Hey hey, maybe I'm not so lazy. Well no that's a lie, I'm lazy with all my other fics, I must just have a better feel for this one. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one and as always reviews are welcomed and encouraged, just like gifts of Jack Daniels………
Authors Notes: I've changed my name for all extensive purposes but Kilmarnock is a real place, though I have slightly altered the geological layout. There is an old watchtower close to my house, though it isn't on a hill but next to a golf course. Having it on a hill just seemed so much more appropriate.
After emptying the contents of my stomach all over a bed of clover, with Face being the perfect gentleman and holding my hair back (as all good men should), I turned around to the concerned looks of the team.
"Well that was lovely……." Pushing my hair back with my hands I touched a warm, tacky patch at the back of my head. Wincing in pain I pulled my hand out and looked at my blood coated fingers. "Something tells me that this isn't a good sign!" I showed my hand to Hannibal who frowned.
"You're suffering from a concussion. We'd better get you back to the plane. Can you walk?"
"With a little help I'm sure I can. I live pretty close to here, about 10 minutes away."
Looking around I tried to find my bearings. Off in the distance I could see the old tower that marked the way into town. It stood in a solitary watch on the hill over looking my neighbourhood. I pointed to it, "See that old building there, my house is just beyond that."
Turning while shielding his eyes from sun, Hannibal looked at it and then back to me. With a grin he nodded his approval.
"Perfect! Face, Murdock. Would you like to help escort Miss……?"
"Millar." I replied, a little hesitantly. "Elaina Millar."
"……Miss Millar up the hill to her house please." Taking me gently by the elbows Face and Murdock raised me to my feet, each one placing a supportive hand either side to stop me from falling over. "And if it's okay with you, we'd like to stay at your house for a while, until we find an alternative means of transport."
"Eh, yeah…..sure. I can't see why not." Other than the fact that you're all fictional characters from an 80's TV show! Well the last bit I obviously didn't say aloud. For some odd reason I don't think it would've went down too well.
"Coronal, could I talk to you for a moment……..in private." Murdock slowly started to let go of me, and I found that I was now being supported solely by Face, who deftly slipped his arm around my waist before I realised what was happening. He gave me one of his brilliant smiles while slyly eyeing me up like the last meat pie in a butcher's shop window. Ignoring him I and turned back to Hannibal and Murdock, straining my ears to hear what they were talking about. I managed to make out most of the conversation.
"What's the matter Captain?" Hannibal's face would've been the picture of concern if it weren't for the faint flicker of a smile that crept onto his lips.
"Well Coronal, I don't mean to alarm you but I'm afraid for the safety of the team. You see sir," At this point Murdock leaned in closer to Hannibal, his voice dropping so low that I involuntarily leaned forward to hear it too. "It's the haggis!"
"The haggis?" Hannibal sceptically raised one of his eyebrows.
"Yes sir. I read about them once. They're nasty little critters, like a cross between a mutant rat and a toupee. They attack anything with these sharp, vicious little teeth. They'll strip the flesh right off of your ankles, sir." Murdock's face was filled with anxiety. Hannibal just nodded, taking a moment to think.
"In that case Captain, I want you to be on the lookout for any incoming attacks."
"Yes Coronal!" After a brief salute which Hannibal promptly returned, Murdock ran ahead, his eyes sweeping over the area for the elusive haggis. BA shook his head in despair. With a chuckle Hannibal turned back to the rest of us,
"Let's go."
As we started to walk up the hill, I became more than a little grateful for Face's support, though I would never have said it out aloud. The effort of putting one foot in front of the other surprised me. I must have taken a harder hit to the head than I had thought. Wait a minute, I was seeing the A-Team. If it was a hard enough knock that I was hallucinating about them, well then it's miracle that I was still alive.
After a few minutes of silence, Hannibal fell back to walking on the other side of me. Dumping his cigar stump on the ground, he took out another full length cigar from his pocket and lit it. Biting off the end, he took a long draw of smoke before speaking.
"So where abouts in Scotland are we?"
"You're in the south-west, just outside a town called Kilmarnock." I paused a second, wondering how much I should snoop.
"Before I knocked myself unconscious, I noticed that your plane looked pretty battered up. What happened? Were you attacked?" As it is the A-Team I was expecting some amazing story about a close escape from a bunch of mafia drug dealers involving grenades, machine guns and an anti-aircraft missile made from a bit of old pipe, some tin cans and a stick of dynamite. What I got was slightly less exciting.
"No, we got caught in a storm heading back from a museum in Berlin. Our plane got hit by lightning. Were lucky we made it out with our lives this time Hannibal." I watched as Face's attention was quickly drawn from Hannibal up to the looming tower in front of him.
"Hey, that reminds me. I thought I told you I wasn't gonna be flyin nowhere. Next thing I know you're pulling me out of an aeroplane. I'm tellin you man, I ain't goin back in no plane." BA walked up to Hannibal his fists clenched, looking ready for a fight. Hannibal considered him for a moment and then turned to the watchtower. "Well BA, I don't think there's any chance of that happening. The planes totalled." Intrigued Hannibal walked around its base, his eyes taking in every detail. Pointing to it with his cigar he grinned.
"I like this, it's got character."
"It's real old too." Murdock replied, climbing out from one of its old, crumbling windows. Everyone jump at his sudden appearance. After recovering from the shock, BA growled,
"Hey fool, don't go jumpin out on us like that!"
"Sorry big guy but I was watchin out for you. I was making sure there weren't any haggis hiding in there, waiting to ambush us." Again his eyes started darting around wildly, searching for any movement in the grass. I heard myself speaking up.
"I wouldn't worry about the haggis; they're not smart enough to think about hiding in there. Plus they wouldn't be able to get inside, on account of them having one leg shorter than the other." Everyone stared at me completely puzzled.
"It makes running around the hill easier!" I said it in such a matter-of-fact way that everyone apart from Murdock continued to stare at me, puzzlement giving way to more concerned looks. Murdock just nodded his head vigorously as if it all made perfect sense.
"I think we had better get you back to your house." Tightening his hold on my waist, Face looked down into the town. "So where do you live?"
"That's my house there, the one closest to us." From where we were standing I could see straight into the backyard. I noticed with some relief that my brothers car wasn't in the driveway. The washing wasn't out either which meant that my mum wasn't back from the garden centre.
"Whew, it's okay nobody's home."
"And that's a good thing?" Face scanned over my house not looking too impressed.
"Yeah well you try to explain bringing home four wanted American soldiers who nearly crash landed their plane into you."
"She has a point." Hannibal gave a little shrug of his shoulders and after a brief second of consideration, he swept his hand out towards the house.
"Shall we?"
"By all means….." Now the whole reality of the situation was kicking in. As we walked down towards my house I realised that by the end of today I was gonna be in a lovely white padded room, sucking soup through a straw and holding heated debates with the voices inside my head. Ah well, at least I wouldn't have to do the washing…..
Anyway, I need to go ponder on what to do next. Hopefully a good idea will pop into my head soon, and if not? Well let's just say that you may get another update round about next year sometime. Crossed fingers for that bolt of genius to come soon……….