Episode 11: Scissors

"Did we just pull off a genuine Christmas miracle?" Jack asked looking up at the dark trails of the explosion still hanging in the air. The sound of Chinese special forces gathering behind them caused them to raise their hands and slowly turn around.

"Does anyone know where we could get another?" Mac asked as he was shoved forward, his arm twisted behind his back. Jack and Riley had no chance to answer as they were marched to the room they had been before. A guard stood staring at them without expression, the others filed out. Mac looked around the room by habit more than a true desire to escape. What happens now was up to Thornton. Mac ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. Saving the entire world from WWIII should count in their favor he hoped. Mac whirled hearing a soft groan behind him.

"Jack!" Riley yelled. Mac moved forward. Jack's face had gone white, he looked at Mac in surprise, clutched his chest and fell to the carpet. Mac was at his side in a second. Jack was leaning forward, his breathing was labored and he was cold and sweaty. Mac opened Jack's collar and took his pulse. Jack's eyes kept drooping closed. Riley knelt beside him and went to take his hand. She looked up at Mac alarmed.

"Mac?" Mac glanced at the blistering on his hands and frowned. He was much more alarmed at the weakness and irregularity of Jack's pulse. Jack was moving his mouth to talk, but nothing was coming out. Mac glanced at his face and managed a small smile.

"Save it, Jack. You can tell us when we get out of here." Mac said. Jack moved like he was going to argue but his eyes closed and he passed out.

"Jack! Jack!" Riley screamed tears in her eyes. Mac put a hand on her shoulder. One thing that always impressed Riley about Mac was how calm he remained in any situation. This time, it was kind of pissing her off. "Mac, we have to do something!" Mac smiled and nodded.

"Help me get him up on the couch." Mac grabbed Jack from behind his shoulders and Riley grabbed the man's feet. They set him up flat with his feet elevated. Some of his paleness went away. Riley sank to her knees beside Jack and gently held his hand. Mac took a steadying breath. Without Jack...he shook his head refusing to go there. Jack was going to be alright, he had to be. Any other outcome was unacceptable.

Mac turned to the guard. Riley watched the burly man in tac gear nervously. He had absolutely no concern at one of his prisoner's collapsing.

"We need help for our friend." Mac started calmly. The man answered with only a glare. Mac took a deep breath and launched into a long, broken mandarin. The guard seemed to visibly get more and more pissed as Mac spoke. He leaned forward and Riley thought Mac was going to have a rifle butt across his head. Mac didn't back down, he merely looked at the man with a calm steady gaze. The man sneered but raised his tac radio and rattled off a burst. Mac listened to the back and forth across the radio. When the other end of the line went silent. Mac bent and gave the guard a small bow. The man glared at him. Mac let out a deep breath as he came across to Riley.

"They're going to send in a doctor soon." He said.

"What did you say to him? He looked really pissed." Mac shrugged.

"I might have said that if the Chinese let a prisoner get harmed while in their custody it shows they have no honor." Riley's eyes widened. Mac smiled at her then stood up. He spoke quickly to the guard. The guard nodded. Mac walked over to a small bathroom cubicle and came back out with a damp washcloth and a long roll of toilet paper. He laid it on Jack's forehead and took his pulse again. Still irregular, but not as weak. Mac hoped that was a good sign. He sat on the floor beside the couch and began wrapping Jack's blistered hands with the TP. Riley watched him her fingers rubbing the short stubble of Jack's head.

Mac looked up at her. She had a faraway look was equal parts fear, anger and fondness. Mac put Jack's hands across his chest then sat on the floor with his back leaning against the couch. He ran his hand through his hair. Riley looked at him.

"Is he going to be alright, for real?" Mac thought about how much voltage had passed through his friend's body.

"I think so. Especially if they get him some nitro soon." Mac raised his knees and hung his arms over them.

"You know when I was a kid, Jack was my hero." Riley said softly. Mac looked at her his mouth quirked up at the edges. He didn't interrupt. "My dad…" Riley's voice cracked. Mac put an arm on her forearm to offer support. "...he was always mad when he was drunk, and he was always drunk. He would come home and the least little thing set him off, if there were dishes not done, if he thought she was calling someone on her phone, anything." Riley looked down. Mac waited.

"My mom would leave him, you know that? She'd be gone a month or two and he'd show up at her job or our appointment and make her lose her job, or sometimes she would just go back because he was the 'love of her life' or she just didn't want the family to be split up...And every time...every night I would hear him yelling at her, smacking her, throwing things across the room, putting his fist through the wall. One night, I was around 12, I tried to stop him and…" Riley looked down. Wet trails began to run from her eyes.

"He hurt you?" Mac asked gently. Riley looked into his caring eyes and turned to put her back against the couch.

"Yeah. That was what my mom out of that hellhole. We left and didn't leave a forwarding address. A few months later my mom brought home Jack. My mom was so happy being with him...he made her feel safe. He tried to do dad things with me, but...I don't know I didn't want another day."

"You were afraid to trust him." Mac mused. Riley shot him a glance surprised. She nodded.

