Cabin Fever Part 1 Chapter 2

Two

"Turn us around," Decker ordered Murdock. "Set course for the nearest airport back in Alaska."

"Juno is nearest now."

"Then set course for Juno."

"Or what, Decker?" Murdock said, defiantly. "You'll shoot me? Good luck learning to fly this plane if you do."

Decker just smiled. "Well, whatever, Captain. Land wherever you like. The US, Canada. It really doesn't matter any more does it?"

Wasn't that the truth? Decker left the cockpit and Murdock stared out into the darkness. Screwed. They were screwed. And he specifically was very screwed.

They'd escape from Decker eventually, like they always had before. But this time it would be different. This time it meant the four of them would on the run. It had to happen one day and this was that day. How many times could he be lucky? Decker only had to be lucky once. Murdock and Decker had to look each other in the eyes only once an A-Team mission and everything ended. Murdock's life ended up lying on the floor smashed into too many bits for even his own special brand of crazy glue to stick back together.

He glanced back over his shoulder. What was going on back there? Decker could have hurt the guys and Murdock, hands full of airplane, could do nothing to help them. He couldn't even reach his handgun, which was hung up in its holster back in the cabin. Decker would have it by now.

He checked his position. Somewhere over the Yukon. Canada. To go back to Alaska, to the US, he'd have to head north west. But Decker had said "land anywhere."

You asked for it, Decker.

Murdock turned east.

~~~~

"Decker," Hannibal said. "You can't leave Face lying on the floor. It's too cold."

Decker looked down at Face. Was he too cold? He'd been warm enough to try and kick Decker's legs from under him when Decker came back into the cabin.

"If he gets hypothermia I'll peel your skin off one layer at a time."

Decker raised an eyebrow, wondering how Hannibal intended to achieve that while chained up.

"Of course you had to let all of the heat out," Face said, shaking his head. "Opening the damn door at this altitude! You really are nuts."

Decker didn't argue. He'd actually been surprised at himself and Murdock had yelled like a protesting banshee from the cockpit when the freezing air had rushed through the plane. But the plane was built to have the door opened in flight for parachutists to jump out or for making air drops of cargo. And he'd decided he just wasn't risking keeping any more weapons on board than own handgun. The trunk of rifles he'd pushed off and then tossed four handguns after them, hanging onto any ammunition that would fit his own pistol. As he'd dropped them it had occurred to him that perhaps he should keep one spare. But then it was too late and he tugged the door closed on a plane where he was now carrying the only weapon.

So yes it was now very cold in here. Decker eyed Face suspiciously. Face glared back at him. The way Decker had cuffed him made it impossible for Face to get up into the seat he was chained to, forcing him to stay sitting or lying on the floor. Face was rather pale and shivering despite his coat. Even so Decker wasn't going to risk trying to move him. He grabbed a couple of blankets and approached Face, pointing his gun.

"You try to kick me again and I will shoot you."

"You won't leave this plane alive if you do." Hannibal said.

Decker glanced back at the Colonel.

"You talk pretty tough for a man chained to his seat."

Hannibal just glared at him. Decker turned back to Face.

"Lie on these and wrap one around if you get too cold." He dropped the blankets beside Face who shook them out so he could lie on them instead of the cold metal deck.

"Where the hell did you spring from anyway?" Face groused.

"He was in one of the crates." Hannibal nodded back at the open statue crate. "Little Trojan horse manoeuvre."

Decker smirked in a way he hoped infuriated them both.

"Not the Rodin!" Face said looking over at the cargo. "Okay, if that goes missing from wherever you stashed it we're sending you a bill."

Decker smirked again. All this banter and provocation meant nothing to him. He had a good feeling this time. His Trojan horse manoeuvre, as Hannibal called it, had been a pretty insane idea, but it looked like it was paying off. Too many times over the last three years he had watched the team disappear off over the horizon, laughing. Not this time.

Could he call it a plan? He hadn't had time to think it through, it just happened. A day ago, no not even that, less than twenty four hours ago, he'd received a call that the team were in Alaska. He was on the next flight to the frozen north. He didn't even wait to assemble his men, half of whom were on leave for the holiday weekend, Crane included.

And he'd almost missed the team. He'd almost left the airport the as soon as he arrived. But at the last moment he decided to stop just long enough for some food. The restaurant had a good view of the airfield and he saw the DC3, saw the truck pull up to it and the four men climb out and start loading crates onto the plane. They were all bundled up in bulky coats, but even so there was no mistaking Baracus.

When he called up he found the nearest MP unit was still over an hour away. He flashed his badge and found out when the DC3 was due to leave. The MPs wouldn't arrive before the team took off. He could try and get the Air Traffic Control to delay the plane. He could call in the local police to assist him. Or he could get on board while the team were eating their lunch and take them himself once they were in the air, when they couldn't possibly expect it.

To Decker's mind there really wasn't any choice.

Within minutes a couple of grouching baggage handlers were manhandling a statue off the plane and Decker was concealing himself in the crate. The last thing he saw as the lid closed was the incredulous expression of an airport security man. Perhaps it seemed like a crazy plan to someone who didn't know the team the way Decker did. But Decker had finally learned what it took to catch these people.

BA grunted a couple of times and his chin came up off his chest. His eyes opened and he looked around.

"I'm on a plane! I'm on a -" His eyes locked with Decker's and went huge with shock. "Hannibal!"

"Yeah, BA, we can see him too." Hannibal said, calmly. BA pulled in vain at the cuffs holding him down and strained against his seatbelt.

"I'm on a plane! Get me off this plane right now! Someone's gonna pay, I mean it!" His glare suggested that person was Decker.

"Is he always like this?" Decker asked Hannibal, turning away from the raging BA.

"This is a good day." Hannibal said. He fished in his pocket with his free hand and took out a phial of liquid. "This helps keep him quiet." Decker moved towards Hannibal to take it. But at the last second Hannibal snatched his hand away and tossed the phial hard against the wall. It shattered. Hannibal grinned maliciously as Decker stared at him.

"Plane! Plane!"

"Um, Decker." Decker turned to Face. "I need the bathroom."

Hannibal smirked as Decker turned back to him.

"Don't you just love flying, Decker?"

