Author's Note: Happy belated slew of holidays! :D I can think of four that happened over this weekend alone. :P My family came to visit, so we partied by watching much SG1 and much anime. Whoohoo! :D Hope everyone's had as good a week as I have.
Author's Note2: Thanks be to the readers and reviewers and betas. You peeps are the best. It's amazing how encouraging a little 'like it, keep going' is. Much to my amazement, this story has reached over 150 reviews. O.O Wow. *prostrates herself on the ground in awe*
Author's Note3: And a word to Miscbills, (and others) I willrevisit the whole house burning incident. But don't expect it too soon; I've got some serious plot to muddle through. :P In fact, I'm not going to leave any loose ends if I can help it, there's just a lot of them at the moment so it'll take time to get them all tied off. If I hit 'the end' and I have left something unanswered, just whack me on the head and I'll go back and edit it in. *crosses fingers*
Author's Note4: We get another visitor from the MacGyver universe in this chapter. :D Kate Murphy. Who, you say? Well, never fear, you don't need to know the character to understand her purpose in this story. I've always thought she was a bit of a stereotype anyway. *grins, and then runs from the MacGyver fanatics*
Enjoy, eh!
Teal'c and MacGyver had already gone to find a new car, leaving Daniel sitting in the front seat of their broken down rental. He had the door open and his legs stretched out in front of him, so he was directly facing the building when he saw first Sam, then Jack, go over the edge.
Daniel's body chilled with shock, but everything happened so fast, his emotions had no time to really formulate. If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he'd never have believed it.
At the exact same time as their fall, a soft-top convertible parked not too far up the street, began to roll back, while the Hert banner came loose from the building. The strings that tied the bottom of the banner in place had come undone, and with a gust of wind, the gigantic advertisement almost seemed to leap out, till the loose corner strings snagged on the lampposts at the edge of the sidewalk.
All of it seemed uncannily synchronized, as Sam and Jack fell into the sturdy cloth. It wasn't enough to catch them completely, but it slowed and guided their descent like a ramp, till they flew off the edges and landed on the passing soft-topped vehicle. The convertible kept rolling, but stopped as it hit another car parked on the same street.
Daniel was out of his seat and hopping towards them as fast as he could. In spite of witnessing the truly miraculous rescue, Daniel was afraid of what he'd find. But when he got there, both Sam and Jack were extracting themselves from the now somewhat damaged car.
"Guys, are you okay?"
"Peachy, Daniel," Jack sarcastically replied.
The anthropologist grinned. Although the Colonel was heavily grimacing, if he felt good enough to be his usual 'charming self,' then Daniel knew Jack was going to be all right. Sam on the other hand was uncontrollably shaking. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and her face was completely drained of color.
"Sam?" Daniel worriedly asked, hopping a step closer.
She automatically replied, "I'm fine." But then she looked from car, to the banner, to the top of the roof. Daniel looked up as well; truly able to appreciate the sheer audacity of it all. Then a shadow moved at the top of the building. Someone was looking down at them.
"Sir?" Sam began, her voice colored with confusion. "What just happened?"
"You fell, I jumped, we lived," Jack replied in an offhand manner, and then said, "I suggest we all get out of here before Sneezeball up there comes looking for us. Where's Mac and Teal'c?"
Then Jack was reaching back over the car for something, and before the anthropologist could answer the Colonel's question, a burst of light emanated from the damaged top, shooting up into the sky like a beacon, till it finally went so far it just disappeared. This wasn't the first time Daniel had seen that kind of light. It was the same thing that happened when the Tollan had sent a signal to the Nox.
Jack audibly groaned. As he straitened, Daniel expected to see one of the Tollan communication devices in his hands, but it wasn't. It was somewhat similar, however. "Please tell me I didn't just doom us all?" Jack asked, dismayed.
Sam didn't answer, but from the pained look on her face, it was likely whatever had just occurred was not good.
"All right," Jack said, looking somewhat resigned to the inevitable. "We need to get a hold of the SGC and let them know what's coming." Then he looked around, asking again, "Where's Mac and Teal'c?"
"They haven't come back yet," Daniel finally told him.
"This vehicle looks suitable."
MacGyver looked at the one Teal'c was pointing to and shook his head. "No, not this one."
