Hurt Locker
Chapter Eleven- Red
Aubrey rolled the suitcase in after Riley. She kind of recognized the space. It wasn't homey like Mac's but she definitely got the sense that had been here for a period of time before.
He set down the suitcase in a corner then reached into his pocket for something. He handed her the keys, "These are the keys, help yourself to whatever is in the fridge and I'll see you when I get back," Aubrey said. He picked up his own bag and left.
"Call if you need anything," Aubrey said.
"You've done enough," Riley said. "Thanks Aubrey."
Was it mature running off to Aubrey? No. But did it make her feel better? Also no. She just didn't want to hurt alone. She remembered their earlier conversation with Aubrey.
They were sitting at the fountain outside the café. Desi had been called into work and good thing to, she didn't have to witness Riley having a break down.
Aubrey had showed up fifteen minutes after she had called him. He didn't ask questions at first, just hugged her.
"I'm sorry, this all stupid." she said.
"It's about him, isn't it." Aubrey said.
Riley looked guilty. Was it awful venting to him about someone else?
"How did you know?" she said.
"Because as much I hate to admit it…it's always him."
Riley shook her head. "So this isn't exactly a new development?"
Aubrey shook his head then sat beside her. "Afraid so, one day you came home from work and it was just never the same. I didn't stand a chance."
Riley felt awful. But Aubrey seemed to have made peace with their past relationship. And it seemed he knew exactly how she was feeling. There some sort of sick irony in the whole situation.
"I'm sorry Aubrey," she said.
"Me too, but it's okay. I met someone else…"
Riley smiled, "Wow, you sure do move on fast." she joked.
"Not as fast as I'd like. It's been long distance." Aubrey said.
"Ahh, so it's not just business you're going away for." Riley said and Aubrey blushed.
"At least one of us is going to be okay," Riley said.
"Stop, you're going to be fine. But until then, might I suggest day drinking?"
Riley sat in the empty apartment and curled up on the couch. She pulled the fleece hung over on the couch around her body and closed her eyes. She thought about swallowing her pride and running back to Mac just so she didn't have to sleep alone tonight. But how could she just walk back into his life after the things she'd said. She pulled the fleece tighter around herself knowing when she inevitably woke during the night, no one would be there to soothe her.
The last person Riley expected to see outside Aubrey's door two days later was Bozer.
"How'd you find me?" she said.
He rushed past her, "Mac's in London, he's been off coms for two days. We can't find him."
"What?"
"We went to the house, we thought something happened to you too. Why are you staying here and why's your phone off?" Those were a lot of loaded questions, ones she wasn't prepared to answer. And she hadn't even processed the Mac was missing thing part when his words resounded in her head.
"We?"
Desi rounded the corner with an equally puzzling look. Now she really couldn't answer.
"What's happened to Mac?" Riley said, directing the attention away from herself.
"When's the last time you spoke to him?" Desi asked.
"Wednesday night." Riley said, her eyes dropped as she remembered the awful words she had hurled toward him. Whole time she was gauging whether or not she should be nervous and the looks on their faces told her worst, she should be terrified.
"Pack, quickly. We need to go." Bozer said.
Riley hurried, her heart pounding the entire time. Bozer followed closely behind her.
"What's going on with you and Mac?" he whispered.
She hissed back. "Nothing."
"There's never nothing with you and Mac." he said.
"Not now," she looked back at Desi lingering in the doorway.
"I'm scared for him." she said.
"He's probably fine, if anyone can tough it out it's Mac." Bozer said. But there was a disconnect between his words and his wearied expression.
She rummaged everything back into her bag and followed Bozer out.
Desi was at the door with a neutral expression. Riley couldn't tell if Desi had picked up on anything or not. "You good?" Desi said.
"Yeah, let's just bring him home safely." Riley responded.
When they got to the Phoenix, Riley was overwhelmed. It was a lot to take in, some memories came back in flashes, disorienting her. She remembered getting coffee in the break room, visiting Bozer in the lab, gathering in the war room with the team. She remembered leaving through the doors she just entered with Mac and the team. She remembered laughing with him and talking about dinner options or going out for drinks. She remembered the warmth in his eyes, the casual way he would put his arms around her shoulders as they skipped out of work. She remembered thinking if she ever had the chance, she would never let him go.
But she had let him go. And probably to his detriment.
She followed closely behind Bozer and Desi, she was breaking her promise with Mac. She had not remembered where the Phoenix was and she had technically returned to work. But Mac wasn't here, that promise didn't stand, especially with his life in danger.
Riley recognized a lot about it but still felt like a visitor somehow. She tried to block it out and focus on the pressing matter. Mac was missing. She felt awful. He didn't even tell her he was going to London but she hadn't exactly given him the chance. And now he could be in danger. That was on her. She now knew how Mac was probably feeling after he blamed himself for her fall. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.
All this time he was trying to protect her but he was the one in the actual danger.
Bozer and the others led her to Matty, who looked just as worried as the others.
