CURTAIN CALL: ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

by Karen May (Maydock)- Nighthawk Commando

CURTAIN CALL: ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY


"C'mon Murdock! I ain't gonna let you die, man! You're my friend! Murdock!
C'mon! I was jus' playin' about that crazy bit. C'mon buddy!"  B.A. Baracus
was feeling his control slipping away. He felt helpless as he sat and
cradled his injured friend, trying to offer him support both physically and
emotionally. B.A. wasn't used to not being in control of a situation. His
fists did most of the talking whenever he or his friends came across some of
these lowlife individuals who felt they were something to be considered
above the law. The team never failed to step in only as far as necessary
until the proper authorities could regain control and to hand out punishment
the legal way. 

But this was different. The team had just finished a job by putting a
scumbag by the name of Russ Clayton out of business when something went
terribly wrong. Hannibal had just swung the final blow which had put the man
to the ground, although it hadn't been hard enough to render him
unconscious. After giving the man his 'end of story' speech and a mild
warning, Hannibal had done the unthinkable and turned his back on the man
laying on the ground. Within seconds Clayton pulled a gun. Murdock became
immediately aware of what was about to happen and jumped in front of the
bullet that had been meant for the back of his colonel. He had been lucky,
or so they thought at the time, as he had taken the bullet high in his
shoulder. Another complication set in at the same time, for the military was
now closing in on them, leaving them trapped with no means of escape. 

They tried hard to find a way out, and at the same time to get the medical
attention their friend so desperately needed. Traveling further on up the
highway they managed to scam a cabin from a couple of hunters which enabled
them to hide out for the time being while allowing Murdock some much needed
rest. Unfortunately the cabin was not equipped with the supplies they had
needed to tend to Murdock's injury, so Faceman and their newspaper friend
Tawnia Baker set out to retrieve supplies from a Ranger's station which was
located to the east of them. B.A. and Hannibal had been forced to abandon
the cabin upon the return of the hunters. They managed to find refuge in an
old abandoned mine several miles along the way. B.A. had stayed with his
friend while Hannibal had left to search for Face and Tawnia. He wished with
all his might that there was something he could do to help ease the
suffering of his friend. His biggest fear was that Murdock might die, and
B.A. Baracus was powerless to do anything about it. This scared him more
than anything. In the distance he could hear approaching footsteps.

"It's alright B.A. It's gonna be alright," Hannibal assured him as he, Face
and Tawnia entered the cave with the much needed supplies. They set to work
immediately to assess what they had and what they would be needing. Face had
managed to overpower an MP and, after changing into the man's uniform, had
actually walked into the station right under the noses of Colonel Decker and
Captain Crane. As luck would have it, the other men had been called out of
the main office of the Ranger station which allowed for Face to retrieve the
first aid kit and to get back to their wounded teammate. Hannibal had met
them on their return journey. 

Face glanced up quickly at Tawnia who was standing nearby. "Grab the light."
She picked up the lantern and held it closer as they checked Murdock's
condition.

"He's too weak to be moved. We haven't got any choice. I'll hafta get that
slug out, and everything it took in with it," Hannibal said as he reached
for some medical supplies.

Tawnia watched as he began to scrub his hands with disinfectant. "Hannibal,
if you're not careful, you're gonna wind up killing him," she said.

Face was removing some instruments and assisting Hannibal as much as he
could. Without taking his attention away from what he was doing, he answered
her curtly. "He knows what he's doin'. Vietnam was a great teacher." 

Hannibal cleansed his hands with the disinfectant and spoke to the others
matter-of-factly. "We haven't got much time. Decker's got this whole area
covered. It won't take'im  long to find us." 
*************************************************

The military vehicles were making their way along the winding road at a high
rate of speed. Colonel Decker looked at the tracking device they were using
to locate the A-Team. "Less than five miles from here," he said as they
continued along their way.

Back at the cave the others thought they could hear the faint sounds of
sirens in the distance, but it didn't distract them from the procedure which
they had underway. With experienced and steady hands, Hannibal continued to
work on the wound which had been meant for him, trying his best to get it
over with quickly in order to spare his friend as little pain as possible.
They were having to work without any kind of anesthesia whatsoever, meaning
that Murdock was conscious and in a great deal of pain throughout the
removal of the bullet. As Murdock lay moaning in pain, Hannibal finally felt
relief at having located the slug in Murdock's shoulder. "Yeah, I can feel
it." Within seconds he had dug the bullet out and discarded it, then used
the remaining disinfectant to help cleanse the wound the best way he could.
Murdock was nearing unconsciousness because of the pain. The sound of the
sirens was getting closer, much closer.
*************************************************

The military vehicles came to a halt in the area where the A-Team should be
found, according to the tracking device they had been following. The MP's
who were searching the area came across the camouflaged van in the bushes.
All of a sudden Captain Crane let out a yell. "There's an old mine entrance
here!"

Decker looked sharply in his direction, then sliced the air with his arm.
"Back off!" He then reached in the car and pulled out a blow horn. Looking
towards the entrance of the cave, he began to speak. "Smith? It's Colonel
Decker. You're surrounded. I want you and Peck and Baracus, and Ms. Baker if
she's in there, to come out with your hands up! You have fifteen seconds!"
He sat the blow horn aside and drew his revolver.

Shortly afterwards Hannibal made his way out of the cave with his hands and
his gun and belt raised in the air. He made his way slowly over towards
Decker. "I have a wounded man in there. He needs immediate medical attention."

"Move in!" Decker ordered as he kept his weapon pointed at Hannibal. He kept
his eyes focused on Hannibal as the soldiers searched him. 

Hannibal looked smugly at Decker. "Well, looks like you won, Colonel."

"I'd say that was inevitable, wouldn't you?" Decker replied, trying to
conceal the excitement in his voice. The MP's directed Hannibal to put his
hands together as they placed cuffs around his wrists. Decker motioned with
his gun. "Turn around. Inside!"

Hannibal lead the way into the cave and walked past the wounded man on the
ground to stand beside B.A. and Tawnia. Decker looked them over, then looked
suspiciously at the man lying on the ground in front of him. The man's face
was concealed with bandages. With the two team members standing before him,
he came to the conclusion that this was the third member who lay wounded.
"What's the matter with Peck here?" he asked. 

Hannibal responded. "He's got some bad powder burns. Gun exploded in his
face. And he's got a shoulder wound. REAL bad."

"Check'im Sergeant. I'm not in the mood for any tricks."

The man did as he was told. In a few seconds, he replied to Decker. "He's in
pretty bad shape, Sir."

"He needs blood," Hannibal said.

Decker gave his orders to the waiting soldiers. "Have this man moved to the
A-Team van." His eyes narrowed as he walked over towards Hannibal. "You're
not hit. Why didn't you just fight your way out?" he sneered as he looked
Hannibal in the face. "After you, Lieutenant Colonel Smith."

Hannibal didn't flinch as he stared back at Decker. B.A. only shook his
head, he too was in handcuffs along with Hannibal. Being the type of person
that Decker was, it was doubtful that he would ever know the true meaning of
'team' when it came to the special relationship that these four men shared
between them. Hannibal had been very adamant back at the cabin when Murdock
was insisting that they make their escape and leave him behind. The colonel
looked at Murdock and said in a most serious voice, "Captain, we go out
together, or we don't go out at all." No, Decker would never be fortunate
enough in his lifetime to have such a special rapport with his men. None
whatsoever.
*************************************************

Hannibal lead the way out of the cave, followed by Tawnia, B.A. and Decker,
as the MP's moved in to remove the injured A-Team member to their van. From
out of the back of the cave Face steps forward, still dressed in the
military uniform he had used earlier to retrieve the medical supplies. He
gave orders to the young MP's. "I got that, Corporal. Make sure the van
doors are open." The men nodded at their orders and turned to exit the cave.
Face leaned down and picked Murdock up, slightly shaking his head in relief.

Outside the cave the others had made their way over to Decker's car.
Hannibal turned to Decker and spoke as sympathetically as he could.
"Colonel, if you don't mind, we'd like to ride with Face. He may not make
it. We'd like to be there...just in case."

