New A-Team Fic part 2 of ?
Title: Black Star part 2 of ?
Author: Batwoman
Rating: T - Het
Timeline: Takes place after season 5, this is more of a 6th season episode.
Description: The team is worried that the new woman General Stockwell brought in is there to be their new handler. Not all is as it seems with her, she's hiding secrets, along with Stockwell. What are her secrets and how do they affect the team?
Thanks to my beta, Periwinkle for your work!
Feed Back: always welcome. : ) Either onlist or email: aaaahbatwomanrun @ yahoo . com (no spaces)
Archived: ff.net, LJ
Disclaimer: I don’t own Face, BA, Murdock, Hannibal, Stockwell, the Abels and anyone else I'm forgetting. I’m just playing with them and will put them back unscathed when I’m done.
Author’s Notes: The idea for this fic came me to me one day while watching random season 5 episodes last year. I'm an original fan of the show and had only seen one or two episodes in recent years. Last year's movie sparked my curiosity to see if this was online and it was! So I started watching episodes on random order, mostly ones I remembered, didn't remember, etc. I don't know how many times I watched each episode before I finally started with the pilot and went in order. All while writing this fic. It is finished and I'll post it in parts not sure how often since this is a busy time for me at church. There are other stories in this universe but they are put on the back burner until further notice. Enjoy!
The pair walked into a used bookstore Briana casually scanned the immediate area and said in a low voice, “We’re being followed.”
Murdock stuck close to her, still worried about his friend. “Are you sure?”
A book caught her eye and Briana was drawn to it like a beacon. She stared at the periodical suddenly finding herself lost in thought, which was something she wasn’t used to in her current state of mind. When she didn’t answer Murdock he looked at her and noticed the haunted look in her eyes. “You ok?” he asked. At her silence he remembered something he saw her father do earlier that morning. Murdock wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her arm. He rubbed her arm comfortingly and murmured, “Hey.”
“What?” she asked, coming out of her mental fog.
“What’s wrong?”
“This book, Danny was reading it before… On the flight to our last mission.”
“What do you say we visit him when this is over? Just you an’ me, Ah’ll fly you where ever he’s buried too.” Briana nodded in response. “You said someone was followin’ us. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, average-build man, mid-thirties with sandy brown hair wearing a black shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He started following us two stores ago.”
Murdock casually glanced around the store as if he was looking at the other sections when in reality he was scanning the room for their tail. “I see him,” he said.
“We need to get out of here,” she said, grabbing his arm and turning him around. “Do you know where the others are?” she asked as they quickly made their way out of the store.
“No,” he replied.
“Damn,” she swore under her breath. Once back on the street she snaked her arm around Murdock’s waist, leaned into him and said, “Follow my lead, they don’t know Danny’s dead. Maybe we can convince him we’re on vacation.”
Murdock thought it over a moment as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Oh, Ah get it. You want him to follow us so we can capture him an' interrogate him, right?”
“Yes.” Briana took the lead and turned down the first street they approached. She kept an eye on their shadow out of the corner of her eye, as they wound their way down the historic streets of Aalborg.
Despite his incredible memory, Murdock was having a hard time keeping up with his companion’s weaving pattern. He felt even more lost than he had before. They came to an abrupt stop by the water fountains and Briana maneuvered Murdock around so that he was facing the direction they just came from. Despite what she said earlier, Murdock was still surprised when Briana snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him. He never thought their first kiss would be like this. It certainly didn’t feel romantic, despite the romance of being in such a historic city, next to the fountain in the center of town.
Her kiss was more mechanical than loving and that bothered Murdock. He wondered if it was a result of the programming or if she was like this when not under the influence of the CIA’s program. Murdock pushed those concerns down - they hadn’t been on their first date yet; there was plenty of time to learn how the other liked to be loved. Given what he’d learned about her past, Murdock had a feeling Briana would need a lot of help in that area. He made a promise to himself to treat her as delicately as one would handle a rose. “Is he still following us,” he heard her say into his ear.
