MacGyver Alternate Universe
Chapter 10
AFTER A LONG FLIGHT HOME
Mac opens the door and walks inside his house, to find Bozer and Leanna in the kitchen, smiling and laughing. Mac always thought that those two were cute, and he is very happy for them. When he claps his hands to get their attention, he sees them jump a little.
"Ayy, there he is!" Bozer says as he hugs Mac. "Do I wanna know how it was in China?" Bozer asks as Mac gives Leanna a hug.
"Exhausting. But, everything went well. Without Riley's help, we couldn't have made it." Mac says.
"How was she?" Leanna asks with a smile.
"Well, she was scared obviously. But she did everything right. And it's because of her that there isn't a World War happening right now." Mac says. "I have been thinking about something. What if Riley worked at the Phoenix? We could use someone like her, after….Nikki."
"You think she would accept after Murdoc and the Collective?" Bozer asks. Mac shrugs.
"She doesn't have to be in the field. But if she wants, we can teach her. She doesn't have to go to spy school. You can tell her everything. With Leanna and Jack, she can practice martial arts. I'm just gonna suggest this to Matty." Mac says.
"Alright bro. Hey, the machine you've been building for snowing, I moved it in the back. And don't worry, I was careful." Bozer says.
"Thanks. Which reminds me, I have to go to the store to buy some stuff for the snow. Just need to take a quick shower." Mac says.
"I can't wait to see Riley's reaction." Leanna says getting excited. Mac smiles and nods.
"Me too." He says.
He leaves them in the kitchen and goes to his room. He sits on his bed, thinking about everything that happened in China. Building a satellite dish, going in the Chinese central command, kissing Riley on the cheek. Mac smiled when he thought of that. He was extremely nervous about today. He knows Riley will love the snow, but him telling her how he feels, does kind of scare him. Because what if she doesn't feel the same way? What if he is in the friend zone? But Jack said that he is one of the most important people in Riley's life. So that brings down the stress a little bit.
Mac grabs a towel and takes a quick shower. He quickly dries up, dresses up and gets ready to go to the store. Since the store's not that far away, he decides to go by foot. He gets out of his room, and smells some pastrami.
"Hey, Mac. Jack called, they are gonna be here in 20 minutes. So you better go to the store quick." Bozer says. Mac puts on his shoes, takes his wallet and puts on a hat so he doesn't catch a cold since he just came out of the shower.
"Alright, I'm off." Mac calls out.
"See ya." Leanna says.
AT THE STORE
He arrives at the store, takes a cart and starts searching for the stuff he needs. As he searches through the store, he thinks about every possible scenario that could happen tonight. She could walk away, not saying a word. She could slap him and walk away also not saying a word. She could just give him a simple "okay" and that's it. She could say that they are just friends, or that he is like a brother to her. Or maybe she could say the same thing he will. That she feels the same way, then maybe they will kiss. He's never admitted his feeling to a girl, and he is scared if he says something wrong and screws it up. So he starts whispering the things he is gonna say.
"Hey, Riley, I really like you and…no, no, no, come on, Mac! Hey, Riley, I have something to tell you. I am in love with you….No, Mac! You idiot…that's bullshit!" Mac whispers. The people that walk past him are all wondering what is going on with him.
"Hey, Riley, I um…really, really…" Mac trails off as he hears someone call him name.
"Mac?" Mac turns around and a person he didn't expect to see in LA since he lives in NYC. Steve Harrison. Steve is Mac's friend from MIT. They haven't seen each other in a long time. The last time was before Mac went to Afghanistan.
"Steve?" Mac goes over and hugs his friend tightly. "How are you, man?" Mac asks.
"I'm pretty good, brother, how are you?" Steve asks.
"I'm great. It's good to see you. How's life going for you?" Mac asks.
"It's been alright. Came here for a few days. This is my wife, Angela. Angela, this is Mac, a friend from MIT." Steve says. Mac and Angela shake hands.
"Nice to meet you." Angela says with a smile.
"Likewise." Mac says.
"Still working in a think tank?" Steve asks. Mac nods.
"Yep. Working on new projects and stuff every day, it's exhausting." Mac says as he laughs.
"Well, good for you man. Hey, listen, we have to be somewhere so we better get going. Why don't we meet up for some coffee one day, catch up on things." Steve says.
"You got it. Nice seeing you, Steve." Mac says as he hugs him.
"You two, brother. And by the way, who is Riley?" Steve asks. "Everybody is watching you while you are whispering something." He laughs slightly.
"I'll tell you when we meet for some coffee." Mac says. They say goodbye, and Mac continues to shop. He won't be whispering anymore though, since every eyes are on him. He really embarrassed himself.
He found everything he needed, and brought himself a small chocolate bar so he can eat on the way back. He hasn't ate since they went to Shanghai. So yeah, he was starved. He gets out of the store as he opens the candy bar. On his way home though, he has a feeling he is being followed since he left the store. He finished his candy bar and threw away the trash. He glances behind him to see a guy with a black jacket and a black hat walking in his direction. Maybe he is just being paranoid.
But just to be sure, he sees an ally way coming up. He walks in the ally way and quickly hides behind the wall. He takes a peek and sees that the person is gone. He will admit he was a bit scared, since Murdoc is somewhere out there. As he is about to continue to walk back home, someone pokes him from behind. He quickly turns around and sees the person with the black jacket.
