Hole in One, an a-team fanfic

Disclaimer - I own no rights to the characters or the A-Team.

Hole In One

Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith sat in his cramped dressing room trailer with his feet perched up on the desk. Water gathered on the paper under the heels of his rubber boots, and a grotesque mask sat dripping in a trash can on the floor.

Hannibal was leaning back in the chair with his arms propped behind his head. He had his eyes closed, enjoying the peace in between takes on the set of his latest film, Revenge Of The Aquamaniac. In the background the news played softly from a worn transistor radio.

The quiet was broken when an energetic young man burst into the trailer and announced, "Mail call, sir."

Hannibal opened one eye to glance at his assistant. "What have you got for me this time, Ben?"

The young man sifted through a pile of mail and placed two letters on the desk. "More fan mail for the Aquamaniac."

Hannibal leaned forward and grabbed a cigar out of a tin can that served as a pencil holder. He bit the end off, spit it out and waited patiently. After only a moments hesitation Ben obediently produced a lighter and held it to the end of the cigar.

As Hannibal puffed quietly Ben said, "Aarick is pretty steamed at you, sir. He doesn't think he should have to put up with an actor telling him how to run his film. I think he's expecting an apology."

Hannibal took a final long puff on his cigar. "Aarick is an idiot. I've made a dozen Aquamaniac films and we've never had to stop filming for script re-writes." He tapped ash onto the floor. "I scheduled fourteen weeks for this film. If we're not done by then he may have to film the climactic fight scene without the Aquamaniac."

Ben started to turn pale. "I wouldn't tell that to Aarick if I were you. He doesn't like threats."

Hannibal's eyes lit up. "It's not a threat, it's a promise. Now why don't you go get me a towel so I can dry off my mask and flippers? I have some business to attend to."

After Ben left Hannibal picked up the letters. The first one was sealed in a pink envelope and had a slight, feminine scent to it. When Hannibal opened the envelope a photo fell out. It was of a plump young woman with red hair and a pair of thick, dark-rimmed glasses. He glanced briefly at the note before taking a Xeroxed reply and autographed Aquamaniac photo out of his top right desk drawer. He set them down in a pile on the corner of his desk, then opened the second letter.

Another photo fell out, this time an old black and white picture that Hannibal recognized from Vietnam. The photo brought back memories that Hannibal tried to push to the back of his mind as he turned his attention to the letter:

Dear John,

Not exactly the best opening for an army man, but that's the luck of the draw, old friend. I hope this photo brings back good memories. I know we haven't seen each other for some time, but I doubt you've forgotten the faces. How many years ago was this taken? Thirty? It doesn't seem possible.

Life was pretty good for us back then, John. We made out a Hell of a lot better than some of the guys we served with. We fought some tough battles. But, we always managed to hold our own. I guess times change. I'm getting old, and it's getting tougher and tougher to hold off the enemy.

I've been following the stories about you and your men in the papers, and I need your help. I live in a small town called Baylock, Missouri…

Hannibal had finished the letter by the time Ben returned to the trailer. The young man held out a towel and asked, "You need anything else? Aarick is on the war path. He's called an assistant's meeting in fifteen minutes."

"Yeah. Get me a phone, would you? I need to make some calls." Hannibal opened the top drawer of his desk. "And tell Aarick I'm sorry about the misunderstanding earlier. Tell him I'm looking forward to the hiatus. That ought to put a smile on his face."

Ben looked confused, but he pulled out his cellular phone and handed it across the desk. "Yeah. Okay. I'll tell him."

Hannibal waited for him to leave again, and then pulled out another old photo. Four smiling men sat in the doorway of a beat-up Army helicopter. There were bullet holes along the fuselage. A young, eager pilot pointed out the holes and all four men held triumphant thumbs-up for the camera.

Hannibal took a folded up piece of paper from the desk and dialed the number scribbled on it. He waited through three rings and in the middle of the fourth a female voice came on the line. "Gloria's Health Spa. Can I help you?"

"I need to talk to one of your clients," Hannibal said. "Fella by the name of Templeton Peck."

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Peck's trainer has left instructions that he is not to be disturbed. He's here on one of our meditation holidays."

Hannibal rolled the cigar around in his mouth, wondering exactly what type of meditation Face was involved in. "I'm sure he is, but this is important…"

"Of course," the receptionist interrupted. "But I'm afraid that he still can't be disturbed. Mr. Peck is in the middle of a session. If you would like I can take a name and number and have him get back to you."

"No, that's all right." Hannibal disconnected the call and immediately dialed another number.

"Los Angeles County Children's Center. Can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with BA Baracus, please."

"I'm sorry, but he's taken some of the children to a basketball game. Can I take a message?"

"Yeah. Tell him Hannibal called. Tell him I have to go out of town for a few days, but I'll be in touch when I get back." When he was sure the woman had the message straight he disconnected the call and started to peel himself out of his rubber suit.

The parking lot of the Children's Center located in downtown East L.A. was a knot of confused activity. Groups of children ran and screamed, playing kickball, tag and a number of other games.

At the back of the lot BA Baracus stood by a refurbished school bus that the center used to transport kids to and from activities. He watched his group walk off the bus, counting heads and making sure they each had their possessions as they ran to the cars of parents who were waiting for them.

The last child was a young black girl who could barely make the last step down from the bus. BA smiled at her and asked, "Need a hand, little sister?"

The girl looked up at the hulking black man and nodded shyly. She reached her arms up to BA and he gently picked her up and set her down on the pavement. As she ran off he said, "You be careful runnin' around all them cars!"

When she was safely with her parents BA walked into the cinder block building and handed the bus keys to the receptionist.

"Any problems?" she asked.

"Nah. Billy Davis got a little scared when he saw the size of those ball players. But after I bought him an ice cream cone he calmed right down."

"That's good." The receptionist handed him a piece of paper. "This came in for you while you were gone."

BA read the message that Hannibal had left. He scowled at the note a moment and then folded it up and stuck it in a pocket. "Man say where he was headed?"

The receptionist shook her head no and BA asked, "Mind if I use the phone? I have to make some calls."

"Sure. Why don't you use the one in the Director's office. He's gone home for the day."

"Thanks." BA hurried into the office and sat behind the desk. He dialed the number Hannibal had given them in case they needed to reach him on the set. Within seconds a voice came on the line. "Hello? Aquamaniac's office."

"Yeah. Let me speak to the Aquamaniac," BA said.

"I'm sorry, but he's had to leave the set for a few days. This is his assistant. May I ask who's calling?"

"It's a friend. I was supposed to drop by the set to pay a visit. They gone to shoot on location?"

There was a short pause. "No. The set's closed down for a couple of weeks. The film is on hiatus…"

"He leave a number where he can be reached at?"

"No, I'm sorry. He just left. I could take a message in case he calls in."

"No thanks, man." BA disconnected the call and tried the number Face had left as a contact. When the receptionist answered BA said, "I need to speak with Templeton Peck."

The sweet voice said, "I'm sorry, but he's in a meditation session and can't be disturbed."

"Yeah, right!" BA slammed down the phone and sat back in the desk chair. He knew that there was no real reason to worry about Hannibal. But, he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The Colonel never went away without leaving a contact number for his men. It was a team rule.

BA pushed himself out of the chair and walked back into the receptionist's office. "Velma, I have to go pay a friend a visit. Tell the kids I'll be back in a few days. Tell 'em I said to behave themselves and watch out for each other while I'm gone."

The receptionist nodded and watched as BA headed for his van.

At the VA Hospital BA parked in the fire lane and marched straight into the building. He wasn't used to picking up Murdock by himself. That was Faceman's job. And, BA didn't have the patience to concoct an intricate scheme to spring the fourth member of the team.

At the nurse's station he waited until he had the attention of the woman behind the desk. She was young, and pretty, and BA immediately understood how Face got away with springing Murdock as easily and as often as he did.

The woman did a quick scan of BA's mohawk and thick gold chains.

Without waiting for her to speak he said, "I'm here to pick up one of the patients. Name's Murdock."

"Do you have the necessary paperwork?"

BA glared at her. "I ain't got not paperwork."

The anger in his voice startled her a little. She took a step back and said, "I'm sorry, sir. But, unless you have authorization papers I can't let the patient leave the ward. Only in extreme emergencies."

"This is an emergency." BA thought quickly. "Man's got an aunt who's dying. Probably won't make it through the night."

The woman's face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't understand. Wait here a minute and I'll see what I can do."

After several minutes the woman came back to the desk with HM Murdock in tow. He smiled out from under his baseball cap when he saw BA. Then he remembered this was supposed to be a somber event. He walked over and wrapped his arms around BA in a brief hug. He shook his head in sympathy and said, "Nurse Flanders told me there's going to be a death in the family. It's your mother, isn't it."

BA scowled and the nurse said, "No, Murdock. It's your aunt."

"Same difference." Murdock wrapped his arm around BA's shoulders and patted the black man's chest. "We're all one big happy family. Right, BA?"

The nurse gave them a skeptical look. "You two are related?"

"That's right," Murdock said. "We're family. Tell her, big guy."

BA started a slow simmer. "Yeah. We're cousins."

The nurse pointed at Murdock. "But, he's…"

"A second cousin," Murdock said. "Twice removed. We're a progressive family."

The nurse began to nod, as if she finally understood.

Before Murdock could say another word BA grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket and started down the hall. "Let's go, fool. We got to visit a sick relative."

Once outside Murdock immediately headed for the driver's side of the van. BA grabbed his jacket and propelled him toward the passenger side.

