Maximum Carnage, Year 2 Issue 17 - "A-Team, part 2" by Justin Anderson Saturday, April 23th. 11:14 AM, Phoenix, AR. The papers were thrown down on the desk. Stockwell read from the reports. He threw a picture down of a white-haired man. "John 'Hannibal' Smith. Lieutanant Colonel, retired. Currently employed at a recycling facility in a small Arizona town. Status- captured" Another picture was thrown down. This time, of a handsome man, still youthful for his age. "Templeton 'Faceman' Peck. Lieutenant, retired. Currently runs a fashion agency in Los Angeles. Status- captured" Another picture was placed on the desk. "Bosco 'Bad Attutide' Baracus. Sergeant, retired. Currently runs a children's center in Los Angeles. Status- captured" A final picture. "Cletus Kasady. Former serial killer, since retired. Currently an unofficial agent for the National Security Agency, handling extreme cases. Status- captured" General Peterson spun his chair forward. "I don't know why we need these formalities, Stockwell" "I'd prefer to do things right. Regardless of how much you despise me, I still have plans on seeing this done the way it should be" The door to the large office opened. Jack and Murdock stepped in. Jack moved towards the desk. "Well?" General Peterson stood from his large office chair. "They're being held at Fort Erikson, as we suspected. Decker has the place guarded. We can't take in a platoon just yet. It would be a nightmare" Murdock adjusted his hat. "So....we go in and get the team out ourselves. No problem" "'No problem', he says. General, I'm aware Cletus could make it out on his own, but the other three.....Murdock, we're going to need to be very careful about this" 11:22 AM The four men sat in the barracks. Stripped down so they couldn't escape, the place was clean. The doors were guarded. Escape was impossible until Jack and Murdock came. Templeton rose his head. "Hannibal, I hope you're thinking of something. I don't want to die like this" "I'm working, Face. Meanwhile, let's have some meaningless conversation while I work on somehting. So we don't go crazy, that is" B.A. wasn't taking the situation so easily. "Okay....let's start with why you're working with a killer! I wanna know why this fool had to come with us! He should be in prison where he belongs!" "B.A., he's no longer a killer. He's cured. Carnage is no longer part of him. Besides, if what I saw is what I think it was...." B.A. stepped towards his commander. "Saw what? This had better be good...." "Care to fill the sergeant in, Cletus?" "Oh, right. That. Well, Hannibal, I'm guessing you saw it. But it's more than a walking garbage pile or a mound of glass. His name is Raicaak. A spirit. He can posess inanimate objects and use them as bodies" Face and B.A. looked at each other. Neither could believe it. Especially not Face. "Hannibal, you've got to be putting us on. Come on, it's a movie role, right?" "No, Face. A walking garbage pile stepped into the gate, got blown up, and a walking pile of crushed glass took its place. Cletus, and Jack, managed to trap it" A small argument began brewing among the three A-Team members. Cletus stayed out of it, opting to check out the window facing outward. He could hear Decker talking to someone. "We've identified the car that was near the A-Team van earlier. You were right, it wasn't a team of casual travelers. The car is registered to a Jack Arden. I have his picture here..." The captain handed the photo over to Decker. "We've identified him as being a member of Maximum Carnage, a team of murdering vigilantes. This is the other member...." He handed over a photo of Cletus. "Cletus Kasady. Former serial killer, released last year. And...." "I know. We don't have Murduck. We grabbed this Cletus Kasady by mistake. We don't have any choice now.... Murdock is most likely still out there, and I bet you this Jack Arden is with him, planning a break out" "What do we do, Colonel?" "Simple. Maximum Carnage was reported to have captured the Carnage symbiote last year after it left its former host. But I do know that the symbiote is being held in D.C. under maximum security. Well..... it would be a valuable weapon in bringing the A-Team, and their allies, crashing down!" Cletus walked over to the three men. "Guys.....if you're done arguing, we have a serious problem....." "Face, B.A., cool it. What is it?" "I just heard your man Decker talking. He's identified me, and the other car. He knows Jack and Murdock are out there" "Yes, I imagine he knows there will be an attemped rescue. He's probably ready for anything by now. How does this change things?" "Well..... he said he wants to break the Carnage symbiote out and use it as a weapon. That...would be bad" "How bad?" "Oh....remember the talk about spirits? Well... Carnage is inhabited by one right now. Calls himself Domientius. He came very close to wiping out humanity last year. If Decker opens his case, it will take forever to get him back inside. If...." Hannibal knew. "...if you can stop him" Templeton stood and bean to pace. "Wonderful. Decker is so obsessed with getting us, he's willing to release... how do I put it....Armageddon" Cletus walked over to Face. "Armageddon? If we're lucky.... 