"Boo." He lifts his hand and hits Mac in the head. And that's the last thing Mac remembers when he wakes up on a chair tied up. He feels a sharp pain in his right arm. His vision is blurry but if he had to guess, there is a needle in his arm. 'Probably drugged' Mac thinks.
"Oh, you're awake. Lovely." 'That voice…I know that voice…' Mac lifts his head up. He is so numb from the drug, he can barely move. His vision gets a little better, and he can see the man's face now. And it's not a face he wanted to see.
"Murdoc." Mac mutters.
"The one and only." Murdoc says with that stupid smile he always makes. "It's been a while, Angus." Mac squeezes his eyes shut as he knows what's coming. He opens his eyes and looks around, searching for a way out of this. But he realizes that Murdoc picked the same kind of rope that was around Diane's scarf in Vancouver. That rope couldn't be cut with scissors. It needed leverage. So, he doesn't know how he will get out of this one. 'Great…'
He also sees that there is another person tied up to a chair as well a bit far next to him.
"Murdoc, you're not gonna get away with this. Jack and the others will come." Mac says weakly.
"Oh, I really hope so. That is my plan." Murdoc says as he takes out his phone. 'What?'
"What do you mean?" Mac asks.
"Calm down, MacGyver. Story time later." Murdoc says. Mac sighs and then tries to form a fist. But he can't even squeeze. This drug is ruining him. He looks up, left and right. They were in a big warehouse. The two of them were in the middle of the warehouse, and Murdoc was in front of them away with his phone. Probably telling his client that he has the other guy.
He looks over to the other guy. Mac has never seen someone as scared as this guy. He was trembling, eyes watery, he also has bruises on his face. 'Murdoc gave him a beating while I was unconscious probably…' Mac says to himself. He was breathing shakily, and he was wet. Wet from….'Gasoline?'
#
Mac thought he smelled gasoline when he woke up, that's because the guy next to him was covered in that stuff. He sees the guy tense up, shaking his head and with closed eyes mumbling something Mac couldn't understand.
"Alright, Jeffrey," Murdoc says as he turns around to face the guy. His name is Jeffrey apparently. "I would love to continue to have our fun but as you can see…" Murdoc says as he glances at Mac.
"Please, don't do this." Jeffrey sobs. Mac sees Murdoc reaching behind him. 'A gun' Nope. Murdoc takes out a lighter, lights it up and throws it in Jeffrey's lap which sets him on fire.
"NO! NO!" Jeffrey screams as the flames cover him. Mac has never witnessed something like this. When he saw Jeffrey moving while the flames were on him, burning him alive, hearing him scream, he started trembling, panicking. He has never heard a person scream this loud before.
Mac looked away. He couldn't watch. He didn't want to watch. 'Am I up next?' Mac heard Murdoc approach him. 'No, please…' But Murdoc didn't do anything to him…yet. He just grabbed Mac's head and pointed it towards Jeffrey. Mac caught a glimpse of him moving and screaming under those flames before he closed his eyes shut. He felt weak because of the drug and he couldn't get his head out from Murdoc's hands.
Murdoc saw that Mac closed his eyes and smiled. 'Oh, you are gonna watch.' With his thumbs he opens Mac's eyes. Mac couldn't do anything now. He couldn't close his eyes and couldn't move his head away. And now he was just staring at Jeffrey being burned alive. He can see that Jeffrey's body is turning black with some places red because of his flesh.
This was torture. And that's what Murdoc loves. Mac let out some tears when he saw Jeffrey slowly stopping to move and his screams started going quiet. It wasn't long before he stopped screaming and moving. Mac just watched someone being burned alive. Murdoc lets go of Mac's head, only to go grab a fire extinguisher and put out the fire remaining on Jeffrey's body.
"What a beautiful sight, right?" Murdoc says.
"You're sick…" Mac whispers shakily. Murdoc just laughs. Mac has never met a guy like Murdoc, and he thinks he never will either. This guy is something else. He is the freaking Devil. Murdoc puts down the fire extinguisher and gets behind Jeffrey's burned body. Murdoc grabs the chair in which Jeffrey's body is sitting and starts dragging him to a door at the back. Mac glances at them, and he sees Jeffrey again. His whole body is black. It looks like if you touch it, it will fall into ashes.
#
Mac was just sitting there, alone while Murdoc went outside. He starts turning and twisting his arms, trying to get them out. But it's no use. This rope is unbelievably strong, and he was tied up tightly. There's no way of getting out of here by himself. The scenes of Jeffrey just keep popping up in his head. They won't go away…and they never will go away. That moment is gonna be stuck inside Mac's head for the rest of his life.
Without help he is not going anywhere. Who knows if Jack comes on time to save him. 'Jack…' Jack, Riley and the others are probably waiting for him right now. They are probably laughing their asses off because of Bozer's jokes. Mac hopes they realize that he has been gone for too long and start looking for him. Because if they don't, he is a dead man. And his death will probably be terribly painful.
He hears the door of the warehouse open and he sees Murdoc approach him holding a suitcase. He puts the suitcase on the table and opens it. Mac can't quite see what's in there because of Murdoc in the way, but he sees Murdoc taking out a pair of scissors and putting them on the table. 'What's he gonna do with scissors…' Mac asks himself. Well, from what he saw Murdoc do to Jeffrey, he is not counting out anything.
