2.

Vietnam, 1969

The building did not have a door. That was the first thing Hannibal noticed when he entered, hopping on his left foot. He looked around until his eyes adjusted well enough to distinguish certain objects strategically placed here and there. There were candles distributed in groups while bowls with incense surrounded a small altar.

"This is a temple, isn't it?" He frowned at the pilot behind him.

"Yep, Buddhist." Murdock panted as he dragged a box into the building. "But don't worry; the monks are quite friendly… and neutral." He smiled. "They might be around or not; it's their way." He turned and pointed at Hannibal's hurt ankle. "How's it going?"

"Oh, it's not broken." Hannibal limped to a cozy corner and spread his jacket on the floor. He moaned as he sat down. "It hurts as if it was, though." He smiled.

"You should lift it a little before it starts to swell, Colonel." Murdock said looking around for the usual fountain of water for visitors to clean up before they stepped in to pray.

"It's Hannibal by the way," the colonel said as the pilot dipped his handkerchief into a neatly decorated bowl of water and wrung it.

"I thought your name was John Smith," Murdock quickly came back to wrap Hannibal's ankle with the damp cloth.

"It is, but I'd rather be called Hannibal." The colonel smirked to Murdock's puzzlement. "It's a long story, or not that long but we'll leave it for another day." He hissed in pain. "So, how come you knew about this place anyway?"

"I discovered it a couple of months ag-" He smiled and corrected. "It was more than that, of course. Couple of months ago I wasn't around here…" Murdock finished his task and went to sit leaning against the wall near the colonel.

Hannibal would not go further on that subject. It had been barely one month since the captain had performed a spectacular flight on a helicopter from the infamous prison camp in Hanoi. Although apparently he did not remember how long he had been in that place, it mustn't be no less than three months. The pilot had unexpectedly returned right by the time he was about to be declared MIA.

"Anyway," Murdock cleared his throat as though to go on with his story. "I used to come with some of the guys to smoke… well, you know." He shrugged. Hannibal grinned. Pot and other drugs were very popular among soldiers and it was difficult to keep them apart especially within such volatile situations. As a commander officer, he was entitled to lecture his troops about the dangers of sex and drugs but this was neither the time nor the place. Murdock understood that was not a good subject to chat about with a colonel. They had just met and first impressions were rather important. He looked around as though thinking of something more suitable to discuss. "So, I should apologize for the not so smooth landing. I'm usually more careful than that."

"Not from what I've heard. In fact, they say you're quite reckless, especially under pressure."

Murdock acquiesced in silence. "Col- Hannibal, may I ask you a question?" Hannibal nodded. "Who sent you? No offense, but why do I feel like you've been spying on me?"

Hannibal sat up straight, seeking for a more comfortable position for his hurting foot. "Spying, what gives you that idea? I've just heard about you because frankly you're quite noisy."

"All right, you've got a point there." The captain seemed startled as he quickly turned his head to the door.

"What is it?" Hannibal also turned but the only thing outside was a persistent light rain from last few days' monsoon.

"Nothing… I thought I heard something…" He leaned back again trying to relax. "Where were we?"

"You thought I was spying on you," Hannibal suddenly became more interested in the young captain's façade.

"Oh, sorry about that… It's just that lately I've been under watch by a number of stiff collars…" He tried to chuckled, but there was some sort of sadness in his voice. "They think I'm cracking… ever since I came back." He shrugged. "Some hot shot shrink told my CO that I might not be fit for service anymore." There he went again, Murdock thought. For someone who did not want to talk about bad experiences, he came back to it repeatedly. The colonel must be thinking he was a real basket case.

Hannibal silently glanced at him. Murdock's wrists still showed signs of torture. Although a man was in his early twenties, he looked almost thirty, with dark shades under his eyes and prominent cheekbones due to malnutrition and lack of sleep. "Murdock, I read that you completed your one hundred hours with a wide margin and yet, you just signed for a second tour, why?"

Murdock lowered his head and grinned. "I've never known when to quit and when I learned that you had been asking questions about me, I was so curious that I had to stay and see what's next." He seriously stared at him. "So, what's next?"

"Well, I have to admit that I've been spying on you," Hannibal grinned.

Murdock's expression hardened as though he was in front of a sudden enemy. Nonetheless, he did not feel threatened at all. He knew there was something else on Hannibal's mind, so he waited.

"You see? I also have a CO, some rare kind of General that has asked me to form a special force. Something not too big; a couple of kids with certain talents to carry out-of-the-record assignments."

"An A-Team," Murdock's eyes shone.

Hannibal was satisfied to see he had caught the captain's attention. "I'm going to need air support. A class act pilot working exclusively for me."

The captain breathed as though overwhelmed by processing so much information at once. Then, he leaned back against the wall and chuckled. "What a great impression I must've made on you. Your very first flight with me and I crash the chopper. I really screw this one up, eh?"

