Keeper of the Truth
Disclaimer: I do not own The A-Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A-Team.
Chapter 8
"Colonel, they're startin' ta talk." Hannibal woke to a beefy hand shaking his shoulder and B. A's rough voice.
Boosting himself quickly from the bed where he was trying to sleep, Hannibal shadowed the Sergeant across the room to the table.
"Who? Is Murdock one of them?" The older man examined B. A.'s weary expression closely. Hannibal realized with a twinge of remorse that the big man had been so concerned about his team mate's safety, he hadn't slept for several hours. Instead, he had let the Colonel get some much-needed rest. But Hannibal hadn't gotten much sleep, going over the rest of his plan in his mind and wondering what was happening with the Captain. Not that he was worried . . . Murdock was very resourceful.
"Ain't Murdock. Don't think Barger's there either. Least they ain't called him by name. Maybe he ain't callin' the shots after all." B. A. paused. "They ain't given the fool back his glasses yet. He's prob'ly still locked up."
Hannibal nodded as he took the seat closest to the receiver. "At least they're finally digging through his personal items. We have to be ready to divert any calls to the phone in the van."
"Figured out which pole I'll hafta climb ta do that when the Faceman an' me drove out ta take a better look of things."
The voices coming through the listening device seemed to be rising in volume.
"I went through his wallet, his license and credit cards have Merle H. Somers on them. His driver's license's got a Van Nuys address."
"Good job, Lieutenant," Hannibal muttered.
"If his name's Merle H. Somers, why does this dogtag have the name Chuck Heller on it?" A harsher voice crackled over the receiver.
"Maybe a couple of us oughta ask him." That was a third voice, more gravelly and sinister.
"Hannibal," B. A. growled, his hand curling into a fist.
The Colonel's jaw tightened as he raised one hand to silence the mechanic. "Listen!"
"Don't you two know anything?" The first man spoke, his tone threatening. "If you look at those dogtags, you'll see they're not real. It seems to be some kind of keepsake. This guy Heller must have been a good friend."
The voice who raised the question seemed satisfied with the answer. "So we check out who this Heller guy is? Maybe he can tell us about Somers better than Somers himself."
Hannibal gave a small snort of contempt at that. "Chuck Heller can't tell them what his own mother's name is right now. I think Murdock's real identity is safe if they go exploring that rabbit trail."
B. A. touched the dogtag around his own neck, his brows drawn together in a frown. Hannibal hadn't divulged the location of the VA hospital Heller was living in and only hinted at the ex-POW's mental state. It was information the Colonel felt he had to withhold from the other three, especially from Face and Murdock.
The Sergeant tucked what Hannibal had just said away in his mind. Now wasn't the time to try to get the Colonel to tell him more about Heller's status.
"It's time to get into position in case they decide to make some phone calls." Hannibal rose determined from his seat and walked to the door. With his hand on the knob, he glanced at the Sergeant and smiled grimly. "Let's wake Face up and get moving."
oooooo
The interior of the hut grew darker with the lengthening day. Brother Luke had been back to ask his questions three more times. Each time the guide decided Murdock was not 'empty' enough to be released.
The pilot's spirit sank lower after each session. His mysterious supplier of life-preserving water had not returned. He wasn't sure he had not been hallucinating the visit. If it wasn't for the fact he wasn't dehydrated yet, he would have been convinced his visitor was a figment of his sensory-deprived mind.
"Whaddya think th' guys're doin', Billy?" he whispered, running his thumb along the wood of the door in front of him. He couldn't see the texture but he had the grooves, knots and splinters memorized by now. It was something Billy suggested he do to stay grounded.
It was impossible for him to determine how much time had passed since his guide locked him in the hut. For one thing, he couldn't be certain Brother Luke returned in perfect sixty minute intervals.
He was about to begin silently reciting the lyrics to 'God Bless America' in German when a nearby sound of someone approaching stopped him. Then,
Tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.
His friend had come back. He was relieved to hear the slight scraping sound as his visitor removed the board beside his feet. Looking down, he barely saw the revealed hole in the wall.
Mus' be later 'n I thought.
It made sense that his mysterious visitor returned under the cover of dark. No doubt the cult member would be punished in some way for helping a new recruit endure the solitary confinement.
"Bread from the kitchen. Wish it could have been more." A hurried whisper, meaning the speaker feared being discovered. A hand with two thickly cut slices of bread poked through the opening.
"Thanks. But who are ya? Why're ya helpin' me?" Murdock leaned closer to the wall and took the food. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took the first bite. He gratefully took the bottle that was next to be offered. He swallowed, then washed the bread down with water.
"Aaron Schreiker. When you escape, take me with you."
Murdock stopped mid-chew, nearly choking on the morsel in his mouth. "Ya . . . ya said Schreiker?"
The speaker seemed to hesitate. "I sensed you were sent by my father Theodore Schreiker. Ever since I remember I've been able to sense . . . things . . . about people. You're here because of him."
The pilot wanted to believe the young man but the mission would be jeopardized if he trusted the wrong person.
But he didn' hafta bring me water 'n' food . . . maybe I should trust 'im . . . but what if . . .
The kid was waiting for some sort of response. He took a breath and stammered, "I . . . I'm jus' lookin' for truth. I wasn' sent . . . "
"Don't worry. My father's got no love for me. Your secret's safe." Murdock heard bitterness in his new friend's tone even though he spoke only in a whisper.
