Chapter Ten
With the colony at Alcatraz now up and running, everyone is settling into their roles. Military and martial arts training is broken up to take place on alternating days so that people can be assigned other important duties. The fishermen check the lobster traps and hunt for tuna. The best fighters in the group take on guard duty. Those with an aptitude for gardening tend to the crops. And someone is always manning the radio at the lighthouse. Usually it's Roger Horn, who has difficulty with running and martial arts training due to his old war injuries. With the colony developing a routine, B.A. begins to become more irritable than usual. One morning after breakfast he grabs Hannibal by the arm and pulls him aside. "Hey man!" he says to the colonel, "You said once we were safe at Alcatraz, that we would go and rescue my mother! We're here! We're safe! We have food! We built greenhouses to grow more food! We beefed up the defenses! We're even teaching the civilians how to defend themselves! This place ain't gonna get any safer! I want to rescue my momma now!"
" I understand B.A." replies Hannibal, "and you're right. And we will rescue her. I just need to come up with a plan first."
"You want a plan? Here's one! We go back to Lobster Cove! We fix up my van! We drive to Chicago, rescue Momma, drive back to Lobster Cove, then take a boat back here where it's safe!"
"B.A. you know as well as I do that Chicago is a war zone. Even if your van could get through the horde of walkers roaming the streets, we'd never be able to get your mom from her apartment building to the van. And what about her neighbors? They were a fairly tight knit community when we met them. I doubt she'll want to leave them behind."
"What are you sayin', man? We ain't gonna go?"
"I'm not saying that at all," replies Hannibal, "I'm just saying we have to be smart about it. The way I figure it, we have two choices. One, we wait until winter. . ."
"What?"
"Just hear me out. We wait until winter, when the walkers are all frozen solid and buried up to their waists in snow. Then we drive through with a snow plow and some vans and pick everyone up. No muss, no fuss."
"I ain't waitin' til winter Hannibal!"
"Then our other option is to find a vehicle that is as secure as a sherman tank and has the comfort and seating capacity of a Greyhound bus."
Just then Marcus Taylor comes over to the two men. "Did I hear you say you want to go on a rescue mission to Chicago?" he asks.
"We're goin' to rescue my momma!" snarls B.A.
"I hear that, brother," says Taylor, "If my grandma was still alive, I'd go to Detroit to save her."
"We need vehicles," says B.A. "Big ones, that'll hold a lot of people. And a way to secure them against attack."
"What about the San Francisco ship yard?" suggests Taylor. "We went past there on our way here. There were a bunch of trucks there. I guess they were gonna be loaded with cargo from the freighters before the city was quarantined, then got stuck there. The place should be secure. No trucks or freighters were allowed to leave the city once we were locked in quarantine."
"What do you say B.A.?" asks Hannibal.
"It's worth a look," says the big man. Then he turns to Taylor and says "Thanks man."
"Any time, brother." Taylor replies, and he holds out his fist, which B.A. taps with his own.
"Okay Sergeant, go get the rest of the team. We'll leave as soon as you're ready."
"I'll round up some of the guys," says Taylor, "Team Viking's got your back, brother. Always."
Within minutes all four members of The A-Team are gathered at the docks. Joining them are all of the members of Team Viking, all three Duke cousins, Enos, John Peter McAllister and his pupil Max, as well as Johnathan and Jennifer Hart. Hannibal walks up to the billionaire. "You don't have to come along," says the colonel, "We could be walking into just about anything."
"You don't have to worry about us Colonel," says Johnathan, "We can take care of ourselves." To emphasize his point he chambers a round in his pump action shotgun. "Besides," continues the billionaire, "if we're taking my yacht, then I'm your pilot. Nobody drives that boat but me."
"Fair enough," concedes Hannibal.
"Remember people!" says McAllister, "Conserve your ammunition! If you run into walkers, use your close combat weapons first if at all possible! Knives, machetes, axes! Gunfire will only attract more of them to you, which could cause you to be overwhelmed!"
"Only use your firearms if you're in need of back up!" says Colonel Brewster. "That'll be everyone's signal to come running to help!"
