So… this chapter is pretty short but I wanted to get it out there because I really am planning on finishing this fic! I PROMISE! I'm just dealing with some mental health issues and so updating is sooooo difficult. I love everyone who has stuck with me this long and those who still pop in to review! Your support and reviews are very appreciated. I hope this chapter (as short as it is) will give you a bit of hope that I really will finish the story. :P
Chapter 28
"I feel stupid enough."
Mac's words echoed in Jack's head. Stupid. That was one thing the kid wasn't. Yet he felt stupid. He felt stupid because he couldn't remember anything. He felt stupid because he didn't know who Jack was. He felt stupid because of what Gabel did to him. Right then and there, Jack had sworn he was going to kill Gabel the second he could get his hands on the guy— whether the CIA liked it or not.
"Jack!" A terrified scream came from the hall. Jack was up in seconds, wiping the tears from his cheeks and adjusting his shirt as Riley came in the room. "Mac's gone."
"What do you mean Mac's gone?" Jack asked, following Riley into the hall and toward the medical wing. The panic was already rising in his chest. How much trouble could the kid get himself into in a matter of minutes?
"Bozer went to go see him and the room was empty. There's just a note on the wall," Riley explained, breaking into a jog as Jack's pace quickened.
"How the hell does the kid get out the Phoenix foundation without being spotted?" Jack snapped. The Phoenix had top security, it should be near impossible for the kid to sneak out without being seen.
"I dunno Jack, but we have security on all floors. He's not here."
Jack swore. Mac didn't even remember he was a government agent, yet somehow he had managed to sneak out of one of the most secure buildings in LA without this knowledge. The kid was smart— too smart sometimes.
When they reached the room Mac had been staying in, it looked pretty much the same as it had when Mac was still there. The only difference was that there was a note scrawled across the blank pieces of paper Mac had been given earlier and taped to the wall above the bed.
The letters were big and messy, so big that Mac had needed to use 7 pieces of paper to write his message: Sorry. I had an idea and had to leave.
If it weren't for the frustration, Jack might have laughed at the note. It was so typical of Mac to just "have an idea" and work it from there. The kid never planned or explained. He just took the ideas that came to mind and went with them. Unfortunately, this idea might put the kid in serious danger considering his medical condition.
"Where's he going, Dalton?" Came a voice from behind Jack.
Jack turned to see Matty, clearly just as confused as Jack. Her face was flushed and tired as she took in the state of the room. Everyone was approaching emotional and physical burnout— if they hadn't already reached that point by now.
"I don't know. I don't know what's going on in the kid's head…" Jack trailed off, turning back to the note and furrowing his brow. He scrubbed his face, begging his brain to latch onto something. There had to be some sort of clue as to where Mac was going.
Matty pursed her lips. "If anyone knows where he is, it's going to be you, Jack. You know the way Mac works under stress better than anyone else here."
Jack nodded absently and closed his eyes. He was just so exhausted. Ever since the mission had begun, he'd been on an emotional rollercoaster. From trying to keep Mac safe to trying to comfort the agent after the trauma he'd been through, Jack had barely had time to comfort himself. After this was all over, he was going to take a nice long bubble bath with a sparkly bath bomb or something. This was all getting too much.
"Jack?" Matty asked, pulling Jack from his thoughts.
Jack opened his eyes, "I might have an idea…"
