Mac stood staring blankly out the grimy window of the fleabag he and Jack staying in overnight. He sipped bitter old coffee but barely noted the foul taste. He turned as Jack entered their room. Jack checked the hall then locked the door putting the extra door brace against the handle. He grinned at Mac and set down a grocery bag.
"I found a nice little bakery that has the best donuts…" Mac offered a wan smile and turned back to the window.
"I'm not hungry." Jack frowned in concern at his partner. Mac had been slowly curling in on himself. Jack wondered if something between them had shifted since Rook Island if Mac didn't trust him as he did before no matter what he said. Jack sighed and pulled out the small bag of donuts. He fished and pulled out two Tracphones and ammo for his Baretta. Mac turned and eyed Jack with a raised eyebrow, "You ok, Jack?" Jack looked up startled.
"What? Why?" The older man hated the defensiveness in his voice. Mac frowned and crossed to the side of his bed closest to Jack. His blue eyes scanned Jack's face.
"Jack, you've been quiet this whole trip. Are you sure you're ok?" Jack chuckled and sat down on his bed across from Mac. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands.
"Honestly, bud. I was just thinking the same about you."
"I'm fi…"
"No, you're not. I know that things are different between us, but…"
"What are you talking about?" Jack was surprised at the alarm on Mac's face. Mac stood up and paced running his hand through his hair. He glanced at Jack his face sad, "Have you been thinking that all this time?" Jack looked down. Mac ran to the side of the bed and leaned forward grabbing Jack's hands. Jack looked up and almost cried at the pain in the blue eyes. He looked away.
"Jack, I'm sorry. If I've been treating you like I think any different of you...I...could not do this without you!" A familiar note of fear trickled into Mac's voice. Jack looked up and smiled.
"I ain't going anywhere." Mac leaned back and let out a long sigh of relief. Jack frowned looking at Mac seriously, "But since Sarana fucked with my head...Mac, man you have to talk to me. I'm probably all paranoid, but...you have to trust me!" Jack's voice trembled with his fears slipping out. Mac rubbed his temples and nodded.
"Jack, I trust you, I always have and I always will. That is a rock foundation you can build on, ok?" Jack studied the younger man intently then smiled.
"Fine, prove it. Eat some donuts; they are fricking awesome." Jack held out the bag. Mac glared at it then gave Jack a sly smile.
"You just played me."
"Totally." Mac laughed and pulled out a glazed chocolate donut. He took a couple of bites before setting it down on a napkin. He leaned forward and rubbed head. Jack could see the furrow on the kid's forehead.
"You should take…"
"I did!" Mac snapped. He held up a hand, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean that it's just my head feels like I have an ax chopping it in half."
"I know, kiddo." Jack's voice was tight with worry, "do you think it's because you remember more stuff?" Mac glanced up at him surprised.
"I don't know, maybe. It's hurt worse since the house."
"I'm kinda glad they blew it up," Jack growled biting into a jelly donut and closing his eyes blissed out for a long minute. Mac rolled his eyes then moaned rubbing his forehead.
"I just wish we had answers."
"I know where we can go next to find some," Jack said pulling out the birth certificate he'd kept. Mac stared at him then smiled.
"You know, big guy, sometimes you're a genius!" Jack smiled.
"So I keep telling you." Mac didn't reply as he took the birth certificate and studied it. He huffed out a short breath.
"It doesn't look fake. I assume you talked to Riley?"
"Yeah." Jack opened the Tracphones. They'd been using new ones every day, mostly to pass along misinformation to their enemies. Corydon had more resources than anything the NSA was ever thought to be. Phoenix had to assume any digital signal goes directly to their enemies. So far the plan has been working, no black ops have shown up on their doorstep, yet.
Mac had to get creative. At the abandoned station near the house, the location had been a broken pay phone. They had stolen it, and Mac had added wires so it could be attached to any landline. Corydon could trace it, but not until after they unplugged and relocated. There was no way Cordon could monitor the calls. It was as secure as they were going to get. Thanks to having two of the best hackers in the world-Riley and her friend Jared-the rebel Phoenix could avoid identification on the digital network of cameras or satellites. That was another system that had to be changed every day.
"Matty said this Valencia Phyree-Grace chick has upgraded Phoenix's defenses in a big way." Mac froze, stood up and crossed to the window. He held his forehead in a hand wincing. Jack tossed the phones on the bed and crossed to him, face furrowed with worry, "Mac?"
