I Fall to Pieces
Part I
There was occasionally a problem when a plan came together. Especially when it was the other guy's plan that worked.
Hannibal and B.A. were sharing a cell that, oddly enough, featured a rather large closed-circuit television screen that gave them all of the sights and sounds of one HM Murdock. Who, as it happened, was currently doing the Hokey-Pokey in a cell all to himself. B.A. gave a heavy sigh and wished they had a way to control the volume. Even in a whole other cell, the Crazy Man was irritating him.
Hannibal didn't mind the song and dance routine. You never knew what you might get when Murdock got bored and after the long hours in this cell, he was half-tempted to sing along himself. Well, if that wouldn't have nudged B.A. over the edge. Never deliberately making sparks near a powder keg was a good rule to keep in mind.
He hadn't spoken his concerns out loud yet to B.A., but the Colonel was worried. There was a reason for the monitoring of Murdock, he was sure of that. And whatever those reasons were? They weren't likely to be good ones for their pilot. Concern for Face was also wearing on him. He and Murdock had been separated from them as soon as they'd arrived. He knew where Murdock was, but Face? Still not a clue.
Footsteps alerted them to the possibility that they were about to have company, but to Hannibal's disappointment, none of the feet in question belonged to the conman. But he did recognize the man. One of the many that he and his team had put out of business, though he frankly no longer remembered the man's name. Other facts from more recent missions had long since replaced him in Hannibal's mind.
The man glowered at Hannibal, but then started to smile as Murdock's voice registered and his eyes moved to the screen.
"Do you have any idea how long and hard I thought about the perfect way to get even with you and your misfits, Smith? In a matter of hours, you destroyed five years of work. Took a couple of additional years and some hefty bribes, but I'm on my way again. This time, it will play out differently. This time, it's your organization that's going to be out of business. Permanently."
Scowling, B.A. regarded the man with utter disdain.
"If you're gonna kill us, go ahead and do it, Fool. Save my ears from hearing your trash."
That got a laugh.
"Fool. Perfect choice of words. You see, I'm not going to put you out of business by killing you. That might actually cause someone else to view you as heroes and try to follow in your footsteps. No – I think this will work out much better."
It was when he lifted his hand that they realized he was holding a remote control. The volume was turned up to the point where it was almost like Murdock was in the same cell with them.
Murdock stopped in the middle of 'put your left foot in'. He turned toward the door – apparently, he had heard something that they couldn't.
Then the cell to Murdock's door opened and Face was shoved inside. Hannibal felt a cold lump in his stomach. Face collapsed on the floor and was going erratically from laughing to screaming to crying.
The man just laughed at the expression on their faces.
"Enjoy the sight of another of your men losing his sanity, Smith. And pay close attention, Baracus. You're next."