"Alright, Captain, you should have about two hours to get her settled. I have the briefing with the General and then some final preparations for this mission," Hannibal says, setting Sophie's inert body on the gurney.

Murdock can't help but notice the tender way in which his superior arranges her limbs, tucks her in and brushes her hair from her eyes.

"Do we really havta go, Boss?" the pilot asks meekly.

"We do. It's time sensitive but not overly involved. I can also get us some free time with a successful completion. Get her over to the med tent, they'll be able to take care of her while we're away and I'm sure Billy will alert you to any change in her condition," Smith replies righting himself and grabbing his briefing packets.

Murdock gives a dopey smile, "Yeah, he will."

"Crazy, what the hell you doin'?" B.A. asks.

The madcap jumps at his friend's voice, spinning around, a blow torch and small crucible in his hands.

"Bosco! Jeez man! Don't sneak up on me when I'm smelting!" the pilot yelps turning back to his 'work.'

"I can see that, fool," B.A. snorts. "Why? What happened to your sister?" he finishes looking over Murdock's shoulder to the unresponsive body on the gurney.

"Hmmmmm, oh," HM says, absorbed in whatever it is he's doing. "She's catatonic. That always happens after a period of lucidity. She asked me for proof that she was actually aware and I wasn't dead..." he continues, heating the crucible carefully.

"What does that have to do with metal working?" B.A. doesn't think he'll like where this is headed. He steps closer to the lunatic trying to see what he is actually doing.

"Don't try to understand it, Big Guy. I'm putting one of my tags in her leg; it's the only thing I could think of with such short notice. I need to get this done and bandaged and take her over to the medics as quickly as possible... Sooooo, you can either help me... oooorrrrrr, go the fuck away... In the nicest way possible." Murdock shoots a mean smile over his shoulder.

Baracus is stunned for a second, "Alright, Crazy, what can I do?"

He steps closer to the gurney, Murdock shifting to make room. In front of them is Sophie's bare thigh, prepped as if for surgery. A small section of skin has been cut away and in its place is one of Howling Mad's ID tags. The metal looks sickeningly shiny next to the creamy skin.

"Ever so slowly, am I going to pour this around the tag... I need you to pour that sterile solution on Immediately After," Murdock gestures with the blow torch and sets it aside. He carefully tips the crucible, allowing a thin stream of molten metal fall onto the cut skin. Smoke and the distinct smell of burning flesh rise to greet their noses.

"Shit," is all B.A. can say as he, just as carefully, pours the sterile solution over the hot metal wound. Sophie hasn't noticed at all.

"What the Fuck is going on!" Face shouts behind them, he shoves Baracus out of his way and Murdock quickly jumps to the side, dropping the super-heated container onto the dirt floor.

"Murdock! Man, What the hell did you do?" Face gapes at the angry red skin surrounding the dog tag that has been neatly cauterized into the soft flesh of Sophie's thigh.

"Sophie!" Faceman cries, shaking the woman's shoulders. She doesn't react, can't react. Her head lolls slightly and her mouth hangs open. She blinks once, slowly.

"I did what I had to," is the only response Murdock gives elbowing Face away from his sister to tend the wound. He gently smooths ointment over the skin and wraps bandages around the leg. "I have to take Sophie to the medics. We're leaving in an hour."

The pilot puts a hat on his sibling's head and wheels the gurney out of the tent.

"We gotta go after that mad man! Did you see what he did?" Peck spouts.

"Face."

"I'm stopping him. He may be nuts but that's way over the line," he continues, darting towards the tent door.

"Temp!" B.A. hollers, grabbing his friend, "Let him go!"

"Get your hands off me, man!" Faceman yells back.

"Temp, let him go. We can't even begin to understand what's up with those two. Let him do what he needs," Baracus says, wrestling with the smaller man. "The mission's on."

"What!"

"Sophie's catatonic. It's safe to leave her right now. Crazy said something about needing to give her proof he's alive. He's leaving her with the docs while we're gone," B.A. explains, releasing his teammate.

"But you saw what he did!"

"Face! I helped him."