Disclaimer: I do not own, nor did I create, any of the A-team characters (main or support) nor do I own, nor did I create, any of the episodes. That credit is due to Stephen J. Cannell and his associates. Any familiar catch phrases or settings also belong to the Cannell team.

Dimitri Shastakovich, Ivan Pedavich, and Colonel Samuel Morrison are characters belonging to Stephen J Cannell and Associates.

Spoiler Alert: References characters and revelations from Season 4 Episode 14 "The A-team is Coming".

Author's Notes: A theory about how The A-team first met the KGB operative Dimitri Shastakovich alluded to in Season 4 Episode 14.

This chapter is a bit heavy on the dialogue but I wanted to keep it "first hand" versus simply "description." Hope I made the right call.

Summary: Hannibal is debriefed by Morrison.

From Russia with Not Quite Love: by LAGC

Chapter Six: Debriefing and Debating

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The chopper was met by a medical team as well as two MP's. Hannibal was momentarily concerned the MPs were there for Murdock and was relieved to learn they were only interested in Dimitri. (Jones had radioed the base while in flight to report the Russian's presence. Face had teased Hannibal about his "surprise" being ruined.)

Dimitri was loaded onto a stretcher and whisked off to the med tent. Hannibal ordered his men to also report for medical examinations and treatments. Any resistance from the Three was instantly squelched when Hannibal sternly barked, "That's an order, all three of you. Now! I'll expect to find you there after I debrief with Col. Morrison."

They obediently followed Dimitri whilst Hannibal marched off to Morrison's office. As he approached the door, Hannibal assumed proper military posture and smoothed down his field beaten uniform. He knocked once and entered when summoned from within.

With a precision salute he said, "Lt Col. Smith reporting, Sir."

"At ease Smith. Private Wesson you're dismissed." ordered Col. Morrison. The administrative assistant left the small building immediately in crisp military fashion. Hannibal watched him go. Once the door shut behind the private Morrison gestured toward the chair facing his desk, indicating that Hannibal should sit down.

"Well Smith, where shall we begin!" Morrison asked in a condemnatory tone.

"Sir, please clarify your question. I do not understand your meaning, Sir." replied Hannibal with a ominous glint in his blue eyes.

"Hannibal! Do not start with me. We've got to address the unobtained target, the Russian soldier currently getting medical care from the US Army, and the destroyed 'copter flown by an insubordinate pilot!" Morrison listed with ever increasing reproachful disdain in his voice.

Hannibal glared at his commanding officer. "The target was not obtained due to the fact that his village had been utterly destroyed. Completely burned down, no survivors found. Every man, woman, and child annihilated. I couldn't have even begun to try to identify our operative among all the dead." Hannibal reported angrily

"That bad, John?"

"Quite possibly the worst I've ever seen, Sam. Complete carnage." replied Hannibal as he slouched back and lit his cigar without asking for permission. Hannibal took a deep soothing drag on it then continued his report.

"My men and I left the village and proceeded to trek to our rendezvous coordinates. However we encountered a superior enemy force so I gave the order to retreat to a secondary route. This brought us past the destroyed village again. There we discovered a lone Russian soldier. We captured him and upon his surrender he identified himself as Dimitri Shastakovich. He confessed to being a deserter from the unit which had destroyed the village and that the unit was led by Ivan Pedavich."

"Go on John." encouraged Morrison who had leaned forward against his desktop, perched on his elbows.

"Seemed to me that Shastakovich would be able to provide useful Intel on Pedavich and be able to shed light on what happened to our original target. I figured bringing him in beat coming back empty handed."

"He should prove to be useful. That is if he is willing to talk." Morrison admitted as he passed a glass of bourbon toward Hannibal. Both men leaned heavily back into their chairs and took long swigs. After a sigh, Morrison continued, "Now about Capt. Murdock..."

"I will deal with him. He's under my direct command." interrupted Hannibal guardedly.

"Hannibal this time he pushed too hard. I don't think I can leave him to you. He deliberately broke protocol. Took up a helicopter, unauthorized and under manned. Then got that said bird destroyed!" complained Morrison.

"First off. If that bird got shot down under Murdock's hands than no other pilot would have been able to avoid that fate either -full crew or not. Furthermore under any other pilot we would all be dead and rotting in that damn jungle! It's only because he's the best there ever was or will be that we were able to escape that wreck and bring in Shastakovich."

"Smith!" Morrison tried to interrupt.

