"I can wait," Rafe said. He sheathed his knife and stepped toward Ryerson, who was standing near the door. "But get one thing clear: MacGyver is mine to kill."

Mac's Voice-over:
Great... just how did I get to be so popular?

Unbreakable Camels
part ten, Broken Promises and Unbroken Camels

"As you wish, Rafe, my dear fellow," Ryerson said magnanimously, "I wouldn't dream of denying you the pleasure of killing MacGyver. Besides, it's nearly impossible to get bloodstains out of this material," he brushed fastidiously at the sleeve of his white suit.

Tony inched closer to Mac, who had managed to pull himself up to his feet and was holding on to the windowsill. He lifted his head and caught Tony's eye. Tony turned his face away from the door and mouthed the words: "Five... four... three... two...one... "

Absolutely nothing happened. Ryerson and Rafe both turned to leave the room. "Come on, Sullivan."

Mac gave him a desperate glance and mouthed, "Now would be good!"

Tony gave him a wide-eyed stare, "I must have lost count! Any second now..."

At that instant a very strange sound occurred, not loud, but oddly clear in the small room. It attracted Rafe's attention. He grabbed Ryerson's sleeve and pulled him back inside the room. "What is that noise?"

It was coming from the lantern. A thin, tinny buzz was being emitted from the base of the thing, and the light had grown dim, making it hard to see in the dark cell. The nervous guard pointed his gun at the lantern as if he expected it to spring up and try to kill him.

Ryerson listened intently, disbelief growing in his face. "It's some kind of music." He moved closer to the lantern, his head cocked as he tried to identify the tune. "I think... I think it's playing... 'I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy'?"

Mac and Tony both covered their eyes just before the lantern flared, delivering a blinding flash of phosphorescent light. The guard dropped his machine gun and shouted, clutching his face. Ryerson and Rafe collided with each other trying to get out of the door.

Mac and Tony rushed the three men. Tony grabbed the gun from the floor and used it like a club, knocking both Rafe and the guard unconscious. Mac reached Ryerson and landed an uppercut to Ryerson's jaw that sent him to the floor. Mac lost his balance and fell on top of him, groaning and clutching his ribs.

"Yankee Doodle... do or die!" Tony sang as he relieved Ryerson and Rafe of their guns. "My mamma bought me that alarm clock when I was twelve. You owe me a new one, MacGyver!" He took Rafe's knife as well. He offered MacGyver a hand to help haul him to his feet. He held out the horn-handled knife. "Wanna souvenir of your trip to Afghanistan?"

Mac took the knife from him and, gritting his teeth against the pain, he chucked it with all his strength through the bars and out of the window. It sailed smoothly in a glittering arc through the early morning air and fell with a splash into a handy cesspool.

"Good aim!" Tony cheered, "but that looked like it hurt," he added sympathetically.

"Actually," Mac coughed, swaying unsteadily, "it felt kinda good! If it hurts, it means I'm still alive, right? Ouch." Mac reached inside his shirt and brought something out from where he had hidden it under one arm. "I didn't get to use my smokebomb... how disappointing!" He placed a hand against his abused ribs and took a couple of cautious breaths.

"The day is young," Tony quipped, "and all this noise is going to bring company. Come on!"

They stumbled out of the room, and Tony pushed the door shut and locked it. Mac took the ammo clip from one of the pistols and kneeling down, he used it to wedge the door tightly. "That won't hold 'em long," he wheezed as he tried to regain his feet.

Tony laughed and took Mac's arm over his shoulder. "Let's get the hell out of here. I think we're double-parked!"

xxx

Mac's Voice-over:
I wish I could talk first-hand about our daring escape... how we came up with brilliant tricks to elude the guards, thumbed our noses at the bad guys, and swept out of Jiru with a rousing chorus of 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' in two-part harmony...

But I can't. Honestly, I can't remember a thing that happened after we left the Fortress. And Tony! He's no help... his version of the story changes every time he tells it-- more guards, more gunfire, more explosions, and lots of daring-do... all very exciting and sounding similar to something I saw on The Late, Late Movie when I was a kid.

All I can say for sure is... I never would have made it out of Jiru without his help. Tony Sullivan saved my life... again.

The first clear memory I have is waking up in a hospital-- no surprise there!-- and eavesdropping on a very interesting conversation:

"...Quiet, Lieutenant, or you'll wake him up."

"Sorry, Colonel. I just received a call from Captain aFeyd. The remainder of the magistrate's forces have been rounded up and imprisoned. We have Rafka Sri in custody."

"And the American criminal?"

"Ryerson was not found in the Fortress, sir. There are rumors of him being seen crossing into Africa, but I am sure it is only a matter of time before he is caught. The United States Government is insisting on extradition so that he can be tried as a traitor."

"We have to catch him first. He is a slippery customer. How did he escape from the Fortress? I thought that our men had the place surrounded?"

"An underground tunnel had been excavated by the magistrate. He must have confided in Ryerson of its existence, or perhaps Ryerson commissioned the construction of it himself." There was a pause. "Sir, Captain aFeyd also had a message that he wanted delivered to MacGyver."

"What is it?"