"As you wish," the jaffa replied, but there was the barest hint of disdain in the tone of his voice. MacGyver looked at Teal'c, lifting an eyebrow in surprise, but the jaffa's expression remained unchanged.
Then Mac caught sight of a green Buick. "That one." It was an old enough model that he wouldn't have a problem breaking into it. Yet, when they reached it, they found the doors already unlocked. Mac quickly slid into the front seat, surprised, yet not surprised, to find the keys still in the ignition.
"I believe this car may still be in use," Teal'c stated.
Mac looked up at the jaffa. "Why do you say that?"
"The vehicle is warm to the touch."
Teal'c was probably right, who ever owned this car would have only justleft it. Yet Mac doubted it would be good for them to wait till the owner returned, especially since they planned on borrowingthe vehicle. "Get in. Let's go before they come back," Mac quickly stated.
Yet no sooner had he said it, than two shadowy figures appeared from around the building. "Freeze!" One of them shouted.
Teal'c instantly tensed for action, but Mac put a restraining hand on the jaffa's arm. "Don't do anything," he whispered, looking over his shoulder as the two men cautiously approached, each with a gun in hand. From the way they were dressed, Mac expected that they would find the word SWAT written on the back of their vests.
"Out of the car!" one of them ordered.
Raising his hands into the air, Mac called out, "Hey! Don't shoot!" He slowly got to his feet, explaining, "We were just looking for some help. We need to get to a hospital."
"Sure you were," the man sarcastically replied, but as his eyes scanned them his expression became uncertain. A static of soft chatter came through their radios as several people started reporting their situations. From what he could make out, MacGyver had an impression they had just unwittingly stumbled across a drug bust of some magnitude.
The man in front reported in as well, but thankfully added at the end, "We found the perpetrators possiblystealing a car. They claim they were just trying to get to a hospital."
There was silence over the radio for a moment, then, a feminine voice asked, "Do they looklike they need medical attention?"
MacGyver blinked in surprise, he knew that voice. "Murphy?"
The officers exchanged looks, and then the one in front said into the radio, "Captain, I think you better get over here."
"All right. I'll be right there."
While they waited, no one moved or said anything. These cops were obviously unsure if they should arrest them or not, and as long as Mac and Teal'c didn't do anything to imply they might be dangerous, they probably wouldn't be restrained, either.
Soon enough, three people showed up. One was dressed the same as the other SWAT officers, but the other two, although they were wearing Kevlar vests, beneath that they were dressed in the more standard office attire.
"MacGyver?"
Mac grinned. "Hey Kate. Heard you made Captain. Congratulations!" The last time he'd seen her, she was still a Lieutenant, in charge of the narcotics division for the LAPD.
Murphy gave both Mac and Teal'c a hard look, one that was practically dripping with suspicion. "Mac, what are you doing here?" She asked out right.
Shrugging, Mac sheepishly replied, "Stealing a car?"
One of the men who'd come with Murphy dryly asked, "Think we could use that as a confession?"
Murphy shot him a look of annoyance, and then demanded insistently. "Mac, what are you reallydoing here? Do you know about Stillson?"
"Nothing," MacGyver quickly reassured her. "I promise! Look, my friends need help. We were trying to get to a hospital when our car broke down, so we came looking for a new one."
"And where are your friends?" Murphy asked, again looking at Teal'c with no small amount of suspicion on her face.
"Down the street." Mac was starting to get impatient, and his head was throbbing quite painfully again; if he didn't sit down soon, he was going to pass out. "Kate, arrest me if you want, but they need help."
Then Teal'c suddenly added to the conversation, "MacGyver also needs medical assistance." The jaffa must have noticed Mac's strength faltering.
Once more Murphy turned her piercing gaze on Teal'c. "And just who are you?"
"Murray," Teal'c replied, and then, without losing a beat, added, "It is imperative that medical assistance come immediately."
"Hey!" the man who'd commented about Mac's confession began, clearly angry at being told their job, but Murphy cut him off with a raised hand.
She must have believed them, because she turned to the second man who'd come with her, saying simply, "Lieutenant Kamino."
The Lieutenant nodded, and then ordered the other SWAT officers to lower their guns.
With relief Mac lowered his hands, but feeling another wave of vertigo coming leaned against the car to steady himself. "Thanks, Kate."
