They stopped at an airport in Guatamala to fill up the fuel tanks. BA still slept soundly and didn't look like he would wake soon. The three other men stretched their legs while the plane was being refueled. Face watched other planes taking off. There was a lot of traffic on the runways today. How easy it would be to slip away from Hannibal and Murdock, go purchase a ticket to anywhere and be off the ground before the other two would miss him. However, they had a job to do and he would be there for them.

Hannibal pulled Murdock some distance away from Face. "Murdock, I think we need to stick close to him. I don't think he'd actually do it, but I can tell he's thinking about it." Murdock nodded in agreement. They both knew Face would never desert them during a mission. But who knew about afterward. They knew they had gotten through to him a few days earlier about how important he was to them; but Face was sensitive and fell into moodiness easily. It wouldn't take much to change his mind.

The plane was refueled and ready to go. Hannibal called over to Face. "Let's go, kid!"

Face turned towards Hannibal, slapped a smile on and said. "Sure thing, Colonel. Let's get this over with."

It didn't take long to fly the next few hundred miles. Murdock saw the small airstrip down below. 'Dang,' he thought. 'Hope that runway's big enough for this bucket of bolts!' He turned the microphone on and spoke in his best professional pilot's voice. "We will be landing shortly, please buckle your seatbelts and put your seats in the upright position. If we suddenly hit a patch of trees, you'll know the runway was too short. Please don't be alarmed at this. Thank you for flying A-Team Airlines. Have a pleasant stay." Hannibal chuckled and Face just shook his head. Murdock managed to stop the plane before hitting the trees at the end of the runway.

"Okay," Hannibal said. "Face, find us something to drive. Murdock you wake BA up."

'Oh, great!' thought Murdock. 'Leave me to the wrath of the great Bah!' He went back to BA and tugged on his nose. "Come on, big guy. Wakey wakey." Nothing. He then pulled on his mohawk with one hand and his beard with the other. "Wake up, BA. Time to catch the bad guys." Still nothing. 'Okay,' Murdock was determined. 'This calls for drastic measures.' "WAKE UP! YOUR VAN'S ON FIRE! HURRY, IT'LL BURN ALL UP IF YOU DON'T GET TO IT! WAKE UP, BA. SAVE YOUR VAN!" He yelled loudly.

This brought BA quickly out of his sleep. "WHAT!?" he yelled. "Whatchu mean my van's on fire!" He looked around. "Hey, I'm on a plane! Get me off this plane! Where are we? Where's my van?" He grabbed Murdock's jacket collar and pulled him to his face. "You better not have crashed this plane, sucka!"

Murdock's eyes were popping out of his head and Hannibal was cracking up with giggles. "Calm down, BA. Your van's fine; it's back in Virginia. Murdock did not crash the plane; we are safe and sound. Now let the poor man loose."

BA released Murdock with a shove and the pilot gasped for air. "Hannibal! From now on, you wake him up!"

Face was outside the plane by now, walking towards the small building next to the so-called runway. He noticed an old beat up pickup truck next to the building. 'Looks like it will barely run,' he thought. But it was the only vehicle in sight. He walked into the building and saw a man sitting at a desk with his feet propped on the desktop, half asleep. 'Half drunk is more like it,' he thought, noticing the empty bottle on the desk. But that was exactly what he was counting on, tapping on the bottle he had put in his jacket pocket.

Walking over to the desk he went into conman mode. "Excuse me, sir. My name is Timothy Perkins. My friends and I just made an emergency landing outside. One of my friends is very sick and needs a doctor; however we have no way to drive him there. I noticed your pickup outside. Do you think it would be possible for us to borrow it, just for a while, to take our friend to the doctor?"

The man just stared at him dully. "Uh, hablo ingles, señor?" Face asked.

"Sí," the man said lazily, dropping his feet to the floor. "I speak English." His accent was very thick. "And no, you may not have my truck."

Face put on a panicked face. "But why? Our friend needs a doctor. Don't you have any compassion?"

The man stared at him. "No. I'm too sober for compassion. However, if I were in a less sober state, I might have more compassion." He hadn't overlooked the bottle hanging out of Face's pocket. He pointed to it and licked his lips. "If that's tequilla, I might suddenly find some sympathy."

Face gave a shocked look. "Well, señor, I was saving this as a gift to someone. He was looking forward to some good Mexican tequilla. It's so hard to find this far south. However...." he sighed heavily, as if put out, "I suppose I could part with it in exchange for the truck." He handed the man the full bottle of tequilla.

The man opened it, smelled the contents and smiled. "Ah, fine tequilla! This is just what I needed." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the truck keys. "You bring it back today! Yes?"

Face gave a big trusting smile and said. "Of course I'll bring it back today. We really appreciate your help. Enjoy the," he gestured toward the bottle, waving it away, "firewater."

