Okay y'all. I have officially decided. I have the WORST internet in the entire world! I went to update the story a couple of days ago and my WiFi was completely down! UGH! Oh the joys and pains of the internet! Well, finally managing to get the WiFi back, I am now FINALLY updating the story. It's been a while so this chapter is really long. Sorry for the wait, y'all! Enjoy!
Jack paced the room. He hadn't seen Mac for days, and the kid was due to be back home any day now. He was frothing at the bit to see his kid, every second of separation driving his panicky paternal instincts further on the fritz. he ran a hand through his thinning hair and growled unintelligibly to himself. His and Mac's roommates, Steve and Martin, had quickly found out that it was better to not comment on Jack's obvious attachment issues. They had also quickly discovered that Jack turned into a thundercloud when Mac wasn't with him. It seemed that while Jack's presence did a good deal for Mac, the same could be said in reverse. Steve, while cautious, didn't seem actually scared of Jack, but Martin was terrified of him. So when Jack entered the room angry, Martin was quick to find an excuse to leave. Steve, however, seemed content to stay where he was, watching Jack pace like a caged animal.
"You know," the man remarked dryly, "personally I prefer my bedroom floor without a path worn in it."
"And I prefer my room without a missing blond," Jack snapped, clearly not in the mood, "looks like we both don't get what we want."
Although the first few days had been rough, Jack had quickly learned who he could and couldn't "trust" in the compound. Steve had been the kid who had warned Jack not to interfere the first day. He was one of the few who Jack could rely on for information and support. He was a young guy, not much older than Mac, and had a tough exterior. But he was one of the only people in the compound who gave a crap about what happened to Jack's boy, so the delta decided he could be an ally. Occasionally, Steve could be seen helping Mac up after the other men had beaten him up, or patching a particularly nasty cut on another gang member. He was kind in a rough, gang/hitman kind of way. It took some getting used to, but with the op being as long as it was Jack had had plenty of time to get in the swing of the kid's attitude.
"Dalton," Steve sighed, trying to focus on his papers, "I'm sure Mac is fine. Just focus on something else and it'll get you mind off him."
"Right," Jack rolled his eyes, "I've tried that before, Slick, it doesn't work."
Steve shrugged, "well, you can't say I didn't try to help."
Jack decided to ignore the man and continue his pacing. His impatience was finally rewarded when Martin poked his shaking head in the door.
"Jack," he said, not meeting the man's eyes, "Angus is back."
"His name is Mac," Jack corrected automatically, brushing past Martin and going to meet his kid.
He ignored the fact that Steve followed close behind him, and quickly made his way towards the meeting room. He stopped at the door and pressed his ear up against it, listening.
"Angus, how many times do I have to tell you," James was yelling, "what I tell you to do is not optional!"
"Sir," Mac's voice was tired and strained, like he hadn't slept in days, "I didn't have to kill him to get the information from his friend. Neither person saw my face, I saw no reason to-"
"I told you to," James was beyond angry, "that should be enough for any child! I told you to leave behind no witnesses! It's the easiest way to get what we want from people!"
"Human beings aren't collateral," Mac's voice was barely audible through the door, "he had kids, and a wife, and a baby on the way, Dad! I was never going to kill him!"
"You failed Angus," James snapped, "Again! Two days!"
"Dad, n-" Mac's sounded terrified.
"Two days, Angus!" James roared, "Levi, please escort this boy to his temporary facilities."
"Yes sir," Jack could practically hear the man saluting his boss, "let's get going, boy!"
"Dad, please-"
"Leave my sight!" James shouted, causing Jack to wince at the volume.
Nothing more was said, and Jack hurriedly moved away from the door. He managed to get busy just as the door opened and Levi stepped out, holding Mac painfully by the arm. Jack noted quickly how Mac limped when he moved and how tight his face was. He was in massive amounts of pain. Jack also saw the dark bags under his eyes and the blood encrusted in his hair. Mac looked up slightly and caught Jack's gaze. The young man tried to smile, but failed miserably. He only succeeded in looking more sad and pitiful than before. Jack knew he was trying to put on a brave face, and he hated seeing his kid like that. Levi noticed Mac and Jack's interaction and jerked Mac down a nearby hallway, shoving his head down roughly. Jack felt a surge of anger, but before he could move, Steve grabbed his arm. Jack glared down at him, but the man was shaking his head.