Mac sighed and squinted at Jack, obviously in pain.
"I have a good idea where those defenses came from." He said softly. Jack's eyes widened.
"You think they made you...but they only had two days." Mac snorted a bitter, angry sound.
"No, they had me for twenty-plus years." Mac's voice was barely a whisper. Jack frowned.
"What are you talking about?" Mac turned and started to pace.
"Think of it? Those invisible ninja suits? I designed them in high school." Mac glared into space, "We have no idea what I've done for them over the years. I don't even know…"
"Know what?" Mac turned frustration and anger fighting for control over his face.
"How many times was I in that house? Were my mother and father in on it? Is my whole life a lie and I've just been some trained rodent…" Mac grabbed the lamp off the dresser and shattered it against the wall. He put both hands on the side of his head and closed his eyes biting down on a scream. Jack blinked in surprise at the fit of rage that came without warning. He stepped to Mac's side and could feel the blond vibrate with anger.
"Hey, hey…" Jack reached out and detangled Mac's hands from his hair. Mac's eyes flooded with despair.
"Who am I, Jack? Who the fuck am I?" Jack put his hands on the kid's shoulders and squared facing Mac.
"Look, you are still you. Maybe these sick fucks have been messing with you for a long time, bud. But even if they did, you can still make your own decisions. They don't own you; they don't control you." Mac sighed.
"Not that we know about." Jack didn't like the despair in Mac's voice. Mac turned away.
"Mac…"
"We should go," Mac said curtly reaching for his go-bag. Jack shook his head wishing he had somebody to punch.
Sonrisa was a three-hour drive away. The two men spent the first hour lost in their own heads. Mac sighed and looked at Jack.
"So what did Riley say?" Jack glanced at Mac startled. He'd completely forgotten their aborted conversation. The last thirty minutes he'd been making a severe punch-the-shit-out-of list.
"Olivet hospital is evidently a small hospital. It doesn't have records online."
"Convenient."
"Isn't it." Mac picked up on the sour note in Jack's voice. Mac smiled a mischievous smile.
"You think it's a trap?" Jack nodded and looked at Mac.
"Look, other than taking over Phoenix these assholes have focused on one thing."
"Me."
"Yeah, now why?"
"So I can build them stuff." Mac growled staring at the thick woods lining the hilly narrow highway.
"Yeah, but that can't be all there is to it." Mac turned to eye Jack.
"What are you thinking?"
"If they wanted you to build stuff, why let you go? I don't mean that 13 crap but as a kid. If you were their puppet, why didn't you stay their puppet?" Jack turned to face Mac as they stopped at a light. Mac frowned pondering Jack's thought. Most people thought Jack wasn't bright. While he'd never get any passing grade in any science or math class, he was a tactical genius, "I think they are testing you, trying to make you do something." Mac stared at the man a long minute puzzled. Jack held up a hand as he drove through the light.
"Think about it. The whole Valhalla thing they wanted to test that poison in that theater, why that theater?"
"Because I was involved?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense. And Sarana made no secret about what she wanted you for." Mac grimaced and automatically crossed his arms again feeling the burn of the six inch long spikes in his flesh, "then they kidnap you on your way home drag you all the way up here, then take you back to North Cali? Why?"
"They wanted us to come back here."
"Exactly. I think the RAPM was another test."
"To see if they could bring me back under their control?" Mac moaned as flares of light snapped across his vision. Jack frowned with worry,
"Then we just happened on the whole Bosnian thing in the pharmacy closest to your house?" Mac looked up startled.
"They would know where we got our prescriptions." Mac muttered he blinked against the fireworks sparkling in his head, "I'd think we're paranoid if I didn't know a creepy clown's been haunting me all these years. Literally." Mac grumbled. They were silent taking in the vastness of the spiderweb surrounding them. Mac grunted. He didn't like the idea of all these people being killed, or worse because of him. Jack looked at him worried.
"It's not your fault, you know? If it weren't you, it'd be someone else, hell for all we know it might be." Mac nodded watching the empty forest slowly turn into the suburb of Sonrisa.
"Six rooms."
"Yeah."
"So our plan?" Mac said. They shared a grin.
"Well, they went through all that trouble to make a trap, I think we
should show our appreciation."
"And get answers."