"I want teams of two!" says Hannibal, "B.A.! You and Murdock head straight to the main gate! Bo and Luke Duke will go with you for backup! You need to check to see whether or not the gate is locked! If it's locked, cut the lock off and replace it with one of our own! If it's not, close it and lock it! Either way, get on the radio and let us know!"
"You got it Colonel!" replies Murdock.
"Face!" continues Hannibal, "You and I are going to the office! Hopefully we can find a master list of everything being stored here! That should help us prioritize which shipping containers we empty first!"
"Right Hannibal!" replies Face.
"Percell!" says Captain Goldman.
"Sir!" replies Danny Percell.
"You're to stay on the boat with Mr and Mrs Hart! Find a high vantage point and keep a look out for ghouls! If you spot any, let us know! And be ready to back us up with sniper fire!"
"Yes sir!"
"Here you go kid," says Hannibal as he hands Percell a high powered hunting rifle with a scope attached to it and a box of shells, "The only person who could possibly miss with this gun is the one who's rich enough to afford to buy it."
Percell reads the price tag on the weapon, which is still dangling from the trigger guard. It reads "$3500". This causes Percell to snort in amusement. Then Sergeant Anderson addresses the men. "All right boys and girls! Y'all have your assignments! Now let's get cracking! Lock and load people!"
Everyone who has volunteered to help in clearing the ship yard readies their weapons and boards the Harts' yacht. The trip to the shipyard is short and uneventful. They dock the yacht in the harbor. Bo and Luke Duke disembark with the A-Team while the others stay on the boat. As planned, Bo and Luke accompany B.A. and Murdock as they head straight for the mail gate while Hannibal and Face-Man head for the office. Danny Percell climbs to the highest vantage point on the yacht and watches them through the scope of his rifle, while at the same time keeps a look out for the undead. Hannibal and Face soon disappear from view as there are shipping containers between the dock and the office. Soon after, B.A., Murdock, and the Dukes disappear as well, as the main gate is not within sight of the dock. As the two Dukes and the two mercenaries approach the gate, they see that it was left wide open. B.A. quickly closes the gate, secures the latch, and locks it with a padlock. Then he gets on his walkie-talkie. "Hannibal!" he says, "This is B.A.!"
"What is it Sergeant?" replies Hannibal.
"We've locked the main gate," says the big man, "But it was wide open when we got here. There may be survivors hiding here already. Or, more likely, walkers."
"Understood," replies the colonel, "You four check the perimeter. Make sure there aren't any other places that would allow people to just walk right in."
"Roger that," says B.A. and he puts his radio away. "Alright!" he says to his companions, "Murdock! You take Bo and head in that direction. Me and Luke will go the opposite direction! We have to check this entire fence for breaches!"
"Why are you splitting us up, big guy?" asks Murdock.
"Two reasons!" says the sergeant, "One, the Dukes have bows and arrows, which are good for quietly killing walkers at a distance but not so good for signaling for help!"
"And the other reason?"
"So I don't have to listen to your crazy jibber-jabber!"
"Fair enough," replies the captain. Then he turns to the blonde haired Duke, "Come on Luke."
"I'm Bo," replies the young man.
"And I'm crazy," says Murdock, "But let's not give this angry mud sucker a reason to knock my block off."
The younger Duke chuckles at the pilot's attitude and follows the lunatic with bow and arrow at the ready. B.A. watches them leave, then turns to the older Duke. "Come on," he growls and heads in the opposite direction. The dark haired Duke follows the large black man, not sure whether he or his cousin got the better end of this deal.
Meanwhile, Hannibal and Face are just outside the shipyard's office. They try the door and find it locked. What's more, the rattling of the doorknob has attracted the attention of the building's occupants, as they can hear walkers moaning and banging against the door trying to get at them. Hannibal gets on his radio. "Alright everyone! Fan out in groups of two, just as we planned! It looks like this place might be full of ghouls, so be careful! And good luck!"
With that, the colonel puts away his radio and draws his machete. Face takes out his lock picks and goes to work on the office door. Normally they would just kick the door down during a scavenging mission. But seeing as they planned on converting this shipyard into another sanctuary for survivors, they figured it was a good idea to keep the place as intact as possible. In moments the lieutenant unlocks the office door. He puts away his lock picks and draws a handgun, to which he attaches a silencer to the barrel. He looks over at Hannibal, who's looking at his second in command with a disapproving look.