Murdoc starts approaching him and Mac was really scared. Really, really scared. Mac keeps his head down, not making eye contact with Murdoc. Murdoc arrives right in front of him and just stands there. Mac had no idea what was happening. He decided to lift his head up and see Murdoc, only when he did that he received a backhand slap from him.
"Oh, damn that felt good!" Murdoc says. Mac started breathing heavily when he heard that stupid happy voice. He was now furious and scared at the same time. He felt Murdoc grabbing his T-Shirt and starting to cut it from the bottom. He cuts it to the top, and then moves on to the sleeves so he can easily grab the T-Shirt and take it off from the back. Which he does.
"How is Riley, huh?" Murdoc asks as he walks around Mac. "Did she forgive you yet?" Mac was just remaining silent. The last thing he wants is a conversation with Murdoc about Riley.
"You know what MacGyver? How about I make you an offer?" Murdoc asks as he takes a chair and sits in front of Mac. 'What does this prick have to offer me?' Mac asks himself. "You could join me. Me and you. We will be unstoppable team. Killing people that deserve to die. I wouldn't turn down an offer like that. Would you?" Murdoc asks. Mac lifts his head up so he can look Murdoc in the eyes while saying this.
"I would never join you, you sick prick." He says.
"Oh, you would, if you have no choice." Murdoc says as he stands up. "Now," he says as he takes off his gloves, "time to have some fun." His evil smile appears on his face. 'Here we go…'.
Well, that wasn't the worst. Mac took a couple of punches to the face and stomach. He is used to that. But he knows Murdoc is taking this slowly. He is not done yet. Murdoc goes over to the suitcase and takes out a…knife. 'Shit…' Mac mutters to himself. Murdoc can see the fear in Mac's eyes everytime. And that makes him want to hurt him even more.
"I see fear in those eyes, Angus. That turns me on." Murdoc says with a smile.
"Just get me untied and I'll cool you off." Mac says. Which is not true. And he knows that. 'Why did I even say that…'
"Hohohoho. Let me tell you something, Angus. You should not be threatening the guy that can do anything he wants to you, as you just sit there." Murdoc says. He puts the knife on Mac's right upper arm, and drags it up, making a long thin cut. Mac hisses at the pain.
Murdoc sees a drop of blood flow down from the cut down Mac's arm. "You have no idea how much I'm enjoying this, MacGyver." Murdoc says with a laugh. Mac winces. He can't do anything. He is defeated at the moment. He just hopes his friends come through that door before Murdoc gets bored and finishes everything. But Murdoc's plan is for them to get here and save Mac. That still confuses him.
Murdoc sees Mac lost in his thoughts. And he knows how to make him come back to reality. Mac still in his thoughts facing the floor doesn't notice Murdoc back up in front of him slightly. Murdoc is just far away from Mac so he can swing is knife and make a small thin cut on the left side of Mac's chest just above the scar he got in Italy. And he does and Mac groans loud at the pain.
He does the same thing on the right sight of his chest. Mac breaths furiously, like a werewolf. Mac glances at Murdoc with pure fire in his eyes now. The fear is not completely gone, but it has been overtaken with rage and anger.
Murdoc drops the knife and takes out a lighter. He lights it up and Mac's eyes go wide. When he sees fire, he sees Jeffrey. That's when the fear overtook the rage and anger. Mac starts shaking as Murdoc approaches him.
"I've never done this to anyone, so apologies if it hurts." Murdoc says sarcastically. Murdoc puts the fire on the cut that is on Mac's right upper arm and he goes up and down. That must really hurt, because Mac screams loud. He probably never screamed in pain like this before.
"Stop!" Mac yells. But Murdoc doesn't. He keeps the fire on the cut for another 5 seconds and then finally closes the lighter. Mac screams and groans at the pain. He looks over and sees the cut is black and the skin around it is burned. His eyes are watery because of the pain. He hears Murdoc laughing as he goes back to the table. Then Murdoc comes back with two wires in his hands that had been cut. He places them on Mac's chest and with some tape, sticks them on there. He goes back to the table, and then Mac feels electricity hitting him. He screams in pain and quickly it stops.
"Fantastic. It works." Murdoc says. He approaches Mac and kneels before him looking him straight in the eyes. "You know, maybe after I'm done with you and the Phoenix, I might as well go and get Riley, no? Have some fun with her if you know what I mean." Murdoc says with a smile. Mac's eyes go wide at words that came out of Murdoc's mouth. Mac tries to jump towards Murdoc but it's no use.
"I swear, if you touch her I will…" Mac is interrupted by Murdoc.
"You'll do what? Come back from the dead so you can kill me?" Murdoc asks. "We aren't in The Walking Dead, Angus." He says and he laughs.
That's when Mac hears a familiar sound. His phone is ringing. 'Jack…' They must've realized that he's been gone for a long time. They both turn towards Mac's jacket where the noise was coming from. Mac smiles but that smile doesn't last long after what he hears Murdoc say.
"Finally! It was about time!" Murdoc says. He stands up and goes to get the phone from the Jacket. He comes back and answers but stays quiet.
"Hey, man. Where are you?" Mac hears Jack ask. Murdoc mutes the mic and points his gun towards Mac.
"Make a sound and you're dead." Murdoc says. Mac keeps his mouth shut and just hopes Jack shows up here after this call. "Smile." Murdoc says as he requests a video chat with Jack. By the sound the phone makes, Mac knows that Jack accepted the request. The next thing he hears is something breaking.
