So this is the sequel for Insomnia, thank you all for your kind reviews for my stories. Each one I am learning and your feedback helps so much. Thank you. I hope you enjoy this one.
The plane was unnaturally silent. Passengers sat heads back on their seats or leaning against the windows, nothing moved there was no sound. Computers remained open to pages, magazines fluttered to the floor. The stewardess lay in the aisle a dropped bottle of vodka just out of reach half empty rolling gently back and forth with the plane as it bobs in slight turbulence. In the cockpit, the pilot, copilot and navigator have fallen to the center, as if they were consulting each other. The automatic pilot's red light flashed keeping the plane flying. The radio in the pilot's ear squawked the same message over and over, the sender's voice rising in volume and alarm.
"Flight Delta Tango Tango Alpha, please respond! Please respond." Two other planes flew alongside the plane, going much slower than the combat speeds they were made for.
"There's no one moving, command. Repeat looks like no one is alive in Delta Tango Tango Alpha." The lead fighter pilot said. There was a long crackle of silence then a sad voice gave the quiet order.
"Take it down, squad leader. Repeat, take it down."
Jack watched MacGyver through the window. The younger man was punching a bag as if he was trying to kill a Terminator. Jack frowned. Bozer had left yesterday to go to Baja to direct a film made by Cynthia Jean's small film production company. They were staying with the transgender marine's parents. All of them had come though for the team at what Jack thought of as the Theater battle. It had been worse than many of the battles Jack had fought in Delta overseas. It was still raw. He watched Mac heave in air, the kid was still too pale for Jack's liking. It had been six months since he'd gotten out of the hospital. He had been in the hospital for two months, half of that near death on a vent. Every time Jack saw him he felt an uncontrollable pang of gratitude and fear. He pushed open the door. Mac was so tired that his form sucked and he was actually barely moving the bag. He had started coming to Phoenix to work out since Bozer left. No, not to work out, to exorcise demons that haunted him and were too loud when he was by himself. Jack walked forward loudly stomping his feet, loud according to Jack's standards. The kid didn't notice. Jack scowled. Probably couldn't hear over his wheezing breath.
"Hey, bud." Jack said. Mac didn't stop. Jack tapped Mac on the shoulder and easily ducked the swing that came his way. Mac looked at him surprised, Jack wasn't sure if it was surprise that Jack was there or that Mac had swung at him. Jack held up his hands in surrender. Mac smiled. "I surrender, bud." Jack said, "I thing the bag's had enough too." Mac shrugged and began to unfasten the velcro holding on his fingerless gloves. He was panting. He went to the bench along the wall and grabbed his towel and took a long drag of water from a bottle beside the towel. He plopped down on the bench and hunched over taking deep breaths. He looked at the floor.
"How long have you been punching that thing?"
"Only about an hour...did weights before…" Mac said stopping to catch his breath. Jack's eyebrows went up.
"Seriously? What's going on?" Jack asked. Mac looked at him surprised.
"Nothing, gotta get in shape...for when we get a lead…" Jack sat next to his friend.
"You remember you're on stand down right? The doctor's said…"
"I know what the doctors said!" Mac raised his voice, stood up and started to pace. "I'm sick of what the doctors say. I am sick of doctors." Mac turned and strode to the showers. Jack caught up to him and grabbed his right arm spinning him around. Jack was braced for the punch he expected to follow the glare Mac threw him.
"C'mon now! You almost died…" Mac pulled his arm free.
"So you keep reminding me." He snarled. Jack stepped back, a punch would have hurt less. Mac's face softened and he put his hand on Jack's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just going stir crazy. I want to be looking for these…" Mac trailed off trying to find a word nasty enough to describe the army that terrorized the neighborhood they had tried to save. He shook his head and met Jack's eye. "I have to get back to work, I have to…" Mac's expression had a faraway haunted look. Jack was about to pry harder when a cleared throat at the door turned them both around.