"I didn't see a crash, I saw a skillful maneuver to keep the shattered blades spinning in the air long enough to find a good place to land. It wasn't that smooth, okay. But it was one hell of a landing." Hannibal took a cigar out of his pocket and grinned. "Is smoking allowed in the temple?"

"I used to do drugs in here," Murdock reminded him, with a mischievous glare. The light rain was heavier now and some thunderstorm began to rumble far away. The captain shuddered but he managed to control it before it was too noticeable.

Night fell. Hannibal had taken the first watch as he decided that the captain needed the rest more than he and his twisted ankle did. Instead, he went for a short limping walk around the pagoda, just imagining how beautiful it must have been before the war chased villagers away. War was ugly, he hated it but he would stay until the end. There was no point in going home when most of his men were still putting their lives on the line of fire. He could not bear knowing that he could have made a difference for them.

He heard a moan and he turned to see Murdock sleeping fitfully. His breathing was heavy as if trying to say something in his dreams. Hannibal did not need to wonder what was going on in his mind. He had been a POW himself, more than once, and bad dreams were just like ghosts. He knew them and did not like them either. He walked to the door and leaned against the wall. The thunderstorm was closer now and the air was humid and cold. It would be actually easy to fall asleep under that tropical weather. Hannibal's eyes were almost closed when an agonizing 'No!' startled him.

Murdock was sitting up, his hands protecting his face as he panted for air. Hannibal came closer, and gently touched his arm.

"Are you all right, kid?" He was not concerned about the noise since the storm was enough to suffocate any.

The captain lifted his head and nodded, as though embarrassed to show his weakness in front of the colonel. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled.

"Not need to be," Hannibal followed him. "Bad dreams are a natural consequence of traumatic experiences. Me for instance-"

"Colonel, don't take this personal but I've got enough of those mental terms shrinks label everything with." Murdock avoided Hannibal's inquisitive stare.

"You should give them a shot, Murdock. I've seen them work wonders." Hannibal took a cigar out of his pocket but did not light it. At night, noise and lights should be avoided as a matter of life and death. "I heard you quit therapy after two sessions."

The captain frowned. He was getting really annoyed by conversations about his mental health. "I don't think we should talk about this anymore, I just…" He turned to the door as a lightning struck nearby. All of a sudden, he did not seem interested in finishing the sentence. "Did you hear that?" His heartbeat accelerated as he looked intently towards the darkened jungle.

"What?" Hannibal turned his eyes to the same point but there was nothing to see but rain and lighting. He carefully scrutinized the area for VC. "It's okay; I don't think Charlie would want to come out to play in this weather anyway." He looked at the pilot, who was shuddering on the verge of collapse. Hannibal attempted to grab his arm but Murdock jerked it away as though touched by fire.

"Stay away! Don't touch me!" For a second, he seemed immersed into another reality but he was back almost immediately."I'm sorry…" He put one hand over his forehead. "I'm not usually like this, I-I… It's so cold in here." He gave up and went to sit in his corner. He began to rub first his wrists then his arms. Murdock looked up at Hannibal and tilted his head. "D-Did you read in my file that I'm crazy." He chuckled. "I've been in sort of probation, constantly watched. Can't sleep, can't eat without someone taking notes on me…" He tried to hold back the tears, but several trickled down his cheeks anyway. "They think they're very smart but I already know they're there…" He wiped the tears off with the back of his hand and shook his head. "W-when I was caught I made a point of not crying… no matter what they did to me, I didn't cry… Now I can't stop…They're killing me…" Hannibal quietly came to sit next to him and laid one hand on the captain's shoulder. Murdock did not move. "Can't go on pretending everything's okay when it's not… It sucks." He took a deep breath and lied down. Soon, his eyes closed and his breathing decelerated into a more paused and peaceful rhythm.

"You don't have to pretend with me, kid. I say it's all right to feel like that. No one should go through what you went through. But it's not the end." Hannibal leaned back against the wall and watched over the captain until he went back to sleep.

Two hours had passed and Hannibal hesitated before waking up Murdock. The pilot had been struggling in dreams most of the night but for the last fifteen minutes, he finally seemed to have come to terms with whatever demon tormented him. The colonel went to the door and breathed the humid air in an effort to keep himself awake.

"It looks alive doesn't it?"

Although he was surprised, Hannibal did not show it as Murdock came to stand next to him. It was good enough to see him up and about. The colonel could use some hours of sleep too before morning. However, he could not help but noticing the strange sparkle in the captain's gaze. It could be nothing or the first signs of insanity.

"If you stare for a while you can actually see shadows moving." Murdock's eyes opened wide and did not blink. "And the whispers; the jungle talks, you know? …I'd rather be up there where you can't see faces or hear whispers. Everything's quiet… no ghosts…" He shook his head as if coming to from a trance. He did not look at Hannibal, but he lowered his eyes down to the floor. "You must rest now; I'll wake you up early in the morning."

