Apologies for the cliffhanger. But I do so love the suspense! Leave a like and comment if you wish. I will update soon!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter II

Hannibal sat in quiet thought as he smoked his cigar. Enjoying the rich taste of the tobacco as he watched the smoke rise and drift across the tent. Creating intricate patterns as it danced in the air, as it finally gathered in a smoky haze around the lamp hanging from the ceiling, shrouding the room in murky shadow.

"So, what's the plan, Hannibal?" The general asked, interrupting the colonel's trance and bringing him back to reality. Hannibal looked up and grinned as he puffed on his cigar.

"Great cigar general," Hannibal mused, leaning over to slide the mission file towards the general. Where'd you get 'em? He asked, knowing full well the requisition of said cigars wasn't really on the right side of "legal." The general laughed as he took the file, taking a puff of his own cigar.

"Come now Hannibal, you know I can't tell ya that," Morrison answered with a chuckle, leaning back in his chair to review the file. "Now, let me look over this plan you've concocted," he continued, falling silent as he looked over the paperwork. The only noise in the room an occasional grunt from the general as he read; the sound muffled by the cigar still held in his teeth.

"Hannibal," he finally spoke. "Are you sure you want to bring your boy, Murdock on this mission?" The general asked with apprehension as he read over the mission briefing. "I mean, are you sure he's stable enough for a mission like this?

"Captain Murdock is more than capable for this mission general." Hannibal retorted as he puffed on his cigar, the soft glow of the embers emphasizing the dangerous glint in his eyes. "General, with all due respect," Hannibal continued, doing his best to hide his anger at the veiled insult to the captain. "This is my op, and I decide who does and does not come!" He barked, standing up and turning his back to the general, crossing the small office to peer out the window. Morrison growled as he read the file, cursing under his breath at the colonel's stubbornness, choosing to ignore the younger man's insubordinate outburst.

Hannibal tried to reel in his anger, not appreciating the insinuation that the captain was anything but capable. The eccentric captain had his quirks, but when push came to shove, he had proven a million times over that he was more than capable of anything this man's army could throw at him.

"Hannibal," Morrison finally spoke, closing the file and leaning forward, lacing his fingers together. "I know you care for the boy, but this mission needs to be done fast and right. Now, you've all been running yourselves ragged recently, and I don't want him to lose it when y'all are counting on him." Hannibal spun back to face the general, no longer hiding his anger.

"Rus, for God's sake! He's a damn airborne ranger! And quite honestly, one of the most capable men I have ever had the privilege of serving with. He has never let me down...Not once. Now he is going to be joining us on this mission...and that is final!" Hannibal growled, glaring at the general, daring him to say otherwise. Morrison rolled his eyes and sighed as he handed the file back to the colonel.

"Alright Hannibal," Morrison sighed again, returning to his feet. "Y'all leave tonight at 24:00, so you and those boys go get some rest. Now, remember, get in, take out the target and get that chopper, and Hannibal," Morrison continued, placing a hand on the colonel's shoulder. "You and those boys get back here in one piece."

Hannibal nodded as he reached out to shake the general's hand.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the tent, sending both men sprawling to the ground and covering the interior of the tent with dust and debris. The sounds of shouting and weapons fire outside had both men urgently trying to collect their senses. Hannibal was attempting to return to his feet just as the door flew open and one of the guards who had been stationed outside came running in, coughing and covered in dust.

"General! Colonel! Are you both alright??" The corporal asked, the heavy dust that still hung in the air causing him to cough once more.

"Yes, yes corporal, we're alright. Now, what the hell is happening out there??" Morrison yelled, his ears still ringing from the explosion.

"We're taking heavy mortar fire, sir!" The corporal answered, doing his best to dust off his uniform. "A band of enemy insurgents have also attacked from the west and are coming this way, sir, we gotta move!" Hannibal's mind immediately went to the safety of his men as he checked the status of his weapon.

"General, you get somewhere safe," Hannibal yelled, "I'm going to go check on my men and see what I can do," he continued, making a move towards the door when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful out there John," Morrison replied, removing his hand so the colonel could leave. Hannibal nodded before he ducked out the door, hoping and praying his men were still alive.

Pike smiled as he made his way across the compound, checking his watch as he walked. "Right on time," He thought, looking around to make sure he wasn't being followed.

He made a stop at his tent, changing his clothes and grabbing his rifle, growling as he remembered the events of the day before.

He was at the base's target range when Peck and that freak show of a pilot showed up. Peck started practicing and nut case was cheering him on every time he made a shot. Then the captain had decided that he was bored and that they should all have a friendly little competition, "Who can make the most shots." He knew they had both cheated somehow. Knowing Peck, he was definitely cheating, and his loony toons friend must have been cheating too. He was pretty sure it was impossible to hit a bullseye at 500 yards while singing "The Impossible Dream," while simultaneously hanging upside down. There was just no way those two idiots could outshoot him in a fair competition. He smiled as he got into his truck and started the engine, muttering under his breath, "guess paybacks a bitch."

He left the base and stopped on a small ridge overlooking the entire area. He hadn't had to take a shot from this far away in a while, but he was confident in his abilities. He stepped out of the truck, slinging the weapon on his back as he climbed into the back. He set up a tripod on the roof of the truck and hooked up his weapon. Peering through the site, he searched for his target. Not having to search long, as the target had been taking the same route at the same time for an entire week.

"Why was he so excited for mail?" He thought, he knew the man didn't have any family.

He watched as the captain left the barracks and...was he skipping? "whoo boy..."He muttered under his breath as he watched the captain enter the bases mail tent.

After a few minutes, Murdock had still not left the building and Pike was getting impatient. "Where is that idiot?" He fumed, "He's gonna be late to the party."

After ten minutes of waiting, pike growled and took out his phone, making a gruff order to the person on the other end. He huffed in annoyance as he finished the call, checking his watch again. "Come on captain," he muttered, smirking as he watched the mail clerk leave the tent, followed not long after by Murdock, who was carrying a rather large crate and wearing a goofy grin on his face.

Pike held his breath as he aimed. "Time to clip your wings captain crazy," he muttered as he got ready to pull the trigger. An explosion to his right, caught him by surprise and made him jump, causing him to accidentally pull the trigger too early. Cursing under his breath, he watched through the site as the captain jerked backward, swaying on his feet and dropping the crate. Pike continued his string of expletives as he watched the tent explode, sending the captain flying, landing awkwardly about 20 feet away.

He grabbed his rifle and quickly jumped out of the truck, racing to the driver's side and sped off towards the base in a hurry, kicking up sand and gravel in his wake.

Taking out his phone, he ground his teeth, knowing the person on the other end would be furious. But hey, at least the captain was out of his hair and he would still get what he wants. So, win, win.

"Hey, it's done...Small problem though," he continued. "He might be dead." He held the phone away from his ear and waited for the yelling on the other end to stop.

"Hey, hey, hey," Pike complained. It's not my fault those idiots can't fire straight. I gave them the correct coordinates for the hits and told them where to go. And look at it this way," Pike laughed. "Now we both get what we want. So, calm down, and stick with the plan, I'll take care of the rest." He hung up the phone and threw it across the cab, smacking the steering wheel in frustration. He returned to base just as everything had ended, his arrival going unnoticed, as the entire base was distracted by the chaos of the attack.

He parked his truck behind the black forest air hanger and easily blended into the confusion going on around him, intent on finishing the last stage of his plan...

I hope you ennjoyed the next installment of my story. I wanted to post once a week, but life has been busy recently. As an apology, I am posting another story as well. This story is told in a "five things, plus one thing" way, and that one will be going up soon!