MacGyver Alternate Universe
Chapter 12
Jack and Diane haven't gone on a road trip for a very long time. They went on a couple, but that was before Jack worked for the Phoenix. With the missions now, he barely had time to spend some good time with Diane. So he had a thought. Since Matty told them the day before that today they won't have a mission, he told Diane to take a day off, which she did, and Jack is now taking her to one of his favorite places. Las Vegas.
Jack loved Las Vegas for many reasons. A couple of them are the nights. Nights in Las Vegas are amazing. Parties everywhere, every building lightened up in beautiful colors. Then, there was the country music. Jack, as someone from Texas, loved country music. And, he's been to some concerts in Las Vegas. As a huge Metallica fan, he attended like 4 of their concerts that were held in Las Vegas. And there were the classic muscle cars. His GTO under the city lights in Las Vegas, he couldn't ask for anything else. And now, going there with Diane, best day of his life.
Jack had a rule. Everytime he goes to Las Vegas, he always wears a tux. Always. If he doesn't have a tux, he'll just stop by the shopping mall, buy one, and go to the WC to change. Yep, Jack never breaks this rule. And he told Diane to have a dress on. She obviously asked why, and Jack told her. She found that as a ridiculous rule, but she went with it anyway. Now, she was next to Jack, in a nice red dress that goes down to her knees.
"This rule is dumb." Diane says with a smile.
"Thank you for telling me for the 15th time since we left LA." Jack says.
"We don't have to follow the rules you know." Diane says.
"Rules are meant to be followed. Especially mine." Jack says as he glances at her with a grin. "We don't have to follow the traffic rules though." Jack says as he floors the throttle. The GTO picks up speed so fast, that it smacked Diane in the seat. She keeps telling him to slow down, and he eventually does and starts laughing. Diane hits his shoulder and chuckles.
They arrived in Las Vegas at night time. It was the first time Diane has been to Las Vegas. And now, she is amazed at what she has been missing. Sports cars passing by, couples holding hands, huge parties, and a lot of gamblers. Las Vegas was famous for its casinos. Probably the most famous for its casinos in the US. She sees a fountain in front of a big hotel, the water dancing. She feels Jack taking her hand in his, while he was driving with the other. She lifted his hand and kisses it. Then they see an officer telling them to make a right turn. Jack can see why. There is a burnt car that's upside down, and a whole CSI team around it.
"So where are we going?" Diane asks and Jack grins.
"To my favorite place in Las Vegas." Jack says as he nods towards him. Diane glances that way and sees Jack's favorite place. 'Oh no."
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
"WOOHOOO!" Jack screams as 42 NASCAR vehicles pass by going about 190 MPH. Jack sits down and glances at Diane, who was watching the cars, but doesn't seem very interested. "Isn't this amazing?" Jack asks.
"Mhm…" Diane humms. Jack can see that Diane is bored. He didn't tell her that he was taking her to a NASCAR race first before his real plans start cause he thought she might like it. But it looks like she doesn't. Jack loves NASCAR, but he doesn't love anything else more than Diane. So he puts his hand on her back, which makes her glance at him.
"Let's go." Jack says with a smile. Diane furrows her eyebrows.
"Seriously?" Diane asks.
"I love NASCAR, but I hate seeing you not having fun, which is exactly why I brought you here." Jack says. Diane wants to leave. The crowd is too loud, the cars are making her ears bleed, and not to mention she was in a dress and Jack in a tux. But, Diane knows Jack loves this stuff. And she wants him happy. So she shakes her head.
"No. We'll stay here till the end." Diane says. And to keep her entertained a bit, why not learn something about this sport. So she starts asking Jack questions about NASCAR. And it makes her so happy to see Jack answering the questions with so much joy. He's like a little kid.
"And if you see there, number 19…" Jack says as he points to the cars on the track. Diane nods and Jack continues, "…he is the best driver, I'm telling you. He is gonna be a champion this season. And he might even win this….EEEEEEYYYYY!" Jack screams and stands up quickly as he sees a couple of cars spinning out on the back straight. Diane sees everyone in the crowd stand up, so she stands up aswell.
"Is everyone okay?" Diane asks. After the smoke clears, Jack sees that nobody has crashed hard. It was just spins.
"Yeah, looks like it." Jack answers. As they sit down, Jack takes Diane's hand and squeezes. Diane looks at him to see a big smile on his face. "Thank you for wanting to stay." Jack says. Diane doesn't reply, she just leans in and kisses him on the lips.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Riley just wants to lay down. Just lay down and not get up for days. Well, first she needs to shower cause she was sweating everywhere. Training is hard, and Riley not doing this at all before she worked at the Phoenix, the first few weeks she got tired pretty quick. Now, she is fighting against Leanna in the gym. Well, not fighting, but practicing, Leanna teaching her some moves. Leanna caught her distracted and use the opportunity to trip Riley. Riley breathing heavily and laying on the floor, she says,
"I need a break."
"One more round." Leanna says as she starts pacing. Riley groans as she tries to get up.
"Right now, I need an ice cold bath. That's all I want." Riley says.
"Is that what you are gonna tell your enemy when you are fighting him?" Leanna asks as she gets ready for another round.
"Depends. How bad's his funk?" Riley says with a smile.
"Nice." Leanna says with a grin. They are like sisters, really. Leanna had the same attitude when she was training.
'Come on, Riley. You can do this.' Riley says to herself. She puts her hands in front of her face and gives Leanna a nod so she can make the move. Leanna attacks with a couple of swings which Riley avoids or blocks. Leanna lifts her leg trying to hit Riley, but Riley grabs it. She looks Leanna in the eyes and smiles. With her right leg, Riley hits Leanna's leg that's on the ground, and as Leanna is in the air, Riley pushes and smacks her on the ground. Leanna firstly coughs but then she starts laughing.
"Girl, you're getting better and better everyday." Leanna says with a smile. Riley helps her get up and smiles.
"Thanks. Sorry, I didn't mean to smack you that hard…" Riley says.
"Don't ever apologize." Leanna replies. That's when Leanna phone beeps from the table, and a second later Riley's does aswell. They go over to check, and it's a message from Matty. "Get your asses to the war room." Leanna reads the message.
"So much for a shower. How are we gonna go like this? I'm sticky everywhere." Riley complains.
When they arrive in the war room, Mac, Jack, Bozer and Matty are there waiting for them. "Man, Leanna drained you down there, didn't she?" Mac says with a laugh.
"Yeah, something like that." Riley replies. "I would hug you and kiss you right now, but I'm sticky as hell." Riley says. Mac approaches her and gives her a long kiss on the lips. Riley smiles against them.
"I don't care." Mac says with a smile when he breaks off the kiss. When he glances at Matty, she is giving him her 'we have a job to do' look. Mac clears his throat and backs away from Riley. "Sorry, Matty." Jack laughs. He loves hearing Mac apologizing.
"Alright," Matty faces Leanna and Riley, "can you two tell us about a program that you coded called "FR-1507"?" Matty asks Leanna and Riley.
"Sure. It's a new facial-recognition program we are working on. It's still in beta testing right now." Riley says.
"We're comparing random faces on YouTube videos right now to the FBI's Most Wanted list to train it to eliminate false positives." Leanna finishes and Riley nods.