The man was already drinking from the bottle. "Yes, just what I needed," the man sighed contentedly.

Face smiled as he left the building, thinking, 'You know you've been on too many missions when you can anticipate what an airfield attendant wants. Hope he's not a pilot.'

Face got into the truck and attempted to start the old rust bucket, but it wouldn't turn over. He played with the choke and clutch. 'Come on, baby. You're all we got, and I don't feel like walking 20 miles!' The truck finally came to life with a chug and a loud bang and a grateful "thank you" from Face. He drove it to the plane, not daring to turn it off.

"Okay, guys. Got the truck. Let's load her up," he said to the others as they came out of the plane. "BA, nice to have you back among the living. How's the head?"

BA growled at him. "My head hurts! I always wake up with a headache after you idiots drug me! And what the hell kind of a truck is that? Sounds like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

Murdock clapped his hands. "Oh, I loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! That fun car could drive, float, fly. What else could a man ask for in a fine automobile." He started unloading guns singing, "Oh, you pretty Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you. High, low, everywhere you go, people always notice you..."

Face chuckled at Murdock and told BA, "It's the only vehicle around as you can see. Be happy we don't have to walk to that lab site."

BA snorted and said, "Yeah, wouldn't want you to sweat and mess up that pretty hair."

It was pretty warm there, so Face took his jacket off and threw it in the plane. He was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and tan Dockers pants held up with red suspenders. Hannibal looked at them, pulled at one of them and said, "Cute suspenders, Face. Latest trend from the Armani catalog?"

Face pulled away and told him, "You wouldn't know style if it hit you in the face."

Hannibal laughed and said, "Face, there's style; and then there's your style. And your style is definitely unique."

Face thought it was time to change the subject. "So, Colonel, do you have a grand plan for this rescue attempt?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He lit a cigar before he continued. "I have a feeling that road is going to have guards posted on it once we get close to their compound. We'll ditch this truck in the brush a few miles from the site. I'll explain the rest then." He moved towards the rusty passenger- side door. "Since there's no room in the cab of this truck for all of us, you and Murdock have to ride in the back of the truck. We need to get going and I don't feel like shouting everything back to you."

Murdock and BA had finished transferring their arsenal. "I used to love riding in the back of my grandpa's pickup truck," Murdock reminisced. "The wind flying through my hair.."

"The bugs going down your throat," Face interrupted him. "Hannibal I don't want to ride in the back," he whined.

"Too bad, Lieutenant. Now let's go." Face and Murdock climbed into the back, while Hannibal and BA got in front. BA ground the gears into first and they drove off. About seventeen miles later, BA found an opening in the trees along the road and pulled the truck into it. He parked well away from the road, so the truck could not be spotted from it. The men put their packs on and each carried an automatic rifle. They started off through the woods, keeping the road to their left.

"Okay, Colonel, what's the plan?" BA asked.

"Well, while it's still daylight we'll inspect the perimeter, taking note of where guards are posted. Be careful of any traps that might be set around the site. Once it's dark, we'll quietly move in, taking out their people along the way. The building where the professor is most likely being held is only one story. Hopefully, he's in a room with an outside wall. I brought along some little explosive toys to open up the wall from the outside. We grab him and hightail it out of there. Carrying him if we have to."

"And if he's in an interior room?" Murdock threw in.

Face spoke up then. "Ah, I know the answer to this one. We go through the front door. Right, Colonel?"

Hannibal stopped underneath a tree and smiled. "You know me too well, Lieutenant."

"Hannibal, you realize these people are probably waiting for the US government to try to break the professor out. They're going to be on their toes. And we don't even know how many of them there are. We could be vastly outnumbered. Then there's the fact that Stockwell hasn't told us the whole story. There could be some surprises." Face pointed out these obvious facts.

"True, Face. But I'm thinking they're not counting on only four men. Four very experienced, very quiet men. They'll be expecting something larger. And I don't think they'll be expecting it this soon after the kidnapping."

Face noticed movement above the colonel's head. He looked up and saw a five foot long, colorful snake slowly lowering itself from a tree limb down towards Hannibal's head. "Hannibal, don't move!" he warned.

He quickly looked around the ground and picked up a small branch. He slowly lifted it towards the snake. The snake caught onto the branch and wrapped itself around it. Before the snake could slide towards his arm, he quickly ran a short distance away and threw the branch with the snake into some bushes where the frightened snake slithered away. Face swallowed and wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back to the Team.

"I hate snakes!" he said as he approached them.

Hannibal put his hand on Face's shoulder. "Thanks, kid. That snake was probably poisonous. I owe you one."

"Not to mention looooooooong," Murdock stretched his hands far apart.

He got a slap on the back from BA. "Nice going, Faceman."

He shrugged off the compliments, embarrassed. "Ah, we better start moving again," he said.

