Thanks as always to Abigor! Please R&R, disclaimers: yada yada yada , find out when I update: www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/MM_FF
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows on the ground as twilight closed in on the Rockies. O'Neill sighed as he put his truck in park. Carter hid her grin as she opened the door of the truck and stepped out. O'Neill did the same and placed his hat on his head, making sure to give it a two finger spacing from his nose. He looked over to Carter as she came around the front end. A slight nod was all that was needed and they walked into the police station.
The station lobby was bustling with activity. A young uniformed receptionist looked up at the officers as they walked in, each removing their hats and tucking them underneath their arms with practiced ease. O'Neill walked to her directly. "We need to speak with Lt. Van Buren please." He stated promptly, with a commanding tone in his voice.
"Ah, she's busy at the moment. If you'll wait here I'll go let her know you're waiting. Can I give her your name?"
"Colonel Jack O'Neill, I had the pleasure of meeting her last night."
The young officer nodded and walked back through a maze of desks to a corner office. Carter waited patiently taking in the activity surrounding them. The same could not be said for O'Neill, as he seemed to do all but twiddle his thumbs. Carter walked up beside him and whispered cautiously in his ear. He turned to look at the far wall. Sat in a line of chairs was a young man in his mid-twenties who was staring open mouthed at O'Neill.
He could be my son. O'Neill thought after his first glance. He quickly pushed the unbidden memory away. He glanced down at Carter and shrugged. Just then Detective Brisco came out to greet the two officers.
"Colonel!" He exclaimed in a voice thick with the accent of someone from the Bronx. "And to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit tonight?" He asked with sarcasm, his eyes scanning the lovely blond Major.
"Hello, Brisco." O'Neill held out his hand. Brisco accepted in a hearty handshake. "May I present Major Carter and this". O'Neill handed over the papers that would allow him to take control of all the files on the case.
Brisco took the paper and looked it over. He snickered as he read the contents. "Well, ain't this a pickle. Sorry, Colonel, but you're gonna have to fight the feds for this."
O'Neill looked at Brisco with a raised eyebrow. "The feds?"
"Yeah, it seems that because of that Murdock fellow you shot, they decided to get here first."
"Are they still here?" O'Neill forced a smile almost hearing Carters jaw drop.
"Yeah, come on back. I gotta watch this."
The two Air force officers exchanged glances and then followed the Detective back to the Lieutenant's office. A couple of suited feds milled about the office drilling Van Buren on the happenings of the previous night. Jack and Pete sat in two of the chairs facing Van Buren's desk. All eyes turned toward the Colonel as he and Carter entered. Brisco went straight to the Lieutenant and presented her with the orders.
Pete surveyed Colonel O'Neill with fascination. "My god, you were right." He said turning to Jack Dalton. "He does look just like Mac."
Jack opened his mouth to say something, but a look from the Colonel made him think twice about it and he quickly shut his mouth. Van Buren sat chuckling as she handed the paper work over to the federal agent in charge.
O'Neill looked at him and smiled. "Sorry boys and girls. " he sighed. "But it looks like this is the US Air Forces problem now."
The agent looked over the paperwork cautiously and looked up at O'Neill. "It doesn't say anything about Murdock in here." He said smiling back feeling proud of himself.
O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Ok, tell you what. We'll cut out all the times that name is given in the files, and take the rest of it." A wide sadistic grin plastered his face. "By the way Carter, call in and let Daniel know he's doing a hell of a job tracking down Mr. Dalton." O'Neill accentuated his point by staring straight at Dalton.
"Uh, yes sir." Carter replied fishing out her phone and stepping outside the office. Normally, she could keep a straight face when witnessing battles of testosterone. Sometimes she even joined in. However she felt this time that she would soon start convulsing with laughter. So when a way out was offered, she took it.
Colonel O'Neill was gathering up the files, obviously having won the argument, when she came back in. She cast a sidelong glance at him making a small cough and motioning him to her. He reluctantly went to her side and leaned down so that she could whisper to him.
"Starsky called in, they triangulated his position, and Hammond wants us back ASAP."
"Hn." He nodded and turned back to those in the room. "Well folks, it's been fun." He hastened in gathering up the last few files and then turned to Dalton. "Mr. Dalton, if you wouldn't mind, after you're finished here, we would like to request that you come to the base so we can talk to you about your friend. Here's a number, just call it before you head in." He handed Jack a card. With that O'Neill nodded a thanks to Van Buren, smiled at the agents, and followed Carter out before anything else could be said.