"Well, you may have been looking for false positives, but you found a real criminal." Matty says as she walks to the big screen. Riley and Leanna share a confused glance. "Take a look at what just came in." A video comes up and Matty plays it.
"Oh, snap!" Bozer says getting excited. "I have seen this video." He says. The video shows a store with costumers searching stuff to buy. They don't know why Bozer is so excited. "Watch right here when the bottle breaks over the dude's head." Mac glances at the video and they are all waiting for that moment. A lady comes into view, taking a plastic bottle and a glass bottle. She throws the plastic bottle at a man that has his cap on dressed in a black jacket. From the way he is dressed, Mac thinks he is a robber. The lady gets in front of the man.
"And…bam!" Bozer says as the woman breaks the glass bottle over the man's head. Only Jack and Bozer start laughing, the rest of them are just confused at how this could be funny.
"Wait, this ding dong stealing Ding Dong's on the FBI's Most Wanted list?" Jack asks. Mac wasn't the only one who thought the guy is a robber.
"Not him." Matty says as she zooms in the background of the video. "Him." The video shows a man who is watching the lady standing on top of the man. "This guy is a 17 point match to for a fugitive named Douglas Bishop, number six on FBI's Most Wanted. Bishop was a top lieutenant in the Philly mob until special agent Eva Santos was tasked with busting him." Matty says as a picture of Eva Santos comes up on the screen with a text saying how she died.
"According to this, Bishop gunned her down and escaped before he could stand trial." Mac says.
"Yeah, the FBI's gonna want this collar. He killed one of their own. Shouldn't we be sharing this intel with them?" Jack asks.
"I'd love to if we could trust them." Matty replies.
"We can't trust the feds?" Leanna asks.
"Not on when it comes to Bishop." Matty answers. "He's been on their radar for years, targeted in multiple investigations, and then somehow has slipped through the cracks, every single time."
"You think he's got an agent in his pocket, helping him escape?" Mac asks.
"I think that there's reason to suspect it, and until we know the truth, we can't trust anyone at the FBI." Matty replies. "We want Bishop to answer for killing a federal agent, we're just gonna have to catch him ourselves. Mac, Jack, you'll find Bishop. Riley, you'll run surveillance from Phoenix, and Leanna will be here if you need any help. But first, go take a shower, the both of you." Matty says to Leanna and Riley. "And Bozer…go get us some lunch."
"Gladly. I'm freaking starving." Bozer replies.
PHOENIX JET
Mac is in the bathroom, washing his hands after he did…the business. While he is washing his hands, he reminds himself to ask Jack how was it in Vegas. Mac has never been to Vegas before. Never had a mission where he would have to go to Vegas. But he heard that it's a beautiful place. Maybe he should take Riley there. Or maybe he should take her somewhere else. A road trip with the woman he loves sounds amazing. He knows a couple of places that Riley loves, but he doesn't know if Vegas is one of them.
When he gets out of the bedroom, he passes Jack who is looking at the photos he took in Vegas with Diane. Mac smiles when he sees Jack's grin while looking at the photos.
"So, how was Vegas?" Mac asks as he sits opposite to Jack. Jack puts his phone in his pocket and drinks some of his martini.
"Man, it was amazing!" Jack says. "Vegas is probably one of my favorite places in the US. And the NASCAR race was…holy shit." Jack says with a laugh. Mac laughs and takes a sip of his martini. "And going with Diane was the best thing ever. She didn't like the NASCAR race so much, but everything else, she loved it. I would take that woman everywhere she wants to go." Mac smiles at Jack's words.
"Well, I'm planning to take Riley on a road trip in the future." Mac says.
"It sounds like a great idea. She hasn't been on a road trip for a very long time. I think you taking her would make her really happy." Jack says with a smile. But that smile kind of falls, and turns into a small smile. "But…don't wait too long. With this job, we don't know what could happen. That road trip with Diane to Vegas, maybe…that was my last road trip with her. I really hope not but…"
"I know. And you're right. With this job, anything could happen to us. Like on this mission…we don't know what's gonna happen. It sounds simple. Catch the bad guy and mission accomplished. But…we both know it's not gonna be simple." Mac says and Jack slowly nods.
"But, with you right by my side, I feel safer than ever." Jack says with a smile.
"So do I with you by my side." Mac replies and returns a smile.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
After a long flight, they arrived in Atlanta and rented a beautiful Dodge. They used Google Maps to find the location of the store, and now here they are. In front of "Tanner's Corner Grocery". They get out of the car and walk inside the store. Mac goes first and Jack follows. The store is empty. There's only one customer there, but she is paying. Mac looks around and spots the woman they are looking for. The woman from the video. She is placing bottles on the same spot she got the bottle in the video from.
"Ilene Preskin?" Mac asks. They looked her up on FR-1507 too. Ilene glances at Mac and Jack, and then sighs while she rolls her eyes.
"Alright, look, I'll tell you guys what I told the other guys. I am not looking for representation. I do not want to do any TV appearances and I'm not looking to sell my life rights." Ilene says. Jack smiles and looks at Mac.
"Ma'am, who is it you think we are?" Mac asks with a smile.
"Come on, you Hollywood types been coming here, bugging me ever since my nephew posted that damn video." Ilene replies. Mac starts laughing a little.
"You think we're…"
"We are Hollywood types. She got us pegged." Jack interrupts Mac. "You got a great eye. Especially this guy." Jack says as he points to Mac. Mac doesn't know what Jack is doing here, but for no further confusion, he goes with it.
"Totally." Mac says. "We are from Hollywood, and we're here about your video, but we're actually looking for this man." Mac says as he takes out his phone and shows Ilene a picture of Bishop. Mac sees a flirty smile come on her face when she sees Bishop. "We think he has that certain…. 'it factor' that we need for our next project. Do you know him?" Mac asks as he puts his phone away.
"Charlie? Yeah, I know him. He comes in here all the time." Ilene replies. Mac isn't surprised that Bishop is lying about his name. He's on the FBI's Most Wanted list, what do you expect?
"And does Charlie have a last name? A stage name, perhaps?" Jack asks with raised eyebrows.
"Well, I don't know, I never asked, but it's not like you need an ID to buy Gooey-Pies." Mac turns around and sees boxes of Gooey-Pies. He spotted them when he entered the store. "He comes in here once a day. He gets a box of them Gooey-Pies and we just…chat." Ilene replies. Mac feels weird. By the sound of Ilene's voice, she really enjoys talking about Bishop, and she might be turned on a bit too. So…Mac wants to get out of here quick.
"Do you know where he lives?" Mac asks.
"No…but I should for as long as he's been flirting with me." Ilene replies and Jack tries his best not to smile. "I mean, he's never asked me out, but, you don't not like a girl if you've made that many sketches for her." Ilene says as she points to wall. Mac turns around and sees some pictures apparently that Bishop drew.
"Oh. May I?" Mac asks as he points his camera towards the pictures.
"Knock yourself out…" Mac takes a few pictures, but, I'll tell you what, you use Charlie's name, and I will sue you." Ilene says. Mac spots maps of Atlanta, so he takes one cause he has an idea and goes to the cashier.