'genocide' might be a better word for it" 11:34 AM, Phoenix Jack and Murdock finished loading their weapons. They were walking to the small vehicle, ready to drive in to Decker's setup, guns blazing. General Peterson was waiting for them. "Okay, General, what do we do?" "Yeah....the space mutants are blocking my thought. I can't come up with any ideas right now..." The General straightened his hat, considering what to tell them. He wished he didn't have to say what he was about to. "Well, I've consulted the President, my fellow NSA heads, and Stockwell. As of now..... Decker and those willingly working for him are Enemies of the State. They willingly kidnapped three national heroes, and a fourth man who is not only an international hero, but is also one of our top agents. If you can capture any....do it. Otherwise....." Jack took a step forward. "I get it. Okay Murdock.....we're entering a war. You sure you can kill these men if necessary?" The crazy man pulled off his red ball cap. "I....the A-Team were never murderers" "You can stay behind if you want. I might be able to do this myself...." "No. They have my team, and my friends. And they have your friend. They could end up dead at any time.....thanks to that lunatic. Jack.....I'll do what I have to" "All right. I'll need your help on this" The General pulled a roll of paper out of his jacket. "Gentleman....do you have a plan yet?" Jack stopped his walk towards his car. "Plan?.....not really..." The General unroll the paper, revealing a map of the area. He pointed to the various markings. "The red spt is a team of NSA agents waiting for your word to move in. The blue spot is a CIA team, waiting the same. When you rescue the captives, radio both teams. Team-1 and Team-2, as their call signs. Oh, and Jack...." He pulled a small cellulaar phone from his jacket pocket. "....call me if things get out of hand. Just say my name. It will dial" Jack stuffed the phone in his pants pocket. Thinking for a second, he removed his coat and handed it to Murdock. "Take this. It's bulletproof. You might need it more than I do" "Oh, no...." "Take it" Murdock slipped it on. It was too big for Jack, and even bigger on Murduck. 12:02 PM, Fort Erikson The two sat flat on the hill overlooking the base, eyeing the security. They had avoided a few patrols getting this far. They couldn't tell where Hannibal and the others were kept. By all appearances, this place was an active base for training new recruits. Except it was supposed to be abandoned. "Okay, Murdock....I'll need you to get in there" Murdock evaluated the security. It was heavy. "No problem" Murdock had a few pistols, still in the coat pockets. He fit a few semi-automatic rifles over his shoulders. He stuffed his radio receiver in one of the larger coat pockets. "I don't know how you can wear this in this heat...." "I manage. Look....a small unguarded spot" Jack reached into the backpack he had worn and pulled out one of the explosives. He handed it to his partner. "Take this. Get over to that spot, peel the backing off this, plant it, and move out of the way. I'll set it off by remote. Sneak in when it's clear" "Got'cha, Jack" Murdock took the bomb and snuck down the hill, crawling the 200 feet to the fence. Seeing it was clear, he moved over and planted the small black explosive on a crate. Stepping back, Jack hit the button. The explosion tore through the fence and the ground. Guards ran over to check it out. While their eyes were turned, he snuck through a small hole at the corner of the fence. Decker stood in front of the prison barracks. He had seen the explosion, and knew a rescue was already underway. He turned to face the door. "SMITH! Your rescue team is here! When we capture them, you will all be executed! Enjoy your last minutes!" Murdock had seem Decker yelling at the building. He knew he had found where his team was being held. He snuck around the buildings. Seeing a side window was clear on the prison barracks, he moved over. "Hey! Over here! Quietly!" The four men looked up. Hannibal stepped forward. "Captain! Glad