Mac sat up cocking his head. He heard the cries of children and the sound of distant gunfire. Mac closed his eyes. He felt like crap. He heard shouting. Mac pushed himself off the metal table and almost fell to the floor again. Mac leaned over the table shaking his right leg. He looked around the room and spied Jack's ceramic knife folded on the medical bedside table. Mac grabbed it and the IV pole. He leaned on the pole and hobbled his way out of the room. Mac followed the cries of pain and fear to a room off to the side. He paused in the doorway. Kids of all sizes huddled against the wall. Riley stood in front of them her arms outstretched. She faced two guys with guns pointed at the kids.
Mac frowned looking around him. He smiled finding a musty pile of hymnals. He stacked up three and pulled the tubing off the empty IV bag. He hefted it and shrugged. He limped to the doorway and swung the books with all his strength. The man closest to him staggered stunned. Mac moved closer grabbed the leather sling for the mans Kalishnikov and cut the weapon off the man's body. He yanked on the strap and tightened it around the guy's neck. Mac's knee gave out, and he fell backward. The guy landed on his bad knee, of course. Mac screamed but pulled the leather tighter into the man's throat. He just hoped the bad guy passed out before he did.
Riley saw Mac's move and used the distraction to attack. She ran full speed at the thug then jumped and twisted catching the man in the chest with both boots. She landed on a side plank and kicked the fallen man in the knee. The man grunted and scrambled to bring his gun up to fire. Riley rolled face down, and mule kicked with both feet. The man let out a whoof and bent over the wind knocked out of him. Riley crouched low grabbed the man's head and pulled him over her back. The man landed hard spread-eagled on his back. Riley grabbed the gun and slammed it across the man's face. The man didn't move again. Riley kicked him in the neck annoyed. She turned to the kids. They watched her with wide-eyed surprise.
Riley ran to Mac's side. The blond was paler and more fragile than a snowflake. Blood dripped down his face, and his eyes were barely open. Riley bent down and hauled the man off Mac. Mac rolled onto his side coughing. He managed a weak smile. His chest heaved as he fought to take in air. Riley crouched.
"Mac, your knee." She said worriedly. Mac looked down. He wasn't surprised to see the Quick Clot cracked and his knee bleeding again, he was surprised to see a broken bone sticking out the side of his leg and the metal joint sticking out of the open wound.
"Oh, crap," Mac muttered. Riley looked at Mac panic in her eyes.
"What do we do? Does it hurt?" Mac shook his head. Everything was getting fuzzy.
"It's fine. I think everything is quieting down outside." Riley rolled her eyes.
"Fine? Fine, my ass. You stay here; I'm gonna go get Doc Carl, do not move!" Mac waved a hand tiredly. She dashed away.
"Not planning on...moving," Mac mumbled. He laid flat and looked at the scared kids, "Hi, my names MacGyver. Are you all ok?"
"Are you going to die?" One of the smaller boys asked. Mac blinked at him.
"I hope not. Any of you hurt?" Before they could answer, all of their eyes looked up in terror. Mac saw movement above him.
"Crap." He managed before hands lifted him off the stone floor and slammed him into the wall. Mac felt air whoosh out of him. The man's face was almost scraped off, but Mac could see the familiar features and cold eyes breakthrough. He gasped in panic. The man leaned forward. His bloody goatee tickled Mac's ear as he started rattling off something in Russian. Mac froze all the terror liquid frost stilling his bones and muscles. Lazlo Grant dragged him into the medical room and slammed his face down on the table.
His face smeared across the cold metal snapped him out of it. No, not again. Mac realized he still had Jack's knife folded in his pocket. Mac dug it out with his left hand. He screamed pivoting on his broken knee bringing his right elbow up and back. Mac scored the older man's ear. Grant pulled away but overbalanced he tilted to the grounding. Mac screamed as his torn knee twisted under the man's bulk. Mac lost the knife as he tried to yank his knee free. Mac followed Grant to the stone floor in a desperate attempt to keep his leg in mostly one piece.
Mac ended up sprawled across Grant's midsection. Mac stared down in horror. He saw Kilov. Panic and rage scorched his brain. He roared and slammed down with his fist. He heard the dripping, felt the fingers, the pain, the screams. The world became a bloody crazed swirl of past and present. Mac screamed and lashed out over and over. He didn't feel Grant grab Jack's knife and stab him in the chest. He didn't feel the bones in his hand shatter as he destroyed the man's face. Mac didn't feel the blows the weakening man managed to plow into his head.
Mac didn't notice when the bloody mess under him stopped moving and became a hot mushy pile of bone and brain.
