Hannibal, disguise as Mr. Lee, was setting up the laundry place when a young girl, about fifteenish with blue eyes and blond hair, came running in out of breath and with a scared look on her face.
“May I help you,” Hannibal asked as Mr. Lee.
“Someone is after me!” she stuttered out between breaths.
“Someone’s after you?”
“Yes, please you got to help me!” she cried.
Seeing the girl wasn’t joking, Hannibal took her to the back room to discuss this much further. He first claimed the young girl and asked her, her name.
“My name is Mandy,” she said surprise at the differences in the voice he had use just moments ago.
Seeing her surprise, he explained himself.
“So your part of the A-Team? So you can help me then!”
“Yes, I can,” claiming her down again.
But before he could say anymore, the shop door opened and Hannibal got up to see who it was.
“May I help you?” Hannibal asked again as Mr. Lee.
“Uh, ya. Did a girl run in here?” One of the two men asked.
“No, no girl came in,” Hannibal said.
Just then a scream from the back room came and Mandy was carried out by other man who can in from the back door.
“No girl came in, huh. Then what do you call that!” The other man said hitting Hannibal in the ribs, causing him to double over.
Proud of what he done, he and the two other men left, dragging Mandy out with them.
Carefully, Hannibal followed them to their car, but by the time he got there, they were already driving away, so Hannibal quickly memorized the license plate and went back to the shop to call Face.
***************
Mandy struggled and screamed all the way to the car, but no one came to help. Still struggling in the car, Mandy saw a glimpse Hannibal out the back window and wondered why he was just standing there and not coming after her. But before she could think of it any long, she was hit up beside her head causing her to pass out.
When she woke up, it took her a few minutes to figure out where she was, but she soon knew she was back to square one again. Her attempt to escape had failed and she knew what was going to happen to her again. She hated this place and was so desperate to get away from this hell hole.
She never had what people would say a normal childhood. She was abandoned from birth and was taken in by the government and was made into one of their secret projects when they found out how smart she was at the young age of three. They feed her government information and taught her how to read code, but some where along the way they had turned against the very government that supplied them with their operation.
Mandy figured it out one night when she over heard a conversation and tried to get word out about what they where doing, but one of them walk in on her. What they did to her that night was something she wanted to forget and hope that one day she could, but she seriously doubted that would ever happen.
****************
Face pull up just when he said he would and Hannibal walked up and got in.
“So Hannibal, what’s so important that you needed me here so fast?” Face asked.
“I had a young girl run in trying to get away from some people and unfortunately they found her. All I got for a lead is this license plate number,” He said handing it to Face.
Face took it and read the piece of paper. Out of the corner of his eye, he notice Hannibal was rubbing a spot just under his ribs.
“Looks like that’s not the only thing those guys got.”
“It nothing, Face. Did you call Murdock and tell him where BA would be to pick him up?”
“Yes, I did. I just hope BA can handle him till we get to the rundavue point.”
Hannibal just grinned.
*****************
BA was sitting in his van when the escape bell went off. He looked out the window to see Murdock and three orderlies on his tail running to the van. Just as Murdock was reaching the van, BA started it up.
“Hey, Big Guy!” Murdock said jumping in.
“Shut up, Foo’,” BA said with a growl as they speed off in the van.
“Ah, come on, Big Guy. Aren’t you glad to see me?” Murdock said with a puppy dog look.
“No!” BA said finding it a little hard to keep a straight face.
Seeing a small smile forming, Murdock grinned.
“Ah, I knew it! You are happy to see!” giving BA a small tap in the arm.
BA growled back at Murdock, which prompted Murdock to get back in his side.
Looking out the window, Murdock asked, “So what has Hannibal planned for us this time?”
“Face didn’t say much. Just to meet him and Hannibal at the entrance of the Tar Pit.”
********************
Mandy was laying on the bed in the dark when the door began to open. She quickly shut her eyes hoping to fool him that she wasn’t awake yet, but it didn’t.