"Then my dad came around again and Jack kicked the crap out of him." She glanced over looking at Jack's still face. "He was my hero...then he just left, vanished without a word leaving my mom alone, leaving me… Do you know what that feels like?" She asked. Mac's face grew sad.

"Yeah, actually I do." He said. Her eyes widened realizing what she'd asked. She went to apologize, but Mac spoke before she got out a word. "You wonder what you did wrong? You spend your time trying to find out why. You make up stories for yourself and others...you feel small, alone, and afraid." Mac said softly. Riley nodded. She considered hugging Mac. Before she could decide to or not the door opened and a tall Chinese man in a doctor's white coat and stethoscope stepped in. Unlike the guard this guy was warm and welcoming. He came and listened to Jack's chest asking questions. He intently listened to Mac's broken mandarin, he nodded. He pulled a small spray can out of his pocket, gently opened Jack's mouth and sprayed some in.

Mac asked a couple of questions, the doctor readily answered them then left. Mac turned the can over and squinted at the chinese on the back sounding out words.

"Mac?" Riley asked. He looked up.

"Nitro spray. The doc said Jack had a shock to his heart and it threw him into a...funky beat."

"Funky beat?" Riley asked with a raised eyebrow. Mac shrugged.

"Loose translation. Anyway, he said Jack should be ok after resting a while." Riley closed her eyes and sighed. She wiped away the tears. She felt emotionally wrung out.

"Riley why don't you get some rest." Mac suggested nodding at an oversized recliner.

"I'm fine." She said not wanting to leave Jack's side. Mac didn't push it. They sat in silence for a long minute.

"So what happened after your dad left?" Mac asked. Riley had a small smile.

"I figured if Jack and my dad didn't love me, then who the hell ever would."

"You started your life of crime?" Riley rolled her eyes.

"I got into computers and found I could do things with them, get what I wanted. I liked the challenge of going up against systems that no one else could hack, so if that was crime ,hell yeah ,I started my life of crime."

"Technically that would be a crime." Mac added. Riley glared at him.

"And nuking the football field wasn't?" Mac laughed.

"Fair enough." They were quiet a long minute. Mac took Jack's pulse again. It seemed to be getting better. He gave Jack another squirt of nitro. He eyed Riley a long minute as if trying to make a decision about something.

"What?" She asked. He sighed.

"Riley, I know it's none of my business, and I know I already stuck my nose in where it doesn't belong, but you have to realize. Jack came back for you. You have a lot to work out, but he's here, you have a chance…" Mac's stood up and crossed the room rubbing his face. Riley watched him thoughtful. It looked like Mac was going to say something else, but the door snapped open and three Chinese special forces guys in tac gear marched into the room. They pointed to Mac. One came over to grab Mac's arm and bend it up behind his back. Mac didn't resist. He asked a question. The smallest of the three guys responded in a very hostile voice. Mac winced and looked at Riley. He was calm, but Riley could see the fear in his eyes.

"They're taking me to explain why we're here. Take care of Jack I'll be back later." The last was choked off as he was dragged from the room. Riley walked toward the door, not even realizing she'd gotten to her feet. The guard pointed his rifle at her and smiled as if he wanted Riley to try something. Riley glared at him then turned back to Jack. She took off the washcloth, wet it then put it across his forehead. He was feeling warm, and wasn't near as pale as he had been. She smiled down at him.

"You better be ok, old man." She murmured. To her surprise his eyelids fluttered and slowly focused on her face. He smiled, Riley felt like he had wrapped her in a thick blanket of safety. She had never realized how much she appreciated his strength and even his hillbilly sense of humor.

"You ok?" He asked worried. Riley rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the one who almost had a heart attack." She softened her tone with a small smile. Jack looked out around the room in alarm and went to sit up. He paused to hold his chest. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. Riley helped support his back watching him worried. He looked up at her and smiled the fake happy smile he used when trying to reassure people. Riley scowled.

"It's ok, kiddo, just a mite dizzy and feel like I got a horse kick in the chest. Where's Mac?" Jack picked up on her worry and finished sitting up. Riley told him what he'd missed. She did not miss how his dark eyes roved the room looking for exit strategies and potential weapons. Riley gently pushed him back against the back of the sofa.

"There's not much we can do right now, get some rest." Riley said. Jack looked at her.

"That's what I have been doing, you need some rest." Riley glared at him. He held up a hand. "Fine, tell you what, why don't we both get some rest until Mac gets back. And if he doesn't…" Jack smiled coldly, his eyes taking on an edge of menace. Riley nodded and sat in the recliner. Jack watched her curl up and fall asleep. Riley was like a cat, could sleep anywhere. Jack laid out so he was facing the door and impassive guard. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

She really was like a cat. Long on attitude and short on trust. Jack smiled. They both napped around four hours. When Riley woke up, Jack was up and pacing the room, sending threatening looks to the guard. The one from earlier had been replaced with a short, slight man who looked more than a little intimidated by Jack's tenseness. Riley yawned. Jack smiled at her.

Before they could say anything, the door opened and Mac was escorted in. Jack moved to his side immediately. Mac looked dead ass tired, but unharmed. He grinned at Jack.

"Back to the land of the living?" Mac asked. Jack glared at him. Mac took a deep breath.

"I think I made us a deal…"