"What?" says Face with a shrug of his shoulders, "I just don't want to get walker brains splattered all over my suit."
Hannibal just shakes his head in disbelief. He then opens the door to the office building and buries his machete into the first ghoul he sees, which was standing right at the door trying to claw it's way through to the meal outside. He and Face then enter the building and start putting down the walkers within. They were outnumbered six to one, but the two veteran commandos had faced worse odds against organized, living opponents. These undead monsters were eliminated in short order.
As Hannibal and Face are clearing the office building of ghouls, McAllister, Max, and the members of Team Viking spread out through the shipyard and hunt down the dead that are roaming about the shipping containers. This proves to be no easy task, as the shipyard is a virtual labyrinth with scores of places that walkers could be hiding. Also there are many dead ends, where team members could be trapped and overwhelmed should the ghouls attack them en masse. Luckily the dead that they encounter are spread out throughout the shipyard and aren't all congregating in one area, making them easier to kill a few at a time. It takes most of the afternoon, but eventually the area is cleared and nobody had to fire a single shot. Hannibal gives Percell the signal that it's all clear, and Danny and the Harts leave the yacht and join the others.
"So now what?" asks Johnathan Hart.
"Now we start emptying these shipping containers," replies Hannibal, "I have the list of everything that was being stored here. There is a lot of canned and dried foods that were either being shipped in or shipped out. Enough food to feed our community for a long, long time. Once the shipping containers are emptied we'll place them end to end just inside the fence, reinforcing the perimeter with a steel wall. We'll stack them three high to make climbing over the wall nearly impossible. The rest we'll convert into living quarters for new arrivals."
"Colonel," says Luke Duke, "While I think it's a good idea to build a sister community to the one at Alcatraz, I don't see how this one can be made very self sufficient. It's all concrete and steel. They won't be able to grow anything. Even with us turning the parade grounds into farmland on the island, we won't be able to grow enough crops to feed two groups. Especially if both communities grow to maximum capacity."
"Colonel, if I may," interjects Johnathan Hart, "I had donated a great deal of time and money to urban beautification projects, including inner city community gardens. They had turned many abandoned cars and old bathtubs into flower beds. We can probably do something similar with some of these shipping containers."
"Interesting suggestion," says Hannibal, "What do you propose?"
"Well," replies Johnathan, "We can start by welding the doors to some of these containers shut. Then we cut them horizontally, lengthwise, like layers of a cake. Then we can fill them up with soil and plant vegetables in them. Each container ought to give us at least three or four vegetable gardens."
"That is an excellent suggestion," agrees Hannibal.
"I would suggest we use a few of those shipping containers to store compost," adds Jennifer Hart, "Compost makes an excellent natural, organic fertilizer which will help to ensure a healthy crop every season."
"My wife is quite the gardener," says Johnathan, "You should have seen her greenhouse back home before all this happened."
"Hey man!" says B.A. "We're supposed to be gettin' some wheels so we can rescue my momma! Remember?"
"How could I forget?" replies Hannibal, "Don't worry B.A. I've got it covered. Follow me." Hannibal leads B.A. to a small fleet of flatbed trucks and forklifts. "Well?" he says, "What do you think?"
B.A. actually cracks a smile. "I like it," he says.
"We just need to secure the yard and empty some of these containers so that they can be cannibalized and made into armor plating. But just because we'll be on our way to Chicago to rescue your mom, doesn't mean that the others have to sit idly around waiting for us to get back. They can get started on turning this place into a self sustaining, livable space while we prepare to rescue your mom. Then by the time we get back they should be finished and we can have our choice of places to live."
Just then Murdock comes running up to the two of them with Lieutenant John McKay in tow. "Colonel!" pants Murdock excitedly, "The Lieutenant and I have an idea!"
"What is it Captain?" asks Hannibal.
"San Francisco Bay must have a harbor patrol or a coast guard station somewhere," he replies, "That means there must be a helicopter at one of them."
"We ain't flyin' to Chicago, sucka!" says B.A. "I ain't lettin' my momma in anything with a crazy fool like you at the controls!"
