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 68 Missing Man
B. A. startled awake. He had been lightly dozing, his arms crossed on his burly chest. Before his eyes opened, his hands gripped the chair arms, vaguely aware something had changed in the room.
His senses were in a state of wakeful alertness but even in the dim light coming from that damn woodpecker night-light Murdock insisted on, he couldn't instantly tell what woke him.
Something had. He cursed softly, knowing he had not been as vigilant as he was supposed to be. B. A. shook his head groggily and wiped his hand over his eyes.
It was his turn to stand watch by the pilot's bedside. He had spelled Hannibal when the Colonel could no longer keep his eyes open.
Even then, Hannibal forced himself to stay awake past the limits of his own endurance.
The Colonel said he was giving the Sergeant an opportunity to catch up on sleep. B. A. had driven from Hurricane all the way to the Tucson area with little rest but he knew Hannibal better than that.
Colonel's not gonna let th' fool outta his sight now we caught up ta him an' he's safe.
Hannibal would do the same for any of the three men. Amy, too.
When the Sergeant thought about Amy, he smiled faintly. For her part, the reporter had insisted she be the one to keep watch over Face. She would not leave his bedside. The two of them were in a separate guest room now that the con man's abdominal wound was clean, stitched and bandaged.
Amy ain' had a good sleep either an' prob'ly ain' sleepin' now. That's how worried she is over Face.
To be honest, B. A. had not slept either when given the chance.
You'd think givin' as much blood as I did an' all that drivin' woulda wore me out.
But laying beside Murdock, watching him die . . .
Did somethin' ta me. Almost lost him. Li'l brother's never been right in the head, but this . . . wouldn't be surprised if he's worse'n ever after this.
B. A. frowned thinking about that. For all the threats to strangle the pilot every time he teased or got on the Sergeant's nerves, he realized something when Murdock stopped breathing.
I'd miss the fool if he wasn't here.
That thought brought him full circle back to what had woke him from his sleep. With his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he peered over at Murdock.
In the next second, he rocketed out of the armchair, his head swiveling around to take in the whole room, his body propelled toward the bed. Reaching out, he yanked the bed covers off the mattress as if doing so would make the injured man reappear.
Dammit!
oooooo
Within minutes several rooms in the ranch house blazed with lights.
"He was sleepin' last time I looked, Hannibal. The fool was havin' bad dreams an' he woke up a few times but he went back ta sleep once he saw I was there. Tried ta make sure he did. Face wasn' able ta take care of it so I did the best I could." B. A. scowled down at the floor before glaring at the Colonel. "I ain' never done as good as the Faceman bringin' Murdock back ta the real world. You know that. I did the best I could."
Cazador, a burgundy bathrobe draped over his frame and tied in front, glanced at Hannibal and the Sergeant. Then he turned to Scanlon. "I want a systematic search of the house and grounds. Everyone looks for Captain Murdock. Arrange it."
Hannibal interrupted Scanlon as he was about to leave. "Wait a minute, pal. You have any experience waking up a sleepwalking Vietnam vet?"
The security man peeked at Cazador in uncertainty, then shook his head.
"Tell us what to do, Smith." The businessman shrugged when the Colonel raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I'm as concerned as you are, Colonel."
Amy's faint arguments from down the hallway drew their attention. "Face, you aren't in any condition . . . "
Within minutes an ashen-faced Lieutenant joined the small group of men. Amy's arm encircled his waist and his arm was loosely draped over her shoulders. His worried eyes raked over the men and stopped at Hannibal. "I heard the commotion. It's Murdock, isn't it."
The Colonel nodded, his lips drawn in a tight line. "You should be in bed, kid." Face spluttered out a mild expletive which Hannibal silenced with one look. "But we do need the help. It's a large ranch and who knows where he could be." He nodded at Amy. "You and Face will search the house. You stay with him, kid. If he looks like he's going to pass out, make him sit down and then get one of us. Okay?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "Okay, Hannibal. But if he tears out any stitches . . . "
"Sue me." He turned back to Scanlon. "If you find Murdock, don't try to touch him. Depending on whether he thinks he's back in Nam or not, he might see it as a hostile act. The encounter will end badly. Trust me on this one. Get one of us."
Hannibal faced B. A. "What was his last nightmare about? Any clue?"
The Sergeant ran a meaty hand over his head as he thought. "He said somethin' in Vietnamese. Said some names, too. Jackson, Henderson, someone called Sky. Almost like he was arguin' with them. Not the Sky person but the other two. Then he was talkin' ta that invisible dog o' his. Billy."
"Cazador, you and I'll search together. B. A., I'll want you with us in case Murdock's passed out somewhere. We'll need your muscles to get him back into bed." Hannibal paused, patting his jacket down for a cigar and finding none. He let out a frustrated sigh. "We'd better go check on our prisoner in the shed. The rest of you search the house and the outbuildings. Wouldn't hurt to send one or two vehicles up the road to see if he wandered up that way."
Cazador nodded and moved over to give Scanlon instructions. "No weapons. He isn't armed so there's no need for a show of force."
Hannibal saw B. A.'s deepening repentant scowl and clasped his shoulder. "We'll find him, B. A. We'll find him."
"I shoulda stayed awake. Fool's out there an' who knows what shape he's in. Shoulda stayed awake." The Sergeant cast an angry glance at the door leading to the outside.