"I'll find him." Riley said, with a decisiveness she wasn't even sure she could deliver on. Although her words seemed to reassure Matty.
She opened her rig and sat on the couch as Matty started the briefing. "Mason surfaced in London three days ago. As soon as we got the intel we dispatched a team, led by Mac. He was doing reconnaissance when he and his backups coms went dead. A map appeared on the screen with his last known location. Riley's fingers were already working to access the cctv from the surrounding areas hoping one would pick up on his likeness.
"The plane is being prepped, bring our boy home." Matty said.
"If he's still in London my software will find him." Riley said.
"Be careful out there, or Mac won't forgive for sending you into the field." Matty said. Riley blinked awkwardly at her words, did everyone know? Still, she nodded and followed Bozer and Desi to the hanger.
Riley stayed up virtually the entire flight. She got nothing more than a few minutes of shut eye every hour. She had too much nervous energy buzzing around inside of her to get any sleep, not that she would be able to sleep otherwise. She also didn't want Bozer and Desi to see her scream herself awake. The only person she'd let see her that way was Mac, she really missed him. Now more than ever. That couldn't be the last time they spoke. She was horrible to him. And now he was in trouble without knowing how apologetic she was.
She got off the plane with less energy than she had boarding. Adrenaline kept her going though, she knew once it subsided, she would pass out.
"I'll go get us some wheels," Desi said.
Bozer and Riley waited outside the hanger for her. "Are you going to tell me what happened now?" Bozer said.
She did not want to hash out her immature behaviour with Bozer. She was still ashamed of it. And luckily, she didn't have to. Her software had finally found Mac's likeness. Her phone pinged in her hands and stopped any more discourse into her and Mac. A grainy image appeared on the screen.
Riley gasped, "Mac,"
He wasn't conscious, being dragged into a black SUV by two men.
"Oh my God," Riley thought the worst. Her fingers froze up and her lips became thin and firm. Thoughts bounced around in her mind of all the terrible things that could happen to him now that he was at Mason's mercy.
"Don't," Bozer's voice cut through her thoughts. "Mason is obsessed with Mac. He won't kill him."
Riley had to believe him because the alternative was too grim to think about.
Desi drove up in a red Sedan and signaled for them to get in. Bozer filled in Desi while Riley blew up the license plate on the car and began searching for it. Desi couldn't drive until they found a location. The software pinged the location of the SUV. Parked outside an abandoned factory.
"Maybe not too abandoned," she told the others. "Satellite images shows a lot of heat signals."
"How much is a lot?" Desi said.
"Maybe twenty-give or take." Riley said.
Desi shrugged, "Back up is not an option right now. We're on our own here."
"Let's go get Mac." Bozer said. Desi took off and Riley's stomach tied up in knots. Anxiety she had only felt about her dreams was nothing compared to what she was feeling. She was now in it, the chaos that usually plagued her dreams. And she didn't have the choice to fold, not when Mac's life depended on it. She would have to rise to the occasion.
An hour later they were parked around the corner of the factory watching armed men go in and out of the factory carrying crates out. Just watching them sent cold shivers up Riley's spine.
"Wait here. We don't need anybody else in danger." Desi said.
"You can't go in there alone?" Bozer argued.
"Don't argue with me Bozer. I'm just going to scope out the factory. We'll make a plan once we know more." she said. She stealthily left the car. Riley watched her go, keeping low to the ground as she approached the factory from the side. Once she took down a guard leaving the factory and pulled his body in the closest shrub and then disappeared into the factory.
"We're not just gonna sit back and do nothing right?" Riley said.
"Hell no," Bozer said. He dug into the glove compartment for a small pistol and Riley felt sick as he held it out for her. "This is Mac we're talking about."
"Absolutely not," she said.
"I'm not letting you go in there without it." Bozer said.
Swallowing her fear, she took it. Though she wouldn't use it, just to appease Bozer. The cold metal felt heavier than it should in her hands.
"Please don't die." Bozer said. She tucked the pistol into her jacket and followed Bozer to the factory.
They split up once inside. She went low and Bozer went high. Riley wasn't sure she knew what she was doing until she was actually doing it. Instinct took over and kept her footsteps light and her body flat to the wall. She checked over corners and doors and stuck to the walls like a second skin. Things she had clearly learnt and done hundreds of times kicked in like second nature. She couldn't believe this is what she now did for a living. Beneath all the fear and anxiety was actually excitement.
The factory was huge which made things difficult for her. Luckily most of the guards were on the upper levels tasked with transporting whatever were in the crates. It made her feel somewhat safe and she hoped Bozer and Desi were okay but she was only focused on one thing.
She was now in the basement and peeked around the corner to find a long hallway that seemed to lead to a dead end. There more than five doors on either side but only one had two guards posted outside a door. It had to be mean something. Why weren't they transporting crates like the other guards unless they were guarding something important—or someone.
Riley looked around trying to figure out how was she going to get them away from the door. Or at least one of them. She couldn't take them down at the same time. She looked up at the over head lights and searched for a fuse box. It took her too long to find it, she quickly found the switch for the basement and tripped it.