“Come on Mandy, I know your awake,” yanking her up off the bed.
Fighting not to go with him, he picked her up and carried her to the room she hated so much. He dropped her in the middle of the room as the big light came on her and a voice began to speak.
“My, my Mandy. We try so had to give you what you want and what do you we get in return, we get you trying to tell what we’re doing and we punished you hoping to teach you not to do it again. But no, you run off and tell some stranger. Now we have to punish you again.”
“Oh, God! Not again! Please, not again!” was all she could say to herself as she began to curly up in a ball and feel the hitting and the “toughing.” The toughing was the worst part of it.
When she awaked, she found herself on the floor in a bloody mess back in the safety of her room. She gain up enough strength to lock the master to her door. Now they have to break the door in to get in this time. She wish she had done this before the…. But they would had known she was awake as they do now. Sliding down the wall, she looked to where her bath room was. God, it look so far away, but it was only a few steps away. Picking herself up, she walked her to the bath room and shut the door.
*****************
When they all reached the Tar Pits and found a quite place, Hannibal told BA and Murdock what he told Face.
“So we all agree to help her?” Hannibal asked.
“You got that right!” BA growled trying to stay calm.
“OK, let’s find out where this address leads us to,” Hannibal said getting up.
“All right,” Murdock chimed in.
*******************
When Mandy got done cleaning herself up and put on some clean clothes, she crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over her head. In the darkness, she found comfort. No one, but herself. They couldn’t get her there. She let herself drift back to when she was small, back to the orphanage. Life was so pleasant. She was loved and cared for. She had a friend, her name, she since forgotten. To many years of being drilled with information. She would do anything to go back there.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and she froze.
“Mandy, it’s me, Sara. I’ve brought you dinner.”
Sara, the only person she still trusted. Sara, like herself, was brought in as part of the project. Only difference was Sara went along to keep from getting hurt herself. She didn’t blame Sara at all. In fact, she was glad Sara did.Ý No need for two people to go through the same shit.
“I’m not hunger,” Mandy said from under the covers.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, just please go away.”
Sara knew Mandy wasn’t being mean when she said that. She wished she could do something to help her and if it weren’t for her have parents and going along, she to would be experiencing the same thing.
“OK,” leaving to take the food back to the kitchen.
Hearing Sara leave, Mandy pulled her legs up to her chest and began to cry herself to sleep.
****************
They went and found the nearest police station, where Face knocked out an officer on his way inside. When he had changed, Face went in. Three minutes later, Face came out with the address.
“Your getting slow, Face,” Hannibal said.
“Getting slow! It took me five minutes all together,” Face argued back.
“So did you get it?”
“Yes, I did and your never going to believe this part. It’s located on the abandon part of town.” handing Hannibal the address.
“Well, let’s go. There a girl that needs our help,” Hannibal said handing BA the address.
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up a block away from the building they were looking for. There Hannibal laid out the plan.
“OK, guys. Were going to split in two teams. BA, you’re with me. I want you two to come through the back way, BA and I will come through the front.”
“Uh, Hannibal, not the front,” BA said disapprovingly.
Looking over at BA, Hannibal said, “Ready guys?”
“Ready!” they all said, opening the van doors and jumping out.
Murdock and Face made their way to the back taking caution to any danger that may be lurking. Reaching the door and finding it to be lock, Face began to pick it.
BA and Hannibal ran to the front where, they too, found the door to be locked. So both of them kicked the door in as Face unlock the back.
Walking in, they found the inside was completely high tech. Something completely unablibeous from the outside. Walking further down the hall, both Face and Hannibal tripped the alarm.
“Oh, Fuck!” Hannibal said angrily.
“We’re in trouble now,” Face said looking over at Murdock
******************
Back in her room, Mandy was awaken to the sound and from someone banging on her door. It was Sara. Jumping out of bed, Mandy unlocked and opened the door, letting Sara in.
