Four

Four days later the generator was still behaving itself and they had started a new roster, for who got to stay up all night on watch. BA was still working on an alarm to signal them if the generator went off. But even if he came up with one they wouldn't entirely trust it and would keep to their watch.

But at least they now had the shooting contest to distract them. Face went first. He stepped up to the makeshift range and fired off ten shots.

Face concentrated hard as he took his shots. A few days ago he couldn't have cared less about the contest. But his natural competitiveness had eventually kicked in and he'd been practising a lot. He was conscious of team pride, making certain Decker didn't win. But also within the team, he wanted to maintain his reputation as the best shot of the four of them.

When he was done Face hurried off to take his target off the board and pin up Murdock's. He came back out of the workshop and ducked into the side corridor beside the door to the kennels.

"Clear!" He called out. After a moment Murdock's shots began. Face counted them in his head and when they were done heard Murdock run down the corridor, saw him fly past. After a moment Murdock came back and stood at the open end of the corridor where Face was lurking.

"Hey, Face, you should come back up the other end. Hannibal just ducked when Decker picked up a rifle." He grinned. "Psyched him out."

"Get outta the way, fool!" BA shouted from up the corridor. Murdock came into the corridor beside Face.

"You okay?" Murdock asked, some concern in his eyes. The gunshots started up.

"Yeah. Just tired. I was on watch last night."

"Talking to Shila too, I'll bet."

"Yeah, um..." Face shrugged. He sat down against the wall. Murdock came and sat beside him.

"Problem?"

Face shrugged. "I'm just, thinking about something I said to her a few days ago. I didn't even think about it at the time, but I -" He laughed. "Well, she was telling me she goes to ballroom dancing classes and I said when we get out of here I'd take her dancing."

"You can't dance can you?" Murdock said, frowning. "Not that type of -"

"Never mind if I can dance. Don't you see what I'm saying, Murdock? I asked her on a date."

Wasn't that your idea from the start?" Murdock said, pushing back his cap and scratching his head.

"Well yeah but..." Face sighed and sat against the wall. "I don't know. This was different. I mean it's stupid anyway, how can we go on a date, even after we get out of here?"

"You said before that it was just a matter of pride. Of knowing she would go on a date with you if you asked." Murdock sat down beside him.

"Yeah, well." Face didn't look at Murdock, looked down the dead end of the short corridor, into the darkness. "I don't think that's what it's about any more."

"You like her."

Face turned to look at him. "I don't even know what she looks like."

"Does that really matter?"

"Of course it matters, Murdock. Don't try and say it doesn't. It always matters."

Face went silent. He crossed his arms on his knees and rested his chin on them. Murdock started to make a paper aeroplane out of his target paper. Decker passed, glanced in at them and hurried off up the corridor again.

"For all I know she drove her husband away." Face said quietly.

"I'd lay money that's not the case." Murdock said. He fiddled with the nose of his paper plane.

"She's got a cat."

Murdock frowned. "Yeah, I know. So?"

"What if she's one of those crazy cat lady types?"

Murdock rolled his eyes. "Face, how often does she mention Frodo to you?

"Frodo? Her cat's name is Frodo?" Face groaned and brushed his hair back off his forehead.

"Frodo is a good name for a cat!" Murdock said. "And the fact you didn't even know it shows she doesn't talk about him very often."

Face shrugged. Fair point, he supposed.

"And anyway Face, you like cats. I'll still never understand why you didn't hit it off with that nurse I set you up with. She had eight of them."

Face gave him a brief glare. "Yes, she brought one of them to our date." He sighed. "Another restaurant I can never show my face in again."

"Yes, well, never mind that. Look, Shila's not a crazy cat lady, she doesn't mention Frodo very often even to me, and she knows I'm an animal lover."

Face glanced past Murdock at the door into the kennels. The locked door.

"Murdock, um, talking of animals, are you still seeing..."

"Black Shuck? No." Murdock said. Face smiled.

"That's good."

"No, Billy's back just now. I think he's kind of scared of Shuck, he's been slinking around with his tail between his legs trying not to draw attention to himself."

Murdock's tone was completely sincere. Face's voice shook just a tiny bit when he spoke again.

"But you see him okay?"

"Yeah. I think he's in the kitchen just now. The gunshots bother him."

"Yeah, I guess they would." Was this better? Billy might be a friendlier hallucinatory dog, but he was still a delusion. He was still a symptom. Face looked away at the dark dead end of the corridor again. Please God, he thought, I can't watch it again. I can't see him like that again.

"How'd you do on the shooting?" Murdock asked. Face handed over his paper target without looking at Murdock. Murdock whistled, impressed. "Well I think we can see a clear winner here."

"You?" Face asked, getting enough control to turn back to Murdock and speak again.

"Terrible," Murdock unfolded his aeroplane and handed it over.

"It's not that bad."

Murdock shrugged. "It's okay, Face. I know I'm not as good as the rest of you."

"Well back home me and Hannibal and BA can practice all we want, Decker too, I guess, whereas -" He stopped.

"Yeah, for some reason the VA thinks it's a bad idea for crazy people to have access to deadly weapons." He was grinning, but Face didn't grin back.

"Cheer up, Face." Murdock rummaged in his pocket and brought out a couple of wrapped candies. He handed one to Face. "Here, got a few of these left."

"Thanks, Murdock." The hard candy tasted like a stone in his mouth.

"You two gonna hide in there all day?" Face and Murdock looked up as Hannibal appeared at the end of the corridor. "We're all done. Let's see those targets."

Face stood up and handed his paper target to Hannibal. He walked on past him and up the hallway, then turned into the main east-west corridor.

"Face?" Hannibal called after him.

"I'm going to get some sleep," Face called and hated that his voice sounded so choked, barely controlled.

"What about the results?"

Face just walked on.

~~~~

"Well at least I beat you," Hannibal said, grinning at Murdock as they put the rifles onto the racks. "But BA and Decker beating me? I should have practised more."

Murdock grunted. He'd barely responded to the attempts Hannibal had made at conversation while the two of them cleaned the rifles. Hannibal kept trying anyway.

"But BA edged out Decker by this much." He made a tiny space with his fingers. "Decker's bound to keep disputing it of course."

"I expect so." Murdock started putting the cleaning gear away into a drawer.

"Clear winner in Face of course, so the team takes gold and silv -"

"Colonel." Murdock slammed the drawer closed and turned to Hannibal. "Remember when we went up against Martin James?"

"Yeah, of course."

"You and Face had to stage that fight in the store, so we could grab the girl away from the goons. And Face got a bit carried away in the fight."

Hannibal smiled ruefully. "Probably been waiting for the chance for years."

"And BA has hit you before, for putting him on planes."

"Couple of time when I didn't move fast enough." Hannibal frowned. What was Murdock getting at?

"But you didn't throw either of them off the team after they hit you."

"What? Of course not."

"Good."

Murdock hauled off and punched Hannibal on the jaw.

End Part Seven

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