That was the first time Murdock opened his eyes since their lips touched. He did his best to make it appear that he was returning her affection as he peered under the brim of his hat to see if their shadow was still there. “Yeah,” he said as he nuzzled her neck.
“I’ve got a plan,” she said, pulling back. She smiled up at him and took his hand in hers, jogging down the street in search of someplace more private.
Murdock followed her lead, smiling as he kept in step with her, wondering what she had in mind. The pair ran around the corner and once they were sure their tail couldn’t see them, Briana let go of Murdock’s hand and began to pull her hair back and twist it around her finger. She reached for his hat and after setting her hair against her head, she said “Give me your jacket.” She put his hat on, effectively hiding her hair.
Murdock looked around; spotting a doorway he pointed to it said, “Ah’ll hide there.” He quickly shed his jacket and held it out to Briana.
Briana nodded as she slipped her arms into the jacket and slowly began to walk down the street. She hoped their tail was using Murdock’s jacket as a visual aid to keep the couple in his sight.
Hannibal had been walking down the street when he spotted the pair next to the fountains. They had been locked in an embrace like lovers and he rolled his eyes, now was not the time for games, he thought. Furious he chomped down on his cigar and began to go after them when he noticed the man following the pair. Hannibal suddenly realized they had spotted the tail and were luring him into a position so they could capture the man. Smith sped up his pace to keep up with the tail but made sure not to get too close. Once he was around the corner, Hannibal saw Murdock grappling with the younger man and raced to his side.
Hannibal discretely pulled out his gun and held it to the shadow’s kidneys, giving it a poke for good measure. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Murdock said, still holding their captive.
“We need to get him some place more private so we can interrogate him,” Briana said.
“Where’s your car?” Hannibal asked.
“Next block over,” Briana replied.
Murdock quirked an eyebrow at her response, “Ah’m glad you know where we are, because Ah’m lost.”
“Good, lead the way,” Hannibal said, pushing their captive forward. As they walked to the car, Hannibal made sure to stay close to their prisoner, never letting the younger man move away from the gun.
Once at the car Hannibal roughly pushed their prisoner into the back of the car. Briana knelt down and retrieved the gun she had strapped to her ankle. She held the gun on the man in the backseat as the trio talked, never taking her eyes off of him. “I’ll meet you two back at the castle,” Hannibal said, looking at his watch. “I’ll rendezvous with the others in an hour.”
“Sounds good,” Briana said. As Hannibal turned to go back towards the fountains, Briana gave Murdock the gun and said, “You stay with him back here, I’ll drive.”
As she drove back to the castle, Murdock glanced out the windows always keeping an eye on their prisoner. “Why are you stoppin’?” Murdock asked.
“We never checked this guy for a tracking device or wire,” she said right before exiting the car. Briana snatched open the back door and roughly pulled their captive out of the car. “Who are you working with?” she snarled in Danish.
“I’ll never tell you scum,” he spat.
“Your funeral,” she said just before punching him, knocking him out cold.
Murdock stood wide-eyed as he saw the man drop with one punch. “Remind me not to make you mad.”
Briana didn’t say a word; she merely bent down and removed the man’s cowboy boots, tossing them off to the side of the road. “What’d you do that for?” Murdock asked.
“He could be hiding a tracking device in his heel.”
Her answer caused Murdock to pause and think a moment. Watching her search the prone body he asked, “Bree… did your dad give you a trackin' device for this mission?”
“Yes.” When she finished her search, Briana stood up and said, “Put him in the trunk.” Briana slid behind the wheel still wearing Murdock’s hat and jacket, reaching down to pull the trunk release latch. Murdock lifted the hood of the trunk before turning to kneel down to pick up the prone figure of their shadow. He placed the man in the trunk before slamming it closed. Murdock dusted his hands off as he walked to sit beside Briana.