They continued on in silence. After a while, they could see a clearing through the trees ahead. They stopped short of the clearing, behind a 15 foot high chainlink fence. They saw the large building that held the laboratory. It had a dome on the top that looked like it could open up. To the left of that was the smaller building that held the living quarters. They noticed two rebel guards with guns were posted at the door of the laboratory. Two more were standing at the front door of the living quarters. Where the road met the gate, were two more rebels sitting in a Jeep.

"There's six so far," Hannibal whispered. "Face, you and Murdock go to the right. BA and I will go left and we'll meet at the other side. Watch for trip wires and other little surprises," he warned.

Face and Murdock quietly moved off to the right. They stayed in the brush, out of sight. As they were moving, Murdock grabbed Face's arm to stop him. He pointed down. There was a thin wire going across their path. They followed the wire until they saw where it ended in a tree. A shotgun had been placed in the 'Y' of the tree, pointed at their spot. They couldn't spring the trap, because the blast would bring the rebels to them. So they stepped over it, watching for more traps as they made their way around the fence, noting the placements of guards as they went. Meanwhile, Hannibal and BA were making their way around the fence. The two guards in the Jeep at the gate weren't paying much attention to the road, so the two men quickly crossed the road without being seen. They'd also stepped over tripwires.

As they were moving along, BA saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Hannibal, wait. There's something over here." They made their way behind some bushes and found the body of a young woman. She was naked, her body bruised and battered. The dried blood on the inside of her thighs told them she had been viciously raped. "My God, Hannibal," BA gasped. "Look what they done to her!" Hannibal moved towards the woman's head and turned it. Her blond hair was caked with blood, where the bullet had entered her skull.

"Those sons of bitches!" Hannibal seethed. "They're going to pay for this!" he promised the dead woman. BA said a silent prayer for her before they turned and continued their way around the perimeter.

The sun was beginning to set as the four men met up at the back of the compound. "Report, Lieutenant," Hannibal balked at Face, still pale from the sight he'd seen.

"There's two more of them posted at two more doors around the lab. We stepped over three tripwires in the woods. There's two more Jeeps parked between the two buildings." Face noticed the anger radiating from them. "What's wrong?"

Hannibal was glad it wasn't Face and Murdock that had found the body. The sight would have been much harder on them. "We found the body of a young woman in the woods. It looks like they killed her and dumped her out here." He wouldn't go into detail with them. Hearing of the woman made Murdock and Face angry.

"There's also two more guards at the back door of the living quarters." Hannibal continued. "Okay, guys. Here's what we're going to do. When it's dark, we'll climb the fence and go in pairs towards the living quarters. BA and Face, you'll move towards the front while Murdock and I take the back. I don't have to tell you to be silent. Surprise the guards and take them out. Check the windows to see the layout of the place. We'll meet at the front door to discuss the best way in. We don't know which building Charro is in. But I want to make sure that bastard's captured! Any questions?" All three men shook their heads no.

After darkness fell the four men silently climbed over the fence. Hannibal and Murdock ran towards the wall the smaller building. Hannibal tried looking through the window there, but could not see anything through the shades. 'Damn,' he thought to himself. They made their way around the corner towards the back door. Hannibal whispered softly to Murdock, "We'll bring them to us." The pilot nodded his head. Hannibal bent down and picked up a rock. He threw it to the ground a few feet from them, making enough noise to draw the attention of the two guards. The two rebels raised their guns and came around the corner of the house. Hannibal grabbed the first one, punching him in the stomach and knocking the gun from him. Murdock grabbed for the gun of his man and wrestled it from him. Simultaneously, Hannibal and Murdock both raised their guns and hit the two guards' heads with the stocks. They fell to the ground unconscious.

BA and Face were making their way to the front. They also could not see through the windows. 'Can't anything ever be easy,' thought Face. They stopped at the corner of the building, peering around to the front door. The guard closest to them had his back to them, talking with the other guard. The question of how to get their attention was answered when BA accidentally stepped on Face's foot, making Face muffle a gasp of pain. But it was loud enough. Both guards raised their guns and turned in their direction. The guards walked towards BA and Face, and as they came around the corner BA grabbed the gun from the first, punching him in the head, knocking him out immediately. The second guard, now having been warned, raised his gun and got a couple of shots off. BA knocked the gun down, then slammed the man's head into the wall. He was now out.

"That takes care of you fools!" he said. "Come on, Face. That shot will bring more of them here quick!" His only reply he received was a moan coming from the ground behind him. He looked down and saw Face on the ground holding his upper left arm. Blood was running through his fingers. "Face! You hit? Let me see." He moved the lieutenant's hand away from the wound. The bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his arm, missing the bone, and came out the back of his arm. "At least it went through. There's no bullet to have to take out. But it's bleedin' good." BA told him.

Face nodded his head. "Yeah, and it sure hurts like hell!"

Hannibal and Murdock came running after hearing the shots. "What the hell happened?" Hannibal asked as they met the pair in front.