"Mac!" Jack shouts. Murdoc has his gun pointed at Mac, so he remains quiet. Plus, Murdoc has his mic muted do even if he talks it's no use. Then he hears multiple gasps. The others must've heard Jack and came to him. Murdoc unmutes the mic and turns the camera to show himself.
"Why hello there Phoenix. How are you all doing on this lovely evening." Murdoc says.
"What did you do to him?" Mac hears Jack growl.
"Oh, Angus and I had a little fun before you called. Well…I did, I don't know about him." Murdoc replies.
"You are dead, you son of a bitch!" Jack shouts. Murdoc wanted to show them that it is a mistake to threaten him, so he presses the button that's in his hand, and Mac gets hit with electricity. He screams in pain. His face is probably red and he thinks his head will explode. The electrocuting continues for more seconds until he hears a familiar voice yell.
"Stop, please!" When Murdoc heard Riley's voice, he released the button and Mac stopped screaming. He couldn't see Riley cause it was Murdoc facing the screen.
"Is that Riley I hear? My BFF's girlfriend?" Murdoc glances at Mac which he was looking at him with a death stare. "So that's why you brought all of that stuff from the store. You were gonna make it snow for her. How cute." Mac closes his eyes. 'Well…there goes that…' Mac should've known that Murdoc will say that. And now he doesn't want to look at the phone, so he just looks down.
"Oh…I guess the surprise is ruined now." Murdoc says.
"What do you want, Murdoc?" Jack asks?
"Oh, I think you know what I want, Jack. I want to watch the Phoenix Foundation burn down with every single living soul in it. So, I'm making a team. Contacted some friends, this and that." Murdoc says. Mac is hearing that for the first time. Murdoc never mentioned that while he was torturing him.
"You and I both know you don't have friends, Doc. And nobody will join your stupid little team. Everybody is against you. Now, if you do something else to Mac, I swear to God, you are gonna wish you never lived!" Jack shouts. Murdoc's face fell and all Mac could see was anger.
"Let me tell you something Jacky boy. Those who are not with me, are against me!" Murdoc says with a raised voice. "And, I crush anyone…" Murdoc presses the button and electricity hits Mac again, making him scream loud "…who stands against me!" Murdoc says and he hangs up. He keeps holding the button for a few seconds before he releases.
"Everything is going as I planned." Murdoc says.
"What plan?!" Mac shouts. Murdoc stops whatever he was doing and faces Mac.
"I made it real easy for your friends to find us. And when they all get here inside, I will be watching in delight from the warehouse on the opposite side." Murdoc says but he left the big part out. "I wish we could continue but I have to go and get my popcorn ready. Ciao." Murdoc says as he takes his suitcase and gets out of the warehouse.
Mac was all alone now with his thoughts. What did Murdoc mean? 'I will be watching in delight' said Murdoc. And what does Murdoc love to watch. People die. So he is probably gonna kill us all. And the most logical way to kill us all while we are all in the warehouse…is with a bomb. So there is a bomb somewhere in this building, and Mac can't warn his friends. The bomb is probably with a timer since he didn't see a detonator with Murdoc. The problem is that he doesn't know the time. What he needs to do is get out of this chair, find the bomb and deactivate it before the others get here. He leans down and with his teeth, he takes out the needle from his hand. He groans because it hurts. Everything hurts. But now it's not the time to complain.
AFTER THE PHONE CALL, AT MAC'S HOUSE
"NOO!" Jack yells after Murdoc hanged up. He just stares at the black screen on his phone. They were having fun, laughing and eating while Mac was getting tortured by Murdoc. 'I should've called sooner…' Jack says to himself as he brings a fist to his forehead and closes his eyes shut. He then turns around to see everyone else. Riley was crying in Diane's shoulder, Bozer was cursing under his breath, Leanna had her hands cover her mouth while looking down on the floor, and Matty was just staring at Jack.
Jack saw cuts on Mac's chest and right arm. He had bruises everywhere, and he was bleeding from his nose. Not to mention he had two wires on his chest and Murdoc electrocuted him in front of their eyes. They were all just standing there, feeling useless.
It's like Jack's mouth was closed shut. He couldn't say anything to the other after that phone call. Riley calmed down a bit as Diane was slowly stroking her hair. Riley got out of Diane's embrace and rushes to the hall. When she gets back, Jack sees her laptop in his hands. Nobody knows what she is doing, and nobody got time to ask because she says something that is not good.
"Call can't be traced." Riley says with a shaky voice. "I'll try the traffic cameras at the store. See where Murdoc got Mac." Riley finishes.
"Good idea." Matty adds. Riley goes and sits down at the table. Before she starts typing, she wipes the tears from her cheeks. There is now way she will let Murdoc kill Mac. She is going to find them if it's the last thing she does, and then finally put Murdoc away for good.
They wait for a minute for Riley to hack the traffic cameras. When she did, everbody gathered behind her. She finds a camera that shows the entrance to the house and rewinds it.
"There." Bozer points to the screen. And there is Mac. Leaving the store with a smile. "Follow him." Riley started switching from camera to camera. While they were following Mac, they noticed a person in a black jacket has been behind him since he got out of the store. They see Mac look behind him and speed up a little.