Back at the castle Briana led the way as Murdock urged their prisoner forward, poking him in the back with Briana’s gun from time to time to make a point. The prisoner did not go quietly, he yammered on in Danish the entire walk. Briana ignored him but the constant chatter was beginning to take a toll on Murdock’s nerves. As the small group made their way down a set of ancient stone stairs Murdock couldn’t take it any longer and said, “Will you SHUT UP! You’re givin’ me a headache.”
Once the trio reached the bottom of the stairs, they continued down the old stone corridor, passing several doors until finally coming to a stop at the end of the hall. She opened the door and Murdock shoved their prisoner in, knocking him down to his knees. Briana hung the key which she had grabbed at the foot of the steps, onto the hook just outside of the cell. She stepped in and grabbed a fistful of their prisoner’s shirt and pulled him to his feet. She fixed him with an icy cold stare, feeling an overwhelming urge to wrap her hand around his neck and crush his windpipe.
Briana found herself struggling with her programming. For the first time in her life as a Black Star, Briana Stockwell didn’t want to do what she was programmed to. She didn’t know why but the urge to squeeze her hand around her prisoner’s throat bothered her. Briana’s left hand began to reach for her prisoner and that’s when she shoved him to the back wall. She turned on her heel and stormed out, followed closely by Murdock. Closing and locking the door, Briana carried the key with them as they walked back to the stairs. She placed the key back on the hook as they continued on up, back to the main level of the castle.
“So what are you gonna do now?” Murdock asked as they ascended the stairs.
“”Tell Hannibal to interrogate him, have a guard translate for you if need be.”
“Why aren’t you interrogatin’ him?”
Briana paused a moment, once again struggling against her programming. There was a day when she would have answered, “because I’ll kill him before we find out where the boy is”’, without hesitation, but for some unknown reason she didn’t want to say it. “I need time alone,” she finally replied.
Murdock wasn’t sure but he thought he sensed a change in Briana. Her actions in the dungeon and her hesitation to his question made him wonder, was she fighting her programming? The pair ascended the stairs in silence. Once back in the main hall Murdock stopped Briana, passing her gun to her.
Briana accepted the pistol and knelt down to put it back in her ankle holster. She started to walk off towards her room when she paused a moment. Turning back to Murdock, she slid out of the bomber jacket and handed it back to her friend. She then removed the cap from her head and placed it on his head. The pair looked at each other, both wondering if she was breaking through her programming. Unable to maintain eye contact any longer, Briana looked down and walked to her room.
Murdock was left standing in the hall, holding his jacket. He watched as his friend walked away, his concern for her growing with every step she took. Glancing at his watch, Murdock discovered the others would be back shortly. Murdock walked to his room where he lounged on the bed, studying his “Teach Yourself Danish” book.
Briana lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts raced through her mind, what was happening to her? She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the darkness would quiet her mind. Unable to slow her thoughts down, Briana quickly sat up and pulled the briefcase out from under her bed. Sitting on the floor, Briana opened the briefcase and pulled out a gun. She quickly assembled it and then grabbed the spare clip, holding it as she stood. Briana tucked the gun into the waist of her jeans and turned to exit her room. She made her way to the guards’ firing range, remembering how cathartic emptying a couple clips into paper targets was.
The team walked into the kitchen in search of Murdock and Briana. They found Murdock sitting at the table with his book nearby as he talked to one of the kitchen staff, testing out his Danish on the young woman. She smiled encouragingly when he’d say something correct and gently correct him when he’d get it wrong.
“So how’d it go? Did Briana interrogate our guest?” Hannibal asked as he pulled the chair across from Murdock out from under the table and sat down.
Turning his attention to his teammates, Murdock replied, “She didn’t interrogate him, she told me to tell you to do it.”
Hannibal was intrigued. He had thought for sure Briana would have interrogated the man herself while the team was still hunting down leads. “Did she say why she wanted me to interrogate him?”
Face kept an ear on the conversation as he put his best moves onto the young woman Murdock was talking to when they came in. B.A. and Frankie had decided to take a seat as well, needing a break from all the standing and walking they did that morning.