Decker hesitated a few moments as he thought the request over, then
instructed his men according to Hannibal's wishes. "Put'em in the van," he
growled, thinking there couldn't possibly be any means of escape for them
now, not with this much security focused on them. Hannibal, B.A. and Tawnia
were escorted over and climbed into the back of the van. The soldiers
carried the wounded man from the cave over to the back of the van as Decker
and Crane shook hands, congratulating each other on a job well done. As they
put Murdock in the van, Face speaks to them nonchalantly. "I'll drive. You
watch the prisoner." The other men complied with the orders as they moved
away, and Face made his way, head down, to the driver's side of the vehicle.

Within seconds the van was roaring backwards, wheels spinning, with the
other MP's running to get out of the way. A shocked Decker looked over and
watched as a soldier was pushed out of the passenger side of the van. "What
the...don't let them get away!" he yelled as he reached for his gun. 

By this time Hannibal had managed to lean out the passenger side of the
vehicle and open fire on all the vehicles parked in the area, making sure
there wouldn't be anything left in good enough condition to follow them in.
His mark, as always, was to shoot at the tires.

By the time everyone realized what was happening, the soldiers were trying
unsuccessfully to return fire. Decker and Crane knelt down to inspect the
vehicles with the now flattened tires, and shook their heads in disbelief.
The A-Team has eluded them once again. 
*************************************************
"Face, you never cease to amaze me!" Hannibal smiled as he secured the
safety on his weapon and handed the gun to Tawnia. "B.A.? Have you found
those cutters yet to get these things off? Great idea, ya know, having a set
available in your van now for emergencies such as these," he said as he held
out his still cuffed wrists. He settled in the passenger seat again to await
the removal of his bracelets, and his attention quickly turns to Murdock's
condition. 

Ten minutes later B.A. had managed to locate the cutters and told Tawnia  to
try & cut his handcuffs. She managed to free B.A. although not without some
difficulty. He in turn quickly freed Hannibal's wrists and the two of them
knelt over Murdock to monitor his condition. 

"His fever has broken a bit. Let's turn him gently - I want to check and
make sure his wound hasn't opened up and started to bleed," Hannibal said to
B.A. as they began carefully checking the bandages for any signs of
bleeding. "Face, hand back those extra bandages you tucked inside your shirt
there, will ya? He needs a clean dressing here." Hannibal reached out
towards the front of the van and took the extra bandages as Face handed them
back to him. With B.A.'s assistance he slowly removed the soiled dressing
and replaced it with a clean and sterile one. "He's unconscious. All we can
do is try & keep him as comfortable as we can until we get some proper
medical attention for him," Hannibal said as he looked at Murdock's still
form lying before him. 

Now that they were away from the situation involving Decker and his men,
Hannibal felt as though his inner emotions were in turmoil. Had he acted a
little more cautiously around Clayton and his men, this probably never would
have happened. [1] How many times had he taunted a vanquished adversary with
the line: "An over-confident commander can be defeated." Dozens? Hundreds?
He thought he'd overcome that fault in himself. But here he sat, watching a
friend suffer because of that very trait he so despised.

Suddenly exhausted, Hannibal rested his elbows on his knees and cradled his
head in his palms. How he'd preached and preached to his team, drilled into
them the cardinal rule, and yet how quickly he himself forgot. Never turn
your back on the Mark.[1] Would he be forced to pay the price now by having
to watch his friend die, and to know forever that he had been responsible? 

Face, knowing that they were quite safe now away from the military, glanced
back and saw Hannibal's distress. Sensing that Hannibal was now beginning to
feel the guilt over what had happened, he tried to offer some assurance as
best he could. "Hannibal, it could have happened to any one of us. You know
that."

Hannibal looked back towards Face. "It was my fault. I should have known
better." He sat and stared at Face for several seconds before turning back
towards Murdock. 

Face continued to speak to Hannibal  as he drove. "We should be at the
Riverview Hospital in about half an hour. I'm sure we will find the proper
medical care there for Murdock."

"No. He appears to be stable now. We can't chance stopping so close to where
the military would be sure to find us again. Head for Bad Rock. We'll take
him to Maggie Sullivan's office and lay low there for awhile until he is
well enough to return to the V.A. hospital again. You know that he and B.A.
are the same blood type. There won't be any problem there as far as getting
extra blood into him is concerned."

Face nodded at the instructions and turned back towards the front,
continuing the van along the highway towards the interstate. B.A. hadn't
said much, but looked at Hannibal with a serious expression on his face,
nodded just slightly, then reached down to cover Murdock with the blanket
again after the dressing had been changed. 
*************************************************

Dr. Maggie Sullivan, or Mo as her friends called her, was just putting away
the file of her last patient of the day when she heard the vehicle pull up
outside. She peered out the window beside the door and immediately
recognized the black van with the red trim. Opening the door, she ran
outside and down the steps as Hannibal and B.A. were carrying Murdock from
the back of the van. "Oh no, not again! Hannibal, what happened this time?"
she said as she looked at Murdock's unconscious form on the stretcher. By
this time his bandages had been removed from his face. Maggie noticed his
poor color and took his wrist in her hand, feeling for his faint, weak
pulse. "Okay you guys, you know where to put him. B.A.? I guess you'll be
staying in there with him for awhile. I'm going to need you," she said as
they made their way through the door and down the hall to her examining room. 

Tawnia followed the others into the house while Face remained behind in the
van for a few minutes to change back into some normal clothes. Within
minutes he joined the others inside and now stood with Hannibal as they
watched Maggie prepare to do a blood transfusion on Murdock. B.A. had placed
himself on the gurney next to Murdock and was now looking over at his friend. 

"'S okay, Crazy Man. I'm here now and you know I ain't gonna let nuthin'
happen to ya little buddy. You know you can always count on B.A.," he said
as he winced slightly from the sting of the needle as it was inserted into
his arm. He stared at Murdock for as long as he could, then turned his head
back and closed his eyes. 

Hannibal was the first to speak. "Come on, you guys. Let's wait outside and
let Maggie do what has to be done. We already know that Murdock couldn't be
in any better hands." He turned and left the room with the others in tow.

"Hannibal, I know this might be a bad time to bring up the topic, but...I
really have to get back to LA to the newspaper. I have a deadline to meet,
and if I'm not there by morning, my boss is going to be real upset with me,"
Tawnia said as they sat around the dining room table. Hannibal looked at her
with feigned concern and took a drag on the cigar he had just lit. Just then
the door of Maggie's office opened and she walked over to where they were
sitting.

"He's lost a lot of blood, Hannibal. He's resting now, as is B.A. They will
be fine in no time. You know, you guys are just going to have to take up
some other sport. These damn quail seem to be getting the best of you
lately, don't they?" Maggie tried to keep a straight face as she stated this
last sentence, then just couldn't help but smile as she made her way to the
kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee. Hannibal could only smile himself
at her remark, thinking back on how lucky they were to have someone such as
Dr. Maggie Sullivan to rely on in times such as this. 

"Excuse me, Miss...uh, Dr. Sullivan? I'm needing a ride as soon as possible
back to the city. Do you know where I might possibly find someone in this
town who would be able to help me out?" Tawnia asked.

Maggie looked somewhat surprised at the woman who had accompanied the guys
into her house, then wondered why she hadn't  shown the same empathy as the
others. She looked questionably at Hannibal.

"Oh, if you will forgive me, this is our reporter friend from the LA
Chronicle, Miss Tawnia Baker. It's imperative that she get a ride back to
the city as soon as possible because of her work situation. Do you happen to
know of someone who could help us out? We aren't about to go anywhere until
Murdock is well enough to leave here with us," Hannibal said.