"Well, thank you, Ilene, you've been extremely helpful." Mac says.
"She has?" Jack asks as he glances at Mac. Mac smiles and nods. Jack then can see that Mac has a plan. He knows the kid too well. He turns back to Ilene and smiles. "You have. I think I'm gonna have my people call your people. Do lunch. Ciao, mama." Jack says as he makes his way towards the exit.
"And tell Charlie to invite me at his place sometime." Ilene says before Mac and Jack can exit the store. "I want to get to do the freaky stuff…"
"Ooookay, bye-bye." Jack says as they sprint out of the store. "Don't tell me you just turned a photo of a sketch of a bird into a fugitive finder." Jack says as they approach the car.
"Okay, I won't tell you, then." Mac says as he opens the map and puts it on the hood of the car. Jack chuckles.
"Okay, smarty-pants. Now you have to tell me, I insist." Jack says. Mac opens his phone and opens a photo of a sketch that was in the store.
"See this sketch?" Mac asks as he shows the sketch to Jack.
"Yeah." Jack replies.
"Well, it's a view out of a window, and I'm thinking it's Bishop's window." Mac says. "Since we can identify two large buildings, we're just a little trigonometry away from finding out exactly where he lives." Mac adds.
"Yeah, that's a little far-fetched." Jack says as he looks around them. He then glances at Mac who was doing trigonometry and asks,
"Hey, I don't look like a Hollywood type to you, do I?" Mac glances at him from top to bottom.
"Just from the eyes up, really." Mac replies as he gets in the car. Jack scoffs and puts on his glasses.
"Look at you." Jack says as he gets in the driver's seat.
THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION
Bozer is in the lab, adding paint to some masks he needs to finish for other agents that have missions. He is carefully painting the nose while listening to 24K Magic from Bruno Mars on his headphones. What he is most looking forward to, is surprising Leanna with two tickets to a Rihanna concert. Leanna loves Rihanna. Everytime they are in the car going to work, she blasts her favorite Rihanna songs. Bozer likes Rihanna too, so why not take the girl she loves to her favorite artist's concert.
When the song he is listening to finishes, he feels hands on his shoulders. He turns around and sees Leanna smiling at him. He grabs her by the waist, sits her in his lap and kisses her. Leanna smiles against his lips as she brings a hand to cup his cheek.
"Bored?" Bozer asks and Leanna nods.
"Mac and Jack are going to Bishop's house right now, so I thought I check on you." Leanna says. Bozer hugs her tightly and says,
"I love you."
"I love you more." Leanna replies. Bozer thinks this is the best time to surprise Leanna.
"I have a surprise." Bozer says and Leanna glances at him with furrowed eyebrows and a smile. Leanna stands up from his lap so he can get up and go to his jacket that's on the hanger. He comes back with one hand behind his back.
"What?" Leanna asks with a laugh. Bozer brings out his hand to reveal two tickets for Rihanna's upcoming concert. "No way!" Leanna takes one ticket and she can't believe her eyes. The concert is in three days in San Francisco. Leanna jumps into Bozer and hugs him. Bozer laughs from the force of Leanna's hug.
"I thought we might get a few days for ourselves. And I saw a poster about Rihanna singing in San Francisco, so I said 'Why not?'. And we'll stay there for four days. I got us a hotel and talked with Matty. She gave us permission. We'll go and visit the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts. What do you say?" Bozer asks.
"Are you kidding me, babe? Of course it's a yes!" Leanna says. The both of them have never been to San Francisco, so Bozer is gonna make sure that this is the perfect road trip for the both of them.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Mac looks at the sketch on his phone, and then looks out the window. "Yep. Definitely Bishop's apartment." Mac says. They arrived, Mac picked the lock of the door and here they are. In the apartment of a federal agent killer. He turns around and glances at Jack who has his gun in his hands.
"Well, you could've at least waited to block our only exit until I made sure the guy who…" Jack has his gun up and starts searching the rooms, "likes to kill federal agents isn't home?" Jack says.
"I'm just glad we broke into the right apartment." Mac says as he finds a couple of boxes of Gooey-Pies on the table. "Trig's a little rusty." Mac says. He needs to practice some trigonometry after this mission…if they survive that is. Mac also spots a kettle beside the boxes and puts his hand on it.
"You're sure this is the guy's place?" Jack asks.
"Yeah." Mac replies. "Kettle's still warm. He was just here." Mac says. Mac spots a sketch on the table of a face. And Mac realizes that that person is Ilene. 'Looks like Bishop is in love.' Mac says to himself.
"Okay, so…what, did he hear us coming and take off, or what?" Jack asks.
"Yeah, or he's coming back." Mac replies as he puts the sketch down on the table. He then sees a newspaper on the chair. He picks it up and sees something written at the top. '23-5?' What could that mean?
"I say we hole up across the street and wait for him." Jack says as Mac rips the part of the newspaper with the numbers. Then they hear the doorknob start turning. Jack points his gun towards the door. "Maybe he forgot something." Jack says. Mac goes and stands next to Jack. The door bashes open and two men dressed in suits and have pistols in their hands come in.
"FBI! FBI!" The two men point their guns at Mac and Jack.
"Drop-drop it!" Jack yells as he points his gun towards them.
"FBI! Hands in the air!" One of the men yells and Mac puts his hands up.
"You drop it!" Jack yells.
"Hands in the air! Hands in the air!" Mac pushes Jack's hands down so he can drop the gun. Jack does that and puts his hands up.
The FBI agents brought them outside at their cars and started searching Mac and Jack. They also put handcuffs on their hands.
"One's got a gun, the other has a Swiss Army Knife. No identification of any kind." One of the agent says.
"Alright, fellas, who are you and what are youse doing here?" The other agent asks. 'Youse.' Jack says to himself. The agents are from Philly. Jack can tell from the way they talk. Now, Mac and Jack can't tell them the truth, cause the Phoenix is a secret spy organization.
"Okay, we are door-to-door Bible salesmen." Jack lies and smiles.
"Do yourself a favor and don't get smart. Okay, fella?"
"Okay." Jack replies.
"Now tell us your names." The agent says.
"What are we being charged with?" Mac asks.
"You were caught in the apartment of a wanted felon." The agent answers.
"Right, but what are we being charged with?" Mac asks. "If we're being formally charged, we have a right to know." The agents grab them both and shoved them in the car.
"He just asked you a question." Jack says as the agents close the door of the car and stay outside. One of the agents opens the passenger door, only to drop the SAK on the passenger seat. "Well, so much for finding Bishop before the feds do." Jack mutters
"I don't think these guys had to find him. Did you hear their accents?" Mac asks.
"They're not from around here, that's a Philly accent." Jack answers.
"Yeah. Bishop's old stomping grounds." Mac says. Jack glances at Mac and then back at the agents who are way in front of the car talking.
"If either one of these are on Bishop's payroll, I don't think this trip ends at the FBI field office." Jack says.
"Nope." Mac replies. Just like he said on the jet. This mission sounded simple. And look how it turned out. They're probably gonna get killed by these two if they don't get out of the car.
"We got to get out of here." Jack says. Mac already has an idea. "Think of something." Jack says.