"Face got hit in the arm. Bleedin' bad, but the bullet went through." BA told him, taking a handkerchief from his pocket. He tied the handkerchief on Face's arm on top of the wound to slow the bleeding.

Hannibal knelt down. "Well, what do ya say, Face?"

Face's arm hurt, but he masked his pain and said to the colonel. "It's fine. I can still move. Let's keep going."

Hannibal patted him on the leg, then helped him up. Face staggered a bit, slightly dizzy, but recovered quickly. "Okay, let's do it."

The four men moved towards the front door. 'Aint no time for knockin', BA thought as he kicked the door in. They entered what seemed to be a living room. It was empty. They moved through the building, checking rooms as they went. Hannibal was curious as to why there were no rebels around. They came to a room at the end of a hallway. This door was locked. Hannibal put his ear to the door and heard moaning coming from inside. "The professor must be in here. I hear someone inside," he said, as he raised his leg and kicked the door in.

The room was dark as they entered with their guns raised. Hannibal found the light switch and flipped it. A man was lying on the floor, very bruised and bleeding from several cuts. He looked up in fright at the four men. "Please! Don't hurt me anymore! I'm not telling you anything! Just kill me and get it over with!" he gasped in pain.

Hannibal knelt down beside the man. "We're not going to hurt you. We're the good guys. Are you Professor Snyder?"

The man looked up at him and the other three, confused. "You're American. You're not with the rebel group?"

"No, we're not with the rebel group." Hannibal told him. "We were sent to rescue you. Do you think you can stand? We need to get out of here quickly." Hannibal took the man's arm to help him up.

"Yes, I think I can," the professor said, as he managed to get to his feet. "But you must stop them. They plan to use my weather machine as a weapon. That's why they're holding me. They want me to show them how it operates."

"Use your weather machine as a weapon? How?" Murdock stepped forward and asked the man. Suddenly, there were shots fired into the room. All five men dove to the floor.

"Don't anyone move!" an accented voice spoke firmly. "All of you, lay your weapons and packs on the floor, then lie down on your stomachs. NOW!" the man shouted. Face, BA and Murdock looked to Hannibal for instruction. The colonel looked at the group that had entered the room. He assumed the speaker was Raul Charro, the leader of the rebel group. There were six other men behind him, all with guns. Things weren't looking too good for the Team at that moment. He decided to give in, instead of risking the lives of his men. He nodded to the rest of his Team to do as Charro had told them. As they were removing their weapons, a few of the rebels came around and gathered up their stuff, taking it out of the room.

The Team looked at each other, waiting for what was to come next. Charro looked down at them and smiled evilly. "I am Raul Charro, leader of Kao's Avengers. Who are you?" He looked at Hannibal, assuming he was the leader.

Hannibal made the individual introductions. "We're the A-Team." He looked dead serious at Charro. "And when we're finished with you, you'll end up just like your former leader did."

"Well, Colonel Smith," Charro stated. "It seems you know all about our group. Kao was a great man. He did not deserve to be murdered by government butchers! It is you that will end up with the same fate as Kao."

"I doubt that," Hannibal answered, smiling. "Anyway, Kao was killed by other inmates in prison. Maybe he didn't make a good enough pet for them. I don't know. Maybe when you get there you can find out."

Charro pointed his gun at Hannibal's head. "You will not leave this compound alive, Colonel. We're close to figuring out how that machine works. Your country will soon be experiencing some very deadly weather conditions. Many people are going to lose their lives. And your government is willing to give us ten million dollars for the professor's life.... not that he's worth it. We will see who laughs last."

Charro looked at the other three Team members. "You hardly look like military. So I would assume you are some mercinary group working for the American government. But we are better and stronger than you." He moved over towards Face, noticing his wounded arm. He raised his foot over the wound, lowering it until most of his weight was on it. Face was screaming on the inside, but wouldn't let the scream out. His face showed the pain, though. Charro lifted his foot off and knelt down by the man. He ran his rough hand across Face's flushed cheek and said, "Pity such a beautiful man will have to die. Maybe we can keep you around for a while..for fun. Heh?"

Face jerked his head away from the hand, failing to hide the anxiety on his face. Charro laughed and looked at his men. "Ah, yes. He could be fun. Heh, boys?" Nods of approval came from the six rebels. "But, alas, I have more important things to attend to at the moment. Pablo and Miguel, you will stand guard outside the door. The rest of us will be at the laboratory." He turned towards Hannibal, "We will leave you here for now. Don't even think of trying to escape. I have men everywhere." He turned and walked out the door, his guards following him. After the door closed, they heard a lock slide into place.

The men got up off their stomachs, going to Face's side. "You okay, Facey?" Murdock asked him, checking his arm. He noticed the blood was flowing freely again, so he retightened the handkerchief.