"Aww, come on, BA. You never let me drive!" Murdock climbed into the passenger seat. "So what are we up to? I thought we were taking a break? Taking a little vacation. Where's the Colonel and Face? How come you're here to pick me up?"

"Hey, man. One question at a time. My mind don't run at the same speed yours does."

"Okay," Murdock said. "How come you're here to pick me up? Don't you know that you could get yourself in trouble marching in there like that? You're supposed to come up with a disguise. A scheme. Faceman would never just walk in like that."

"That's because Face always has to pull one over on people." BA pulled out of the VA lot. "I like to take the direct approach. Besides, I couldn't get in touch with Face."

"He in some kind of trouble?" There was a hint of concern in Murdock's voice.

"He will be when I get a hold of him," BA growled. "He's supposed to be at some kind of meditation spa."

Murdock slouched down in the seat and put his feet up on the dash. "Yeah. He was planning on checking out a place called Gloria's Health Spa. Said he was gonna try to put the moves on a couple of the girls there."

"Well I hate to ruin his plans, but we've got to try to find the Colonel," BA said. "He called and left a message at the children's center. Said he had to go out of town for a few days."

"He say why?"

BA shook his head no. "Didn't leave a contact number neither."

"You think something's happened to him?"

"I don't know. But I aim to find out." BA knocked Murdock's feet back onto the floor. "But first we have to pick up Face."

Templeton Peck lay on his stomach enjoying the break from his life on the run as a member of the A-Team. He was comfortable and relaxed in the environment of the up-scale health spa, and he had a smile glued to his well-tanned face as two women alternated between massaging the muscles in his legs and in his back.

"You girls really know your job," Face said. "I could fall asleep right here."

"Well you are here to relax." One of the girls worked on the muscles on his left calf.

"I know. But, I've been laying around like this for two whole days now, listening to soft music, enjoying the pleasant company. Surely there's more to the spa than just this. What do they do for entertainment around here?"

The woman working on his back moved up along his shoulder blades. "The spa does have a couple of nice restaurants," she said. "There's tennis courts, a sauna, whirlpool..."

"And, they have dancing almost every night," the other woman added.

"Really?" Face tried to sound surprised. "Dancing at a health spa? Why, I haven't been dancing in months." He paused for effect. "My job keeps me on the road most of the time, and once I'm finished work I'm usually too tired to go out. I'm lucky if I can get in a quick workout and a meal from a fast food restaurant before bed each night."

"That's no way to live, Mr. Peck. You have to go out and enjoy yourself."

Face offered a pained expression. "I know. But, when you're on the road you don't meet a lot of people. At least not on a social level. And I do hate going dancing, or to a fancy restaurant by myself. It's a shame I don't know anyone around here." He rolled over on his side. "Say, you two wouldn't happen to be free tonight, would you?"

Before the girls could answer there was a loud crash in the hallway outside. A man wearing a white linen uniform came bursting through the door carrying a tray full of steaming towels. "Hot towels, coming through!" He tried to push his way past the massage table, got tangled up in the linens on the floor and started to fall on top of Face.

Face managed to roll off of the table, and was barely able to hold onto the towel that was draped loosely around his waist. For a split second he wondered if Decker and his men had found him, but then he recognized the voice, and the receding hairline. "Murdock?"

Murdock got back to his feet. "Sorry, ladies. I, uh... I didn't mean to ruin the party." He turned and smiled at Face. "Hi there, buddy."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to spring you from the spa, just like you spring me from the VA," Murdock explained. "BA and the Colonel have been trying to get through to you all morning." He gestured for Face to follow him. "Come on, we gotta go."

"But, we're on vacation!"

"Uh-uh. Not any more." Murdock took Face by the arm and led him out of the room. "We've got to grab your things and get out of here. BA's waiting in the van."

Ten minutes later a freshly showered Face jumped into the rear seat of the van. He was decked out in an immaculate tan suit, with a starched white shirt. As he settled in he adjusted his tie. It took a minute for him to realize that the van wasn't moving, and that BA was glaring at him.

"What?" Face asked.

"What took you so long!"

"I had to take a shower. I was in the middle of a massage. You know, hot oil? Hot women?"

"This ain't right," BA said. "Usually I have to wait for that fool, Murdock. This time I've got to wait for you." He shook his head and started the van.

"Aren't we missing someone?" Face asked. "Where's Hannibal?"

"We don't know," Murdock said. "He left BA a message saying he was going out of town for a few days. Didn't say where he was going and didn't leave a contact number."

"That's not like him," Face said. "Hannibal always leaves word on how we can contact him. He'd kill us if we pulled a stunt like that." He climbed into the front seat. "You got any leads, BA?"

"No! I've been chasing you two down since I got the message."

"What about the movie?" Face asked. "I thought Hannibal was still tied up on the set?"

"He was," BA said. "According to his assistant, the film shut down for two weeks."

Face looked surprised. "Hannibal has an assistant? Those movies barely break even. How does he rate an assistant?"

"Well, he has done a dozen Aquamaniac films." Murdock leaned on the back of the driver's seat. "Each one of them is a cult classic."

BA shot them both an annoyed look. "Shut up, fools! None of that matters. If Hannibal's in trouble than we're his assistants! We've got to find out where he went and what's going on!"

"What's he using for transportation?" Murdock asked. "I mean, maybe he booked a flight to wherever he's going. Face, did you make up an ID for the Colonel before he left?"

"Yeah, but if he's anywhere in the area I doubt he booked a flight. Seeing as I was planning on spending my vacation with the girls at Gloria's Health Spa I loaned Hannibal the Vette." Face stared out the windshield of the van. "Maybe we should go check out the set. See if anyone knows what's going on."

BA nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, man."

The team found the Corvette parked beside Hannibal's dressing trailer. They got into the trailer without incident and Face immediately made himself at home behind the Colonel's desk.

Murdock found the Aquamaniac suit and grabbed the face mask nearly caressing its rubbery features. He held it up to show BA. "See? This empty mask is what the Colonel brings to life each time he dons the suit of the Aquamaniac. Without him this is just a...a…soulless hulk of plastic!"

"Get that thing away from me!" BA pushed Murdock aside and looked at Face. "You find anything, yet?"

"A couple fan letters and a thick stack of autographed Aquamaniac photos, but not much else."

"Autographed Aquamaniac photos?" Murdock asked. "Can I have one? Please?" He tried to step toward the desk but BA blocked his path.

"Would you two knock it off?" Face asked. "If anyone finds us in here they're likely to call the cops!" He pulled open the center desk drawer and found the photo that Hannibal had received from his old army friend. While he was studying it the trailer door opened.

"Hey, you guys can't be in here," Ben said.

Face flashed a charming smile. "I'm sorry. We were just looking for the man who drives that Corvette out there. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Why are you looking for him?"

Face stood and produced a business card. "My name's Edward Lasko. I'm a talent scout for a major motion picture studio and I'm trying to find the man who plays the Aquamaniac. We're casting a new science fiction movie and I'm in charge of filling the role of the lead alien."

Ben examined the card. "What studio did you say you represent?"

"I didn't, actually." Face tried to look uncomfortable. "You see I'm not really even supposed to be on your set. You know how inter-studio rivalry can be. Anyway, I kind of dropped the ball on casting the alien role. I thought I had DeNiro signed up, but then he got a part in a conspiracy film. I figured my career was over. As soon as my boss found out that I'd lost DeNiro…" He threw his hands in the air.

"So, why are you here?" Ben asked.

"Well! I was flipping through the channels the other night. You know, late night TV, couldn't sleep, thought I was out of a job. And, I come across this movie about a creature that lives in a swamp. I'm sitting there, sucked in by the sheer tension of the film, and the Aquamaniac crawls out of the water! Right then I knew my prayers were answered." Face pointed at Murdock. "This is the man I need to play the alien!" He followed Ben's gaze to Murdock. "Well, not him, but the guy that plays the role."

Murdock smiled and held up the mask. "The man who fills this latex is a legend. A true gift to the acting community. We must find him!"

"I'm sorry, but he's not here," Ben told them. "He left earlier today. He told me that he was going away for a few days."

Face slammed a fist down on the desk. "That's just my luck! We start filming in two months and my boss needs the actor who's playing the alien this week so they can mold him for his costume." He slumped down into the chair. "Well, there goes the bonus I could have earned on this one. Yeah, the boss was gonna pay big for the man, or men, who could fill that role."

"Bonus?" Ben asked.

"Bonus," Face said. He glanced at Murdock. "Guess we can stop looking around for the personal assistant. And, the personal assistant's assistant."

"Personal assistant's assistant?" Ben asked.

Face nodded and Ben said, "What if I can help you find him? What if I help you fill the role?"

"Well, there'd be some money in it," Face said. "And, maybe a job…"

Ben handed Face a flight schedule. "He's headed for Missouri. A small town called Baylock. He said he would only be there for a few days."

Face grabbed the schedule and slipped it into his pocket along with the photo he'd found. "I guess we'd better be going then."

"You'll be in touch if you find him, right?" Ben asked. "I mean, I will hear from you."

"Oh, absolutely," Face assured him. He shook Ben's hand and walked out the door.

Murdock followed, but Ben stopped him and relieved him of the Aquamaniac's mask.

"Sorry," Murdock said. "It's just that…well…he's a legend."

Back in the van BA looked at his two companions. "How are we supposed to get to Missouri? I ain't flying!"

Murdock just shook his head. "Come on, BA. The Colonel may need our help. "

"I don't care, man! I ain't getting on no plane."

