Damn those DXS morons. After spending a week running from a pack of agents who theoretically ought to have been on their side, it's a wonder Mac even knows which direction is up anymore.

"C'mon, think up something clever," Jack says patiently. "Something to make you trust me, so I can help you out already. You can't expect me to be the brains of this operation, can you?"

"I guess not," MacGyver admits, though he doesn't move to narrow the distance between them. What can a man accomplish with a tuning fork and an electrical system, anyway? Probably nothing good. "Okay, here's one. Remember that camping trip, when we were inventing ridiculous emergency code phrases? What's the one we settled on?"

"Oh, hell," Jack says in dismay. "That was years back! I thought you were kidding!"

"I was. So it's a bit of information they're unlikely to have interrogated out of you, I'll take that much of a chance." His expression hardens. "But you're going to say you don't know, aren't you?"

"Give me a minute...uh, we were in the Adirondacks. After a pretty rough trip to Bulgaria, and you said you knew this great fishing spot in a- wassathing? A koom?"

"A cwm. Keep going."

"We had this ugly yellow canvas tent, I asked why and you said because it's the nicest colour under candlelight. I kept making fun of it until we made camp and lit the candles, waxy red ones. And you were right, it did look great." Jack closes his eyes. "Also I had to borrow your shaving gear because I'd forgotten mine, and it was a '30s straight razor. Army issue. Pretty sharp for an antique. I caught four catfish the third day out and you said you'd make me throw them back if I wasn't going to eat them, so I rolled them in cornmeal and cooked 'em in leftover bacon grease. You were trying out this old lure your dad had made and didn't catch a thing, except..."

"Except what?"

"Except a size twenty-one boot, and we wondered who the heck had lost that. I'm sorry, Mac, I'm remembering everything about that trip except that stupid code."

"Behold my stupid hat."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have let you pick out a code phrase while drunk," MacGyver says, shrugging. "But you said it was only fair exchange for two nicely fried catfish, so who was I to argue?"

"Uh. Does that mean you trust me again?"

"Jack, I just said that! C'mon, I've got a hot lead to follow up. If it goes well Langley will be singing our praises inside of a week."

"And if it doesn't?"

"If it doesn't I'm no worse off than I am now. You sure you're coming? It'll be kinda dangerous."

Well.

He does, of course.