"When Sullivan provided us with the information we needed to safely decommission the old missile silo, he asked that our soldiers take of a camel that had been corralled near the oasis. I am to report to MacGyver that this creature has been transported safely to the desert south of Cairo and there set free, and was last seen heading off at a run into the High Desert."

"Why would an American care about the disposition of a camel? Are you sure that it was he that must be told this?"

"Yes, sir. Captain aFeyd was quite clear about it. He said to me: 'Tell MacGyver that his wild-ass camel bit me on the leg, dammit!' "

The Colonel laughed.

There came another long pause, then, "Sir, do you know when he might awaken? I have promised to deliver this message personally."

"Oh, not anytime soon, Lieutenant. This man is very ill. Why, the doctors have had to keep him heavily sedated in order that he remain still, so his injuries can heal! It is fortunate that he was brought here to the Capitol, where he could get the best medical care. I daresay he might have died if Captain aFeyd had tried to fly him all the way to the American Embassy in Pakistan. As it is, it may be many more days before he is cogent enough to hear and understand your words.

"If you will trust me, Lieutenant, I will see that he hears the message. I must remain here anyway, because I have other messages that must be delivered to MacGyver when he awakes. A grateful young lady who is now safely home in France has sent her regards and thanks... and I have a message for him from his government for him, as well."

"I think he will be relieved to hear such a message, Colonel! It must be important, to have sent such a man as you to deliver it!"

"Important, yes... but I don't think he will be relieved; the news is not good. I fear that when I do deliver this message, it will bring him still greater grief and pain."

"How so, Sir?"

"Today is December the twenty-fifth, an important holiday in America... and to this man, it is an important deadline. His mother has been hospitalized. General Hawkins has sent word that he must be sent home immediately, but I fear it may already be too late." There came a deep sigh from the Colonel. "I wish I could reward his heroic efforts with better news. Come, Lieutenant... let us get ourselves some coffee and leave this man to what peace he may have, for a while..."

xxx

Neither man saw the tears leaking from the corners of Mac's eyes as he lay still, listening to their words. After they left the room, he raised a hand slowly to his forehead. Then he moved that hand to the bedside table, groping for the handset of the telephone. He fumbled a bit and nearly dropped the thing. With trembling fingers, he dialed slowly and spoke in clear words his directions to the overseas operator.

As he listened to the dial tones, Mac knew his mother would understand why he wasn't home yet... he knew that she would forgive him, even before he could tell her what had happened... but he had to at least talk to her, especially today.

He had to try to explain why he couldn't be home for Christmas.

Epilogue

Mac had only just managed finish pulling on his clothes when the door of his room opened unexpectedly. He looked up in startled guilt, but relaxed when he saw that it was not the nurse but, in fact, Tony Sullivan.

"What's going on, MacGyver?" Tony asked, as he lounged against the doorjamb in the semi-dark room. He reached over as if to flick on the light-switch. "Forget to pay your lighting bill?"

"Don't," Mac asked in a soft voice, "don't turn on the light... it'll bring a hoard of nurses in here like summer moths to a campfire!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Tony opened the door a crack as if to look for a pretty nurse.

"It is... when I'm trying to leave quietly." Mac walked to the door and closed it, after peeking outside to make sure that no one had heard them talking.

"Now... why would you be wantin' to do something like that?" Tony wondered aloud.

What Tony didn't say out loud was that he thought that Mac looked much better than he had in all the days since their escape, combined. Privately, he decided to help Mac out, but the ornery city boy-side of him wouldn't let him do it too easily. "I thought the doctor said that you'd be staying here for at least another week or two."

"That's what the doctor thought, too," Mac grumbled. By moving extremely slowly he managed to pull his legs, one at a time, up onto the bed so that he could put on his shoes. He didn't bother to tie the laces; he just stuffed them under the tongue of his sneakers. Tony watched him with an unconvincingly innocent smile. "What?" asked Mac at last, "You're not going to rat me out to the nurses, are you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tony said, pretending to be insulted. Then he grinned and said, "How do you plan to get past the front door, Gimpy?"

"I'll think of something," Mac said. "That's what I do, isn't it?"

"I already have thought of something," Tony said. He went outside the room before Mac could stop him. He swiftly returned, pushing a wheelchair.

Mac looked at the chair with a baleful eye. "I don't need that," he said bluntly.

"It's not for you," Tony grinned. He picked up a folded blanket that was lying on the chair and brought out a long coat and a hat. "Put these on," he said as he wrapped himself in the blanket and sat down. "I've got a car waiting outside." He saw Mac's puzzled expression and stated indignantly, "I am a smuggler, remember? You think I can't smuggle you out of here? Ha! I could smuggle the votive candles out of the Vatican! I could smuggle the blush off of a school-girl's cheeks! I could smugg--"

"All right! All right! I get the picture!" Mac accepted the garments and began to smile. "If you can smuggle me back to Minnesota within the next couple of days, you'll have my undying gratitude."

"I'll settle for a cold beer."

Mac put on the coat and hat, but he stood still for a long moment, just smiling at his friend. He stuck out his hand and offered Tony a warm handshake. "You're on, Tony."

fin!