"Oh, I got something. And even I don't like it." Mac replies. Jack glances to where Mac is staring and sees the column shifter behind the steering wheel. He knows what Mac's plan is now.
"Do it." Jack says. With both hands behind his back, Mac is in pain when he stretches his leg towards the steering wheel. He bites his lower lip as he tries his hardest. Thankfully, his leg reaches the shifter, pushes it up and puts the car in neutral. Since the road was an uphill, the car starts going backwards. Jack laughs.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jack says. Jack glances forwards to see the agents start running towards them. Mac brings his hands under him, then in front of his legs, and just like that his hands aren't behind his back anymore. He quickly gets in the driver's seat as Jack glances backwards to see if any cars are coming. So far nothing.
"Hey, points for originality, but this only counts as an escape if we don't die." Jack says. Mac sees that the agents are closing in.
"Yeah, this is the 'even I don't like it' part." Mac says as he locks the doors of the car just in time cause one of the agent was next to the door ready to open it. The agents stopped running from tiredness and Jack lets out a laugh. Mac grabs the bag with the SAK that was on the passenger seat and rips it, taking out the knife.
"Let's go, man." Jack says as he sees Mac go down to where the wires are. He glances behind them and sees that a car has entered the street and it's heading right for them. "Faster, Mac." Jack says.
Mac then hears a horn from behind him. He looks at the mirrors and sees a car approaching them. He grabs the wheel and turns. Since the car isn't on, the steering is locked. But it's enough for them to avoid the car. Now that that's out of the way, Mac needs to hurry up with the wires and start the car, because they are approaching a street where a lot of cars are passing.
"We got ignition." Mac says. He grabs the steering wheel and turns it, doing a 180. While spinning, Mac sees that Jack's face is smacked up against the window. They avoid three cars, and center the car on the street. Mac floors it cause they need to get out of this car fast.
"Yeah! That was awesome!" Jack shouts. Mac has his eyes wide and is breathing heavily. "Now, let's never do it again. Just a reminder." Jack says and Mac smiles.
"Gladly." Mac replies.
"Let's not tell Matty about our run-in with the feds." Jack says.
"Yep, I was thinking the same thing." Mac replies and Jack laughs.
10 MINUTES LATER
"And you thought you didn't need to tell me about stealing a car from two FBI agents because you were hoping I wouldn't find out?" Matty asks over the phone.
"Sorry, Matty, but I have no idea what you are talking about right now." Jack says. They were in a parking garage on 3rd floor right now. They left the Sedan in an alley and now are searching for a new car.
"We're up on all FBI communications, Jack. And I'm looking at a field report from two agents whose Sedan was just boosted by two male suspects found in Bishop's apartment." Matty says.
"Well, that could be anybody." Jack replies.
"Okay, yes, we should've told you. But it's not the headline here. We were in Bishop's apartment two minutes before the feds showed up, and they were from Philly." Mac says.
"We're already looking at every fed in the Philly office. This now moves your new pals, Brooks and Cho, to the top of the suspect list. But I needed you two to find Bishop before the feds. And from what Riley is telling me, you might've missed your chance." Matty says with an angry voice.
"The FBI's watching all mass transit. They just found a car registered under Bishop's alias, parked in front of a train station." Riley says.
"Great. Now we definitely know he's not on a train." Mac says. Riley furrows her eyebrows.
"And…we know that how?" Riley asks.
"Because Bishop's been on the run for eight years. He's too smart to make a rookie mistake like that." Mac says.
"Okay, we know where he's not. Got anything to tell us where he is?" Matty asks. Mac remembers the newspaper in Bishop's apartment. Now that public transport was mentioned, he knows what those numbers mean. He takes out the peace of paper with the numbers he ripped from his pocket.
"Riles, check all Atlanta bus schedules. See if there's a bus 23 parked at 5 PM." Mac says. Riley nods and gets to typing.
"Yep. Bus 23 departs from Forsyth Station at 5 PM today." Riley replies.
"How'd you know that, blondie?" Matty asks.
"I read the paper." Mac says. That's when the door of the war room opens and Leanna walks in with three cups of coffee. Riley glances at her and realizes that she hasn't stopped smiling for hours.
"Okay, what's up. You can't stop smiling." Riley says as she takes her cup of coffee. Leanna glances at her and then at Matty.
"Bozer is taking me to San Francisco to Rihanna's concert." Leanna answers.
"No way!" Riley says. Leanna nods and laughs. Matty smiles now that Bozer's surprise worked. Mac looks at Jack who mouths "Your turn bro." to Mac.
"Yeah, okay, guys, we love to stay and chitchat, but it looks like we have a bus to catch. Bye-bye." Jack says and hangs up. Moments later a technician walks in the war room with a tablet in her hand.
"Ma'am, you have an incoming call from Martin Dryer on the secure line." The technician says.
"Should I know Martin Dryer?" Matty asks.
"Regional director of the FBI." The technician answers.
"Oh, fancy, I'll take it in here. Thanks." Matty says. The technician accepts the call and leaves the war room. "Director Dryer, Matilda Webber, what can I do for you?"
"Ms. Webber, please forgive the bluntness of my question, but I am on the clock." Dryer says over the phone. "Do you have any agents in the field in Atlanta?" Matty shares a look with Riley and Diane. 'How does Dryer know?'
"Well, I'm not sure what agency do you think I work for, but I'm…" Matty gets interrupted by Dryer.
"Actually, Ms. Webber, I have no idea where you landed. What I do know is that you transferred out of a high lever position with CIA and you didn't show up anywhere else. And since the CIA, the NSA and the DEA won't claim the two operatives that stole an FBI vehicle in Atlanta, I figured maybe they were working for you." Dryer says. Okay, so he didn't know about the Phoenix.
"I can neither confirm nor deny." Matty replies.
"Don't want to share any intel with me, that's fine, I get it. But I'm gonna share some with you. Did you get the InterAgency Memo about one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted showing up in viral video? Douglas Bishop?" Dryer asks.
"It might have crossed my desk." Matty answers.
"Well, I believe that Bishop has eluded capture for so long because he has one of our agents on his payroll." Dryer says.
"Huh. Interesting theory." Matty says.
"I wish it were just a theory. It's just come to my attention that two of the agents from our Philly office are down in Atlanta looking for Bishop. Without authorization, a thousand miles outside their jurisdiction." Dryer says.
"And you think one or both of them might be dirty?" Matty asks.
"I do, but without knowing all the players in their game, I can't be completely sure, so I'm gonna ask you again." Dryer says but before he starts asking, Matty speaks.
"Come on, Martin. Don't make me do the "confirm or deny" thing twice in one phone call." Matty says.
"Okay, look, cards on the table. I don't know who I can trust in the Bureau right now, but I do know your reputation, so if there's anything you can do to help…"
"I would do it in a heartbeat." Matty interrupts him. "And if and when that opportunity should arise, you'll be the first to know. In the meantime, good luck with your missing car." Matty says and hangs up. She glances at Riley and Leanna. "The moment we have Bishop, call me." Leanna and Riley both nod as Matty leaves the war room.
ATLANTA BUS DEPOT
Mac and Jack arrive at the bus station. And there is a lot of people. Not just outside but inside as well. But, since it was almost 5 PM, they assume that Bishop is outside waiting for the bus. They get in the crowd and start searching.
