Bomb + Doctor + Mattress + Doors
Some mornings it pays not to get out of bed. Whether it's a project you've been working on for two weeks going up in smoke, or your ex-girlfriend still being furious with you, or your boss calling you in to work early because the world's about to end, again, there are days where it would be better to just pull the covers over your head and go back to sleep.
THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION
SOMEWHERE IN LOS ANGELES
"Hey, Mac—whoa! Why do you smell like smoke at six in the morning?" Riley asked as MacGyver approached outside the War Room.
Mac shrugged. "Well—"
"His solar powered kitchen exploded," Bozer remarked as he passed them, smirking.
"It didn't 'explode,'" Mac protested, a little too harshly. "Just…apparently the wiring in my house couldn't handle the extra load the way I thought it could."
Riley frowned. "I can't believe your calculations were off by that much. That's not like you."
"Yeah, well," Mac paused as Desi walked by them, stonily silent. "I've been a little distracted lately."
Looking back and forth between them, Riley's eyes widened in understanding. "Ah. Still not talking, huh?"
Mac nodded. "Yeah, ever since we broke up, she…" He caught himself and sighed. "Sorry, I know you don't want to be in the middle of it. It's fine. Let's just…go inside."
Riley almost stopped him as he moved around her toward the door, but refrained. She was the one who'd told him she didn't want to mess up what they had, and that meant staying out of Mac's relationship with Desi. Especially since she couldn't trust her own motives on that front. She just let him pass, then followed into the War Room. Matty and Russ were already inside.
"We've got a big problem, people," Matty announced as Riley joined the others, closing the door behind her. Matty touched a control on her tablet and a dozen photographs of insurgents appeared on the wall monitor. "This is the Northern Liberation Front, a terrorist cell that operates in North Africa, mainly Tunisia and Libya. They've been fighting the local governments for years, occasionally targeting civilians in southern Europe. Western intelligence agencies have tracked their movements for a while now, but until recently they haven't been considered a serious threat to anyone outside their own borders."
"What changed?" Bozer asked, voicing what they were all thinking.
Russ Taylor added a few more images to the screen. "This, I'm afraid."
Riley glanced over the mechanical parts and schematics, shaking her head. "What are we looking at?"
Mac seemed to be ahead of them, stepping closer to the screen and tilting his head with an alarmed expression on his face. "These are…components for an atomic bomb…."
"Precisely," Russ muttered.
"Intel is sketchy, so the CIA doesn't want to commit to that conclusion," Matty stated.
"After the beating they took over WMDs in Iraq, that's understandable," Russ added. "And that's where we come in."
"They want us to find out if they really have this stuff," Mac said.
Matty nodded. "That's right. It's suspected that the NLF only has the parts, not the uranium, and if that's true, then we can stop them before the weapon gets too far along."
Mac glanced at her. "Do we know where they're building it?"
"We do. Nebeur, a town in Tunisia. Population a little over 3,000. These schematics are old, so the weapon they're building is probably very large. Satellites have found a warehouse just outside of town that seems suitable, and we think that's where it's being assembled."
"When do we leave?" Desi asked, speaking for the first time since arriving. Riley noted that she was studiously avoiding looking in Mac's direction.
"Not so fast," Russ smiled. "We have another problem. My contacts at MI6 have a source that claims the NLF is in the process of acquiring the very uranium they need to finish the device. A Russian ex-pat operating out of Turkey is supposed to be the seller."
"What kind of 'source?'" Mac asked.
"I can't get a straight answer," Russ said. "Which tells me they have someone on the inside that they don't want to acknowledge. Perhaps they've managed to get a spy inside the NLF, but there's no way to know for certain. In any event, the mere possibility that they might obtain this material is too dangerous to ignore."
"Two teams," Matty announced. "Russ and Desi will be heading to Turkey, where the alleged uranium buy is taking place. The Turkish authorities will be cooperating in a sting operation. If it is happening the way Russ' friend suggests, we can stop it and expose whoever is trying to supply the organization."
"Mac and Riley will head to Tunisia. Find these components and destroy them, or at least, sabotage them enough to prevent completion of the bomb. Riley's job will be getting spyware onto their computers, so that we can hopefully track this cell back to its big brothers in Libya."