"Uh-Mattie wants us in the war room, now." Riley said. Jack nodded and turned back to Mac who was scowling. Mac turned away from them. "Mac, she wants you too." Mac turned and grinned. He punched Jack on the shoulder then turned to follow Riley. Jack's scowl deepened. He thought he had made it abundantly clear to Mattie that he didn't want Mac anywhere near this investigation. Flashes of memory, of the original mission against the Valhalla project-screams, explosions-mingled with ones from the Theater battle-an inferno, Mac having seizures after being exposed to an agent directly descended from the maniacs at the rogue CIA operation, the army they fought, Riley being shot...He shook his head and hurried to catch up to the others. He set his shoulders no way was he going to have anything like that happen again, no way-no matter what it took.
Mattie turned to face the team as they entered the war room. She wrinkled her nose at the sweaty MacGyver, but didn't say anything. Time was not on her side. He looked pale, shaky but ready for duty. The screen behind her showed an image of plane wreckage spread over a long prairie. Workers with blue jackets labeled with various agency names bent and walked around the wreckage.
"This is flight DATA, from Detroit to Seattle."
"Terrorist attack?" Mac asked reaching for a paper clip from the ever present bowl. Mattie turned smiling a small smile. That more than anything else, reassured her the her agent was ready for the field.
"Yes, but not the way it first looks. Everyone on board was already dead. The CDC was able to recover some of an agent that is similar to the one you were dosed with." Mattie paused watching Mac closely. His mouth quirked at the edges. He'd been wanting to take these guys down for awhile. Not for what they had done to him, but for what he had done to the vulnerable neighborhood they had been trying to save. He didn't notice Jack's murderous glare at Mattie or Riley's glance of fear as she rubbed her side where she had been shot. Mattie continued. "We are looking into ties with Valhalla and the attack at the theater. We think…"
"The theater was a test run, they didn't have the formula balanced. They needed a binder to keep the biologic agent from breaking down the nerve agent." Mac said absently. Jack smiled a small smile. His partner was back, he realized that there was no team without Mac. He still didn't have to like it though. Mattie nodded once again impressed by the sheer volume of knowlege Mac could conjure out of the smallest bits of information. Mac met her eyes, "the plane would be a perfect test of the formula and an easy way to measure dispersal rate and patterns."
"So what comes next?" Riley asked.
"They will do another test run, somewhere open with more people."
"Then?" Riley asked with a visible swallow. She knew she wouldn't like the answer. Mac set down his paperclip. He had formed a circle with continent outlines easily visible as an answer.
"Maya Bluehawk." The uniformed South Dakota sheriff said holding out her hand. Jack smiled and shook it. He was surprised at the strength and dry leathery callouses. She was almost as tall as he was and slightly on the plump side. Her black hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. She had angular cheekbones and a straight jaw that spoke of a strong personality.
"Jack Dalton," He said unable to keep the flirt out of his smile. She smiled back and made no move to hide the glance she threw from his head to toe. Jack squirmed a little, not used to being measured on a first meeting. Maya turned to Mac who had a knowing grin on his face.
"I'm MacGyver or Mac, this is Riley Davis. Thanks for giving us a ride." Maya shrugged and led the way out to a large white pick up marked with the sheriff's logo. It had obviously been given improvements for off-road driving-way off-road. Dirt caked it's side and tires. It had many dents and scratches. She hopped into the driver's seat and tapped the steering wheel humming to herself. Mac hurriedly threw his go bag in the back and went to climb in the small jump seat with Riley.
Jack stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Let me sit in the back." He whispered desperately. Mac grinned.
"She too much for you, Jack?"
"You saw her check me out, I feel like a side of beef at a banquet for starving people." Mac shrugged and pulled free. He laughed as he spoke over his shoulder.
"Now you know how it feels." Jack stared at him a long moment.
"What the hell does that mean?" He demanded. He got no answer. Sighing he slid into the front seat. Maya grinned at him.