Face stepped in and said, "BA, it'll take forever to drive to Missouri. By the time we get there Hannibal will be back on the set. If he can get back to the set. We're going to have to fly. Now, I know you don't like it, but I don't like having to keep finding new ways to get you on a plane either. Do you really think we enjoy drugging you, or knocking you out every time we have to get you more than ten feet off the ground?"

"Yes!"

"You think we enjoy wondering how you're gonna get back at us each time?" Murdock asked.

"I enjoy that!" BA said. "You two fly and I'll drive up and meet you. I'm not getting on a plane."

"Well, all right," Face said. "I completely understand. If you have a fear that you can't conquer, that's okay. We all have our weaknesses. Besides, Murdock and I can handle this on our own. We don't need you. And I'm sure the Colonel will understand why you had to stay behind."

As Face talked the scowl on BA's face got deeper. He stewed for a while and finally said, "Fine! I'll do it for Hannibal. But if anything goes wrong on this flight you two are gonna pay!"

Face smiled and glanced over his shoulder. Murdock gave him the thumbs up and sat back in his seat making quiet airplane noises.

They flew into a small, private air strip with a dirt runway and two buildings that made up the flight terminal. Face called for a cab while Murdock off loaded their luggage and BA sat with his head between his legs, trying to catch his balance.

After Face hung up the phone he sat beside BA and patted him on the back. "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" BA shrugged off Face's touch. "Just a little dizzy, that's all."

"Well, you made it through the flight like a pro."

"Hannibal really better appreciate this!"

Murdock came in, pulling a luggage cart. "Be a heck of a note if we flew up here for nothing," he said. "You know, like if the Colonel is really just here on vacation?"

BA glared at him and Face said, "Murdock, do you think maybe you could keep those thoughts to yourself?"

"Sure. So, we got a plan, or what?"

"I have a cab coming to take us into town," Face said. He took out the photo he'd found in Hannibal's desk. "I figured we'd start by showing this around. See if anyone recognizes any of the faces in it. Then maybe we can find an address to go with the name."

"Faceman, I'm impressed," Murdock said. "You sound more and more like the Colonel every day. Plannin' and scammin', that's you, baby. You're becoming a chip off the old 'Hannibal' block."

Face smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, Murdock. That really means a lot."

"I'm gonna knock a chip off someone's block if we don't get out of here," BA said. "I can't stand the sound of those planes out there!" He picked up two of the large duffle bags the team had brought with them. "Let's go!"

It was relatively easy for the team to find people who recognized one of the faces on Hannibal's photo. Danny Saltmarsh had lived in Baylock for nearly ten years, and he was a popular man. Murdock got his address from the phone book and they took the cab out to the Saltmarsh place.

At the door Face knocked and was met by a young woman with dark hair and dark brown eyes. She was plain, but pretty, dressed in a pair of jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. "Can I help you?"

"Ah, yeah. We're looking for a friend," Face said. "Guy by the name of Hannibal Smith? We heard he was here for a visit."

The girl looked confused. "I don't know anyone by that name. There's a John Smith visiting here, but…"

The door opened wider and Hannibal stepped behind the girl. He was smiling and chewing on a cigar. "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Colonel," Murdock said, as he pushed his way through the door.

"Man, we were worried about you!" BA added.

Hannibal shrugged. "Danielle, these are the friends I told your father about. The fellow in the baseball cap is HM Murdock, the gentleman wearing all the gold is BA, and the one with the foolish smile glued to his face is Templeton 'Faceman' Peck."

Face reached for Danielle's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He bent to kiss the back of her hand, but Hannibal pulled him inside the house. "Come on, Lieutenant. You're letting the mosquitoes in."

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Danielle asked.

"Coffee would be nice," Hannibal said. He led the team into the dining room and sat down at the table. "So, how'd you find me?"

"It wasn't that difficult, Hannibal. I mean, it's what we do." Face set the photo down on the table. "We tried to find you on the movie set, but you'd already left. So, we checked out your trailer and I found this. Your assistant told us you'd flown out here, so we hopped on a plane."

"The local people are very helpful," Murdock added. "We stopped in town for a while, and they were more than glad to give us any information that we asked for."

"That's what I was afraid of," Hannibal said. "They're nice folks, but it could be tough to hide around here if we need to."

Danielle came into the room with a tray full of coffee and mugs. Face got up to help her, but she slid around him and handled the tray herself. "My father should be back pretty soon. He just went into town to pick up some supplies."

Hannibal nodded. "Thanks Danielle. Now, if you don't mind I'd like to talk to my friends in private. We have a few business proposals to discuss."

"Sure. I'll be down at the barn if you need me."

When she was gone Face asked, "Business proposals?"

"Yeah," Hannibal said. He lit his cigar and slid the lighter back into his jacket pocket. "I came here to help an old army buddy. Guys name is Danny Saltmarsh, and that is his daughter, Danielle. Dan and I were assigned to the same unit in Vietnam for a while. After we were split up we kept in touch. At least, until I ended up running from the law."

"So, what's his problem?" BA asked.

"A couple of months ago a businessman by the name of Dale Barrington moved into the area and started making offers on a number of businesses and residences. He was trying to buy out half the town."

"So?"

"So, the people didn't want to sell," Hannibal said. "Barrington made higher offers, and the town continued to resist. When they didn't give in things started to happen."

"Things like damage and fires and stuff?" Face asked.

Hannibal nodded. "They town folk tried to handle it themselves, but they're no match for these guys. And, the local police aren't prepared for this type of activity, either."

"So your friend contacted you," Murdock said.

"That's right. Apparently he's been following our story in the papers. He just never thought he'd need our services."

"Well, we're here," BA said. "We may as well earn our keep."

"There may be a slight problem with that," Hannibal said. "The town may not be able to afford our fees. Barrington has done a lot of damage, and most of it has been conveniently outside of the insurance coverage that these folks have. Danny was hesitant to call us because all of his money has been going to keep up this ranch for Danielle, and to cover old hospital bills from his wife. She was sick for years, and she passed away a few months ago. That's why I didn't call you guys in. I'm here as a personal favor."

Face sat back and looked across the table. "Hannibal, if there's one thing that you've taught us, it's that we're a team. We're like a family. We take care of each other. We watch each other's backs. And that means that we get to meddle in each others personal affairs."

Murdock nodded. "That's right."

"Yeah," BA said. "We've all backed each other up on personal causes before. Why should this be any different?"

Hannibal smiled. "I figured you'd say that."

"Then why didn't you just call us in the first place?" Face asked.

"Because I knew you'd come looking for me, and I knew that you'd be able to find me. Think of it as a training exercise." Hannibal got up and rubbed his hands together. "So, what did you pack for the trip?"

Murdock dragged one of the duffel bags into the room. "Colonel, Face put a nice little package together. Couple of MP5's, some M16's. He even brought a handful of grenades, just in case."

"Isn't that a little overkill for a town like this?" Hannibal asked.

"They were BA's idea," Face explained.

BA grabbed one of the grenades. "You know I like to be prepared."

"Well, looking at the stock you brought with you I'd say we'll be in fine shape." Hannibal patted Face on the back. "Nice work, Lieutenant. Now all we need is a plan."

"Well, that's your department," Face said. "Any ideas?"

"The first thing we need to do is to find out what these goons are up to. There must be a reason why they want to buy all that property. I'd say it's time for you to pay them a little visit, Face. Wouldn't you?"

"Why do I feel like I'm being sent into the lion's den?" Face asked.

"Don't worry, partner." Murdock held up one of the M16's. "I'll ride shotgun."

Dale Barrington was a businessman who was used to getting his way. He had set up an office in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Baylock. He had arranged for a large, open warehouse for his men to work in, with an office in the rear for himself.

The office was decorated in rich, dark woods. It was filled with the best equipment money could buy, along with an expensive entertainment system and a well stocked wet bar. Pictures of the top ten golf courses in the country adorned the walls.

"That's right. I want your boys to be ready to start excavating the grounds the minute I call you," Barrington said. He was practicing a putt while he talked on his cordless phone. "You let me worry about buying the land. You worry about the construction."

As he was about to sink the putt his secretary knocked on the door. His shot went wide and he kicked the fake green. "What! What? Can't you see I'm busy?"

His secretary cowered by the door. "I'm sorry, sir. But, there's someone here to see you."

"Tell Cates to handle it. That's what I pay him for."

"I tried, sir. I asked Mr. Cates to speak with them. He said you should come."

Barrington barged past his secretary and crossed the floor of the warehouse in large, quick strides. He pointed to his business partner with his putter. "This had better be important!"

"It is," Bill Cates said. He pointed to Face and Murdock. "These guys say they need to see you. They say they're representing the town in a lawsuit against you."

Barrington's face turned a deep shade of red. "You've got to be kidding me." He crossed the rest of the warehouse and stood in front of a table that Face had set himself up at. "I'm a busy man. What do you two clowns want?"

Face flashed a charming smile and offered his hand across the table. "I'm Warren T. Harding. Attorney Warren T. Harding. And, this is my associate." When Barrington didn't shake his hand Face slid a business card across the table instead.

"So, you're a lawyer," Barrington said. "I've got dozens of them on my payroll."

"Oh, I'm not looking for a job," Face said. "I'm here because I've been hired by the town of Baylock, Missouri to represent them in a harassment lawsuit against you and your firm. Apparently they feel that you've been a little…harsh…in your tactics of trying to buy out the town."

"Harsh?" Barrington said. "They think I've been harsh?"

"Actually, I don't think that harsh is the exact word they used," Murdock said. "I believe they used the term 'threatening'."