"Hey, where would Riley want to go on a road trip?" Mac asks Jack as they search. Jack doesn't answer immediately from focusing on finding Bishop.
"What?" Jack asks and Mac sighs.
"Where would Riley like to go on a road trip?" Mac asks again.
"I don't know…" Jack replies as looks at every direction.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Mac asks with an annoyed voice.
"You're gonna have to ask her yourself, man." Jack answers.
"Come on, man. If I knew Diane and you just started dating and wanted to ask her on a road trip, you wouldn't leave me alone. You'd be like, 'Hey, listen, man. You need to tell me…'…" Mac is interrupted by Jack.
"Yeah, yeah, do that Yosemite Sam, I'm-a punch you right in the mouth. Go on." Jack says as he gets his fist ready. But Mac just laughs. Jack again looks around and spots Bishop. "Oh. There's our boy." Jack nods to the direction where Bishop is. Which is behind Mac. Mac turns around and sees Bishop. He was wearing a cap and has a bag over his shoulder.
They both start walking towards them, but Bishop spotted them. "Hey." Jack calls. Bishop drops the bag and starts running. "Hey! Hey, stop!" Jack starts chasing him. Mac did as well only to stop at a cart with some bottles on it. Bishop bumps into a woman, and the woman falls on the ground. "Move, move, move!" Jack shouts to the people.
Bishop crosses the street and enters a park. Jack is close behind him but Bishop is fast. Then Jack spots Mac on his right side, waving something above his head. Jack can't see what it is from the running, but he knows it's something to stop Bishop. The next thing Jack sees, is Bishop on the ground with a string wrapped around his legs. Both ends of the string had bottles.
Jack takes out his gun and stops in front of Bishop who was laying on the ground. "Bishop! Hey, hey, hey, relax!" Jack says. "No more running, you understand me?" Bishop gets himself up but not on his feet. He just sits on the ground.
"Who are you?" Bishop asks with a shaky voice. 'For a federal agent killer, he looks really scared. Or maybe he's acting.' Mac says to himself.
"I can tell you who we're not: we're not your buddies at the FBI." Jack replies.
"No, don't turn me over to the FBI. Please." Bishop says. Mac and Jack share a smile.
"You can drop the act. We know you have an FBI agent on your payroll." Mac says and Bishop gives him a confused look.
"What?! No!" Bishop says as he takes off his cap and throws it hard on the ground. "I never had a fed in my pocket. It was the other way around." Either this guy is a professional actor or he is maybe telling the truth.
"You better explain that statement." Jack says. Bishop immediately starts talking.
"For years, an FBI agent has been forcing me to do his dirty work. If he finds me, he'll kill me." Bishop says with actual fear in his voice. And Mac notices that.
"Alright, get up." Mac says and Bishop does so. Mac guides him towards their car and ties his hands up with a string. "So, a dirty FBI agent is trying to kill you. Who is it? Give us a name." Mac says.
"If I knew his name, you think I'd still be running?" Bishop asks. "I never met the guy. For years it's just been a voice over the phone, threatening to kill me if I didn't do what he said."
"Do what he said, huh? Like what?" Jack asks.
"Whatever he told me to do." Bishop answers. "Ratting people out, planting evidence."
"Murdering a federal agent?" Jack says as he shows Bishop a picture of Eva Santos. Bishop glances at the picture and his eyes go wide.
"Eva? I didn't kill her! I was trying to confess to her! I was gonna turn myself in." Bishop says as Jack puts his phone away and looks down. "I-I couldn't take working for this guy anymore. And I needed a fed who I knew I could trust. Eva had a spotless record a-and…there's no way she could be the guy at the other end of the phone, right?" Jack glances at Mac who was listening carefully to Bishop.
"So, I-I told her that I wanted out, I wanted to testify, I-I wanted to help take down this bastard been runnin' me. She offered protective custody. But the night we met up for her to take me in, someone shot her." Bishop says.
"That's not what the evidence say." Jack says.
"Who's collecting this evidence, huh? The FBI. This dirty agent killed Eva to cover his tracks. They tried to pin it on me. And if he was willing to kill her, I knew I'd be next. So I ran." Bishop says. Mac bites the inside of his cheek and glances at Jack. He doesn't know if he should believe the guy or not.
"Ladies, did you catch all that?" Mac asks.
"Yep, we did." Riley replies.
"Hey, guys. Remember those two feds you guys ran into?" Leanna asks.
"Brooks and Cho? How could I forget." He replies with a smile. "They ever find their car?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they did, because after you all became besties, I took the liberty of illegally tracking their phones." Leanna replies. Riley glances at her with wide yes. 'Illegally?' Leanna just winks at her and smiles. "Looks like they just pulled up at the depot."
They hear tires screeching from braking so hard. They turn around and see Brooks and Cho coming out of a new car. "Oh, I don't know if I'm ready to believe his story, but I'm sure as hell not ready to hand him over to these guys." Mac says.
"Agreed." Jack says as Mac puts Bishop in the back. "Let's get anywhere that ain't here, so we can hole up, figure this out." Jack says as he gets in the car.
"Alright, girls, talk to you later." Mac says.
"Stay safe." Riley replies and the comms go off. Leanna glances at the door and sees Matty leaning against the door frame. She points at herself and then at Riley, telling Leanna that she wanted to talk to Riley. Leanna understood her and quietly leaves the room. Matty closes the door and that makes Riley turn to her.
"Riley, I want to talk to you." Matty says as she approaches her.
"Oh, okay." Riley says as she closes her laptop. 'Did I do something?' She asks herself. She gulps and says "I don't know if you heard, but Mac and Jack caught Bishop and said that…"
"He was framed by a dirty fed for murder. Yeah, I'm on comms too." Matty says. Matty gets in front of her and looks her in the eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about the last mission. When Jack and Mac were in the woods." Matty says. Riley slightly parts her lips and sighs. She knows what this is about. 'Mac told me it is normal, looks like it isn't.'
"Um…Ms. Webber…"
"Matty. Please, call me Matty."
"…Matty, I apologize for how I was behaving that day. It's unacceptable to cry while doing this job. And I promise I will work on my emotions. I really will do everything I can." Riley says. Riley glances at Matty who had a smile on her face. 'Why's she smiling…'
Matty approaches her and puts her hand on Riley's knee. "How you acted that day was perfectly acceptable, Riley. For a first mission, it was a rough one. There is a reason why I offered you a job at the Phoenix. I see something special in you. You have skills that can be used for the good. When Jack offered you to go to Shanghai with them, I thought you were gonna say no, but you said yes immediately. That's when I knew that your place is right here. Every agent is scared, Riley. It wasn't just you that day. I'm sure Leanna and Bozer were as scared as you. They are trained to hide it, though. And you will be too. I don't want you to leave the Phoenix. Because this job is meant for you. I also know that in the hacking world, you are known as Artemis37." Matty says. Riley's eyes go wide. "It's okay. I know that you left your best friends so you don't become a criminal. Which I respect so much. Again, Riley, this is the place for you." Matty ends with a smile on her face. Riley of course has watery eyes after that. How could she not? She thought that it was over. Matty saying that crying is unacceptable and that she is fired. But she said the complete opposite. Riley nods and as a tear runs down her cheek she quickly wipes it.