"Are ya here alone, Aaron?" He frowned, wondering what kind of father would leave his son behind. Then he remembered his own father and the abuse he suffered at his hands.
Guys like my Pa'd do that sort o' thing easy.
"My stepmother's here, too. She's totally under Barger's spell. If she knew I was here talking to you . . . " The bitterness had been replaced by fear and the pilot wondered what Barger and his robed goons did to recruits who failed to conform.
"If you can keep a secret, so can I." Murdock thought for a minute before adding, "Yeah, me 'n' my team're here t' make sure Barger doesn' rob anyone o' their stuff anymore."
He heard a deep sigh. "That's good. But that's why my father sent you? To get his 'stuff' back? Not to rescue me?"
"I'll get ya outta here when th' time comes. Okay?" Murdock avoided having to answer the question but he seethed with anger toward their client. Now was not the time to talk about the kid's relationship with his father.
There'll be time t' let Schreiker know what kind o' father I think he is. Don' think B. A.'s gonna let 'im off th' hook either.
He forced his thoughts back to the mission at hand. "I'm gonna hafta preten' like they managed t' break me. So don' be surprised, muchacho. I'm jus' playin' 'long b'cause I'm not much good locked up in here."
"Okay. Is there anything you need for me to do?" There was a hint of eagerness in the young man's voice.
Murdock thought about the glasses he needed to communicate his findings with his team. He wants t' help but if he tries t' get 'em 'n' is caught . . . nope, can' risk it.
"No. I can' letcha get hurt 'cause o' me. But I will get ya outta here. I promise."
The pilot heard a deep sigh before "I'd better take the water bottle as soon as you've had enough or Brother Luke'll know someone's been helping you."
There was that hint of fear again in the kid's voice. Murdock hadn't mistaken it.
The pilot took a few hurried swallows before recapping the bottle and sending it back through the hole in the wall. He held the last of the bread in his other hand, intending to finish it as soon as his young friend left.
"Thanks 'gain, Aaron. I'll see ya when I get outta here, 'kay?"
"And if Brother Luke doesn't let you go, I'll try to sneak some more water and food to you." There was a pause before Aaron added, "I hope your plan comes together. For both of our sakes."
Murdock smiled in spite of his situation.
Hann'bal couldn' o' said it better himself.
"I do too, muchacho. Good night."
"Good night." And with that Aaron replaced the panel in the wall and was gone.
oooooo
Murdock eagerly awaited his guide's next visit, rehearsing his answers to the questions silently.
Finally he heard the sound of footsteps and Brother Luke's calm greeting. "Good morning, Merle."
"Brother Luke." The pilot hoped his voice sounded raspy and weak enough to fool the man who literally held the key to his freedom.
"You are well?" The guide seemed surprised Murdock was still able to speak. For a moment, the pilot wondered if he should have groaned instead.
Better late 'n never.
He coughed, then moaned softly. "I'm . . . " He swallowed and gasped the last word. " . . . good."
The man on the other side of the door hesitated for a few seconds. "I hope this time will be the last time we have to go through this. Wouldn't you like it to end?"
Murdock rolled his eyes. Whaddya think? Course I wan' it t' end! But not in th' way your boss wants.
He thought again of Aaron's risky visits and refocused his mind on acting submissive. "Nothin's as important as knowin' th' truth that sets ya free."
"What visions have you seen that shows you that you see the path to the truth?"
The first time the guide asked that question Murdock didn't understand what he meant. Now that he had been almost completely deprived of light, sleep, food and water for this long, he guessed that most recruits started hallucinating within a few hours. Brother Luke's 'visions' were nothing more than the mind working on overdrive to make up for those things.
He wasn't about to tell the guide the hallucinations he had experienced in the past when in similar situations.
Too bizarre 'n' not somethin' I wanna dream 'bout when this mission's over. If I didn' have Billy with me this time . . .
Maybe that was the kind of answer Luke wanted. "I saw a bein' in white robes. Said 'is name was Billy. He wanted t' help me clean out my mind o' all th' pain 'n' mem'ries." Murdock paused. "I feel like he's with me right now."
"That's . . . that's good, Merle. That's very good." Brother Luke sounded a bit surprised at the information. Within a minute, he composed himself and returned to his task.
"The truth brings freedom. Your spirit guide along with the Keepers will help you stay on the path that leads to the ultimate truths."
It was a mantra Brother Luke had repeated each time he visited. Murdock knew it by heart by now.
Mus' be words from Barger's Bible.
"Are you also ready to release all of your property and possessions to the Keepers for the good of the group?"
"Billy said I hafta do that t' be free 'n' I trust 'im. Yeah. I'm ready."
Murdock had to mentally restrain himself from rushing the door when he heard the guide fitting the key in the lock. The door creaked open slowly, so slowly he silently prayed it wasn't all a dream.
"Come, Brother Merle. Reverend Barger must speak with you about the next steps in your journey." Brother Luke offered him his hand as the pilot stood to leave the hut. "Careful now. You haven't had food or water for a while. Tell me if you start feeling dizzy."
Murdock remembered just in time that he needed to play the part of someone weakened and disoriented from over a full day spent in darkness and isolation. It wasn't too difficult. His wobbly legs had been cramped in one position too long for him to walk or even stand very well.
He placed one hand on his guide's arm to steady himself. The robed man was standing in one place, staring at something in the small confinement cell. Murdock's gaze followed Luke's.
Four small white crumbs littered the bare floor between the legs of the chair where Murdock had sat. The pilot met his guide's suspicious look.
Uh oh.