Maggie thought for a moment, then gave him an answer. "I'm sure the deputy,
Jack Harmson, wouldn't mind helping you out. It just so happens that today
is his day off. Just give me a moment to make a call, and I'll see what I
can do." She got up from the table and walked over to the phone, this time
making her call in front of the others instead of secretly, like she had
done the first time they had met. She remembered back when the townsfolk had
been under threat of an invasion from a notorious motorcycle gang known as
the Barbarians. Everyone was afraid of what that gang was going to do in
order to free one of their own from the local jail. The first time that
Hannibal and Face had brought a severely wounded B.A. into her office, she
had been afraid that they might have been connected to this motorcycle gang
and had called Hank, the local sheriff, from the phone back in her office.
In the end the situation had turned out just fine, with Hannibal and the
others becoming friends, offering their services in order to help the people
in the small town, even if it meant putting their own freedom in jeopardy.
Yes, she knew these men well and didn't feel threatened in any way. 

Twenty minutes later, while everyone was still sitting around the table
drinking their coffee, the door opened. In walked the sheriff with his hand
outstretched to greet Maggie's guests. "Hannibal! Face! How've you been?
It's good to see you guys back in town again, although I take it this
probably isn't just a social call, am I right?"

Hannibal greeted the sheriff with his hand. "Hello Hank. No, I'm afraid not.
We had a little problem a few hours from here and Murdock took a hit. He's
here now and under Maggie's care. B.A. is back there with him. The
transfusion has had to turn itself around this time and Murdock is the
recipient," he said as he continued to give the sheriff some more details of
why they were there. "Listen, I know how you feel about harboring known
felons in your town, but with Maggie's permission, we'd like to lay low here
for a few days until Murdock is strong enough to travel again."

Maggie looked at Hannibal, and then back to Hank to see what his reaction
was going to be, pleading with her eyes that this time they would be able to
return the favor and help these guys out. 

Hank's eyes switched from Hannibal to Maggie, then back to Hannibal again.
"We owe you this much for all the help you gave us last year. Jack is on his
way over here with his car. I understand that your friend here needs a ride
back to LA. He said he would be more than happy to help out as well. He
should be here any time. Oh, and might I suggest that you move the van back
around behind and out of sight while  you are here. I hope everything turns
out okay for Murdock." With that he gave a nod and a smile to everyone and
turned to leave.

"Thank you sheriff. You'll always be able to count on us for anything in the
future," Hannibal said before Hank closed the door. He turned to address
Face. "You go out and put the van around back and out of sight. I'm going in
to check on Murdock." 

"Yeah, sure Hannibal, no problem. I think I need the fresh air to clear my
head anyway," Face said as he dug in his pocket for the keys. Just then a
car horn sounded outside and they figured it must be Jack arriving to pick
up Tawnia. "C'mon," he said to her, "I'll walk you outside."

"I'm sorry I had to run off like this Hannibal, but my career might depend
on it. Give my best to Murdock, will you? I'm sure everything will turn out
okay. Oh, and thank you for your help, Dr. Sullivan," Tawnia said as she
headed outside with Face. 

"Sure. Take care, kid. We'll notify you when we get back to the city,"
Hannibal said as he turned and headed for Maggie's office. 

Maggie got up from the table and cleared the mugs away to the kitchen. As
she was rinsing them in the sink, she heard Hannibal coming from the back
room and turned to look at him. He walked over and stared out the window,
his face distraught, his hands in his pockets. Maggie walked up behind him
and placed her arms around his waist. "Want to talk about it?" she asked as
he placed his hands on hers.

"It's all my fault, Mo. I should've known better. After all the training
and...and the preaching I've done to these guys, to have them rely on me for
leadership, what do I do in return? I let them down. Murdock should never
have had to take that bullet for me. I must be getting stupid as I get
older. It was so careless of me to...to turn my back the way I did,"
Hannibal said as he let out a sigh. He turned around and placed his hands on
Maggie's shoulders, then leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers.
"I've missed you, ya know. And I think about you often," he said as he
kissed her again. Just then the door opened and in walked Face.

"Oh, I, uh, excuse me...um, the van is parked out of sight, Hannibal. I, uh,
I'll just go back and see how B.A. and Murdock are doing," he said as he
walked away from the intimate situation.

Maggie smiled as she watched Face walk away, then she smiled back up at
Hannibal again. "It's so good to see you again, too. I often wonder how you
are, whether or not you are safe. You know that you guys are welcome to stay
here for as long as it takes for Murdock to get back on his feet. I'm going
to go and prepare the spare room for Face and B.A. And YOU, my friend, are
welcome to make yourself comfortable wherever you please," she added with a
grin as she turned to go upstairs. 

Hannibal watched after her as she headed up the stairs, then let out a deep
breath. He turned around and continued to stare out the window. About five
minutes later he decided that he would go back and check on his men again.
Walking into the examining room he saw that B.A. was awake and talking with
Face. Hannibal walked over to where Murdock was still sleeping peacefully
and placed his hand on the uninjured shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Murdock. It
was all my fault and it should never have happened. You are too good a
person to have something like this happen to you. I don't know how I will
ever be able to repay you." He stood a few seconds more, then looked over at
the other two before leaving the room. 

Face and B.A. said nothing as they listened to Hannibal speaking to Murdock.
They could still see the pain etched on Hannibal's face as he turned to
leave the room and had decided to give him space for now. They knew that he
would eventually come around with time. 

"Hey Faceman, gimme a hand to get up, will ya?" B.A. said as he tried to
swing his legs around. Face complied with the request and put B.A.'s arm
around his shoulders. Just then Maggie came back into the room.

"B.A., what are you doing up already? Are you sure you feel up to it?" she
asked. "I have a small snack set aside for you in the kitchen. That will
help you to regain some of your strength. For now I would suggest you just
lie back and take it easy for awhile longer, okay?"

"I'm alright, Mama. Jus' point me in the direction of some milk. And lots of
it!" B.A. said with a smile. "Is Murdock gonna be alright now? Did we get
here in time?"

Maggie couldn't help but smile at B.A.'s concern for his friend. She so
admired the respect and consideration these men had for one another. "Yes,
with lots of rest and some proper nourishment, he's going to be just fine. I
will be up with him most of the night to check on his condition
periodically. None of you will have anything to worry about," she assured
the gentle giant of a man who stood before her. She stood back slightly and
held her hand out towards the door, signaling for B.A. to head out and to
get something to eat and drink in order to help him get back on his feet.

Face stayed by B.A.'s side to offer him some assistance. The two men
hesitated as they reached the door. "Uh, Mo? We, uh, we're a bit concerned
about Hannibal. He's taking this pretty hard, ya know. He usually isn't one
to be moody the way he is."

"I'll look out for Hannibal. Just give him some time, okay? I'm sure that
with a little peace and quiet, he will be just fine." With that said, she
watched as the two men exited the room and then went to Murdock's bedside
and checked on his condition.
*************************************************

Hannibal chose to sit outside on the verandah. This is where Maggie found
him about an hour after she had examined Murdock. She sat down in the wicker
chair next to Hannibal, and for a few minutes neither one of them said
anything. They sat quietly and watched the setting sun in the far off
horizon. "You know, Hannibal, it wasn't your fault. I hate seeing you
sitting here and blaming yourself," Maggie began.

Hannibal sat with his cigar clenched in his teeth and glanced in Maggie's
direction. "Seems to me as though I've already heard that today," he said.
"I should've known better, and I didn't. It happened so fast. Everything was
all over in seconds." 

Maggie looked into his eyes sympathetically and began to speak. "I've
watched the way the four of you behave around one another. You can't sit
there and tell me, John, that you wouldn't have done the same thing for any
one of the other guys. I know you would have. It's the way you guys are,
what makes you such an incredible team. I'm sure that each of you would have
acted the very same way that Murdock did if the circumstances had been any
different," she concluded. 

Hannibal sat and stared at Maggie for a few seconds and knew that she was
right. Still, deep down inside, he felt pangs of guilt over his
carelessness. At the same time he also felt a certain admiration for his
young injured friend who had been ready to lay down his own life to save
that of his colonel's. He felt proud to have these men as his friends. There
was nothing he wanted to do more than to leave there and to seek revenge on
the man who had wounded Murdock, but it just wasn't their way to behave in
such a manner. His first concern had been to get Murdock to a safe place and
to see that he was properly cared for. He had all the faith in the world in
Maggie Sullivan.

