Chapter Eleven

With the horde of walkers following close behind, Murdock quickly swings into action. He heads straight towards the two strangers at the chopper's top speed, stopping and hovering right in front of them, and then gently lands the bird. The captain grabs his Ruger Mini-14GB and hops out of the chopper. The two men are covered head to toe in gore. One of them, a much older man, is wearing simple clothes with sandals and has a bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back. The younger of the two is wearing a SFPD uniform with a gunbelt around his waist, a handgun on one hip and a nightstick on the other. The younger man pulls a tactical shotgun out of his shopping cart and aims it at Murdock. The pilot stops in his tracks, lowering his gun with one hand while raising the other in a gesture of surrender. "Woah!" he says, "I'm here to help!"

"You wanna help?" says the younger man, "Then try getting out of here with that thing! You're gonna bring every damned taotie* in San Francisco down on our on our heads!"

"Too late for that!" says Murdock, "There's already a whole herd of them coming this way!"

"We must get these supplies back to our sanctuary," says the older man calmly, "People are depending on us."

"Where is your sanctuary?" asks Murdock.

"A Buddhist temple in Chinatown," says the older man, "We have a vegetable garden there, but more mouths to feed than what we can provide for."

"Sorry to tell you this, but the herd is coming right through Chinatown. You'll never make it."

"Our camouflage might not get us back to the temple Pop," the younger man says to the older one.

"Please don't call me Pop," says the older man.

"I think I can get your supplies to your temple," says Murdock, "But you'll have to come with me!"

"Who are you?" asks the younger man.

"Captain H.M. Murdock, U.S. Army Air Corps! And you are?"

"I am Kwai Chang Caine," says the older man, "I am Shaolin. This is my son, Peter, a police officer."

"Well Mr Caine," says Murdock, "Come with me if you want to live!"

The three of them push the shopping carts over to the chopper. "How are we gonna load all of this onto that?" asks Peter.

"Don't worry!" replies Murdock, "I have a plan!"

The army pilot guides Peter into the passenger seat, and then places the shopping cart onto the pontoon next to him so that he can hold it in place. He then places the other shopping cart on the other pontoon and hops into the pilot seat, while Caine steps onto the pontoon and holds onto the helicopter with one hand and the shopping cart with the other. Once they're all set, Murdock takes off. And just in time too, as the horde of walkers is now only a few yards away. The engine in the small helicopter protests under the strain of the added weight, but it lifts it's burden up out of reach of the horde of undead which is shambling towards them. Murdock immediately heads towards Chinatown, following Peter Caine's instructions on how to get to the Buddhist temple. As they're on their way, Hannibal gets on the radio and contacts the eccentric pilot. "Big Bird to Baby Bird! Big Bird to Baby Bird! Come in Baby Bird!"

"Baby Bird here," replies Murdock, "Everything okay Colonel?"

"What's your sit-rep Murdock?"

"On my way to the rendezvous Hannibal," says the captain, "I'm just helping a couple of new friends take their groceries home and I'll be right there."

"Groceries?" pipes in B.A. "Cut the crazy talk fool!"

"It's not crazy talk this time, you big angry mud sucker," says Murdock, "I've picked up a couple of hitch hikers. A cop and his dad. They say they have a way to camouflage themselves from the taotie."

"The what? Talk sense sucka!"

"That's what they've been calling walkers. It's essentially the Chinese word for ghouls."

"Murdock," interjects Hannibal, "Are you being serious right now?"

"As serious as a ghoul bite Colonel."

"Then bring them along. If what you're saying is true, they should prove very useful on this rescue mission."

Peter Caine, who had been listening to the conversation through his headset, turns to Murdock. "Why did they think you were making up meeting us?" he asks.

"Because I'm insane," says Murdock very matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"I'm insane," Murdock says again, "Have been since my last mission in 'Nam. Don't worry, I'm not dangerous. At least, no more than I was before the war. I'm just prone to hallucinations and the occasional delusion."

"Great," says Peter, "I'm going to die in a fiery crash because I'm flying with a pilot who sees giant bats flying at us."

"Don't be ridiculous," says Murdock with a crazy grin, "It's daytime. The giant bats won't come out until night time."