"Thank you, Matty." Riley says.
"Now, how about you help me figure out if Bishop is lying to us?" Matty asks with a grin.
"Yeah." Riley says as she opens her laptop.
Mac, Jack and Bishop paid for one night at a small motel they found. Just for them to lay low until the morning, rest a little bit. Mac untied Bishop's hands, cause he trusts him, but just a little bit. Jack went out to buy some food for dinner, while Mac and Bishop stayed in the room. While Bishop is making a sketch, Mac is making a device to tell him if someone is coming to their room.
He finds a small fan in the room and takes the cover off. He finds a couple of long strings and ties them to the fan. He goes outside and before the stairs, he puts two binder clips on each side. He puts the string through the whole on the left binder clip, spreads the string across the floor and puts it through the whole of the other binder clip. Now, if someone is coming, he will step on the string and the fan in the room will start spinning.
Mac goes in the room and sits next to Bishop who was still making a sketch. Mac takes out a paperclip and starts bending it. 5 minutes later, the fan starts spinning. Bishop gives Mac a worried look and Mac told him to be quiet. Mac gets up and moves the curtain a bit so he can see who's coming. He sighs in relief when he sees that it's only Jack and he opens the door.
"Hey." Jack says as he comes in with full hands. "Anything from Phoenix?"
"Not a peep." Mac says as he closes the door. "They're still combing through old FBI case files, trying to make sure his story checks out.
"Yeah, okay, good. So, I parked the rental car about ten blocks to the south, searched the perimeter. The good news is, our pals, Brooks and Cho have no earthly idea where we are." Jack says with a smile. But Mac gives him a confused look and asks,
"What's the bad news?"
"Oh, the diner across the street's closed. So, dinner's coming out of the motel vending machine." Jack says as he puts all the bags of chips, candies and drinks on the table. "There you go, bon appetite."
"Where do Gooey-Pies and diet soda fall on the food's pyramid?" Mac asks sarcastically.
"Oh, I don't know, I just try to represent every food group. Here you go, America's Most Wanted, have a Gooey-Pie." Jack says as he throws a Gooey-Pie at Bishop.
"No, thanks. I hate these things." Bishop says as he throws the Gooey-Pie on the table.
"What?" Jack asks sounding shocked.
"Then why'd you buy them everyday?" Mac asks.
"Cause he didn't go there for the Gooey-Pies, he went there for Ilene, didn't you?" Jack asks with a grin. He can see a smile on Bishop's face while he was drawing. Bishop glances at Jack.
"When I first got into town, I'd been on the run for about three months. I happened to walk in this little convenience store and there she was." Bishop says as he shows the sketch he's been drawing to Jack and Mac. "Ilene." 'Pretty good drawing.' Mac says to himself. Looks just like Ilene.
"She smiled at me. That was it. First time anyone showed me any kindness in I don't know how long. I just stood there smiling back at her like a dumbass." Bishop says with a laugh. "She asked me what I wanted. I-I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think. And I just pointed at the Gooey-Pies."
"Well, that explains the first box." Mac says.
"Well, next time I went in, she smiled at me again and I pointed at the Gooey-Pies." Bishop says. "Guess I was afraid that if I explained to her that I didn't like Gooey-Pies, I might end up telling her my whole life story. Sounds crazy, right?" Bishop says with sadness in his voice.
"Being on the run can do weird things to your mind." Mac says and Bishop nods while drawing.
"So, you guys, uh, are really not FBI?" Bishop asks as he glances at them.
"Come on, baby, do we look like FBI?" Jack asks with a smile and drinks some soda.
"Just know that with us you're safe." Mac says. Bishop gives him a look filled with hope.
"So I might actually get the chance to testify and go to prison?" Bishop says.
"Do you want to go to prison?" Mac asks.
"I know being locked up is no picnic, but what I've been through the past eight years is no kind of life. You can't get close to anyone, you can't even trust anyone. I mean…" Bishop trails off as he looks at drawing. Mac and Jack exchange sad looks.
"I met the love of my life six years ago, and I can't even risk asking her out to dinner. Or go on a road trip or something." Bishop says. Road trip got mentioned again. Maybe this is a sign for Mac that he should take Riley somewhere after this mission.
"A few minutes with the right one is better than a lifetime with the wrong one." Jack says as he takes a sip of his soda. Bishop glances at Jack and smiles.
"What's her name?" he asks.
"Diane." Jack answers with a smile. Bishop puts the drawing on the table and opens a bottle of diet soda.
"Well, here's to Diane, and Ilene." Bishop says as he raises his bottle. And so does Jack. Then Mac's phone starts ringing. It's Matty, so he answers.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"So this is interesting. We're going through the FBI's evidence list in the Eva Santos murder case." Matty says. Mac stands up and walks to the back of the room and Jack follows, while Bishop gets back to drawing.
"'Interesting' as in he's been telling the truth or 'interesting' as in he's been lying through his teeth?" Mac asks quietly.
"Well, that's the interesting part. The FBI's key evidence is a security video of the murder." Matty says.
"I'm sending it to you now." Leanna says. Jack's phone buzzes and he takes it out. He plays the video and see Bishop and Eva in the parking garage. The video goes static for two seconds and they couldn't see anything. When the picture goes clean, Eva is on her knees and falls on the ground.
"Well, this doesn't look good for Bishop." Jack says.
"Well, that's what we thought, too, at first." Leanna says.
"This video was recorded using a 15 year old CCD surveillance camera onto magnetic tape." Riley says.
"Hence all the static." Mac says.
"Hence almost all the static. We ran statistical analysis on the video. Most of the static is just random noise, actual degradation. But the burst that happens when Santos was shot contains repeating patterns." Leanna says.
"Meaning it was computer generated?" Mac asks.
"Meaning that this video has been tampered with. Someone added the static in the moment Santos was shot." Matty says. Mac and Jack share a glance.
"So, if Bishop was telling the truth, the person who tampered with the video and the person who shot her are the same. Our dirty fed?" Mac says.
"We need to see what really happened." Jack says. "Girls, one of you two, can you twist the vertical knob thingy…" Jack is interrupted by Leanna.
"Okay, one, no one knows what you're talking about. Two, if you mean clean it up, the answer's yes. Me and Riley used the static's repeating pattern to back-engineer the algorithm that rendered it…"
"Hey, yeah, nobody knows what you're talking about. Just do it." Jack interrupts her.
"I do." Riley says and laughs a bit.
"This is what the video looks like with the fake static removed." Leanna says. Mac and Jack watch the video, and at the point where the static appeared, a man appears from behind a black SUV that's parked behind Bishop. That man takes out his gun and shoots Eva Santos in the chest. Mac and Jack both turn around and glance at Bishop.
"Well, have yourself a Gooey-Pie, Bishop. Your story checks out." Jack says.
"He didn't shoot Santos. And someone at the FBI made it look like he did. So there is a dirty fed." Mac says. And that's when the fan on the table starts spinning. 'Someone's coming.'
"Guys? We just intercepted an FBI bulletin that went to the Atlanta PD 15 minutes ago. It gives your exact location and warns that all three of you are armed and dangerous." Riley says. The three of them hear cars pulling up. Mac moves the curtain a bit and sees a SWAT team approaching the motel.
