A.N – My apologies to the true Star Trek fans. As RobinRedoe said in the review, I mixed up the dates of the appearance of the Borgs and the catch phrase "resistance is futile", which I used in chapter 7. After a quick wander on google about the origin of the phrase, (other than Nazi Germany, which suits Colonel Shu nicely), I had in mind the year 1978, but that was in other series, Space 1999, and previously in Doctor Who and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. In my mind, I got that it was the Borgs on Star Trek in 1978, which I have to confess, I have no idea about, as I never watched Star Trek, but I thought it was a nice touch to illustrate how the guys had been out of the "civilized western world" for a while, since 1973, not catching on the TV series, for example, and because I knew the actor that played Murdock also acted in that series (and also because Murdock looks like a loony space cadet and follower of Star Trek). So, ignore the little detail that the Borgs appeared in 1990, and were not around in 1986, please.

Minor, minor, details… that are so annoying and all-important to fanfiction writers! LOL

Chapter 11

Tia walked into the compound with a purposeful stride, covering the ground as if she knew where she was going. With the brief instructions Hannibal gave her, she had a vague idea of where the buildings were, what they may contain, and where she should be looking for Murdock and Face. Along the way to one of those buildings, she spotted three prisoners working outside, building a wall, guarded by two soldiers with submachine guns. The prisoners looked American, so she wondered if they could be the remaining POWs still in that camp.

As she walked by them, one of the guards called her.

"Hey, you! Can you watch these scumbags for a moment, please? I need a break," he said in Vietnamese.

"Yeah, but hurry up."

She held the rifle up front, in position, and wandered nearer to the three men building the wall.

"Hey, you. Over here," she said in English, coming closer to one of them. "Don't look at me. Listen, but carry on working," she said in a low tone of voice that only that man could hear.

Harlow couldn't help but looking at that soldier briefly, and then carried on laying bricks.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he said, also in a low voice.

"Are you American POWs, from the war?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen the other Americans, Murdock and Peck?"

"Yes."

"Where are they?"

"In that building behind you, in the cell at the far corner."

"We're coming to rescue them, and you. Soon, so stay alert. We may need your help."

"How? What's the plan?"

"I don't know yet. I'm having a look first. Are there any more POWs other than you three?"

"No. But Murdock talked about a girl who was with them. She must be here somewhere."

"Don't worry about her."

"Have you rescued her already?"

"I am that girl."

Harlow had to look at her again. Bloody hell, that's a woman! How could I miss that!

"Don't look at me, please. Carry on working!"

"I can't believe this. How…? What's going on? Are you with that Hannibal those guys talked about, the one they said will come to rescue them?"

"Yes."

As she said that, the other soldier returned from his quick toilet break, startling her as he suddenly appeared on her back.

"It didn't take you long," she said, hanging the rifle at her back again, casually, lowering her head to hide her face, with an apparent calm she didn't really feel.

"Thanks. I'll take over now. You can go."

Tia left quickly, heading for the building behind them as if she knew exactly where she was going, in a hurry, with her heart pounding in her chest as she got away.

Harlow got near Conley and Scott then, still amazed by that unexpected turn.

"Guys, you won't believe this!" he started, whispering. "We're getting out of here!"

AAA

Murdock looked at his friend as he stirred in that narrow bed, worried for him, as he now moaned and whimpered in a restless sleep, agitated. Despite the antibiotics, Face's temperature was rising, and his forehead was covered with droplets of sweat, that he wiped off from time to time with his sleeve. Murdock's eyes always wandered back to the swollen hand sticking out of the sling, which wasn't a pretty sight. On the contrary, it was misshapen, hideous, and difficult to look at, but compelling at the same time. In a word: shocking. He could only hope Hannibal would hurry up, and could come up with a brilliant plan to get them out of there in time to get Face to a hospital, to treat that arm before it would become gangrenous and had to be amputated. But looking at that blackened, swollen hand, they could be at that stage already.

Shit, Facey. How would you cope without your arm? he thought, with a tight knot in his stomach, remembering his friend's panicked expression when he asked for his opinion on the matter. Not very well, I know.

His shoulder was throbbing now, giving him grief every time he moved his arm or torso, and he wished it could be him losing one arm instead of Face. He really wouldn't mind losing it, as long as Face would be fine. After all, he would look great with a prosthetic arm attached to his elbow, with a pirate hook or a talking sock at the end of it. Or even better: and end piece that could be shaped as a talking lobster claw, to drive B.A up the walls!