Peter shakes his head in disbelief, as he honestly can't tell whether or not this admittedly crazy pilot is being serious with him or just joking. In no time at all the small helicopter is now hovering over the garden of the Buddhist temple. The fruit trees growing in the garden make landing impossible, but Murdock can see a small gathering of people in the garden. There are a few Asian men with shaved heads wearing the robes of Buddhist monks. With them is a little old man, also Asian, with long stringy hair, as well as three Caucasians. These three are dressed in civilian attire. One is a woman in her late thirties with red hair, while one is a heavy set man with graying dark hair. The last one is a tall thin man with dark hair and wearing dark glasses. All three are armed with handguns strapped to their hips and are carrying police issue tactical shotguns. Kwai Chang Caine and his son Peter each give their shopping carts a little shove, sending them falling down to the ground below and scattering the small crowd that had gathered there. With their load considerably lighter, Murdock takes off, bringing the young police officer and his Shoulin priest father with him to meet the rest of the team.

Murdock goes on a roundabout path to the rendezvous point in order to keep the walkers from flocking towards the team. As he approaches the parked vehicles, he sees his fellow soldiers have gathered outside the bus and are anxiously awaiting his arrival. Murdock has a feeling that his friends' anticipation has more to do with his new companions than with their concern over his well being. The mad pilot carefully guides the chopper to the back of the flatbed truck, where he expertly lands the bird and turns off the engine. The three men climb down from the back of the truck and are confronted by Hannibal Smith and the rest of The A-Team, as well as Sergeant Anderson and the members of Team Viking.

"Well Captain," says Hannibal, "Report!"

"Colonel," replies Murdock, "I'd like to introduce you to Kwai Chang Caine, and his son Officer Peter Caine. Gentlemen, this is my commanding officer Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith."

"Wait a minute!" exclaims Peter, "Hannibal Smith? Then you're Templeton Peck!" he says as he points at Face, "And you're B.A. Barracus! You guys are The A-Team! I've seen your wanted posters up at the precinct!"

"Yeah, that's us," agrees Hannibal.

"The . . . A-Team?" inquires Kwai Chang Caine.

"They were a combat unit in Vietnam," explains Peter, "Sent on virtually impossible missions, yet always seemed to come out victorious. They were accused of treason and theft when they robbed The Bank Of Hanoi. They claimed to have been under orders, but the office of their C.O. was bombed in an enemy attack and any evidence of their alleged innocence was destroyed. So they broke out of prison and have been fugitives ever since."

"That's a pretty good summary, kid," says Hannibal.

"It's an interesting case," replies Peter.

"So how have you been surviving the apocalypse?"

"I've been staying with Pop here at a Buddhist temple," says Peter. The older Caine groans.

"Please don't call me Pop," he says.

"They have high stone walls all around the property, as well as a vegetable garden and fruit trees. We're fairly self sufficient there, but the fruits and vegetables grown in the garden can only go so far, so Pop and I go out and scavenge for whatever we can find."

"And you're able to camouflage yourselves against the walkers? How?"

"By covering ourselves in their blood. And by moving slowly without making any unnecessary movements or sounds. As long as you smell, move, and sound like them, they leave you alone."

"How many of you are there at this temple?"

"Besides me and Pop? Ten. There's Captain Simms. She's not from my precinct, but she's a good cop. Then there's Detective Frank Strenlich. He's a good man. Ex-marine, Vietnam vet, tough as nails. Then there's Kermit . . ."

"You know Kermit The Frog?!" exclaims Murdock, "Oh we gotta get them to join our group! Please Colonel? Pretty, pretty please? With chocolate syrup and whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

"Not Kermit The Frog," says Peter before Murdock could continue any further, "Detective Kermit Griffin. And no, he's not half lion and half eagle either. But he is a damn good cop, and a good friend. Then there's The Ancient, the head of the temple, and the other monks who live there."

"So aside from a dozen more mouths to feed, why should we bring you into the fold?" Hannibal asks them.

"For one thing," replies Peter, "my fellow police officers are well armed and are excellent marksman. Also, Shaolin priests are masters of kung fu. In addition to helping you grow your own food, they can teach your people martial arts. And finally, they happen to have a small arsenal of traditional kung fu weapons."

