The Art of Pretending



Author: Strange Music

Fandom: A-Team/The Pretender Crossover

Rating: PG-13 for rough Handling

Summary: A long time ago he managed to escape from them. But now they are back.

And even with the

Team hard on his heals. His life might never be the same again

Archive: yes

Email: strange_music@hotmail.com

Series/Sequel: none

Disclaimer: nothing of the A-Team or The Pretender belongs to me

Warnings: A bit rough Murdock handling



Ever wondered about Murdock being able to fly as many helicopter and planes as

he seemly can. Or speaking at least a few languages and not forgetting being

able to assume all his personality with so little effort.

If you did..



Read on ;)



The Art of Pretending.



"Billy.....I have the slight feeling we are not in Kansas anymore."



There was nothing he could see, beside darkness.



And when he tried to move he found all his movements hindered by the strong grip

of ties that bound him to the chair that he was sitting in.



First verdict about his situation: He was in trouble.



The last thing he remembered had been waking up in his new apartment, while a

dark person held a soft cloth over his face. Darkness had caught him before he

had even had the time to think about any defence.





Soft footsteps could be heard. And then the whole room light up in bright light.



He squinted, yet his eyes didn't seemed to be ready to adjust. So all that

greeted his sight was the dark outline of what seemed to be a rather well built

man. Not the built that B.A. had but way above him and Face.



"Mr. Murdock?" His voice was dark and without any kind of emotion.



"You know who I am. Why do you bother asking?" Calm and stead. Showing anger or

fear would not help the situation in any kind.



"Are you Mister Henry Mark Murdock?" the voice could have come from a computer.



"No." answer them with a smile and they will always wonder what you are up too.

He would have preferred to cross his arms in front of his chest to underline his

show, but the smile would have to do. Let them know who they caught.



"I ask you again Sir…Is or was your name ever Henry Mark Murdock?" Suddenly the

voice wasn't that calm anymore, as Murdock felt the first sign of annoyance

creep in his speech.



He did this to people. It was a gift. No matter how hard the Outside. They

always were to break somewhere.



"No!" trying and failing to shrug. They hadn't had to make them *that* tight.



"No?" it sounded like a challenge.



"No!" this time he was laughing. "My name is Jim Beam….but you can call me

Wiskey."



There was more that he wanted to add. More taunting and more jokes. But it all

went away with the electricity that stormed his body. Making all that he could

think of the next breath and when he would be able to take it.



"I repeat my question…. Is or was your name ever Henry Mark Murdock?" The

emotionless had not returned to the voice. But now he could here a slight sound

of satisfaction ringing with it. Of all the people to run into, he *had* to

catch one that liked and enjoyed his job.



It took some time till he had caught enough of his breath back to give an

answer.



"No." a deep breath. It was still short cached but slowly the oxygen felt like

it was coming back in his lungs "Names Bond…Johnny Bond. You might know my

brother James. If not I can give you his number."



Taking a deep breath he knew what would come next. Already saw the hand reach

over to the button on the table.



"Enough!"



A new voice had appeared. A voice that held more fright for him than any amount

of questioning would have been able too. A voice that he had heard once upon a

time ago.



Younger….he had been so much younger then. Barely 6 when he heard it the first

time. But much older when he heard it for the last time.



And with the voice came the realization.



That it was them. That they had caught him again.



The Center.



He was back in the center.



***~~~***



"I heard you the first time Face." Hannibal spoke composed trying to calm his

upset Friend. "And I am not saying that him not being at home is a bad sign. I

believe you. Which is why we are on the way over to the apartment."



A pause



"I know that there is a chance that he is still there. But you are not going in

there alone."



A deep sigh



"I know how precious time is. But so is manpower. And if they already overran

him. How much do you think you can do alone. Now if you calm down and wait for

us before you….Face!…Face?"



With a scowl he put down the Phone. "Step on the gas B.A. The idiot decided to

go in?"



No other words had to be exchanged as B.A raised the speed up another 5 mph.

Only a mumbled "An idiot searching for a fool. " escaped the him as they were

forced to wait at another red light in their way.



Hannibal could only nod



***~~~***



Face knew it wasn't method to break into your best friends Apartment on nothing

more than an unanswered Phone-call and a still standing car at the parking

space. Yet in all the times it had happened-There had never been a reason that

would now tell him that there was time to wait. If Murdock wasn't in there

anymore. He would be too late anyway.



Hannibal would be angry, that he was sure. But what else could he do. What else

should he do after all this was his friend in there, his brother.



Slowly he made his way upstairs. Always careful at anybody that might still be

around.



But still trying to be casual enough not too look to much out of place. In case

anybody would still spot him.



When he arrived at Murdock's floor he very quickly saw that he would be too

late.



The broken in door giving him the most obvious clue.



Feeling the defeat he went inside. There might still be clues to be found.



***~~~***



"Henry Henry….Why are you giving Marcus such a hard time. After all he was only

trying to help you."



This sentence wasn't normally even more saying anything about it. But he felt

enough anger "Helping me my a…"



Shocked hissing stopped his statement "Henry! What kind of language coming from

you! I am not used to hearing this from you. It's like I don't know you anymore"



"You *NEVER* knew me at all." He had tried to stop himself from shouting those

words and felt himself failing this task when his rather loud voice came to his

ears. To stop himself from jumping up and strangling this man was easier with

the ropes still holding him.



`Calm down' he chastised himself `Being angry had never done anything good.'

Especially not with him. The Doctor had always been to good in controlling him

through his anger.