>"You know," Maggie continued, "that was very heroic of you to remove that
bullet yourself back at that mine. And under most difficult circumstances.
That in itself deserves some recognition, and I'm sure Murdock will be
grateful to you for helping him as well. Now, if you will excuse me, I have
had a long day and I am going to try & get a couple of hours' rest. Please
feel free to use my room for yourself. I want to stay near Murdock for a few
more hours, so I will nap for awhile in the examining room on the extra cot.
Is there anything I can get you?" she asked as she stood to leave. 

Hannibal stood with her. He placed his arms around her waist and drew her
near. "No, thank you, I'm fine for now. I knew I could count on you. I'm so
glad that you were here for Murdock. If we had had to travel any farther
than your office for help, he might not have made it." He removed his arms
from around her waist. "I'll be in shortly to get some rest myself. Thanks
again for everything you've done," he said as he watched her leave.

"Anytime," was all she said as she went inside.

A short while later Hannibal retired to Maggie's bedroom and fell,
exhausted, onto her bed. He was awakened in the middle of the night by a
hand that gently caressed the side of his face. He focused his eyes to the
soft light coming from the bedside lamp and saw that Maggie had joined him
in bed. Remembering what had happened over the past twenty-four hours, he
looked concerned as he spoke. "Murdock?"

"He's going to be fine. I have been checking him every hour or so, and he is
getting stronger by the minute. He will be fine to leave here with you in a
couple of days," Maggie said as she slowly placed herself on top of
Hannibal. She felt his strong arms wrap around her as he rolled over on top
of her, and for the next hour they made themselves totally oblivious to
everything around them, eventually falling asleep, replete, in each other's
arms.
*************************************************
Maggie awoke shortly after dawn and crept silently out of bed. She grabbed
her clothes and dressed quickly, then slipped quietly down the stairs to
check in on Murdock. The curtains in the examining room were drawn, so she
walked over and turned on a lamp in the corner of the room. Startled by the
sound of a man's voice, she turned immediately in the direction where the
sound came from. She looked over at Murdock and  was surprised but happy to
see that he was awake.

"Mornin' Doc. What's a fella get for breakfast around this joint?" Murdock
said as he put his right arm around the back of his head and looked at Maggie.

"Murdock! You're awake! How...how do you feel?" Maggie went to his side and
checked his pulse, then she reached for her stethoscope to listen to his
heart rate.

"Oh! Hey, that's cold!" was the reaction Murdock gave. "And I'm hungry!
Where is everyone anyway?" 

"Just relax here a minute, will you? Let me check your vital signs, then
we'll see about getting you on your feet and out for something to eat,"
Maggie said as she continued her quick examination. "We had to give you a
few pints of blood yesterday because of what you had lost from your wound.
You'll no doubt be a bit weak for a couple of days, but I think you're going
to be just fine. Do you want to try & get up now? I'll have something
prepared for you to eat shortly," Maggie said as she took his arm and placed
it around her neck, helping him to stand. 

They made it as far as the doorway of the examining room when they were met
by Face and B.A. coming down the stairs.

"Murdock! You're up? How ya feelin'?" B.A. asked as he moved to give Maggie
a hand. Maggie stepped away from Murdock as B.A. took over, then headed for
the kitchen to begin breakfast. B.A. made his way over to the table with
Murdock as Face walked ahead of them and pulled out a chair for their teammate. 

"Murdock, it's good to see you back on your feet," Face said. "Are you in
much pain? We were lucky enough to get away from Decker and his goons. Man,
you should have seen the look on their faces! And then we managed to get
over here to Bad Rock where you have been in Maggie's most capable hands and
care."

"Where...where's Hannibal? How's he doin'?" asked Murdock.

"I'm doin' just fine Captain, thank you very much. But then again, I wasn't
the one who took that slug now, was I?" Hannibal said as he came down the
stairs. He finished buttoning up the cuff on his shirtsleeve, then walked
over to the table and placed his hand on Murdock's shoulder. "Murdock, you
could have been killed. I don't know how I am ever gonna repay you for what
you did out there," he said in a low compassionate voice. 

"Aw shucks, Colonel. I know you would have done the same thing for me. We
all know it. And...and any one of us could have been in that predicament.
Now, I'm starved! Hey Doc? How's that nourishment comin' along out there?"
Murdock called out to the kitchen, trying to change the topic of
conversation and to relieve some of the tension around the table. Within
minutes Maggie had a pot of coffee on the table and was in the process of
serving up some omelets, bacon, sausage and toast to her guests. Face had
offered his help in the kitchen and she had gladly accepted the helping hand
as they carried the food to the dining room table.
*************************************************

The half ton truck fishtailed its way across the Mill Basin Road at a high
rate of speed, flying past the Ranger station and the hills where a couple
of days earlier the military had swarmed, looking for the notorious A-Team.
Being the cunning and clever bunch of guys they claimed to be, they seemed
to have had no problem whatsoever escaping the clutches of the military. But
not before the young man's boss had managed to shoot and wound one of them.
The young man driving the truck, Lance Gibbons, had checked the local
hospital and doctor's offices, but to no avail. Then he got lucky and
managed to locate these guys in a small town about three hours away. His
boss would be pleased with the news and would no doubt reward him for his
loyalty and hard work. The truck came skidding to a stop in front of Russ
Clayton's home and Lance jumped out and ran to the house to tell his boss
what he had found out.

"Mr. Clayton! It's them! I found them! They're hiding out in a small town
called Bad Rock, about a three hour drive from here. They have their wounded
man at a Dr. Sullivan's office there," the young man said excitedly.

Clayton came out of the house and met the young man face to face. The law
hadn't managed to keep them in jail for anymore than just overnight,
especially once his lawyers had got through with them. He and several of his
men had no trouble at all getting released on bail. He listened with growing
interest as his eager young employee kept filling him in on the whereabouts
of these fugitives he was so anxious to confront again. 

"You're sure about this? Where did you find out that they went to Bad Rock?"
Clayton inquired.

"I was in Riverview to check the hospital there, in case they had checked
their man in there. They hadn't, so then I made my way over to the local bar
for a drink. There were a couple of biker types in there talking about
meeting some more members of their gang - I think it was the Barbarians -
and they were saying that they would have to warn the others about staying
away from Bad Rock. Apparently they had just rode through there on their
bikes and spotted the van at the local doctor's office. They have had some
trouble with the A-Team themselves in the past and they were saying that
they want no part of them again, so their plans would have to change so that
they wouldn't be riding anywhere near Bad Rock."

Lance had Clayton's full attention now. "How do you know the doctor's name?"
he asked.

"I called the post office there and the man I spoke to confirmed the
doctor's name for me. Some woman by the name of Maggie Sullivan. And the
town has a sheriff named Hank, and a deputy by the name of Jack Harmson."

"Well done, Gibbons. You've done a good job. Pass the word along among the
others, and tell them to get ready to leave within the hour. We have some
unfinished business to take care of in Bad Rock," Clayton concluded with an
evil grin. He turned around and went back into the house as Lance went
running out to the main bunkhouse. 
*************************************************

The sheriff was making his way to his office when he saw Hannibal and the
others sitting on Mo's verandah. He slowed the car down & parked, then got
out to visit with the men. "Mornin' Hannibal, fellas. How ya doin',
Murdock?" he asked with interest.

"Mornin' sheriff. Much better, thank you. But according to the Doc here, I
have to rest up for a couple more days before she will even let me travel.
But everything is coming along just fine. There were no complications with
the wound, thanks to Hannibal's handiwork," Murdock said. 

Hank put his foot on one of the verandah steps & rested his elbow on his
knee. "Glad to hear it. You best do as Mo instructs. She may appear small
and delicate to you guys, but I know I sure as heck wouldn't want to go
against her wishes at any time," he chuckled. The others smiled and nodded
in response. "Well, I'd best be on my way. Got a few things that have to be
taken care of today. I'll be out & about, but Jack will be in the office
most of the time should you guys be needing anything. See ya later." The
sheriff turned and walked to his cruiser, took his hat off and tossed it
inside, then climbed in and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The guys watched
him leave, then turned their attention to the opening screen door as Maggie
carried out a large pitcher of ice tea and several glasses for them. 