“All she said was that she needed to be alone.”
“Murdock, what happened after you two left?”
“Briana stopped the car about halfway to the castle an' pulled him out of the car. She asked him who he was workin' for and he refused to answer so she knocked him out with one punch. Then she searched the guy for a trackin' device. She tossed his shoes on the side of the road. After Ah put him in the trunk we drove back here. He’s locked up in the dungeon and when Ah asked Bree why she wasn’t interrogatin’ him herself, she said she needed to be alone. Colonel… Ah think there’s somethin’ wrong with her programmin’.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She hesitated when Ah asked her why she wasn’t going to interrogate him. Ah don’t know but it seems like she’s fightin’ the programmin’ or somethin’.”
“Where is she now?”
“Ah don’t know. She was in her room before but was gone when Ah went to get her for our rendezvous’.”
“Well then I guess we might as well interrogate our prisoner. I’m sure Briana will join us when she gets back,” Hannibal said as he pushed his chair back from the table and stood.
“Oh Briana also said we should have a guard translate for us, if we needed it,” Murdock said, following his team out of the kitchen.
Murdock led the way through the castle down to the dungeon, pausing briefly to ask a guard to join them on the way. Down in the dungeon the guard agreed to stay outside of the cell and wait to see if the prisoner spoke English. Hannibal walked into the room, sizing it up and scanning it for ideas of what he could use to torture the prisoner. “Do you speak English?” Hannibal asked as he stalked towards the prisoner.
The prisoner sized up the silver-haired man wondering how big of a threat Hannibal was to him. “Answer the man, fool,” B.A. said in a menacing tone as he stalked forward.
The prisoner flinched when he saw the hulking black man, “Yes, yes I speak English,” he said, heavily accented, fearing what B.A would do to him if he didn’t answer the simple question.
“Good, now why don’t you tell me who you’re working for and where you’re hiding the Prince.”
“Why should I tell you anything?” he spat.
“Because if you don’t, my friend here will twist you into a pretzel,” Hannibal said, motioning towards B.A.”
B.A. growled as he cracked his knuckles as he stalked forward.
“I’d, ah, answer the man if I were you, you don’t want to make B.A. mad,” Face said in his usual casual manner.
The prisoner walked backwards trying to get away from the hulking man. He stopped at the wall when he could go no further. Gulping he said, “I... I… I… work for Soren Overgaard.”
“OK, now that we’ve established that, what does Overgaard want? Why did he kidnap the prince?” Hannibal asked.
“Soren wants the people that killed Prince Gudamond’s aide and he wants to take out the royal family.”
“Why does Overgaard want to take out the royal family?” Hannibal asked.
“Soren feels it’s time for a change. The monarchy is outdated.”
“And how do you feel about the monarchy?”
Niels folded his arms across his chest in an effort to feel more confident than he actually was at the moment. Standing in the dungeon surrounded by the five men he was starting to think he made a mistake by agreeing to help Soren with his lust for revenge. “I agree,” he replied, sticking his chin out defiantly.
“Oh, you think it’s that easy do you?” Murdock questioned as he stepped forward. “There’s more to government than passin’ laws and collectin’ taxes.”
“Not now Captain,” Hannibal said, needing to get back to the interrogation. “So what does Overgaard want with the aide’s killers?”
“He wants to kill them.”
“Why?”
“Because Frans was Soren’s brother.”
A cold chill ran up Murdock’s spine. Briana was right - this was about revenge. He shot a worried glance in Hannibal’s direction.
Knowing what the others were thinking, Hannibal felt a sudden urgency to finish the interrogation. “Where is Soren holding the prince?”
“He’s holding the prince in a farm in Skovstrop on Lillevej.”
Having heard enough, Hannibal turned around and motioned for his men to follow him. As the team walked out of the dungeon, Hannibal told the palace guard to deal with the prisoner. The guard nodded and offered to get the address of the farm for the team. After the guard walked into the dungeon, the team walked back upstairs, deciding it was best to wait until they were far from the prisoner before they said what was on their minds.
