Chapter 2: Cat and mouse

BA and Peck stumbled onwards towards the river. The staccato chatter of automatic weapons and screams of terror from the camp, rang deafeningly in their ears. As Peck glanced at BA, he could see the haunting look of guilt shining brightly in his eyes. He recognised that look only too well. It said: "I messed up big time. And now others have paid for my mistake".

He wanted to reassure the Big Guy that it wasn't his fault. It was easy to drop your guard and mess up in this hostile hellhole. Peck had seen good men fall on his watch and out on the field. Sometimes you saw it coming, but mostly it hit you like a ton of bricks. Any lapse of concentration or hot-headed reaction could cause catastrophic events to unfold.

He grasped BA round the waist with one arm, whilst the Sergeant draped his arm over Peck's shoulder in a vice-like grip. After about ten minutes or so, he became aware that Peck was supporting most of his bulky frame. He was surprised at the strength the young man seemed to possess. He wasn't of a heavily-built disposition, but BA could feel a wall of solid muscle keeping him from falling over.

They were both sweating profusely from the assertion of their laboured trek. But Peck only stopped long enough to pull out his compass from his pack. If there were any VC in the vicinity, he knew it wouldn't be long before they picked up their trail. As the riverbank melted into a series of impassable rocks and boulders, he veered them back into the dense forest.

Now and then he would glance down at the compass. Obviously he must have had some idea of where they were heading. BA had enough savvy to assume that they would head for the nearest village, where they could get help and hopefully transport back to Nha Trang HQ. With this mission now shot to pieces, they needed to regroup. Fortunately, friendly aircraft passed overhead on frequent occasions during the day. They just needed to get out from underneath this green tarpaulin.

Ahead of them was a vast network of narrow footpaths. As they ventured deeper into the forest they became consumed by the twilight of the wilderness. The light and shadows that interplayed around them was like listening to a melodic overture, but without the music.

It wasn't long before they could hear the inconspicuous sound of shuffling up ahead. Not willing to take any chances, Peck and BA immediately left the trail they were following and ducked down into the bushes. The sound of Vietnamese voices and branches grating against cloth uniforms could now distinctively be heard. The crunch of dried leaves underfoot alerted them to the fact that Charlie was in close proximity.

Not daring to move, not even to wipe the dripping sweat from their faces, they waited for what seemed like an eternity, for the intruders to move off. It was only when they heard the chorus of birds chirping noisily above their heads, that they felt safe enough to emerge from the bushes.

This cat and mouse routine became the norm as they zigged-zagged their way through the forest, trying to throw any unfriendlies off their scent. In some places they were forced to drop down on their hands and knees to crawl under and through endless mazes of vines and creepers.

BA felt as if a million, tiny red-hot pin pricks were being stuck into his wounded thigh. He was deathly pale and must have been running on pure adrenaline and a strong will to survive. Blood was seeping through his bandage now at an alarming rate. But he didn't complain. Peck had to admire the fact that the man seemed to have balls of solid steel! He knew they would have to stop soon as it was evident how physically and mentally fatigued they were both becoming.

Finally Peck came to a stand-still, as they suddenly found themselves in a deep depression, surrounded by a cluster of trees. The large leafy foliage immediately closed in around them, giving complete shelter and protection. There was enough room to stand up and the ground was dry enough to lie down on. Peck helped BA sit down.

BA slumped down on the ground as his strength and resolve finally deserted him. He rested his back against the trunk of a large tree and placed his rifle on the ground beside him. He then took several large slugs of water from his canteen, grimacing in pain and discomfort.

Peck was thankful that exhaustion would probably numb most of the Sergeant's pain. He also took a quick sip from his canteen before turning his attention to BA again. He carefully unwrapped the bandage from his leg. BA flinched involuntarily, but somehow managed to keep his groaning to a low murmur.

Having discarded the bandage, Peck removed his first aid kit from the back of his belt and pulled out a bottle of disinfectant, some antiseptic swabs, gauzing and a fresh dressing. He poured some disinfectant on to the wound and cleaned it up at best as he could with the swabs. Quite a bit of dirt and other debris from the forest had got mixed up amongst the blood.

