Chapter Three: Rainforest Medicine
Phoenix Foundation
It's not a think tank but you knew that.
Mac groaned as he was shoved to the floor roughly by his father. They had been going like this since 6 o'clock that morning and he was beginning to get tired. He felt like he deserved a break, after all, it was nearly 9 o'clock. Matty would expect him to be in the lab shortly.
"Dad please, don't you think we should stop?"
His only answer was a punch to the face that hadn't been able to deflect. James MacGyver regarded his son with a disappointed expression that twitched into anger. So, in other words, his usual face.
"I thought I had been clear Angus." His voice was calm, but Mac knew better than to take that as a good sign.
"I'm sorry sir. I just mean, that the director will expect me to be in the lab soon and I know how much you hate it when your agents are late."
The few seconds of silence that followed seemed like a lifetime. Mac really needed to get to the lab before too many questions were asked. He didn't want to risk the punishment from either Matty or his father (he was in one of those moods which meant everything was Mac's fault) if he was late. He already has to explain the black eye that was now forming as the result of his training exercise. Jack wouldn't be happy to find out he had an impromptu sparring session without his knowledge.
Finally, James let out a breath and nodded. That was a good sign.
"Fine. Go to the lab. I trust you have learnt enough today to avoid a bad landing in future." He growled.
"Yes sir. Thank-you."
"You are welcome, Angus. You are my son. I care about your capabilities as an agent."
"I know sir." Mac responded though he highly doubted that his father's actions were completely selfless.
"Dismissed."
Mac turned but he barely made it to the door before his father's voice caused him to spin around again.
"When I left you, I thought your grandfather would continue to discipline you. It seems I was mistaken and for that, I apologise. That will change though." James threatened.
Mac didn't like the sound of that. Surely now that he was an adult he wouldn't have to go through that? Matty had never hit him and neither had Thornton though the latter had been a lot colder than the current director.
"It has been a while since you felt my belt around your back. If you want to keep it that way I suggest that you remember the rules I taught you before I went away."
"I understand sir."
"Good. We should have dinner sometimes." James mused calmly as if he hadn't just threatened his son with bodily harm.
James left to go and do whatever it was that Oversight did in the morning. Mac touched his eye wincing when he left the numb pain that he felt as a result. It wasn't the only part of him that was hurting though. His side ached. Thankfully it was bruised though Mac doubted it would stay that way. He briefly wondered if he should take a visit to Medical before he went to the lab. In the end, he didn't have to decide because he got a text from Matty asking the team to report to the War Room. They had a case. Medical would have to wait.
Matty was not happy. She had planned to talk to James first thing that morning but when she got to the foundation he seemed to have disappeared. Then, she'd received a call from the director of the CIA who had called her asking for a favour. While she wanted to refuse him, the case was important and a favour from the CIA was always something could have on her side. She would have to speak to James after the case.
"There's a situation in Colombia." Matty explained once everyone was in the room. She cast a concerned glance at Mac noticing the bruise on his face. Jack also saw the bruise and his jaw tightened, a telling sign of his anger.
"What happened to your face Mac?" Jack demanded before Matty could explain what the case was about.
"Sparing session." Mac explained. "I'm fine. What's the case, Matty?"
Jack opened his mouth to intervene. He wasn't going to let it go that easily. However, the case was time-sensitive (it always was) so Matty stopped him with a look that could turn water into stone.
"Agent Anderson Philips was sent on a mission to Colombia to retrieve the launch keypad of a stolen missile two days ago. All attempts to contact him have since failed. His mission was off the record, so the Phoenix Foundation is his only hope. Your mission is to locate him and the missile launchpad." Matty informed them.
Riley tapped at her laptop for a few minutes before a map of Colombia appeared on the screen.
"I've pinged his cell. His last known location is" She looked up "In the middle of the Colombian rainforest."
"The rainforest. Great." Jack commented dryly.
"The Jet is already fuelled up so wheels up." Matty instructed.
Amazon Rainforest, Colombia
Surprisingly it's not raining.