"That must be Murdoc following him." Leanna says. They see the person turn into an ally way, and Mac turns into the next one. Maybe if he turned around before he turned in the ally way, this wouldn't have happened. Riley switches to a camera that has a clear view of the ally way. They see Mac hiding against the wall, peeking to see if he's still being followed. Then they see the person appear behind Mac. They see him poke Mac from behind, and when Mac turns, the person knocks him out.
"Son of a bitch." Jack whispers. They see Murdoc drag Mac like he is a piece of trash, and puts him in a car in the backseat. They see Murdoc get in the driver seat and he drives off. Riley is switching from camera to camera, following Murdoc as he drives across LA. The windows of the back doors on the car and dark, so no one spots Mac tied up in the back.
Murdoc turns into an ally way and stops the car. He gets out of the car, and goes into a building.
"He isn't taking, Mac." Bozer says. Murdoc left Mac in the car while he was in the building doing God knows what. After a few minutes, they see Murdoc opening the door with a kick as he drags another person with him. But this person is conscious. He is trying to fight Murdoc, but he is tied up with a tape on his mouth. Murdoc puts him in the back seat with Mac and they are off. Riley follows them for 10 minutes, and then Murdoc makes a turn and Riley can't follow him anymore cause there are no cameras in that area.
"I lost him. There are no cameras in the area that entered." Riley says.
"Alright, let's go there and search." Jack says. He goes over to the counter to get his keys from the GTO. He sees Bozer, Leanna and Matty getting ready, and he also sees Riley getting ready. "Hey, hey, Ri, what are you doing?" Jack asks.
"I'm coming with you." Riley answers.
"That's not happening." Jack says. "This is Murdoc we are talking about. I am not letting you near…"
"I'm coming Jack!" Riley interrupts him. "And you can't stop me. Now let's go save Mac and put that monster behind bars." Riley says as she walks out of the house. Bozer and Leanna shrug at Jack as they follow Riley.
Jack goes over to Diane. "I'll keep her safe. I promise."
"I know you will." Diane says. Jack smiles at her and goes to his GTO where Riley, Leanna, Bozer and Matty are waiting. Jack is breaking every single traffic rule. He keeps passing cars as they beep at him, but with Matty by his side, the cops won't be a problem. They get stopped 2 or 3 times by them, but like Jack said, Matty is with them. They arrive at the area where Murdoc turned, and see two warehouses. They get out of the car and spot the car Murdoc drove.
Jack starts walking towards the right warehouse. "What makes you think it's that one?" Bozer asks.
"Right is always right." Jack says as he takes out his gun. "Stay there."
Mac, meanwhile tried everything. He tried to cut the rope with his teeth, but nothing. Tried to get out by moving and twisting his hands, but nothing. 'I have to get out. I have to!' he says to himself and he tries harder and harder but nothing. He screams in frustration. That's when he hears a familiar engine outside the warehouse. 'A GTO…Jack…no, no, no…' Mac tries again to pull the hand out from the rope, but he feels like his wrist is about to get ripped off.
Mac hears the door of the warehouse opening. When he glances at the door, he sees Jack with a gun in his hand. "Mac! Guys, he's in here!" Jack says. "He's in here?"
"No." Mac replies as Bozer, Leanna, Matty and Riley get in the warehouse. 'Riley? What is she doing here?!' Mac wonders. Next thing he knows that she is in front of him.
"Are you okay?" Riley asks as she puts her hand on his cheek. God he loves her touch. But then he remembers that they are in danger.
"You guys have got to get out of here. Murdoc planted a bomb somewhere in here and I'm pretty sure it's activated. He lured you guys into a trap!" Mac says. They all glance at each other with wide eyes.
"Where is it?" Jack asks.
"I don't know. Please you guys got to get out of here." Mac says. Jack looks at the ropes on Mac's hands and he sees that it's the same kind of rope that the Collective used to kill Diane. It's not gonna be easy getting Mac out of here. So he has only one idea left.
"Alright, Bozer, Leanna and me will start searching for the bomb. Matty, Riley go outside." Jack says. Bozer and Leanna nod and split up.
"I'm staying with Mac." Riley says as she takes a hold of his hand.
"Ri, please listen to me." Jack says.
"You all should get out." Mac says.
"Not a chance, man. We are not leaving you." Jack says.
"That's right. We are not leaving you." Riley says, also trying to say to Jack that she isn't going outside. Jack groans and starts searching for the bomb. Matty sees Mac's jacket on the floor and starts approaching it.
"Riley," Mac squeezes her hand, "you have to get out of here, please." Mac says. Riley looks him in his blue eyes and shakes her head.
"No." she covers his hand with both of hers. "Never." Riley finishes. They stare at each other eyes, before Mac saw Riley take a quick look at his lips. 'Could this lead to something?' Mac asks himself. Then Matty comes over with Mac's SAK which she got from his jacket and gives it to Riley.
"Start cutting the rope. Maybe it will work." Matty says. Riley wastes no time and gets to it.
"I found the bomb!" Bozer says. Matty hears him over the comms.
"Bozer found the bomb." Matty takes out her phone and calls him. Bozer answers and now Mac can guide him in disarming the bomb.
"What does the timer say?" Mac asks.
"1 minute." Bozer responds.
"Matty, Murdoc is in the opposite warehouse." Mac says and Matty nods.
"Jack, Leanna, go get him." Matty says.
"Copy."
"Alright, Boze, tell me what you see." Mac says. Riley is trying her best to cut the rope and it's kind of working.
