The AT A-Team: The Grand Finale
by Emily N. Daniel
John slowly stepped out of the ocean onto the shore, seaweed clinging to his jeans and his wounded arm throbbing from being exposed to salt water for so long. How long had he been underwater struggling against that tidal wave? His mind was fuzzy and images blurred before his eyes. Moments later, darkness overtook him as he sank to the sandy ground below.
As John awoke, he could see a figure hovering above him. Was it an angel? Had he finally died? Coming more to his senses, he realized it was his friend Kara. She was bandaging the cut on his arm. He tried to speak, but had not the energy. "Save your strength," Kara said as she finished tending to him. "You will need it for later." What did that mean? He could not even begin to comprehend as again he was overcome with sleep.
When his eyes opened once more, night had already fallen. John picked himself up, being careful of his injured limb, and noticed Kara sitting by a fire along with Steven, another friend of his. However, the two other people he had been with when the tidal wave hit appeared to be missing. Jarrod and Mark, perhaps his two best friends in the world, were also his fellow members in the band Admiral Twin. They had been playing together for nearly ten years when one of them was held hostage during the robbery of a venue they were at that night. Using their unique abilities, they had managed to stop the thieves and had since been fighting crime as the superhero trio The AT A-Team. In the two years since then, a lot had happened to them, but nothing as strange as the events leading up to the unfortunate tidal wave that had dragged all five of them down into the ocean's depths.
John sat down beside Kara. The expression on her face was grim. John swallowed. "Are Mark and Jarrod still alive?"
Kara sighed and stared into the fire for a bit before answering. "Jarrod is, but only just. He suffered a massive head injury and nearly drowned because of it. Luckily, I came to in time to drag him out of the water."
"And Mark?" John asked hesitantly.
"He's actually okay, considering..." Kara paused a moment before speaking once more, "...he's still suffering from whatever Sven Galli did to him. He still thinks we're alien creatures out to destroy him. For now, he's been staying away from us, after what happened..."
John shuddered. It had been he who had accidentally killed Dr. Sven Galli, the mad scientist who had once tried to take over the guys' hometown of Tulsa and who had recently kidnapped Mark and brainwashed him. Mark believed that he had been defending an alien planet that he was the true king of and that Sven Galli was on his side. In actuality, Mark had been attacking the other members of the AT A-Team and in the heat of battle John had taken one of the giant icicles Mark conjured and thrown it at the house where Mark and Galli stood. He hadn't truly meant to injure either of them, let alone kill, but the house ended up collapsing and taking Sven Galli with it. John had obtained the severe cut on his arm when Mark came after him with an ice sword, but not long after that the tidal wave hit. So why was Mark still having these weird illusions when Galli was dead?
"So, what are we going to do now?" John looked over at Kara, hoping that she had some brilliant solution as she usually did in such situations.
"We can't go anywhere until both Jarrod and Mark get better," Kara sighed once more, looking more worried than usual. Was there something else that she wasn't telling him? John couldn't tell.
"Hey, why don't I get us some more firewood since we are going to be here for a while anyway?" John suggested, trying to put at least a slight smile on his face. Kara just nodded, but didn't look up from the fire. John was the one to sigh this time as he once more stood up and went out to search for firewood.
The water was still choppy from the storm and the air had a noticeable chill to it. Hugging himself in an effort to stay warm, John walked along the shore, the waves occasionally sending foam across his feet. There weren't too many trees to speak of, just a few palm trees scattered about. John picked up as many scraps of wood as he could find, but stuck to the shore as much as he could for fear of getting lost in the darkness. Still, he was surprised at how often the shoreline seemed to curve, but he just kept going anyway, not having nearly as much wood as he cared for.
Suddenly, John noticed smoke coming from the distance. There was a fire burning and there seemed to be people around it. Relief washed over him. There were people here who could help them. He dropped his meager firewood gatherings and ran as fast as he could towards the people, which was rather fast indeed due to his superhuman speed. However, the bottom fell out from beneath him, both figuratively and literally as he stumbled in his surprise and was sent toppling into the fire before he could stop himself. The two people who had been sitting by the fire grabbed him and quickly put him out.
"You know, John, thank God those radioactive ants gave you that human exoskeleton or else you'd be a charred lump by now, as many times as you've been burned," Kara finally couldn't help but grin. John, however, did anything but as a sickening realization washed over him. He had just gone in a circle without ever leaving the shoreline.
"Kara, why didn't you tell me?" John stared at her with panic in his eyes, "Why didn't you tell me that we're stranded on a deserted island?"
