Chapter Twenty-four

Plan was crazy, coming from a crazy-ass colonel, but the man knew what he was doing too. BA didn't have to like it. He learned that long ago. He never had to like what a CO wanted, he just had to get it done—or punch the CO out, but that wasn't really an option right now, not yet anyhow.

Another thread in the rope around his wrists frayed and split. He was more than halfway through. Soon his hands would be free, and Lord help those guards when that happened.

He kept sawing away with the little sliver of stone. It seemed to be working at his hand as much as the rope. Not even his calloused palms were safe, and the slick of blood was starting to make the task difficult. Didn't matter though, he almost had enough cut that he could just muscle up and snap the rest loose.

And then that lone, sharp bird-call sounded. Only it wasn't no bird from 'Nam. It was something from the states, something foreign and out of place here. Wood Thrush was the call Hannibal liked to use.

In a flash, Cal made a mad dash, jerking to a violent halt the minute he reached the end of his line. He lay, sprawled out, hands bound behind him, pawing and thrashing frantically as his face reddened. BA might've forgotten to follow the act if the others hadn't instantly dropped as well. He did what was needed, feeling ridiculously exposed and obvious in his actions, but the guards didn't seem to notice.

Like dogs to the fleeing prey, they moved quickly to Cal, ignoring even their duty to keep Hannibal and Murdock from harm. Backs turned to him, BA rose, flexing until he felt the gratifying snap of the rope. Face was up as well, his hands free, and they, along with Murdock, quickly sprang forward. They took the first two guards down with quick twists to the neck. Face shouldered a rifle and took a knife in hand, but BA simply kept moving. No time to waste, not when he could kill the men just as easily with his bare hands.

Murdock kept up with them, though the fool was rather useless with his hands still bound, but if he stayed still they wouldn't have been able to advance with him tethering them back with the neck rope.

BA snapped another neck as Face took a guard down with a quick swipe of his knife. They'd been quick, stealthy so far, but that wouldn't last much longer. Ray joined them now, his hands free as well from the work he'd done with his own piece of sharpened stone. Only four guards left.

Ray caught the next one by surprise, but the man let out a gasped cry before succumbing. The last three guards, who'd been huddled around Cal, sending a swift kick or two the medic's way, spun around. Hannibal, hands still bound, tackled one of them to the ground as he raised his rifle. The shots sprayed into the dirt as the two men tumbled downward.

Face had the second guard down before he got a shot off. The third got a round off before BA plowed him down. Didn't even have to snap the guy's neck, he just stomped right over him. The man went limp, mouth open, wide, unblinking eyes staring upward.

BA turned around, staring down at the body, waiting for that coursing rage to fade. Thing was, he wanted to keep killing. He wanted to throttle the life out of every goddamn thing around him. No one would cage him again. No one would...

"SHIT!"

He glanced over in time to see Hannibal dashing over to Cal.

The medic was still on the ground thrashing around. Each frantic kick reminded BA of a rabbit caught in a snare. He'd only seen that once, long ago, at a ranch his Mama had taken him to on vacation as a child, but the image stuck with him.

Hannibal was still softly cursing as he worked the knot loose, slipped it from Callaghan's neck, but, by that time, the small man had gone still.

BA stepped forward, eyes fixed on Cal, waiting for him to sit up, grin, laugh about how he was messin' with them. Hannibal shifted, hand settling on Cal's neck, checking for a pulse.

"Is he...?" Ray asked, voicing what no one else could find the nerve to.

Hannibal's shoulders relaxed a bit, a sigh escaping him before he answered. "No, just unconscious. BA, could you..."

Colonel didn't need to finish. BA was already moving forward. He was the only one with enough muscle left to carry the man, besides, he needed to. Little man would keep him from thinking about wandering off to find some more NVA soldiers to kill. His revenge was far from settled, but this wasn't the time. Carrying Cal would remind him of that.

