Chapter Thirteen: Garden Variety Psychopath

Hello, guys! Be aware, there is a description of being shot in this chapter. Some might consider it graphic so I will place a * around it.

Building A, Thousand Oaks…

Used to be a Warehouse for things…

James found himself alone in a concrete building, being faced with Murdoc's fury. Oversight was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He was well aware of the danger Murdoc could pose. It wiped the smirk off his face, and he examined Murdoc's body language.

"You hurt Angus?" Murdoc demanded seething with surprising anger.

If you were to tell me that Murdoc would be one of the people to defend me against my father, I would have laughed in your face. The fact that Murdoc was angry about my father's treatment was even more surprising. Therefore, I do not blame my father for appearing so confused. After all, the person that tried to murder you would be the last person you'd expect to care about your injuries. Yet, Murdoc had never been the usual, garden variety psychopath.

"I've disciplined him over the years. He needed to learn. Don't tell me you're one of those new-fangled parents who are against corporal punishment!" James responded ludicrously. Why would Murdoc care what he did to his son? The guy was an assassin to hire for God's sake!

"You. Hurt. Angus." Murdoc spat each word venomously.

"Yes, I did because he deserved it. Why would you care anyway? You've tried to kill him twice now! I thought you him getting hurt."

Murdoc's fist rocketed across Oversight's face. James let out a howl of pain which drowned out the sound of his nose breaking. He was already injured from Jack's previous discussion with him. The majority of his face was a bruise and now another one would form. Blood dripped down his face washing away bits of dirt that had collected there.

"I like hurting him. I do not like someone hurting him. You hurt him. You hurt what was mine. You will live to regret that." Murdoc threatened. Then he let out a sickening giggle. "Or rather you will die to regret that."

Self-preservation kicked in. Now that he was faced with an opponent that he considered a threat, the smug persona crumbled away. In its place was now a man who was beginning to realise the danger of the situation. Where once had stood someone full of bravado, there was now a weak idiot babbling like a frightened child. You see, was in reality a coward. A coward who would run as soon as the tables turned on him. Oh, when he thought he was in control he acted like a formidable man. He had no illusions. He was outgunned, outsmarted and out willed by Murdoc. And Murdoc, whose numbers spoke for themselves was about to remove him from the census.

People say that when you are in a life-threatening situation, your brain triggers a fight or flight response. This is true. What is less known though, is that there is a third response. It's less known because it often isn't effective and those that choose it do not live to tell the tale. That third response is freeze. This is what Oversight chose. It is, as its name suggests, where you don't move. In other words, you are petrified, just not like in the Harry Potter books.

James snapped out of his petrified state and was about to do something, anything, that would give him the upper hand he needed to survive.

"Please, don't- we can work this out!" He pleaded as he saw Murdoc raise his gun to his head. There was no point in running. He wasn't The Flash- he couldn't outrun a bullet.

Normally Oversight would be against begging. It would be an affront to his pride. He never accepted that weakness from Angus. A gun though, especially when it is pointed in your face, can make you say things you never would normally. If anyone asked him about this moment he would deny it. Anyway, as far as he was concerned, it was coerced and therefore didn't count.

It looked like Murdoc was going to change his mind. He moved the gun slightly to the left so that it wasn't directly in James' face. Oversight let out a sigh of relief. Then Murdoc gave one of his creepy smiles, the kind that never meant anything good.

"I must remember to apologise to Angus. I broke my promise." Murdoc muttered with faux regret.

James barely had time to register what Murdoc had said. If he was given more time he would have asked what promise?. Murdoc was too quick though and had the gun pointed back on Oversight's face. *He didn't hesitate for a second before he pulled the trigger. As the bullet entered his brain, every muscle in his body stopped working and gravity took effect. He fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.*

Murdoc looked over Oversight's body. The look of surprise was frozen in place. MacGyver Senior made a fatal mistake. He assumed that because Murdoc was hired to kill people, that meant he didn't have rules. He assumed that because he tried to kill Angus, he had no morals. He was wrong on both accounts. If he wasn't, then Murdoc wouldn't kill for free when it came to certain jobs. When Murdoc considered someone his no-one else got to hurt them. Oversight had broken that rule and as he had just found out, the punishment for that was death.

I remember one year at school, everyone had to pick two extra-curricular activities. I was already doing science club, so I had to pick another one to join. In the end, I chose debate society (which I chose because I lost a bet but that's another story). One day, we were debating morals. Someone argued that people like murders didn't have any morals because of the things they did. I disagreed. I argued that everyone has morals. It's just some morals do not match our own and go against what we consider to be good. It's likely why serial killers have types because those people went against those morals. Even now, I still believe that everyone has morals. It's just some of those morals are pretty skewed. Case in point: Murdoc.