“What’s going on?” Mandy asked.
“Intruders,” answered Sara.
“Intruders?”
“Ya, two on each side. Total of four.”
This got Mandy thinking. The A-Team has three fugitives and a mysterious fourth. Could this be them? But how did they find this place. The she remembered Hannibal standing there.
“OH, MY GOSH!” blurted Mandy.
“Oh, my gosh, what, Mandy?” Sara asked.
“The A-Team.”
“How do you know?”
“The man in the shop I ran into, is the leader of the A-Team. I talk to him and he ran after me when they grabbed me. He must had gotten the license number and looked it up.”
“Mandy, you know what you did,” Sara said excitedly.
“I got us out of this place for good.”
Just then her door opened and there stood Mandy’s worst nightmare.
“You little bitch! You brought this on us! Your gonna pay for this. Sara, leave us.”
Sara just stood there, giving Mandy time to make her move.
Mandy ran up behind him pushing him out of the door way. Grabbing Sara, they began running down the hall.
****************
With the alarm and solders running all over the place, the Team split up and went their own separate way.
Hannibal’s hall seemed to be empty, until he heard running so he quickly found an open door. The room he found himself in seemed be to a locker/lounge. Finding a uniform that fit him, he made his way to the lounge. There he found a TV that was left on and what he saw playing on the TV just total sicken him.
“Those fucking bastards! She just a kid!”
Pushing the TV over, he left to find Mandy and to dispose of this God forsaken place.
Face and Murdock weren’t having the best of time. Every turn they made found them back tracking. So when they ran into each other they decided to stick together. Turning down a hall, they found someone on their own. As he got closer, they noticed it was Hannibal dress up as one of the solders.
“Oh, Hannibal. Are we glad to see you,” Murdock said.
“This place is a maze,” Face chimed in.
“Hannibal, are you all right?” Murdock asked.
“No, I’m not,” Hannibal said still disguised.
“What happen?” Face asked.
“I’ll tell you as we look for BA and Mandy.”
When Hannibal finished, both Face and Murdock felt like they were going to throw up.
“How could they do that to her. She just a little girl,” Face said sickly.
But before anything more could be said, Hannibal was turned around and was about to be hit, when BA realized it was Hannibal.
“Hannibal, your lucky that I recognized you. Why do y’all look like your about to lose your lunch?”
“You don’t want to know, Big Guy,” Murdock whispered.
Just then they heard running, but this wasn’t from the solders. This was much more quite. They watched as two girls ran around the corner as if they were looking for something.
Mandy’s eyes were wonder down the hall looking for the door that lead to the safest place till is was all right, but her eyes lead to something she didn’t want to see. Someone dressed all in a solder’s uniform. She didn’t see the others around him, it was like they were total unablibeous to her. So it was no surprise that she took of running in fear.
“Mandy, Mandy! Come back! It not what you think!” Sara yelled running after her.
The guys weren’t far behind, in fact, one of them happen to be a little faster. It was Hannibal and he caught up to Mandy. Covering her mouth, Hannibal picked her up. Fight to get away, a familiar voice telling her to calm down was repeated in her ear. When she stopped struggling, Hannibal put her down. Turning around, Mandy smiled as tears started streaming down her bruised face.
“You came, you came.”
“Ya, I’m pretty amazing,” Hannibal said wiping her face off.
“Where were you two running to?” Face asked.
“The power room,” answered Sara.
“Why the power room?” Hannibal asked looking at Mandy.
“It’s the safest place here, plus you can over loading the circuit board, causing the whole place to blow,” Mandy answered.
“Oh, really? And I bet that’s what you two were going to do,” Hannibal said with mischief.
“As a matter of fact we were,” answered Sara.
“And how did you find it?” Murdock asked.