Face nodded in agreement. "You see, the town doesn't want to sell any of their property to you. They thought that they'd made that pretty clear, but from what they tell me it looks like you haven't quite gotten the message. So, I thought I'd drop by to see if we could work something out before I have to go to all the trouble of filing a Cease And Desist order with the court."

Barrington stared across the table for a long minute. "No one's going to be filing any papers with the court," he finally said. "This town doesn't need a lawyer. They need a priest and a little muscle if they think they're going to keep me from obtaining the property I want." He nodded at Cates and his men.

Face held his hands in front of him. "We don't need to resort to violence."

"I'll resort to anything I want," Barrington said. "Now, you go back to the people who hired you, and you tell them that you don't want to work for them. Or, I'll bury you right along with the rest of the town."

"Are you trying to deny these people of their right to legal counsel?" Murdock asked. One of the men grabbed the back of his jacket, but he kept talking. "These folks have the right to protect their property! They have the…the right to remain silent. The right to an attorney, which, if they cannot afford, will be appointed to them. And, we've been appointed."

The man holding Murdock glared at him. "What are you, some kind of idiot or something?"

Murdock looked indignant. "No, sir. I am not. I'm just crazy, that's all. But, you look a little mentally deficient..."

"That's it," the man growled. He dragged Murdock to the door and shoved him out into the parking lot.

"Now, hang on there," Face said.

Barrington grabbed the lapels of Face's suit. "You count yourself lucky that I don't have my men kill you as a message to the fine people of Baylock." He shoved Face into the arms of two of his men. "I suggest that you and your associate go back and spread the word that it's time to sell. If I see either one of you in this town again I'll make sure that my boys hang your carcasses in the town square for everyone to see."

He nodded to the door and his men dragged Face out and threw him into the lot next to Murdock.

After he picked himself up and dusted himself off Face said, "That went well."

"I'll say," Murdock said. He turned and glared at Face. "How come you didn't stand up for me when that guy started calling me names? Huh? I come here to back you up and this is the thanks I get?"

Face threw up his hands in exasperation. "Murdock, that's a little beside the point right now! Hannibal wanted us to find out what these guys are up to, remember? He wanted to know what they were planning to do with the property once they bought it. And we were supposed to convince them that we have the upper hand!" He straightened his tie. "I'd say we missed the mark just a little bit, wouldn't you?"

Murdock's face fell and he started to kick the ground. "Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, Faceman, but those guys really got under my skin, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Face said. He opened the passenger door of the truck that they'd borrowed from the Saltmarsh farm. "But now we have to figure out some other way to get in there and find out what they're up to."

As Murdock opened the driver's door a smile crawled across his lips. He glanced at the warehouse and then at Face.

"Murdock, I don't like it when you get that look on your face. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that maybe we should try something that these guys will understand," Murdock told him.

"Like what?"

"Like, when all else fails, use force!" He reached behind the seat and pulled out one of the automatic rifles.

Bill Cates followed his boss back to the office. "You think those guys will cause us any more trouble, Mr. Barrington?"

"I doubt it," Barrington told him. "Once they go running back to the town with their tails between their legs, the local people might just see our proposition in a better light."

Cates smiled and reached out to open the office door at the same time that Murdock and Face plowed through the side of the building in the pickup truck. Wood and sheet metal littered the warehouse floor as the truck came to a screeching halt.

Face and Murdock jumped down from the truck and let loose with a barrage of automatic weapons fire. Barrington and his men ran and ducked for cover, keeping their heads down until quiet filled what remained of their building.

"All right, everyone come out with your hands up," Face yelled. "Drop your weapons in a nice little pile and then everyone form up in a line."

"That's right," Murdock added. "Single file, now. Short to tall, so we keep this thing neat." He gestured at one of the taller men with the barrel of his rifle. "You better go last."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Barrington demanded.

"We tried to reason with you," Face said. "But you just wouldn't listen. You know, I do hate busting into buildings like this. It really raises havoc with the creases in my suit."

"I'm gonna crease your face!" Cates said.

"Uh-uh!" Face warned. He nodded at Murdock. "He's a little crazy, remember? And he tends to get violent when people work him up like this."

"You're a real wise ass," Barrington said.

"And a well armed one at that," Face told him. "Now, everyone face the wall and keep your hands on the back of your heads." He looked at Murdock. "I'm going to check out the office. Try to keep your temper under control while I'm gone."

"I'll try," Murdock said. "But, no promises."

Face jogged into the office and started rifling through the desk. He looked for business records and anything else that would tell them what Barrington had in store for the town. When he'd collected as much as he could he headed for the door and finally noticed the woman who was kneeling behind it. She was staring at the M16 that he was holding.

Face reached out a hand to help her up. "I know this looks bad, but we really didn't come here to hurt anyone." He helped her into the chair behind the desk. "You wouldn't by chance know where Barrington keeps his safe, would you?"

The woman pointed to one of the photos hanging on the wall.

Face took the photo down and tried the door. It was locked, so he turned to the woman and said, "I'm probably hoping for too much, but do you know the combination?"

She shook her head no and he said, "Yeah, that would have been too easy. You might want to cover your ears." He opened fire with the M16 and the safe door fell open, hanging from one hinge. He grabbed the money, then headed for the door, stopping to offer the woman a smile. "Thanks."

On his way back to the truck Face stopped briefly to speak with Barrington. "Sorry about the mess in your office. You know, you really should keep a better filing system. You're records were scattered all over the place on that desk." He jumped into the truck and said, "Oh, and you may want to replace that safe, too. Let's go, Murdock!"

As Murdock backed the truck into the lot Barrington glared at Cates. "I want you to find those men. I want you to find them, and I want you to make an example out of them. No one shoots up my place and gets away with it. No one!"

When Murdock pulled down the drive at the Saltmarsh farm Hannibal came out to meet them. Murdock took the rifles into the house and Face waited by the truck.

Hannibal lit up a cigar and asked, "How did it go, Lieutenant?"

"Well, we had a little trouble with the scam," Face said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. One of the guys made some comments about Murdock's mental state, and Murdock kind of lost it. They tossed us out on our ears."

Hannibal spit out a loose piece of tobacco. "Face, you were in charge of the mission, and you know how Murdock can be…"

"Which is why I don't like taking him on these scams all the time, Hannibal. I mean, don't get me wrong. You know I like Murdock. But sometimes he just goes off on his own little tangents."

"That's the beauty of Murdock's mind," Hannibal said. "We have to remember that he has a very unique personality."

"Several unique personalities," Face corrected. He pulled a pile of paperwork out of the truck. "Anyway, we still managed to get what you asked for. We had to drive through the side of the building and shoot the place up a little. But we managed." He took a wad of cash out of his inside jacket pocket. "And, surprisingly enough, Barrington offered to finance our whole operation."

"Offered?" Hannibal asked.

"Well, he left the cash right in the safe where he knew I would find it."

Hannibal smiled. "Nice!"

"I have to admit that busting Barrington's place up like that did give me a certain feeling of satisfaction," Face said. "But I think I'll stick to my old ways of obtaining things from here on out. A little charm, ingenuity…"

"…and good looks," Hannibal said. He gave Face the thumbs up. "Whatever works, Lieutenant."

Dan Saltmarsh came out of the house and Hannibal called him over. He was an older man with white hair and a slight limp. When he had joined them Hannibal said, "Dan, I'd like you to meet my lieutenant, Templeton Peck."

Face held out his hand. "It's Face to my friends."

Dan gripped his hand and said, "Nice to meet you. When John said that the rest of his team had arrived I was thrilled. We can use all the help we can get."

"Any friend of the Colonel's is a friend of ours. I understand you've been following us in the papers?"

"That's right," Dan said. "I was devastated when they announced the results of the trial. I knew there was no way John Smith could be guilty. And I figured if you boys had followed him in battle there was no way you could be guilty either."

"Well, that's refreshing," Face said. "Someone who believes we're innocent before we have to prove it."

"I hope John explained to you that we can't afford to pay you much," Dan said.

"Don't worry about it." Face produced the wad of cash. "I just had the opportunity to meet Dale Barrington and he donated this to the cause."

"You didn't steal that…" Dan asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call it stealing," Face said. "Try to think of it as a partial repayment for all of the damage that Barrington has done to the town."

"That's an interesting way to look at it."

"Face has a way of putting things into their best possible perspective," Hannibal said.

"I doubt Barrington will see things in the same light," Dan said. He nodded to the house. "Come on. You must be hungry. Danielle's prepared a big meal."

"She cooks?" Face asked.

"Just like her mother. She's a real joy to have around. I keep telling her she ought to get on with her life. There's no reason for her to spend all her time with her old man."

"I'd say you're pretty lucky," Face said. "She's a lovely young lady."

Dan led them into the dinning room and showed them where to sit. The table was laid out with a large salad, home baked bread and a bottle of wine. Murdock and BA were already seated.

When Face sat down BA handed him a sheet of paper. "Here's a list of supplies we're going to need."

"Oh, come on," Face complained. "I'd say I already did my part today."

"And you did a fine job," Hannibal told him. "But the job isn't over, yet. We need to beef up security around here. I don't think it'll take Barrington very long to figure out where we're staying."

"Do you really think he'll come here?" Danielle asked. She set down a steaming platter of meat.

"No doubt," Hannibal told her. "But we'll be prepared when he shows up. That is, as long as Face can get us everything we need."

Face studied the list. "It shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can probably get everything right in town. I'll head out after supper."

"Good." Hannibal took a slab of meat and handed the platter to BA. "We'll start work here. Murdock I want you to take the first watch."

"I was thinking of going into town with Face," Murdock said.

"Sorry, Captain. I need you here."