"Look around you, Dalton," Steve flicked his eyes around.
Jack followed his gaze and saw the three men standing casually up against the wall, guns in hand. He felt anger and helplessness well up in him and pulled his arm away, stalking of towards his room. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to grab Mac, and run. Run anywhere. Run to nowhere in particular. Every instinct wailed and hollered and beat at his skull, telling him to get Mac away from this place. Jack shook his head, stopping in the hallway. He was an American soldier, a former delta commander, an EOD over-watch, and a secret government agent. There was no way he was going to let a couple bully-boys with guns scare him away from his boy. He spun around and stopped dead in his tracks. James. Macgyver senior was standing directly between Jack and the way Mac went. There was no way he could get to Mac without James seeing- Too late.
"Ah, Dalton," James waved slightly and made his way over to the seething delta, "I trust you saw Angus."
"I passed him in the hallway," Jack replied, he made it clear by his tone that he didn't like it, "where's he going? I figured he'd have a few days off after how long he's been gone."
James sighed, "unfortunately," he didn't sound sorry at all, "he is in need of a little time to himself after this particular excursion. Nothing to worry about, just a little time alone to decompress after a hard mission."
Jack nodded as if he accepted the explanation, "he did seem a little worn down."
"Yes well," James shrugged, "he's easily exhausted."
Jack almost bristled at the ball-faced lie that had just flown from James' mouth. He knew from personal experience that Mac would run for days without sleep, then when he was reduced to fumes, could run for a few more days before finally succumbing to sleep. He was not a person that got tired easily. There had been several times in the army where Jack had had to speak to their commanding officer for Mac, because the kid refused to ask for time to sleep. He glanced sideways at the man, either James had just lied outright or he really didn't know a thing about his son. Jack honestly didn't know which was more believable.
"Well," James evidently felt that the silence had stretched long enough, "I must get back to my work," he glanced Jack up and down, "I will see you later."
Jack nodded, watching the man as he walked away. He was getting no sleep tonight.
***Line Break***
Mac shuddered painfully as he collapsed back against the wall, trying to draw in another breath. His arms were chained above him and his feet barely brushed the floor making it increasingly difficult to breathe. He grabbed the chains and pulled himself up, taking another deep breath then dropped back down. Fresh tears fell down his face as new aches and pains were brought up with every breath. He knew he had at least three broken ribs, a sprained ankle, and he had a screw dug into his leg somewhere. He allowed his head to droop for just a few seconds then jerked it back up as he struggled for breath. He knew he should be concerned about several things, but his brain was too exhausted to function. His mission had stretched for seven days and he hadn't slept a wink. He hadn't been allowed to, his father believed that he should be a machine. An extension of his father's will. There were times when Mac didn't know if James remembered that his son was human. Mac struggled up for another breathe, each one harder than the last. He barely had any strength left in his arms and he knew it was a losing fight. He needed sleep, but he couldn't sleep in here. It was't allowed. It wasn't safe...
Mac was jerked awake by a distinct lack of breathe and icy cold water covering his face. He could feel that he was no longer tied to the ceiling. He instantly tried to spring up, but found his sore arms strapped down to something. Panic welled up as he realized he could neither see nor breath. He thrashed and tried to evade the cloth over his face, which resulted in a hand slamming down on his face, shattering his nose. Mac flinched, whimpering as blood pooled in his nose. He coughed and tried to sneeze. Anything to get the blood out of his nose. He winced as he was successful and the blood from his nose splattered across his face when it hit the cloth. A hot spike dug into his leg and he barely held back his screams. Mac thought desperately. He was used to this. Pain was just a signal. Block the signal. Block the signal. Block. The. Signal.
Mac screamed as he lost the battle when a blade was drug across the sensitive skin on inside of his arm. His back arched up in the air as he tried to throw off the hood and get away from the bonds holding his wrists. Nothing was working. Blind panic tore through him as he wrenched back and forth across the clod metal surface. The water splashed again on his face and he struggled for breath. bright spots danced in his eyes and he felt himself falling...
