The five-man TAC team sat sprawled across the room. The room smelled of pizza and beer. Boxes and bottles sat empty around the room Jack leaned over the updated plans of Phoenix Beta team had brought with them. Jack leaned back and stretched. He glanced at his watch and yawned. They'd been tossing ideas around for four hours. In another hour it'd be full light, and they still had only vague ideas for the plan. He looked over his shoulder and frowned at his partner. Mac hadn't offered much to the group. The kid was preoccupied. Jack understood, but if they had a hope in hell, they needed that ginormous brain.
Mac leaned against the wall beside the window peering out the curtain. Jack had made sure there wasn't a good perch in any direction for at least five miles, but knowing a world-class sniper had a gun that could punch through the wall Mac stood against was not helping the older man's nerves.
"Mac?" He asked. Mac had a faraway, almost dreamy, look as he gazed up at the full moon, "Mac!" Mac turned to the circle of soldiers, "What do you think? I know you want to go attack the hospital here but…"
"No, I think we have to take Phoenix back first. Then they will have to retreat to here." Mac's voice was distant, flat. Jack took a quieting breath reminding himself that Mac entire world had been shaken like a snow globe.
"Mac, c'mon, man we need you…" Mac turned rubbing his chin. He returned to the group of men and sat cross-legged beside Jack. He held out his hand and studied the blueprints and what Riley had been able to find out in her brief forays into Phoenix's security system. Jack leaned over and pointed out the laser grid. Mac chewed on his lip as he studied it in real time. He chuckled and shook his head. Beta team exchanged confused looks. They knew Mac was a weird dude, but the kid had impressed the hell out of everyone at Phoenix. Mac looked up smiling at Jack.
"They didn't even change the rate of rotation." Mac sighed and shook his head.
"Mac, use your words. Your Jack-speak words." Jack huffed. Mac nodded.
"See this entire laser cycles on a hexadecimal repeating pattern." Seeing that he'd already lost the guys, Mac paused then tried again, "It's a particular pattern, and all of the parts of this laser grid pulsate at the same hexadecimal ratio...I know when and where the lasers are moving." The other guys nodded sitting back breathing out finally getting it. Mac rolled his eyes and absently petted Fidget who was sleeping beside him. Mac glanced down at his furry friend. For a young active dog, he sure snored, almost as bad as Jack. Elmer laid sprawled on Jack's bed and occasionally twitched in his sleep.
"So what does that mean?" Jack asked pulling Mac back to the task at hand.
"That means I know how to break it."
"Great!"
"The real problem is going to be the invisible drones." Mac sighed and rubbed his neck.
"Why?" Rudd, a tall, dark haired member of Beta asked in a deep rumble.
"Yeah, you blew the crap out of those robots in Iowa," Jack added. Mac sighed.
"Those were prototypes and a lot bigger than these drones. The smaller photocells will make them harder to spot, and they'll be able to move a hell of a lot faster than the lumbering suits." Mac leaned back frowning, "That's not taking into account their offensive capabilities."
"Offensive?" Jack asked. This mess just got better and better. Mac shrugged.
"If I were designing these," Mac and Jack shared a quick glance knowing that in all likelihood Mac had designed them, "I would fit them with guns, lasers, gas, grenades…" Mac waved a hand. The other six guys shared a worried look. Mac flipped through the tablet then looked up at Josen, a small ferret-faced man with glasses.
"Do you have any pictures of the outside of the building?" Josen stared at him; his eyes magnified by the thick lenses.
"Uh...no, it was all we could do to get this intel." Mac nodded and yawned stretching.
"Ok, I'll get that before we attack."
"What are you thinking, bud?" Mac leaned forward.
"The weakest areas of Phoenix have always been outside access points-the garage, the loading dock, the front door. Even the codes to get into the gate are pretty easy to get if you know the algorithm. If I were trying to prevent me from getting in, I would booby trap those areas."
"Bombs?" Nichols, a beefy African-American with Samuel L Jackson eyes. Mac held up a finger.
"Yes, but not typical ones. Any EOD tech worth their salt would spot the usual tricks. I would do something downright underhanded and sneaky." Mac closed his eyes. Jack could almost feel the younger man thinking. The blonde shook his head and sighed, "It'll only be conjecture until we can get a satellite of Phoenix."
"Yeah, that's going to happen." Apex a wiry dark-skinned soldier snorted as he rubbed the black brush under his nose.
"I hate to say it, kiddo, but Apex is right. They'll pick up on our messages the second we contact any satellite." Mac grinned.