"Besides," Face said. "I was hoping that Danielle would go with me."

"Oh, I don't know," Danielle said.

"Aww, come on. I need someone that can show me around. And if we go into town together we'll just look like a couple out for a quiet night. It'll draw less attention than a stranger walking around asking questions."

"That's right," Dan told her. "You haven't been away from the ranch all week. It'll do you good to get out for an evening."

"Sure," Face said. "And it'll give us a chance to get to know each other a little." He smiled and offered her a glass of wine.

"I'll think about it," Danielle told him. She got up and headed for the kitchen. "I have to check the oven."

Face followed her. "I'll help."

When they were gone Dan said, "He seems like a nice young man. I wish Danielle would spend more time with folks like that."

"No you don't," BA said.

Dan shot him a look and Hannibal said, "What BA means is that guys like us are on the move a lot."

"And Face moves a lot faster than most guys," Murdock added.

It was dark by the time Face loaded the last box of supplies from the hardware store. He was shifting the cargo in the back of the truck when Danielle finally joined him. She waved over her shoulder to the shop keeper. "Thanks, Mr. Milligan. I appreciate you staying open this late."

"Anytime Danielle," he said. "Tell your dad I said hello."

"I will." She turned to Face and asked, "Is that everything we need?"

"I think so."

"Then we might as well head back to the ranch."

"Actually, there's a nice little restaurant across the street," Face said. "I thought maybe we could stop for a drink before we went back."

"Don't they need these supplies?"

"A half hour one way or the other won't make that much difference." Face grabbed her arm and started for the restaurant. Once inside he found a table by a window where he could still see the truck. "Now, this isn't so bad, is it?"

Danielle shrugged. "I guess not."

When the waiter came Face ordered a bottle of wine for them to share. He looked out the window. There wasn't a sole on the street and the restaurant was empty. "This is a nice, quiet little town. But they role up the sidewalks a little early, don't they?"

"Since Barrington and his men moved in no one wants to be out after dark," Danielle told him.

Face stared into her eyes. "Is that why you're so nervous?"

She tried to look away, but her eyes kept drifting back to his. "No. Not really."

"Well, is it me? I mean, if I make you nervous…"

"No," she said quickly. "It's just that…Well, I don't spend a lot of time…out…with people." She sighed. "When I was growing up it was just my dad and me. And, the guys who worked at the ranch. I just kind of fit in as one of the guys. You know, a real tom boy. I guess I never grew out of that."

Face held her hand. "I've never met a tom boy that I considered to be this pretty before."

The waiter came and Danielle pulled her hand back. While Face poured the wine the owner of the restaurant joined them. "Danielle, does your dad know you're out this late?"

"Yeah, I just came in town for a couple of last minute errands," she told him. He was staring at Face so she said, "This is Templeton Peck. He's a friend of dad's."

He nodded at Face and said, "Well, as long as you're with someone, I guess it's okay. Just be careful."

"I will."

When he was gone Face took her hand again. "So, where were we?"

"We were just going to finish our wine and then head home," she told him.

"No. No, I think I was telling you how pretty you are."

Face unlocked the passenger door of the truck and helped Danielle get in. Then he climbed into the driver's seat, started the truck and checked the side view mirror before he pulled onto the street. After a minute another car pulled onto the roadway behind them.

"That was really nice," Danielle said. "I mean, the wine and everything. Thanks."

"We aim to please," Face told her. "When we hire on to do a job we like to give our customers the full treatment."

Danielle looked at him funny. "What exactly is it that you and your friends do?"

Face paused and glanced at her. "You mean, your dad didn't tell you?"

"No. All I know is that he and John are friends from way back. I thought that John was just here for a visit until you guys showed up. After you started talking about Barrington at dinner, I figured maybe you were here to help."

"We are."

"So, what do you do?"

"We're kind of in the security business."

"Security?" Danielle asked. "No offense, but we need more than a bunch of rent-a-cops to get us out of this."

"We're hardly rent-a-cops."

"Then how are you planning to help?" The tension was evident in her voice. "These guys are tough. They burn homes. It's not like you can barge into Barrington's office, shoot the place up and send him packing."

"Well, actually…" Face checked the rearview mirror and noticed the headlights moving in quick. "Danielle, put your seatbelt on."

"Why?"

"Because I think we have company."

The headlights closed in fast and pulled up beside the truck. Face recognized the passenger as one of the men from Barrington's warehouse. The car pulled in front of them in a wide arc and came to an abrupt halt.

Face didn't have time to swerve out of the way. Out of instinct he stomped on the breaks, throwing one arm in front of Danielle so she wouldn't hit the dash. He put the truck in reverse and started to back up. A second pair of headlights appeared out of nowhere, and the car slid sideways, blocking their escape.

"What's going on?" Danielle asked.

"I don't know." Face threw the truck into gear again and drove into a field.

The cars pulled off the road and began to follow the truck. Face drove as fast as he could without bottoming out the two wheel drive vehicle. He plowed through a hedge and the truck pitched down a steep incline. At the bottom was a deep ditch. Face turned hard and tried to avoid it but the front passenger wheel dipped down and the truck came to a quick stop.

At the top of the incline the two cars had also stopped. Face heard the doors open, and the men yelling. He turned to Danielle. "Stay with the truck and keep the doors locked. See if you can get this thing out of the ditch."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to try to buy us some time." He unzipped his leather jacket and pulled a large handgun from the shoulder holster under his left arm.

As he threw the door open Danielle grabbed his arm. She pulled him closer and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be careful."

"Always," he said. He hit the door lock and slammed the door shut, then ran along the ditch trying to stay low.

From the ridge he heard a shout, "There he is!"

There was a flash from the muzzle of a gun and Face heard the bullet go by. He fired off a couple of rounds in return and looked for cover. It was dark and he was relying in his hearing, and the muzzle flashes, to tell him where the men were.

Too late he heard a noise coming down the hill. He saw the dark form just before the man crashed into him. They rolled further down the hill and landed at the bottom in a tangle of limbs.

Face lashed out with the gun and caught the man across the cheek with the barrel. He brought his fist back to swing again, but his arm was grabbed from behind. Something caught him in the back of the head and he fell, losing his grip on his gun. He was dragged to his feet by two men.

Bill Cates limped over to join them. He was out of breath and there was a gouge on his cheek from where he caught the barrel of Face's gun. "So, wise guy. What do you have to say for yourself now?" Without waiting for a response he drove his fist into Face's jaw.

Face shook his head to clear it. When he'd caught his breath he said, "I take it you were serious about us staying out of town?"

"Dead serious," Cates said. He looked at two of his men. "Go get the girl. We'll deal with this one. Mr. Barrington said we should make an example out of him."

"Look, maybe we can work something out here," Face said. He pushed back into the men who were holding him and tried to break free.

Cates caught him in the side of the head with the barrel of his gun and then buried a fist in Face's ribcage. Face fell to the ground and Cates began to kick him. He brought his foot back for another blow but stopped when he heard a gunshot.

Danielle leveled a handgun at Cates. "Let him go and drop your guns!" The men who went after Danielle stood off to the side with their hands in the air.

"What happened?" Cates asked.

"We didn't know she was armed," one of them said.

Face stood up and grabbed Cates' gun. He walked over to Danielle, took the gun she had and kept both weapons aimed at Cates. "This was a lot of fun, but I think we'll have to leave the party a little early." He looked at Danielle. "Did you get the truck out of the ditch?"

She shook her head no.

"That's all right. I don't think these guys will mind if we borrow one of their cars." He nodded up the hill. "Come on."

"You guys are dead!" Cates yelled.

Face stopped and looked at him. "You know, that really is an overused line. If you're going to say it you ought to do something to give it some meaning. Like this!" He fired a few rounds over their heads and followed Danielle up the hill.

At the car Danielle helped Face into the passenger seat. As she climbed behind the wheel Face asked, "Where'd you find the gun?"

"It was in the glove box."

"Must be Murdock's." Face eased himself further down into the seat holding onto his ribs.

"I have to get you to a hospital," Danielle said. "I'll call Dad and the sheriff from there."

"No!"

The force behind the word startled Danielle. "Why not?"

"No sheriff and no hospital," Face said. "Just head back to the ranch."

"I don't understand."

"Trust me. If we go to the hospital there'll be too many questions. Besides, those guys may head for the ranch next. We have to get back to warn the others."

Danielle drove back as fast as she dared. When she pulled into the yard she helped Face out of the car and up to the house.

Hannibal and Murdock met them at the door. Hannibal took one look at Face and asked, "What happened?"

"Barrington," Face said. He took a step inside and fell forward.

Murdock and Hannibal grabbed him and helped him to the couch.

Dan hugged his daughter. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Some of Barrington's men followed us out of town. They ran us off the road and the truck got stuck in a ditch. Face tried to hold them off, but there were too many of them."

"We lost the supplies," Face said.

"We'll worry about that later." Hannibal wiped a trail of blood from a cut over Face's left eye and tried to judge the severity of the wound.

"He wouldn't let me take him to the hospital," Danielle said.

"You did the right thing by bringing him here," Hannibal told her. "Do you have a first aid kit around here?"

"Sure. I'll go get it."

"BA, help me get Face upstairs," Hannibal said. "Murdock, you better set up a perimeter in case those guys followed Face and Danielle."

"You got it, Colonel." Murdock grabbed a rifle and headed for the door.

"How many of them were there, Face?" Hannibal asked.

"Five, in two cars. We borrowed one of their cars to get back here."

