Title: Hard Targets

Author: Billy

Summary: The A team become the hunted for sport, but it's a race against time for a member of the team.

Ratings: PG-15

Warnings/Notes: Mild swearing and usual A Team violence and yes, this fic does contain Amy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the A Team and I've not made a penny from this, I just do it for the jazz!

Words: 15,864

Part 1

It was early morning in LA. The sun was already shining, sending a red glow across the city. A balding old man, quite a portly fellow, wearing a tatty brown cardigan over a blue shirt, was pottering about in his warehouse; he was currently bent over a broom sweeping the floor. The large room contained a couple of chairs and a table to one side and boxes scattered about the room. There was a door at the back, which led to another room, his office, and beside the main shutters to the warehouse, which once open were large enough for a vehicle to drive in, there was another door, basically the front door to the warehouse.

There was a knock at the door. The old man stopped what he was doing when he heard the noise that shattered his silence.

"Hello, is there anyone there?" A woman's voice could be heard from outside, slightly muffled as it called through the shutter.

The old man, opened the front door, to take a look outside. There was a young woman, wearing a black eye with bruising down the left hand side of her face. Without the bruising she would be quite pretty, she was blonde, in her mid twenties, wearing a tight pair of blue denim jeans and a red blouse. She was carrying a large sports bag, which she held awkwardly, as if it was heavy.

"What do you want?" the old man asked grumpily.

"Is this unit 17?" She asked in a young, innocent voice.

"Yes, it is." The old man walked back into the warehouse and the young woman hesitantly followed him.

"I was told to meet someone here, sir."

"Well there's no one here missy, except me of course and I don't recall agreeing to meeting anyone."

The young woman sighed.

"But the guy at the Chinese laundry told me to meet someone here." She sounded disappointed. "I've traipsed across half of LA this week, from hot dog stands to a laundry shop, I'm starting to think this is a joke."

"What's in the bag missy?" The old man ignored her complaints.

"Oh nothing!" She grabbed at it protectively and pulled it closer to herself. "Look, do you mind if I wait? Just in case someone shows up. Maybe I'm a little early."

"Wait?" The old man puffed as he started to lift a heavy box from one side of the room to the table. He was having difficulty with it.

"Here, let me help you with that!" And the young woman dropped her bag and helped the old man with the heavy box. "Gosh, this is heavy, what's in it?"

"Oh, just bits of old junk."

"So, do you mind if I wait?"

"No, no, not if you want to hire the A Team." The old man stood up straight and smiled at the young lady.

"The A Team? You know about the A Team?"

"Sure do Ma'am," Hannibal held out his hand to shake the young ladies hand, no longer bending over like an old man. "My name's Hannibal Smith!" She still looked at Hannibal strangely, 'surely this old man can't be anything to do with the A Team' she thought as she took his hand and shook it.

"Face, BA, Amy, you can come out now!" Hannibal shouted as he started to take off his balding cap and fake grey hair to show his full head of silvery white hair. He was still grinning. Face, Amy and BA were waiting behind a door in the back room to the warehouse and gradually filed out of the door.

"Alls clear, Hannibal. She wasn't followed." BA confirmed as he came out of the room. Now that the door was open, another door could be seen in the office, that lead out of the warehouse. BA had entered in this way, after keeping watch.

"Sorry, ma'am, but we have to be sure you're not being followed or anything and you're who you say you are." Hannibal had pretty much revealed his true appearance by now and the young woman was now feeling more confident. "This is Templeton Peck," Face flashed his smiled; he was wearing his black leather jacket over a blue shirt and denim jeans. "Amy Allen and BA Baracus." Amy smiled at the young woman as BA nodded at her.

"I'm Christina, but call me Tina, OK?" Tina nervously spoke.

"Christina, nice name, " Face flashed his smile again.

Amy rolled her eyes at him from behind his back, 'he's at it again,' she thought to herself.

"So, Tina, you're saying that in your home town, there are some poachers that have been now using humans to hunt for sport?" Amy was the first to interrogate the young woman. "This could make a very interesting story."

"Yeah, as I told Mr Lee, my brother and a couple of friends were rounded up from a bar in town and taken out to the woods, by these so called hunters, where they had to run for their lives. Apparently they've got to make it back to the town to survive." Tina looked sad, almost about to cry. "My brother never made it."