War Room

We're finally getting there.

Building A, near the Hope Nature Preserve of Thousand Oaks, was an old abandoned warehouse. It was built in the late fifties for the use of a local farmer. Since that time, the land that farmers had owned was sold on, but the warehouse was left forgotten. The materials that it used ensured it stood the test of time, however, so it was the perfect hide-out for Murdoc and Oversight.

With the location discovered, Matty was busy coordinating with Jack and a tac team of Phoenix's finest to work out a plan of attack. There wasn't much time so they would have to move quickly. Murdoc and Oversight wouldn't risk being in one place for too long. It would be a mistake, however, to rush in with strategizing first. Once that was done, the team, especially picked by Jack, were in the air.

If you were to go by road, it would take you about an hour to drive to the compound. By helicopter, it would take just 15 minutes. Of course, you can't just go about flying helicopters willy-nilly and there aren't any flight paths that link to two destinations. No, the average man couldn't fly to Thousand Oaks from Los Angles but in case you haven't worked it out, we are not the average. And when one of the countries top wanted criminals has escaped, the CIA are only too happy to sort out any issues regarding air space. This is particularly true if they've had to deal with a pissed off Matty Webber.

On the way to Building A

Hey, that rhymes!

The helicopter landed a few miles from the compound. Any questions that were asked about the mysterious helicopter would be met with shrugs. Tomorrow, should anyone take the trouble to look online, they would see that a film was being produced. This was California after all.

Once they reached the compound Jack quietly gestured to the team he was leading. Unfortunately, orders had been given that both Murdoc and Oversight were to be brought in alive. Murdoc was too valuable a commodity to use and Oversight- well it wouldn't look good if they shot their boss even if this one was a traitor. So, any plans Jack had to put a bullet in the head of James MacGyver would have to be abandoned. Maybe he could persuade Matty that oversight had slipped and in trying to help up, his gun went off accidentally. ]

Yeah, even Jack knows that that would never work. Even if he was willing to risk Matty's ire (which he wasn't because Jack knows that's dangerous) he knew the promise he made to me. Jack's good like that. He keeps his promises.

Jack methodically cleared the building room by room. There was no sign of Murdoc or Oversight. Damn! They'd been so certain after what Riley had discovered. It wasn't her fault of course; it had been a hard job, to begin with, and Jack was impressed that the had managed-

"Agent Dolton!"

One of the operatives called out to him. Jack walked in the direction of the voice. It had come from a room he hadn't checked just yet but someone else had. When he walked through the threshold he saw knew immediately what had caused the agent to cry out. It wasn't hard to miss.

In the middle of the room, with a look of surprise that was oh so satisfying, was Oversight. He was slightly more bruised than the last time Jack saw him. He was also dead. There was no need for a medical examiner to state the course of death. It was obvious that that was the large bullet hole in the centre of his forehead.

Jack turned to the agent that found him. Before he could say anything, the agent pleaded his innocence. It wasn't necessary. There hadn't been a gunshot and in any case, it hadn't happened that recently. Jack wasn't an expert but as the bleeding had stopped, the agent couldn't have shot him. So, Jack was quick to reassure him.

"I know, Jackson. It was likely Murdoc. I don't know why but he's turned on Oversight."

"Do you think that Oversight was trying to bring Murdoc in?" Jackson asked almost hopefully. He still thought Oversight was a good idea and the thought of him betraying them was too hurtful for him.

"I need to update Matty. Don't touch anything and no one touch Oversight's body. Remember we still have a felon to apprehend." Jack ordered, electing not to answer Jackson's question on the basis that he didn't want to. He didn't think that Oversight had been trying to bring in Murdoc. That didn't make sense. Why would Murdoc kill James after going to the trouble of breaking him out?

As predicted Matty was first angry and then shocked when Jack relayed the news. Her first thought was that Jack had shot him, but he had given her his word that he had been dead when he arrived. Matty ordered them back to Phoenix and gave instructions for Oversight's body.

War Room…

This day seems never-ending…

"Have you told Mac yet?" Riley asked when he found out about Oversight's death.

Bozer had taken Mac to get something to eat and to hang out in the lab. He couldn't stand to just sit and wait for news, so his best friend saw fit to direction. Riley was glad about it now because it meant they didn't have to worry about talking about it with him in the room. They needed to track down Murdoc. That was the priority. Still, there was no telling how Mac might take the news.