"You might have been there when I grew up. You might have built much of what I

am today. But you *never* knew *me*"



That smile was back.



The smile and the eyes that looked at him like he was nothing as a stubborn kind

trying to revolt



"And there you are wrong Henry. I know you better than you'll ever know." And

with those words he left the room. Leaving Murdock behind in the dark once more.



To the memories that now started to roam though his mind.



There was nothing worse than blackness, to make you remember. That why we are so

afraid of the night Because it makes all those memories so clear. It makes us

remember even thou we don't want too.



Yet, now bound in darkness. To much awaken by the electricity to even think

about closing his eyes, he couldn't stop the past from flowing in his mind.



And for nothing else than that he hated the Doc.



Because he was right, he *did* know him.



He knew how to break him.



***~~~***



He hadn't even been through the first room when Face felt the cold metal of a

gun in his neck.



Berating himself for being so stupid and careless he cursed under his breath.



"If I would be someone else you would be dead."



For a moment he was relieved to hear the Colonel voice instead of someone

else's. But then the harsh note in it came clear. Hannibal was far from happy.



"I may have already lots one of my man. I need the rest to look for him not get

lost to on way of searching. You understand what I am saying Lieutenant."



Nowadays it was seldom that Hannibal pulled rank. But every time he did Face

knew that it was serious. Like this time.



"The Lieutenant want to apologize to the Colonel and wishes to place the request

to speak up." It was no wonder that the old words still came like a song to him.

After all there had been a time where he had even spoken rank in his dreams.



"Request denied" That words were harsh, but softening as he spoke on. "But It's

got to see that you haven't forgotten everything that I taught you Face. Even

when it seems that you have forgotten quiet a lot."



The cigar in his mouth was bitten down hard "God damn you Face what were you

thinking."



A wry smile "Seems like I wasn't"



Silence hung over them.



"Don't let it happen again." Soft spoken words in a voice that told him that it

was Hannibal again talking to him. "What have you found so far?"



"Well. No sign of much struggle, but from what it looks like they seemed to have

taken him directly out of bed." He took a deep breath "His cloth are still on

the chair. His alarm was running and there is an angry voice on the answering

mashing claiming to be his boss, firing him for not appearing for duty"



He looked over at BA going through the other rooms.



"The door was open when I arrived and the key was still hanging on the inside.

But other than that there was no clue. Not a single one. It's like they appeared

and disappeared out of thin air."



The meaning of his words stretched between them. No clue of were he might be

meant they were helpless till the kidnapper called them.



*If* they called them



He looked at Hannibal as if on silent clue they started searching again.



None appeared out if thin air.



And the seldom left without a clue.



***~~~***



He hated the darkness.



Hated it with a vehemence that was seldom met.



Because Darkness made him Darkness made him think.



And what was much worse. Darkness made him remember. Something that he at the

fear of costing if his sanity tried to avoid at all times.



Darkness was no-time. The swift showing and shifting of things that he tried so

hard to forget.



Even at the VA he had always had a nighlight burning. And now it his new flat

the need was filled by a streetlight burning only a few yards away.



His few visitor was wondering how could sleep with it



He often wondered how they couldn't.



Then finally a light cutting in. The door as it was opened and closed.



Yet as much as he strained his eyes he couldn't see who it was till the visitor

would turn on the light in front of him. Finally he had reached the table and

the light went on.



It took him a few moments to adjust his eyes, after the sightlessness, the

sudden fall into light hurt. But soon the shape in front of his eye took more

and more shape.



Till it finally adjusted to a Face that made him think that he was seeing his

nightmares again.



The soft eyes, so different from that harsh glance that they had thrown at him

back then. The hair grey the face older. But it was the same man.



"I am sorry that I didn't come in earlier Henry. But there just wasn't a

chance."



"Still jumping at their words Sidney" his voice was still harsh and had the

feeling of being quite unhappy with the earlier overusing. But they hit the mark

nevertheless, judging from the look on the other man's face.



"Listen Henry…"



"Murdock….or HM. I no longer go by the name Henry."



The question was there in Sidney eyes. But it wasn't asked out loud "HM…you have

to trust me. I will get you out of here."



Amused snorting.



This coming from the man that had never had any real power. He had believed that

he had Power, but had never had more than they *let* him have.



And Murdock didn't really think that this had changed over the years..



"I know someone who can help you. I am currently trying to contact him. But you

have to hold on till he does. You think you will be able to do that for me

Hen...HM?" his eyes were looking at him intensely. Taking his head in both of

his hands to give Murdock not other chance than to look at him.



"I promise that I will get you out of here…you just have to hold on for me? Can

you do that HM?"



Even despite all his reluctance he felt himself nodding.



He could hold on. After all there was not much else that he could do at the

moment. And he had always been good at. No matter if it was here in the center

or in the green hell that was Vietnam.



Or everyday of his life.



There was something else that Sidney wanted to say but he was cut short by a

sharp voice.



"Associating with the subjects again Sidney? I though you had learned better

than that." Humorless laughter "I think you better leave now"



"Shut up" Sidney growled at the man addressing him. But did nevertheless as he

was told.



Shaking his head Murdock sigh `Still the same amount if spine as you had back

then. Some things just don't change'



He heard the satisfied laughter that the man opposite of him was laughing and

the instruments as they were arranged.



"Well Henry let's go on to round two" he promised in the voice that was mingled

with the memory of pain. Both recent and far-away.



`No some things don't change. Never.'



TO BE CONTINUED