"I'll be fine, Murdock." Face told him. But Charro's touch and warning had unleashed bad memories. He saw the others watching him; they knew what he was thinking. Face put on his brave smile and said, "I'm fine. Really. You don't have to worry."

"Okay, Face," Hannibal told him. He touched Face's forehead and felt the warmth. "We have to figure a way out of here. We need to get your arm stitched up and soon." He was feeling very worried about Face. He was worried about blood loss, infection and keeping Face from his own memories. "I need to think," he said to no one in particular.

"Professor, you mentioned that Charro was planning on using your weather machine as a weapon. What exactly can that thing do?" Hannibal asked.

The elderly man sat with his legs drawn up and his arms around them, wincing slightly in pain. "I have spent most of my adult life researching weather, what causes certain weather conditions, and how to contain or even initiate weather conditions. My project here was funded by our government. I have invented a machine that I'm hoping can prevent catastrophic weather anomolies, such as hurricanes, tornados and so forth. It is also supposed to be able to initiate certain weather conditions, such as rain in drought- stricken areas. But, we've barely even begun testing the thing. I don't know how Charro found out about it. He and his group forced their way in here a few days ago. They've been beating me trying to get me to show them how it operates. I've told him nothing. I'm not even sure if it will function or not, as we're still developing it."

"How exactly is it supposed to work?" Murdock wanted to know. He loved anything scientific. Actually, the whole Team was listening intently, for they had no idea controlling weather was even possible.

"Well, I've developed a technology to use computers, lasers and special weather satellites strategically placed outside the atmosphere. Using these, I can actually change atmospheric conditions over certain parts of Earth where it is needed. I never had any intention of it being used as a weapon. These last few days of thinking has also made me wonder whether our own government has ideas of their own about it. The funding of my project has been very generous." His look of disgust was familiar to the Team, since they also felt very used by the government.

"I think this is the part Stockwell left out," BA stated.

Hannibal nodded in agreement. "Professor Snyder, where are the other scientists and technicians who work here?" He was thinking of the woman they had found in the woods, hoping they hadn't met the same fate.

"Except for myself and one lab technician, all the others were released. They were to go to Mesadilla and report the siege to the United States for ransom negotiations. I have not seen or heard about Elizabeth since I was thrown in here. I pray she's okay. Those men are brutal."

Hannibal hated to break the news to the professor. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but we found her body in the woods. She was shot to death." He left out the other horrid details.

"Oh, dear God!" the professor moaned. "I was afraid of that. She was such a beautiful and smart young woman. She had a very promising future in meteorological science. I will miss her."

Hannibal reached over and touched his shoulder. "We won't let Charro get away with it. We will stop him!"

But the professor shook his head. "I don't see how. There's no way out of this room. The door is locked and guarded, the windows have been nailed shut and they're made of unbreakable plastic. How are we going to get out of here?"

"We just need a plan." Hannibal stated, lighting up a fresh cigar. The men looked around the bare room. Charro's men had taken the furniture out, so there was basically nothing to use.

A few minutes passed. "Well, Colonel? Got a plan yet?" Murdock asked.

"I'm working on it. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions." The others sighed. They had no ideas, either.

Face noticed his arm wasn't as painful anymore. As a matter of fact, it was numb from having fallen asleep. He moved it to awaken it, sending pins and needles through it, like small jolts of electricity. It was at this moment his eyes came upon an outlet on the wall he was facing. 'Electricity?' he thought. His mind was trying to formulate a plan. 'Can we use electricity to get out of here?' He was thinking of live wires, a metal door knob. How to get the juice over to the door knob. He looked over at BA and smiled.

BA felt he was being stared at. He looked up at Face staring at his gold necklaces. "What're you looking at, fool? Hannibal, I think he's delirious from blood loss."

"What's on your mind, Face?" Hannibal asked.

Face looked over at Hannibal, then down at his leather-gloved hands. "I think I have a plan, Colonel!" He grinned.

"Care to let us in on it?" Hannibal asked.

"Well," he said, pointing to the outlet. "We need a live electrical wire." He then pointed to BA's gold. "Some metal chains.." He pointed to Hannibal's leather gloves. "Something nonconductive.." He pointed to the door knob. "And something metal," he finished.

Hannibal caught on to his idea. He grinned and said, "Nice, Face! Real nice!"

Murdock had also caught on. "Even after much blood loss, you still come up with something great. Good job, Facey!"

BA looked at Face and growled, "You better not ruin my gold! Got it?"

Professor Snyder just looked between the four men and shook his head. 'Who are these people?' he wondered.

The Team got to work. Hannibal used BA's crescent moon necklace to remove the screws from the outlet cover. He then, very carefully, unscrewed the white (hot) wire from the outlet box. BA had taken off a few of his gold necklaces and had strung them together. One end he wrapped around the door knob. The other end he handed to Hannibal, which he placed just inside the outlet opening. "Okay, Face and Murdock. You're up."