~~~~

"Isn't this a no smoking flight?" Face said as Decker took out a cigarette.

Decker doubted it was ever a no smoking flight when Smith was aboard. He ignored Face and lit the cigarette. He glanced forward into the cockpit checking Murdock wasn't up to anything he shouldn't be.

Almost an hour had passed since he had secured the team and between the three of them they hadn't given Decker a moment's peace. Hannibal provoked, Face annoyed and BA threatened. But Decker ignored.

He dropped his lighter back in his pocket. Hannibal scowled at him, perhaps wanting a cigar, but unwilling to ask.

"I'm thirsty." Face said.

"Me too." BA chimed in at once. Decker sighed. He glared at Hannibal who was grinning again.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Hannibal asked in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up."

"We're your prisoners, Decker." Hannibal reminded him. "You have to look after us. Feed and water us, bathroom breaks. Didn't you pay any attention at West Point? Oh wait, that's right. You didn't go to West Point."

"Shut up all of..."

The plane lurched and Decker was thrown against the bulkhead. His cigarette crushed itself out, burning his hand.

"What the hell?" He drew his pistol again and ran into the cockpit.

"What's going on, Captain?"

"Bad weather." Murdock said. "Storm. Flew right into it." He looked pale and tense. Decker glanced out the windscreen. Snow piled against it, the wipers swept at it ineffectually.

"How far are we from Juno?"

"Um... hang on." Murdock flicked switches, studied gauges.

"Captain, how far..." Decker suddenly had a very sick feeling. He sat in the co-pilot's seat. "We're not heading to Juno are we?"

Murdock looked back at him. "No."

"Where are we?"

"Um," Murdock looked away again. "Still in Canada. Somewhere over the Northwest Territories."

Okay, Decker thought, stay calm, deal with what's happening now.

"Where are you making for?"

"Yellowknife. But I..." Murdock shook his head, bit his lip. "I didn't expect this weather."

"You damn lunatic." Decker growled.

"Hey, you said, 'land anywhere.'" The plane lurched again and Murdock fought the controls. He started to sweat. "Ah, I think I might have to do just that."

"What?"

"The wings are icing up." Murdock turned back to look at Decker. "I'm picking up a radio beacon ahead, I'm making for that."

"Is it an airfield?"

"No..."

Then what...?"

"I don't know!" Murdock shouted. I don't know what it is!" He took a breath, calmed himself. "I'm going to make an emergency landing."

"No!" Decker was instantly suspicious. "This is a trick."

"A trick? Are you nuts? It's cold as hell out there. You think I'm doing this for laughs?"

"Can't you get above the storm?"

"No, there's too much ice on the wings, we're already going down."

"Parachutes?" Decker already knew the answer to that. Parachute into what?

"In this storm?" Murdock almost laughed. "You'd freeze to death before you landed. And the wind would blow you clear across to the Yukon."

They were heading downwards. Decker could feel it. The nose was down.

"You damn fool." Decker said. "Why the hell didn't you do as I told you?"

"You ain't the boss o' me." Murdock gave a half smile for a fraction of a second. "Decker, you have to free the others. If we crash and both of us are hurt -"

"This is a trick!" Decker snapped at once.

"A trick?" Murdock reached for a button and pushed it. He looked Decker in the eyes, spoke calmly. "I just dumped the fuel. Free the others now."

"Well, I finally believe you're insane." Decker jumped out of the seat and ran back into the cabin.

"What's going on, Decker?" Hannibal demanded. The plane was juddering now. BA was gripping the arms of his seat and moaning softly.

"We're making an emergency landing."

"Why, what's wrong?"

BA started to say "no, no, no" over and over.

"What's wrong? Your pilot is a god-damn lunatic that's what's wrong!" Decker produced the keys for the cuffs and Hannibal stared as Decker freed him. "Try anything and I'll shoot you. You cuffed Baracus, set him loose."

Hannibal jumped up and ran to BA. Decker went to Face and knelt beside him. Before he unlocked the cuffs Decker looked over at Hannibal and BA, expecting to see BA start rampaging around. But BA had gone quiet and his eyes stared unseeingly straight ahead. Hannibal checked BA's seatbelt was tight.

"Hurry up, Decker!" Face snapped, and Decker quickly unlocked the bracelet around Face's wrist. Face scrambled up and run to the cockpit.

"Face!" Hannibal called.

"Strap in now!" Murdock yelled. Hannibal hesitated then sat down in the nearest seat. Decker sat in the seat Hannibal had recently vacated. It was still warm from the other man's body heat and Decker wondered if this would be the last bit of warmth he would ever feel. He fastened his seatbelt tight and involuntarily grabbed the arm rests. His breath came fast.

The buffeting of the wind set every loose object on board jumping and Decker watched the handcuffs that had secured Hannibal bounce across the floor. He couldn't take his eyes off them and only looked up when he heard Murdock yell again.

"Brace brace brace!"

Decker bent into the brace position, knowing he was about to die and in his head cursing each member of the A-Team over and over with every profanity he'd ever heard.

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