He didn't wake up until cold water was hurled in his face and he was jerked to his feet painfully. He was in no way rested, if anything he was more exhausted. As his vision cleared, he saw two men holding his arms and his father standing in front of him. He flinched backwards as James stepped forward.
"Learned your lesson Angus?" James' voice was calm and collected, completely unconcerned with his son's condition.
Mac nodded, leaning as far away from James as he could. It didn't do anything, James' hand shot out and grabbed Mac's chin. He forced the blond's head up, looking him dead in the eye. His expression almost softened, but Mac knew him to well for that.
"You know I hate programming you," James crooned softly, stroking his free hand down Mac's cheek, causing the boy to shudder, "it's so very unpleasant," he sighed, "but failure cannot be tolerated. You know this, Angus," his grip turned steely on Mac's chin, the blond knew it would leave finger prints, "don't make it happen again."
"Yes sir," Mac whispered, knowing his father wanted a response, "I'm sorry, sir."
"I know you are, Angus,' James purred, rubbing one hand down Mac's arm, "don't let it happen again."
he released the boy and gestured to the two men, who released Mac. The blond fell in a heap on the floor, almost unable to move. All his senses blurred as he felt himself passing out again.
"Take him to his room," he heard James snap, clearly thinking Mac had actually passed out.
"Sir, what will we do when Dalton sees this?" Levi's voice echoed through a long tunnel, eventually reaching Mac's consciousness.
"A Phoenix agent is trained to never blow a op," James snarled, his voice falling through Mac's mind to where he didn't register what the man was saying, "our plans for Dalton will go forward as expected. Phoenix will lose their top agent on our next mission. and we will be rid of them for good."
Mac felt his last shreds of consciousness slipping. He felt like what James had said was wrong, but he couldn't place why. Nothing made sense in his swirling mind. He just wished everyone could be quiet so he could sleep...
***Line Break***
Jack stalked back to his room, a thundercloud looming over his head. He wanted Mac back. It had been two days and there was still no sign of him. He had called in to give Matty the low-down. She had been uncooperative. Sometimes it seemed like he was the only one who gave a crap about Mac's well-being. He threw his door opened and stopped dead in his tracks. His blond wonder-boy was laying on the floor, almost unconscious.
"Mac," he gasped, falling to his knees next to the bashed kid, "buddy, what happened?"
"Ja...Jack," Mac's voice was a pained croak as he reached out for Jack, "Ja.."
"Easy kiddo," Jack took Mac's arms gently and pulled him close, aware that he could feel every bone in Mac's body, including several broken ones, "don't talk. Just lemme see what hurts," he tried to pull Mac away slightly so he could get better look.
Mac shook his head against Jack's chest, clearly not wanting to move, "sta...stay."
Jack's heart broke at the sound of fear and exhaustion in Mac's voice, "I'm not leavin' buddy. I'm not going anywhere."
He reached around Mac and lifted him slowly, trying not to hurt the kid. His boy's long limbs instantly wrapped around Jack, his blond hair falling into his face. It reminded Jack of just how painfully young Mac seemed. He slowly got to his feet, careful not to jostle his kid too much. Mac whimpered slightly, gripping Jack tighter. Jack turned slowly and locked the door, not wanting anyone to barge in while Mac was in such a vulnerable state. He gently sat on his bed and set Mac next to him, allowing the blond to stay as close as he needed.
"Kid," Jack said gently, "you need to sleep. You look like you're about to pass out."
Mac blinked owlishly, clearly evading sleep for some reason, "can't... sleep... not... allowed," he managed to whisper through his sore throat.
Jack forced himself to tamp down the anger that boiled in his blood, "it's perfectly allowed, Mac," he informed his partner, "you're okay. The door is locked, no one's getting in. You're safe in here. I promise."
Mac looked up at him slowly, his exhausted baby blues were full of more fear than anyone should ever experience. He studied Jack through half-closed eyes then finally curled in around himself, leaned up against Jack, and allowed himself to sleep. Jack sighed in relief, running his hand through Mac's bloody, matted hair. Anger burned in his eyes and he tried to force himself to relax.
"What'd they do to you, kiddo?" He sighed, trying desperately to keep his emotions at bay, "I have to get you out of here."
