NOW
Mac could feel himself dying. He could no longer move any limbs, his heart was sluggish, his breathing felt like he was trying to move an anvil. His eyes burned and he wished he could blink. The worst thing was he would be awake and aware until everything finally stopped, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Good news he had found the assassin, bad news she had found him first. She leaned over him and ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled and kissed him slowly on his lips. Mac mentally flinched, but he could only stare as she smiled, watching him slowly die.
THEN
Mac yawned and reached out for a paperclip. Jack rubbed his eyes and Riley sighed. Bozer like the other lab workers got to keep regular hours, lucky bastard, Mac thought as he strangled another yawn. It was 3:00 am. It must be something big for Matty to call them in so early. As if conjured by his thoughts, the small woman strolled in with a purpose, a tablet in her hands. She pressed a button and three men's pictures appeared on the screen of the war room. Mac stood up and walked closer his interest piqued. He easily recognized the three men, two were senators and one was a governor. To the public, they had died in accidents or heart attack, but Mac knew better.
"Whoa," Jack exclaimed moving to stand beside Mac. "They finally found the assassin?" Matty looked at them grimly. Riley's gaze moved between the three confused.
"Assasin? Who are these guys?"
"Senator Hessley, General Lubick and Governor Charleston." Mac offered, pulling his paperclip apart. When Riley looked nonplussed, he added. "They were all assassinated over the past three months."
"The official story is they died of a stroke, a heart attack and a car accident in that order. Don't you watch the news?" Jack asked. Riley rolled her eyes.
"The intelligence community has been using every resource available to try to find the assassin, who hired him and how they got classified information about their schedules and routines," Matty added. She pressed her tablet and four pictures came up. They were average looking, easily forgettable. Mac looked at Matty curiously.
"Agents." He guessed. Her eyebrow went up as it always did when Mac surprised her.
"Yes, two from the CIA, one from the FBI and one from DHS."
"All three? How is that even possible?" Riley asked. The federal agencies were not known for their ability to play well with each other.
"They were all following up intel leaked to them that led them here." A squat building appeared on the building. Trailers were parked around the building. Mac could see workers walking carrying scenery for sets or cameras. Mac had helped Bozer with enough of his movies to know a television studio when he saw one. Mac frowned. How could a studio have anything to do with an assassin or group of assassins?
"Oh. My. God. This is awesome!" Jack gushed. Mac turned to his friend and raised an eyebrow as Jack turned fanboy in a heartbeat. The older man was grinning and nodding. "Just when this job couldn't get any better! That's First World Productions isn't it?" Matty sighed trying not to give into her exasperation.
"And who are First World Productions?" Riley asked knowing she was going to regret it. Jack did not disappoint.
"Seriously? RTV network?" Riley and Mac looked at him blankly. "Man, you are nerds!" Matty interrupted before the briefing turned into squabbling.
"Reality TV network. It's a new network on cable that shows reality TV shows 24/ 7."
"Really? Who the hell would watch that?" Riley asked wrinkling her nose. Mac looked slowly over at Jack who looked like he'd been mortally wounded. "Oh," Riley said with exaggerated surprise. Mac smiled and turned back to Matty who was giving them all her are-you-kidding-me glare.
"There is a good reason to suspect that someone either in the production team or affiliated with the casting of candidates are either information brokers or a member of the team that did all these assassinations."
"Awesome! That means we get to go in as contestants! Bring it on, I could kick ass at Remains-" Jack began.
"Remains? Is that an autopsy thing?" Riley asked.
"It's a combination of Survivor and Family Feud. It's fantastic, your family judges your answers like in truth or dare, then they vote if you get a low vote you have to do a challenge to stay in the camp…"
"Anyway," Matty continued. "You will be going in as contestants, at least one of you." Before he could say anything, Matty put up a picture of a woman with a black severe straight short cut and glasses that were entirely too big for her face. "This is Edna McFee, she is in charge of casting their new show Ten Merry Widows and she is expecting you at 9:00." Mac frowned wondering why they had to be here at 3:00. As if reading his mind, Matty explained, "It's filmed in Vancouver, all their shows are."
