeps came into view. It seemed that luck was still not on his side. The Rats spotted them as Troy waved his arms and they turned from their path. Dietrich resigned himself to his fate, collapsing to sit down on the sand. There was no point in being difficult, besides there were worse ways to be taken out of the war. The jeeps pulled to a stop at the bottom of the incline and Troy slid down to meet them.
"You gotta stop pullin' stunts like this, Sarge." Private Hitch joked as he clapped him on the back.
"Yeah, yeah, it worked didn't it?" Troy joked as he clasped forearms with Sergeant Moffitt. Dietrich pushed himself up, drawing the Rats attention as he stood. The three new arrivals reached for their guns but Troy lifted a hand to stop them. "Hold your fire! We're under truce." The men backed down as Dietrich shambled down the sand to meet them.
"As I recall, the truce only lasted until we found either party." Dietrich reminded the American, stopping a few metres away. Troy squinted at him hard.
"We'll drop you off at the settlement. Your men will look for you there?" Dietrich nodded as the other Rats began to protest. "This isn't up for debate, the captain saved my ass. I'm just returning the favour." The Rats quieted down as Dietrich felt a confused sort of relief bubble up. He could never understand these Americans and their strange ways. They were supposed to be enemies and yet Dietrich couldn't deny that he felt a strange sort of affection for the Rats. Almost immediately that feeling was replaced by anxiety. He was betraying his country by even accepting this truce in the first place.
"Captain?" Dietrich inhaled sharply, startled out if his guilty spiral.
"Yes, Sergeant Troy?" The American gave him a look that Dietrich refused to decipher before shoving a water bottle into his hands.
"Drink it, we'll refill when we get to the village." Dietrich took a long swig of the water. It felt soothing against his rough throat and he felt his headache subside minutely. Troy gestured to the jeeps once Dietrich had taken a few good swigs. Dietrich hesitated for only a second before squishing into empty the seat. Hitch shot him a look that warned against any funny business before the Jeep jolted and took off. Dietrich quickly flipped up his goggles as sand stung against his face. He wasn't used to traveling quite so fast, German engineering hadn't quite managed what the Rats had with their altered jeeps. They tended towards tanks and trucks, neither quite so fast or manoeuvrable. The settlement was already clear in front of them, Dietrich could make out people walking about the cluster of buildings.
"Alright Captain, this is where we leave you." Troy announced as they stopped the jeeps on the village outskirts.
"Thank you, Sergeant." He nodded to the Rats before hopping off the jeep. He had to steady himself as the world titled. Maybe the lack of basic necessities for the past few days was getting to him more than he thought. The world righted itself after a few seconds and Dietrich squared his shoulders. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, ignoring the furtive glances shot between the Rats. He was perfectly capable of finding somewhere to wait for his men to arrive. He stumbled over the hot sand and frowned to cover his embarrassment. The Rats hadn't left yet and Dietrich could practically feel their stares burning into his back. The early morning sun was already reflecting harshly off the sand and Dietrich's eyes started watering at the bright glare. He swallowed and wished he'd had a few more swigs of the water Troy had given him before he'd attempted to walk on his own. He stumbled again and someone grabbed his arm. He jolted but the hand gripped him tight and hauled him up.
"It's alright, Captain. I got you." Sergeant Troy's voice broke through the foggy haze surrounding his brain. His tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth as he tried to reply. It came out as a strange jumble of slurred syllables that barely represented human speech. "Boys, come over here and help! I need water, and Moffitt, see if you can find somewhere that we can let him rest." Dietrich watched as the Rats jumped to follow their leader's orders. They were scurrying around like... Well, like rats he supposed. He gave a little chuckle to himself and Troy gave him a concerned look. "Come on Captain, hang on a bit. It's just mild heat exhaustion, you'll be fine with a bit of rest." Dietrich couldn't respond as he sunk into the arms now supporting him. How far he had fallen, at his enemies mercy after they had let him go.
#
Dietrich could just make out the ceiling through his half closed eyelashes. It was clay, or maybe a concrete of some sort. His entire body felt hot and he struggled weakly against the wet blanket covering him. He managed to pull one arm out from under it before another pair of hands appeared and pulled the blanket off.
"You with us again, Captain?"
"Ja, wo ben ich?" He asked weakly.
"The settlement you were heading to. Do you remember what happened?" It was a different voice than the first one and Dietrich forced himself to roll over and see who it was. Two blurry faces swam across his vision, practically unidentifiable if not for their hats.
"Rats." Dietrich hissed, or tried to anyway. Nothing in his body seemed to be listening to him and it came out as more of a slurred mumble.
"Moffitt, go wet the blanket again. Captain, you need to sit up and drink some water." An arm slid under his back and helped him shuffle into a sitting position. Dietrich squinted at the enemy Sergeant, trying to parse out what the man could be gaining from taking care of him.
"I don't understand German, Captain." Troy said as he lifted the glass for Dietrich to grab. Dietrich blinked as he took the glass, unaware that he had even spoken.
"The good Captain is suspicious of our motives, Troy." Sergeant Moffitt was holding various rags that were dripping onto the floor. He dumped them onto Dietrich's lap as he sorted them out. The water was immediately cooling to his burning skin and he sank back into the pillow as Troy took the water back. Moffitt passed a smaller towel to Troy who folded it and placed it gently on his forehead. His pride made him want to protest, after all he wasn't a child to be coddled, but his brain felt like it was cooking and the water at least partially helped. He kept quiet.