"I wouldn't dream of it big guy," says Murdock, "I happen to like my teeth where they are. But I can use a chopper to lure some of the walkers out of your way, keep them from stopping the truck dead in its tracks."
"That's a pretty good idea Murdock," says Hannibal, "What do you say B.A.?"
"A decoy huh?" says the big man, "Alright. But you ain't takin' my momma up in that thing!"
"Perish the thought," says Murdock.
"Good thinking Captain," says Hannibal as he pats Murdock appreciatively on the shoulder, "You and Lieutenant McKay here go find Mr and Mrs Hart. They'll take you to the harbor patrol and coast guard in their yacht. And have them radio the others over on Alcatraz. We're going to need every able bodied person we've got to get this all set up in time."
The two pilots salute the colonel and then head off to do as their told. Hannibal and B.A. return to the others to find that they've already begun unloading some of the cargo from the shipping containers. The first container they were unloading was filled with crates of dried white rice. The next container was full of canned baked beans. The next was full of chocolate. As planned, as soon as each shipping container was emptied, it was lifted with a forklift and taken to the fence, where it was set down to form a wall around the perimeter. And as more fishing boats arrived with more people looking to help, the work began to go much faster. Shipping containers are being emptied in minutes, and their cargo is being loaded onto the boats.
Once there is a solid steel wall surrounding the shipyard, B.A. and a handful of others begin turning one of the flatbed trucks into an armored transport. They measure the truck to determine the size and shape of the steel plating that they'll need, and then draw the patterns onto the sides of an empty shipping container, which they then cut out. They then bolt and weld the pieces onto the truck, giving it an extra layer of steel to fend off bullets and clawing ghouls. Steel plates are welded in place over the windows, with slots cut into them to allow the driver to see out. And the hydraulic lift is removed from one of the forklifts and mounted onto the front of the truck. The forks are removed, and are replaced with a cow catcher made out of steel plates cut from a shipping container. The plates are even curved in such a way that the cow catcher could be used as a snow plow, in case they have to drive through snowy weather.
As the majority of the group is working on either converting the flatbed truck into an armored transport, unloading cargo from the metal shipping containers, or building the wall around the shipyard, Colt Seavers and Jody Banks are on guard duty at the main gate. The sound of running engines and construction has attracted the attention of roaming ghouls, and they're beginning to gather outside the newly erected wall. What's more, they notice an abandoned city bus parked just up the street from the shipyard. It's a diesel powered bus, not an electric trolley, which means it can be driven without electricity. Immediately, Colt runs over to where The A-Team is building their armored vehicle and tells them what's happening.
"How many walkers are there?" asks Hannibal.
"Maybe fifty so far," replies the stunt man, "But more are coming every minute. They know that there's something alive in here."
"Hey man!" says B.A. "We need that bus!"
"Is the truck ready B.A.?" asks the colonel.
"You know it, man!"
"Well then," says Hannibal with a smile, "I'd say now is as good a time as any to take her for a test run. B.A., you and Face take the truck to the main gate. As soon as the gate opens, drive straight for that abandoned bus. The rest of us will keep the walkers off your backs as best we can. When you get to the bus, hotwire it and bring it back here. We'll outfit her with some armor plating and bring her to Chicago to help fetch your mom."
"Right Hannibal!" says the big man.
Word of the gathering horde of walkers outside the main gate spreads quickly through the shipyard, as does hannibal's plan to recover an abandoned bus for their planned rescue mission. Bows and crossbows are passed out to the men and women working to prepare the shipyard. Their part of the plan is simple: Try to kill as many ghouls as they possibly can so that Face and B.A. don't get overwhelmed while they're trying to recover the abandoned bus. McAllister and Max climb up onto the shipping container wall to the right of the main gate along with Percell, the Baker twins, Ruiz, and Sergeant Anderson. Bo and Luke Duke climb up onto the shipping containers on the other side of the main gate with Colonel Brewster, Captain Goldman, Taylor, and Johnson. Hannibal, Charlie's Angels, Colt Seavers, Jody Banks, and a handful of civilians who have shown some aptitude with the bow and arrow or crossbow all stand shoulder to shoulder in front of the main gate, with Face and B.A. in the truck right behind them. The ghouls press up against the chain link steel gate, trying to get at the living flesh standing only feet away inside. Hannibal's group take aim with their bows and crossbows.