"Bored of hunting game, they're hunting men for a sport." Hannibal summarised to the team.

"So how'd you come by that black eye?" Face was intrigued as he'd been studying her otherwise pretty face.

"I had a run in with Charlie Felton, he seems to be the organiser. Asking what he'd done with my brother. I threatened to go to the cops, not that I'd have much luck, they're either all bought or scared of him".

"Yeah, sounds like the usual story," Face mumbled, aiming his comments more at the team than the young woman.

"What about the state police or the FBI?" Amy questioned. "Surely they'd be interested in something like this?"

"I just don't have enough evidence, we've never found my brother's body, and his friends are too scared to talk…. And he gave me this as a reminder, so he called it." She gently put her hand to her face and winced slightly, it was still sore to touch. "Look I've rustled up as much money as I could, I know it's not what you asked, but you've got to stop these men!" Tina handed the bag to Hannibal, who handed it to Face to count. He shook his head at the contents.

"Sounds like this guy needs hunting himself!" BA growled punching his right fist into his left hand.

"There's just under five grand here." Face flicked through a wedge of hundred dollar bills. Hannibal nodded. Although they'd be practically working for peanuts he didn't like the idea of this guy, Felton, using men for game.

"How many are there Tina?" Hannibal asked curiously. "Of Felton and his men?"

"Oh, I'd say there are about six of them, I think."

"I like those odds." Hannibal grinned. His eyes twinkled; he was on the jazz.

"Oh Man!" BA mumbled.

"Face, spring Murdock. Amy, I'm sorry kid, but you're not coming with us!"

"What!" Amy showed her disappointment, disapproving of Hannibal's decision. "Oh come on, this is going to make a great story!"

"Kid, it's going to be too dangerous. We're going hunting." Hannibal grinned at that point. "I don't think there is gonna be much we'll need you to do. I think it's safer for you and us if you stay here."

"Oh Hannibal!" She tried to plead but could see it wouldn't work; she looked at Face and BA for support but could see they were in agreement with Hannibal. "You'll give me the story afterwards won't you?"

"Of course I will kid" Hannibal grinned. "Look, if you want to be involved, dig up as much information as possible about this guy Felton. We might find it useful, especially when it comes to handing him over to the cops."

"Oh OK." Amy said still disappointed but couldn't really disobey Hannibal's orders; it was a condition to her being on the team. "Since returning from Arizona, Decker has been crawling all over me anyway."

"Really?" Face smiled at her and gave her a mischievous look. "Maybe you should rephrase that?"

"Funny, Face!" Amy smiled sarcastically back, " I suppose, it isn't as if I haven't got enough to do at the office already." Being on the A Team and holding a full time job at the LA Courier-Express definitely kept Amy busy.

"Promise me, you'll call me if you run into trouble or anything?"

Hannibal didn't answer he just kind of nodded which didn't reassure Amy.

"Face?"

"Yeah, we promise!" Face replied giving her a wink but he'd already started to concentrate on Tina.

"Tina, you OK getting yourself out of here." Hannibal asked.

"Yeah, my car is outside. Look, I'm staying out of town for a bit, until you guys have cleared this up."

Hannibal was slightly puzzled by this but then the more he thought about it, it made sense. He didn't even want Amy near these slimeballs, so he could understand Tina not wanting to return home for a while.

"OK, good idea, I totally agree. We'll come across these slimeballs easily enough." Hannibal was already starting to look forward to finding them. Face handed him a cigar, he bit the end off and put it in his mouth. Face held out a lighter and lit the end of it as Hannibal puffed away.

"Face, we'll meet you in an hour with Murdock, lock up will ya?" Hannibal threw Face a set of keys. "Amy, we'll give you a lift back to your office."

Face waved at Hannibal as they walked out of the warehouse and round the corner to where the van was hidden. Face put his arm around Tina and escorted her to her car. She didn't disapprove of his gesture; she actually smiled back at him.

"Maybe after all this is over, you and I could go out for dinner?" Face flashed her his smile, using his Faceman charm. "I know this perfect little Italian restaurant."

…