Smoke

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

The car stopped in front of the headquarters building and Captain Hans Dietrich climbed stiffly out of the rear seat. His driver, a young freckled faced soldier, held the door as his commanding officer stretched after the long ride. Dietrich stepped away from the car and the door slammed behind him. The familiar sound had taken on an ominous finality as the Captain glanced around him.

From the moment he had received the summons from Colonel von Ziegler he had the uneasy feeling that something bad was about to happen. The summons had been worded more as a request than as an order but he hadn't been fooled. When a squad of the Colonel's men had arrived to escort him to the meeting his suspicions had been confirmed.

The base appeared to be very busy as Dietrich paused to look around. His escorts gathered around to form a circle surrounding him. Before the circle closed he had spotted the unusual number of patrols marching along the street. It seemed like an awful lot of fuss to make over a visiting officer of his rank. He began to hope that there might be another reason for all of the security. Squaring his shoulders, Dietrich headed for his meeting with the Colonel.

The old buildings had been built by master craftsmen and the Captain couldn't help but admire the ornate arches and curving stairs. The heavy stone steps had been laid in intricate patterns that drew the eye. He had to make a concentrated effort to keep his head high and not watch the patterns as he climbed the stairs. If this meeting was for the reason he suspected, he wanted to enter the Colonel's sight with his head up and his posture ramrod straight. He would not slink in like some cur waiting to be kicked.

The Colonel's aide rose to his feet as the Captain and his escorts approached his desk.

"Captain Dietrich to see Colonel von Zeigler." Dietrich stated formally. "The Colonel is expecting me."

The aide nodded nervously and pushed his chair back so that he could come around the desk. He glanced quickly at Dietrich's escorts before he responded verbally. "I'll announce you to the Colonel if you'll just wait here Captain."

Dietrich inclined his head politely, determined to give the appearance of a calm, confident officer despite the pounding of his heart. His mind flashed a picture of a frightened rabbit as he watched the Colonel's aide rush around the desk. Dietrich stood where he was as the clerk nearly ran to announce the visitors. The clerk knocked on a set of wide, heavy doors carved no doubt by hand. He would have liked to have examined the doors more closely as the carvings depicted a battle scene between two long dead opponents. Dietrich was a bit of a history buff and he rather enjoyed learning about the battle tactics used by others, especially the successful tactics. The thought brought a frown to his face. It was some of those very tactics that brought him here to this meeting; tactics used by the Rat Patrol. Unless he missed his guess, this summons had something to do with that particular group and their many successes against him. Rumors had been circulating that there was an investigation being conducted into the unusually high rate of those successes. Since Dietrich was the commander who suffered many of those losses he was under suspicion. If they didn't accuse him of treason they would, at the very least, question his competence.

The aide returned and motioned the Captain toward the huge doors. "The Colonel will see you now Captain Dietrich. Just through those doors if you please."

"Thank you." Dietrich responded politely. After all, there was no need to take out his frustrations on the clerk; he was only doing his job. 'Just as I have done mine.' Dietrich thought to himself as he walked toward the door. While he had regrets, none of them involved any lack of effort on his part. He had done his best to get his convoys through and to keep his men alive. It irked him to think that the high command seemed to care more about the former than the latter, but he had done his best on both counts. It just seemed that that darn Rat Patrol was everywhere. If he hadn't known better he would have sworn that there was more than one of them. They had a real knack for being in the right place at the right time, or in his eyes, the wrong place at the wrong time. More than one plan had been spoiled by their arrival. And he had caught them, several times; he just couldn't seem to hold them for very long. And if it wasn't bad enough that they had terrorized his base and his men, now they were jeopardizing his career, and quite possibility, his life. If he could get his hands on them right now he would finish them once and for all. As he walked to the door he could almost hear Sergeant Troy's voice saying, 'You should have taken the shot when you had the chance.'

The wide doors parted as Dietrich paused in front of them. A youthful looking lieutenant stood with his hands on the door handles, pulling the doors toward him. There was a brief flash of emotion in the young man's eyes before he lowered his head and told the Captain to come in. Dietrich thought for a moment that he saw sympathy or pity there. Forcing his back even straighter, the Captain marched into the room. He was an officer in the vaunted German Afrika Korp, he did not need, nor would he accept pity. He missed the look of admiration from the lieutenant as he strode boldly past him into the room.