Riley saw Mac glance back at Desi, but he didn't manage to make eye contact. She saw that Matty noted it, too. She made eye contact with Riley. The unspoken message was loud and clear. Make sure his head is in the game. Riley nodded back silently.
"Wheels up in two hours."
MAC MAC MAC
SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC
Riley and Mac spent the first few hours of the fifteen hour flight to Tunis pouring over maps and details of the op. They were to meet one of Russ' contacts at the airport. He would supply them with a vehicle, local currency, and provisions, then they would travel the two and a half hours to Nebeur on their own. The plan was for Mac and Riley to hit the warehouse at the same time as Desi and Russ ambushed the nuclear deal in Turkey, so that there would be no time for either group of terrorists to warn the other.
After going over all that, they had little to do but wait. Mac was quieter than usual, spending a lot of time watching the clouds pass out the window.
Remembering Matty's silent order, Riley sighed. She moved to sit in front of him and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "All right. I'm going to break my own rules, okay? For you."
MacGyver turned his head, looking at her in confusion.
"How are things between you and Desi?"
He blinked. "Oh…sorry. It's, it's nothing you need to worry about. We should really go over the—"
"Mac. Spill it."
Mac's shoulders sagged. He looked more than a little miserable. "Um, okay…we haven't spoken to each other in about three weeks. Not even about work."
At Riley's silent prompting, he forged ahead. "The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, but when I ended it…."
"But, when you ended it…what?"
"I thought maybe…maybe we could stay friends after. Now that I saw that out loud I hear how stupid it is. I really messed things up with her." He shook his head, deflating as he returned to staring out the window.
Watching him for a moment, Riley tried to piece together the best way to say what she needed to say to him. "Want my hot take on it?"
He huffed a laugh. "Sure."
"She's right to be mad."
Mac's face fell a little at that, but he focused on her, listening.
"But, I think with a little time, she'll get past it. She won't stay mad forever. Neither of you were happy at the end."
"So, you do think I made a mistake?" Mac asked.
She shrugged. "I'm...not qualified to make that judgement."
His eyebrows rose. "That's kind of evasive."
Riley looked out the window for a moment. "She's my friend, too. I'd be lying if I didn't feel a little responsible for all this, myself."
"You did nothing wrong," Mac retorted firmly. "This mess is all on me."
"Everything was fine until Mexico City."
"Murdock didn't help," Mac said. "But…the more I thought about it, the more I understood that my wanting to marry Desi was just my way of trying to force our relationship to work."
"Force it?"
"We still kept secrets from each other. We still lied about how we were really feeling. When things were going well it was great, but there was always another argument waiting around the corner. I thought that if we got married…maybe it would smooth over all the other problems."
Riley frowned. "That's a terrible reason to get married."
Mac smirked. "Yeah, Desi thought so too."
"All those problems would still have been there, and eventually they would have come out again. It'd be even worse if one or both of you felt trapped in the relationship."
"Yes," Mac said softly. "I get that. I was being an idiot."
Riley frowned. "I never said that."
"Desi did. Several times." He shook his head. "I really didn't want to hurt her."
"She knows," Riley replied. "Deep down. Give it time."
MAC MAC MAC
TUNISIA
THEY FILMED STAR WARS HERE…NOT AS SANDY AS YOU THINK.
The old jeep that Russ' contact had given them for the trip was a little beat up, but it had a good engine and the ride was smooth as they proceeded southwest toward Nebeur. Mac kept his eyes peeled as he drove. They had no idea if the terrorists were all in one place, or scattered across the area.
"There, finished," Riley announced, holding up a USB drive. "We just plug this in to one of their computers, and it will upload the spyware. They so much as email each other and we'll be able to track every computer and laptop they have."
"Good work," Mac said, looking over at her, eyes lingering slightly too long before he forced himself to look back at the road. He felt at ease with Riley sitting at his side. Desi had been giving him the silent treatment since they separated. He hadn't seen much of anyone outside of work, so it was nice to interact with someone so…peaceful for change. Granted it would have been better if they weren't racing into an unknown situation involving an atomic bomb, but he'd take what he could get.
"I don't want to jinx you or anything, Mac, but can you defuse an atomic bomb?" Riley asked suddenly.
He shrugged. "I think so."
"That's not very encouraging, Blondie," Matty's voice filtered through their earpieces.