"Really?" Hannibal's eyes lit up. "Well, it wouldn't be neighborly if we didn't return their vehicle. And as our way of saying thanks I think we should leave a surprise in it."

"Yeah," BA said. "The kind of surprise that goes 'boom'!"

"We have to get the supplies back first," Face said. "Like you said, we'd better beef up security around here."

Hannibal slid one arm behind Face and helped him off the couch. "We'll go back and get the truck in the morning. Then I think I'd like to go meet Barrington for myself. We'll take his car back, and we'll try to talk some sense into him."

Dan looked alarmed. "Barrington's not the kind of guy you can talk sense into, John."

"I know." A big smile lit Hannibal's face. "But there are other ways to get through to a guy like him."

Hannibal walked down the stairs leaving a thin trail of cigar smoke in his wake.

From his over-stuffed easy chair Dan asked, "How's Face?"

"He's seen worse," Hannibal said. "After a good nights rest he'll be back on his feet."

"I'm sorry about this, John." Dan had a look of defeat on his face. "I should have known that four guys couldn't take on a man like Barrington."

"We've taken on slime a lot tougher than Barrington," Hannibal said. "Usually we do all right for ourselves. But sometimes they get lucky, like tonight. The trick with guys like this is staying one step ahead of them. If I don't miss my guess Barrington and his goon squad will rear their ugly heads again soon. And when they do we'll have to be ready for them."

Dan twirled an empty whiskey glass around in his hands. "How do you do it?" He finally asked. "How can you stand being on the run all the time, and dealing with scum like that all your life? I mean, like tonight with Face. Kid gets the tar kicked out of him and you can't even take him to the hospital."

"That's just the way it is," Hannibal told him. "None of us wanted to be fugitives, but it's a life that we've come to accept. Sure, it can be tough. But putting men like Barrington out of business, and helping people like you makes it a lot easier to deal with."

"I don't know, John. This has gone a little further than I thought it would. Up until now Barrington has been damaging property and threatening people. But no one had gotten hurt."

"The only reason Face got hurt was because we forced Barrington's hand," Hannibal said. "If you corner a rabid dog you have to be prepared to get bit."

"But the rest of the town shouldn't have to suffer because I called in the A-Team," Dan said.

"And, with any luck, they won't. You can't let Barrington buy into this town, Dan. If you do you'll never be rid of him."

"Why would Barrington even bother buying into Baylock?" Dan asked. "Why build a golf course here?"

A spark lit in Hannibal's eye. "That's the million dollar question. And tomorrow we're going to give Barrington a chance to answer it."

The morning sun burned down on BA Baracus as he stood in the ditch evaluating the damage to the undercarriage of the truck. "Face really buried this sucka," he complained.

"Think we can get it back to the farm?" Hannibal asked.

"No problem," BA told him. "The axel's still intact and the rest of the damage isn't that bad. I just have to bend this fender back away from the tire. I can fix the rest once we get back to the farm. But first we have to get it out of this ditch."

"Looks like most of the supplies are still here," Murdock said. He jumped out of the back of the truck. "Either they didn't know what we wanted them for, or someone came by and scared them off."

"Good," Hannibal said. He watched BA climb out of the ditch and grab the front bumper of the truck. "Hop in and take the wheel, Murdock. Take it nice and slow, and be careful that you don't bury the back tires."

"No problemo, Colonel." Murdock started the truck and dropped it into reverse. As he started to back up BA lifted the front end out of the ditch. The strain showed in the bulging muscles of his arms. When the front tires were on solid ground again BA let go of the bumper and Murdock backed up the hill onto level ground.

"Nice work, Sergeant." Hannibal patted BA on the back. "Let's head back to the farm and pick up Barrington's car. I think it's time Mr. Barrington and I had a little chat."

Face sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee and the cut over his eye. A bruise had started to form around the cut, and it was starting to show around the edges of the bandage that Hannibal had applied the night before.

Danielle came up behind Face and kissed the top of his head. "You were wonderful last night." She grabbed a mug and the coffee pot from the counter, and sat beside him at the table.

"That's the first time I've woken up covered with bandages, and had a woman tell me that," Face said. He smiled. "You weren't so bad yourself. It's a good thing you found that gun in the glove compartment."

"It's a good thing I only had to fire off one round," Danielle told him. "I've never used an automatic handgun before. All we ever shot around here were rifles. I wouldn't have been able to get another round into the chamber if I'd had to." She poured a cup of coffee and played with her spoon for a moment. "I saw Murdock and BA loading their gear before they left this morning. You guys have some pretty heavy duty weapons for a bunch of security guards."

Face laughed. "I told you we weren't your average rent-a-cops."

"So what exactly do you do?"

Face finished his coffee and pushed the mug into the center of the table. "We all have our special talents."

"Like…?"

"Well, you might say that I'm in acquisitions."

"Like when you acquired the money out of Barrington's safe yesterday?"

Face raised one eyebrow. "You knew about that?"

"I overheard my father and John talking about it after supper last night," Danielle said. "Dad won't tell me what's going on here because he doesn't want me to be involved. But, I am involved, Face. So, who are you guys?"

"Well, we're, umm….We're…"

"The A-Team," Hannibal said.

Face turned around and saw Dan and the other three members of the team standing in the kitchen doorway.

"The A-Team?" Danielle asked. "You guys are fugitives!"

"That's right," Hannibal told her. "The government locked us up for some things that we didn't do, Danielle. We didn't view being in jail as the best use of our time, so we escaped."

"Now we help people like you and your father," Murdock added.

"The paper says you guys are dangerous," Danielle said.

"To people like Barrington we are," Face told her.

Dan sat beside his daughter. "I wouldn't have asked them to come here if I thought they were dangerous, sweetheart. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this before."

"It's okay, Dad. I know you were just trying to protect me." She looked at Face and shook her head. "Security and acquisitions? Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

Face opened his mouth to speak, but Hannibal cut him off. "Like he said, we all have our special talents. And Face was blessed with a silver tongue."

Dan patted his daughter's hand. "Come on and help your old man with the chores. These boys have some things to talk about."

When they were gone the rest of the team joined Face at the table.

"So, how you feeling, Faceman?" Murdock asked.

"You know those documentaries on PBS?" Face asked. "The ones where they show the lions stalking the antelope on the Serengeti? I feel like the antelope that lost."

"Hey, I watch those at the VA all the time!" Murdock said. "My favorite is the one where all the animals gather at the watering hole, and the lions kind of sneak up and try to weed out the weak member of the herd. Then the water buffalo come along and…"

"Guys." Hannibal stared across the table. "Do you think we could talk about that a little later?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Colonel." Murdock offered a sheepish look and slouched down in his chair.

"So, were you able to get the supplies back?" Face asked.

"Most of them," Hannibal told him. "We set up a few surprises just in case Barrington or his goons decide to drop in on us. In the mean time, I want to pay him a visit. Let him know what he's up against. BA, how long will it take you to rig the car?"

"Not long."

"Good. Get to work and we'll leave as soon as you're done."

BA stalked off and Murdock got up, falling in step. "You need a hand, big guy?"

"No!" BA turned and leveled a menacing look back into the room. "I ain't working on no explosives with a crazy man around!"

"Now, BA. Wouldn't you admit that you have to be a little crazy to want to work with explosives in the first place?"

"Hannibal…" BA pleaded.

Hannibal lit a cigar and helped himself to a cup of coffee. "Leave him alone, Murdock."

Looking dejected, Murdock stuffed his hands in his pockets and scuffed his foot back and forth across the floor. After BA had gone he sat beside Face.

"Why would a man like Barrington be so interested in building a golf course here in Baylock?" Hannibal finally asked.

Face shrugged his shoulders. "Over the last few years Missouri has begun to attract a lot of tourist trade. Just take a look at Branson."

"Yeah, but why a golf course, and why here?" Hannibal asked. "There are no major resorts in the area. There's no heavy interstate traffic. No draw for a golf course unless he's targeting the locals for his market."

"And that wouldn't make a lot of business sense," Face said, starting to catch on to Hannibal's train of thought. "The economy in Baylock is stable, but the people don't exactly strike me as the country club sort."

"I don't know," Murdock said. "In between haying the fields and milking the cows these guys might enjoy hitting a few across the back nine."

Hannibal shook his head no. "There's got to be more to it. Barrington has to have another reason for wanting to bring golf to Baylock."

"Maybe he's just a fan of the sport," Face threw in. "I mean, he's got photos of some of the best courses in the country hanging in his office."

"And he nearly took our heads off with an expensive looking putter," Murdock added.

"I thought it was a nine iron," Face said.

"No, it was definitely a putter."

"We have to figure out what makes this town so important that Barrington has to build his golf course here," Hannibal said.

"How are you planning to do that?" Face asked. "We already checked out his office, and there was nothing there that would tell us what he was up to."

"Then we'll ask him." Hannibal smiled. "You know that I've always preferred to take the direct approach."

"Unfortunately," Face muttered.

The door opened and BA stuck his head back into the kitchen. "The car's ready."

"Good." Hannibal stood up and looked at Face. "Feel up to a little action, Lieutenant?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Face said. He and Murdock followed the other two members of the team.

"BA, you take the car. We'll follow in the truck." Hannibal pulled open the passenger door and added, "I think this is gonna be fun!"

Bill Cates stood at the center of Barrington's warehouse watching the construction crew repair the hole in the side of the building.

"These guys should be out on site!" Barrington paced the floor, waving his hands in agitation. "Instead their stuck here fixing the damage that those idiots did to my building!"

"I know," Cates said, trying to calm down his boss. "But maybe they'll back off now that we've sent them a little message."