She nodded, and the man beside her called over the radio for two ambulances to be dispatched immediately. "How many people are hurt?" He asked.
Teal'c replied, "There will be three more."
"Will be?" the man repeated, giving the jaffa a strange look, but Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back, saying nothing.
Then Murphy introduced, "This is Detective Riley." She motioned to the man beside her, and then to the Lieutenant, "And Lieutenant Kamino, head of our SWAT department. We'll get some people down to help your friends, Mac."
"We should go with you," MacGyver immediately stated.
Firmly shaking her head, Murphy told him, "You both will stay right here till the ambulance comes so you can explain to me exactlywhat happened. Don't worry, we'll find your friends."
They did, and by the time Jack and the others arrived, thankfully withSam, Jack wasn't looking altogether too pleased about being picked up by the police. Mac cringed from the accusatory glare Jack shot him, but he was too tired to do anything about it. He was sitting on the edge of one of the ambulances while one of the EMT's examined his head.
"You're lucky it didn't fracture," the EMT commented with a smile.
"Indeed," Teal'c stated, echoing the technician's opinion. He'd refused medical treatment, insisting repeatedly that he was fine. As yet, they weren't pushing the issue.
Then the others approached, with two officers helping Daniel onto a stretcher from the second ambulance. "Mac," Jack scathingly greeted.
MacGyver opened his mouth to return the greeting, but just then Murphy walked up to them, so he waved his hand and said with a grin, "Jack, meet Captain Kate Murphy.
As soon as she got her first good look at the Colonel, Kate softly exclaimed, "Mac, I didn't know you had a brother."
Jack's eyes narrowed for a second, but in the next moment he gave her a winning smile, saying, "Colonel Jack O'Neill."
"Colonel…O'Neill?" Murphy warily questioned.
"Mother's maiden name," Jack replied, answering the unspoken question first. "I'm afraid we're here on official Air Force business."
Murphy's eyes narrowed, the woman looking as dangerous as Jack had only moments before. "And you expect me to believe your business just happened to occur next to my own operation?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I do." Jack responded.
Despite himself, Mac was intrigued. He'd known Kate for a long time, she was one tough cookie. Since becoming Captain it seemed she'd tempered her anger somewhat, but one look at her eyes said she hadn't lost her edge. A glance around showed the rest of SG1 also intently watching the two face off.
"Well then," Murphy stated smiling sweetly, "I'm sure we'll get it all sorted out, eventually."
"We require-" Jack began, but Murphy cut him off.
"You require a doctor," Murphy stated, sounding more annoyed than upset. "Anyone with eyes can see that! As for whatever it is that got you and your people in your current state, I'm sure you're going to give me some bureaucratic bull, so I'm not even going to bother asking. But my people didfind MacGyver and, Murray, trying to steal a car involved in my operation, so that makes you all my responsibility. At the very least until we reach the hospital." Murphy once again locked gazes with Jack. "Will this be a problem for you?"
Much to Mac's surprise, Jack backed down. "No. Not a bit." Again he smiled that somewhat sickeningly sweet smile.
Murphy slightly smirked before she motioned Jack to take a seat next to Mac on the back of the ambulance. Then the Captain gave a very pointed glare to everyone around her, and the officers who'd witnessed the scene suddenly found something else to do. Only Detective Riley stayed close by.
Crossing her arms, Murphy asked Jack, "So what can you tell me?" But her tone said she wasn't prying for information, she just needed to know the details that enabled her to do her job.
Jack huffed, and then grimaced openly as the EMT began to cut his shirt off. The amount of dried blood and dirt coating it had plastered the shirt to Jack's skin, to the extent that as soon as it came off, the wound would be completely open again. "Well, you know Mac, met Murray I assume, and over there is Major Samantha Carter, and Doctor Daniel Jackson." Jack said motioning to the others in turn.
They were all being looked after now, all but Teal'c of course, who continued to stand by them, but at an angle where we could easily see the other ambulance. Mac risked a glance at the rest. Daniel looked more than relieved to have his splint removed and the leg professionally looked at. An EMT was examining Sam's arm, as well. Thankfully, she didn't look much worse than the last time Mac saw her. He was dying to ask Jack what happened, but that clearly wasn't going to be any time soon.