Chuckling at that thought, he wiped off his friend's forehead one more time, and talked to him softly.

"Hold down, Facey. Help is coming, I know. Just hold on a bit longer."

Then, longing for another injection of morphine, he wondered how much time he had left before the psycho colonel decided to have a second round of masochistic thrills. He had to do his best, so the colonel would leave Face alone, taking only him to that joy room, the odd name given by the guys to that chamber of horrors. After all, he could always slip into his own, painless, parallel universe, whenever he wanted, and ride the torture until Hannibal would get them out.

Suddenly, the key rattled on the door and the soldier with the bruised eye and another angry looking one came into the cell, and headed directly towards him.

"Get up! Colonel Shu wants to see you!" the grumpy soldier barked in English.

Murdock looked up, blinking with his puffy, bruised eyes. At least, they didn't seem interested in taking Face this time, a small consolation to be strong.

"Help me," Murdock's eyes said as he stared at the man with the black eye, but the sergeant avoided looking at him. He lifted him up, but handled him in a noticeably softer way than the other soldier, who was very rough with his injured shoulder, pulling from his arm without a second thought. Murdock understood he could not compromise that nice soldier asking him for help directly, because he would get in trouble. As they dragged him away, he looked back at Face, who was still sleep. At least, they didn't seem concerned with him, and hopefully that morning the psycho colonel would be happy to interrogate and torture him only.

As they got out of the cell, another soldier came in. Murdock lifted his head to look at him, and couldn't help but gasp in surprise. That was Tia!

"Where are you going?" the grumpy soldier asked in Vietnamese, which Murdock understood.

"Cell search," she said.

"OK. Close the door when you finish, and leave the key at the hanger."

As the soldiers dragged Murdock along the corridor, he turned his head to look at Tia, who held a finger on her lips to urge him to keep quiet. He tried hard then to keep his head still, looking at the front, and not looking back at her again, suppressing the smile that wanted to curl his lips up. Whatever she was doing, it must be part of Hannibal's bold plan to get them out of there. It was time!

AAA

Hannibal held onto the walkie-talkie as he smoked his cigar, waiting for Tia's report. He wanted to look confident about his so-called "plan", or the lack thereof, but the truth was, he wasn't. But, with or without a plan, they had to rescue Face and Murdock as soon as possible, because the longer they stayed in that prison, the higher the chances of finding them in a similar state to the last time. And he could not face that, not again. Besides, this time, they were already injured and in need of a hospital, to make matters worse, and more urgent.

He had never recovered from the shock of Face's injuries, and how guilty he felt about it. When he got to him, he had bruises all over; broken ribs, facial bones, fingers and teeth; angry and infected deep marks of ropes grazing the skin on his wrists, ankles and neck; deep and superficial burns of many sizes, some made by cigarette butts; welts on his back and torso; and the nasty cough from the near-drowning episodes. And the most upsetting injury of all: judging for the rectal laceration, the doctors told him he had probably been raped several times, brutally, but Face kept to himself, and never opened about what happened, and never complained about the delay on the rescue, or made any fuss about it, and he never blamed Hannibal for it, although it wasn't necessary, because he blamed himself. Face never revealed any specific details of the abuse, and Hannibal could only make up a composition of the horror by what little Murdock said of his own and Face's nightmare, slipping bits and pieces here and there, mostly by accident.

Both men had counselling and psychological therapy, besides the physical rehabilitation, but unlike Murdock, Face seemed to have recovered nicely from the ordeal, without apparent sequelae. But Hannibal knew better. For example, that emotional awkwardness in relationships and the womanizing behaviour appeared later, after the torture. And for Murdock… well, he was already losing his marbles in his fourth year as a war pilot, and that harrowing experience only tipped him to the edge.

For all that, he had to get his vulnerable men out of there ASAP, because he could not let them down a second time. Not again. No wonder Face had asked B.A to shoot him if he ever had to go back to a similar place.

The sudden crackling of the walkie-talkie got him out of those gloomy thoughts.

"Hannibal," Tia's voice came through with some distortion. "I found them."

"Great. How are they?" he answered, not sure if he wanted to know the honest answer.