Barrington spun on one heel and glared across the room. "You have got to be kidding me! What the hell kind of a message do you think we sent? Eight of my guys go after one of their men, and you maybe give him a good lump on the head. And, in the process, two of you let a girl best you, and you manage to lose one of my cars!"

"I know. Look, they got lucky..."

"Lucky?" Barrington leaned his weight over a table and planted both fists on the top. "I'll tell you who's lucky. You're lucky that you've still got a job. You're lucky that I don't kill you myself! Now I'm gonna have to deal with these guys. I'm gonna have to find out who they are, what they're up to, and where they're staying. And then we'll send them a real message!"

He heard the door open behind him and turned to find Hannibal standing at the entrance with an AR15 in hand.

Hannibal fired a few rounds into the ceiling to get everyone's attention. As the rest of the team filed in behind him he looked at Barrington and said, "You know, it's not polite to talk about people behind their backs. If you want to know who we are, all you have to do is ask."

Barrington glanced at the newest damage to his warehouse. "All right, wise guy. Just who the hell are you guys?"

"That's more like it," Hannibal said. He took a cigar out of his jacket pocket and lit it up. "My name is Hannibal Smith, and we're the A-Team."

"The A-Team?" Cates said.

"That's right," Face told him. He winked and said, "Now you know why we didn't just mosey on out of town when you invited us to. We have a policy about leaving an area before we've finish a job."

"And what exactly is your job here?" Barrington asked.

"We're here to protect this town," Hannibal said. "We don't like it when a bunch of slime balls intimidate people, and damage their property, just so they'll sell out, nice and cheap."

Barrington shrugged his shoulders. "What's it to you if we want to buy out a small town like Baylock?"

"We like small towns," Murdock said. "Little, itty-bitty cute ones. We like big towns and huge cities, too. But, we prefer the close community feel in a town like this."

"And we don't like it when people mess around with nice folk!" BA added.

Hannibal took a puff on his cigar and smiled at Barrington. "You might say that we're people oriented. We like almost everyone. Except for scumbags like you."

"Me?" Barrington asked. "I'm just a law abiding businessman."

"And I'm the tooth fairy!" BA growled.

Hannibal patted BA's arm. "Now, now, Sergeant. Let's give the man a chance to explain himself. He can start by telling us exactly why it's so important for him to build a golf course here in this town."

"That's none of your damned business," Cates threw in.

"Now, that's no way to act," Face told him. He turned to Hannibal. "Is that anyway to act?"

Hannibal shook his head no. "Guess they need a reason to be cooperative." He leveled his rifle at a pile of construction supplies and let loose with a long burst of fire. Wood and glass splintered, causing the construction workers to dive for cover.

"You son of a..."Barrington cursed and grabbed the golf club that lay on the table beside him. He threw it at Hannibal, who had to dive out of its path. In the process he lost his rifle.

Sensing an opening Bill Cates threw a wild punch at Face. Face backed away from the blow and ducked under another swing, before throwing his own punch and knocking Cates back over a low table.

One of the construction workers charged BA, but the big black man tucked down into a linebackers stance, caught the man in the midsection and propelled him up and over his shoulder. In one fluid move BA stepped forward and leveled a second attacker with a solid blow to the jaw.

As he looked for his next victim, BA's attention was diverted by a muffled cry for help. Another of Barrington's men held Murdock in a strangle hold, with one hand firmly attached to Murdock's windpipe.

Murdock struggled in his grasp, and was finally able to turn his head enough that he could bite into the man's bicep. The man cried out in pain and losened his grip long enough for Murdock to yell, "Get this big hunk of meat off of me!"

BA plowed his way though a growing pile of bodies that had begun to collect on the floor around Hannibal and Face. They were working back to back, slowly dwindling the numbers of Barrington's men who had engaged them.

Somehow, Hannibal had managed to continue to puff on his cigar during the fight. But he nearly dropped it when someone collided with his back. He saved the cigar and spun around, nearly dropping Face who turned out to be the offending party.

Hannibal caught Face by the shoulders and smiled brightly. "Sorry, Lieutenant. Guess I got caught up in the heat of battle."

Face returned the smile. "Apology accepted. Now, duck!"

Hannibal dropped low and Face delivered a quick right cross to the last of Barrington's men. As he fell, Hannibal stood and looped an arm around Face's shoulders. "Now that's team work!"

"At it's finest," Face agreed.

BA dragged two of Barrington's men over and added them to the pile. Then he grabbed Cates who was slowly crawling to his feet. "This the sucka that jumped you, Face?"

"That's him."

BA pulled Cates close. "I don't like it when people hurt my friends! And, five against one ain't fair odds!" He punched Cates in the nose and let him fall back to the ground. "Next time try picking on someone your own size!"

Behind them, Murdock stumbled over, rubbing his throat.

"You okay?" Hannibal asked.

Murdock stretched his neck, and pulled at the loose skin around his adam's apple. "I think so. Guy nearly crushed my windpipe."

"Too bad he didn't squeeze a little harder," BA said, with a good natured smile. "Then we wouldn't have to listen to your jibber-jabber all the time."

Face surveyed the wreckage in the warehouse and then glanced at Hannibal. "So much for taking the direct approach."

Hannibal shrugged and picked up his AR15. "It was worth a try. Now, let's get out of here in case someone called the police."

As the team headed for the door Murdock stopped long enough to pick up the golf club that Barrington had thrown at Hannibal. He showed it to Face and said, "I told you it was a putter."

Face studied the club. "So it was."

Hannibal stood guard by the door as his men filed out into the parking lot. Before he left he turned to Barrington and said, "By the way, we brought your car back. It's out in the lot next to the rest of your vehicles." He waved and added, "If I were you I'd stay inside and keep my head down!"

He jogged outside and joined the others in the truck. After handing the rifle back to Murdock he looked at BA and asked, "Well?"

"We've got about a minute to get out of here," BA told him.

"All right. Let's head for Barrington's construction site. I want to find out what he's got hidden out there. "

BA nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. As the truck disappeared down a side street a loud explosion sounded behind them.

The large expanse of land that Barrington had purchased as the future site of his golf course resembled nothing more than a leveled and cleared field when the A-Team for set fo0t on it. There was still the occasional lone tree or pile of brush, but for the most part, the vegetation had either been cleared away or burned.

Face and Murdock jumped down from the bed of the truck as BA pulled to a stop near the construction equipment. Beyond the trucks was a locked shed that the team selected as their first target.

Using his pick set Face worked the lock on the shed. After few seconds he was rewarded with a satisfying click. A quick check of the contents revealed a large store of dynamite, as well as a number of small power tools.

"There's enough explosives in here to blow the entire town of Baylock off the map," Murdock said.

Face opened a crate of blasting caps. "Barrington must be planning to build some pretty deep sand traps."

"Or, he never planned to build a golf course in the first place," Hannibal said. He glanced at Face. "Don't you find it odd that you didn't come across any blue prints, or conceptual drawings when you checked out Barrington's office?"

"Maybe there here in the construction trailer," Face suggested.

"Maybe," Hannibal said. "But with a guy as pompous as Barrington, I find it hard to believe that he didn't have something to show off back at the office. Let's look around. This guy has something up his sleeve, and I want to know what it is. BA and I will check out the rest of this shed and the equipment. You two go see what you can find in the trailer."

"We're on it, Colonel." Murdock snapped off a mock salute and pointed at the door with the putter he'd picked up at the warehouse. An invisible force seemed to take over the club which was jerked out the door, followed by a reluctant Murdock. He held onto the club with one hand and secured his ball cap with the other as he yelled, "Whoa, girl! Slow down!"

Face watched him go and then glanced at BA. "I don't suppose you'd want to trade places, would you?" He took one look at the scowl BA offered, and gave a resigned shake of his head. "I didn't think so."

The streets of downtown Baylock were quiet as people went about their afternoon business. Several cars were parked along the main street, and small groups of people had gathered outside the country store and the local hardware.

The groups moved quickly, though, when Barrington's black Lincoln Continental cruised to a stop in front of the quaint little restaurant on the opposite side of the street. Barrington and Cates marched inside, followed by two of their hired hands.

The restaurant was empty with the exception of the owner, who doubled as the cook when it was quiet, and one waiter who was by the register when Barrington walked in.

"Where's your boss?" Barrington asked, grabbing the man by his lapels. The waiter simply pointed to the back, and quickly headed for the door once he was released.

Barrington and his entourage barged through the door and into the kitchen. The owner glanced up just as Barrington's men grabbed him and pinned him to a wall.

"You had a customer in here last night," Cates said. "Good lookin' guy. Real smooth talker. Left about nine-thirty."

"I'm not sure who you're talking about..."

"It's not like this place has been booming with business," Barrington said. He took a step forward and grabbed the man by the throat. "Pretty boy was here with a girl. I want to know who she is and where she lives. I have some business with her boyfriend."

"Look, I don't know everyone who walks in here."

"You know her," Cates said. "I was watching last night, and you made it a point to speak with her. Now, you either tell us what we want to know, or we're going to burn this place to the ground with you in it!"

"No. Please," the owner stammered. "Her father's a friend."

Barrington nodded at the stove and one of his men started to turn on all the burners. "You've got about thirty seconds to tell me what I want to know, or we're going to tie you up and toss in a flare on our way out the door."

The restaurant owner glanced at the stove and back at Barrington as the smell of gas started to fill the room. "Her name is Danielle Sullivan," he blurted out. "She lives out on Oakmont Road on a big farm with her dad. I never saw the guy before. All I know is that Danielle said he was a friend of her dads."