"What? No! All there shows have sand, sea, bikinis…" Jack said.
"Sorry to break up your boyhood fantasies, Jack," Matty said in a tone that showed she was not sorry at all. "Evidently the show is like The Bachelor only with desperate widows." Jack couldn't smile anymore without spraining something.
"Bring it on, I like women with a little experience that need some comforting after such a deep emotional blow." Mac rolled his eyes.
"Well, the decision is ultimately up to Edna the contest that was scheduled to start filming tomorrow suddenly disappeared into thin air, apparently being investigated by the IRS for tax fraud."
"Gee, wonder how that happened." Riley snorted. Mac nodded, he paused rewinding what Matty had said.
"Tomorrow they start filming?" He blurted.
"Try to keep up, blondie. The files are already on your tablets, you can read them in the air."
"But they really want an older, more experienced bachelor, right?" Jack asked.
"Go! Now!"
Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Mac frowned as he sat back lost in thought. Jack sat next to him and handed him a coffee. Mac nodded his thanks.
"Aren't you excited?" Jack said. Mac rolled his eyes and sighed. "I am, those pretty widows…"
"So you keep saying." Riley moaned blowing on her coffee to cool it.
"Your just mad this isn't Ten Merry Widowers. " Jack protested.
"Unlike some people, I manage to get my own dates." Riley shot back.
"Oh, Kalei? How do you know-" Jack began.
"Alright! That's enough." Mac said closing his eyes, he already had a headache. He opened his eyes and took a sip of the coffee. He frowned. Jack didn't put in enough sugar. Mac wasn't surprised. The older man was always lecturing him about caffeine and sugar highs. Mac looked up to notice the other two watching him with puzzled expressions. "What?"
"Why do you hate this assignment so much?" Jack asked. Mac frowned at him.
"What are you talking about, I never said that."
"You've been unusually grumpy since we left LA." Riley agreed.
"I'm tired and haven't had enough coffee yet," Mac explained.
"No...no that's not it," Jack broke into a smile, "You don't want to be on TV." Mac scowled feeling his headache grow. Riley laughed,
"Jack's right, you know they aren't going to get air this, right?"
"Yes, I know that."
"Then enjoy it, go on there, go to a few dates, meet some pretty girls, you never know…" Jack trailed off with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. He then fake-frowned, "not that you'll have to worry about it, I'm the obvious choice." Mac huffed and shook his head.
"No way Jack, Mac's young, pretty and available. It's catnip for cougars." Riley added. Mac felt his face blush as he glared at Riley.
"Pretty?" He grimaced. Riley shrugged. Jack chuckled.
"You know she might be right, Cougars couldn't handle me." Riley shot Jack a puzzled glare.
"You do know that for someone to be a cougar for you, they'd have to be 100 years old, right?" Jack scowled at her. Mac leaned back glad he was out of their argument.
"Well, not all widows are old, you know," Jack said defensively.
"So you want to be a sugar daddy?" Riley challenged.
"Hell yeah, you know assuming she's the right age, nothing too young or illegal." Mac sighed and took a deep drink of his coffee he looked out the window enjoying the feeling of warmth the coffee brought. He watched the sun slowly tip toe over the curved horizon of the ocean.
"...Mac's just being shy, right bud?" Jack was saying. Mac looked over at him. He'd tuned out their bickering.
"What?" he asked again finding the other two studying him.
"Riley says you don't want to be on the show because you are afraid that you might just find that special girl, I said it's just you being shy?" Again Mac felt the flush creep up his face.
"See he's blushing! I knew it." Riley crowed. Mac finished his coffee and stood up. He looked at them as he passed them.
"I am not afraid of dating or the possibility of finding 'the one' as you put it, nor am I shy." He said a touch of defensive anger in his voice. The others watched him go forward on the plane and lay down on a couch. He wasn't really sleepy, they only had an hour left in the air, but he really didn't like the direction the conversation had branched off in. Jack watched him a long minute then looked at Riley who was looking at Mac with a guilty expression. They had only been teasing, evidently, they had hit a sore spot.