Rescue Mission - It's a TRAP

[notjustaface]

Leaving Canada was about the hardest thing he'd done yet - harder still knowing that they were all flying into heavy enemy territory where not only would there be insurgents breathing down their necks there would almost certainly be a US Military ambush to capture them.

The mission itself was straightforward, two non-combatant civilians (reporters, Hannibal thinks) were captured three months before and being held in a camp a few miles outside of Baghdad. Three teams had already been sent in to extract them; two came back wounded and empty-handed, the third didn't come back at all. By Hannibal's reckoning the problem was that they were sending in too many people and taking the small compound through a single strategy - the first by air, the second full frontal, the third undercover. The real trick - and the trick to getting out of the trap - was to divide forces.

Hannibal goes in undercover, giving BA just enough time to create a nice explosive distraction for Face to set up with a sniper rifle and start taking out anyone that stands between the prisoners and the gates - no matter whose uniform they're wearing. Murdock had the most important job of all; air support. He'd have to wait undetected as close as possible before coming in and laying down enough cover to get everyone safely in the chopper before getting them the hell out of there... while being shot at.

"Think we can pull this off?" Face whispers quietly as they load magazines together in the relative privacy of their tent - less than two hours before going in.

Comments

[notjustaface]

It could have been worse, if he'd had his way at least one of them would literally have their pants down around their ankles. Given the state of his leg chances are it'd be the one she hasn't seen naked yet.

"I knew there was something going on with you... I just couldn't put my finger on it." Her eyes shift from Face to Murdock and she shakes her head again. "You... frankly... could do better."

Instantly defensive, Face shoots back; "Don't even act like you know anything about what's going on here." His voice remains steady, the picture of a man forcing down very conflicted emotions rather successfully; "I'm pretty sure you decided who I sleep with is none of your business when it stopped being you."

[notthatcrazy]

"You really have no idea what you threw away, do you?

He speaks up a bit louder, still glaring at her from over Face's shoulder.

"Unless you got something to say that somehow makes this any of your business, just leave us alone."

[notjustaface]

Frowning deeply, she shakes her head and says; "The Frenchman says he'll only talk to him."

Her eyes dart back to Face and she adds; "And you should get that leg looked at."

"It's fine." Face says more to Murdock than Sosa, as far as he's concerned she's water under the bridge and he can't say that he disagrees with the remark.

Shifting his weight back against Murdock to have him lead the way toward the embassy, he looks back to her and says; "It is what it is, all right? He's good for me and I'm just trying to be good for him."

[notthatcrazy]

He's still eyeing her suspiciously as he presses one last kiss against Face's temple.

"Come on, baby," he drawls, deliberately making his voice as syrupy-sweet as it can get. "Let's get you fixed up, you're gonna be hurtin' bad when all that adrenaline wears off."

[notjustaface]

He knows a show when he sees it, and doesn't play along - she has her own agenda and he's not gonna dig in deeper. But, he does lean against Murdock's strong shoulders to keep the weight off his leg as they walk away.

"I'm fine... I told you. It's just a little graze and I kind of fucked my ankle up a little. It happens."

[notthatcrazy]

He'll remind him he said that later when he's on crutches and painkillers.

"Well let's go see what our French friends have to say, then."

[notjustaface]

Walking up the steps and through the doors is an exercise in humility - and just how much he's willing to depend on Murdock's strength to keep him from literally falling on his face, before he's in a small medical office on a cot beside the reporter he remembered from years before.

"I can't talk to right now," he relays to the man in somewhat stumbling French, the pain already starting to get to him as the excitement began to wear off. "You can talk to her, she's with the government. They'll take care of everything."

As much as that's a laughable statement, it'll at least get them off his back long enough to deal with the doctor that's cutting the leg off his bloody pants and glowering at him for having the audacity to get shot at.

"I told you," he looks up at Murdock, settling back against the cot to let the doctor do his job; "just a graze."

[notthatcrazy]

He smiles slightly, running a hand through his hair.

"You get so many flesh wounds it's a wonder you've got any flesh left."

[notjustaface]

It could have been worse, a lot worse, and he appreciates that. The ankle is swollen and dark, and it doesn't take a doctor to tell him he managed to fracture it when he landed.

"And yet I'm still so damn pretty." He flashes a wide grin, batting his eyelashes.

[notthatcrazy]

"I prefer to think of you as ruggedly handsome," he teases, knowing full well he's called him pretty plenty of times.

He presses a brief kiss to the back of his hand as the doctors work on him.

[notjustaface]

"Rugged?" He snorts, clearly Murdock hasn't seen him after a nice facial and mani/pedi.

"Whatever you say, babe."

[notthatcrazy]

"Handsomely pretty?" he amends, still smiling.

Sure, let's go with that.

[notjustaface]

"I'm not sure that's right either, but... uh... this is really starting to hurt right now so I'm just gonna squeeze your hand while they sew me up and pray Hannibal comes with some painkillers soon."

As expected, he clasps Murdock's hand and squeezes gently, letting out a slight sigh.

[notthatcrazy]

"I ain't gonna say I told you so..."

But he totally told him so.

"You just hold on as tight as you need to."

He catches Hannibal's eye across the room as Face hangs onto him.

[notjustaface]

Cleaning out the wound is actually worse than the stitching - by the time he's being sewn up and Hannibal comes around with a palm full of small white tablets he hands to Murdock in a paper cup, Face is mostly fine just squeezing hard and gritting his teeth against the tug of the needle and line.

Better than field medicine, at least. He's had to do some patch up jobs that were far less pretty.

"I want a vacation after this, Hannibal. You hear me? Somewhere with bad shirts and bikinis and drinks with umbrellas in them."

[notthatcrazy]

He laughs softly, still holding his hand as tries to comfort him through the procedure.

"We just had a vacation."

He's still avoiding Hannibal's stern look.

[notjustaface]

"I got shot." He fires back with a clearly terse tone; "I should get hazard pay for this."

Hannibal shakes his head and presses a pair of tablets into Face's hand before patting Murdock's shoulder. "We need to talk, he'll be fine here."

"You realize I can hear you... I wasn't shot in the head..."

[notthatcrazy]

"I'll be back in a minute."

He gives his hand one last pat before reluctantly turning to follow Hannibal.

"Well? If you're gonna chew me out you might as well get it over with."

[notjustaface]

Leading him outside, the colonel lights a cigar - pensively drawing on it for a long moment as he considers what Murdock has to say.

Finally, he says quietly; "You did the right thing."

[notthatcrazy]

"Yeah?"

It's not what he was expecting to hear, but he knows better than to think Hannibal's going to leave it at that.

[notjustaface]

Of course, there's always more to it.

He nods, exhaling sharply. "You also disobeyed a direct order and put all of our lives at risk."

[notthatcrazy]

That's more along the lines of how he thought this talk would go.

"And I'd have done the same for any one of you, so don't you dare try and make this about me and Face."

[notjustaface]

"I am going to make this about you and Face because you didn't do it for us... you did it for him." Hannibal shoots back quickly, with only a little sting to his voice.

"You need to be able to face the worst, Captain. What would you have done if he hadn't made that jump?"

[notthatcrazy]

"Gone on without him."

They both know that's a half-truth at best, though. Particularly as he's avoiding Hannibal's eyes again.

[notjustaface]

"I don't think either of us are stupid enough to believe that."

He lets a quiet, almost awkward pause linger between them before adding; "Your judgement's clouded."