He slid his phone out and clicked on Matty's contact.
***Line Break***
Matty picked up her phone as it rang, she sighed when she saw Jack's contact. It was not time for a sit-rep, so he was definitely calling about Mac. She groaned when she saw that it was a video chat. He had to be ridiculously upset.
"Webber," she answered curtly, barely managing to not roll her eyes, "what so you want, Dalton?"
Jack's face was tight and pensive, "I want you to get Mac out of here, " he replied, anger brimming in his tone, "Matty, I'm not playing around. He's not being treated well here. He was just tortured for two days after refusing to kill someone. He's an innocent kid," Jack paused then rephrased his statement, "soot Matty, he's my innocent kid. I can't just stand by and let them hurt him."
"Jack," Matty sighed, "look, I'll take you down to medical and have Dr. Reyez show you what you need to do. But we can't do anymore than that without blowing our cover. We have to get James Macgyver."
Jack huffed in frustration, "Matty-"
"Look Jack," Matty silenced him as she walked towards medical, "I know you want what's best for Mac, and in order to get that for him we have to put his father behind bars. There is no way around it. As long as his father is free, Mac will be stuck. It's best for Mac if you stay in the op."
"Matty," Jack protested, "stop walking. Stop talking and stop walking and just look at him."
Matty sucked in her breath as the camera switched and the younger Macgyver came into view. His blond hair was matted with blood, and his clothes were covered with the same sticky substance. His face was dirty and stained with tear tracks. Jack had removed the boy's shirt and Matty could see every bone in Mac's painfully thin body. He had bruises and lacerations all across his torso and he looked severely dehydrated. His entire body was covered with bruises and a pronounced boot print marked his chest. His shoulders were swollen and red, as if he'd been hanging by his arms, and his body was rigid and swollen in most places. There was barely an inch of the young man that wasn't covered in bruises or blood. Matty forced her face into a neutral expression as Mac stirred. He whimpered and wrapped his bony arms around his stomach, curling up protectively. The screen blurred and changed as Jack dropped the phone. Matty was still able to see hwat was happening, though from an odd angle.
Jack crawled up next to Mac and,slowly and deliberately, spread his hand out on the younger man's shoulder. Mac leaned into the touch and shifted his head onto Jack's leg. Small, pained keening noises emanated from Mac's throat.
"Mac, buddy," Jack murmured softly, "what's hurtin' you, kid? You gotta tell me."
"Jack," Mac cried pitifully, his hands reaching for Jack and clinging to the other man's shirt, "stay... hurts..."
Matty had never seen Jack be so gentle, it was almost like seeing him work with a wounded animal, "it's alright, Mac," he rubbed Mac's shoulder gently, helping the younger man up nearer to his chest, "just take a good listen there, see I'm right here."
It took Matty a moment to realize that Jack was letting Mac listen to his heartbeat. The younger man still wouldn't open his eyes, so Jack had found a way to work around it. She marveled momentarily at her agent's skills with younger people. she realized quickly that this was a very private, vulnerable moment for Mac, so she hung up. She didn't want to impose on his emotions. Nor did she herself want to be emotionally compromised.
She knew Mac was an adult, but in certain moments, it was impossible to think of him as anything but a child. Between his baby face and his baby blues, he often seemed younger than he was. All suspicion was gone. Matty had sometimes suspected that this was all a big scheme of Mac and James to take down Phoenix. That somehow the two had planned to use Jack to take Phoenix apart. Now she realized, as she had all along, Mac wasn't a mastermind criminal. He had come to the Phoenix because he was scared and hurting. He'd trusted them, trusted Jack, and Matty groaned as she realized she'd already become emotionally compromised. Mac had wormed his way into her heart, just like he had with Jack. Somehow Matty knew that once Mac was in your heart, unfortunately, you could never get him back out. And she found that, strangely, she didn't want to.
So, Matty has finally come around! Will Mac remember what James said in time to keep Jack safe? What will happen?! AAAAHHHH! The suspense! Mwahahahahahahaha! So, again, really sorry for the update holdup. My internet sucks :( Hope y'all enjoyed that chapter! It was a really fun one to right! Love y'all!
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