Pounding on his bedroom door roused Face from a sound sleep. The clock by his bed showed 6:00 AM.
"Peck! Get your ass up!"
Face groaned and threw the covers off of him.
"All right! I'm up!" he shouted back.
"You have ten minutes to get your ass down to the shooting range," the voice shouted back through the door.
"Yes Sir," Face acknowledged. Receding footsteps told him that he was alone again. He quickly made his bed, complete with hospital corners, and dressed quickly. He opened the top drawer to his night table, and took out his sidearm and some extra ammo before leaving his room.
He made his way outside and across an acre of land to the shooting range. Shortly after he agreed to work for Dubrio, it'd been drilled into him that every man in Dubrio's employ was expected to put in an hour at the shooting range per day. Face's scheduled time, to his chagrin, was early in the morning.
He found his usual spot unoccupied, and set his gun down in front of him while he set up a target and sent it to the end of the line. He expertly checked and loaded the gun, and without hesitation emptied the clip into his target. He flipped the switch to bring the target back to him. All of his shots were in the fatal zone of the target. He switched out the targets and repeated. Each target he brought back was near perfect. The target practice bored him, but he kept at it. Shooting that target was an emotional release that Face was eternally grateful for. Doing it every day for the past three months had helped him come to terms with his current situation, and learn to accept it.
As he brought his last target back, he heard someone approaching behind him. Seconds later, Dubrio appeared at his side.
"Good Morning, Mr. Peck."
Face acknowledge him with a nod as he continued to straighten up his area. Dubrio reached out as Face's last target arrived at the end of the pulley, and he took it down to review it.
"This is very impressive, Mr. Peck." Dubrio sifted through the other targets Face had laid down next to him at his station. "You haven't missed a single shot. I haven't seen this kind of accuracy from one of my men in a very long time."
Face finally looked up at Dubrio.
"Thank you, Mr. Dubrio."
Dubrio rolled up the targets.
"I'd like you to join me for breakfast today, Mr. Peck. I want to discuss something with you."
Face was thrown off, but schooled his features and nodded.
"Okay."
Face followed Dubrio over to a golf cart. They climbed in and headed back toward the house. Dubrio parked his golf cart near the entrance to a private lanai. Face followed him through the gate. There was a quaint bistro table set up under an umbrella. The patio was surrounded by beautiful flowers, perfectly landscaped.
"Have a seat. There's hot coffee in the carafe on the table."
Face sat down silently and poured himself a cup of coffee. Dubrio did the same, and sat back contentedly in his chair.
"It's been a little over three months since you were recruited, Mr. Peck. Considering the circumstances of your recruitment, I was concerned that I'd have a more difficult time in training you."
"You had my friends killed, Dubrio... how did you expect me to react?"
"Please, let me finish, Mr. Peck, and then you can say what you would like."
Face nodded.
"You've proven yourself to be a valuable asset to me over the past few months. You perform every mission handed to you with military precision, and to date have never disobeyed an order. I have a proposal for you, if you are willing."
"What's that?" Face asked, sipping his coffee and eyeing Dubrio suspiciously.
"I want you on my personal security detail, Mr. Peck."
Face set down his coffee and looked at Dubrio.
"You almost shot me a week ago for screwing up a mission. Why would you want me on your detail?"
"I spoke to Mr. Mancuso last night. He told me that the police were following our contact, and that you were simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
"But Edwards-"
"Mr. Edwards is no longer in my employ. He won't be getting out of jail for a very long time, I'm afraid."
Face furrowed his brow in worry.
"Relax, Mr. Peck. I assure you last night is forgotten."
Face nodded.
"I need you on my personal detail... you're the best man I've got."
Face was hesitant to answer. On the one hand, he missed the freedom he had away from this place. On the other hand, the stability he had working for Dubrio was the only thing keeping him from going off the deep end. There would be no one waiting for him out there. He had no incentive to leave this place. He looked up at Dubrio with emotionless eyes.
"I accept."
Murdock hated recon. In 'Nam, he'd always push it on lower ranking officers than himself, just to get out of it. This time, he actually wanted to do it... because they were doing recon on Face.
Hannibal devised a plan that involved a good amount of recon on Dubrio's house and surrounding grounds. If they were going to get Face out, the plan had to be executed perfectly. There was no room for error in this operation.
Murdock made his way through the thick woods surrounding Dubrio's property, and found himself staring at Dubrio's private patio. He was crouched in between two thick honeysuckle bushes, watching with a pair of binoculars. Dubrio had left, and when he returned, Face was with him. It had been the first time he'd seen his friend all week. Murdock studied the expression on his friend's face, and couldn't help but feel that something was different about him.
It's almost as if he isn't the same person...
He watched Face sit down and help himself to coffee. He and Dubrio appeared to be having a casual conversation.
He doesn't look miserable to me... what the hell is going on here?
Murdock tried to read Dubrio's lips, but he couldn't discern what exactly was being said. There was a pause, and then Dubrio said something that Murdock could clearly read.
