Murdock paced. Fifteen minutes and no sign of Face. He'd sneaked a peek out of his door at the nurse's station to see if Face might be having trouble there. Or indeed, if he might be enjoying himself too much with the nurse on duty. But no Face.

Perhaps he'd run into trouble on the way up here. Or perhaps he'd run into another pretty nurse. If he'd kept Murdock waiting because he was busy getting some girl's phone number...

Murdock wondered if he was just trying to make himself angry to stave off the nagging worry. The worry that not nurses, but MPs had delayed Face. More than delayed. Detained. He saw no sign of flashing lights outside, heard no sirens, but it was too dark out there to see much other activity either. What if Decker had got wise at last, and set up surveillance? Finally stopped chasing and started waiting for the team to come to him?

Murdock had already tried phoning the Corvette's number, in case Face was still waiting out there, had maybe spotted a cop hanging around and decided to wait for the coast to clear before coming in. But he'd let the phone ring and ring and got no answer. Anyway, Face would have called to tell him if that was the problem.

He should call the van. And if Face was schmoozing a chick and Hannibal ended up finding out that he'd left Murdock waiting while he did that, well that was Face's lookout. He could use a ten-mile run. On the other hand if Face was in trouble, then Hannibal needed to know right away.

Murdock glanced at his watch. Five more minutes, Face, he thought. Five more minutes, then I'm ratting you out. Or raising the alarm, whichever it might turn out to be.

He went on pacing.

For three of those minutes, he fought the impulse to grab the phone. Then it rang.

With his nerves stretched so tight, Murdock almost hit the ceiling when the shrill ringing filled the room. The phone didn't get the chance to ring a second time; Murdock grabbed it before it could.

"Face?"

"Murdock?"

"Hannibal?"

Aw, geez, if this thing is tapped, we just gave all of us up except the big guy, Murdock thought, and then pulled himself together as Hannibal spoke again.

"Murdock, is Face there yet? He should have arrived to pick you up by now." Murdock heard strain in his voice, worry and anger combined perhaps, waiting to see which would win out.

"I was just about to call you. He called me from outside about twenty minutes ago and said he'd be up here in ten. But he hasn't arrived."

Silence for a moment - no, not quite; voices away from the receiver, Hannibal talking to BA probably.

"Think he's stopped off to chat up some nurse?" Hannibal asked, coming back on the line.

"He works faster than that," Murdock said.

"Yeah... Any sign of trouble? MPs?"

"I don't see anything, but they could be keeping quiet. Or they could just be around a side of the building that I can't see. Colonel, I'm going to get outside and check it out."

"No, stay where you are. If Decker is around, I don't want you to compromise yourself."

"But --"

"I mean it, Captain. We're heading over now. Call me if you hear anything, or if Face shows up. I'll call you back in a while."

He hung up, and Murdock slapped the handset back into the cradle. Damn, now he was worried. As if Hannibal's own concern gave Murdock permission to go from irritated to genuine worry. So could he just sit here and worry and wait for Hannibal to call back?

Maybe. And maybe he could at least get his jacket and cap on and be ready to go at a moment's notice. He already had a small bag packed with some stuff for the mission, so pulled that from inside the wardrobe and put it under the bed, ready to grab and go.

He went back to pacing.

>o<

"Park in that alley," Hannibal said to BA, as they approached the VA in the van. If Face had met with trouble, then they should try not to ride into the same trap wearing a target. BA parked the van and they headed to the VA on foot, on full alert, watching for any sign of Decker's men.

"Murdock said Face got to the parking lot at least," Hannibal said. "So we'll check that out first."

"That's a lot of ground to cover," BA said. "You wanna split up to look for his car?"

Did he? With Face missing, Hannibal didn't like the idea of letting BA out of his sight too. But BA was right; the VA had a big parking lot. Not that it would be very full this time of night, nearly twenty one hundred now. The Corvette should stand out.

And Face isn't a damn fool, he reminded himself. He'll be parked some place the Corvette doesn't stand out.

"No, we'll stay together. And we'll check the doctor's reserved spaces first. Especially anywhere there's no street lights nearby."

"Right."

While keeping an eye out for MPs and security patrols, and still trying to looks as inconspicuous as they could manage, Hannibal and BA searched the lot systematically, up and down the rows of cars. They didn't find Face in one of the doctor's reserved spaces. Too well lit, Hannibal concluded. Find the shady spots, no lights, trees nearby maybe to hide it from view.

"There." BA didn't point, he just nodded to the left, and Hannibal saw it, coming up ahead of them. The Corvette, parked in a dark spot, between another car on one side and a wall on the other.

"Man just drove a less flashy car, he wouldn't have to go to all that trouble," BA muttered. Hannibal stared at him.

"Yeah," he said, voice heavy with irony. "Because a wanted man driving around in a highly conspicuous vehicle, that's just dumb, right?"

"Right," BA said. "It's his. That's one of his licence plates."

They took a side of the car each, Hannibal walking between the Corvette and the car beside it, BA between it and the wall. Hannibal clicked on his flashlight and swept it over the red leather interior of the convertible. No sign of Face, or anything else. He turned off his flashlight and met BA at the back of the car again.

"Take a look around," Hannibal ordered. "For anything that looks odd. If we don't find something here, we'll head inside."

"Right." BA turned on his flashlight and started sweeping the area. Hannibal stayed near the car and crouched down to look underneath it. Using the flashlight again, he saw something at once, just behind the right rear wheel. He reached in and pulled out an Army officer's cap.

