The blond moaned softly as the needle pierced his neck.

"That'll keep him under for a few more hours." The man dropped the syringe into his pocket and stared at the sleeping form on the bed. "Wonder what he's done to piss Jonah off?"

His companion shrugged, pulling up a chair next to the bed. "Dunno. The boss wanted him alive, so I'll check there's no bleeding when I clean him up." He placed a bowl of water on his lap and dipped a cloth in before wiping blood off the kid's jaw. The cut on his chin had already begun forming a protective layer. He pushed a tangle of bangs off the youngster's forehead to dab around the open skin on the hairline. If this had been a medical clinic, they would have stitched the wound; he would just clean and cover it with gauze and a plaster.

"How old do ya think he is?"

"Nowhere near old enough to fight like he did earlier!" The other man folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "None of us in the warehouse expected a skinny kid like him to be nearly as fast or as strong! And guns were off limits to our guys in the warehouse 'cos we couldn't risk him gettin' shot. It's not exactly how we're used to doin' things, so it took three of us to take him down!"

"It was good thinking to separate him from his partner, or things might not have gone so well," the seated man said thoughtfully, as he rinsed the cloth and squeezed it out, before wiping the kid's neck. Two pink spots on pale skin were all that remained of the needle punctures.

"Yeah," the man chuckled. "His partner couldn't resist the little gun fire we had goin' on outside to tempt him out, and the kid told him he was gonna catch up with him. He was almost done riggin' some kinda explosive in plastic bottles with aluminium foil when we jumped out and grabbed him. He didn't see us comin' and put up an impressive fight, but eventually we got him on the ground. Two of us had to hold him before we could put him to sleep. Before that, the kid managed to throw a trash can lid at Donny, and now Donny's nursin' two broken fingers!"

The seated man raised his eyebrows. "If you're sayin this kid's some kinda badass wonderboy, it's better that we keep him restrained. At least we'll have no surprises if he wakes too soon!" He wiped the kid's arm, lifting it the few inches the cuff allowed. There was a gash on his wrist. Not very deep, just long. He reached for a small bottle of sanitiser from the first aid kit on the floor. At least the kid would not feel the sting in his cut.

"So how'd ya deal with his partner?" He rinsed the cloth again. The water in the bowl was red, but the cloth was still doing an effective job.

"It was easy to take the kid out the back without him seein' us. The van was parked at the exit and we blew up the place as we left. Just like the kid was gonna do. With all the smoke and noise, nobody would've noticed anything. His partner probably thinks the kid blew himself up with his own bomb!" He grinned and leaned with one hand on the headboard.

"I can't imagine him making bombs," the seated man murmured, unbuttoning the kid's shirt to check for injury. The kid looked so innocent, so peaceful, in the drug-induced sleep.

He whistled softly. The bruising on the kid's torso was heavy. Above the marks was an unmistakable scar.

"He's been shot before!" The seated man ran his fingers over the raised skin, then felt his way down over the blond's ribs. "Seems like the kid likes gettin' into trouble! It's surprising he has no broken bones!"

Pressing two fingers on the blond's neck, he picked up a soft, sluggish pulse. Either the dose they were giving him was too high, or the sedative was stronger than they thought. He frowned.

"How often can he be doped without risk?"

"Not sure," the other man shook his head, feeling in his pocket for the vial of straw-colored liquid. "I've never used this cocktail before. Jonah will know. You should see the new range of drugs in his lab. One is apparently kinda awesome. Turns people into superhumans! He keeps that one under lock and key. But if there's a problem, we won't give the kid any more of this for now. Besides, the boss'll probably have some business to discuss with him, so we should let him wake up."

"Well, I'm done here." The seated man buttoned the kid's shirt, picked up the bowl and the first aid kit, and stood up. The coppery odour in the room was making his stomach queasy. "I'll come back in an hour or two to check on him. You gonna update Jonah?"

"Yeah. I'll wait till he gets back from Gomez's funeral." He checked his watch. "I'm meeting him at the airport at 3."