"Ready!" says the colonel, "Aim! FIRE!"
At his command, all of the people on the ground fire their arrows and crossbow bolts at the ghouls. Most of them hit their targets, piercing the brains of the undead and putting them to rest. As the dead fall, Jody runs to the gate with the keys and unlocks it. She quickly opens the gate, and as soon as she's clear Hannibal and the others fire another volley of arrows at the walkers outside. Without even waiting to see if their arrows struck home, Hannibal and the others scatter to the sides, clearing the way for the truck.
The second that the way is clear, B.A. puts the truck in gear and steps on the accelerator. The truck goes barreling out of the shipyard, smashing it's way through the dead and making a bee line for the abandoned bus. As the truck thunders away from the gate, the men on the wall shoot at the remaining walkers, keeping them from storming the main gate while Jody closes it and locks it back up. Jody chews on her bottom lip nervously as she watches the truck race towards the bus. From on top of the wall, Danny Percell takes up his rifle and watches Face and B.A.'s progress through the scope.
The truck crushes all of the walkers that are in its path. The dead practically explode as they're hit by the cow catcher on the front. The truck skids to a halt right in front of the bus. Face takes a steel crowbar and opens the passenger door of the truck. A walker is right there, trying to bite him. Face quickly cracks it in the skull with the crowbar, and then kicks it down to the ground. Face jumps out of the truck and smashes the walker in the skull a couple more times with the crowbar. Another ghoul attempts to take a bite out of the veteran soldier, but Peck drives the point of the crowbar into the thing's brain. Once that ghoul has been dispatched, he slams the passenger door of the truck shut in order to keep any more of them from getting inside and attacking B.A. Templeton runs over to the doors of the bus, smashing the brains in of another walker on his way. He jams the point of the crowbar into the edge of the bus doors and pries them open. Unfortunately the bus is not as abandoned as they had believed. The bus driver is a ghoul, and lunges at Templeton Peck. Face-Man is so surprised by the attack that he loses his balance and falls onto his back as the undead bus driver lands on top of him. Fortunately Face manages to get the crowbar into the walker's mouth, like the bit from a horse's harness, and keep it from biting him. But he sees over it's shoulder that there are more walkers about to exit the bus.
"B.A.!" shouts Face, "A little help?!"
B.A. grabs his AR-15 and jumps out of the truck. A walker tries to attack him as his feet hit the pavement, but the big man smashes it's skull with the butt of his rifle. Then just as he's turning to help Face, a shot rings out and the side of the ghoul's head explodes. B.A. looks back towards the shipyard and sees Danny Percell waving at him. The big man quickly gives a gesture of appreciation and then turns to help his friend.
Face-Man is still down on the ground, but now he's managed to draw his side arm, a .9mm baretta. The two members of The A-Team gun down the walkers as they exit the bus. Once it appears that there are no more walkers on board, B.A. helps his friend to his feet and the two of them board the vehicle. They immediately check the seats for any undead that they may have missed. There were a few who were far too torn up to be any threat, but the two mercenaries put them out of their misery anyway. They clear the bus of bodies and then Face gets behind the wheel and starts it up. The engine roars to life, and B.A. gives Face a good natured pat on the shoulder. Then the big man exits the bus and climbs back into the cab of the armored flatbed truck. Then B.A. leads the way as they drive the two vehicles back to the shipyard. As most of the undead that had congregated at the main gate were now destroyed they didn't need to come up with any elaborate plan to get back inside. Jody just unlocked the gate, and opened it up so that they could drive on in. Just as soon as both vehicles have cleared the fence, Jody closes and locks it up again.
As Face and B.A. step out of the vehicles, Jody runs up and kisses Face flush on the mouth. "Well," says Peck, "There's a fine hello."
Then Jody slaps him across the face. "Don't ever scare me like that again!" she says, and she storms off. Face and B.A. turn and look at each other and shrug. Then Hannibal comes over and pats Face on the back.
"Good work kid," the colonel tells him.
"Unfortunately all of that gunfire likely drew the attention of every walker within earshot of this place," says McAllister as he comes over to join them.