The Colonel sat behind a massive wooden desk that was so highly polished that it gleamed. He eyed the tall officer before him with a mixture of surprise and contempt. He rose lazily from his seat to return the stiff salute that Dietrich executed.

"Sit down Captain; we have a lot to discuss."

Dietrich sat, noting as he did that not all of his escorts had remained in the outer office; two of them had followed him in and now stood to either side, looking very much alert. He supposed that he should be flattered that they considered him to be such a risk.

"I'll get right to the point Captain." The Colonel began as he rose and began to pace his office.

"Please do Sir." Dietrich answered calmly.

"All right Captain, Berlin is concerned about this commando group, this 'Rat Patrol'. What can you tell me about them?"

Dietrich hesitated, just how much did the Colonel already know?

"They are a small group made up of only four men; an American sergeant, a British sergeant, and two American privates. They drive two jeeps with 50 caliber machine guns mounted in the back. They're highly intelligent, well-disciplined as a unit, and their methods are sometimes highly unusual."

"I know who they are!" The Colonel growled. "I have their files right here! What I want to know is how they continually manage to overcome not only superior numbers but superior weapons and some of the best troops the Fatherland has ever trained." The Colonel let his irritation show. "What I want to know Captain is how they managed to destroy so many of your convoys and yet you have still not captured or destroyed them."

"They have managed to destroy convoys and other targets all over North Africa." Dietrich replied quietly. "Their main base just happens to be near my base so I am a frequent target, but clearly not the only German officer that they have harassed."

"Harassed? They have done untold damage to our efforts here! I don't need excuses Captain, I need results!"

"I am not making excuses Colonel." Dietrich replied stiffly. "While it's true that I have not managed to stop them, I am not the only one to have failed. Their record speaks for itself. They are an equal opportunity threat. Anyone or anything they are sent after is at risk. They appear out of nowhere, attack without warning, and are usually gone before our troops have time to react. Many times we do not even see them; all we see is the destruction that they leave behind. I have heard it said that it is like trying to catch smoke in your bare hands. Even when you do manage to catch it, it still slips through your fingers."

"They are not made of smoke Captain; they are real flesh and blood men."

"Yes Sir, and we have managed to wound one or more of them from time to time but they always heal and return to their unit. And we have captured them a few times also. But there again, they manage to escape and return to their unit. They seem to have nine lives each and an extraordinary amount of luck each."

"Luck or skill Captain?" The Colonel asked dryly.

"I suspect a bit of both." Dietrich replied. "Throw in bravery, daring, and some truly crazy ideas and you pretty much have a picture of the Rat Patrol. Their methods defy modern warfare but they have an uncanny way of making them work. They get through my best security with ease and leave their calling cards to prove it." For some reason Dietrich did not tell the Colonel about what he considered to be the groups greatest weakness, and their greatest strength. He didn't mention their total devotion to each other and to the team as a whole.

"You respect them Captain." The Colonel made it sound like something dirty.

"Yes sir." Dietrich admitted. "They are a force to be reckoned with Colonel. We're on opposite sides, but I can respect a true soldier when I see one. And they are all very good soldiers. They can be truly ruthless to accomplish a goal but never cruel for the sake of cruelty. I have seen them treat wounded prisoners before their own wounded when the prisoner's injuries were more serious. They fight with a passion I constantly try to instill in my own men. When cornered they fight like an entire division rather that just four men. I am eternally grateful that they are the exception rather than the rule, otherwise I fear that Germany would have been defeated long ago."

The Colonel studied Dietrich without speaking. Dietrich tried not to fidget as the Colonel continued to stare at him. Finally the Colonel picked up a pile of reports from his desk. "These Captain, are reports that you filed regarding the losses you have suffered at the hands of these men." The Colonel leafed through the thick stack. "Convoys, ammunition depots, trains, fuel depots, radar stations; the list goes on and on. How do you explain all of these losses?"