"He almost died, B. A. Most folks who are in that bad of shape don't usually have enough strength to get up to go to the bathroom let alone go anywhere else. You couldn't have known. Tell him, Hannibal." Face interrupted the conversation, his voice anxious and impatient. "And besides, we're wasting time trying to assign blame right now. If we don't find him, then we can talk about blame."
"Agreed, kid." Hannibal motioned with his head toward the door. "Cazador, you ready? We'll check on Jackson. He might have regained consciousness and is manipulating Murdock's mind again. If he isn't we can look for Murdock around the outbuildings with the others."
After a moment's hesitation, the Colonel pasted a grim smile on his face. "Of course, this is your ranch, Cazador. You're calling the shots."
"No. You know your friend much better than I do. I defer to you in this search, Colonel Smith. But after we find him, recognize I'm still in charge." Cazador went to the front door, flashlight in hand, and held it open for Hannibal and B. A. "Shall we?"
The Colonel's face tightened with irritation, knowing the arms smuggler was right. There was little any of them could do until Stafford operated to get the implant out of Murdock's head and both Face and Murdock recovered.
That is, if we find Murdock. Hannibal gave B. A. a grim look and moved through the open door.
oooooo
The Colonel was thankful Cazador did not carry a weapon as they searched.
But then, the man didn't even take time to change out of that robe.
As they approached the shed where Jackson was imprisoned, the ranch owner swore. "Dammit! There's supposed to be a guard posted outside that door at all times. And why is that door open?"
Hannibal held out his arm, stopping both of his fellow searchers. "Shhh! Listen!"
A small moan came from somewhere beside the shed. The three men advanced cautiously.
"B. A., go see who that is." The Colonel motioned toward the open door with his head. "Cazador and I'll check out Jackson."
The Sergeant nodded and left them, his form soon blending in with the deep shadows on that side of the building. Before they got to the door, a second later, they heard his low report. "It's the guard. Got a nice big bump on the back o' his head."
While B. A. helped the guard out into the moonlit area in front of the shed, Hannibal slowly moved to the doorway.
Once there, he stood for a few seconds trying to understand what he was seeing.
When he spoke, it was in a quiet voice. "He's here, B. A. Cazador, you can call off the search. We found him. We found Murdock."
oooooo
Cazador left Hannibal and B. A. immediately to let the others know the news. What the Colonel saw in that small building the businessman couldn't say. He only knew that whatever it was, the A-team leader was not allowing anyone to enter the shed. He stood in the doorway watching and waiting for Cazador to return.
It took time for Face and Amy to join Hannibal and B. A. Cazador told them first and then moved on to let Scanlon know. Hannibal hadn't taken his eyes off what was going on in the shed
By the time the ranch owner returned, the three A-team members and their reporter friend stood in a small huddle just outside the door talking quietly among themselves.
From over Hannibal's shoulder, Cazador caught a glimpse of what the men were talking about. He wouldn't have been surprised if he found Jackson had somehow overpowered his guard and Murdock and left the pilot laying in a puddle of his own blood. He wouldn't even have been amazed to see Murdock kneeling over Jackson's dead body after killing him.
What he did see unsettled him. The ex-Army Captain sat with his back against the wall opposite Jackson, his legs drawn up and folded Indian-style, his hands resting lightly on his knees. He stared with an emotionless unblinking intensity at the bound man on the tarp. He could have been practicing an Asian meditation technique if his eyes weren't open. Jackson was still under the effects of the last sedative he had been given. He was as unmoving as the pilot.
"What do we do now, Hannibal? It's almost like he's in a trance." Face swept a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture showing how unusual Murdock's current state was.
"Ain' natural, the way he's starin' at Jackson. An' it's like he don't even know we're here." B. A. glanced in the shed and shook his head in confusion.
"Go get Stafford. He knows a little about this mind control stuff the two of them have been working on. I don't want to try to get Murdock's attention until I know it won't cause him injury if I do." Hannibal directed the order to Cazador and then tilted his head, a smirk on his lips. "If you wouldn't mind."
After a brief smoldering glare, the arms smuggler left to locate and bring the Doctor back.
Amy nudged the Colonel and pointed at Jackson. "Look!" she hissed.
The military man grimaced in his sleep. The pained look on his face was followed by tremors passing through his legs and upper body. Jackson groaned and started to mutter softly. Twisting his head back and forth where he lay, the words got louder as his dream continued.
"Hannibal, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Face glanced from an increasingly agitated but unconscious Jackson to where Murdock sat.
If anything, the pilot's brown eyes were even more focused and intense. The muscles in his jaw tightened as the military man writhed in the throes of what looked like a horror-filled nightmare from which he couldn't wake.
The smoke from Stafford's cigarette preceded him. In a low voice, he spoke to Hannibal. "You know Captain Murdock as well as anybody, Colonel. Is he a vengeful person?"
The Colonel opened his mouth to speak but Face cut him off. "Murdock? No. He isn't that kind of person. The lives he took over in Nam were taken to protect someone else, never for revenge."
"Colonel Smith?"
Hannibal noted the tortuous struggles of their prisoner. As Jackson screamed his terror, the A-team leader saw Murdock's hands clench into fists. "I don't know."
"Then I would say the student has learned well from his teacher. Your Captain is giving back to Jackson what he received. I would stop him before he completes the job."