"Yeah…hopefully, not right away though." Jack rubbed his knuckles his grin turning deadly. Mac sighed feeling a weight lift. No matter how crazy things got, he'd always have Jack, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Chowder's car shop sat on a twelve-acre junkyard. It was perfect for temporary headquarters of the Phoenix crew. Since Chowder and Sully had taken off for an endless voyage aboard the Stella Luna, Phoenix had been slowly converting the warehouse-sized machine/ body shop into a high tech command center. The TAC teams in street clothes ran the junkyard, and a couple even worked on cars to keep Chowder's running the same as it always had; this kept their activities hidden and provided some working capital. Of course, Riley helped with said capital hacking and redirecting funds from overseas accounts that had been seized by Phoenix over the years.
Matty leaned over a map of the Phoenix building.
"Here they put in a wall of lasers." Riley indicated the ground floor in front of the elevator.
"Mac should be able to get past those easy enough," Bozer said with calm assurance. Riley pulled hair out of her face.
"I hate to say it, but these look like they were designed specifically to keep Mac out." the others shot her a startled look.
"What do you mean?" Matty demanded.
"Look they are on a grid and are strong enough to cube someone."
"Like that one in Resident Evil?" Bozer asked paling. Riley licked her dry lips and nodded.
"Except this one rotates in a random sequence." They were silent a minute pondering this, "and that's not even the worst of it." Matty raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
"Well, they have fewer people guarding the building, but they have a larger mobile force." Riley trailed off and took a deep breath,"I think they're drones."
"Drones?" Bozer's eyes widened, "with guns and stuff?"
"I don't know, Boze. The only thing I do know is they are fast, mobile and invisible."
"The technology from those ninja suits," Matty growled. Riley nodded, "Any more fun news?"
"Most of the defenses are based on level B7." Bozer frowned on Matty.
"B7? What the hell is on B7?" Matty scowled.
"I don't know. It was classified above my pay grade."
"Something Corydon doesn't want to be found." Riley guessed. Matty nodded and rubbed her forehead.
"Where's Mac and Jack?" Riley looked at the ground. Matty spun on her, "Riley?"
"They're going to Sonrisa."
"They're what?" Matty's voice carried loudly in the large room.
"Matty, Mac has to know who he is," Bozer said. Matty glared at him.
"He can figure that out after Phoenix is ours again, Bozer."
"Matty, this might be the only way we can find out who or what Corydon is," Riley said. Matty rolled her eyes visibly reigning in her irritation. She gentled her voice.
"Look, I know it's important, but I also know Mac has been...broken a lot of times the past two years. He is their primary target if he gets retaken…" Matty trailed off into an ominous silence. Bozer leaned forward poking the table with his index finger.
"Now listen, Matty. Mac has been through some shit that would shatter anyone, and he's come back from it every time stronger than ever. He never broke Matty and he ain't some kinda china we have to polish and put back on the shelf." Matty leaned forward meeting Bozer's gaze with a hostile one of her own.
"Are you suggesting we use Mac as bait?"
"I'm not you." Both women gaped at the hostility in Bozer's voice, "Look all I'm saying is without Mac there is no Phoenix, we all know it. You have to let him find answers in his own way, or he'll leave and do it on his own."
"You think he'd abandon us?" Riley replied angry disbelief in her voice.
"No, but he wouldn't react well to us abandoning him either. Matty, getting Phoenix back is only a piece of this great big puzzle. If we don't dig down and pull up the roots of Corydon we're always going to be waiting for the next attack, the next thing they do to fuck with Mac." Matty stood up and smiled at Bozer.
"You know, Bozer, I'm regretting hiring you less and less." She turned snapping orders to a small group of TAC soldiers in the back of the room cleaning and loading a room full of guns Chowder had gathered over the years. Most of them were from the Vietnam era like their owner, but Chowder had kept them in good working order.
"You four! I need you to get to Sonrisa and keep our boys from getting into too much trouble." The four grinned.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Everyone in Phoenix was hungry for blood. Matty smiled and went to talk to Sally and Doc Carl who had been slowly amassing supplies for medical back up. With Mac's and Jack's history on the best of days, this was a necessary precaution. And these were far from their best days. Bozer frowned at Riley.
"Did she insult me?" Riley laughed and patted Bozer on the arm.
"It comes from a place of love," Riley said smirking.
"You know, you could at least pretend not to agree with her!" Bozer yelled at the woman as she went down to the basement where the computers were. Riley laughed and shot a wave over her shoulder. Bozer's smile faded as he leaned over the schematics of the building.
"Mac, where are you when we need you?" He grumbled.