"Such as?"

"Dao broadswords. Jian longswords. Bows and arrows. Nunchuks. Staves. Fu tao hook swords. Three piece rods. Qiang spears. Guandao polearms. Meteor hammers. Need I go on?"

"And you will share these with us?"

"Share them and teach you to use them," says Kwai Chang Caine.

"Sounds like a good deal to me, Colonel," says Murdock.

"I hate to admit it," says B.A. "but Murdock's got a point."

"That's saying a lot coming from him, Hannibal," adds Face.

"Alright," agrees Hannibal, "welcome aboard."

The two newcomers climb aboard the bus and greet their new companions. Taylor, always one to speak his mind, covers his nose as the father and son approach him. "Man!" he exclaims, "You two dudes smell like a bag of unwashed assholes."

"So sorry," apologizes the elder Caine, "It's the taotie blood. It's what allows us to walk amongst the dead unnoticed."

Peter takes a backpack off of his back and pulls out a couple of milk jugs full of water and a couple of plastic bags full of clothes, and a couple of empty plastic garbage bags. He and his father strip out of their blood soaked clothes and stuff them into the garbage bags, use the water to wash the blood from their skin, and then dress in their clean clothes. They also sit at the very back of the bus, putting a respectful distance between themselves and their new companions so as not to offend them with their stench.

Meanwhile Hannibal gets on the radio. "Big Bird to Bird's Nest!" he says, "Big Bird to Bird's Nest! Come in Bird's Nest!"

"Bird's Nest here," says McAllister on the other end, "You make it out of the city okay Hannibal?"

"We sure did Johnny," replies Hannibal, "And we also picked up a couple of strays."

"Really? Who?"

"A Shoulin priest named Caine and his son, who's a cop. They say that they've been staying at a Buddhist temple in Chinatown, and that they have friends there. I was thinking we should invite them to join us."

"Shoulin are masters of kung fu. They would be a valuable addition to our group."

"They claim to have food and weapons, as well as seeds for growing more food."

"That's excellent," says McAllister, "We've been setting up our fruit and vegetable gardens. Having experienced gardeners would be very helpful."

"But there's a catch," says Hannibal.

"What is it?" asks the old ninja master.

"In diverting the walkers from our path, Murdock inadvertently led them right to the temple's front door. You're going to have to make your way through a whole herd of the dead in order to get to the temple."

"Lovely," says McAllister.

"The good news," says Hannibal, "is that we have a new weapon to use against the dead. You can camouflage yourself against them by covering yourself with their blood. It disguises your scent, and as long as you don't bring any undue attention to yourself they'll think you're one of them."

"Of course!" exclaims the ninja master, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'm sure you would have eventually," says Hannibal, "In any case, while we're away why don't you offer the people there an invitation to join us?"

"At Alcatraz or at the shipyard?"

"Whichever they would prefer."

"Ten-four," says McAllister, "Over and out."

That night, four figures in black ninja uniforms stalk through the streets of San Francisco. Their clothes glisten in the moonlight as they're coated in blood. One of them has a ninjato sword strapped to his back, and is wearing a butterfly medallion around his neck. One of them has a pair of sai tucked in his belt. The third ninja has a pair of nunchuks tucked into his belt. And the last ninja is carrying a bo staff. As silent as death they slip through the shadows. The dead are milling about aimlessly as they ignore the four gore covered ninja. They get to the gates of a Buddhist temple in Chinatown without incident. The ninja wearing the medallion slips a coil of knotted rope with a small but sturdy grappling hook attached to one end. He gets his fellow ninja's attention with a tap on their shoulders. He then holds up three fingers, points to his eye, and then makes a circling gesture in the air with his hand. The other three nod their heads in understanding and face outward, their weapons ready, as their master throws the hook over the stone wall. It catches on the other side of the wall and pulls taught. One by one the ninja scale the wall and come downs silently on the other side. Just as they're about to head into the temple, out steps an old man with a bow and arrow, who is accompanied by a woman and two men, all of whom are armed with shotguns. Joining them are six Shoulin priests, all armed with traditional kung fu weapons. One is armed with a pair of Jian longswords. One is armed with a pair of Dao broadswords. One is armed with a pair of Fu Tao hook swords. One is armed with a Qiang spear. One is armed with a set of Meteor hammers. The last one is armed with a three piece staff. The six priests whirl their weapons about their bodies, demonstrating their considerable skill. The lead ninja steps forward. He takes his sword off of his back, holds it out before him, and then drops it. He gives his fellow ninja a nod and they too drop their weapons. The four of them then unmask, revealing themselves to be John Peter McAllister, Max Keller, and Colonel Brewster's kids, Carl Jr and his sister Kim. They all hold their hands up in surrender.