That's when he noticed Jack was holding a small odd-looking device. Detective Riley noticed as well. "What's that?"
"What we came here for," Jack stated, and then handed the item to Teal'c. The jaffa took it, immediately putting it away so that it was miraculously hidden from sight. You couldn't even see a bulge from where the device was inside the jaffa's clothing. Mac briefly wondered how Teal'c did it, but he'd been asked much the same thing about his duct tape, and Mac honestly didn't know what they were talking about. Teal'c had the disks, too, and since he was the only one of them uninjured, it was probably best to leave it that way.
"So what's with the tattoo?" Riley asked, looking at Teal'c. "You from Seattle, or something?"
"I am not," the jaffa told him, but didn't expound.
Twenty minutes went by while the EMTs patched them up and the cops went about their business, finishing up the arrests of no less than fifteen people. Whatever had happened had been pretty big, but only MacGyver and SG1 had required any medical attention, a testament to how well the Portland Police Department operated.
It was still another ten minutes before Jack could convince Murphy into letting him make a phone call. There was really nowhere the Colonel could go to make the call private, but he stood up and walked a step away from the ambulance anyway. The EMT's had pronounced them all 'stable.' They'd wrapped Jack's midriff tightly with white gauze, had Daniel's leg properly splinted, and even had a splint on Sam's arm. Mac's head was left free of bandages, and he'd staunchly refused a collar, so there wasn't much left to be done until they reached the hospital.
Somehow, along the way, Teal'c had procured one of the SWAT hats, and Jack had convinced them to bring him an extra t-shirt. They were ready to go.
At last, Jack finally seemed to get through on the phone. "Where's General Hammond?" Mac heard the Colonel ask, and then exclaim in surprised shock, "He went home for the night?"
Mac silently chuckled. This day had certainly been a long one. He caught Jack's eyes, and then listened as Jack spoke into the phone. "Wake General Hammond. Tell him we have a snake loose. I'll call back in 30 minutes." He hung up the phone and walked back to the ambulance. Looking pointedly at Murphy, knowing full well she'd been listening, Jack dryly asked, "We should be at the hospital by then, right?"
Mac saw the corner of her lips twitch into a smile, but the Captain replied gruffly, "Yes, I think so."
"Good. Murray, ride with Mac, I'm going to-"
"Oh no," Murphy cut him off. "I want the both of you in the same ambulance so I can keep track of who's who."
Internally Mac groaned. That was the worst decision she could make. "Kate, I really think-" But she cut him off as well.
"No ifs, ands, or buts, MacGyver. I'll be in a car right behind you."
Making a motion to Teal'c, Jack said, "Murray, go with Carter and Daniel. Look after them." But there was a look in his eyes conveying more than his words implied. Teal'c seemed to understand the unspoken order, and inclining his head briefly, disappeared into a now very crowded ambulance.
They watched until the emergency vehicle was safely on its way, before Mac and Jack allowed the EMTs to usher them inside. As they took their seats, Jack commented under his breath, "Great friendyou've got there, Mac."
"No better than some of yours," Mac shot back.
Jack just gave him a crooked grin. "What friends?"
This wouldn't turn out well. They both knew it, and they were both trying to joke their way into not believing it.
As the ambulance pulled out onto the road, Mac forced himself to remain calm. Tensing up would just make the inevitable that much worse. Who knows, maybe they'd get lucky and nothingwould happen, but he knew the odds were currently against them.
Six blocks later, their luck ran out. From inside the back, it was hard to see just what happened, but MacGyver guessed it was probably as simple as someone running a red light. Someone who likely had their music up and didn't expect to see anyone on the road this late at night, especially not an ambulance.
With a squeal of tires, the ambulance swerved. Then it hit something, throwing them all to the floor as metal on metal audibly crunched together, and in the next second the vehicle flipped over on its side. Near everything in the ambulance was already tied down, but what wasn't, including the occupants, went tumbling until at last the ambulance skidded to a halt.
Mac distinctly remembered falling onto something cushy. It was Jack, whose glare was boring holes into his already sore head. "Will you get off me?!" Jack snapped. Mac did, or tried to, but the vertigo was back full swing so he more or less rolled off instead. "Mac, you okay?" Jack's voice immediately questioned from the swirl of motion surrounding him.