"Five wires. But all in the same color." Bozer says. Mac can hear the fear in his voice. Mac needs to think, about every lesson Pena has thought him. He surely had practiced a bomb with the same wires. "Thirty seconds, Mac!"
"Not helping!" Mac says. 'Come on, Mac, think!' And he got it. "Bozer, try and feel every wire. The one that will have to two bumps is it!" He hears Bozer exhale and now just waits for him to find the wire.
"You said two or three?" Bozer asks.
"Two."
"Are you one hundred percent sure?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, cutting the wire now." Everybody holds their breath and prays. If that's not it, they die instantly, if that's it, they'll go home. They hear Bozer cut the wire and….nothing happens. "Timer stopped at 0:03." Bozer says with a shaky but a happy voice.
Riley jumps in happiness and hugs Mac carefully, while Matty grins. Ten she hears something over her comms.
"Don't move!" Jack shouts. They made it to the warehouse, carefully so they don't get spotted. And they didn't. They made their way quietly to the top floor to find Murdoc sitting in a chair watching the opposite warehouse through a window. He was far though, so that's why he didn't see Jack and Leanna.
"Stand up and put your hands behind your head." Leanna orders. Murdoc slowly stands up and puts his hands behind his head. Jack puts the gun away and approaches him.
"If he moves, put one in him." Jack says as he grabs Murdoc's hands. He puts them behind his back and cuffs him. He turns him over to see a disappointed and angry look on Murdoc's face. "Not so happy now, huh Looney Tunes?" Jack says and for fun, punches Murdoc hard.
When Jack handed Murdoc to other Phoenix agents, he went back into the warehouse to see Riley finally cutting the ropes from Mac's hands. When Mac tries stand up, he winces and puts his hand on his ribs. 'A couple are broken' Jack says to himself. He goes over to help him stand up.
"We saw Murdoc taking another guy with you. Where is he?" Jack asks. Mac stops walking and starts breathing shakily. It wasn't hard to notice. When Jack saw his eyes, he saw only fear. 'What the hell?'
"Mac?" Riley adds.
"Um…he is in that…room." Mac says with a shaky voice and points to the door at the back. Bozer switches places with Jack as Jack goes to get the other guy. Only when he gets in the room, he finds a burned body on a chair. 'Oh my God…' And from the way Mac reacted when Jack asked where the guy was, he knows what happened.
THE HOSPITAL
Jack and other Phoenix agents took Murdoc to a blacksite. Bozer, Leanna, Riley, Diane and Matty waited for some news from the doctors on Mac. A few minutes later, the nurse came out of Mac's room. They all stand up and face her.
"He's gonna be fine. Two broken ribs and the big cut on his arm was burned." 'Yikes' Bozer says to himself. "We needed to clean that. He was also drugged with antihistamines, so we are getting it out of his system now. Because of the broken ribs, he'll stay here for 2 days." The nurse says.
"Can we see him?" Riley asks.
"Of course." The nurse says with a smile. They nod and all enter the room to find Mac laying in bed, parts of his face covered in bruises. He smiles at them as they enter the room. Riley takes a seat next to the bed, while the others stand.
"Jack and other Phoenix agents are taking Murdoc to a blacksite." Matty says.
"I'm glad that's over." Mac says. "And couldn't you guys realize I was gone for a long time a bit sooner? Or was Bozer telling you a story or something?" Mac jokes. They all let out a small laugh and then Jack enters the room.
"What's the news?" Jack asks.
"Two broken ribs and a burn on my right arm. Need to stay here for 2 days because of the ribs." Mac says.
"Alright. Anyway, Murdoc is safely placed in the blacksite. He won't see the sunlight again, and we ain't gonna see him again." Jack says with a smile. But his smile fades when he remembers that he wanted to talk about the other guy that he found. "Can you guys give me and Mac a minute alone?" Jack asks. Everyone gives him a look of confusion.
"Yes. Let's go everyone. Diane, Riley I would like to talk to you outside please." Matty says. And she gives them a smile to show that it is nothing bad. But a big opportunity for them. When they leave Jack and Mac alone in the room, she turns to them.
"How would you two like a job at the Phoenix?" Matty asks. They both look shocked by that question.
"What?" Diane asks. Matty laughs a bit.
"Riley, your skills are something I have never seen before. The way you hack things so easily, you could be a big part of the Phoenix Foundation. You don't have to be in the field if you don't want to, of course, but if you want to, you have Jack, Mac, Bozer, Leanna and me to teach you everything there is to know to become an agent." Matty says. "And Diane, our tour guy had just taken an offer for another job. How would you like to show guests our think tank?" Matty asks with a smile.
Riley can't believe this is happening. Her last job was a living hell. The costumers being assholes. But now, she has a chance to work with the people she loves the most. How could she turn down this offer? She looks over to her mom, and gives her a nod.
"We would love to." Diane replies. Matty's smile grows even wider.
She shakes their hands and says "Welcome to the Phoenix Foundation."
"What's up, Jack?" Mac asks. Jack has a sad look on his face. He exhales and takes a sit next to the bed where Riley was previously sitting.
"I need you to talk to me." Jack replies. Mac furrows his eyebrows.
"About what?" he asks.
"About the guy I found in the back room in the warehouse." Jack answers. Mac goes pale as his look of confusion turns into a look of fear. "Dealing with it alone is gonna make it worse. Talking to somebody about it will make it easier. So talk to me, buddy." Jack says as he grabs Mac's hand and squeezes.