"That's good," Barrington said. He slapped the owner's face. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay right here and keep your mouth shut. We wouldn't want to have to come back here to burn this place down." He headed for the door. "Let's go visit Miss Sullivan and her friends."

"Well, Hannibal. One thing's for certain." Face unrolled a long sheaf of paper and held it up on the hood of the van. "The last thing Dale Barrington is planning to do around here is to build a golf course."

Hannibal puffed on a cigar as he looked over the map that Face and Murdock had found in the construction trailer. "This would explain the drilling equipment that BA and I found."

"I wonder how Barrington found out there was oil hidden under Baylock," Face said. He rolled up the map and tossed it on the front seat of the van. "Too bad he misjudged the property rights when he bought this chunk of land. Judging from what we found in the trailer he spent a lot of money buying the wrong property."

"So now he wants to buy the rest of the town so he can drill for oil?" Murdock asked.

"Looks that way," Hannibal said.

"I wonder if anyone in town knows that they're sitting on a fortune in raw, crude oil?" Face asked.

"I doubt Barrington told them." Hannibal climbed into the van. "But I think it's about time someone did. Let's see if Dan and Danielle can help us organize a little impromptu town meeting tonight."

When the team arrived back at the Sullivan farm they found the place deserted. Hannibal and Face checked out the house while Murdock and BA headed for the barn. When they were sure that Dan and Danielle were gone they rendezvoused back at the van.

"We didn't find anything, Colonel. And the chickens weren't talkin'." Murdock, golf club still in hand, tucked his handgun into the waist of his pants.

"The chickens sure didn't write this," Face said. He showed BA and Murdock a note that was left on the kitchen table.

"Barrington wants us to meet him at his warehouse," Hannibal explained. "The note says they have Dan and Danielle. If we don't meet them and turn ourselves in, they kill the Sullivans."

"What are we going to do?" BA asked. "We can't just go in there and give ourselves up."

"I have no intention of going there at all," Hannibal said. "We need to draw Barrington out to a less populated area. Say, a big open field with lots of construction equipment and dynamite."

Face smiled and said, "Sounds like you have a plan, Colonel."

"I hate to see all that equipment sitting around unused," Hannibal said. He flashed a grin. "When I call Barrington and tell him what I intend to do with it, I have a feeling he'll see things my way and will decided to meet us at the field instead of the warehouse."

The phone on Dale Barrington's desk rang once before he answered it with a quick, "Yeah?"

"We found your note," a deep, gravely voice said. "We also found some interesting maps and drilling equipment out at your construction site."

"Too bad you're not going to get a chance to tell anyone about it," Barrington said. "I've got your friends, the Sullivans, here. If you want to see them alive again I suggest that you all come join us."

"Not a chance," Hannibal said. "But I'll make a deal with you. You bring Dan and his daughter to the construction site and we'll trade. You give us the Sullivans and we'll let you keep your drilling equipment and the property map that shows where all the oil is hidden."

"And if I decide to stay here and kill your friends?" Barrington asked.

"Then we'll be forced to blow up every last piece of your equipment, and then we'll come after you," Hannibal warned. "I guarantee that you won't be able to run fast enough or dig deep enough to hide from us."

Without waiting for an answer Hannibal disconnected the call.

"Well?" Face asked. He was sitting on the desk in Barrington's construction trailer with his arms folded across his chest.

"He'll come," Hannibal said. "Which means we'd better get ready. I figure we've got about an hour before he rounds up all his goons and makes it over here."

"An hour!" BA complained.

"Deadlines bring out the best in you." Hannibal gave the big, black man a pat on the back. "The pressure kind of gets the blood pumping, doesn't it?"

"I think something cut the blood off to your head!" BA said.

"Oh, come on. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It got lost in all that blood rushin' around his body." Murdock grabbed BA's arm and pointed at the door with his golf club. "Come on, big guy. We've got work to do."

BA shoved him away. "Get away from me before I wrap that club around your head!"

"Fine. I'll just wait for you outside." Murdock pointed the club at the door and let it suck him outside.

"I'm gonna kill that crazy fool!" BA growled as he headed for the door.

Hannibal smiled at Face and said, "Exciting, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah." Face slid off the desk and followed Hannibal out of the trailer. "You can almost smell the excitement."

Barrington's Lincoln kicked up a cloud of smoke when it skidded to a stop at the entrance to his construction site. Three other vehicles slid in beside it and a group of thick-necked, low-brained gym freaks got out to join there boss.

"Go left," Barrington told Cates. He surveyed the open landscape and said, "They're hiding around here somewhere."

"Over here!" Hannibal yelled. He was sitting in one of the bulldozers with an AK47 slung over one arm pointed at Barrington. "Where are Dan and Danielle?"

Barrington pointed to his Lincoln. "Tell the rest of your boys to show their heads or I'll smoke them."

"No problem," Hannibal said. "Face! BA! Murdock! Come on out!"

The rest of the team came out of hiding and opened fire on Barrington and his men. Face was prone on top of a shed. He sprayed a short burst of fire along the ground in front of Cates and then focused on the cars, careful to miss the Lincoln.

Barrington and his men dove for cover and two of them opened fire on Face forcing him to back away from the edge of the shed. He ducked down and covered his head to protect against the slivers of wood that were being chewed up around him.

From the relative safety inside the bed of a large dump truck Murdock lit the fuse on a stick of dynamite and stuck his head up long enough to aim the explosive. He threw it in a high arc and it landed behind a group of Barrington's men. Without waiting for the explosion he lit another stick and took aim once again.

BA and Hannibal revved the diesel engines on a pair of bulldozers and dropped them into gear, seeming to drive straight at each other. In the middle was a group of Barrington's men. Seeing the vehicles they broke ranks and ran. BA followed one group, chasing them toward a row of porta-potties.

Face poked his head up and saw two stragglers making their way for the Lincoln. As they ran by the shed he stood, dropped his rifle and launched himself off of the roof. He crashed into the two men and they landed in a heap before trying to scramble to get to their feet.

One of them took a swing at Face, but he ducked under the punch and buried his shoulder in the man's stomach. They fell to the ground and Face rolled to one knee before knocking the man unconscious with a quick blow to the nose. The second man rushed Face, but came to a quick stop when Face pulled his handgun and pulled back the hammer. He smiled as the man raised his hands over his head.

Across the lot Murdock had abandoned the dynamite in favor of his rifle. He saw Cates take aim at BA and he laid down some cover fire, sending Cates sprawling in the dirt.

In the commotion Dan had pulled Danielle from the Lincoln and had run for cover. Barrington jumped behind the wheel of his car, realized he had lost his hostages and threw the car into gear, heading for the open road. In all of the dust that had risen during the battle he didn't see the Bulldozer Hannibal was driving until it was too late.

Hannibal drove straight for the Lincoln. Through the windshield he saw Barrington throw his arms over his face in a weak attempt at protection just as Hannibal dropped the blade of the dozers plow on the hood of Barrington's car.

The rear tires spun helplessly in the dirt for a few seconds before the engine sputtered to a quick, unnatural halt.

As the Lincoln coughed its last Murdock stood in front of the car and set his putter on the ground. He faked a shot, followed the invisible golf ball as it twisted and turned, and jumped for joy when he'd sunk the shot. He turned to Hannibal and said, "I'd say we scored a hole in one, wouldn't you, Colonel?"

Hannibal smiled and surveyed the wreckage. He glanced at Barrington and said, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

"Oil. Right here in Baylock?" Danielle asked.

"That's right," Face told her. "Depending on the size of the field, this town could be sitting on quite a little fortune."

"We already have a team of surveyors on the way," Dan told him. "We filed all the legal papers and secured the rights to the find. With Barrington out of the way we should be ready to start drilling soon."

"Guess you won't have to worry about doctors bills and mortgages much longer," Hannibal told him.

"You should be able to retire in style," Murdock added.

"Somehow I doubt Dad has any plans on retiring," Danielle said. She wrapped her arms around Face and gave him a brief hug. "How are we ever going to thank you?"

Face smiled. "Well, five percent of the profits from the oil should be a good start. Maybe you and I could go back to that little restaurant in town and work out the details."

"Uh, Face. Our plane leaves for LA in less then an hour," Murdock said.

"Let Hannibal have my ticket," Face told him. "I'll fly out and join you guys after I get everything settled here."

BA grabbed Face by the shoulder and said, "No way, sucka! If I'm flying back, you're goin' with me. That way, if they plane starts to crash I can kill you on the way down!"

"Besides, I'm not going back with you," Hannibal said.

The other three members of the team turned and said, "What?"

"We're on vacation, remember?" Hannibal said. "I figure I'll stick around here for a couple of days so Dan and I can talk about old times. Then I think I'll take a little trip east. Visit a small town called Hannibal along the Illinois border." He smiled and said, "You really didn't think I could go home without checking the place out, did you?"

Murdock set down his golf putter and folded his arms across his chest. He pretended to suck on an invisible pipe and dropped into a low, slow southern drawl. "My good friend, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, was born in Missouri in the little riverbank town of Hannibal. He was a Mississippi River pilot, a prospector and a newsman before he assumed the moniker of the town he grew up in and found himself in Vietnam leading a rag-tag group of grunts better known as the A-Team."

BA let out a low growl and launched himself at Murdock who took off at a dead run for the Sullivan's pick-up.

Face shook his head in disgust and glanced across at Hannibal. "Are you sure you don't want to join us? It looks like it's going to be an interesting flight home."

Hannibal watched the chase for a minute, and then slowly grinned. "Looks like business as usual, Face." He laughed at the look of pain etched on his lieutenant's face.