Unable to really focus just yet, Mac nodded, and then he felt Jack's hands pulling him up. He heard Jack ask, "Everyone else okay?" But Mac didn't hear the response as he automatically tried to sit down again.
Jack caught him, and then someone was opening the back door and ushering them outside. As they stepped out onto steadier ground, two cars pulled up behind them, one of them turning their police lights on as it came to a squealing stop.
"Oww," Mac groaned, trying to move away from the flashing red and blue lights, but something was preventing him from going too far.
"Mac, hold still! Mac!"
The headache blossomed anew and his mangled senses refused to cooperate. At last Mac found the ground, dragging someone down with him. He just needed to rest a moment and let things settle on their own.
Someone approached, leaning over them. "Are you both okay?"
"Ya, go check on the rest."
Mac looked up, furiously blinking to try and see straight, but the world persisted in spinning. He thought he saw Murphy amid the mess, but then she was gone.
"Hey, you still with us?" Jack's voice asked, softer than Mac had ever heard the man speak.
"Ya. I'm still here," Mac replied. He rubbed at his eyes, seeing if that would help. At last the world seemed to grow still, and Jack's face finally came into focus. It wasn't a rather pretty sight, but neither was he, Mac guessed.
"Jack. I'm sorry."
"What?" Jack asked, confused.
Mac wanted to shake his head, but considering how he felt right then, settled for grimly smiling, instead. "I should never have come to you for help. I should have known better."
"Ah, come on Mac. We've made worse mistakes than this. Besides, my team was scheduled to go to P5X-239 longbefore you showed up on my doorstep."
"Think it's some sort of cosmic joke?" Mac questioned, only half-kidding.
"What else?" Jack replied, grinning, but from the unhappy expression on his face, he too wasn't altogether jesting.
Mac sighed. This day wasn't over by a long shot. It wouldn't end until they found a way to put enough time and space between them to stop the play of events from cascading. But would they be allowed? Mac thought of the rope that had broken, almost preventing his escape from the SGC. If he didn't know better, he'd say some higher power was pulling them together, like the force of magnets with opposite polarities, and just as unwilling to let go.
Just then the sound of gunfire rained down on them, forcing everyone to dive for cover. Jack pushed Mac over beside the ambulance before taking a look around.
The police were returning fire now, but the whole place was a mass of confusion. "It's Akh and those loony florists!" Jack exclaimed, and then cursed.
"Florists?" Mac questioned, his brain not fully working just yet.
"Don't they know he's the bad guy?" Jack continued as if Mac hadn't said anything.
Almost everyone was by the smashed up car that had hit the ambulance. Only a single cop was anywhere close to them, and Mac saw him suddenly go down, taking a shot in the chest. He heard Murphy call out, but the onslaught of bullets forced her back with the rest.
"This isn't good," Jack grumbled, and Mac suddenly realized the Colonel no longer had his gun. The SWAT officers would have confiscated it when they picked up the missing members of SG1. "Mac, do you think you can move?"
Mac was going to try, whether he could or not, but with the cop out of commission, their attackers advanced, reaching the edge of the ambulance faster than he could back up.
"Don't move," one of them said, training his gun on them. There were a few shots, probably from Murphy, but they went high. She wouldn't risk hitting them, and their attackers knew it. "Get up."
"Oh for crying out loud, make up your mind!" Jack snapped. He slipped his arm around Mac's waist and they slowly stood up. For a moment, Mac's head swam again and his stomach clenched, ready to heave anything it could. Then Jack was pulling him into motion. The gunmen forced them back, away from the main street and to a delivery van with the Hert Flowers logo on the side.
It was there, at last, that MacGyver could no longer keep it down, but they didn't give him much time to recover before pushing them both into the van.
Murphy would call it in, but they wouldn't know to suspect Hert Flowers unless one of the SG1 said something, and Mac knew they wouldn't just yet. There'd be patrol cars, maybe even a chopper called, to look for any abnormal traffic in the immediate vicinity. Portland's finest would respond quickly, but not quick enough.
Somehow, someway, they'd slip through, and knowing that made MacGyver feel all that much worse.
Post Story Author's Note: o.O That's weird, they changed all my scene breaks to acutal lines, when did that happen? o.O