"We come in peace," says McAllister.

"You're very well armed for peaceful visitors," says the woman.

"As are you," replies McAllister, "For Buddhists that is."

"We are Shoulin," says the old man.

"And we are not Buddhists," says the woman.

"We bring you a message from Peter and Caine."

"You've seen Kwai Chang Caine?" asks the old man.

"Not personally, no," admits McAllister, "but I know where he is. He and his son Peter have joined some friends of ours on a rescue mission to Chicago. They should be back in about a week."

"What friends?" asks the woman.

"The A-Team," replies McAllister, "along with some fellow soldiers. They're going to rescue the mother of one of their members."

"The A-Team?" says the woman, "I've heard of them. They're a bunch of criminals."

"So is a man who is caught stealing a loaf of bread to feed his hungry family," replies The Master, "Does that make him a bad person?"

"Stealing ten million dollars from The Bank Of Hanoi is a far cry from stealing a loaf of bread."

"True. But in times of war, soldiers are ordered to do all sorts of things by their superiors. Things that would make them criminals in regular society under normal circumstances. And in any case, the government which has branded them criminals is no more. So can they truly still be called criminals?"

"I suppose not," she replies, "My name's Captain Karen Simms of the San Francisco Police Department. With me are Detectives Kermit Griffin and Frank Strenlich. The gentleman to my right with the bow and arrow is the head of this temple. They call him The Ancient."

"My name is John Peter McAllister," replies The Master, "With me are my students, Max Keller, Carl Brewster Junior, and his sister Kim."

"That is a very interesting pendant you're wearing," says The Ancient politely as he lowers his bow.

"The emblem of my house," replies McAllister.

"I knew a man who wore such an emblem once, many years ago," says The Ancient, "Master Tanaka from Tokyo."

"Master Tanaka was my sensei," says McAllister.

"You must have made quite an impression on him for him to accept you as a student."

"He was a good friend."

"Then you and your students are welcome here," says The Ancient, "Allow me to introduce my fellow Shoulin. This is Master Li, master of Praying Mantis Technique." The priest with the Jian longswords bows respectfully, to which McAllister and his three students respond in kind. "This is Master Chan, master of the White Crane Technique." The priest with the Dao broadswords bows to McAllister and his students, who bow back. "Master Wing, master of the Dragon Claw Technique." The priest with the Fu Tao hook swords bows to them, and McAllister and his students bow back. "This is Master Lo, master of the Cobra Technique." The priest with the Meteor hammers bows, and McAllister and his students bow back. "This is Master Chow, master of the Eagle Claw Technique." The priest with the spear bows, and McAllister and his students bow back. "This is Master Fung, master of the Panther Technique." The priest with the three piece staff bows to McAllister and his students, who bow back in kind.

"We are honored to meet you," says McAllister.

"Please," says The Ancient, "Join us for dinner. We don't have much, but we are happy to share what we can."

"We actually came here to invite you to return with us to our community," says McAllister, "We've built two camps which are very secure. One is at the San Francisco shipyard. We built a wall out of steel shipping containers, and are currently looking to convert some of the remaining shipping containers into vegetable gardens. The other is the old prison on Alcatraz Island. We actually have started a vegetable garden there. There's also fruit trees, green houses, beds, high stone walls, and steel gates. We have a small fleet of fishing vessels, including a tuna boat and a Japanese whaler. Some of the people in our community are ex-soldiers or ex-police officers. And we are well armed with both firearms and close quarter weapons."

"That is a very intriguing invitation," says The Ancient, "Please, let us discuss it further over dinner."

McAllister bows to his host. "As you wish," he says.

