Mission Five: Chapter 10 - “No one is getting killed tonight, Sasha.”

BA drove sedately back to the warehouse. It had been good to get out on his own, even if it was just for an hour, even if it was just buying gas. Whatever. It had just been good to get away from all the emotions that had been flying around, thick and fast, these past few days.

 

He parked the car round the back of the warehouse and walked steadily round to one of the gaps in the walls. He hoped Face had had chance to get his head out of his ass and start coming up with a plan, as they needed to get the boss and get the hell out of this damn country as fast as possible. BA knew that if he ever went to Russia ever again, it would be too damn soon...

 

He wandered into the main part of the warehouse, and instantly his good mood vanished; it was like he’d just walked into hell. The tall red head, Dimi, was walking up and down swearing loudly in Russian and kicking things while Murdock was pacing on the far side of the room, hands frenetically opening and closing and looking around at the younger children in despair. Georgiy was laid full length on the floor, crying loudly into his arms and looking like he was on the verge of absolute hysteria, while the twins, Foma and Ilia, were huddled together in a corner, looking practically catatonic.

 

BA glanced in disbelief from one distressed face to the other before barking incredulously at Murdock, “What the hell’s goin’ on?!”

 

For a split second, Georgiy stopped howling and Murdock took his chance to drop to the boy’s side, nervous hands fluttering over his shoulders, while Dimi surged forward, rapid Russian surging from his lips, the only word BA could pick out? Anya.

 

BA felt that familiar anger surge again, “What’s that damn fool gone an’ done now?” he shouted at Murdock, noticing Face was conspicuous by his very absence.

 

Murdock, now having to try and cope with a freshly sobbing Georgiy clambering into his arms, opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off at the sound of a powerful motor bike engine approaching outside. Dimi was off like a shot, vaulting out of a broken window, Foma and Ilia scrambling to follow him, even as BA yelled at them all to stay inside, stay hidden. In the end, he just heaved a huge sigh and took after them himself, Murdock and Georgiy bringing up the rear.

 

It wasn’t easy clambering out of the broken window with a seven year old, admittedly a very small and skinny seven year old, hanging around your neck, but Murdock managed it, just in time to see a huge black and chrome motorbike scream up the potholed road towards them. It was obviously Face at the handlebars, his black combat gear cutting a striking figure in the washy sunlight, but Murdock couldn’t see who was with him. He squinted against the sun at the pale figure clinging to Face’s chest like a baby possum and frowned, he still wasn’t at all sure what had happened to Anya, but from the reactions of the boys, Dimi in particular, it didn’t look at all good.

 

At the last second, Face squeezed the brakes and the bike slid to a graceful stop, back wheel swinging around as Face’s foot found the floor. The boys ran up to him, as excited to see the bike as to see Anya, but then froze a few meters away, uncertainty on their faces as they registered Face’s black expression, Anya’s sobbing state and the obvious lack of Sasha. Face kicked the stand down on the bike and swung his leg off, taking Anya with him, still clinging to his front as if she weighed nothing at all. He snapped at the boys to get back inside and Murdock went with them, heading them away, looking over his shoulder at the terrified child, noticing her torn skirt with a very sick feeling starting up inside.

 

But he froze at the broken window, Georgiy squirming in his arms now and watched as BA stormed up to Face, anger radiating from every pore on his body and stopped the LT with a big hand straight into the front of his shoulder. Face looked up from Anya’s face to meet BA’s glare and his own expression darkened even more. “Hey!” BA yelled, his bulk blocking Face’s path, “What the fuck you done, man? What did Sasha say to you about touching any o’ them kids again?!”

 

Murdock started forward with a warning, “BA!” flying from his lips, but Face was quicker.

 

The look of absolute contempt on his face as Murdock came in front of him shocked the captain to the core. Keeping one arm tightly around the trembling Anya, he used the other to shove BA, hard, out of his way. “Drop it!” he barked, and BA almost swallowed his rage at the look in his eyes, “If you wanna do something useful for once,” Face snapped at him over his shoulder as he carried Anya towards the warehouse, “Get that bike hidden and see if you can see Sasha coming back!”

 

Murdock and BA exchanged stares, both almost as livid as each other’s before Murdock turned and followed Face inside. BA stood in stunned silence for a minute, then, temper slowly stoking back up again, realised he was the only one left outside and kicked the bike off its stand, leading it away around the side of the warehouse.

 

Murdock had no time for BA right about now. He’d maintained all along that the big guy should cut Face a bit of slack, and he certainly shouldn’t talk back to him the way he had been, but this, this was just the last straw. What the hell did he think Face had been doing with Anya? Surely he could never think in a million years that Face would... Jesus... Even BA couldn’t think that.

 

Anya was obviously distraught, Sasha was missing, Face looked pissed off beyond belief, and Georgiy was still clinging to him like a baby chimp, but given the choice of suffering BA’s scowl or heading in with the others, he knew damn well what he wanted to do.