"You know, I think we'd be shot for treason if our superiors ever found out about this." Moffitt said in a conversational tone that did not at all match the topic. Troy hummed thoughtfully.
"Good thing they won't." The two gave each other a look that Dietrich's melting brain couldn't comprehend.
"Very well, Troy. I'll go check in on Tully and Hitch." The Brit left and Troy turned back to Dietrich.
"How are you feeling, Captain?"
"Scheisse. Terrible." Everything hurt and he was too hot, even with the wet blankets draped over him. Troy snorted at that.
"You would. That trip through the desert did a number on you, pretty sure it's heat exhaustion." Dietrich grimaced at that. Troy side eyed him, "you said yourself, we weren't in the desert for that long. Also, I couldn't help but notice that you're awfully skinny, Captain." Dietrich pursed his lips as the Sergeant frowned down at him. The bitter, angry part of him wanted to lash out.
"When you and your men blow up German convoys of supplies, what do you think happens to the soldiers those were meant for?" His tone was harsh and he mentally cursed himself. There was absolutely nothing stopping the American from killing him right then and there. The Sergeant didn't move and Dietrich slowly relaxed all of the muscles that had tensed up in anticipation of something, a punch, a shot, anything. Instead, Troy simply looked thoughtful, maybe regretful? No, Dietrich thought, the Sergeant may be kinder than the average enemy soldier but even he knew what war entailed. Dietrich was often angry about it, watching his soldiers go without basic food and water for days, but he knew that his men did the same to Amercian convoys, albeit less successfully. Still, the pangs in his stomach and his constantly dry mouth did not listen to reason. He knew he was weaker than Troy, knew that, when they got stranded in the desert, he would suffer more severe consequences regardless of whose side found them first. He pulled himself out of his mind, focusing back in on Troy. "How long was I out?"
"You were out for a few hours. Your men should be here by midday tomorrow, if not sooner." That was good, heat exhaustion was dreadful but it didn't take that long to recover. By the time his men got here, he should be almost fully recovered. At the very least he would be able to walk by himself. He realised he had gotten ahead of himself. There was no guarantee that Troy and his rats would just give him up to his men. In fact it would be incredibly foolish for them to let him go.
"And what are you going to do with me?" Troy gave a wry smile.
"Once Tully spots your men coming near the town we'll hightail it out of here and send one of the locals to let them know you are here."
"No trap?" Dietrich asked knowing full well that they wouldn't be stupid enough to tell him if there was one.
"No trap, Captain." At the suspicious look Troy laughed, "have a little faith. Think of it as a gesture of good will."
"Sergeant, you seem to forget that we are at war."
"Not forget, more like temporarily ignore." Dietrich rolled his eyes which proved to be a mistake as his head throbbed. He slumped further into the pillows, screwing his eyes shut in an attempt to lessen the ache. He could sense Troy hovering anxiously over him.
"I'm fine." He muttered, trying to hold back a sudden yawn. Unfortunately for him, his enemy was nothing if not observant.
"I'll leave you to rest now, Captain." He heard Troy stand up, "don't try anything stupid." Dietrich didn't deign to respond, sleep already pulling him to unconsciousness.
#
"Hauptmann! Hauptmann Dietrich!" Dietrich groaned at the loud voice, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. A German soldier, Dietrich was pretty sure his name was Karl, was looking down at him from the bedside.
"Ja, was ist es?" Relief flooded Karl's face and he slumped.
"You disappeared with that rat Sergeant, sir, we've been searching for almost 4 days now." Dietrich sat up quickly, startling the Lieutenant. His brain had finally caught up to speed. If his soldiers were here it meant the rats would be long gone.
"Be careful, the locals say you are still recovering." Karl fretted. Dietrich ignored him. He was debating wether sending a patrol out to search for the Rat patrol was worth it when he realised. It would be in his best interest to keep knowledge of the Rat's involvement to a minimum.
"I am alright, Lieutenant. The worst of it has passed. We should leave here as soon as possible. The rat patrol may still be close by, ensure the men are alert." He managed to throw of the blankets, which were still damp, and clamber out of bed. There was a faint throbbing behind his eyes but he persevered through it. He could not look weak in front of his men.
"Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann!" Karl saluted before leading Dietrich to the door, hovering just within grabbing distance. Dietrich ignored it, walking as fast as he could without fainting.
As the convoy left the village, Dietrich scanned the dunes. He had been forced into one of the cars, a hat shielding his eyes from the sun. He knew that chances of the Rats sticking around were close to zero, that despite his suspicion they probably wouldn't set a trap for his convoy. Still, he tensed when he spotted a figure on the sand dunes. It disappeared before he could say anything and he immediately doubted his heat-fried brain. Was he imagining things or were the Rats actually lying in wait? He tried to remain vigilant but the heat was pulling him back into sleep. His last thought was of the rat patrol, wondering how he would explain his relationship with them if he was ever questioned. He settled on 'reluctant enemies' as he drifted off, head lolling onto Lieutenant Karl's shoulder.