you're here!" "No time for small talk. Take these!" He removed his spare rifles and pistols and fed them in through the window. Hannibal dispersed the weapons to the three men in the room. He handed Cletus the receiver. He pressed the talk button. "Hey, who's there?" "Jack. Cletus?" "Yeah....listen, Decker has plans to get the Carnage symbiote for himself! He's crazier than we thought!" "SHIT! Okay....just get out of there. I'll handle the rest!" Jack pulled the small phone. Flipping the cover up, he spoke General Peterson's name. The phone rang. 12:03 PM, Phoenix General Peterson was walking along with Stockwell. The two men were saying little to each other. They despised each other, and it showed. "I hope your men are capable of doing this" Peterson wished he could belt Stockwell across the jaw. Not that he couldn't get away with it, but right now, the situation required the two to get along, for the sake of other lives. They had walked to a nearby elevator. "Come with me, Stockwell" They entered the small car, Peterson pressing a button. The car moved, and the doors opened. They were in the second basement laboratory. "I want you to see something" They entered one of the lab rooms. Peterson led Stockwell over to a small door. "I want you to take a look at this" He opened the door, sliding it back to reveal a lexan wall. It was a holding pen for an animal. No ordinary animal. Stockwell stepped back. It was ugly. A small reddish creature, looking like a prehistoric alligator. Faded white teeth and claws, and a peculiar feature- no eyes. "What.....what is that?" "This, General, is a Krylakk. A demon spawn. They should not exist, but they do. Translations from ancient texts we found after capturing this creature revealed it's origins, and its purpose. Maximum Carnage stopped the world from being covered with these....and from far worse creatures. This came from a parallel dimension" "No....parallel dimensions don't exist! Demons don't exist! This has to be some genetic mutation!" "I wish it was! But it is an evolutionary throwback. Evolved from a demon. We tested the DNA. Alligators and crocodiles evolved from this...thing" Their conversation was cut short as General Peterson's cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and opened the cover. "Jack? Yes, how's it going? ........WHAT!? Hold on one second...." He sat the phone down. "Stockwell. Decker has plans to free the Carnage symbiote. That symbiote is inhabited by the demon that commands these. If it gets out, we may all die" Stockwell considered the options. Shoot Decker, or let him release the end of the world. "You know what to do. I can't allow these.....things to take over. I cdon't care if I believe in them or not. If they exist, I will not be partly responsible for letting them out" General Peterson picked up his phone. Decker is no longer an Enemy of the State. He is a threat to National Security, and a potential threat to the world's population. Kill him. I will be there as fast as I can" 12:07 PM Jack had repeated General Peterson's instructions to the rest of the men inside the base. Hannibal didn't like the news, but realized it had to be done. Cletus couldn't wait to get out of here. Murdock had finished pulling out his own weapon just in time. A guard had cone around the corner. "Hold it!" Murdock pulled the coat over his chest as the guard fired several machine gun bursts. The bullets hit, bouncing harmlessly of the material. Murdock was now glad he had accepted it. As the man prepared to fire again, he fell to the ground as bullets tore from the side wall into him. Cletus had pulled the trigger. No one said a word. "Okay, Cletus, take the front. Face, follow me. B.A., back us up. Murdock, clear us a path" Cletus opened the door, taking a few shots at some nearby soldiers. They hit the dirt as the bullets caught them in the chest. The mex exited. By this time, Jack had made his way to the corner opening. He didn't worry about sneaking in, as he had already wiped out the nearby patrol with a few shotgun bursts. As the pack made their way forward, a team of soldiers moved forward, weapons drawn. Cletus saw them in time, jumping in front of Hannibal, taking several shots to the chest and stomach. He returned fire, taking care of the few soldiers as the ret of the team returned fire to other sources. Hannibal had seen the man's sacrifice. "Cletus! B.A., help me with him!" "No....I'm okay. Keep going" Hannibal knew something was up. The man had been shot seven times, and was bleeding like a fountain, but he was still standing. The bullets slowly fell from the entry holes as the wounds began to fill themselves in. Decker had seen the escape, in progress. He was losing men, but he wasn't down yet. He was not about to let the A-Team go this fast. Not after all the effort he had put into this. He picked up the large phone in his office. "Double the guards along the fences! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE! Do whatever you have to!" 12:38 PM They had wandered around this place for quite some time. They had to escape. But there were rogue soldiers everywhere, and they were a large pack. The facility was also several square miles. What a place to get into. Jack looked for any options. "Hannibal..... Decker have any weaknesses? Flaws? Anything?" Hanniballooked around to make sure there were no soldiers approaching. The rest of the men had gone out to clear more of a path. "Yes....he expects too much of us. He thinks we're predictable, except when he has us cornered" "I get you. Do something unexpected, followed by soemthing even more unexpected" "Right! You may be a replacement for me, yet!" "Not today... today, the A-Team will live on. Just hear me out...." Decker moved in, his familiar revolver shoved into his hand, a team of soldiers surrounding him. He ignored Face, B.A, Murdock, and Cletus. He ssaw his targets. The leaders. Hannibal and Jack. But something was wrong. "You're going to get us all killed, Jack!" "No, Hannibal, just hear me out..." "Forget it, kid! I won't have you risking the lives of my men for some game you want to play!" Jack stepped forward. "Hannibal, just-" Jack fell as Hannibal fired several pistol shots into his stomach. Clutching the wounds, Jack fell over, the blood forming a small river in the dirt. Decker moved forward. hannibal dropped his pistol to the ground. "Decker! I surrender! At least, if you promise to spare my life...." "I'll consider it! Men, move in!" The three soldiers moved forward. They had expected to take him without trouble. Face had seen what was going on. So had Cletus. Murdock and B.A. stopped firing as soon as they saw what was going on. B.A. was the first to speak. "Hannibal! I don't believe it! A murderer and a coward...." Murdock turned to his counterpart. "Cletus....I...I am so sorry...." No more words were said. They watched as the three soldiers moved closer to Hannibal. As the rest were about to drop their weapons, soemthing only two men could have seen, could have predicted, happened. Jack swung his right arm out, shotgun in hand, dropping one of the guards with a shell. Pumping the slide, he dropped the second and third in short order. Jack stood as Hannibal bent over and grabbed his pistol. Cletus turned to the three men. "Yes, A-Team members, you have just witnessed one of the tricks of Maximum Carnage! Faceman, B.A., Murdock, follow me!" The three couldn't believe it. If Frankie Santana had been in on this, they could, but this was no Hollywood stunt. Those had been real bullets, and Hannibal had pumped them into the young man. But he stood as if nothing had happened. But now was not the time to debate the matter. Hannibal looked at the surprised expression on Decker's face. Only one comment he could make about all of this. One he had made numerous times. "I love it when a plan comes together!" Hannibal rushed forward, bringing his fist across Decker's face. He knew the orders, but didn't know if he could kill a man. Not even Decker, who, right now, with his plans to kill the A-Team, and free a demonic evil, deserved it. Jack had scrambled forward, digging a remote detonator out of his backpack. He flipped the remote detonation switch, set the time for a few seconds, and tossed it to Cletus. Cletus threw it forward, to the outer fence. Seconds later, the explosive went off, sending the nearby guards flying, and leaving a large hole in the fence. Cletus looked at the others. "HANNIBAL, JACK, EVERYONE!" The six men made their way to the tear in the metal fence, dodging the few bullets that headed their way. Moving outside, Jack saw a comforting sight. Several black cars, some with official markings, some without, speeding up to the complex. Doors opened as they screeched to a halt. CIA and NSA agents, pulling their guns on the facility. The six ran to safety. "Agent Arden! You okay?" Jack looked down at his wounds. They were now slight scratches. "Just fine, Agent! Now... Decker is inside. What next?" "We wait" It was a standoff. Government agants held Decker's forces at bay, not one side firing a shot. Decker saw it crashing down, but he was not done yet. He would kill Hannibal if it iwas the last thing he ever did. He moved forward, to the front gate, his back covered by two guards