"I...I...what?" Kara stuttered in confusion.
"John, this isn't..." Steven saw Kara shoot him a look and quickly shut up.
"What Steven's saying is that...ah...this isn't how we wanted you to find out. I was going to tell you after you got back with the firewood, but I didn't think you'd...ah...search around the whole island. Well, I think it's time we all tried to get some sleep, don't you think?" Kara turned before anyone could say anything more and pulled out several sleeping bags. She handed one to Steven and one to John. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to tend to Jarrod. You'll get to see him in the morning, John. Now go to bed, both of you, and don't worry." She hurried off, leaving John very much confused. However, Steven didn't say a word as he laid out his sleeping bag and crawled inside. John just sighed for the second time that night and did the same, hoping that tomorrow would bring the answers to the questions that whirled around in his mind. Strangely, his dreams that night were filled with loud buzzes and bangs that he could not quite understand.
Morning came, with the sunlight shining down brightly onto the beach. John attempted to open his eyes, only to be nearly blinded by the reflection on the white sand around him. Rubbing his eyes roughly, he again opened them and waited for the spots to disappear. From what he could see though, Steven was still snoring away in his sleeping bag. There was a third sleeping bag laid out that looked like it may have been slept in for a little while, but it was empty now. John could only guess that it had been Kara's and that she had gotten up already to take care of Jarrod. Finally, the spots faded away. He got out of his sleeping bag and stretched, his spine cracking gingerly as he did this. Sleeping outdoors on the ground just wasn't all that comfortable. He walked over to Kara's empty sleeping bag and noticed footprints going from it to what looked like a cave nearby. Why hadn't he seen that before?, he wondered as he headed towards it.
As John reached the opening, he could hear faint mumbling coming from inside. Tentatively, he entered, his eyes adjusting to the slight darkness. He spotted two figures, one laying on the ground while the other was kneeling down, sponging the other's face with a cloth. "Kara?" John called out.
The kneeling figure turned her head. "John? What are you doing here? Well, that's okay. Come on over." John did this and as he got closer he could see that it was Jarrod laying down, his eyes closed and the top of his head covered with heavy bandaging. "He's still rather out of it," Kara explained, "He has a high fever and I've been working most of the night to try and get it to go down..." Suddenly Jarrod's head began moving side to side as he mumbled incoherently before becoming still again. John shuddered at the sight. It scared him and broke his heart to see his friend in such condition. Kara noticed this and smiled weakly at John. "He's going to be okay. I managed to gather...I mean, a lot of medical equipment managed to wash up ashore not long after us. It must have been from the building Galli was staying in."
"Wow, that was lucky," John commented, not able to tear his eyes away from the sight of his sick friend. Coming more to his senses, he added, "Well, I do hope he gets better soon. Jarrod may be our only way of getting off this island. He can fly after all."
"Uh...yeah...," Kara replied, "...but it might be awhile. I've been keeping Jarrod here to keep him out of the sun and away from Mark, who, by the way, tried to sneak in last night. I think he may have tried to hurt him if the alarm device I had set up hadn't gone off."
"So that is what I heard last night!" John remarked, "I thought I was just dreaming!"
"Yeah, well, you and Steven both," Kara told him, "You two are such heavy sleepers. It would have been nice to have had one of you up to help me fight Mark off. Luckily, he was in a weakened state and I was able to scare him off with the laser gun in my pocket knife. Still, we have to do something. Mark's not in good shape and he needs to be taken care of as well."
"Want me to try and find him?" John asked.
"No...no, not right now," Kara answered, "Give me a little while, and then we'll both go look for him later. Steven can watch Jarrod while we're gone. For now, why don't you try to get Steven up and the two of you can gather more wood and supplies?"
"Okay," John replied tentatively and headed out of the cave. Why did she not want him to find Mark without her? He had superstrength. It would be easy for him to grab Mark and force him to join them again. Then again, John knew his own injury plus Mark's increased power could make it a bit more difficult than it would have been otherwise. Yes, perhaps it was best he wait for Kara after all. Suddenly John felt a pair of arms seize him. "Hey, let go!" he cried and attempted to get out of the arms' grip, only to find himself frozen a second later.
"So, we meet again, murderer," the owner of the arms let go and turned John's frozen form around. It was Mark, who was grinning quite victoriously. "Yes, you disgusting monster, we meet again indeed, but this time you will not be so lucky. You are alone and injured. You will not escape alive."
'Says you,' John thought as he quickly broke out of his prison, sending icy shards everywhere. Mark yelled out as one of them pierced his arm, a small trail of blood trickling down.