As Mac wondered through the Amazon rainforest he felt grateful for the distraction. Sure, it was humid, wet and the forest was not at all comfortable but at least the threat of a nuclear attack stopped Jack from talking about his black eye and aching side. It was strange how saving the world made you prioritise matters.
"I hate this place." Jack moaned.
"Do you also hate the idea of a nuclear war? Because that is what will happen if you don't stop complaining and find that launchpad and Agent Philips." Matty snapped back over the comms.
"You should be near the last location now." Riley told them.
Mac's sharp eye spotted a mobile phone stuck in the ground. He ran to it and that's when he spotted Agent Philips on the forest floor. He quickly checked his pulse and let out a sigh of relief when he found it. It was thready and weak, but it was there.
"We've found Philips but he's in bad shape." Mac updated Matty.
A quick look at the man's shirt told him why his pulse was weak. On his back just above where his right kidney was, a knife wound spanning about three inches was bleeding. It stained his white shirt red as if he had spilt a glass of wine on it. He needed to find a way to stop that wound from bleeding or he'd bleed out.
When a wound won't stop bleeding it is important to apply pressure. A tourniquet is a good idea but when said wound is on your back and your miles from any hospital you're going to have to be creative. Thankfully, we are also in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest a place full of natural remedies that tribes have relied on for years
Mac looked around for the tree he required. He quickly found it and while Jack applied pressure to the wound he ran to it. He was thankful that he was in the Amazon Rainforest. It was nature's chemist and hospital if you knew what to look for which he did.
Resin from the Croton Lechleri (a common fast-growing tree in the rainforest) is perfect for helping stop bleeding. That's pretty ironic since the sap is also known as 'Dragon's Blood' thanks to its appearance. It's also a good antiseptic which is good because the forest floor is not known for its sterile environment. Just cut off the bark and pour it into the wound with a few drops of water. The humidity of the rainforest will dry it and form a scab.
Mac cut the bark of the tree and caught some of the sap with the piece of wood. After checking for bugs and finding none, he gently spread the sap into the agent's wound. The man gave a pained groan as he began to regain consciousness. That was a good sign.
"Agent Philips? It's ok we're American agents, we're here to find the launch pad and take you home." Mac explained. The man seemed to believe him because he calmed down.
"Do you know what happened to the launch pad? Did the guys who did this to you take it?" Jack inquired.
Anderson nodded. He winced as he tried to stand and leant on Jack's arm. After a few breaths and taking some time to gather himself, he spoke.
"I heard them talking. They thought I was passed out or dead, but I wasn't as far gone as they expected. They were talking in Spanish, but I managed to hear what they said."
"And what that?"
"They were talking-ahh- about a log cabin."
"Riley?" Mac queried.
"On it."
There were a few seconds of silence before her voice sounded in their ears.
"There's a log cabin about 5 miles east of your location. If you go now you might reach it by nightfall."
"Then get going. You can't risk being out in the open during the night. With an injured man, it would be too dangerous." Matty ordered.
Agent Philips shook his head. He could walk but Jack's arm was the only thing keeping him up. With him, in the mix, they would never reach it before nightfall, and it was a race against time to get the log cabin anyway. It wasn't guaranteed that the men would be there or the very important launchpad that they needed to avoid disaster.
"Leave me. I'll just slow you down." He begged.
"Absolutely not. I'm Ex-Delta. We leave no man left behind." Jack declared proudly.
"You're Ex-Delta?" Philips asked, "I was a Navy SEAL."
"Then we're definitely not leaving you." Jack picked the man up and slug him over his shoulder. He nodded at Mac and two began moving. Both of them ignored the protests of the agent on his shoulder. They had two objectives and bringing Anderson back was one of them. Now they just had to get to the lob cabin and hope they were not too late to save the world.
"You wanna tell me what the hell you put in my wound?" Anderson asked.
"Dragon's blood." Mac answered.
Anderson chuckled. "I'm pretty sure dragons don't exist."
"It's the sap from the Croton Lechleri tree. It works as an antiseptic and works as a coagulant. Thankfully we're in the middle of the biggest rainforest in the world."
"And you just knew this?"
"Mac knows everything. I've seen this guy defuse a bomb with a stick of gum back in the Sandbox."