"I need you on my security detail, Mr. Peck."
Face sat there for a moment, unmoving, his expression unchanging.
He'd never do it... not in a million years.
Face set down his coffee and held out a hand for Dubrio to shake.
"I accept."
Murdock nearly dropped his binoculars. Had he really just witnessed Face agree to be Dubrio's personal security detail? Was he out of his ever loving mind?
The two-way radio made a soft noise in his pocket. It was his signal to regroup with Hannibal. He backed out slowly and made his way back through the woods. He met up with Hannibal about a half-mile away.
"What'd you find, Captain?"
"I saw Face," Murdock replied, trying not to sound angry.
"Is he all right? What happened?"
"He's more than all right... he was having coffee with Dubrio, on a private patio."
"He what?"
Murdock scrubbed a hand across his face.
"I read his lips, Colonel. He just agreed to be on Dubrio's personal security detail."
Hannibal felt his anger rise. How could Face do something like this? Did he want to get out of there?
"Maybe he doesn't want to be saved," Hannibal suddenly said as realization washed over him. "He probably still thinks B.A. and I are dead, and that you didn't find me."
"He's got to know that I've got no way of contacting him," Murdock said. "He's got to know I wouldn't have forgotten him."
Hannibal put a gentle hand on Murdock's shoulder.
"Face is a complicated person. He's never really had any one person in his life who he could count on not to abandon him. When he first came under my command in Vietnam, he nearly made me wring his neck with his attitude and insubordination."
"You never reported him for any of that, Colonel."
"Reporting him to the General wouldn't have stopped him. What Face needs is someone to push back, to get in his face and challenge him."
"What did you do?" Murdock asked.
"It was right after that recon assignment, 50 miles south of Da Nang..."
**Vietnam, 1970...**
As soon as the helo touched the ground, Face was out of it, and limping toward the barracks. Hannibal was right behind him, and he was pissed.
"Lieutenant!"
Face didn't stop... he just wanted to get away from the Colonel. They'd been on recon for over a month before they ran into a VC patrol. They'd lost three men, and Face was shot in the leg trying to play hero. Thankfully, Murdock swept in with the helo at the last minute, and Hannibal hauled his ass into the chopper. He'd gotten an earful from the Colonel on the chopper, and he was sick and tired of the man's constant browbeating.
Face pushed open the door to the barracks and limped inside. He threw his dirty gear on the floor next to his bunk, and sank down, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Lieutenant Peck."
The Colonel's voice was loud and stern, and right in front of him.
"What the hell were you thinking out there? Do you have some kind of insane death wish?"
Face suddenly leapt to his feet - a bad idea with a bum leg - to face his CO.
"I was trying to save what was left of our squad! Excuse me for doing my god damned job!"
"Drop and give me fifty, Lieutenant!"
"Screw off!"
Face tried to push past him, but Hannibal grabbed him roughly by the shirt.
"You either give me fifty right now, or the next place your ass is going is to the General, and you better believe he'll come down harder on your ass than me. Pick your poison, Lieutenant."
Face shoved away from Hannibal, and slowly lowered himself to the ground and started in on his push-ups.
"So what's your deal, Lieutenant Peck," Hannibal asked as Face struggled through his push-ups. Doing fifty push-ups was nothing - unless you'd been shot an hour before. Face was clearly in pain, and Hannibal could clearly tell. "Why did you jump out in front of 20 Charlies with automatic weapons?"
"They ambushed us!" Face shouted in between pain-filled push-ups. "They killed Diaz, Barnes and Stoltz, and they were gunning for you and me next... I wasn't about to let them get me without a fight."
"Fighting is one thing, Lieutenant... throwing yourself in front of twenty automatic weapons is bordering insanity."
Face was slowing down... he still had fifteen push-ups to go, and he'd be damned if he'd quit before he'd finished all of them. He hadn't counted on Hannibal's foot pressing down on his back.
"You can stop now."
"I still have - ten more to go, Sir."
"You're in pain... you don't have to-"
"Let me finish, damn it!"
Hannibal took his foot away from Face's back, and watched him struggle through the last 10 push-ups. When he finished the last one, he collapsed to the floor, shaking and sweating bullets. Hannibal got down on one knee next to him.
"You don't have to prove anything to me, Kid. I've had faith in you since the day you joined my Unit, and that'll never change. I'll have your back, no matter what happens."
Face looked up at his CO. The anger had melted away from his features, and in its place was a scared little boy.
"Come on, Kid. Let's get you to the Medic to fix up that leg before it gets infected."
Face smiled and allowed his CO to help him off the floor.
Murdock chuckled as Hannibal finished his antecdote.
"Chap wasn't too happy that you made Face do fifty push-ups with a bullet wound."
"He lived... and so did Face."
"We gotta get him back, Hannibal. We have to let him know some way that we haven't abandoned him."
"We'll find a way, Murdock... I promise."
TBC...