Mission: Mojo Entry
By: DocB

Saunders swiped at a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his nose. The afternoon had turned uncomfortably warm and humid after the incessant rain of the last few days. The grit being churned up by the jeep wheels thumping into craters and potholes settled on their damp skins and clothing, turning all three men a uniform, albeit ghostly, gray. He wondered if the Captain was a supersititious man.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees around them. The air was still and heavy, too muggy even for the birds to sing. His Thompson was cradled in one arm; his feet were braced on the floorboard in a desperate attempt to keep himself upright and in the vehicle. His helmet bounced up and down on his head, adding to the dull ache behind his eyes. He absently rubbed at his eyes with thumb and forefinger, then squinted again into the sunlight, scanning treetops for snipers.

"You do know that this is unsecured territory, and there have been reports of snipers in the area, don't you, Captain?" he asked the superior officer, as they jounced into a rut caused by a tank.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Saunders. You always were a little yellow. Don't think you're getting out of the mission that easily!" the Captain retorted, swiveling malevolent little piggy eyes toward the NCO.

"What IS the mission, Captain? Are you going to fill us in, or just let us wander around blindly, hoping we'll get ourselves killed?" Grady had no patience for being yanked around, literally or figuratively, and he was getting mightily tired of both the jeep ride and the Captain.

"While that is a tempting offer, Long, in the interest of protocol I suppose I'll have to tell you sooner or later what you'll be doing."

The jeep lurched as it struck a deep pothole, and Miller struggled to keep the wheels straight. Grady was thrown forward, and his BAR jabbed the Captain in the back.

"Oops, sorry..." the Corporal smirked.

"You did that on purpose!" the Captain sputtered. "I'll have you up on charges...AGAIN!"

"Captain! The mission?" Saunders' voice had become a purr, a sure sign that he was nearing the end of his rope, too.

Captain Miller's face took on a dream-like quality.

"This mission is my baby," he preened. "I came up with it and presented it to the General Staff, who approved it wholeheartedly. I would have carried it out myself, but they thought I would need logistical assistance, which is where you two come in. They told me to pick whoever I wanted, and when I saw you two sitting there doing nothing, I decided you were the perfect ones. If you're killed on this operation, it will be no loss to your unit or anyone else." He was almost gleeful in this pronouncement.

A sudden chill passed over Saunders, and he glanced back at Grady. Long's face had paled under the gray coating. If there had been any doubt before, now they knew for sure where they stood. Saunders wondered if either of them would survive the day.