It took even longer to find the lonely hallway again. With the lights, out she heard one of the guards tell the other to go check it out. She hid in an empty room while he passed her. She had a limited window. In the dark she ran to the guard, taking him down with the same move Mac had taught her. He would be proud of he could see her. With as much strength as she could conjure, she struck him to the face, he was out like a light. She struggled to pull his weight into the empty room she had just been in. She broke the handle on the way out. Her heart pounding the entire time. It was addictive, the rush.
She ran back to the now unguarded door and flung it open. She saw red. She watched in numb horror, blood draining from her face. Mac was shackled by each of his hands and strung up like a rag doll. His head was hung, she didn't even know if he was conscious. She ran to him, cradling his head in her hands.
"Mac, can you hear me." She slapped his face gently and he stirred but only a little. At least he was alive. He was covered in soot and his lips were chapped and peeling. He probably had not seen sunlight or water in two days. She calmed herself down so she could think clearly.
She took out her phone to call Bozer and Desi. She quickly gave them directions to the basement. But it was big factory she didn't know how long it would take them to get there. If the other guard came back she would be screwed. She looked at the shackles and padlocks and found no keys. They must have been on the guard. How was she going to get him out?
"Okay Riley think," She released Mac to pace the small room hoping an idea would come or even better a memory. She panicked as he was dipping in and out of consciousness. Daggers of fear assaulted her as she racked her brain for an idea. Memories burned through her mind. Goosebumps rippled up her arm as she tried to sort through the memories for something useful but none of them were useful at the moment. She abandoned the room and began looking for something small and hard enough to pick the lock.
Somebody had taught her, maybe it was Jack, maybe it was Mac. She would sort through her newly surfaced memories another time. She found a box of rusty nails finally and grabbed a handful of them before rushing back to Mac.
She dropped to her knees and tackled the first lock. In her rush, she scraped and grazed her own fingers. She ignored the bleeding and pressed on until the lock came loose. Half of Mac's weight fell on her as one of his hands came free.
She was on the second lock when Bozer and Desi burst through the door. Desi's eyes fell on RIley's bleeding fingers and then back up at her strained, tired face.
"Help me, he's breathing but barely." Riley said as his weight was too much for her to support and work on the lock. Bozer helped hold him up while Desi watched the door with a drawn gun in case the guard returned. She worked the last lock free and almost cried in relief. More memories surface, possibly with all the adrenaline but she didn't have time for the victory as she and Bozer hauled Mac out of the basement.
"Get him out, no matter what," Desi said. With her gun drawn she went ahead and cleared a path for him. Riley heard nothing then suddenly gunshots and screams, none of which were Desi's voice. She knew even she just fell for Desi a little bit.
She and Bozer carry him out straight to the hidden parked car. Bozer sat in the back with Mac and Riley sat behind the drivers seat waiting for Desi and a speedy exit. They heard more gunshots and then saw Desi running toward them. Riley opened the door for her and pulled off before both Desi's legs were even in the car.
Two hours later, they were in two conjoined hotel rooms. Mac was still unconscious, hooked up to an IV, slowly introducing fluids back into his body. According to Bozer he was severely dehydrated with a few broken ribs. Which was lucky according to Bozer.
Desi had reported she found the bodies of what was supposed to be Mac's back up. It scared Riley, how easily that could have been Mac.
They were all pretty tired but Mason was still on the loose and all agreed they would not leave London until he was caught. And Riley couldn't rest until she knew Mac was okay.
"I'm going to debrief Matty and get us some food." Desi said. She took up her phone and jacket and left the conjoined room. When she left Riley said, "Why don't we sleep in shifts. I'll take the first watch."
"I'll go first, you haven't slept Riley." Bozer said.
"I can't Bozer." Riley said, "I don't—I can't sleep well without Mac, not since I lost my memory." She didn't know why she had been so embarrassed to say it or why she didn't tell him she had remembered a lot of her lost memories. It just felt like the wrong time.
She found nothing but understanding and sympathy in Bozer's eyes.
"Wake me if anything changes," he said. Riley nodded and went to the attached room Mac was in. She looked down at his unconscious form with a bitter irony how the script had flipped. Her tired bones weighed her down to the bed beside him. She was way too tired to be concerned about Desi would thing if she barged in and found her.
This time, she would fight off Mac's demons and make sure he was okay. He slept soundly beside her. Her eyes were glued to his chest, watching the rise and fall as further proof that he was alive and well.
Her own head throbbed with tension. Her mind was tired as all the pieces came together. She understood everything, W\why he had told she seemed to be pulling away from him before. Because she was. She remembered giving up before they had even started. She gave him up. She didn't fight for him. And she wouldn't make that mistake again.
She propped her head up with one hand to look down on his peaceful face. She traced the side of his face with two fingers when his blue eyes fluttered open.
A/N: Sorry this took so long to get hope you guys liked it. I rewrote it a couple times and still had to separate it into two chapters. Thanks as always for the support.