Season 02 Episode 19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle

Mac left the room, where Matty was lying in a hospital bed. He needed some fresh air. He never saw his boss lady in such a vulnerable state but he felt so much awe for her, when he thought about what she had done. With a cigarette lighter knocking out a trained and armed CIA top-agent and deliberately causing a car crash was a more than risky plan. Matty may not be a physical impressive person, but her mind, her straight will and her total single-mindedness compelled his highest respect. And exactly that case brought another side of her to the front, that Mac couldn't really classify until now. In thoughts he stood with his arms crossed over his chest on the outside of the Phoenix Foundation.
"What's bothering you?" Alex stepped next to him.
"Uhm." He chewed on his upper lip, before he gave a real answer. "This mission was strange. Honestly I really don't know by now what or better whom I can believe."
"How so?" Alex helped treating Matty, but she was unconscious most of the time since she came back to Phoenix medical. That's why Alex didn't know a lot about that mission.
"Somehow everybody lied to everyone else." Mac stated. His voice didn't sound angry or surprised.
"Bozer said we are all professional liars and he's right about that. Why should I blame Dawn?"
"Or Matty."
Mac nodded. „Or Matty."
„But on the other hand it's something different if it's job related or personal. Am I right?"
Mac returned Alex' gaze. „Yeah, you're right. That's exactly my problem. Julian Halsey lied to Matty on a working base but also as her friend. She felt betrayed. Dawn lied to Jack, more on a personal level, but also for her job. Matty's lying to me on a very personal matter but at work she doesn't do that. It's complicated. Can I accuse her of doing so?"

The individual components of the disarmed bomb lay in the back of the truck. Next to five mines and two other bombs they presented the result of Mac's work on this day. He put off his garment, while his overwatch Pete lighted a cigarette.
After Mac stored everything, he searched for Pete. His partner wasn't at the vehicle any longer and on the street he wasn't either. Bewildered Mac went around a corner and saw another American truck in the shadow of the buildings. Technically there shouldn't be a second team. Carefully Mac went nearer. He heard voices of different men. When he could see the whole vehicle he saw two men placing some crates on the platform. Pete stood nearby, smoked a cigarette and watched the others.

"What are you doing?" Mac asked them.
"Fuck!" Pete threw his cigarette on the floor and grabbed his EOD on his arm. "You saw nothing! Is that clear?"
Confused and annoyed Mac tried to free himself from the firm grip, but Pete slammed him roughly against the wall of the house behind him. Over the shoulder of his overwatch Mac noticed that there were precious artifacts in the boxes. That was enough to let him know that the soldiers stole some art treasures for their own benefit.
"Pete, what's about that? Are you involved?"
Instead of an answer the back of Pete's hand met his face with force. His head threw back against the wall. For one moment he saw stars and his cheek burned.
"I said you saw nothing!" The threat was unmistakable. Pete clutched the young specialist at his vest and pushed him to their own truck.

The drive back to their base camp was in silence. Mac starred at the passing by landscape, while he forced himself to find a solution for this situation. He liked Pete. They worked together for a few months now and they were used to each other. Mac was willing to call Pete his friend. Until today. After this experience he wouldn't say that anymore. Mac felt a blankness inside of him. Betrayal, deception, loneliness. Again.
How long?" He asked emotionless.
Pete shrugged his shoulders. "Even before you came to be my EOD. Don't be so naive, boy! Do you really think you're important to me? You are exchangeable, like all the bomb-nerds. If you're smart, you request for transfer, be silent about what you shouldn't see and disappear out of my life forever. Get that? If not you will regret it!"
Mac swallowed hard, took a chewing gum out of his pocket and shoved it half-heartedly back and forth between his teeth. He didn't answer.

At the camp he asked about his transfer, reported the theft and tried to forget Pete. He was partnered with Charlie Robinson's team and short after that he could work together with his former instructor Pena again. His overwatch was changing constantly at that time. Nobody wanted to be responsible for him, until he finally met Jack Dalton.

"I tell myself again and again that Matty has a very good reason why she was lying to me about my father. It's different to Dawn or Julian. Like most people they just want to get an advantage. In one way or another they want to make profit out of their lies and cons. That I experienced often enough." The bitterness in his voice was very clear.
"I don't know a reason for Matty's lies," he added very quietly. Again Mac seemed to be lost to Alex.
"Talk to her. You will never know, if you don't confront her about it."
"Not now." Mac shook his head. „She has the right to recover first. I don't want to hurt her more. It's enough what Julian did to her. It takes time to heal, presumably more than her injuries from the car accident."
"If you think so." Alex was not convinced. For her Mac was searching for excuses to avoid the talk with Matty. Encouragingly she squeezed his hand and he returned it thankfully.
Now he had to know whether Jack found a trace of Dawn, after Riley found the lost money at an orphanage. Matty didn't know anything about these new developments and Mac was sure that he wasn't responsible to inform her about that. This decision had to be made by Jack.