The two men began a mock argument with each other. Yelling loud enough for the guards outside the door to hear. They knew this would open the door. They heard the lock move. As soon as he saw the door knob move slightly, Hannibal touched the live electrical wire to the metal chain. A large spark and some smoke rose from the connection. His gloves protected his hands. They heard a scream and a thud from the other side of the door. Hannibal broke the connection. BA opened the door quickly, pulling the guard left standing inside. He punched the man in the face twice, rendering him unconscious. He then pulled the guard who had been electrocuted inside.

"They'll be out for a while," BA said.

"Yeah, but we've got many more to get through. And we have to capture Charro." Hannibal told him. "Okay, guys, let's find our weapons and get out of here. BA, you help Professor Snyder walk. Face, think you can walk and handle a gun okay?"

Face nodded, feeling a surge of energy. "Yeah, Hannibal. I'm fine."

Hannibal nodded and said, "Let's go, then."

They made their way out of the room, locking the two guards in behind them. BA had to hold the professor up, as he was very weak. It didn't take long for them to find their weapons. They hadn't been locked up, just thrown into another room. Charro had underestimated the Team. 'That creep must think a lot of himself,' Hannibal thought. They made their way to the front door, yanking it open. Hannibal and Murdock each grabbed one of the guards standing outside the door, knocking them out immediately. They locked the guards inside without their weapons.

Hannibal pointed to the Jeeps parked a short ways away, between the two buildings. "BA, take the professor to one of the Jeeps. Professor, get in the back of the Jeep and stay down low." He turned to Face and Murdock. "Okay, we need to bring Charro out here. I don't want any damage done to the laboratory." BA returned to them. "Let's make a big noise, guys!" Hannibal said as he pulled a grenade from his pack, pulled the pin and threw it. A few seconds after the blast, the terrorists came running from different directions.

The Team separated taking cover behind trees and rocks. They started firing at the terrorists. Normally, they didn't try to shoot to kill, but this terrorist group was very dangerous. They were killers. If need be, the Team could kill just as easy. Bullets were flying everywhere. The rebels took cover or hit the ground. The ferocity of the Team's attack surprised the rebels. They shot back, the bullets whizzing past too close for comfort. The Jeep that had been parked at the gate came roaring in, the man on the passenger side shooting wildly towards them. BA took one of his grenades and threw it at the Jeep. It exploded as the Jeep drove over it. The two rebels in the Jeep went flying. Murdock had also pulled a grenade out, pulled its pin and threw it towards a group of rebels on the ground. The explosion took out four of them. Hannibal and Face were shooting at anything that moved, with deadly accuracy.

With only a few of the terrorist group remaining, those left decided to give up and dropped their guns. "Please, don't shoot!" one of them called.

Hannibal came out from behind his tree, his gun on them. "Okay, then. All of you come forward and lay down on the ground with your hands behind your heads!" He turned towards Murdock. "Murdock, you got the rope?" At the pilot's nod, Hannibal told him to tie them up.

Murdock walked over, pulling some rope out of his backpack. He tied the arms of their prisoners behind their backs. "Now you bad boys just stay down there and behave!"

"Colonel, we still haven't seen Charro," Face reminded Hannibal, as he got up from behind a large rock.

"You have now," the voice said from behind Face. "Drop your gun, or I'll blow your head off!" Charro whispered in his ear. 'Oh, shit!' Face thought, as he dropped the gun to the ground. Charro put his arm around Face's neck and pushed him forward, holding a 9mm to his head. Charro yelled to the rest of the Team, "If you want your pretty boy to live, you will drop your guns and your packs to the ground!" The other three men stared at Charro and Face not moving. He tightened his grip on Face. "I said drop your weapons. NOW!"

Hannibal sighed, "Do as he says," he told the other two. They dropped their guns and backpacks and Murdock and BA stood beside Hannibal. "Let him go."

Charro gave a sadistic laugh. He then nuzzled Face's neck and cheek with his chin, sending cold chills through Face. 'Somebody do something!' Face thought desperately, wondering if he had the strength to fight Charro.

"I said let him go!" Hannibal said again.

"But I like the way he feels. Maybe I'll just shoot the three of you right now and play with him for a while before I kill him, too." Charro said, running the muzzle of the gun around Face's ear, causing him to tremble. "You like that, do you, Lieutenant?"

"Not really," Face said, struggling to stay on his feet. His legs felt like rubber.

Charro then pointed his gun at Hannibal. "Say goodbye to your precious leader, Lieutenant." Face saw Charro's finger start to squeeze the trigger. "NO!" he yelled, pushing at Charro with all he had, trying to knock him down. Charro regained his footing, then pointed the gun at Face. As he was about to pull the trigger, a loud shot rang out. At first, Hannibal, Murdock and BA thought Charro had fired at Face, but it was Charro that was falling. Not Face.