 

As soon as he was inside, he could hear Anya’s muffled sobs. Face had sat down on some of the crates at the back of the warehouse and was letting her cling to him, her whole body crushed up to his, still shaking in fear. He was stroking her hair as she sobbed into his jumper, whispering quietly in her ear, the boys standing three or four metres away, wanting to go to her, but too much in awe of Face to try.

 

Murdock froze as he watched Face, now stroking Anya’s cheeks with his big hands, smoothing away the tears, trying to get her to breathe deeply, open her eyes, calm down a bit. All that care, all that tenderness, something he’d never seen from the man before, not even with Hannibal. He wished that BA was here to see it, wished that the big guy could stop just long enough to see something in Face to respect. He wondered what the problem really was with BA and Face, he’d asked, of course he had, that train journey to Irkutsk was boring as sin, and Face was always out prowling the corridors, making himself sick with worry and exhaustion, so Murdock and BA had had plenty of time to talk. Plus, that was just Murdock’s way; he wondered something – he asked it.

 

But BA hadn’t said much that made sense, he’d said Face was a ‘fool’, he was flaky and couldn’t be trusted. Murdock knew it wasn’t that, there was something else bothering BA and Murdock would damn well find out what it was before it broke apart the best thing that had happened to him in his entire adult life...

 

Georgiy squirmed out of his arms now and ran to the other boys, Ilia slipping an arm around him as he leaned into them. Murdock flexed his biceps, he hadn’t realised how heavy the kid was getting, and looked back over at Face and Anya. Anya’s tears had stopped now, and she had shuffled back off his knee so that she was sitting on the crates in front of him. His hands were cupping her face, trying to get her to look at him, but her eyes remained stubbornly downcast, her fingers writhing together in her lap but she was nodding at something Face was saying to her. He said something else and smiled and waited, and then she looked up, her own watery smile eventually cracking up the corners of her mouth and Face’s grin got wider, speaking again and laughing, making Anya laugh with him.

 

Then there was a light thump in the corner of the room, and Sasha stepped out of the shadows, filthier than usual and breathing hard, but eyes only for Anya as he ran across the room. Face was moving back, trying to give them some space, but Sasha grabbed him hard around his neck with one arm, while the other went right around Anya’s shoulders and he pulled all three of them in, his and Anya’s heads bent together, Anya’s white hands coming up to clutch at his shoulders.

 

Murdock watched them for a minute, a lump in his throat, then as the younger boys eventually found the nerve to join the embrace, Face pulled back, clearly awkward, trying to disentangle himself from the pile of arms and legs that was wrapping its way around Anya. He slipped out, dropping a chaste kiss on the top of Anya’s head as he went, but Sasha was there in an instant, grabbing the sides of Face’s head with his dirty, almost-man’s hands and holding him still while he leaned forward and kissed him hard, once on each cheek before pulling back and looking fiercely into Face’s stormy blue eyes.

 

“Thank you,” he said loudly and in clear English, but the tremor in his voice was obvious, “for saving my sister.”

 

Murdock saw Face blink hard, two or three times before he lifted his hands and squeezed Sasha’s wrists where they still held his face, “You’re welcome, kid,” he muttered, his voice thick, and then he removed Sasha’s hands and slipped away, head bowed, hands in pockets as he retreated to the far side of the warehouse.

 

___________________________

 

BA had stashed the bike out of sight, and now he was heading back in to have a few words with Face. This whole thing had gone too far. Hannibal obviously didn’t know how much of a loose cannon this kid was. The whole flying off the handle thing, beating up on that poor kid in the forest, obviously sleeping with that guy on the train and then coming back splattered in blood, that had all been bad enough. But hurting kids, taking that poor little girl to do who knows what with her... BA’s blood ran cold. There was no way he could let this go on. The guy wasn’t fit to lead, hell, wasn’t even fit to be a soldier. BA had met people like him before, people who had joined up for all the wrong reasons... Just never thought he’d meet one of them that was sly enough to pull the wool down over Hannibal Smith’s eyes with it.

 

He saw Face sat on a crate at the far side of the warehouse, back to the rest of the room and headed over, fists clenched and eyes narrowed. He didn’t get far though, before a tight hand fastened around his bicep and he turned, anger flashing in his eyes to find himself face to face with Murdock.

 

“Where ya going’ Bosco?” Murdock drawled lightly, one eye on Face’s bent head at the far end of the warehouse.

 

BA angrily shook Murdock’s hand off him, and stood his ground, his voice a furious whisper to try and avoid  spooking the kids who were still huddled together on the crates. “Someone has to do somethin’ about pretty boy over there,” BA hissed, “Hurtin’ that girl? That’s just too far gone!”

 

Murdock’s eyes were as cold as flint, “He didn’t do nothin’ to that girl you dumb ape!” Murdock spat at him, “Some no-goods took her while we were up at the house with Sasha! Face an’ the kid went an’ got her back!”

 

BA’s eyes flicked over to where Sasha and Anya were now talking quietly, edges of doubt creeping into his eyes, “Yeah, that's what he tells you, crazy fool! Don’tcha think it’s just a bit handy that no one here but him speaks the lingo though? No one can really tell you what went on?”