"They would if we were using any normal satellite." The soldiers exchanged confused looks. Mac leaned forward with the geeky excitement he got when he was going to do something only another nerd would appreciate. Jack waited, "But we aren't. We're going to use the largest satellite that has been up there as long as there's been earth." Mac bounced to his feet and began to pace his hands templed in front of him. Jack could tell his partner was working hard to keep the speed of his speech slow enough for them to follow.
"What's…" Apex asked.
"The Moon!" Mac said. His smile was infectious as was the sparks of excitement in his eyes.
"The moon? Like the moon, moon?" Jack asked rubbing a hand through his sparse hair.
"In the '50s Project Diana was set up to find a way to bounce signals off the moon. Nowadays it's used by amateur radio operators. It only works for two sites who have to be on the same low frequency, and there's a time lag of about three seconds, but yeah it should work." Mac frowned rubbing his chin as he mentally cataloged what he needed, "In fact, with the equipment in the van, we commandeered I could probably set up a passive piggyback surveillance of this place at the same time. I'd just have to leave an antenna here."
"Awesome, now a plan for getting out of here…"
Leaving ended up being far easier than entering Sonrisa. Jack drove the van while Mac sat in the back covered in wires from the guts of the surveillance systems. Elmer sat in the passenger's seat his tongue lolling in the wind as he stuck his head out the window. Fidget sat behind the seat managing to poke his nose into the wind stream. Jack shot frequences glances at Mac. Mac had been working at a manic pace, burning with a speed that was desperate. Jack frowned. He'd known Mac a long time and knew the signs. Mac was avoiding feeling anything in a big going-to-bite-you-in-the-ass kind of way.
Jack did not doubt that deep down blowing up Murdoch had left tears inside Mac, but the kid felt so topsy-turvy right now it was like a hangnail in the face of a heart transplant. Unfortunately, hangnails can get infected. Jack thought about tiny Mac in the hands of heartless bastards, and his heart broke. Jack absently cracked his knuckles without noticing he was doing it. How could anyone do that to a child, a baby? Jack silently sent profound thanks to Mac's mom and dad. Whatever else may have happened they had gotten Mac free from that and given him a normal life, well mostly normal. That made them god damned heroes in Jack's book. Even Mac's father, who Jack still kinda wanted to punch. Jack sighed. Mac looked up feeling Jack studying him.
"I'm fine, Jack." He mumbled around a mouthful of wires.
"Ok." Jack nodded. They were silent a long minute. Mac set the wires down in his lap and sank back sitting on his heels.
"Jack...I'm...I'm sorry to drag you into all this. If it wasn't for me, Phoenix…"
"Wouldn't exist. Stop it, ok? None of this is your fault, none of it." Mac closed his eyes and rubbed his face.
"You know I...Jack, I know you don't do mushy and all...but, I…" Mac shrugged not sure how to put his feelings into words. Jack grinned.
"Hey, Mac? Me too, kiddo. Me too." They shared a smile. Mac nodded and returned to the pile of wires and electronic components on his lap. Two and a half hours later they pulled up to Chowder's junkyard, tired and sore from the long drive.
Jack jumped out and found his arms full of Riley. She pulled him close.
"Don't ever leave like that again." She said, her voice wobbly. Jack managed a weak smile.
"I'm sorry I ran away, kiddo." His voice was hoarse. Riley stepped back and smiled patting Jack's chest.
"Jack!" Bozer called wrapping the older man in an all-encompassing hug, "You are a sight for sore eyes, man." Jack grinned and put his arm around Bozer's shoulders. Then the tornado of the two wriggling dogs exploded between them. Riley and Bozer bent and were soon receiving their obligatory dog kisses.
"Dalton, about time." Jack turned smiling. Matty returned the gesture. She petted the boys who ran off exploring the junkyard their tails wagging, their noses vacuuming up a myriad of scents. Matty looked past Jack and frowned.
"Where's blondie?" Jack turned and frowned. Mac had gotten out a step behind him; now he was nowhere in sight. Jack shared a worried look with Matty, "I think I need a debrief, now." Jack nodded and followed the smaller woman into the mechanic's bay. He paused to share a look with Riley and Bozer.
"Go help Mac; he's...it's been a tough coupla weeks, hell a few years!" Jack said, his voice high and scratchy. They shared a worried glance.
"You got it," Riley said. Jack nodded and followed Matty.
"Whatever happened…" Bozer trailed off running his hand through his short hair. Riley nodded.
"It's not good. I've never seen Jack look so worn out."
"At least Mac found him and got him back." Riley smiled at Boze and nodded. It took them almost an hour to find Mac. If it hadn't been for the dogs playing in the center of a dirt path between stacks of cars they probably wouldn't have found him at all.