AAA

Tia turned over the mattress and made herself busy pretending to be doing a thorough search of the cell while the other soldiers dragged Murdock away. After making a good enough mess, she stopped to check on Face. She touched his forehead and it was hot. He was sweating, and turning his head to the sides, moaning, looking delirious, like suffering a nightmare. She pulled the blanket away to check his injuries, and she was shocked by the state of his arm. She went to the door then quickly, making sure no other soldiers could hear her, and got the walkie-talkie.

"Hannibal, I found them."

"Great. How are they?" Hannibal answered in a low voice that could not hide his concern for his men.

"Not good. Face is in a very bad shape, and the soldiers just took Murdock away from the cell."

"Where to?"

"I don't know. But you must hurry. The cell is in the last building on the right, as that soldier said, in the far end corner."

"All right."

"I talked to the POWs. There's three of them still here. They know you are coming and they'll try to help."

"OK. Lie low. We are getting the truck now."

"Someone's coming!"

AAA

Tia stopped talking, and Hannibal didn't dare to call her back to find out what was going on.

"B.A, we have to get the truck. But I don't want to leave this position in case she calls back, because we may get out of range. Get Quang in the truck. I'm not sure how will we get out of here, but maybe we can all get a ride in that big bird instead of using the van," he said, pointing at the large army helicopter that was approaching the compound then.

"We have no pilot, Hannibal."

"I'll fly if Murdock can't. I have some notions, and he can guide me, as he did to land that plane when he got blinded."

"You are nuts! I'm not flying!"

"B.A, if we manage to break in, get them out, and fly away to Hanoi in that helicopter, all in one piece, that would be the best outcome we could get. Please, don't spoil it with your negativity!"

"Negativity? I could show you negativity!" B.A cried, showing Hannibal his heavily jewelled fist.

"Sergeant, please, get the truck. I'm waiting. We are all waiting, counting on you."

He handed him another walkie-talkie, set to a different frequency, hoping he would not mix his handsets up: right pocket for Tia's, left for BA's.

"I'll meet you on the road."

The urgency in his voice made B.A cave in, with a grunt. He grabbed the walkie-talkie and dashed into the jungle to get to the truck. He knew Hannibal was right: the best possible way to escape would be stealing that chopper. But, man! How much he hated flying! Even less without a fully functional, sane or otherwise crazy as a loon pilot…

AAA

The soldiers removed Murdock's jacket and T-shirt, and tied him up to the post in the same position Face had been, with the strap around his neck, wrists tied behind the post, and more straps around his ankles.

Murdock had a quick look at the room, and, against his better judgement, he opened his mouth to blurt his opinion.

"Oh, boy, the doctors at the V.A hospital would enjoy treating your masochistic/narcissistic disorder so much…"

"Would they?" Shu said, tapping the cane against his hand in the same way he had done the day before. "Have you seen the state of your friend? Of course you have… Now, if you don't want to end the day in an even worse shape than he is, I suggest you start answering my questions: who are you?"

"Captain H.M Murdock, US Army, Airbone Division."

"Good. That wasn't that difficult, was it? It only took your friend the magic touch of this cane inside his wound to answer that same question."

"Yeah, that man can be a bit thick and slow sometimes... Me, the sharpest pencil in the box!"

"Why are you here?"

"Vacation."

"On holiday? Really? Well, I don't think you are that clever then."

He whacked Murdock's head fast and hard then, and he howled in pain. Shu showed his heinous smile; at least that man showed his pain, not like the other, stubborn one.

"That's what your friend said. And it only cost him a good shake of his broken arm… I'll ask you again: why are you here?"

"We came with that general you tortured and killed, General Fulbright."

"Why? What for? He never said anything either."

"Of course not, because the mission was top secret."

"What mission?"

"We came for the potato soup, to snatch the secret recipe."

The psycho colonel whacked Murdock a few times with the cane then, fast and furious.

"Do you think you are funny? I'll give you funny!" he said, tapping with the cane over Murdock's left shoulder, as he moaned in pain after the manic beating.

Oh, boy. Here comes the cane! he thought, clenching his jaw and tensing his body in anticipation.

"Bring the other guy!" Colonel Shu ordered then in Vietnamese, prodding with the cane in the gunshot wound.

"NOOOO!" Murdock yelled.

The psycho smiled, prodding deeper, never catching that the strange man wasn't complaining about the cane at all.

AAAAA