Miraculously, the bullet didn't seem to have hit any major arteries, giving Peck peace of mind that he wasn't about to bleed to death. His mind thought back to a military first aid article he had read regarding the removal of bullets. "There is no urgent need to remove the projectile. Minimize bleeding and do everything you can to ensure the victim can still breathe. Get to hospital a-sap".

The sound of BA's gruff voice echoing around the copse, made him jump.

"Don't just leave me hangin' sucker!" he moaned in a bad-tempered voice. "How bad is it?"

Well! thought Peck to himself in a bemused fashion. There certainly wasn't any doubt that his patient could still breathe!

"You've lost a lot of blood but the bullet doesn't seem to have done much damage," he reported, managing to flash an encouraging grin back at BA. "Unfortunately, I don't have the skills or the equipment to remove the bullet, though. I think we'll leave that to the experts. Apart from that, I think you'll live, Sergeant!"

BA heaved a sigh of relief, although he was clearly still in great pain.

"You want something for the pain?" asked Peck.

BA screwed his face up in disgust, but when the Lieutenant handed him a couple of ibuprofen, he was only too glad to accept it.

"What we gonna do now? he asked, gulping the pills down in one go with a swig of water. Peck, who had started to pack off the wound with the gauzing, looked up again, a pensive expression on his face.

"It's gonna be dark soon," he deliberated, as he looked at his watch. "It's a least another half day's walk to the village. I suggest we stay here overnight and get some rest and set off at first light tomorrow."

BA nodded in approval. Peck applied a fresh bandage over the wound and used the last of the water in his canteen to clean himself up. Delving further into his pack, he brought out a tin opener, a couple of cans of c-rations, an apple and some chocolate. Opening up one of the tins he put it on the ground next to BA, together with the apple and chocolate.

"Eat! he ordered. "You need to keep your strength up for tomorrow."

BA tucked in hungrily. Peck opened the other can and downed the contents in a few quick swallows.

"Hey, what's the rush?" questioned BA. "Yuse just said we gonna be here for the night."

Peck was silent as he emptied the contents of his pack onto the ground and sorted through them. As he had not envisaged this impromptu hike into the countryside, most of the necessities he needed were not, unfortunately, at his disposal - including flares or a radio communicator.

He finally picked up a spool of trip wire, a grenade, duct tape, a small torch and the only spare M-16 magazine they had between them. He put them back in his pack, leaving everything else on the ground.

"How much ammunition have you got left in your magazine, Baracus?" he enquired, as he returned his empty canteen to its pouch on his belt.

"I got almost a full round," replied BA, he eyes opening wide in astonishment as he realised the Lieutenant was going out into the forest on his own.

"Good!" concurred Peck. "Now don't go anywhere while I'm gone, will you? That's an order Sergeant!" By the cool and collected tone of his voice, one would have thought he was just popping out to the local supermarket to get a pint of milk!

"Wait a minute man!" exclaimed BA. "You can't go out there on ya own. You'll get ya lily-white ass shot to pieces!"

"No choice," said Peck, decisively. "I've got to secure our perimeter and get some more water. Plus your massive footprints have left behind a trail a blind man could follow! Don't worry, I'll be back before dark."

BA eyed up the Lieutenant with a new-found respect, as he made his final preparations to leave. Despite the fact that his miscalculation had put them in this dire situation, Peck had shown no sign of resentment or anger towards him.

"Hey, Peck!" he said, as a sudden thought struck him. "Why didn't ya leave me back at da river? It would be a helluva lot easier for you to make it on ya own."

Peck flashed him another dazzling smile.

"Rule No 1, Sergeant," he replied. "The A-Team don't ever leave anyone behind. Keep that rifle close."

BA reached for his rifle and placed it over his lap as he watched Peck disappear from view. Left only with his thoughts for company, he realised that his opinion of the conman had changed significantly over the last few hours. There was no doubt that the irritating little jerk had saved his life.

And Jeez, he was young. Probably only a couple of years older than himself. But he appeared to have excellent survival instincts and leadership skills. BA had found himself reassured by the forthright and efficient manner in which he had executed their evasion of the VC. He needed that assurance right now.

Sitting alone in the dimly-lit copse, BA hoped his little brother would be okay.

[AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Please keep 'em coming!]