Jack and Pete stared dumbfounded at one another. "Well," Pete started, "He certainly doesn't act like MacGyver."
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A small cabin appeared up ahead, nothing bigger than a one-room hunting abode. Yet to Mac it seemed to spell out relief from this walking. Maybourne opened the door and shooed his prisoner inside. A dank and musty smell clung to the inside where there was a table with a couple of chairs, a small kitchenette, and two bunks that appeared to have not been used in a few years.
"Go ahead and sit down, Jack." The short man motioned to one of the chairs with his firearm. "You hungry?" He looked at Mac and went to the small cupboards above the sink. "Do you remember anything yet?"
Mac sat in the chair awkwardly and sighed. "Not really, keep telling me more about…um…whatever it was you were talking about before."
Maybourne steadied a gaze upon him. "In a bit, I need to make a phone call first." Maybourne dug into his pocket and produced a cell phone. He quickly tapped in the appropriate number. "Yes, Dr. Fraiser, please." He waited and was soon rewarded. "Yes, doc, this is Maybourne. Nice little raid you had back there, but I told you I needed to speak to him, before I turn him back over to you. Now do you have the information I requested?" He paused and listened. "Uh huh, I see, well, you better keep checking into it. Thank you doctor." Maybourne abruptly hung up the phone.
He turned back to his captive. "Looks like we'll be here for a while." He said smiling. "So, what do you want to know?"
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Pete touched the button to automatically unlock the rental car as they walked out of the station. "So, Jack, are you gonna go talk to those guys?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jack, a man proficient with opening his mouth and shutting it again, displayed his skill with practiced ease.
Sam spoke up. "I think you should. Pete and I will go with you. This is about MY father, if they don't like it well they can just shove it." His fists clenched as his mind dreamed up some of the horrors that his dad must be going through. The man he saw earlier was a nearly perfect image of his dad, except of course for the military uniform.
The situation that was accruing now made Sam realize why his father was for privatizing the military. Through that type of legislation, the military could be held more accountable for their spending and actions. Maybe it would stop things like this from happening.
"Now, Sam." Pete started, wiping a hand across his slick forehead. "We shouldn't be too hasty in condemning them. I'm sure there was a very good reason for them taking over this case."
Jack interrupted, "Pete you read the paperwork, so did I. There was nothing in there explaining why they would want to take this over. I mean hey, maybe they actually took Mac. They're probably holding him somewhere because he looks just like that asshole Colonel." They had reached the car and Jack flung open the door.
Sam stopped a few paces away and stared at Jack, Sam's mind now coming up with even more terrors. "They wouldn't actually do something like that, would they?"
"No, they woul…" Pete was cut off.
"Yeah. Hell yes they would. You know they…"
Pete was nearing the end of his rope with Jack. "Dalton!" That got his attention. "Now just knock it off. We're all worried about Mac, but jumping to conclusions like that isn't going to help him." Pete drew a breath and steadied himself. "Let me have that phone number. I'll call and make the arrangements." He held out his hand and after a few more openings and closings of the mouth Jack finally gave in, finding no good argument.
The three men finally seated themselves in the car and made a decision to go to the hotel and call from there.
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"…So that's what I've concluded that Simmons is trying to do. You know, Jack, normally this type of information would carry a very high price. Especially with the private sector." Harry Maybourne looked his captive over with a scrutinizing gaze. "Hm. I didn't think that drug would have messed you up this much Jack."
"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm trying to remember. Really I…what?" Mac noticed that his captor seemed to be preoccupied with listening to some thing other then Mac.
"Shh. Sh." Maybourne held his finger up and quietly walked to the door. He cracked it open and put his ear to it. He began to chuckle. "Oh, boy." Maybourne puckered his lips together in thought. He stared with a blank expression at his captive. "Well, Jack, it's been fun, but your cavalry seems to have arrived. Hope you come back to your senses soon. Don't forget what I told you." With that Maybourne slid himself through the door and disappeared into the night.
"Huh?" Was Mac's first reaction. His second was to try to hear the noise that had spooked his captor himself. Out in the night he heard a rustling and what could be perceived as whispers. His mind began trailing to thoughts of escape. What Maybourne said had confused him. Now with that man gone, and someone else coming, Mac wanted to be ready. He started to work his hands against the ropes that held them. He saw a shadow cross the darkened window outside.
MacGyver held his breath and waited. As ready as he was for something to happen, he still nearly jumped out of his skin when the door burst open.
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