"So, that's how you want to play, is it?" Mark's eyes narrowed as he grasped the ice shard and yanked it out, the trail of blood now flowing increasingly. John watched wide-eyed as the shard grew larger and larger in Mark's hand. "See if you can avoid this!" he cried and sent it soaring straight at John, who was able to dodge it, though just barely. More giant ice shards soon followed and it was becoming harder to get out of each one's way. This was going to take drastic measures, but John didn't have a choice.
"I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Mark," John sighed and charged towards him, grabbing a hold of Mark in a bone-crushing grip. Mark gasped and struggled, but the pain was overwhelming and it was difficult to breathe. John's plan was working. He would wait until Mark passed out and then take him back to where they had set up camp. He would figure out what to do from there.
However, John never did figure out if this plan of his would work because he was struck a sharp blow to the head and his grip loosened enough for Mark to escape. On the brink of unconsciousness, John watched a blurry Mark run off before he allowed himself to fall into darkness.
He awoke later with the hot afternoon sun beating down upon him. Steven was sitting beside him, looking a bit shaken. "I'm sorry I did that to you, but I didn't have a choice," Steven apologized, "You were going to end up seriously hurting him."
John sat up and stared at Steven in disbelief. "I would have ended up hurting him? I was trying to stop him from hurting me!" John exclaimed, feeling the bump on his head from where Steven knocked him out. "You didn't help much either. Now we've lost Mark again! Well, I guess it's not like there is anywhere he can really hide. There are only so many places on a deserted island."
"Yeah, about that, John..." Steven suddenly looked up and saw Kara standing above him, glaring down sternly with her lips tightly pursed. He quickly shut up and said no more as Kara grabbed John's arm and lifted him off the ground.
"Gawd, what happened here? There's blood on the sand! Steven's shaking, for crying out loud...and John...oh, my...is that a bump on your head?"
"Steven did it to stop me from hurting Mark, but I had to defend myself!" John tried to explain.
Kara frowned. "I told you not to go looking for him without me," she said, giving him a look of pure frustration, "You never do what I tell you!"
"Hey, he found me, okay?!" John retorted angrily, "You know, you treat me like a child, both of you! I don't need looked after! I don't need to be parented! You know, I'm the one who has busted his ass for the last couple years getting hardened criminals off the streets! I think I can handle this! Leave me alone! I'll find Mark and bring him back, just trust me!"
"John, in your state, I can't allow you to do that. Just wait and we'll go search for him together," Kara pleaded, a note of desperation in her voice.
"My state? What, you mean my injured arm? It's nothing!" John laughed, "I still have my strength and speed. Plus, as you said, I do have a tough body that can deal with most injuries in general. So, with that in mind, I am off!" He turned and sped away, unable to make out what Kara was screaming at him as the distance between them grew rather large in a rather short period of time. Yes, he could handle this. He didn't need Kara's constant nagging or Steven's good intentions. He could do this on his own.
Hours later, John found himself standing on the edge of a cliff, staring out at the horizon as the sun began to set. He hadn't been able to find Mark yet, but he couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sight. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed him, one of them covering his mouth to muffle the screams that escaped from John's throat. He was dragged into some nearby bushes, where the hands let him go. John turned and saw it was Mark. He prepared himself for a fight, but to his surprise Mark grabbed his arm.
"John, we aren't safe here," Mark whispered, his eyes filled with fright.
"Wha...hey, you recognized who I am!" John laughed, relief washing over him.
"Shhhh! Do you want us to get caught?" Mark looked around and brought his face closer to John's. "We aren't alone. Follow me." He led John through more bushes, branches and prickly thorns scratching his skin. Soon they reached a rather large palm tree which they both hid behind as they watched the spectacle playing out before them. About thirty feet in front of them, a huge bonfire roared, the flames reaching towards the sky. Two figures wearing what appeared to be heavy wooden masks danced around the fire while a third lay quietly on the sand. John could make out the third figure's dark blonde hair and he gasped.
"Oh my gawd, it's Jarrod!" John cried, only to have Mark tackle him again.
"I swear, John, if you get us caught..." However, it was too late. The two masked figures were soon on top of them and Mark and John found themselves being dragged towards the fire, their arms bound behind their backs. "Ergh...John, can't you get out of your ropes? I mean, for crying out loud! Use your strength, man!"
"I'm trying, but I can't! I don't know what's going on!" John again struggled, but his wrists were stuck tight.
"Gawd, it must be some kind of voodoo magic or something," Mark said, "You realize what we're dealing with, right?" John just stared at him blankly. "Damn it! Headhunters, you fool!"