beside him. "SMITH! Hide all you want, but you won't escape me! Not this time!" Another vehicle could be seen driving up, the brakes slamming on several hundred feet up the road. The car had been moving fast. It was a large limousine. The kind used for official business travel. The kind a general would use in situations like this. The two rear doors opened. Stockwell exited the left side, his black tailored suit blending in with the car. Peterson stepped out of the right side, his medals catching the sunlight. Peterson held up a megaphone. "COLONEL DECKER! Surrender, and you may live. You will either face trial, or you will die!" Decker saw this as an insult. A man in his Army, on the side of a team of vigilantes. "Forget it, General! You have no idea what these men have done! Hand them over!" Peterson stepped forward, edging towards the front gate. He had at least sixty men backing him up. "Last chance!" Decker waved the two guards away. He raised his revolver, pointing the barrel at General Peterson. But he never got the chance. Peterson raised his own pistol, firing immediately. Decker dropped his gun to the ground. The blood ran down his nose, the hole in his forehead letting it all out. No more. His final thoughts were garbled, jumbled, and incoherent. He dropped to his knees. The rest of him fell backwards. Colonel Decker was dead. 1:07 PM It was all over. The defectors who had survived were all arrested. They were to be held for charges of treason. Their military careers over because they believed a psychotic Colonel. And the A-Team was once again safe. Their new allies had seen to that. The teams were saying their final good-bye's. Murdock had removed the coat and handed it back to its owner. "Sorry Jack...I like it, but it's just too big!" B.A. and Face were talking to Cletus. In their eyes, he was redeemed. "Listen, you take care of yourself. Cause if I ever hear of you becoming a murderer again, I'll tear your head off, fool!" Cletus simply nodded. "Oh....and thanks for saving Murdock's life. I don't know what I would have done if the crazy man had been taken away from us" "Oh, and if you ever want a job in the fashion industry, call me!" Face handed Cletus a business card. He shoved it in his back pocket. Jack and Hannibal were also having a meaningful conversation. "So....why did you have me shoot you? I know it was a good distraction, but it was the strangest plan I'd ever heard of" "Well, Hannibal.....we're, basically put,.....immortal. A result of an insane man's experimentation" "Whatever the cause, it came in useful. You both took bullets to save my life, and the lives of my team" "Hannibal....we would have done it if we weren't like we are" Hannibal shook Jack's hand. Jack picked up the backpack from the ground, the spot he had left it at when he put his coat back on. "Take these. You never know when they may come in useful. But remember, read the instructions, and never, I mean NEVER, set off a whole bag at a time!" Hannibal took the bag and cracked a sly smile. The men had gathered together. The two Generals moved towards them. Stockwell made his speech short. "Good job, all of you. You exceeded my expectations" "Yes, I think Stockwell here has a better appreciation for what I do" Hannibal's smile disappeared. "Just what do you do, Peterson?" "Oh....this and that. Keeping the country in order, for one" "Good enough for me. Face, B.A., Murdock.... let's go home" The A-Team van had been brought to the base, repairs made. Jack's small car had also been driven. The two teams split up and entered their respective vehicles. One after the other, both teams drove down the road, to go home and take a much needed rest. THE END Notes: Basically set in the Marvel Universe, I will be using a lot of my own continuity for this series, and generally focus on the main characters. Appearances by Marvel's universe will be special occurences. Crossovers with characters/titles from other companies will be treated as "single universe", not as "2 universes crossing temporarily". I will also try to ignore major Marvel comic story arcs. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and other Marvel characters are copyright Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. Other characters are either my creation(copyright myself), or copyright their specific owners if non- Marvel licensed characters. Characters used without permission/not for profit. These are strictly fan stories. Permission to reprint extends to placing this text, unaltered, elsewhere online. It may not be altered, and especially NOT TO BE SOLD, unless Marvel wishes to license this series from me.