 

Rolling his eyes, his fists clenched in fury, Murdock stepped forward, “What?! BA, just what the fuck is your problem with Face? Of course that’s what went on! Ask Sasha if you don’t believe anyone else! You’re on his ass the whole damn time, BA! What gives?!”

 

“Nothin’, man!” BA growled, “He just a damn fool an’ I’m fed up of havin’ to listen to him all the time!”

 

“Well, that’s too bad, Corporal,” Murdock and BA both jumped at the sound of Face’s sharp voice behind them, “because until we get Hannibal back, you have no choice!”

 

BA narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, “Yes, I do,” he answered.

 

Face’s expression didn’t change, “No you don’t,” he countered. “Not unless you want an Article 92 on your records that is.”

 

 BA’s fists tightened, “Hannibal would never do that!”

 

Face cracked a grim smile. “Hannibal wouldn’t have to, just me. And I would. Most definitely. But then the boss would still back me up, once he hears what’s been going on.”

 

“Hannibal would back you up if you let him fuck you!” BA shot back.

 

Only the slightest tightening of Face’s eyes betrayed how deeply that low blow had hurt, but he didn’t let it wind him up. “And that’s an Article 89,” he replied blandly instead.

 

There was a tense minute, BA and Face staring each other down before BA whirled on the spot and went to storm off. “Corporal!” Face barked at him and BA stopped, slowly turning back around. Face stepped in so that they were nose to nose, “I have just about had enough of your attitude around here, soldier,” he told him, voice quiet and steady, “I’ve told you enough times that you aren’t here for your opinions. Now are you going to start toeing the line around here, or are things about to get messy?”

 

“Messier...” BA grumbled.

 

“Sorry?” Face’s eyes were flashing.

 

“Nothin’.”

 

“That’s ‘Nothing, sir,’” Face ground out. 

 

“Nothing, sir!” BA barked, snapping to attention and saluting smartly.

 

Face held his glare for almost thirty seconds before whispering, “Don’t push your luck, here, Bosco. You think I won’t do it? You’ll be surprised. You really want to be out on your ass before you’ve been back in a year?” Face shook his head, “What kind of way is that to pay back the boss?”

 

At last BA dropped his eyes from Face’s and the moment dragged on even longer until Face shook his head, snapping himself out of the moment with a sigh. “Right, corporal,” he instructed, voice business like again, “I’d quite like some smoke grenades available for tonight. Go through the gear and see if you can find any. In fact, do a full inventory of everything we’ve got, and get it done quick. Clear?”

 

BA looked up, the anger still evident in his face, but his expression as bland as he could make it, “Yes, sir!” he snapped, the formality a needle in Face’s nerves.

 

But Face could play this game too. He let rip with a shit eating grin and stepped back with a “Dismissed, soldier,” before turning on his heel and stalking off.

 

________________________

 

Face found the afternoon wearisome in the most draining of ways. Just as the pressure to perform was at its strongest, just when any failings on his part meant would mean not getting Hannibal back at all, he suddenly had a sullen, glaring corporal on his hands. Face tried his best to ignore BA, there was nothing else he could do to make the big guy step up to the mark here, he only hoped that when push came to shove all that professionalism that Face knew he had would come to the fore.

 

Murdock had been pale and jittery all afternoon as well, and also so obviously not speaking to BA. Add onto that Sasha and Anya who had taken to following him around staring at him all day, and Face was just about at the end of his rope. He rubbed at his aching head as he went over the plan one more time whilst packing up, god, he needed Hannibal back. He needed him in every conceivable part of his life it was untrue. Without the boss he couldn’t cope with anything, his emotions, his subordinates, his job, even sleeping alone, shit, nothing. In fact, without the boss, that’s all he was, a great, useless, nothing...

 

“Face,” Sasha’s voice tugged him from his dark thoughts and he pulled a smile out for the kid, noticing that he got ‘Face’ now, instead of ‘dick-head’. “We,” Sasha motioned to Dimi and Foma who were standing with him, “want to come tonight. Help get your boss back.”

 

Face had half expected this and shook his head at the boys, watching as Sasha’s eyes took on an immediate defiant gleam, “Sorry, guys. We can’t have you along tonight, you know that.”

 

But Sasha wasn’t to be put off, “You helped us with Anya, we help you with your boss.”

 

“Sasha, buddy,” Face rested a hand on Sasha’s forearm, “You know it’s not like I don’t appreciate your offer and everything, it’s just,” he shrugged, “we’re a team, me and the guys, we work best on our own.”

 

A frown creased Sasha’s forehead but he nodded, he’d known all along that Face would never let them come, “And afterwards?” Sasha queried.

 

“Well, afterwards,” Face quickly glanced around to see if he could see Murdock or BA but the coast was clear, “everything happens just like I said it would.”

 

Another nod and a deeper frown from Sasha, “Unless you are killed tonight, of course.”

 

Face smiled at him, “No one is getting killed tonight, Sasha.”

 

Sasha looked far from convinced but Face shouldered his pack and called, “Come on you two, we’re out of here!”

Next Chapter