"Ya know, Hannibal, I'm really beginnin' to like this quiet livin'," B.A.
said as he helped himself to a cold drink. "This sure does beat havin' to
tear up & down the highway like madmen, always tryin' to outrun the
military. And how 'bout all those knuckle sandwiches we been forced to deal
with? Yeah, I think I could get used to this way of life, real quick."

"B.A., you're not going soft on us here now, are ya?" Hannibal asked
jokingly. He was enjoying the peace and tranquility as much as they were,
although he hadn't readily admitted it. Then there was the chance to spend
some time with Maggie again. He longed for a steady and solid relationship
in his life, but being stable and in one place just wasn't feasible for him
right at this time. He did manage to visit with Maggie as much as he could.
At first he thought she might have been involved with Hank, but she assured
him that she had no desire to be completely devoted to one man. Not right
now. She did, however, make it perfectly clear that she was very interested
in his company. Last night had been only one of several nights they had
shared together intimately.  Things were moving along just the way they
wanted them to, for the time being anyway. Maggie fully understood the
Team's situation as far as being on the run from the military was concerned.
Hannibal appreciated the fact that they had a good and open relationship
between them. And he was more than appreciative to know that they could
always depend on her for their medical assistance, should one of them
require it.
*************************************************

The two trucks loaded with men came to a stop several miles from town.
Clayton climbed out of the cab of his truck and stood in the middle of the
road, staring towards Bad Rock. He put his arm out and motioned for his men
to join him. "Okay, this is what I want you guys to do. You six - take your
truck and head out this road here. According to our map, it should lead into
town from the other direction, as it sort of circles around. The rest of us
will go in from this end. Keep a lookout for the sheriff, how much activity
is goin' on around his office, and I want to know where that doctor's office
is too. You guys got that?" Clayton stared at his men as they all nodded
their response. "Good. And for sure, be on the lookout for that bunch of
fugitives. Don't shoot unless you have to. I want them alive, is that
clear?" Once again he got the nodded response from the gang of men.  "Good.
Let's go."

Half an hour later the two trucks were slowly approaching each other from
opposite ends of the town. Everything appeared seemingly normal but quiet.
Very few people were walking the streets. In the distance could be heard the
laughter of some kids playing with a dog. The one truckload of Clayton's men
cruised slowly past the doctor's residence, but saw no sign of the men they
were in search of. The truck continued further on up the street and parked
opposite their boss and the rest of the crew. They were just beyond the
sheriff's office. 

Clayton got out of the truck. He assessed the goings-on about the town, then
turned to face his men. "I'll need one of you to go in with me to pay the
sheriff a visit. The rest of you, take these trucks and get outta sight and
wait for our signal," he said as he reached for his rifle. The men complied
with their boss's orders and began to disperse. One of the taller, more
sturdy built men accompanied Clayton along the street to the sheriff's
office. There was no cruiser outside the office. They peered in the window
and saw the deputy leaning back in his chair, feet up on the desk, and
reading a newspaper. Clayton nodded to his man, put his hand on the door
knob, and quickly entered the building. 
*************************************************

When Hank got back into town, all appeared to be quiet. He drove past Mo's
place and didn't see anybody out front anymore. 'Must've gone in for lunch,'
he thought as he made his way down the street to his office. He pulled up
out front, reached for his hat and some paperwork, and started into the
office. He hesitated at the door with his hand on the door knob and took
another look around him. Everything really did seem unusually quiet in his
town. He had an uneasy feeling about his surroundings, then shrugged it off
as he entered his office. He was wanting to review this latest batch of
paperwork he had received on some of the outstanding felons who were still
at large. He couldn't help but smile when he had come across pictures of
Hannibal, Face and B.A. He started to speak to his deputy as he stepped
inside. "Hey Jack? You'll never guess what I have here...," he began, but
his words broke off short when he looked at the empty desk, then over at the
unconscious and bound form of his deputy in one of the locked cells. At the
same time that he felt a pang of fear, he also felt the coldness of steel
against his head, just behind his right ear.

"Oh, pray do tell, sheriff. My men & me, why, we just love surprises, don't
we fellas?" Clayton said as he reached out and took Hank's revolver. He then
gave the sheriff a hard shove to the centre of the room.

Hank turned slowly, hands half raised in the air, to face his captors. He
didn't recognize any of the men who had been standing behind the door. There
were three of them, plus the guy who appeared to be their leader. Hank took
on an angry and serious demeanor as he confronted the hoods who had
commandeered his office. "Just who the hell are you guys? What do you want
with my town? We don't have anything here of any great value to you. I'd
suggest you drop your weapons and give it up," he said.

The men all laughed simultaneously, then one of them spoke to the leader.
"Did you hear that, Mr. Clayton? We are the ones holding all the weapons,
and the sheriff here told US to stick'em up! I'm shakin' in my boots!" he
guffawed as the others continued to laugh. 

Clayton! Wasn't he the one who was responsible for shooting Murdock? Hank
thought for a moment, then it dawned on him as to why these scoundrels might
be in his town. The A-Team! They must be out of their minds if they think
they are going to have it out again with Hannibal and his men. These guys
must seriously have a death wish. 

Clayton was the one who spoke next. "Where are they, sheriff? The sooner you
co-operate, the sooner we will be on our way and leave your town alone. If
you choose not to help us, things could get mighty bad...mighty quick."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Hank said.

"Oh come now, sheriff. Of course you do! I want that group of fugitives that
I know are hiding out here in your town, and I am prepared to do anything to
find them. Now, here's what you are going to do, right NOW, or my man over
there is going to shoot that poor defenseless deputy."

Hank winced at the sound of the rifle cocking. He watched in horror as the
scum pointed the gun at Jack, then he turned to face Clayton again.
*************************************************

Maggie was finishing up the dinner dishes as she listened to the chatter
around her dining room table. It never ceased to amaze her how these men
seemed to get along so well together. She smiled at the thought of Face when
he had asked her if there were any interesting bank tellers or waitresses in
the town that he might be able to hit upon. Then there was the constant
craziness between Murdock and B.A. Their nonstop antics and bickering might
have taken its toll on any normal person by now, but she was amused at their
ramblings, not to mention how nice it was to have company in the house for a
few days. What she noticed most of all was how those three admired and
respected their eldest member, and the way that they did everything he told
them to do, although sometimes begrudgingly. Hannibal had that special
leadership quality about him that she too admired. 

Just as she was about to put the last dish away, the phone rang. Looking out
at the four men still sitting at the table, she headed for the phone. "I'd
better get that, just in case," she told them as she lifted the receiver to
her ear. "Dr. Sullivan...oh, hello Hank.  What? Well, why don't you
just stop over here?  Oh, alright then. I'll be there in five
minutes." Maggie hung up the phone, frowned, and looked over at the four men
who were watching her. "Hank needs me down at the office. He didn't say why,
only that it was urgent. Murdock, how are you feeling? I think it would be
best if you would go & rest awhile, if you would please. That way I won't
hesitate to let you leave here, say, day after tomorrow," Maggie said. She
turned and faced a small mirror on the wall and reached for a hairbrush that
lay on the small desk beneath it. She touched her hair with a few sturdy
strokes of the brush, set it down, then headed for the door. "I shouldn't be
too long, you guys. Just make yourself right at home, as always," she smiled
as she left the house.

Hannibal watched her leave, then turned again to face the others. "Well
Murdock, you heard the doc. What she says around here overrides anything I
would have to tell you, so make sure you get some rest, o.k.? Face, B.A.?
What are you guys up to?" he said as he reached for one of his cigars.

"Uh, well you know, Hannibal, I think I just might take a stroll through
town, check out some of the scenery, the bank, the restaurant - you know,
the usual," Face grinned as he stood to leave.

"I'm gonna go & work on my ride, Hannibal. I need to check the engine, and
the truck should be washed and waxed," B.A. added as he stood also. 