Hannibal thanked him and went to his corner. He was too tired to pursue a discussion that might turn into a dead end argument. One minute with his eyes closed and he was sound asleep.

The next morning, the colonel woke up to the sound of a dynamic conversation between Murdock and someone else. He sat up to see the captain in front of the altar with two Buddhist monks. The three of them smiled and exchanged words in Vietnamese and Chinese. From what the colonel heard, Murdock was quite fluent in both languages, but Hannibal could only understand the first one.

"Oh, Colonel, did you sleep well?" The pilot did not show any signs of anxiety or distress. He looked as normal as ever, and that concerned Hannibal more than the episodes of the night before. "Come and meet my friends. They work here, keeping the place neat and safe."

"All things considered they do a great job," Hannibal smiled and translated his words into their language. The monks bowed and smiled back.

"He saw us coming last night and brought us breakfast." Murdock said with a wide smiled. "I had my share already the rest is yours." He turned on his heels and headed for the door with one of the monks.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"There's another wreckage nearby, I need some spare parts and tools to fix our transportation." The pilot winked. "I'll get that baby ready to go up and away in a couple of hours." He left without waiting for a reply.

Hannibal turned to the trays of food in front of him and noticed they were almost untouched. The monk understood his expression and explained that the captain had only had coffee and several pills he carried with him. The colonel shook his head, but sat down to his breakfast. He looked at the monk sitting in front of him and decided to ask him a couple of questions about Murdock. The conversation turned interesting from there.

It did not take Murdock more than half an hour to find what the problem was and less than one hour to fix it. He triumphantly came back to the pagoda where the colonel and the monk had just finished their chat. Both men gave him a look that the captain could interpret as a mixture of compassion and affection. That was rather disturbing. He had lived without a father figure most of his life and it was a little late to get two for the price of one.

"Ready? I just dusted the old bird's wings and it's ready to take you out of here. The sky is rather grey, a thunderstorm is on its way," he announced, wiping the oil off his hands with an already dirty cloth.

"It's okay," Hannibal laid one hand on Murdock's shoulder. "As my good friend here says 'even in the darkest cloud there is always light,'" he smiled and lit his cigar. "Don't forget the box," he pointed at one corner and turned to say goodbye to the monks.

Murdock did not have any intention of eavesdropping but he could not help hearing random words like 'good kid' and 'needing guidance'. He just rolled his eyes. It seemed that lately everybody wanted the best for him; as if he did not know how to get it for himself…

Back in the helicopter, Hannibal sat next to Murdock with a pleased look in his eyes. The pilot shook his head and smiled.

"What?" He asked the colonel, convinced that there was something else behind that look.

"Oh, it's nothing." Hannibal adjusted his earphones. "It's just that you've surpassed my expectations. It'll be a pleasure to have you in my team."

"I haven't said I will, yet," said Murdock with a grin.

"You will," the colonel nodded. "I won't lose the Army's best pilot without putting on a fight."

Murdock smiled and shook his head. He started the engine and the helicopter began to roar. The metal vibrated a couple of times but in the end, they lift off the ground as usual.

"Shall we go back to the base, Colonel?" Murdock began to set course.

"Of course not, we still have a mission to complete," Hannibal pointed at the boxes behind them. "You already know the coordinates."

"What's in those boxes anyway?"

Hannibal grinned as though he had been waiting for that question. "Well, Captain. I'm not authorized to discuss the boxes' contents with anybody who's not a member of my team. And since so far I'm the only member, I'm not sharing."

Murdock laughed and nodded. "Point taken," he exhaled deeply. "Colonel, I think you should know something before we go further with this stuff about the A-Team… As you saw last night, I don't sleep much and then the mornings are like hell. So… I usually t-take something to keep me awake longer… It's not like I'm an addict but…" Murdock kept his eyes on the sky in front of him. "I'm not excusing myself but I felt that I had to be straight with you."

"Thank you but I know about the pills, Murdock." Hannibal leaned back in his seat.

"You know? But you didn't say anything before," the captain turned to look at him, frowning.

"I didn't because I knew you would tell me eventually," Hannibal shrugged.

"How come?"

"Because you're honest and trustworthy. You would never betray a friend."

"Oh, we're friends now?" Murdock chuckled. "So, after what you saw last night and today's little confession you're still considering me for your A-Team?"

"Of course," Hannibal said. "You see? I'm good at judging character. I'm pretty sure that this morning you took the last of those pills and if you promise me to get back in therapy, they won't make any fuzz when I'll request you for my assignments."

"You must have a very high self esteem or be a clairvoyant to think you can make me accept just like that." Murdock smiled.

"A little bit of both," Hannibal took out another cigar and grinned. "Deal?" They shook hands.

A flash of lightning illuminated the road, followed closely by a resonant peal of thunder. Murdock started and then smiled. "Next time we'll check on the weather forecast before we leave."

TBC