"You were an EOD tech?"
"The best." Jack boasted. He was proud of his boy. Jack may have made fun of the speed at which Mac had defused the bombs, but he never meant any of it. He had saved his life and the lives of their comrades so many times that Jack could help but be proud of him. There were so many men out there, so many families that that were full thanks to him.
"Ow."
"Are you alright Philips?" Jack asked.
"I have a knife wound and I've not had any painkillers. What do you think?"
"Touché"
Mac laughed. "Did you really use the term 'Touché' correctly?"
"Wow. Pigs will be flying next. In fact, I think I'm detecting one on the surveillance." Riley joked. Mac and Jack chuckled at that and shared a glance.
"How far are they until the cabin?" Matty's voice snapped them back on track. She needed them to focus but also knew that moments like this helped foster a good working relationship. Tense situations like these often caused arguments. That was not conclusive to a successful mission. When they shared a joke or two that reduced the stress and allowed them to work together better.
"Approximately ten minutes away." Riley answered.
"When we get to this cabin, I will put you down. Mac, you stay with him. Once I've cleared the cabin I'll come and get you."
"Copy that."
"When are there I'll look for something for the pain."
"Does Aspirin grow on trees now?" Anderson questioned.
"Yes, actually just not in tablet form. There will be some sort of natural pain relief somewhere."
Jack and Mac had never been gladder to see a log cabin in their life. Setting Anderson down so that they were hidden, Jack made sure that the agent had a weapon to defend themselves with. He didn't want to leave Mac but knew that his partner was capable of putting up a good fight.
Once Jack left, creeping the cabin stealthily to avoid detection, Mac stood up. He was sure he could find something to help with the pain.
"Anderson do you have any allergies?"
"No."
"Are you on any medication?"
"No."
Good. Mac's plan would work.
A lot of pain killers have a plant basis. In the olden days, they would chew on Willow Bark. That the basis of Aspirin. Unfortunately, there isn't much Willow Bark in the Amazon. Fortunately, there are other alternatives. The Passionflower is one such alternative.
Mac found the Passionflower and ground it between two rocks. He added a little vodka to form a tincture which poured into the bottle Mac made placed below.
Just use the whole plant and mash with some vodka. Water would work at a pinch but really vodka is more effective. Thankfully I took some of the mini bottles from the plane. You never know when you might need alcohol. Jack would tell you the same thing but not for the same reason.
Mac shook the bottle to mix it together better.
"You want to tell me what you are doing?"
"The Passionflower is a natural analgesic. Since you're not on any medication and have no allergies there are little risks for taking it."
Anderson looked sceptical but he was in pain, so he drank the tincture. He expected it to taste bad, but he was pleasantly surprised.
"It takes like passionfruit."
"Yeah well, they are the same plant." Mac explained.
A noise made the two of them turn their heads rapidly. While he waited for the pain relief to kick in, Anderson stood up and pointed his gun towards the noise. He pushed Mac behind him protectively. After a few seconds, someone was started to come through the bushes. Anderson raised his gun getting ready to shoot…
"It's alright! It's me." Jack assured.
Mac let out a sigh of relief.
"Did you get the launch pad?" Anderson urged.
Instead of answering verbally, Jack lifted the case up in one hand and a key in the other. Mac and Anderson gave simultaneous sighs of relief.
"Good work guys. I'm sending your exfil co-ordinariates now." Matty congratulated.
"Let's get out of this place." Jack implored.
"Err Jack? There's a snake by your foot."
Jack let out a squeal. He glared when he saw there was no snake there.
"Not funny!"
But it was funny, and Anderson and Mac laughed a deep belly laugh.
As Anderson was dropped off at a hospital and the launch pad delivered the CIA directly, Jack turned to Mac.
"So, we never got to finish our conversation from earlier."
"What conversation?"
"Mac, please, it's me."
Mac gave Jack a look. It was his please-drop-this-I-beg-you face. That mixed with his golden retriever eyes made his friend sigh.
"Fine. But this isn't the end."
Little did Jack know that there was someone who was thinking the exact same. Matty walked to Oversight's office. Now that she was satisfied her team was alright, she could confront her boss.