Hannibal watched as Face exited through the front door and B.A. headed for
the back of the house. Murdock had retired to a more comfortable spare room
upstairs. Heading for the kitchen, he thought he would grab a cold beer and
sit out on the verandah to await Maggie's return. 
*************************************************
Maggie strolled along the main street to the sheriff's office. She always
remembered the time from last year when she had been a part of the operation
to fool that biker gang into thinking that the office was that vacant real
estate building across the street. She had been impressed with the fact that
Hannibal and his men risked their own freedom to come back to their tiny
town to help out when they had needed it. She remembered how Hank had felt,
especially when it had come to harboring these fugitives in his town. There
wasn't a more law-abiding and honest sheriff than Hank when it came to
taking care of business. Getting to know the Team the way they had over this
past year, she knew that Hank was now convinced of their innocence. 

Strolling along the boardwalk, Maggie saw the cruiser parked out in front of
the sheriff's office. She placed her hand on the door knob and walked
inside. "Okay Hank. What's so urgent you couldn't have discussed it in front
of the other guys?" she asked just before her breath caught in her throat.
"Hank? Are you feeling alright?" she asked again as she looked over at the
sheriff sitting behind his desk. His complexion was chalky white and he was
holding his hands behind his back. He said nothing, but stared worriedly in
Mo's direction. Just then Maggie gasped as her arms were grabbed roughly
from behind. She felt cold steel around her wrists as a pair of handcuffs
were snapped painfully in place. Hank stood up and she noticed that he, too,
was handcuffed. She tried to turn around to see who had manacled her hands
when all of a sudden a gag went over her mouth. Eyes wide with fear, she
could only stare at Hank as they were pushed towards the open cell door.

"Well, well, well! What have we here? Glad you could make it, doc. Ya know,
in all my years of having to be doctored up, can't say as I've ever had one
as pretty as you," Clayton jeered as he held tightly to Maggie's arm,
forcing her into the cell with Hank. "Okay doc, you just do as you're told,
and no one gets hurt. You wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to your
friends here now, would ya?" he said as he closed the cell door. 

Maggie looked at Hank and then over at Jack in the adjoining cell. He was
just beginning to regain consciousness and she could tell he had received a
blow to his head, but she was helpless to check on his condition. From the
size of the wound on his forehead she could tell that he would most
definitely awaken with a headache, and she hoped there wasn't a concussion.
With trembling knees she walked over and sat herself down on the bunk in the
cell. Hank walked over and sat down beside her.

"Mo, we're in a bad spot here. I don't mean to frighten you, but that's the
guy responsible for shooting Murdock. He's here looking for the guys who
roughed them up a few days ago and got them arrested," Hank whispered. "We'd
best try and do as they order, for now anyway. I'm sure once Hannibal gets
wind of this, there'll be hell to pay. I know that, and I think you know
that. But please, let's just try to co-operate for now. I don't want anyone
getting hurt out of this."

"Hey, shut up over there!" Clayton growled. He and his men were gathered
around Hank's desk plotting their next move. The others were still outside
and out of sight with the vehicles. Things were moving along quite well so
far. He felt he now had a couple of good bargaining chips at hand, depending
on how well these two got along with those military felons. How far would
they go to try and rescue their friends? He would soon find out.
*************************************************

Face was making his way along the gravel street, picking up the odd stone &
skipping it along in front of him. Everything seemed rather quiet around
town, but he expected as much for this time of day. He was thinking of
stopping in first at the town's one and only restaurant at the other end of
town to try his luck with one of the waitresses Maggie had told him about.
As he passed an alley way between two of the buildings he stopped and
listened as the sound of several male voices caught his attention. He moved
over close to the side of one of the buildings & slowly eased his way to the
back where the voices were coming from. Barely peeking around the corner, he
immediately recognized the goons as being from the Clayton ranch they were
at a couple of days ago when Murdock had been shot. They were standing
around a couple of half ton trucks & appeared to be armed. Face watched them
for a few seconds before quietly retreating back to the main street. Once
there, he stole silently to the other side of the street towards the
sheriff's office. He moved along the board walk with caution as he
cautiously peered in the corner of the window. Inside he could see Clayton
and three more of his men gathered around Hank's desk, then over in the
cells he saw Hank and his deputy, along with Maggie as they were being held
hostage. Face ducked beneath the window and started off at a jog back
towards Maggie's house.
*************************************************

Clayton ordered one of his men to get the doctor from the cell and bring her
over to the desk. When Maggie was beside him, he reached out and removed the
gag from around her mouth. Maggie took a couple of deep breaths, then glared
at her captor. "What you're gonna do now, sweet thing, is call back to your
place and get those guys down here, on the double. Is that clear? Failure to
do so will unfortunately result in the deaths of your friends over there. I
suggest you be a good girl and co-operate," he hissed in her face.

Maggie never flinched as she stood her ground and stared back at Clayton.
Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how she was going to get some
sort of message to Hannibal about the trouble they were in. She watched as
Clayton picked up the phone and demanded her number. She continued to stare
reluctantly until she remembered what Hank had said to her about trying to
do as these guys wanted. Disgustedly she told him the digits to dial, then
listened to the phone ring on the other end when Clayton put the receiver to
her ear. Three rings, four... 'Come on, Hannibal...where are you?'... On the
fifth ring, she heard John's voice on the other end.

"Dr. Sullivan's office."

"M...Mr. Smith? This is Dr. Sullivan," Maggie began, hoping that these
scoundrels didn't know the extent of her relationship with the A-Team. "I,
uh, we...we have a minor medical emergency down here at the sheriff's office
and...and I think we are going to need the assistance of you and your men,
plus the van to transport a prisoner to a nearby hospital."

"Maggie? Is everything alright? Are you in some sort of trouble down there?"
Hannibal questioned as he tried to listen more closely.

"Yes, yes...that's right. Um, it would be best if you could come as soon as
possible." With that Clayton removed the receiver from her ear and replaced
it back on its holder.

"Well done, doc. You just might to get to stick around after all to see
what's going to happen to your friends once they get here. Our quarrel isn't
with you or those guys over there," Clayton said as he motioned over his
shoulder. "We are here for some unfinished business with these so-called
military heroes, and once we're done, we'll be on our way. No reason to harm
you or them." He then had one of his men replace the gag over Maggie's mouth
and put her back in the cell with Hank.
*************************************************

At the sound of the click, Hannibal placed his receiver back on its holder.
He reached in his pocket for another cigar, contemplating what his plan of
action had to be here. For some reason there was a problem down at the
sheriff's office. But who could it be? Decker? No, he didn't think the
military would have to hold anybody hostage in order to get to him or the
others. Who else would possibly know that they were there? Just as he was
going to head out back to get B.A., the front door burst open and in lunged
Face.

"Hannibal! It's Clayton and his men!" Face said breathlessly as he bent over
and rested his hands on his thighs, giving himself a couple of seconds to
catch his breath. "They're holding Maggie, Hank & Jack hostage down at
Hank's office. Inside...Clayton and three others, from what I could see.
Across the street, behind that vacant real estate building, there were
several others - maybe six? All armed. A couple of pick up trucks. Hannibal,
I think they mean business," he concluded in a more normal tone of voice. 

Hannibal's concern for Maggie very quickly turned to anger towards Russ
Clayton and his goons. He knew that there would always come a time and a
place for him to face off against Clayton for what had happened to Murdock.
As much has he had always been against seeking revenge from some of these
lowlife scumbags, he was not about to let Murdock's wounding go unpunished
either. The time was at hand, only sooner than what he had expected. Not
only did he want retribution for what Clayton had done to Murdock, but now
his other friends were in danger, people he knew he could trust and rely on.
People who made him and his men welcome in their small community. 