BA freed himself of the rope around his neck and found a rifle to shoulder before he bent down to gently pick Cal up. The little shit hardly weighed a lick. Somehow that surprised BA. For all the big talk Cal had, BA had expected him to be partially built of brick, but that was not the case.

It took only a few minutes for everyone to be free of their ropes, gather some weapons and supplies and start moving out. They wasted no time. No one spoke, asked questions or gave any hesitation. They simply set off in whatever direction Hannibal picked.

Rest was not an option. They stopped only when a possible threat of being discovered came too near. This happened only twice that day. By the time they halted, darkness had overtaken the jungle. Cal had still not wakened and BA could see the worry clearly on even the colonel's face.

He set the medic down on top of a leafy palm and dropped down beside him.

"Man, you'd better wake up soon or I'm gonna leave your Mick ass behind." He waited, hoping for a response, but none came.

Ray settled down on the other side of Cal. "Maybe he just needs a little more time." There was something too hurt, too wanting in the Lt.'s voice that startled BA.

"You ok, man?"

The smile creeping on Ray's face was a weak attempt to confirm he was, but the sadness, the worry in his eyes betrayed that. "Yeah, sure."

"Ain't time to hold on to anything."

Ray turned his head, staring off into the jungle. "I..." He paused, a deep sigh replacing whatever it was he was going to say.

BA shrugged. He couldn't make the man talk if he didn't want to. Besides, it wasn't like BA could fix anything, and he really wasn't so sure he wanted to be opening up any bottled up emotions anyone was dealing with, including himself.

"I lost my wire." Ray blurted out. "Cal said he had an extra, but..." He looked back at BA, his brow wrinkled, eyes red, watery. "...that was a lie, wasn't it? He used his on me. He told me not to worry, that you'd all get me home." He turned away, wiping his face with a dirty sleeve. "I didn't want this. Hell, he's just a kid. He had no right to..."

"Would you shut that bellyachin' down?" The voice was raspy, hoarse, but unmistakable.

BA and Ray looked down at the man between them. Cal tried to sit up and then seemed to think better of it.

"Holy shit, my head hurts," he croaked, glancing from BA to Ray. "Which one of you lugs was dancin' on my noggin?"

"Cal, I..."

Ray couldn't get any more out before the medic was silencing him.

"Shut it, I've got too much of a headache to hear apologies." Cal did manage a large, crooked grin. "I do expect care packages every weekend after you get back though. I'm thinking booze and girly magazines."

The weary chuckle from Ray seemed to end the conversation. Cal closed his eyes again, either drifting off to sleep or needing a moment to himself. BA wasn't sure which it was, but he really didn't care. Either way, the man was fine.

He glanced over to his right, finding Face and Murdock not far off, huddled beneath a tree. They were talking quietly, voices so low BA could only hear them faintly now that he concentrated all his focus on them, but he still could not make out what it was they said. It wasn't that he wanted to know, not really. Some part of him was wary of knowing, of getting too close to Murdock. He couldn't be sure of what it was. Was he afraid of the man snapping again? Somehow he didn't think that was it. No. It was something else. There was something fragile about the man now, and BA had never done well with fragile things. He broke them too easily.

"I'm heading out."

BA blinked, coming abruptly out of his thoughts and staring up at Hannibal.

A small pack on his shoulder and a rifle in hand, Hannibal held a grim smile in place. "If I'm not back by noon tomorrow, leave without me. Ray, you know the plan."

By this point, Face was on his feet, moving through the dim jungle toward them. Murdock stayed behind, becoming more and more hidden in the growing shadows.

"You can't be serious." The exasperation was clear in Face's voice. "You're leaving? To do what? Get captured again? Die? Christ, Hannibal, you can't just..."

"Stow it, Lieutenant." Hannibal pivoted on his heels, turning away. "You're not my 0-2 yet." And with that he slid silently into the brush and vanished.

Cal managed to hoist himself into a sitting position. Blinking groggily at his comrades, he asked, "What the hell was that about?"

BA shook his head, wondering the same damn thing.