Mac grinned. He'd been expecting that response. "Don't worry, Matty. As long as they haven't diverged too much from the schematics we saw, it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, if they don't have the uranium yet, I don't even have to defuse the device, just sabotage it so they can't use it."
Riley laughed. "Oh, well then, I'll just sit back and relax."
"Just two tourists, taking a road trip across Tunisia," Mac agreed cheerfully. "Hey, Boze, if we get done early, I'll take some pictures of Luke Skywalker's house for you."
"I thought that would have been top priority, pal," Bozer replied.
"All right, let's keep it professional guys," Matty interrupted. "Someone might read these transcripts one day."
Mac and Riley laughed. He motioned for her to mute her comms as he did the same. "Riles, I just wanted to say thank you. I know listening to me talk about Desi is…awkward for you. But, with Bozer being so busy lately, I…really haven't had anyone I could—"
"It's okay," Riley said, cutting him off mid-sentence. She smiled sincerely. "Anytime."
"I just really appreciate it," he said, wanting to say the words.
"What are friends for?" She replied softly.
Not for the first time, Mac wondered what it might be like if they were more than friends.
Riley changed the subject. "So, what exactly are we looking for? I assume this thing will actually look like a bomb?"
"The early atomic weapons were huge," Mac replied. "If they followed the schematics we saw, it could weigh thousands of pounds. They'd need an open space with heavy lifting gear. Equipment similar to what we'd find in an auto mechanics' shop. We find tools like that, we'll probably find the bomb."
"Great, a bomb the size of a car…."
Mac grinned. "Makes it easy to find, at least."
MAC MAC MAC
ISTANBUL
…NOT CONSTANTINOPLE
Russ and the Turkish Police Intelligence Unit had found the area where the alleged arms deal was going down, and had it thoroughly surrounded. With an entire section of the city under surveillance, it was relatively easy to find Aleksander Bazarov, the Russian in question. Now all they needed to do was wait.
Desi hated waiting.
"We should kick the door in now."
Russ smiled, keeping his eyes on Bazarov's hideout. "Now, now. We don't want to spook whoever's coming to meet with him."
She just huffed in response.
He checked his watch. "Besides, Mac and Riley aren't…quite in position yet. Still a few minutes to go."
Desi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing.
"Ah," Russ said quietly. "Still not talking to him, eh?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
'Of course," he replied smoothly. "After all, break ups can be difficult. Especially when they come out of nowhere like that."
Desi frowned. "It didn't…come out of nowhere. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how we stayed together as long as we did."
"So, you're angry with Mac because he broke up with you, or because he didn't break up with you sooner?"
She grimaced. "I don't even know if I am mad at Mac. I didn't do my job. That bothers me more."
"Your job?"
"I came to the Phoenix to watch MacGyver's back. That was what Jack asked me to do. Somehow I managed to let myself get drawn into a…fling." Her lip twisted at the distasteful word. Maybe she had been right about Mac being a stand in for Evan. She should have seen it from the start.
Russ shrugged. "Happens to the best of us. Emotions can be mercurial at times. Besides, Mac is a good person, I can see how it would be easy to let your guard down around him."
"You're defending him, now?" Desi asked, only half-joking.
"Not at all," Russ replied quickly. "Men are pigs, and all that."
She smirked, then sighed. "Mac's not a pig. He just…doesn't know what he wants."
"Do any of us?"
"Maybe not," she said. "But I know I want to kick down that door."
Russ chuckled. "You'll have your opportunity in exactly…four minutes."
MAC MAC MAC
The warehouse wasn't heavily guarded. Mac spotted two men on the outskirts, patrolling the perimeter fence. He subdued one with a choke hold. Riley lured the other outside the fence and cold cocked him with a pipe from the jeep. They were both zip-tied and gagged in a deep ditch on the other side of the main road leading into the lot.
Mac checked his watch. Almost time.
Riley rejoined him at his spot near a hole in the fence. "No security cameras that I can find. Probably need to watch out for tripwires."
He nodded, rechecking his watch. "Let's go."
The warehouse was fairly nondescript. The outer door led to a small walled off office area, which seemed to be deserted. They made their way quietly down one hallway, noting that most of the cubicles that had doors were locked. At the end of the hall, they found an open office that was empty but clearly in use. There were two laptops on the desk.
Mac nodded toward them, covering the door while Riley went to work. She plugged in the drive, and just had a wait while her hacking program broke into the laptop. "About two minutes," she whispered.