"Maybe Gomez's murder has something to do with why he wanted the kid so bad. When Gomez's nephew took over the cartel, he put a price on the heads of the Americans who had a hand in his death. A hefty sum too! He wants to avenge his uncle's death. That'll send a warning that nobody should mess with him."

"That might be. But taking the kid might also be Jonah's way of getting revenge on his nemesis. A partner from years ago. Long before Jonah joined up with Gomez, he was developing drugs with this partner, who then tried to destroy the research. Jonah was pissed! Ever since then his nemesis has been huntin' him. Came to Mexico a few months ago and burnt Jonah's lab to the ground. Now the ex-partner's got this kid and his partner blowin' up Jonah's warehouses!"

"Whatever the reason, this kid's gonna be in for one helluva ride!"

xxx

Jack had taken cover behind a stack of wooden crates outside the warehouse. Men were shooting at him from different positions in the parking area. Presumably the men coming to collect the drugs. He frowned. Mac was taking far too long. He should have finished his explosive concoction a while ago and been out by now.

"Mac! Where are you, buddy?" He glanced over his shoulder every few seconds. Static buzzed in his ear, making Jack more edgy.

"Mac! Talk to me!" He fired a few rounds in the general direction of the gunmen, then decided to go back. This would be risky, considering these goons could move in on him. And Mac was about to detonate the place. But the kid's silence worried him. It was unlike Mac not to respond. Something was wrong. Then there was an explosion, and a blast of heat burst through the door. Mac had still not appeared. The gunfire abruptly ceased, and Jack raced inside.

"Mac!" he yelled. "Mac!"

Yellow clouds of smoke hung thick in the air, stinging his eyes and lungs. Probably poisonous as hell. Only Mac would have known what was in those chemicals he blew up. But where was the kid? He wouldn't have made a mistake... No, he would never have set off an explosion if he wasn't clear!

"Matty, I can't find Mac!" Jack was panicking. There was no way he could search the warehouse with these fumes. But he also couldn't leave Mac in there.

"He's not at the warehouse," Riley's voice was shrill in his ear. "He's about half a mile away. And it looks like he's waiting there!"

"How's that possible?" Jack wiped his hand on his shirt. He was shaking. The thought of Mac lying injured – or worse – in those fumes terrified him.

"Are you sure, Ri? I mean, I didn't see him leave. Unless…" Unless someone had grabbed him! Someone could have come in through the back. But Mac would have seen them and alerted him. Unless they had been there all this time! He'd been searching the building, which had been locked and appeared deserted, while Mac was mixing his bomb. Until shots outside had drawn him to the entrance. Guessing at what had gone down, he cursed softly.

"I'm gonna go find him! Ri, where is he?" He leapt into his car and sped up the road. Within a minute he was at Mac's location.

"The kid's not here! There's just an empty field!" He parked on the side of the road and strode over to the black object lying several yards away in the grass. Mac's cell. With a cracked screen. Whoever had Mac had thrown it away so they couldn't be followed. Jack took it and ran back to his car. Mac had passed here just minutes ago. If he was quick enough, he would be able to catch up and get his partner back. He raced on until he reached a T-junction. No! No! No!

"Riles, which way?" He slowed and let the engine idle, every second of waiting ticking like an eternity. Left or right? If Riley couldn't tell him, he was gonna choose. It was better to do something than nothing at all, especially as Mac wasn't too far away.

"Jack, come back to Phoenix now!" Matty's bluntness cut through his thoughts.

"Matty? We can't let them get away with Mac!" His frown deepened, and he scrubbed his hand through his hair.

"I'm aware of that, Jack. Oversight has called for an urgent debrief, so I need you to come back now!" Her tone made it clear there was no room for argument.

Jack shook his head in disbelief. His kid was in trouble and he was being ordered to turn back! He desperately wanted to ignore Matty and do what his heart urged. But he didn't know for sure which way Mac had been taken. And Oversight was getting involved – something he so rarely did – so there had to be something more.

Jack hesitated a while, conflict warring in his thoughts. "Okay, I'm coming!" he growled, his jaw tight as he did a three-point turn and headed back the way he had come. Oversight's reason for the debrief had better be important; important enough to warrant not following his son!

Please feel free to leave your thoughts!