"Couldn't be helped, Johnny," replies Hannibal, "We're just going to have to shore up the defenses here ASAP."
"We'll keep building up the wall," agrees McAllister, "Three containers high, as you suggested. Maybe we should use some of them as guard posts. Cut doors and windows into them. Perhaps stack sandbags along the walls on the inside."
"You're the ninja, Old Buddy," says Hannibal, "Do whatever you think would keep you out."
"Nothing would be able to keep me out," replies The Master with a chuckle, "But I'll be sure to make it tough enough to slow me down."
"I bet you will."
The group immediately goes to work on the various tasks. Most of them are unloading the shipping containers, dividing the contents into several categories. The first category is The Essentials: food, seeds for crops, medical supplies, etc. The second category is Useful: electric generators, sporting goods, clothes, bedding, furniture, etc. Third is Sundries: electronics, books, games, etc. The last category is Garbage: rotted produce mostly, as well as anything else that doesn't even have the slightest use in aiding one's survival or allowing for retaining some semblance of the life that once was.
The A-Team and several members of Team Viking are cutting up another of the shipping containers and using the steel plates to add armor plating to the bus that they had just acquired. Meanwhile, Amy Allen, Mrs Howser, Wanda, and Janine are inside the bus with buckets of water and sponges trying their best to clean up the remains of the dead and get rid of their stink. B. another forklift and mounts the hydraulic lift onto the front of the bus, and then builds a cow catcher onto that much like the one on the flatbed truck. By sundown the bus is now completely armor plated, with small slits on every window to allow the passengers to safely look outside. The wall too is also just being completed, with emptied shipping containers being stacked three high. There's even a shipping container set across the top of the main gate, creating an almost tunnel kind of effect. Some of the shipping containers are already being converted into living spaces, with some of the found furniture and bedding being used to make them somewhat comfortable. Just as the finishing touches are being put on the bus, a helicopter comes flying towards the shipyard from out of the distance. As it gets closer, the people from the colony see that it's an older model of copter, only capable of carrying two people. It reminds Hannibal of the time he got shot in Korea and was evaced to the 4077 M*A*S*H unit, where he met Hotlips for the first time. Back then there were stretchers mounted on the sides of the medical choppers. This helicopter is of a similar design, but with bright orange pontoons on the chopper's skids so that it can land on the water. Likely it was used for spotting people in need of rescue more than actually rescuing people. The helicopter flies up to the shipyard and lands. The engine is shut off and the rotors begin to slow. McKay and Murdock hop out and run over to Hannibal Smith.
"What do you think Colonel?" asks the captain, "Beauty ain't she?"
"Nice Murdock," agrees Hannibal with a smile, "Nice."
"You ain't taken my Momma up in that thing sucka!" says B.A.
"Relax B.A." says Hannibal, "It's strictly for scouting and diversionary uses."
B.A. growls and returns to oversee the completion of the wall and put any necessary finishing touches onto the vehicles. The A-Team and Team Viking spend the night in the shipyard, along with about half of the fishermen from Alcatraz. The next morning, after a hardy breakfast, Face and B.A. get into the flatbed truck, while Hannibal drives the bus. Joining Hannibal are Taylor and Johnson, the Baker brothers, Percell, Ruiz and Sergeant Anderson. Captain Goldman and Colonel Brewster elect to stay behind and help improve the defenses of both camps. Murdock figures out the most direct route to get out of the city and onto the highway towards Chicago. He gets into the helicopter and takes off, flying as low and as slowly as he can. The others give him a strong head start in order to give the walkers a chance to follow him, and then they head out along the planned route. The plan works like a charm. Like rats to the Pied Piper, the walkers follow Murdock's helicopter leaving very few to block the vehicles path. And those are quickly smashed upon the cow catchers. As soon as Murdock figures that he had drawn enough walkers from the streets, he alters course and leads them towards Golden Gate Park. He flies over Chinatown and sees even more walkers coming out of alleys and abandoned buildings to follow the loud, slow moving helicopter. As Murdock is flying over the trees in the park, he sees two men in the middle of the park pushing shopping carts which appear to be filled with food.
"Oh crap," groans Murdock.