They enter the Buddhist temple and change out of their soiled ninja uniforms. Later they all sit around the dining table. They are each served a plate of rice with canned mixed vegetables and diced Spam. Max looks at the meal with clear disappointment.

"I apologize for the poor quality of the meal," says The Ancient, "Unfortunately our meager garden does not grow enough food to keep a group this large self sufficient. Until more vegetables can grow, we must make do with canned food."

"It's quite alright," says McAllister, "We've just become a little spoiled by the fresh fish we've been enjoying lately. But we are not above eating canned goods as well. In fact, we've recently discovered a large shipment of preserves stored at the shipyard. If you and your group join us, you'll never go hungry again."

"If I may," interjects Captain Simms, "We probably should join them. Not only are we consuming our food faster than we can replenish it, but since their friend flew over the temple in his helicopter I don't think that this temple is safe anymore."

"What do you mean by not safe?" asks McAllister, "You mean from the dead outside?"

"Not the dead," replies Simms, "From the living."

"What?"

"Specifically from the Triads, the local Chinese mafia."

"How do they figure into this?" asks Max.

"The head of the local Triads lives in a mansion in the wealthiest part of the residential district. His place is a virtual fortress. A wrought iron fence surrounding his entire property, steel doors to his house, bullet proof glass in the windows, and more armed guards than the damn President. When things got really bad and the military fire bombed the whole damn city, he and his lackeys managed to get through it relatively unscathed. They then managed to round up all of the surviving low-lives that were left in the city and get them to agree to join them. They now control most of what's left of the city. They've cleared out all of the hospitals of everything of value that was left behind."

"How did they manage that?" asks Carl Jr, "Dad said that the hospitals were ground zero for the government losing control. The infected were being round up and kept at hospitals for observation, in order to try and figure out a cure. But they somehow got loose and started killing everyone. The soldiers that were posted there were taken by surprise and outnumbered. Any of them who weren't killed fled. Now the hospitals are crawling with the dead."

"That is all true," says Kermit, "But what you don't know is that the Triads managed to clear out all of the dead that were left inside the hospitals. One by one they cleared the buildings of the dead, and then cleared them of everything else. Food. Medicine. Military grade weapons and ammunition. And the more they got, the more people wanted to join them in order to share in the wealth."

"The Triads have left us alone here at the temple because they did not know that we were here," says The Ancient, "But since your friend has flown directly over the temple with his helicopter, and even dropped food into our yard, I'm afraid that, as you Americans say, the jig is up."

"So does that mean you'll be joining us?" asks McAllister.

"I don't see how we have much of a choice," says Simms.

"We would be honored to accept your invitation," says The Ancient with a bow.

"And we are honored to have you," replies McAllister as he bows back.

They then finish their meal and set about preparing to leave. There is a large selection of martial arts weapons at the temple. Swords, spears, axes, nunchuks, at least a dozen of each. They divide the weapons up, wrapping the swords in blankets and bundling them up so that they can be easily carried. The smaller items, like nunchuks and knives, are packed up in bags. They pack up whatever seeds and food that they have in bags as well, and distribute everything between the fourteen survivors.

Once they're ready to leave, they unlock the gates and allow a few ghouls into the temple. The gates are slammed shut and locked while McAllister and his students slay the ghouls. The bodies are gutted and the lot of them cover themselves with the blood and guts of the walkers to disguise their scent. The gates are once again unlocked and opened wide, and this time the seven Shoulin, the three cops, and the four ninja all slip out amongst the dead as the dead come pouring into the temple in search of food.

Guest Starring

(From Kung Fu: The Legend Continues)

David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine

Chris Potter as Peter Caine

William Dunlop as Det. Frank Strenlich

Kim Chan as "The Ancient" Lo Si

Scott Wentworth as Det. Kermit Griffin

Kate Trotter as Cpt. Karen Simms

Author's Notes

Taotie are mythical monsters of ancient Chinese folk lore which eat every living thing they find. If there are no living creatures available they end up eating themselves.

And I know that Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is actually set in the fictional city of Sloanville, but I decided to take a little creative license with the story and set it in the real life San Francisco Chinatown in order for it to fit with the rest of the story. My apologies to any Kung Fu: The Legend Continues fans/purists out there who might be upset by this. But hey, it is my story after all.