The terrorist leader lay on the ground dead, blood staining the back of his shirt. "Where did that come from?" Hannibal asked.

That's when they noticed Professor Snyder standing in the Jeep, lowering a rifle to the seat.

"Nice shot, Professor," Hannibal said as the Team walked over to him.

But the professor had closed his eyes and shook his head. "I've never shot anyone before. The rifle was here in the Jeep. I saw it as the only way to help. Lieutenant Peck, are you all right?"

"I am now. Thank you, Professor Snyder. You saved our lives."

The professor gave a sad smile. "I wish I could have saved Elizabeth's life, too. I'm glad this is finally over," he said as he lowered himself to sit down.

"We are too, Professor. We are too." Hannibal added, as he looked towards the sky and its many twinkling stars.

**************

BA and Murdock buried the body of Elizabeth and put a grave marker where she lay. The authorities would see to it that she was returned home.

Hannibal, Face and the Professor were in a first aid room in the laboratory building. Hannibal was surprised at how well stocked it was. Everything he needed was there. "One of my lab assistants went through paramedic training. He took care of all our medical needs," the professor explained. Hannibal cleaned the professor's wounds and bandaged the worst ones. He then took care of Face's arm. First numbing the area, then pouring antiseptic over the wound. After he had stitched the bullet wound, he gave Face a shot of antibiotic to kill any infection. Hannibal was experienced at this. He had stitched up his men many times. Face sat through all of this without a complaint.

"Come on, Face. At least whimper a little bit!" Hannibal joked.

"Sorry, Colonel," Face replied. "I won't give you the satisfaction." In truth, his arm had been hurting like hell. He also was still remembering the cold steel of Charro's gun against his head. And the threat of being 'played with'. Face shook it off. 'We're safe now. The bastard's dead. Put this one behind you, too.'

"Well, Professor, you ready for some time off? We're taking you back to the States where you'll be thoroughly checked out. We'll leave as soon as help from Guatamala arrives to take charge of what's left of the terrorist group." Hannibal said.

"Yes, Colonel Smith. I would like to return to the States. I want to speak to Elizabeth's family myself. I also want to make perfectly clear to certain areas of the government that my weather machine will not be completed if they have plans of interfering with its intended purpose."

Hannibal chuckled. "Stockwell oughtta love that!"

A few hours later, they were in a Jeep heading back towards the airfield. They stopped where they had parked the truck in the brush. Murdock drove the truck back to the airfield. The plane was right where they had left it. They parked next to it, entering it quickly before the man inside the office had a chance to come out and yell at them about where his truck had been all night. Murdock went up to the cockpit, while the other four men sat down in back. BA suddenly got a panicked look on his face.

Face noticed and pulled a syringe out of the jacket he had left on the plane. "Well, BA?" he asked the big man.

BA moaned. "Okay. Go ahead." He was asleep within a few seconds.

Face noticed the confused look on the professor's face. "He hates flying," he explained.

"Ah, I see," the professor replied, wondering how someone so mean looking could be afraid of something as simple as flying.

"Attention all passengers," Murdock's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Welcome aboard A-Team Airlines. We will now be departing for points North. Please fasten your seatbelts. After we're in the air, the stewardess will come around for your drink orders."

Hannibal yelled up at Murdock. "Speaking of drinks, Captain. Do you have coffee or something to keep you awake long enough to get us home?"

"Yessirree, Colonel," Murdock said. "Brought along a six-pack of Mountain Dew. Some occasional company would help too, of course."

"Gotcha, Captain." Hannibal turned to Face. "I'll stay up with Murdock for a few hours. You get some sleep."

"No arguments from me," Face told him, yawning. He was exhausted. He reclined his seat and within seconds had fallen into a deep sleep.

Hannibal shook his shoulder a few hours later. "Your turn to keep Murdock company, Lieutenant." Face unbuckled his seatbelt and got up, stretching. "Your arm okay?" Hannibal wanted to know.

"Yeah, it feels alot better." He walked up towards the cockpit and sat down beside Murdock, who was whistling the theme to Woody Woodpecker.

"Hey ya, Facey! How's it going? You feeling better? Huh? I'm glad you're up here now, I think the colonel was getting kind of irritated with me. I don't know why!" Murdock was speaking very fast, his eyes were wide. His feet were tapping on the floor.

Face gave him a wary look. "Ah, Murdock, how many Mountain Dews have you had?"

"Oh, three, I think. Want one? I love Mountain Dew. It's a great pick-me- upper."

Face took one of the cans. "Yeah, I could use one," he said opening it.

"So, Face. Are you feeling okay? Your arm, I mean. And everything else...." Murdock hedged.

"My arm's fine, Murdock. Hannibal fixed it up nicely. What do you mean 'and everything else'?"

Murdock looked over at him with a serious expression. "Well, I mean, uh...the things Charro said to you...."