"Which would explain why the SWAT team's outside loaded for bear." Mac says as he glances at Jack. The fan is spinning like crazy and it looks like it's about to break. So Mac cuts the string with his SAK.
"Well, whoever this dirty fed is, he isn't stupid. Sending the locals to grab us so he can stay anonymous? That's a smart move." Jack says as Mac looks around to find something he can use for possibly an exit.
"Can we marvel at his intelligence after we escape?" Mac asks sounding annoyed.
"Sounds like we're all on the same page. How do we get out of here?"
"All clear! Move out!" They hear the SWAT team shout. And that's when an idea came in Mac's head.
"Jack, give me your room key." Mac says. "Is there a Bible in there?" Mac points to the counter next to the bed. Bishop opens it and finds a Bible. He takes it and gives it to Mac. Mac starts rubbing his knife on the key.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jack asks.
"Making a bump key to get to into the adjoining room. If I can file it down enough, I can jam it in the keyhole and bump the lock open." Mac says. He puts the key in the keyhole and hits it with the Bible. The door opens and Mac peeks inside. There is nobody there, but he can hear a whistle. He sees the bathroom door slightly open and steam coming out. The person is taking a shower.
"Let's go." Mac whispers. Bishop takes the drawing of Ilene and puts it in his pocket. They follow Mac in the room and slowly move to the door at the end of the room. Bishop glances at the bathroom and sees that the person is taking the tower that was hanging on the door. Mac's eyes go wide and slowly speeds up. They make it to the door. Mac opens it and goes to the other room, and spots a little girl playing with a teddy bear on the bed while her parents are sleeping. 'Oh crap…' Mac smiles and waves at the little girl. The girl brings her hand up and waves back. Bishop closes the door, and Jack puts his pointer finger in front of his mouth, telling the little girl to be quiet. The little girl nods and gives him a thumbs up, which Jack returns.
They hear the SWAT team break into a room. It was loud, but not loud enough to wake up the parents. 'Thank God.' Mac opens the front door and peeks out to see a SWAT member looking the other way. He waves his hand at Bishop and Jack telling them to follow. Bishop goes after Mac, and Jack is last, giving another thumbs up to the little girl before closing the door quietly and follow Mac and Bishop.
10 MINUTES LATER
"Where are you now?" Leanna asks. Jack glances at the houses they are passing to see the name of the street.
"We're on 75 South." Jack says. Mac is holding the phone while Jack is driving. "We couldn't make it back to our rental car, so…we kind of stole another one." Jack says.
"You stole another vehicle?" Matty asks.
"At least this one doesn't belong to the federal government." Mac says.
"Yeah, it should be noted here, Matty, that we're telling you the truth this time." Jack says.
"The truth. I'm honored. What do you want, a cookie?" Matty asks sarcastically.
"Cookies are good, man, I like 'em." Jack replies.
"Not the way I'm gonna feed 'em to you, you won't." Matty says. Riley smirks at that comment. Bozer comes in the war room and glances at everyone.
"Hey, what's going on?" Bozer asks.
"Yo, Boze." Jack says. He hasn't heard Bozer since they left from LA to Atlanta.
"Okay, well, while you two have been busy racking up felonies, I think we identified our dirty fed." Matty says. "Riley traced the FBI bulletin that sent the SWAT team after you guys."
"Whoever issued the order tried to anonymize themselves, but I was able to match the device that sent the order to the IMEI to the number of a cell phone we're already monitoring." Riley says. That's when a picture of agent Brooks appear on Mac's phone.
"Agent Brooks. Why am I not surprised?" Mac asks sarcastically.
"Our agents took him into custody ten minutes ago, but we're still checking if his partner, Cho, or any other feds are involved." Matty says.
"So it's safe to bring in Bishop now?" Mac asks.
"I'm making arrangements now for you to hand him off to an FBI agent I trust. We'll send you location details as soon as we get them." Matty says.
"Copy that." Mac says and hangs up. Matty glances at the others. Riley is working on her laptop, while Leanna is explaining to Bozer about the mission.
THE NEXT DAY
Matty is in front of the big screen in the war room waiting for Mac and Jack to arrive at the location she sent them. She hears a knock on the door behind her. She turns around and sees Bozer standing at the doorway.
"You're here early." Matty says.
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you." Bozer says.
"Not right now. The hand off is about to happen." Matty says.
"It's about this mission. With Bishop." Bozer says. Matty stares at him and sighs.
"Okay, what?" Matty asks.
"I was looking through agent Brooks' file, the guy you say is guilty, and…something feels off to me." Bozer says.
"Explain." Matty says.
"According to his FBI file, Brooks is in his 40s, with 20 years of experience at the Bureau." Bozer says.
"Okay, I know that, Bozer." Matty says.
"My point is, Brooks is still running around on street detail. If he had been dirty all this time, using Bishop to plant evidence and frame people, don't you think he'd be higher up the ladder by now?" Bozer asks. "Look, Matty, I've had tons of bosses before I came to work here. And Brooks, he's no boss." Bozer adds. Matty thinks that Bozer has a point. So she picks up the phone and calls the FBI agent she trusts. But nobody answers. She tries again but nobody answers.
HAND OFF LOCATION
Jack enters the parking garage on goes to the 4th floor. Matty said that the FBI agent would be there. As he rounds up a corner, he sees a man in a suit standing in front of his car. 'That must be him.' Jack parks the car and turns it off.
"Thank you guys. Because the both of you, I can feel free. And after this, I'm gonna tell Ilene everything. Tell her that I'm in love with her. I just hope she feels the same." Bishop says.
"You won't find out unless you tell her." Jack says with a smile. That's what Jack said to Mac about Riley when they were coming back from Shanghai. Mac smiles and gets out of the car. Jack and Bishop do the same.
"Let's go." Jack says to Bishop and Bishop nods. Jack and Bishop start walking towards the agent when Mac's phone rings. It's Matty.
"Yeah?"
"Did you make the handoff yet?" Matty asks Mac.
"No, we're doing it right now." Mac replies.
"Is the agent you're with a six foot one black guy?" Matty asks. Mac glances at the agent. He was that height, but the skin color isn't. This agent is white.
"No, why?" Mac asks.
"Then whoever you are meeting with is not the agent I sent to bring in Bishop." Matty replies.
"Take good care of him." Jack says.
"Will do." The agent replies. Bishop freezes on the spot.
"That voice…" Bishop says. Mac immediately starts running.
"Jack, get Bishop away from him now!" Mac shouts. Jack glances at him to see him running towards them. "Don't let him get Bishop!" Jack turns around quickly and sees that the agent has Bishop and that he is pointing a gun towards him.
"If I were you, cowboy, I'd back away slowly, or someone's gonna get hurt." The agent says. When Matty hears that voice, she realizes that she talked with this agent before. 'Martin Dryer.'
Matty storms out of the war room. "You! I want every Phoenix agent in MacGyver's vicinity now headed for his location now." Matty says to a man that was having a conversation with a woman. "You, get the deputy director of the FBI on the phone now. You, contact the Atlanta chief of police. I want every black and white backing up our people!" Matty says with a raised voice. She is pissed right now. Dryer played with her. And she doesn't like to get played.