The five men walked outside to the courtyard, making their way to the benches. Some stood while the others sat down as they talked about what they learned in the interrogation. “Bree was right. This is a trap,” Murdock said.
Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his jacket pocket and bit the end off, spitting it on the ground. He lit the cigar, taking a few puffs to get it started. “It’s more than a trap - it’s a blood bath. Once they’ve taken care of Briana then they’ll go after the royal family,” Frankie said.
“But they didn’t factor us in. Briana’s safe with us and we’ll keep those animals from the royal family. But first we need to find Briana, then we need to do some recon,” Hannibal said.
A man in a dark suit with sunglasses walked through the courtyard; a guard having instructed the man where to find the A-team. “Colonel Smith,” he said, gaining the man’s attention. “General Stockwell sent me with the extra munitions and vehicle Ms Stockwell requested.”
“Thank you Abel 4,” Briana said, walking up to the group.
Abel 4 turned to the woman and said, “Everything is in the private parking lot.”
“Noted,” she said.
Able 4 gave her a curt nod, turned on his heel and walked away. Able 20 followed him to the castle to drive Able 4 back to their hotel. Unsure of what to expect when he had received word of the mission, Hunt Stockwell had sent Ables 4 and 20 ahead to Denmark in case they would be needed.
Briana turned her attention to the men of the A-Team and immediately noticed the concerned looks. Not even Murdock smiled as he looked at her. “You were right,” Hannibal said, not bothering to beat around the bush. “This is a trap. And they want to kill the royal family. Does the name Soren Overgaard mean anything to you?”
“Yes, he’s the brother of one of the men we killed, Frans Overgaard, who was the Prince’s assistant. He’s the one that wants revenge? That doesn’t surprise me; only Soren would know Danny and I are the only people the Prince trusts. Where is that piece of crap holding Dieter?”
“On a farm in Skovstrop. The guard is getting the address for us,” Hannibal replied.
“What’s the plan?” Briana asked.
Hannibal was surprised by the question, based on what little he knew of her programming, Hannibal had assumed Briana would take charge while on the mission. “We’re going to do some recon, after lunch.” Hannibal turned to the men under his command and said, “Why don’t you guys go ahead? We’ll catch up in a minute.”
The men walked past Hannibal and Briana, each shooting a concerned glance in her direction. Hannibal watched as the men walked back to the castle. Once they were out of earshot, he asked the one question that had been on his mind ever since the rest of the team came back. “Why didn’t you interrogate Overgaard?”
Briana shot a quick glance towards the team before replying. “If I had he would have been dead before we found out where they’re holding Dieter.”
Hannibal took a few drags of his cigar as he mulled over what Briana said. Now he understood why she wouldn’t tell Murdock earlier. Deciding he knew all he needed to about the former CIA agent, Hannibal said, “Come on kid, I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”
Later that afternoon, as the team was loading into the van, Hannibal had the guard, while he was giving the Sergeant directions to the farm, show B.A. where the hospital was on the map. B.A. grabbed the map and slid behind the wheel of the van and drove the group to the farm. Hannibal made mental notes of the surrounding area while B.A drove. He didn’t like the openness; it would make it harder to sneak around and Hannibal worried Briana might charge in and get shot. The words ‘she’s a danger to herself’ kept running through his head, causing Hannibal to chomp down on his cigar so hard he thought he would bite it in two. He took the cigar out of his mouth and held it between his fingers, resting his hand on the open van window.
The rest of the team had been sitting on the floor in the back of the cargo van. Briana and Murdock sat on the driver side, facing the passenger side, while Frankie and Face sat across from them.
“Hey Bree, where’d you go earlier?” Frankie asked.
“Firing range,” she replied.
“Yeah? How’d you do?” Franked asked, smiling.
“See for yourself,” she said, reaching into her back pocket. She pulled out a square of paper and tossed it at Frankie.