"No," Jack admitted. He was feeling a little guilty now about feeling gleeful about Oversight's death. He also felt bad that Mac would be one of the last to know about his father's death. The man was no father to Mac as far a Jack was concerned but they were connected by blood. He knew that, rightly or wrongly, Mac loved his dad even if the feelings were not reciprocated.

"You should tell him, Jack. Stay with him." Matty suggested, sighing regretfully. "I'd like to say take him home but with Murdoc on the loose, we both know that can't happen."

Jack was about to nod when everyone's attention was directed to the large screen at the end of the War Room. It blinked with flickered into life and quite by its own accord, began a video chat with the very man they were tracking down.

"Hello, guys!" Murdoc greeted in his usual chipper way. "You have, no doubt, by now found the body of one James MacGyver."

"What did you do?" Jack demanded.

Murdoc smiled even wider and shook his finger at the camera as though scolding a naughty child. Jack wished he was in the same room so that he could punch the guy. Even if he had done him the favour of killing Oversight, he was still an infuriating man.

"Now, Jack I think what you mean is: why? The answer is obvious. He hurt Angus. So, he paid with his life."

Now it was Jack's turn to laugh. In contrast to Murdoc's chuckle, it was dry and completely void of any humour.

"And you care when Mac gets hurt now?" He asked just as incredulously as Oversight had when he found out.

"I care when that person is not me. I care when that person is his father. My old man was the same. Of course, then I killed him. I was doing Angus a favour. And now I must speak to him. In-person."

"Why would we agree to that?" Matty questioned. She knew that if Murdoc was to suggest something like that then it meant he would be offering something in return. What that something was, could be anyone's guess?

"Because then you can arrest me."

"You want to be arrested?" Riley inquired. As someone who had spent time in prison, she couldn't imagine anyone going there willingly.

"I like the little visits we have," Murdoc explained with a shrug. "The ones where you ask for my help. We can't do that if I'm behind bars, can we? So, what do you say? Tick-tock. Time's moving on!"

Jack opened his mouth again to inform him that there was no way in hell that Murdoc's request would be granted. He wasn't going to risk Mac's safety for anything. He didn't get the chance.

"I'll do it."

No one had noticed that Mac and Bozer had walked in. That was kind of surprising considering that there was literally a room full of spies present.

"Boy Scout! I'm glad you've agreed!" Murdoc bellowed happily. He was ignored.

"Mac, you don't have to do this." Matty reminded him. "Riley can trace the call we can find him that way."

That wasn't quite true. Riley had been trying to trace the call, but it had bounced off several different cells. Still, she could try once the call ended and Matty was certain that they would track Murdoc down somehow. They didn't need to risk Mac's safety.

"You know Murdoc. No games. We need to arrest him before he hurts anyone else."

"Mac…" Jack pleaded.

"I've decided. Let me help. Where do you want to meet Murdoc?"

The assassin grinned again. Those smiles were really getting to be a problem. They were fricking creepy, that's what they were.

"Let's go down memory lane. Let's meet at the car yard."

Car Yard

The last time was a little… shooty…

Mac didn't like this place. Car Yards were pretty dangerous, to begin with, but with Murdoc involved it had a whole new level of danger. Of course, there were also lots of things that he could use to improvise with but that didn't make him feel any better. The snipers armed with tranquilisers only slightly eased the tension.

"What is it you wanted to say to me?" Mac asked, making sure to keep his distance.

Murdoc's jaw tightened as he saw the bruises on Mac's face. Well, he's made the man reasonable pay for hurting what he considered his. No one damaged what he owned. No one did his job.

"I wanted to apologise in person for breaking my promise."

"What?" Mac inquired, quite clearly confused.

"I made a promise that I would not hurt your father. You were not present in the room, but it still counts. I consider myself a man who keeps his promises."

Mac did not respond. He was expecting Murdoc to say something else, do something else. What he was not expecting was for Murdoc to drag him out here purely to apologise for breaking a promise he hadn't even made to Mac personally. Murdoc was unique that was for sure.

"Right, now that's done with, you can do what you got to do." Murdoc clapped his hands together and held up out as though waiting for handcuffs. "You can give the order to stand down. As they say in the films, I'll come quietly."

Mac clapped the handcuffs to Murdoc. Jack and Matty came running forward to take the man from him. He watched as Murdoc was whisked into the van and driven away. That was… weird. He couldn't help but think about the promise that Murdoc had supposedly made. He had, apparently, said that he wouldn't hurt his father. He had killed James. He hadn't hurt Jack. Maybe, Murdoc didn't hurt his father. James wasn't his father. Biologically, he was but Jack was his father in every way that mattered. Murdoc said he wouldn't hurt his father, but James wasn't his father. Jack was. Murdoc had kept his promise after all.