#
Mac remains quiet for a few seconds as he is looking down. He gulps before he starts to speak. "When I woke up, tied up on that chair…I saw him next to me. His name was Jeffrey, I don't know if he was a criminal or something. Then I realized he was covered in gasoline. He begged Murdoc, he was trembling, breathing shakily so much….and Murdoc just threw a lighter in his lap." Mac says. Jack winces as he imagined the scene. "I looked away, but…." A tear slides down Mac's cheek, "the sick bastard caught my head and turned it towards Jeffrey, and he opened my eyes. I couldn't fight because of the drug, and I was there….being forced to watch a human being burned alive, Jack. The way he screamed, the way he was moving while the flames were burning him, his body after…." Mac ends with a shaky voice. He couldn't talk anymore.
'He forced Mac…' All Jack wants to do know is go back to the blacksite and end Murdoc's life. Jack knows that Mac will have that image in his brain for a long time, and it's gonna take him a while before he recovers. Jack hops on the bed and brings Mac's head to his chest, letting him sob. He hates seeing Mac like this cause he is one of the strongest people Jack knows. But Murdoc really broke him.
2 DAYS LATER, DIANE'S APARTMENT
"Ri, we are gonna make you the most badass women out there! Mac can teach you some weird stuff," Jack says and Riley laughs at that, "I'll teach you how to break someone's nose if they piss you off, Leanna will teach you every other martial art there is, and Bozer….Bozer can't teach you anything for the field honestly." Jack says and Riley laughs hard.
"Thanks, Jack, I'm really excited about this. My last job was Hell, but now I get to work with the people I love. And saving lives in the process." Riley says with a smile.
"That's my girl!" Jack says and hugs her tight.
"Who's ready for some chocolate cake?" Diane calls happily.
"Uh, us." Jack says sounding like it was obvious. "Hey, Ri, how about you take the car and drop some chocolate cake to Mac." Jack says as he fills his glass with water.
"Okay, sure." Riley says and she didn't even hesitate. Diane gives her two pieces in a box. Riley grabs the car keys and she is off. Jack knows Riley wants to see Mac, but that's not the only reason he sent her there.
"You think she'll like it?" Diane asks.
"No, she'll love it." Jack says. Diane grins and kisses Jack on the lips.
Riley arrives at Mac's house. She knows now that Mac leaves his door unlocked so she goes in. She puts the cake on the kitchen counter. She goes to the living room, but he isn't there. She goes to his bedroom, knocks before opening the door, but he's not there either. The bathroom door is fully open so he can't be in there, so she checks the one place she hasn't checked yet. The balcony. And there he is staring at the city lights. The fire is out surprisingly to Riley. Mac has a blanket on him with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Hey, Mac." Riley says as he approaches him. He turns around and smiles when he sees her.
"Hey." He says as they hug. Mac's ribs are still healing so Riley is very careful with the hugs.
"How are you feeling?" Riley asks.
"Better. Was hoping for a great and beautiful Christmas though, kind of disappointed we didn't have that." Mac says.
"I'm just glad you're safe and okay." Riley says as she puts a hand on Mac's left bicep. "I brought some chocolate cake. Do you want some?" Riley asks.
"Yes, please. I'm starving." Mac says. Riley laughs and she goes to the kitchen. She grabs to plates, put one piece on each plate, and goes back to the balcony. While they eat in silence, Riley asks something.
"Were you really gonna make it snow for me?" Riley asks. Mac, who was looking at the cake, freezes. A sad look takes over his face.
"Jack told me you never had a white Christmas before. So I wanted it to be a surprise. But then Murdoc happened. I'm sorry…" Mac says quietly. When he glanced at Riley though, he saw a grin on her face. A big one. She leans in and gives him a soft and beautiful kiss on the cheek. Mac's cheeks are like two tomatoes.
"Knowing you would have done that is enough for me." Riley says with a smile. And he returns one. He finishes eating his cake and puts the plate down.
"I'll be right back, gonna get myself a glass of water." Mac says as he gets up. In the process he groans quietly cause of the ribs.
"No, sit, I'll get some for you." Riley says as she puts her cake down.
"No, please. I need to start moving around or I'm gonna lose my mind." Mac says with a laugh. Riley sighs and sits back down. She picks up the plate and finishes her cake. She puts the plate down and glances at the beautiful city lights. 'LA is amazing' she says to herself. Then she feels something cold hitting her face. She wipes it off and her fingers are wet. Then she spots something white on her sleeve. 'A snowflake…'
When she looks up, snow is coming down everywhere on the balcony from the roof. She stands up slowly and covers her mouth with her hands as tears are starting to form in her eyes. Mac appears from the corner with a grin and a remote in his hand.
"Mac…" she doesn't know what to say. She is speechless. For the first time in her life she is lost for words. Mac stands in front of her.
"You knowing that I would have made it snow for you isn't enough for me. I had to make it snow for you." Mac says. Riley lets the tears fall down her cheeks. Riley wraps her arms around Mac's neck and hugs him. Mac closes his eyes and smiles. This feeling was the best feeling in the world for him. He puts his arms around her and holds her for a long time.
"Thank you." Riley says as they break apart.
"You are welcome." Mac says softly. Riley kneels down and makes a small snowball and throws it softly at Mac so it doesn't hurt him.