“I used what they taught me to find the power room and found the closest place to escape from the power room. Then I figured out how to destroy this place, but the room was always guarded so I couldn’t get to it. That was until now,” answered Mandy.
“Well, what are we waiting for, let’s blow this place up,” Hannibal said.
“OK, follow me,” Mandy said walking in the direction the power room was located at.
Reaching the power room, the girls opened the door and walked in. Without waiting, the two of them went to work, turn everything up to maximum power. Then Mandy went to the main power source. Looking at Sara, Mandy turned the last knob and took off running.
Reaching the door Mandy yelled, “Let’s get out of here!” as the first explosion when off.
Running down the hall, Mandy was grabbed. It was the guy she pushed in her room.
“Hannibal!”
“Shut up you little bitch!”
Hannibal turned around to see Mandy being held against her will. Noticing the guy holding Mandy from the video, Hannibal began to see red. Looking at the guys and Sara, they knew what Hannibal was thinking.
“Come on, Sara. They won’t be far behind,” Murdock said pulling Sara with him.
“O…..K.”
Turning his attention back, Hannibal prepared to fight.
“I’ll give you one minute to let her go.”
“Let her go? HA! Never! She to important to me.”
“OK, you asked for it!” Hannibal yelled over the explosion.
“You got it!” throwing Mandy up against the wall knocking her out as some of the ceiling fell nearby.
The fight was on. Punches, explosions, and material was falling every where. Finally Hannibal got one good blow, causing the baddie to fall upon the floor, but before he could get up, a firey fury fell, killing him.
Hannibal stood there for a few seconds, then he turn and picked up Mandy. Running, Hannibal began to worry about Mandy. She seemed to be lifeless. This only made him run faster. Seeing light, he began yelling for the guys.
“Hannibal! Oh, God! What happen?” Face asked as BA took Mandy out of Hannibal’s arms.
“Is she all right?” Hannibal asked between breaths.
Laying her on the ground, BA checked for a pulse.
“Barely,” answered BA.
Sara, standing by Murdock, was completely in shock. Of all the people she could think of, why her best friend. Unknowing to her, Murdock had grabbed her hand as they all ran for the van.Ý By the time she realized she was in the van, they were half way to the hospital.
Arriving at the hospital, they quickly got Mandy into the emergency room. Sitting in the waiting room, Hannibal went over to Sara.
“Isn’t it time you called your parents?”
“I guess so,” Sara said looking down at the floor.
Hannibal gave her some money.
Walking up to the pay phone, Sara took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed her parents.
“Hello,” answered her mom.
“My it’s me, Sara.”
“Sara, what is it? You sound upset.”
“Mom, Mandy’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, my. How is she?”
“We don’t know yet.” Sara sobbed out.
“How did it happen?”
“It’s to long of a story to tell over the phone. Can you and dad just come?”
“Sure we can. Where are you at?”
“Um, Good Samaritan.”
“OK, we’ll be there.” then she hung up the phone.
Sara did the same. Walking back, she saw the doctor walking in the waiting room, so Sara pick up her pace and rounded the corner.
*
“So how is she Doc?” asked Hannibal.
“She stabled. Can one of you tell me where she got the bruises?”
“Some men that held us for many years, didn’t like some of the things that she did to stop them. So the beat her up and did some other things to her,” Sara answered.
The doctor looked at her stun. He could believe what he heard.
“How many times has this happen?” asked the doctor.
“Twice.”
“Twice?! Dear God!” the doctor exclaimed.
Hannibal gripped his chair has the rage went through him. The guys looked over at Hannibal when they heard what sounded like a chair arm about to break.
Trying to change the subject, Face asked, “When can we see her?”
The doctor looked at his watch and answered, “In about thirty minutes.”
“OK, thanks.” Face replied.
“I’ll send someone to let you know when.”
Then the doctor turn and left to finish up his rounds, order some more testing to be done, and set up some counseling that might be needed for the girl.
They all sat there in silence.