Mac legs stuck out from deep inside a rusting Volkswagon bug.
"Hey, Mac!" Riley called. Mac paused and glanced under his arm at them. He grinned.
"Hey, guys! Great to see you." Mac then turned back to what he was doing. Riley looked at Boze and motioned to Mac. Bozer leaned on the fender of the car.
"So...Mac whatcha doing?" Mac paused.
"I need the hood, but I want to get the pull for it too."
"Do you need help?"
"No, I got it." Riley and Bozer shared a worried look. The dogs came running chasing each other their tongues dripping with lather.
"What are their names?" Riley called to Mac. Both Riley and Bozer could hear Mac's frustrated growl. They waited, bracing for the emotional tornado. Both gaped at Mac. Mac still had the faint hue of bruising on his face and was as ghost white as ever, but he was thin enough to be a skeleton covered with skin. Worst of all were his eyes; they were dull, haunted. Mac looked like he hadn't slept in years. He wiped dirty hands on his pants and turned his face from them skittish at their surprised stare.
"The Shepherd mix is Fidget he's coming home with me, and the curly haired guy adopted Jack." Bozer managed to clear his throat and look away from his friend.
"So this is our new roomie, huh?" Fidget looked up at Bozer wagging his whole back end. Bozer laughed and offered a two-handed scratch behind the ears. Elmer sat and watched. Riley swore the older dog was mentally shaking his head. Mac managed a smile and turned he reached down and pulled up a thick bundle of wires. He then bent over the rusted hinges and began to attack them with a hammer and chisel.
"Jack said it's been a shitty time," Riley said deciding enough was enough. Mac shot her a look and continued pounding the metal until it gave a snap and the hinge broke. Riley and Bozer both thought Mac was going to ignore them, but he paused and let out a deep breath. Mac circled and leaned on the fender in front of them. He stared at his feet. Boze put a hand on Mac's shoulder and frowned when he felt Mac flinch. He pulled his hand back.
"Sorry, man, I…"
"No, it's not you, Boze...it's just…" Mac closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He forced himself to look at the pair. The depth of pain in Mac's blue eyes made them unfamiliar, foreign, "I know what Corydon did…" Mac coughed and turned back to beating the other hinge. Bozer frowned at Riley. It didn't take a genius to add in the silent to me.
"Mac, are you ok? Seriously bro, are you ok?" Mac paused and met Bozer's eyes with a sad smile.
"I'm as ok as I have to be, Boze." Mac then turned and finished breaking off the hood. Riley and Bozer helped him drag it back to the central bay of the mechanic shop. The black van had been pulled in, and the doors were open the insides stripped. They set down the hood.
"So what's this for again?" Riley asked. Mac studied the roof of the building a hand shading his eyes.
"Ok, we can get a chain and drag it up there, that gable over there is the highest point. I have to connect the electricity…" Mac's voice vanished in the mumble of his thoughts. Riley rolled her eyes and shook her head. She grinned at Bozer and punched him in the arm.
"Have fun boys." She said heading into the command center. Bozer scowled after her and looked up at the roof. It didn't look super sturdy, and the shingles were cracking and loose.
"Fun, yeah...gonna fall right down and break a leg we are."
Matty stared at Jack worry chasing anger across her face. Jack nodded and rubbed his face with both hands.
"He was just a baby!" Matty said it softly, but her voice shook with emotion as if she screamed it in an argument.
"I know. Matty, I'm worried. We've been through hell these last few years...but this...this is the core of who he is. " Jack leaned forward looking into Matty's wide warm eyes, "Matty, I gotta tell ya, I'm not sure if we're coming back from this one." Matty grabbed his hands and stepped closer until their noses were less than an inch apart. Jack couldn't help the tears escaping his reddened eyes.
"Jack, he's going to be fine. Do you know why?" Jack shook his head. Matty put a gentle hand on the man's scruffy cheek, "Because we won't let him fall apart, and if he does we'll put him back together, again and again, no matter how much it takes." Jack nodded sniffing. Matty could feel Jack tremble in her hands, "Now what about you?"
"Me? Matty, I'm…"
"Dalton, don't you dare say fine," Matty growled her eyes narrowing. Jack managed a half smile.
"I was gonna say hungry. Hungry and tired." Matty laughed and shook her head.
"Sure you were."
"Reefers! Go get some of those tacos from that place on the corner."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Jack watched the man run away.
"Either he's afraid of you, or he seriously likes those tacos." Matty batted her eyes at Jack.
"Why Jack, don't you think it's both?" Jack laughed and wrapped Matty in a tight hug. It's good to be home.