"I'm not done yet! Furthermore this was specifically an A-team mission. One you directly handed to my team. H.M. Murdock is THE pilot of the A-team therefore it was his mission, his duty, to retrieve us from the field. Attempting to send out another flight team to our pre-arranged pick up was a total breech of protocol on your part, SIR!"

"You're splitting hairs, Smith."

"And it's those very hairs that means the difference between life and death in that jungle. Sometimes I worry that you're forgetting that truth, sitting here behind your desk, Sam." declared Hannibal, his eyes now clouded with accusations.

"Murdock is a loose cannon. You need to batten him down or I'm warning you he's going to go too far for even you to save him! ...Ah dammit, just make sure the rest of this base sees that Murdock has been duly reprimanded. And this will be noted on his record along with your explanation!"

"Fine! One more point needs to be made. Shastakovich, despite his current claims, is no simple soldier. He's got skills that tell me he's at least special ops if not an actual operative. Go into your interviews with him with your eyes and ears open."

"Noted."

"That being said he kept both Peck and Baracus from injury, possibly fatal injuries, on two separate occasions. He's got my respect for that."

"Again, noted, Smith. I expect a full complete written report in my office by 0900. You're dismissed."

Hannibal nodded and exited without undo delay. He went immediately to the med tent to make sure that his team had been checked over. He found Face, leaning nonchalantly against a jeep, waiting outside the tent. His Lieutenant was sporting three new stitches over his eyebrow.

"Hope that doesn't leave a scar Kid. Might make it a bit more difficult for you to work your magic." teased Hannibal.

"Ah but right now it increases my 'sympathy angle'" Face countered with his mega-watt grin.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Murdock is getting his wrist x-rayed to be sure it's not broken. BA, has been cleared by the doctors, and is waiting with Shastakovich while his leg is tended to. Big Guy says-and I quote-'I ain't relinquishing my prisoner to no Fool MPs until Hannibal gives me that order.' "

Hannibal simply shook his head, "And how was that received?"

"The med staff didn't care as long as BA wasn't physically in their way. The MP's were miffed and ready to alert Morrison."

"And yet, they did not? I just left his office and no one had come." Hannibal said sarcastically as he snuffed out his cigar and pocketed the un-enjoyed remaining half.

"Really? ...Well, I did point out to them that you were in the presence of our commander, delivering your debrief. Perhaps I helped them realized that it would be an inopportune time to interrupt simply to tattle-tale." Face commented airily.

"Perhaps you did, Lieutenant. Let's go inside and see our men."

Face held the door and followed Hannibal into the med tent. Murdock was just about to bound out. After greetings, Murdock assured his teammates that his wrist was not broken just merely strained. The doctor had simply wrapped it in an ace bandage and told him to rest it for a few days. The three men then searched out BA. They quickly found him keeping close watch over a now casted Shastakovich. Two MPs were a safe distance away surreptitiously keeping a petulant watch themselves.

Dimitri was sitting in a hospital bed, his leg slightly elevated upon a pillow. BA was sit-leaning on a storage cabinet next to the bed. The two were in conversation. The approaching officers overheard a bit of their discussion.

"How'd ya know that branch would scare off that snake, man?" BA was asking.

"Truthfully I did not know for a fact it would. But I could think of no other method."

"Well it's a good thing it worked. Or else I would have had to pound you before I took my last two steps." Both men shared a rueful grin before they spotted Hannibal, Face, and Murdock.

BA made a half hearted attempt at saluting his commanding officer. Not one to stand on pomp and such Hannibal didn't bother to correct him.

"Everyone has received their due medical care I see." Hannibal commented then added, " And have managed to mostly stay out of trouble." He was clearly directing that last bit toward BA. The Big Guy simply grunted.

Noticing that the MPs gathering their courage to approach and wanting to prevent a possible ruckus, Face spoke up, "Well I don't know about the rest of you but I'm hungry and if I don't get a shower first I'll be banned from the mess hall."

Catching on to his Lieutenant's ploy Hannibal quickly concurred, "Yes, the next course of action for the A-team is cleaning up and chowing down. Time to relinquish custody of the prisoner, Sergeant."

"Fine with me, Hannibal. Call those two Suckas from the shadows so we can go eat."

Hannibal signaled the MPs then the Team took leave of Shastakovich.

Once they were alone in the Team's tent Hannibal shared his debrief. He warned Murdock, for the next few days, to keep a low profile and to make sure he was seen "repentantly and laboriously repairing" their tent. Then they all headed to the showers.

Face hung back a bit, "So who exactly do you think Shastakovich is, Colonel?"

"He sure as hell is more than he's letting on, Kid. Gonna be interesting to watch his next move."