Sara got tired of sitting, so she got up to wonder around. When she walked out of the waiting room the doors of the elevator open and her parents walked out. Her eyes when wide, as she took of running for them.
“Mom! Dad!”
Her parents looked over to where they heard the sound of their daughter and smiled.
“Oh, sweetheart! I’m so glad your all right,” her dad said happily.
“So sweetie, what happen and how is Mandy?” asked her mom.
Looking over at the waiting room, Sara asked, “Can we go some where a little more quite?”
“Sure, honey. How does the cafeteria sound?”
“Good with me.”
So they went and got on the elevator to go down to the cafeteria.
Finding a table in the cafeteria, Sara started tell the story. Her mother noticed that Sara kept looking at the clock. Finally, her mother asked her.
“Honey, how come you keep look at the clock?”
“They’re going to let us see Mandy here soon. I want to make it back up when they do.”
“OK, we’ll go back here in a few seconds.”
Sara smiled and thanked her parents.
******************
The nurse walked into the waiting room, everyone, including Sara’s parents, looked up. The nurse smiled as she began to tell them what to expect and just how many people could go in the room. Everyone looked at Sara and Hannibal. Just by the looks, Hannibal knew, he and Sara were going to be the first to go.
Walking down the hall, Sara looked up at Hannibal. Mandy saw something in he’s eyes, something that told her everything was going to be all right. She now found herself looking for the same thing, but she never got it. Maybe he was thinking like she was too.
Reaching the door, Hannibal open it, letting Sara go first. Inside the room there was very little light for the curtains had been pull to and lights were turn down low. In the far bed laid Mandy. She seem to be asleep until she here the door open and turned her head. Seeing who it was, she smiled. Gaining up a little strength, Mandy sat up and hide her bandaged burned hand. While Mandy was pulling her hair out of her face with one hand Sara spoke up.
“How you feeling?”
“I’m OK,” Mandy said still trying to hide her hand.
Hannibal picked up on this and walked on that side of the bed.
Pulling her hand out, Hannibal said, “You don’t have to hide this. It’s OK. Did they tell you how bad it was?”
“1st degree. It doesn’t really hurt that much.”
“That’s good,” Sara said with a smile.
Looking at Sara, Mandy asked her a question, “Are your parents here?”
“Yes, they are. Their in the waiting room with the others. Why you ask?”
“I was just curious.”
“Well, we better let whoever next come in and see you,” Hannibal said.
“OK, see you later,” answered Mandy.
Everyone saw Mandy that day and everyday of that week. The hospital got information from Mandy about relatives and things. When she told them she had no one, they had to get the Department of Human Service. When they came, Mandy became “their child.” As they started taking care of her, the A-Team vanished.
A few months later, Sara’s parents came to get her. Because Sara and Mandy were so close and because they thought of Mandy as their own, they decided to adopt her. Mandy had never been so happy. She final had a family to come home to. Someone to call mom and dad. Her best friend, now her sister. She was starting over. She could forget the past. All but the A-Team and Hannibal.
************************
Standing on a corner, a young woman with blue eyes and long blond hair, watches a shop as she counts down the minutes. It seems as if she is waiting for someone, but no one really knows who. Many walk by her and stare as if she is out of place on the busy morning street. She begins to wonder if he’s still there. She hoped he was.
Five till ten. She starts thinking about the past three years. All the things she and her family have done. None of it would not had happen if it were for him, no them. God, she hoped he was here. She had so many things to say. She hoped she wouldn’t forget them all.
Two minutes left. She had an hour before she meet up with someone to go and visit another. The one that kept her Sis calm. Looking up, she saw a Chinese man walking to the shop she had been watching. She waited till he unlocked and went in the shop.
Walking across the street, she takes a deep breath. Reaching the door, she smiles as she opens the door. The Chinese man turns to face the young woman, who just came in.
“May I help….. Mandy?”
Ý
The End