"As I said Colonel, the Rat Patrol is a very unorthodox unit; their methods make them extremely unpredictable. Myself, my security officers, my troops, have all done our best; but these are the fortunes of war. Surely the Rat Patrol is not the only commando team to have inflicted losses on the Third Reich?"

"Hardly Captain," The Colonel growled, "but they are the most successful. Many of the others have already been eliminated. So tell me why this team is still alive and free to harass our forces."

"It's only a matter of time until their luck changes Colonel."

"We cannot depend on luck Captain!" The Colonel slammed his fist down on the desk. Thrusting the reports in Dietrich's face, he snarled at the Captain. "Have you in any way helped these commandos Captain?"

Dietrich paled in the face of the accusations. "Me? No sir! I have done my duty as a German officer. I am constantly on the lookout for the Rat Patrol. They are the enemy and I will treat them as such."

"Will you? Berlin wants them executed immediately, will you do that Captain?"

"They are not in my possession Colonel. I can hardly execute soldiers when I don't know where to find them."

"I wonder Captain, I really do."

"What do you mean Colonel?"

"It seems to me Captain that these men operate entirely too freely in your sector. Perhaps they are getting help from someone on our side."

"I trust my men Sir; I don't believe that any of them would willingly help the enemy." Dietrich replied stiffly.

"It wasn't your men I was referring to Captain."

Dietrich stiffened as the Colonel's accusations were clarified. He opened his mouth to answer the accusation but just then there was a commotion in the hall outside the door. Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall and there was a knock on the thick door.

The young lieutenant, who had been taking dictation from the meeting, rose to answer the door. He stuck his head out to tell the visitor that the Colonel did not want to be disturbed. He listened for a second and then pulled his head in and hurried to the Colonel's side. Leaning close, he whispered something in the Colonel's ear.

"Bring them in!" The Colonel ordered, looking toward the door. Guards pushed the doors wider and shoved two disheveled prisoners into the office. Two American officers, their uniforms crumpled and darkened with sweat and sand, stood quietly in front of the Colonel. Neither of the men seemed to be injured but there was dried blood staining their clothing. Colonel von Zeigler eyed them with interest. "Who are you?"

Neither prisoner responded at first, looking dazed by the rapid turn of events. Dietrich couldn't blame them; he knew just how they felt.

The Colonel demanded names again and one of the guards bumped the nearest prisoner with his rifle. That seemed to snap them out of it.

"Given, Peter, Captain. United States Army. Service number 176259"

"Fain, Allen J., Lieutenant. United States Army. Service number 052117"

A guard stepped forward and placed a battered briefcase on the Colonel's desk. Both prisoners watched as the Colonel examined his prize but neither spoke.

"Do you have the key to this?"

"No." The American Captain responded. "It was a matter of security. We were given the briefcase with no key. Our job was to deliver it, not open it." His sarcasm was lost on the Colonel who went back to turning the briefcase around and around.

"Too bad…but no matter, we will get it open." The Colonel waved a hand toward the prisoners, giving the guards orders to take them away. "We will give you time to consider your situation." He told them. "I do hope that you are wise enough to see the futility of resistance and decide to cooperate. I will be asking you questions once I see what you were delivering. It really would go much easier on everyone if you tell me what I want to know."

The guards began to move the prisoners out of the office but Colonel von Zeigler stopped them. Looking toward Dietrich, he nodded at the captain, "Take him with you. Put him in a cell by himself." Smiling, the Colonel addressed Dietrich. "We too shall continue our talk at a later date. I shall have to give some thought as to what is to be done with you Captain."

Anger flared in Dietrich's eyes but he quickly hid it. It wouldn't do to give the Colonel any reason to be any harsher in his sentencing. Acknowledging the dismissal, the Captain turned on his heels and allowed the guards to escort from the room.

In the cell, he stood with his back to the door as it clanged shut. The key made a grinding sound as it turned in the lock. He stood ramrod straight and waited until the guards had moved on before turning to survey his new quarters. Being a German officer, he had an image to uphold; he wouldn't let his despair show until the cells were too dark for anyone to see.