"Oh," John uttered as he and Mark were thrown to the ground, where their legs were bound as well. They sat there helplessly and watched as the two headhunters talked amongst themselves. "Man, what are they saying? It sounds like gibberish to me," John looked at Mark, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, yeah right, John, like I would know what they're saying. It's not like I majored in headhunter speech in college," Mark replied sarcastically. "But from what I've seen, I think they are planning to perform a sacrifice of some sort."
"What do you think they're going to sacrifice?" John asked.
"A chicken, John. Man, they're going to sacrifice Jarrod! If we don't get out of these bonds soon, he's doomed. Help me find a sharp rock or something." As the two searched, John's eyes fell upon a familiar sight.
"Hey, it's Kara's pocketknife!" John reached his bound hands over and was able to grasp onto the knife. He then proceeded to break out of his ropes and then used the laser to quickly burn through Mark's. They stared over at the headhunters, who had already begun to pick up Jarrod's limp form. "Nooo!" John cried and raced towards them, Mark right behind. He knocked both headhunters down, sending Jarrod slipping out of their grip and back down onto the sand. Mark hovered over one of the headhunters, preparing to attack when the other got up and grabbed him from behind. John started towards them.
"No, John! Grab Jarrod and get out of here! I can handle this!" Mark cried. John nodded and lifted Jarrod up into his arms. He was about to take off when he felt a stabbing pain in his leg. He turned his head and found the other headhunter had managed to plunge a syringe into him. 'Since when did headhunters start carrying syringes?' John thought right before he passed out.
By now, John was quite tired of being knocked out. This being said, he would have been rather angrier had he not awoke to the sight of his two best friends kneeling above him. "Hey there, you okay?" Jarrod asked, he and Mark helping him up.
John couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I'm good. You?"
"Better," Jarrod returned the grin, "We were worried about you, man."
"You were worried about me? I was worried about you!" John exclaimed.
"Are you ready to go home now, John?" Mark smiled, "because the van's packed and ready."
"What? Guys, we're on a deserted island! How is the van going to make it across the water...and how did the van get on the island in the first place? Wait, I'm confused," John just stared at the two of them, who were both exchanging slight smirks.
"John, remember when Mark cut you with that ice sword and how it was covered with a strange green slime? Well, that green slime was a powerful hallucinogenic. It was what Sven Galli was using to control Mark," Jarrod explained.
"So, you were suffering from hallucinations just as I was," Mark continued, "The deserted island...the headhunters...none of it was real. We have been on the same shore the beach house stood the entire time...or at least where the beach house once stood..." Suddenly Mark became quiet and looked rather remorseful.
"Come, it's time to pay our respects," Jarrod took John's arm and together the three of them walked towards the collapsed house, where Kara and Steven stood. As they came nearer, John saw that the two were standing by what appeared to be a makeshift tombstone bearing the name of the deceased mad scientist.
"You know, he wasn't a truly terrible guy," Mark reflected, "He was so smart, but so alone in the world. I think he just chose to act out his rage in the wrong way. It's too bad it had to end this way. Perhaps we could have helped him..."
"Perhaps," Kara looked up at him, "but perhaps he is now in a place where he can finally have peace. Either way, it's over and it's time for us to return to life as it once was. So, are you all ready?" The other four nodded and, turning from the grave of their fallen enemy, made their way to the van. However, John hesitated for a second.
"Hey, guys, I'll be there in a bit. I just need a moment longer, okay?" John called to them. Steven started to object, but Kara just put an arm around his shoulder and ushered him towards the van with Mark and Jarrod following them. John turned back to the grave and he found a tear trickling down his cheek. "Sven, I know deep down you weren't evil. No one is ever truly evil. This world is so mixed up. We think its power that will get us what we want, but you would have soon realized that just isn't so. As much control as you can have over people, none of it would have mattered. Only when you connect with others could the gap in your heart have been filled. I would not be where I am today if I had chosen to use my powers for my own gain. Mark, Jarrod, and I...any one of us could have used our powers to dominate others, but only when we used them to help others did we feel we had finally found what had been so sorely missing from our lives. Perhaps you could have had this as well and I wish we could have been able to help you. I know now we will never know and I am sorry it had to be this way. I didn't mean to do what I did and I hope, wherever you are, that you can forgive me and that you finally have the peace of mind you need. Rest in peace, Dr. Galli." With that John turned and headed to the van, where the others were waiting for him. It was time to go home, back to life as it once was. Their adventure, for now, was over.