"You have no idea what you've just done." Mac says with a laugh as he kneels down slowly and makes a snowball. They have a snowball fight for a while. But the throwing is soft so they don't hurt each other. Riley's laughs while they were having the snowball fight were the most beautiful thing. Getting back from the hospital and making the machine the whole day was totally worth it.
Mac watches Riley as she is catching some snowflakes. Mac is so in love with her. He can't hold it anymore. 'And you will not ruin anything, Mac, trust me. You're one of the most important people of her life.' Jack's words kept repeating in Mac's head, which gave him motivation for this. It is time.
"Riley," Mac calls her. Riley turns to face him with a grin. She has snowflakes all over her hair. When Mac sees her, it's like he can't breathe from how beautiful this woman is. 'Wow…she is gonna kill me one day.'
"What's up?" Riley asks. She noticed Mac being a bit tensed, nervous most of all.
"I've never done this before so if it's terrible I'm sorry in advance." Mac says. "Ever since we met each other, my only purpose was to make you happy. Make you feel loved. When I saw you at the store where you worked, I saw the prettiest woman I've ever seen." Mac sighs. "I'm just gonna get to the point. I really hope this doesn't ruin what we have now, but, Riley Davis…I'm in love with you." Mac says and Riley freezes. "I've been in love with you since the day I met you. The beautiful times we had together, going on walks, the Halloween party. How you were there for me when I needed you. And a lot of other stuff. I love making you laugh because for those few seconds, I made you happy and seeing you happy, it makes me happy too. Like now for example." Mac says as he looks at the snow still falling on them. "I understand if you don't feel the same way. If you don't, I hope we can still be friends." Mac finishes.
Riley has her mouth slightly open, and her eyes focused on Mac. Her ears caught every single word of that speech, and for Riley it was like a dream come true. She wanted this for a long time. Well…since they met. A tear comes down from her eyes from happiness cause Mac feels the same way she does for him.
Riley's silence is bringing down Mac's confidence. Has he made a big mistake by telling her how he feels? 'Probably…' He exhales and slightly looks down. Was he about to lose Riley? At the thought he winced slightly. But that thought was gone when he felt Riley's hand cupping his cheeks. She slowly lifted his head up and started to lean in. When Mac felt Riley's lips on his, he had a feeling he was going to collapse.
'Am I in heaven?' Because that's what it felt like. Kissing Riley Davis made him forget about everything in his mind. It was just him and her. Riley was the one who broke the kiss, but their foreheads stay connected.
"Mac…I'm in love with you too." Riley whispers softly. When Mac heard that, he was the happiest man alive. And the smile that grew on his face was proof of that. He is the one that kisses her this time. With the remote still in his hand, he presses the button so the machine stops and drops it on the floor. The kiss is soft, isn't rushed, it was just them, testing the waters. Mac lifts Riley up and she wraps her legs around his waist.
He carries her inside and pushes her against the wall. His lips go down to her neck as she starts unbuttoning his shirt. The moan that escapes Riley's mouth made him weak.
"Should we slow down?" Mac asks while trying to catch his breath. With their foreheads touching and their eyes closed, Riley shook her head.
"No…don't slow down." Riley whispers. She smacks her lips against his as Mac's shirt get thrown onto the floor.
"You're amazing." Mac whispers.
"So are you." Riley whispers back.
He carries her to his bedroom. He sits down on the bed with Riley in his lap, not even thinking about breaking the kiss. Riley does though, only to put her hand on Mac's bare chest and push him down. Riley climbs on the top, with a knee on each side of Mac, carefully not to hurt Mac as his ribs aren't 100%, and takes her shirt off. Mac watches in amazement at how beautiful she is. He knows she is being careful with him, but right now, even if she wasn't careful, he might not feel a thing. Riley throws her shirt on the floor and she leans down to kiss Mac with her hands on his cheeks brushing her thumb below his eye. Mac puts his hands on her waist and he knows that this night is gonna be the best night of his life.
#
He sniffs, and again, and again, until he realized that the guy next to him is covered in gasoline.
"Please, don't do this." The guy sobs. But Murdoc doesn't care at all, because he throws the lighter in the guy's lap.
"NO! NO!"
#
Mac quickly opens his eyes. He looks around and realizes that he is in his room. He sighs in relief. It doesn't shock him that he is having a nightmare about Jeffrey. He looks over to his left to see Riley sleeping peacefully. He feels the sweat, so he puts on his boxers and sweatpants, and goes to the bathroom so he can splash some water on his face.
Then he goes to the kitchen and drinks a glass of water. The scenes from the warehouse are gonna stay with Mac for a long time. He will have nightmares that's for sure. And he hates that. But on the bright side, Murdoc is finally locked up, so he doesn't have to worry about him anymore.
His hair dried up and he decides to go back to bed. Before he climbs on the bed, he stares at Riley. He is so lucky to have someone like Riley in his life, beside him. He climbs on the bed and goes behind Riley. He wraps his arms around her stomach and that wakes Riley up a little.
"Mac…" Riley whispers sounding sleepy. Mac kissed her shoulder, and when she turned her head to face him, he gave her a kiss on the lips. Riley smiles against his lips as she puts her hand on his cheek.
"Go back to sleep." Mac whispers. Riley turns so she lays on her back, and Mac buries his face in her neck. She strokes his hair softly until they both go back to sleep. He can't get more comfortable than this.