Frankie easily caught the paper and unfolded it, finding a paper target. His smile faded when he saw the positioning of the bullets. All the bullets were tightly grouped around the heart and head. He swallowed hard and said, “Nice, ah, grouping.”
Face casually glanced over at the paper then towards the front of the van and quickly looked back, not sure he had seen correctly. He let out a low whistle and said, “Hey Hannibal, she could give you a run for your money.”
Hannibal turned in his seat to look at Face. He put the cigar back into his mouth before reaching for the paper target. Looking at the paper left him with no doubt about Briana’s skill with a gun, however it didn’t ease his mind about her safety. Deciding to leave his troubled friend alone, Hannibal turned back around, folding the paper and placing it into his jacket pocket.
“We’re here,” B.A. said as he pulled onto the long drive leading to the farm.
“Don’t get too close, B.A.” Hannibal instructed.
B.A. nodded and stopped several yards from the entrance to the farm. The team exited the van and Hannibal issued orders, “B.A. recon, take the west side of the farm, Face the east. Murdock North and Frankie South. With any luck we’ll have everything we need before sunset.”
“We need to get into the house and find out where they’re holding Dieter,” Briana said, looking through a pair of binoculars.
“You can’t go in there, they obviously know what you look like,” Hannibal observed, as he scanned the area with his own binoculars. Hannibal noted the farm had floodlights on high telephone poles close to the buildings. They were going to make it harder to sneak around, if they planned on making their move after dark.
“There’s no one else. The only one of your team that knows Danish is Murdock, and that’s only because I taught him a little last night. He’s not fluent, I am. They know what all the palace guards look like and most likely know what the police look like. That leaves pulling in a civilian or I go.”
Taking the binoculars from his eyes, Hannibal turned to face the woman and said, “Bree, it’s too risky sending you in. We need to figure something else out. You said you taught Murdock some Danish last night; so he goes. He can walk around the house and look for Dieter while keeping his ears open for anything they might say about you or any possible attacks.”
Briana pulled the binoculars from her eyes and turned to look at Hannibal. Deep down she knew he was right, that it was too risky for her to go in, but she didn’t want to see her friend be put in harm’s way. Putting the binoculars onto hood of the van, Briana turned around and walked towards the back of the van, needing a moment to think before responding to what Hannibal just said. Logically, she knew it was ridiculous for her to be worried about Murdock going into the house to do recon when they’d been doing this kind of work for close to 20 years.
Black Stars only worked with their partners. They knew how their partners thought and knew if needed, a Black Star would kill all adversaries as the Black Star escaped from any situation. Black Stars were emotionless soldiers, they didn’t dwell on their feelings, they didn’t worry about friends; they didn’t have friends.
Turning back around, Briana walked to Hannibal and said, “How do you plan on getting Murdock in? Whatever it is, he’ll need to be able to walk around the entire house, look in every room.”
“I was thinking they’re going to develop a bug problem,” Hannibal said, smiling around his cigar.
A couple hours later the team began to trickle back to the van. Each person waited until the rest of the team was there before relaying their information. They’d found security to be light compared to most of their jobs. There were cameras throughout the grounds and men walking guard duty armed with rifles. Murdock was disappointed to learn there was no helicopter but there was a van hidden in the barn along with various farm vehicles.
“We still need to get into the house and find out where they’re holding Dieter,” Hannibal said. “I have a feeling they’re going to develop a pest problem. Murdock, you’re going to go in since you know some Danish.”
“Why doesn’t Bree go? She’s fluent in Danish,” Murdock said.
“They know what she looks like,” Hannibal replied. “It’s too risky, even if she goes in disguise. You’re our best shot, Murdock.”
“How exactly do you plan on getting me in then?”
“I know just the thing,” Briana said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was close to dinnertime when Murdock walked up to the house dressed in gray coveralls, carrying a tool case. His favorite cap was in its usual place, on top of his head. He rang the doorbell and bounced where he stood as he waited for someone to answer the door. He glanced around seemingly casually until the door opened.