Face looked straight ahead, taking a swig of his drink. "Words can't hurt me. Okay?" He looked at Murdock and gave him a genuine smile and said, "Don't worry so much."

"I can't help but worry about you, brother," Murdock continued. "I mean, all the things that's been going on with you lately." Face sighed, taking another long drink. 'Why can't he let it drop?'

But Murdock continued. "You know we wouldn't be a complete Team without you. Take this last job for example. You saved Hannibal from getting swallowed by that snake, and you figured out how to get us out of that locked room."

Face looked back at him. "Hannibal stopped underneath that tree to answer my question. And we probably never would have been captured if I hadn't gotten shot! Then to top it off, I let Charro sneak up behind me and almost got Hannibal shot! How many times have I proven to be more of a liability to the Team than an asset? Huh? I can count quite a few times!"

"Oh no, you don't," Murdock warned him. "Don't you freakin' dare go there! We all screw up occasionally. All of us do! Now you stop looking for every little thing that ever went wrong and look for the qualities that the rest of us see in you. We see a man who would do anything for anybody. A man who is intelligent and knows how to use his head. A man who can fight with the best of them and would give his own life to save someone else's without a second thought. A man who the rest of us love and cannot live without. That's what the rest of us see! Why can't you see that?"

Face stared at the pilot's angry face in shock. He needed a minute to absorb what Murdock had said. 'Why can't I see those qualities in me?' Staring off , he looked within himself and eventually came up with the answer.

He looked sheepishly over at Murdock and said, "I'm sorry. You're right. I get so stuck in my own insecurities that it overshadows anything else. I've always been that way. I'll try to be more positive from now on." After a second, he added, "And I don't think I could live without you guys either."

"Spoken like a true shrink," Murdock told him with a grin. "And I'm an expert with shrinks."

Face chuckled at that, because it was true. "Thanks, Murdock. I promise I'll wait things out till we get our pardons. Okay?"

Murdock reached over and patted Face's leg happily. "Okay, brother."

Face couldn't resist adding with an evil smirk, "But don't expect me to be nice to Stockwell."

***************

When the plane got back to Virginia, Stockwell was waiting for them at the airport. "Well done, gentlemen. Professor Snyder, I'm happy to see you back safely. You may come with me and we'll get you checked by a doctor and then debriefed. Colonel Smith, I'll expect your report tomorrow morning."

"Can't wait, General," Hannibal told him, then took the professor's hand to shake. "Professor Snyder, it was a pleasure to rescue you. I hope your invention is put to good use." He glanced at Stockwell, who hmmphd.

"I understood your meaning, Colonel." The general looked at Face. "Lieutenant Peck, there is something at the house waiting for you. I suggest you hurry home." He then guided the professor over to his limo, and they drove off.

"What could he possibly have waiting at the house for me?" Face wondered out loud.

Hannibal put his arm around Face's shoulder. "Well, kid, one way to find out." He turned back around before walking away with Face. "Murdock! Go wake up BA!"

Murdock looked alarmed. "Wh-Wh-What?"

************

A short time later, they walked through the front door of their house in Langley. A gray-haired man was sitting in a chair, his back to them. He stood up and turned around when he heard them enter.

"Father Maghill!" Face exclaimed. "What-? H-How did you get here?" He dropped his gear and quickly made his way over to the man. The priest held Face at arm's length, looking at him, relief shining in his aged face. "General Stockwell contacted me yesterday and asked me to come here. I'd wondered what happened to you, since you didn't come to California as planned." He pulled Face to him to hold him. "I've missed you, my boy."

"I've missed you, too. More than you'll ever know," Face told the elderly priest who'd raised him. They hugged long and hard, relishing in the renewed closeness.

Father Maghill turned to the other men in the room. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. It's nice seeing all of you again. Thank you for keeping my Templeton safe."

"It's quite a job, but someone's got to do it." Hannibal told the man, with a smile.

"Father, let's go out on the patio and talk." Face led the man outside where they took a seat near the pool. "I can't believe Stockwell brought you here. The man hates me."

Father Maghill shook his head. "I don't think so, Templeton. He did see that you were desperate. He must think you're a valuable enough man to go to the trouble."

"I don't know about that," Face replied skeptically. "We never know what he's thinking."

"Well, this time he was thinking about you. Yes?"

Face pondered the question and nodded his head in reluctant agreement. "I'm just so glad to see you again, Father. I've missed being able to come to you to talk. You know, when things get to me."

The priest took Face's hands in his. "I've missed you, too. You've always been special to me." He tilted his head towards the patio doors leading inside. "But you have your family here to talk to."

Face smiled contentedly. "Yeah. I know that now." At the priests wondering look, he added, "I'll tell you all about it."

The two men sat on the patio and talked for hours. Reliving old times, catching up on what was new. Hopes of the future. Everything. His family was now complete.

~The End~