Every Thought Captive
Disclaimer: I do not own The A Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A Team.
Chapter 10 Questions, Questions
As Jackson left Room 27, a guard stood at attention and saluted. "Colonel Jackson? We intercepted someone who breached the southern perimeter of the Proving Grounds in the Granite Peak sector. Lieutenant Parkins said to bring him in. He thought you would want to conduct the questioning."
Jackson glanced back at the closed door he had just come through and sighed. Captain Murdock's retraining would have to wait.
But as soon as this is taken care of, it will be a pleasure to reacquaint the Captain with the finer aspects of the Stargate program.
He smiled in anticipation as he allowed the guard to lead him to the room where the intruder waited.
oooooo
Face suspected the person who would be opening the door to the room he was in would be some type of military brass. As the colonel and one of the guards entered the room and shut the door, the Lieutenant took a deep breath.
Well, here goes. If Hannibal's right, this guy will take my name, listen to my story and go to another room to phone the university and check me out.
"My name is Colonel Frank M. Jackson. And you are . . . ?" The Colonel extended his right hand to Face and smiled.
The conman clumsily uncrossed his ankles and partially stood, leaning forward to take the offered hand. "Uh . . . Doctor Horace Pepper. I teach geology at Berkeley in California."
After shaking the Colonel's hand, Face perched on the edge of his chair and folded his hands in his lap. He willed his legs to tremble a little as if afraid of the authority this man possessed.
Just like Doctor Pepper would do if he was who he said he was.
Colonel Jackson strolled over to one of the chairs and pulled it out. He motioned to the guard to leave the room. "But stay just outside the door in case I need you." As the guard closed the door behind him, Jackson leaned forward with his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "Now suppose you tell me how you came to be wandering around a restricted area?"
Face pushed his glasses up on his nose with one finger and cocked his head. " I . . . uh . . . can explain . . . I think. I tried to explain to the two guards but they wouldn't listen. In fact, they were downright rude."
"They're not assigned to their post to listen. They're assigned to intercept and bring trespassers in to be questioned." Jackson narrowed his eyes at the Lieutenant. "Suppose you tell me why you were trespassing on government property?"
"Trespassing? Me? If I had known . . . I've never even jaywalked in my life. Oh, dear. If the head of my department finds out about this . . . oh, dear." Face took out a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket and mopped his forehead with it.
"So am I to believe you had no idea you were trespassing?" The Colonel raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the conman's expression.
"I thought this was the same area I found pink quartz geodes three years ago. I must have gotten turned around." He pulled the specimen bag toward him and turned the contents out on the table. "See, I have two wonderful samples of purple quartz geodes but no pink."
Jackson picked up one of the samples, fingered the rough hewn edges where the hammer had broken it in two and set it carefully back down on the table. "You will find no geodes in this area, Professor Pepper. Your best bet is to go back out to the main road, turn right and look for the signage leading to the Dugway Geode Beds on your right."
"So does that mean I'm free to leave?" Face tried to sound overly eager. He shifted position as if to get up from his seat.
But if this guy is tight on security procedure, he'll check me out first. That will give me opportunity to try to find Murdock and Amy.
"Not so fast, Professor." Jackson raised one hand to stop him and stood up. "I will have to call the university and check your story. Does anyone there know you were coming to Utah to hunt for geodes?"
"Well . . ." Face pretended to be deep in thought. Stroking his chin with one hand, he looked up at the Colonel and smiled. "My department head, Doctor Wan Lee. In fact, I can give you his number if you want. Just . . . if you wouldn't mind, could you kind of keep it between you and me that I made this mistake? It might mean my job if he thinks I was doing anything illegal."
"Of course. I understand completely. I will make up an excuse for calling and ask if he knows you." Jackson waited for Face to remove a pen and a piece of paper from a small notebook in his pocket.
After scrawling a phone number on the page, he slipped it to the Colonel and pumped the man's hand up and down enthusiastically. "Gee, thanks for covering for me. I don't want to know what kind of chewing out I'd receive from Professor Lee if he knew I had been in custody for even a short while."
Colonel Jackson wrested his hand away from Face's overly anxious handshake and gave him a cold smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to get you on your way before very long. Just stay here and if your Doctor Lee confirms your identity, I'll have my men escort you to your vehicle and back to the main road."
His hand on the door knob, Jackson glanced back at the conman. "Is there anything else we can do for you, Professor?"
Face gave him a sheepish grin and licked his lips. "Well, if you wouldn't mind having someone get me a little water. I've been out in that sun all morning and I'm afraid I emptied my last water bottle before your men picked me up. I'd sure appreciate it."
Jackson nodded and opened the door. "Corporal Mendez, would you please get the Professor a cup of water?" He gave Face another analytical once-over. "Like I said, if your story matches what your department head says, you should be out of here shortly. Good day to you, Doctor."
The door closed and Face sighed in relief. While the Colonel didn't say anything the Lieutenant wouldn't have expected, there was something about the man that raised warning flags in the conman's mind.
Pushing the thought away for the moment, Face prepared for his next course of action when Corporal Mendez returned with the water.
oooooo
"Colonel Jackson."
He knew automatically who that voice belonged to and he cringed inside. Whoever met General Brandler when he first arrived at the Granite Peak Installation would be reprimanded for not letting him know before now.
"You are a devil of a man to locate when someone wants information." The General returned Jackson's salute and appraised him with suspicious eyes. "I've already been to Room 27 and seen the test subject for Project Silent Arrow. I hope his paranoid delusions about being brought here against his will are not going to delay the project."
"We will have to provide a great deal of training in a very short period of time to meet the deadline you have set for us but we should be able to accomplish it. Doctor Stafford and I were going to start this afternoon. I have a phone call to make and then I was going to meet the doctor in one of our laboratories and begin." Colonel Jackson shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
And you, sir, are being the biggest obstacle right now to starting Captain Murdock's training.
"The test subject's ranting is just paranoid delusion, isn't it? We do not need to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors in MKULTRA. The public outcry will destroy someone's career if we utilize a psychiatric patient who hasn't given consent and it leaks out." The General crossed his arms and frowned.
What the hell does Brandler expect?
Jackson pasted a reassuring smile on his face. "The test subject was given a chemical substance to loosen his mind up for the training, that's all. It somehow . . . enhanced the symptoms of his disorder. He is showing signs of coming out of it. That's why I was delaying our initial training session."
Hope you buy that. You don't need to know everything.
Brandler took in and released a deep breath. "And the test subject has flown an airplane before? I don't need to remind you that we have to have a pilot that will do what he is supposed to do at the end of this month. Cazador's plane must not reach Gema Escondida."
"Yes, yes. Doctor Stafford and I are fully aware of the criteria for the test subject and what he must be able to do." Colonel Jackson stopped short of rolling his eyes. His sharp retort was risky enough. "Now, if you don't mind, sir, I must make that phone call and then get to work."
"If you don't mind, I might accompany you when you begin training the subject. It would give me something to be able to report when I get back to Washington." Brandler straightened to full height and glowered at the Colonel.
Jackson opened his mouth to respond and then thought better of it. "Of course, General. But I must warn you ahead of time that the first few sessions will not be indicative of what he will eventually be able to do."
"Fair enough. Where will the testing be done?"
The Colonel motioned for the other guard outside the room where Face was to approach. "Private Nelson, would you escort General Brandler to Test Laboratory Two?"
As the General followed the Private down the corridor to the laboratory, Jackson sighed with frustration.
I'll just have to remind Captain Murdock that the life of his friend depends upon his total cooperation, including being well-behaved in front of the good General.