"Face, go upstairs and make a quick check on Murdock. He's in the spare room
resting. I'll go and get B.A. We'll meet you back here in five minutes.
Let's go!" Hannibal said as he turned to leave. 
*************************************************

 
Clayton stood at the corner of the window as he watched and waited for the
arrival of the fugitive gang of men. Occasionally he looked over into the
cell where Maggie and Hank sat on the bunk, awaiting their fate also. He was
still undecided as to whether or not it would be a good idea to leave behind
any witnesses. He would have to investigate further after he was through
with the chore of disposing of this first annoyance. Quite possibly he could
make the demise of the sheriff, his deputy and the doctor look like a
revenge attack by that motorcycle gang they had had problems with in the
past. Well for now those three could wait. First at hand was dealing with
this A-Team. They would be here soon, and Clayton would settle the score.
These four guys might have had the upper hand the first time around, but now
Clayton was more than ready for them. His attention returned to the window
once again when he heard a noise outside the door. There was no van in sight.

"Gibbons, get over here! Open that door and see what that noise was. We'll
cover you from behind," Clayton ordered at his young associate. 

Lance walked over to the door as his boss had directed, slowly placed his
hand on the doorknob, and without making a sound opened the door a crack and
peered out. There lying on the cement sidewalk in front of the sheriff's
office was some old wino, empty bottle in hand, struggling to get to his
feet. Lance opened the door and took a step outside to see if anyone else
was about. He looked at the old bum before him, then turned to let his boss
know what was going on.

"Uh, Mr. Clayton? It's just some drunken old man out here. He can't even
stand. Whaddya want me to do with'im?" Lance asked as Clayton came out the
door behind him.

"Say there, sonny! Would one of you be so kind as to help me to my feet
here? Are you the new deputies? Where's Hank? He's always got a place for me
to sleep when m'bottle  is em'ty. Hank? You there? It's me! Johnny!" the old
drunk continued to ramble on.

Clayton looked down at the old man and watched as Gibbons helped the drunk
to his feet. In the distance he heard the sound of an engine revving, and
thought that it might be that A-Team  on its way down to the office. He
didn't need to have this old derelict in his way right now. He looked upon
the situation with disgust and ordered Gibbons to put the old guy in the
same cell as the sheriff and the doctor. The young man complied with his
boss's orders and staggered under the weight of the wino as he made his way
through the door and over to the cell. Clayton stood outside and watched for
a couple minutes more, then came back inside the office. His other two men
were sitting on Hank's desk, and watched with amusement as Lance shoved the
wino into the jail cell with the others. The old man fell to the floor, onto
his left side, and the empty bottle rattled against the far wall. He made no
attempt to move, but instead emitted a loud snoring sound. 

Hank looked at the wino on the floor, then called out to Clayton. "Why don't
you remove the cuffs off the doctor here? This old man is a regular in my
jail, and once he has had too much to drink, he is prone to seizures. You
wouldn't want that to happen now, would ya?" he asked, hoping that Clayton
would take the bait. 

Clayton looked at the sheriff, then at the wino who had apparently passed
out. He thought for a moment, then motioned for one of his men to remove the
cuffs and gag from the doctor. She looked harmless enough. She wouldn't be
going anywhere in that cell. If she tried calling out to anyone, he told her
he would shoot her. 

Maggie gave Clayton another one of her cold, hard stares as she knelt down
to assist the wino. The old man was still on his side and facing the wall.
She proceeded to check his forehead and then his carotid pulse with her left
hand, while her right hand reached for the key that Hannibal had in his
fingers. She then adjusted her position slightly as Hannibal slowly reached
out and placed a small revolver inside her slacks, just beneath her jacket. 

"Don't do anything until we make a move, then hit the floor," he whispered.
"Move cautiously. See if you can unlock Hank's cuffs, then give him the gun.
If there is any shooting, hit the floor - hard."

Maggie tried to keep a straight face when she noticed Hannibal had looked up
at her and winked. She cleared her throat and stood to return to the bunk.
"He's alright for now. There doesn't appear to be any indication of an
oncoming seizure. I'll keep an eye on him," she informed Clayton as she sat
beside Hank. She got little more than a glance from the men, as though they
could care less what she had to say about the wino. Without taking her eyes
off them, she reached behind Hank and attempted to unlock the cuffs around
his wrist. Hannibal began to moan and mumble incoherently as he continued to
lay on the floor. 

Hank felt one of the cuffs release. He carefully took the key from Maggie,
then managed to free his other hand, all the while keeping his hands behind
his back, and his eye on the men who held them hostage. He didn't have the
chance yet to make a move for the gun. 
*************************************************
Face made his way quietly along the side of the vacant real estate building.
He had been careful not to be seen at the front, just in case Clayton had
spotted him from the sheriff's office. It was his intent to make his way in
behind these other guys and to take them by surprise. He hoped it wouldn't
be too much of a problem, but would have felt a whole lot better about the
situation had B.A. been there with him. With his AR-15 in his hands, he
looked carefully around the rear corner of the building. In a split second
he saw five men standing around the half ton trucks, looking in his
direction, then felt the barrel of a gun in his back. He let his gun fall to
the ground and raised his hands slowly.
*************************************************

B.A. drove his van down the main street and towards the sheriff's office. He
looked over at Murdock's replica dummy sitting in the passenger seat beside
him, wearing Murdock's cap and leather jacket, plus some other articles of
clothing they had managed to find to put on the silly thing. Of all the
crazy things that Hannibal allowed for Murdock to keep stashed in B.A.'s
van, this had to be one of the craziest. B.A. hoped that it would be enough
to fool everyone inside the sheriff's office for a few seconds while they
implemented their element of surprise. He parked the van with the passenger
side facing away from the building, then got out and grabbed a stretcher
from the back of the van, holding it carefully as he approached the door.
"Hey sheriff? Dr. Sullivan? It's us! Open the door!" he called as he banged
the stretcher against the door.

Clayton looked out and recognized the big black guy as being one of the
fugitives of the A-Team. He motioned to his three men to duck down behind
the desk and reached out to open the door, being careful to stay behind it
as it opened. 

B.A. purposely made his way into the sheriff's office in an awkward
position, keeping his back to the men inside, banging the stretcher against
the doorframe as he entered. He yelled towards his van. "Hey! Will you guys
get outta that van and give me a hand here?" he growled. He continued to
inch his way inside, back first, hitting the top of the doorframe with the
stretcher. "Hey Hannibal! Get in here! I need some help, man!" B.A. growled
as he placed the stretcher on the floor, tapping it twice. He didn't look
around the room at all, but instead lifted a blanket on the stretcher and
grabbed a rifle. With lightning speed he rolled over top of the stretcher
and continued to roll two or three more times before opening fire on the
sheriff's desk where the men had been hiding. 

Hannibal heard the cue of the stretcher hitting the floor twice, pulled the
rifle from beneath his coat, and fired at the floor near Clayton's feet.
"Drop it, Clayton! Do it now!" he demanded. He pointed his rifle in
Clayton's direction and watched as the man dropped his weapon and raised his
hands. "B.A., send one of those losers over here with the keys. You there,"
he said in Lance's direction, "Get over here and unlock this door."

By now the other three men were standing behind the splintered desk, their
weapons on the floor, their hands in the air. Lance did as he was told and,
with one hand still in the air, and the other carrying the keys, went over
and let Hannibal, Maggie and Hank out of the cell. Maggie had pulled the gun
and kept it focused on the young man while he unlocked the door. She then
gave the gun to Hank and took the keys to go and check on Jack in the
adjoining cell. 

"Alright you dirtbags, get over here. Now!" Hannibal ordered. "Keep those
hands up where we can see them. Outside!"

The men stepped outside and onto the street, hands still raised, as B.A.,
Hank and Hannibal followed them out, their weapons pointed at the backs of
the men in front of them. Just then two half ton trucks came roaring towards
them from the other end of town, three men in one, one in the other with
three men riding in the bed of the truck. They skidded to a stop a couple of
buildings away with one of the trucks parking beneath an overhead hanging
sign. Hannibal and B.A. watched in horror as a bound Face stood helplessly
in the back of the truck, a noose around his neck, and the other end of the
rope tossed over the hanging sign.

One of the men called out from the truck. "Drop your weapons, now, and let
them go! Or we will accelerate here and send your man swingin'!" he yelled.

