The Sucker Punch Never Came
Chapter 9 Sock Puppet
"Think he'll be okay, Hannibal?" B. A. parked the van beside the Corvette at the beach house.
The Colonel hesitated before answering. "I don't know." He stared out at the white-capped ocean waves and smoked his cigar in silence. "He'll follow orders."
"What do you want me to do?" Face asked.
"You'll have to get into the patient files and look up our friend Jerry Connors."
"And how do you suggest I do that? It's not like I have access from here."
"Well, you'll have to go to the hospital and gain access."
Face groaned. "Why did I know you were going to say that? You know that requires me to get into Dr. Richter's office, don't you?"
"If I didn't think you were capable, I wouldn't tell you to do it. Get on it, Lieutenant. Murdock might not be able to hold out for long against this goon."
Face stared for a moment at Hannibal, then left the van to don the white lab coat he kept handy for springing Murdock. Moments later, he was driving the red and white Corvette back to the hospital, hoping Dr. Richter was out of the office when he arrived.
While Face was hurrying to accomplish his mission, Murdock was searching his dresser drawer. He knew he still had the sock puppet he had used when the team helped the Lone Star Taxi Company a few years ago.
He had two alter egos during that adventure; well, three if you counted Socky, the dog. Captain Cab and Dr. Vern the veterinarian were his coping mechanisms that time. Drove B. A. up the wall with them. Face even made a disparaging comment when Captain Cab introduced himself.
He did not want Donna, Jack or any of the other staff members to ask questions about his injured hand. The answers would put others in danger. The best way to avoid the questions was to cover the bruises. Besides, the puppet might be useful if Jag should try anything.
He had been on guard watching for his stalker for so many days that he hadn't realized how much he needed the short respite away from the hospital. Thinking about it, remembering some but not all of the details of the previous twenty four hours, he realized how close he had been to full-blown insanity.
He was that close to stepping into a waking world flashback of steaming jungle floor, Charlie behind every bush and sudden splatters of gunfire. A never-ending flashback that would end with him in restraints, screaming his nightmarish agonies into the air.
His current assignment sucked but it was part of the mission. The Colonel seemed to have faith in his ability to follow through. Murdock wished he had that kind of faith. At least he was thinking clearer again.
After slipping the sock on his hand and pulling the long sleeve of his flannel shirt over it, Murdock prepared himself mentally to leave his room. It would be so easy to be safe and play his arcade games until his next session with Dr. Richter. After all, he was known to stay mostly to himself.
But the Colonel was depending on him. He slipped to the observation window of the door and scanned the hallway. A uniformed MP was flirting with Donna at her station. From the look on her face, she was unimpressed.
Murdock frowned. An MP?
Turning his gaze up the hallway, he froze when he recognized Colonel Decker disappearing into a patient's room four doors away.
What the heck?
Murdock opened the door and stepped out. He began muttering to his sock puppet and holding it to his ear, pretending it was talking back to him. Seeing Donna watching him, he grinned at her and waved with his covered hand. He held his pointer finger up to the puppet and scolded it, shaking his head as he strolled casually toward the room Decker had disappeared into.
"Your assignment was to make him nervous, not to beat him. Oh yes, I saw your last report. Those weren't my orders." Decker's voice grated from within the room.
Another voice, one which had hissed at him less than a day ago answered the Colonel. "You wanted me for this job. You did happen to read my file, didn't you?" A pause. "I can see you did. Then you know why I did what I did."
"You will follow my orders, Captain Connors. Maybe, just maybe, I can pull some favors to get you out of here and back in action. You are to terrorize him until he contacts the A Team."
"How do you know he hasn't already?" Connors demanded.
"I don't. Keep the pressure on him and he'll contact them. Call me if he does. You know how. They won't stay away if they think Murdock is in mortal danger."
"Colonel Decker, pressure is the one thing I know how to dish out."
The listening pilot held his breath and slipped quietly back down the hall. He put his right hand in Socky's "mouth" and pretended to be wrestling to get his fingers back. Before disappearing into his room, he blew Donna a kiss.
Once inside, his door shut, he propped himself against the wall, sweat beginning to prickle along his back and forehead.
I gotta warn the guys. But how?