"Ready?" Jack scooted closer to the door as she frankly gave him another once over.
"I don't know." He muttered quietly. He put on his shades pouting as Mac and Riley laughed.
Any humor they felt evaporated as they drew near the crash site. They passed a row of news stations with long lines of satellite dishes that looked like bowls tilted in different directions. They parked in the middle of a long line of official vans, trucks, and tents. Mac frowned. He hated disaster sites, he had seen too damn many. He met Jack's gaze. Jack looked unaffected unless you knew the tightness at the corner of his mouth and the muscles bunching at his jaw. Mac glanced over at Riley. She held her laptop against her chest and was a shade paler than normal. Her eyes showed fear and sorrow. Mac realized this was probably the first disaster site she had seen other than the theater, and being shot she probably hadn't seen that much. He put his hand on her shoulder. She gave him a watery smile. He squeezed gently.
"OK?" He asked in his soft, strong voice. She nodded, took a deep breath then wished she hadn't. The smell of burning plastic, flesh and jet fuel almost made her lose the donuts she'd eaten on the plane. "Why don't you hang back here and start digging up info on the passengers and see if we can find out why they targeted this flight." Riley looked at him with a mixture of shame and relief.
"It's ok, kiddo. We got this." Jack said softly. Riley nodded turned and returned the way they'd come. Mac and Jack shared a worried look then followed Maya into the crash debris field.
Mac's eyes raked the entire crash site missing nothing. Jack smiled, he could hear his partner's brain whirling. Maya looked at them puzzled.
"It's ok, my partner here is processing the scene." Jack said a touch of pride in his voice. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing moving to the sheriff's HQ.
"It's wrong." Mac said softly. Jack looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Mac didn't answer he dashed among the remnants of the plane and workers trying to investigate it. They watched him with curiosity. Jack made placating motions as he followed in his partner's wake. Mac bent before a half melted suitcase. Jack was about to ask questions when Mac brought out his swiss army knife and cut the strands of melted plastic away. His mouth snapped shut. An orange box with what looked like two tanks on one side and the words "Flight Recorder" on the side, emerged from the sticky mess. Mac considered it carefully. Other workers began to gather round.
"What the hell? We already found the black box over a mile away from here." Mac nodded and leaned over the box. He saw two green wires coming out of the box to the bottom of the suitcase. He pressed on the bottom of the suitcase and felt dread go up his spine. It felt like a soft bladder of air. Mac looked up at the ring of people his brain working furiously. It was obviously a dispersal mechanism with an explosive detonator. He looked at the rest of the debris mentally reconstructing the crash. It all fit with the shooting down by fighters, except this one piece. It was too big to fit in the passenger compartment. It must have been stowed. Mac thought of the theater attack. There had been a number of police officers involved which have since then gone off radar. Was it much of a stretch to think the TSA might have a few compromised people?
Mac set that aside for now. A cold realization hit him. Jack saw the alarmed look Few things alarmed Jack more than an alarmed MacGyver. Mac looked up at him, squinting up into the sun.
"Get everyone out of here! Get the CDC over here to cordon off the area." Mac yelled over the buzz of questions that exploded around him. Even though he looked young, Mac carried a calm authority in any emergency others accepted. "Now! I have to disarm this bomb…"
"You heard the man, move people. If he says to get, he means get!" Jack said. Fear conquered their stubbornness. Jack knelt beside Mac. He could see sweat beading on his friend's upper lip. Mac looked at him.
"You too, Jack." Before Jack could argue a group of people came running over in white biohazard suits. "I'll be fine…"Mac said. Jack snarled, turned away, he knew he would be just in the way and he also knew no one was more familiar than Mac with devices made from the Valhalla group, but Jack hated leaving him surrounded by faceless white forms. Mac bent and began to unscrew the case. A loud whistle sounded, Jack turned and began to run back to his partner-Not again, not again...his heart pounded out.