Clayton and his three men turned quickly and grabbed the weapons from the
sheriff, Hannibal and B.A. Triumphant yells could be heard coming from the
men back by the half ton trucks. Hannibal raised his hands behind his head,
as did B.A. and Hank. Clayton and the others motioned them towards the
trucks and shoved them with the guns. 

All of a sudden a barrage of automatic gunfire erupted from the upper floor
of the vacant real estate building. The rope that had been thrown over top
the hanging sign was quickly shot to shreds. Face, his legs still free,
kicked at the man holding him hostage in the back of the truck and jumped
onto the street. He ran as fast as he could back towards the sheriff's
office. The other men around the trucks ran and tried to duck for cover, but
staying around the trucks was not the answer as the vehicles were literally
being blasted to bits. Clayton and his men turned their attention towards
where the gunfire was coming from, and at the same time Hannibal and B.A.
wasted no time in throwing fists and overpowering the men once again. The
sheriff was throwing his best punches as well, and in no time they had
regained control of the situation. Looking back towards the office, they saw
Face coming out again. They watched as he shrugged out of the last of the
ropes that held him, carrying a rifle and accompanied by Maggie who was also
armed. By now they were all looking in the direction of the gunfire and
could only smile as Murdock waved back to them from an upper window of the
building.

The other men gave themselves up immediately, threw their weapons down and
walked towards the sheriff. At Hank's orders they all laid face down in the
street while Hank, B.A. and Face began to tie their hands. Clayton only
stood facing them, defiant to drop to the ground himself. Hannibal walked
slowly over to the man, dropped his weapon on the ground, and began throwing
his fists at Clayton. The two men dropped to the ground, Hannibal having the
upper hand, until the strong arms of B.A. attempted to pull them apart. Face
managed to grab Clayton by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to his feet.

"Hannibal! That's enough, man! He ain't goin' nowhere but to jail. Hank will
see to it. Knock it off, man!" B.A. said as he fought to hold Hannibal away
from the badly beaten man. 

Hannibal, his emotions seemingly out of control, continued to struggle in
B.A.'s arms. He started to calm down but continued to glare at Clayton. "You
lowlife! That was for Murdock," he growled as he shrugged away from B.A.'s
grip. He brushed off his clothes, wiped some blood from the corner of his
mouth, and decided to throw one more punch in Clayton's face before leaving
the man alone. He bent over to pick up his gun and walked away towards the van. 

By now Jack had come out of the office, a bandage on his head, and he gave
Hank and the others a hand to get these guys back to the cells until a
neighboring sheriff's office arrived with reinforcements and vans to
transport the hoodlums to a larger facility.

Murdock had made his way back down to the van and stood leaning against it.
He appeared somewhat pale and in a weakened state, but otherwise happy to
see that the rest of his team was okay. He reached in through the passenger
door and retrieved his cap and jacket from his dummy. "Sorry Bob, ol' buddy,
but I need these," he chuckled as he put them on. He turned and watched as
Hannibal put his weapon in the back of the van then made his way around to
where Murdock was standing. Murdock was now beginning to sweat profusely.
The last thing he remembered seeing was a thumbs up sign from Hannibal
before his knees buckled beneath him and everything went dark.
*************************************************

When Murdock awoke,  he was back in Maggie's examining room with the doctor
leaning over him. "Oh, hey doc. What's for supper? I'm hungry."

Maggie smiled as she reached for the belt to place around Murdock's arm to
check his blood pressure. "That sounds like a sign to me that you are back
to normal," she said, then hesitated at her words. "Oh, sorry Murdock. No
offense."

"That's okay, doc. None taken," he said as he watched the gage on the
pressure belt. 

Hannibal and Face  walked into the room and over to Murdock's bedside. "You
know, Murdock, you are going to hafta give up this heroic stuff, at least
long enough for you to regain your strength here so that we can get you back
to the VA.," Hannibal  said as he smiled at his friend. "Just what were you
trying to prove out there today anyway?"

"Well," began Murdock, "I wasn't asleep when Faceman here came to check up
on me, right before you guys just up and left me here. I wasn't feeling too
bad at the time and managed to get up and amble on down the street. The way
that B.A. had the van parked gave me perfect cover to get in the back and
retrieve Baby. Still with no one in sight, I made my way across the street
and in that vacant building where I had a better advantage point to see
exactly what was going on. There wasn't much I could do as I watched those
guys tie Face up, but once they were all clustered in the street, well then
it was a piece of cake," he said. "And Baby came across just fine the way
she always has," he continued, referring to Hannibal's prized machine gun.

Just then B.A. could be heard stomping towards the room where the others
were all gathered. "Hey Sucka! I'm runnin' low on juice here! I don't wanna
hear no more 'bout you gettin' up and doin' any more crazy stuff, you hear?
Not until you're strong enough to do it without any more o' my blood. You
got that?" B.A. scowled as he glowered at his friend. Everyone stood and
listened carefully to B.A.'s every word, then they all broke out laughing.
Murdock gulped a couple of times and only nodded his head in agreement as he
looked up from the gurney at B.A.. 
*************************************************

Several days later, Murdock was at his best abnormal behavior when he
received a visit at the VA hospital from Colonel Decker. He sat on the back
of a bench, completely restrained in a straight jacket, giving his
outlandish performance in Swedish as Decker sat on the bench beside him,
looking on. After a couple of minutes of incoherent language, he began to
speak in English, but still with the hint of a Swedish accent. "I used to
love visitors, colonel. I really do. Are you sure you won't change your mind
and stay for lunch? We're having...uh...pickled zucchini skins salad, with
uh...uh...tapioca pudding, stuffed with coconut flakes, and uh, topped with
a stewed prune. I love it. I just LOVE it!"

"It would be in your best interests to help me find Smith and the others,
son. Sometimes they come in here...to break you out," Decker explained to
Murdock in a compassionate voice.

Murdock threw his head back and laughed. "Lies. Lies. Unproven half-truths.
Dastardly rumors! You see, it's them...it's them...they are after me. Mmm
hmm. There they are right now - look! Crawling up my leg. I can't even go to
picnics anymore, without them...following me." With this comment, Murdock
broke into an insane laugh once again.

Colonel Decker, thinking that any interrogation of Murdock was a waste of
time, stood to leave.

Murdock called after him. "Oh, don't go...oh, please don't go...I need
you...colonel, I need you!" He watched as Decker headed for his car, then
broke out into more of his Swedish talk. As Decker drove away, Murdock
jumped off the bench and skipped off towards the bushes that were behind
their bench, still spouting rhymes in Swedish.

Behind the bushes, Face, Hannibal, B.A. and Tawnia Baker tried hard to
contain their amusement at the whole situation.

"Ya know Hannibal," Face began, "Ya gotta hand it to Decker. The man does try."

Hannibal bit off the end of his cigar and spat it to the ground. "Well, I
give'im  an 'A' for effort, but an 'F' for results." With this comment, they
all had a good laugh. Just then Murdock joined their little gathering.

"Hey B.A., wanna give me a hand and unbutton me, buddy?" he asked his muscle
bound friend.

"No way, fool!" B.A. reacted. "You can pound yourself in the ground. Scratch
yo' knees wit yo' ears before I let you outta that!" 

"B.A.? I...I thought we were friends? I...I mean...I thought you carried me
through the woods over your shoulder, and looked into my pain filled eyes
and...and helped me rally my strength?" Murdock questioned.

"What you talkin' about, fool? I don't remember none o' that! You just a
Crazy Man seein' things that ain't there!" B.A. growled as he turned his
back on his friend. He faced the others and smiled, leaving a confused and
frowning Murdock behind him.

[Who said that opposites attract?
They prob'ly think the world is flat.
'Cause you and I are opposites,
And all we do is fight.
We see from different points of view,
You laugh at me, I laugh at you.
And we both know two wrongs don't make a right.
So I'm here at the junction, but this time it's the end.
We're opposites, we're idiots,
But we're still friends...]
*************************************************

Quote [1] courtesy of Lori Beatty, from her story Never Turn Your Back.

The A-Team and all character names are property of Stephen J. Cannell and
are used without permission for non-profit use only.

Lyrics for "Opposites Attract" written by Joey Scarbury.