He nodded, watching down the hall. The next 90 seconds were nerve-racking. He heard voices nearby, but couldn't pinpoint their position. The longer they went unnoticed, the better.
"We're in," Riley said in a low voice, moving to his side.
Mac tapped his comms. "Matty, one down, one to go."
"Team Two is moving in on the Russian now. Stay on your toes."
"Okay…now we look for a workshop," Mac said softly.
"Lead the way," Riley replied.
MAC MAC MAC
"Where are they?" Desi murmured. The NLF party still hadn't appeared.
"Something isn't right," Russ said, half to himself. "Matty anything on satellite?"
"Barely any movement at all, except for a few civilians," Webber reported back.
Desi could see the proverbial wheels turning as Taylor rolled the situation over in his mind. After a few tense moments, he raised his walkie-talkie to his mouth.
"Captain, hold your men back. We're going to take a closer look."
The Turkish police commander acknowledged Russ' instructions. Desi left their hiding spot, sidearm in hand, and moved toward the Russian's hideout. Russ was close behind. They reached the doorway unchallenged. No one appeared to be anywhere nearby.
"Time to give yourself what you want, my dear," Russ said with a small smile.
Desi didn't have to be told twice. She stepped forward and kicked open the front door of the small shop. Gun at the ready, she rushed inside.
The Russian was home, as expected, but he clearly wasn't expecting guests. He was reclined, watching television and munching on Ülker tea biscuits, and quite unprepared for any arms deal, seeing as he was comfortably sitting in his underwear. Startled, he practically fell from the chair, sputtering in nearly incomprehensible Russian.
Russ and Desi glanced at each other, at a loss. He toggled his comms. "Matty, I think we have a problem…there's no nuclear arms deal happening here."
Matty was alarmed. "What?"
MAC MAC MAC
MacGyver and Riley crept quietly down one of the hallways inside the warehouse. They'd had to make a few quick turns and dashes from one doorway to the next to avoid passing guards, but so far hadn't had to confront anyone. So far so good, Mac thought. Part of him was getting worried, though. Aside from a few guards, the only sign of life in the building was the breakroom they'd passed, with its collection of empty beer cans and playing cards. It was feeling too easy.
Finally, they came to a heavy metal door, which was padlocked. After checking the doorframe for wires or obvious booby traps, Mac turned his attention to the lock. Thinking for a few seconds, he motioned for Riley to stay put and jogged quietly back to the vacant breakroom.
One of the easiest methods for opening spring-loaded key padlocks without a key involves a beer can, some scissors and a little patience. Just cut two small strips from the aluminum of an empty can, cut a V-shape into each, round it off, insert one into each side of the shackle, and turn them outward until the locking bar releases and the lock pops open…and voilà! That thin, aluminum shim is enough to unlatch even the toughest of shackles.
"You know, you do have a lock-picking set," Riley whispered, smiling down fondly at him.
He smiled back. "Where's the fun in that?"
Opening the door as quietly as he could, Mac slipped inside, pausing long enough for Riley to enter before he closed the door back to avoid attracting attention from any passing patrol.
The huge inner space was dark, filled with rows of metal shelves and racks holding parts and tools of all kinds. They crept forward, barely able to see in the gloom. A few shafts of sunlight were visible ahead, so they headed for those.
Emerging from the rows of shelves, Mac spied a two-ton hydraulic engine hoist. More or less the kind of equipment he'd expected. He stepped into an open area beyond, and slowed to a stop, scanning the largely empty expanse around them with his eyes.
"Uh, Mac…?" Riley breathed.
"Yeah, I see it," Mac murmured.
The only object in sight was a small box on a wooden table in the center of the warehouse. Stepping closer, he saw dials and switches, and an antenna. He tapped his comms.
"Matty, something's wrong. There's no bomb here, not even the beginnings of one."
There was no answer. Frowning, Mac tried again. "Matty?"
Suddenly, a deafening blast of static came through their comms, so loud both he and Riley yanked their earpieces out. The now glowing box's function became clear.
"Signal jammer." He turned to Riley. "Let's get out of here!"
As they turned to leave the way they'd came, the overhead lamps snapped on, filling the room with glaring fluorescent light, and illuminating the two dozen or so masked men who were emerging from the rows of shelves carrying automatic weapons.
TBC