"Ma'am, I've got the deputy direct…" the woman didn't finish cause Matty took the phone from her hand.
"Lou, it's Matty. You know that fugitive you guys are looking for, Douglas Bishop? Yeah, well, we found him, and one of your agents is about to kill him." Matty says.
Mac puts his hands up and tries to calm the situation. "Dryer, put the gun down and let's talk." Mac says. "I don't see you walking away from this." He adds.
"Sure I will. Like you said, I'm the one with the gun. I was trying to keep this all nice and neat. I was hoping to end all of this by taking Bishop for a little walk in the woods and then quietly retiring, no one the wiser…"
"Yeah, yeah, life's full of disappointments. Drop the gun." Jack interrupts him. Dryer doesn't and just glances at both of them. "You can't shoot us all, I can promise you that." Jack says. Dryer looks at him and smiles.
"I don't have to shoot everybody, just Bishop. Cause I don't care if he dies. But you do." Dryer says as he puts the gun on Bishop's back and slowly backs away from them. "So, you are gonna stay where you are…"
"No, I'm not." Jack interrupts him again and starts approaching him slowly.
"Uh-uh…" Dryer stops and points the gun at Jack, so Jack stops, "…and we're gonna back up, get in the car, and drive away." Dryer starts backing up and Mac and Jack starts going after him at the same pace.
"Then what? Killing him won't end this. We know you're dirty. Our boss has proof." Mac says.
"What, you don't think I have an exit strategy? I've been socking away cash for years." Dryer says as Mac spots the power box. Jack can see that the kid has a plan. "And I've become an expert in making people disappear. So when I'm gone, you'll never find me."
"Think this through. Being on the run sucks. Just ask Bishop." Jack says and the next thing he knows, sparks come down from the lights at the top. Mac, while doing something to the power box, covers his face so he doesn't get burnt. He hears Jack start running towards Bishop, and then he hears a gunshot. His eyes open and he moves himself from the power box. Sparks stop falling and he searches for Jack. He can see that Jack has Dryer on the ground and pointing a gun at him.
But then he sees something horrible. Bishop is on the ground, with his hands on the center of his chest. "Bishop!" Mac runs and kneels beside him. There is blood all over him. Dryer must've somehow shot him. He puts his hands on Bishop's chest to keep pressure. "Hey, hey, stay with me! Stay with me!" No, Bishop can't die. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves to go back to Ilene and be with her. He deserves a happy life. Not this. "Don't die on me!"
Bishop coughs a lot and blood starts coming from his mouth. He reaches with a shaky and bloody hand in his pocket. He takes out the drawing of Ilene, but he is holding it from the back so he doesn't make the paper that he drew Ilene on with blood. He gives the drawing to Mac.
"Give…this…to-to…Ilene…p-please…" Bishop says with a shaky voice as a tear slides down his temple. And after that, Bishop's hands drop and he stops breathing. Mac removes his hands from Bishop's chest and sits down. He drops the drawing on the ground so he doesn't make it with blood from his hands. His eyes sting as he sees Bishop not moving, laying there…dead. He glances at Jack who is sad and pissed at the same time. If the Atlanta PD didn't show up, Jack would've made Dryer beg for Jack to kill him.
Mac watches the medics carrying Bishop in a body bag. He got his hands cleaned up, got checked for burns, but everything is fine. Same goes for Jack, who is now handing off Dryer to Brooks and Cho.
"We're sorry we got you busted. It was an accident." Jack says.
"It was an honest mistake. And besides, we're even now. This shithead has been torpedoing my whole career for over a decade. I'm gonna get a big promotion out of his bust." Brooks says. Jack hands him Dryer and they leave.
Jack looks around and sees Mac, alone, leaning against the wall and looking at the ground. He wants to go and talk to him, but he decides against it. Maybe Mac needs some alone time right now. He spots a couple of officers searching Dryer's car. He also notices how they back off when they open the trunk. 'What was that about?' Jack asks himself. He walks over to the car and gets in front of the trunk, to see a body that's been shot twice in the chest. He also spots the agent's badge He takes out his phone and calls Matty.
"Jack?"
"Matty…the agent you sent to bring in Bishop, was it agent Paul?" Jack asks as he looks at the agent's badge.
"Yes, why?" Matty asks. Jack sighs.
"They found him in Dryer's trunk. Two shots to the chest." Jack says. He can't hear anything from Matty, only a shaky breath she releases. "I'm sorry, Matty."
Jack parks in front of the convenience store where Ilene works. He glances at Mac who is looking at the drawing. Mac gets out of the car and gets in the convenience store. Jack also gets out of the car and leans against it. He watches Mac talking to Ilene. He sees Mac giving her the drawing, and while he was giving it to her, he must've said what happened, because Ilene has her hand covering her mouth and starts crying. She puts her head on Mac's shoulder, and Mac starts rubbing her back to maybe calm her down. It was a sad scene to watch. 'Son of a bitch…'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Mac and Jack arrive at the Phoenix and are greeted by Riley, Bozer and Leanna. Riley hugs Mac and whispers,
"I'm sorry." Mac tightens the grip and buries his face in her hair.
"Where's Matty?" Jack asks.
"She left. She…she said she needed some time alone." Leanna replies. They all stay silent for a while.
"What now?" Bozer asks.
"Nothing. Mission's over. Here." Mac throws his house keys to Bozer. "Go and make some dinner. I want to blow off some steam in the gym." Mac says. He gives Riley a kiss and leaves for the gym.
After one and a half hour of training and screaming, he goes home all sticky and sweaty. As he approaches the front door, he spots a piece of paper on the mat. He picks it up and enters his house. He opens the paper and it says "Soon." Mac furrows his eyebrows and enters the living room to find all of them watching TV.
"Any of you drop this?" Mac says. Everyone shakes their head.
"What does it say?" Jack asks.
"Soon." Mac answers.
"Soon…what?" Bozer asks.
"I don't know, it just says 'soon'." Mac replies. "Anyway, I'm gonna go and take a shower." Mac says. He goes to his room and throws the piece of paper on his bed. He takes a quick shower and gets dressed.
When he gets out of his bedroom, he sees Bozer and Leanna in the kitchen making dinner, Jack is watching TV, while Riley is on the balcony staring at the city. He approaches her from behind and puts his arms around her stomach. She leans back against him and smiles, as Mac gives her a kiss on the cheek.
"What do you say…we go on a road trip on Wednesday?" Mac asks.
"Where do you want to go?" Riley asks.
"Wherever you want to." Mac answers as he kisses her neck. "Tomorrow, I want you to name me a place, and I'll take you there on Wednesday." Mac says. Riley turns around and kisses him on the lips.
This day has sucked. Maybe one of the worst. Losing two innocent lives…it does hurt. They caught the dirty fed, but…Bishop and agent Paul are gone. And that's never gonna leave Mac's head. Right now, he just wants to forget about this, and take his girl on a road trip this Wednesday. And there's the note he found at the door. If nobody from the gang dropped it, then who put it there. And what did they mean by 'Soon.'? Mac will admit, he is a little creeped out. And he doesn't have a good feeling about this.