"BA, come here!"

BA ran back to him as Hannibal straightened up and showed him the cap.

"Face was in uniform when he headed over here," BA said. "For his scam. Ain't sure the exact reason. He was explaining, but... I guess I wasn't really listening." His voice grew quieter at the end. But then he rallied and looked up from the hat to Hannibal. "Now what, Colonel?"

"We assume he's been taken."

"MPs?"

Maybe, Hannibal thought, clicking off his flashlight and looking around. But they'd likely tow away his car too. Or if they left it here as bait for Hannibal and BA, then where were they? They should have jumped them by now, but the parking lot was quiet. A couple of people in the distance walked to cars, a soft breeze rustled the trees. Not a sign of MPs.

Could it be a subtler game? Lure them inside, where it was harder to escape? Well, right now, Hannibal was going to let himself be lured. But he'd be ready for any traps. If something had happened to Face - no, scratch that 'if'. Something had happened. So they needed Murdock. They needed to regroup and start their search.

Should he call Murdock to let him know they were coming? No, he decided. He'd never quite convinced himself that phone wasn't tapped. Anyway, Murdock would be ready.

>o<

Murdock thought he was ready, but it still took him by surprise when his door slammed back and BA and Hannibal, wearing paramedic uniforms, rushed in with a gurney. Murdock heard the nurse protesting as BA blocked the door.

"Nobody called you! Mr Murdock is not having a seizure!"

Oh yes he is. Murdock fell down. While he was down there, he grabbed his bag from under the bed and passed it off to Hannibal who put it on the gurney, and pulled a sheet over it.

"Quick! Help me!" Hannibal called to BA, and the two of them hauled the thrashing Murdock onto the gurney.

"Outta the way, lady," BA growled at the protesting nurse. "We gotta get him to the ER."

"But... I'll call a code. There's a doctor on duty --"

Hannibal didn't give her the chance to go on.

"Move," he snapped at BA, who grabbed the gurney and heaved.

Speed is always the key, Murdock knew. Even with Face's scams, usually a lot subtler than this one, moving fast and getting off the ward before the staff could catch their breath would usually prove to be the difference between success and failure. Don't give them time to think, protest, or, heaven forbid, call anyone.

As he was rushed past on the gurney, he saw a nurse at the nurse's station dialling the phone, but then the wheels rattled over the frame of the elevator car and the doors started to close. Murdock stopped thrashing and sat up on the gurney as the elevator descended.

"Don't get up yet, Murdock." Hannibal said. "Lie still till we're outside." He covered Murdock with a sheet, whipped the baseball cap off his head and shoved it under the sheet.

"What's happening?" Murdock asked. "Did you find Face?"

"We think someone got him," BA said. "But ain't no sign of MPs."

"Have you seen or heard anything since we spoke?" Hannibal said.

"No." Murdock shook his head. "Nothing. Did you find his --?"

He broke off then, as they reached the ground floor. Murdock took a breath, trying to calm down. He lay down again, eyes closed.

Be cool, he ordered himself. Just let them get me outside and then I'll find out what's going on. For now, be cool. Don't attract attention. The gurney rolled smoothly and not too fast over linoleum floor. Cool, Murdock kept thinking. This is a hospital, so man on a gurney, totally normal situation. Everybody go about your business. These aren't the droids you're looking for. He held his breath.

He only breathed again when the cool night air hit him. Outside. He opened his eyes, but waited for Hannibal's order, waited until they moved away from the doors and around a corner.

"Okay, Murdock, we're clear."

Hannibal pulled away the sheet and Murdock rolled off the gurney, onto his feet, grabbing his bag and putting on his cap as he stood up. BA shoved away the gurney and they moved out fast.

"BA, Murdock, take the van. I'll get the 'vette and meet you at the warehouse."

Murdock scowled as Hannibal ran off into the parking lot. He still had many questions to ask Hannibal, but BA grabbed his arm.

"Come on, van's this way."

So Murdock ran, following BA and asking him a thousand questions. BA had few answers.

>o<

Hannibal found Face's car just as he'd left it. He jumped into the driver's seat, over the door, which he knew annoyed Face. No keys, of course. But he ran his hand along the under the dash, and found that spot, a tiny raised dot. He pushed it up and along. A key fell out into his hand.

Nice, Face, nice.

He started the car and pulled out. Now, warehouse. Figure it out. Whoever had Face may very well contact them first. But if not, they had to work out where to start looking.

Part of him wished it was the MPs. Not because that would make it any easier to get him out; probably harder in fact. But at least Decker wouldn't do anything to Face besides gloat over him. If it was someone else, then who knew what their plans could be?

Hannibal glanced in his mirror and saw the van behind him. He sighed and picked up the CB.

"Guys, take a different route, would you? We're conspicuous enough separately, never mind together."

No answer came back, but the van took the next turn to the right. Hannibal made a left. Despite his urgency to get there, he had to be sure nobody was following. So he took enough twists and turns to make anyone dizzy.

At last though, he drove into the team's warehouse, BA running to pull the door closed behind him. Murdock stood beside the van and he stared as Hannibal pulled in. Hannibal stopped the car, stepped out of it, to find BA had come to stand by Murdock and he was staring too. Not at Hannibal, past him, as he closed the door and walked over to them.

They stared at the car, making Hannibal turn to look back at it, and, now they were in the light, he saw what he couldn't see earlier in the dark parking lot.

Numbers. Gouged into the paintwork along the side of the Corvette.

"Man," Murdock said, "Face is gonna be pissed."