Arms grabbed Mac around the chest and pulled him away. Mac fought howling with rage and frustration. He lashed out at the blurry shadows flitting around him. Mac pushed against the table trying to knock the man holding him off balance. He felt his opponent grab his arms. Panic surged through him. No, not again. He threw his head back. His captor swerved his chin aside.
"Mac! Mac, dammit!" Mac squirmed, the familiar voice not registering, "Damn it, Angus CHILL OUT!" Mac felt arms pull him into a bear hug that was surprisingly gentle, "Easy brother, breathe. It's ok" Mac began to shake, his lungs pumped hard desperately trying to draw in oxygen, "Shh, easy, brother, it's over you're safe. Breathe, kiddo." Mac's legs gave out. Jack lowered him slowly.
"Jack?" Mac whispered. Everything was disjointed and made no sense.
"Yeah, buddy. You're ok." Mac blinked and shook his head. He startled back. Doc Carl knelt in front of him, Riley and Evalina squatted on either side of the doctor.
"Mac, can I help you?" Mac blinked at the young doctor puzzled.
"I'm fine." Mac's voice was drowsy and a little slurred. He leaned back against Jack's chest.
"You aren't fine, kiddo. You're bleeding from a hundred places, and your knee is totally messed up." Mac looked down at his twisted, broken knee puzzled.
"It's ok; I can fix it. It's only a hinge joint. I could…" Mac trailed off as his gaze moved to Grant's remains. It took a minute for him to process what his eyes were seeing.
"Mac, c'mon kiddo. We need to get you back to Phoenix." Jack stood. Mac hung limply in his arms. Doc Carl moved forward to take half of Mac's weight. Riley turned the flashlight on her phone on and led the way out of the basement. Mac stared at Grant's body fascinated. Jack glanced at him then over the blond's head at Doc Carl. Doc Carl looked as worried as the older man felt.
"Huh. Ok." Mac turned to face forward and hopped on his left leg trying to help the two men haul him out to the helicopter. Nellie barked orders at the Phoenix TAC teams securing the site. Cage stood up and limped over to them. A thick white bandage circled her narrow left thigh. She glanced at Jack alarmed.
"Mac, you ok?" He looked at her and smiled.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Mac, do you hurt anywhere?" Doc Carl asked. Mac shrugged.
"No, I'm fine." He looked over at Jack, "are you ok? You look like crap?"
"I'll be good once we got you settled in. You're in shock now, but that's going to wear off soon, and you're gonna be hurting." Mac frowned at him.
"I'm fine!" He protested. Everyone helped Mac sprawl across the floor of the Blackhawk. Cage knelt beside Doc Carl and helped the doctor get oxygen and monitors on Mac. Mac rolled his eyes and huffed, "I don't see why you're making such a big d...d...deal…" Mac's face bleached white almost gray.
"Mac?" Jack called from the pilot's seat as he smoothly lifted off.
"I feel...not...not so good." Mac burbled. Doc Carl looked over at Cage. Together they tilted Mac. Riley held a puke bag as Mac jackknifed and spewed. Riley looked up alarmed when she saw blood in it.
"It's the stab wound." Doc Carl explained. Mac's eyes went wide, and he began to gasp for air. They could hear his wheezes over the loud throbbing of the rotors. Mac blindly reached out and grabbed the doctor's sleeve.
"Jack? Where's Jack?" Everyone in the helicopter could feel Mac's panic. Jack leaned over and looked at him.
"Easy, brother. I'm driving. Take some deep breaths for me, ok?"
"I...I can't...hurts…" Riley shooed Cage out of the way and knelt beside Mac. She held his hand in hers and with her other hand gently brushed her fingers through his hair. Mac was cold and clammy, "R...Ri…" Mac said with relief. Riley smiled down.
"It's ok, Mac. Everybody's here. Nothing's gonna happen to you, I promise." Mac studied her face and managed a weak smile. His eyes were slumping closed longer and longer. Doc Carl landed an IV, got fluids running and shot something into his arm all in three easy moves. Mac's body slowly began to relax. Doc Carl looked at Cage.
"Call Matty; we need an Ortho surgeon as fast as she can find one. If we can't get that leg taken care of, he could lose it." Cage nodded and pulled out her phone.
"Tell her to get one that's not psycho this time even if he is pretty," Riley muttered. Mac chuckled. Riley looked down confused.
"Mac, what are you laughing at?"
"It's ok...I can build a leg...cool too...laser...hydrolic…" Mac's eyes floated closed, and he was out.