Hey ya'll! Back at you with another chapter! A little bit of warning here though, there is some innuendo near the middle. You'll see it when it comes up, but just a head's up. It is there. But besides that it's just the usual angst and worry! Hope ya'll like this chapter because this one was not an easy write ;) Enjoy!

Mac lifted his head slowly. His entire body felt like one huge bruise. His shoulders ached and his head throbbed. he could hear Jack's even breathing under his head and deduced that he must have fallen asleep on Jack's arm. Again. Mac pulled himself upright, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wincing when he hit a bruise. It had only been a week since his 'lesson' and Jack hadn't let him out of his sight even for a second. It was endearing but it was also begging for trouble. James hated it when his son had attachments, he considered reliance on a partner to be a form of weakness. Just another area for failure and betrayal. For a while, being raised with such ideals, Mac had held onto them in the army, refusing to trust anyone fully. He opted instead to watch his own back and fight for himself. Then Pena had broken through his guard, and Mac had let him. Then he'd died. Mac had floated around from partner to partner, not ever trusting anyone and always pushing them away. Then Jack had come along and broken down his defenses. Only he had stayed. And now he was back and borrowing trouble on Mac's behalf. It was equally endearing and annoying. Mac didn't want anyone else getting hurt.

He sighed and shifted away from Jack, slowly putting his feet to on the ground and shuffling painfully to the bathroom. Something had been bothering him. He wasn't sure what it was but his mind kept nagging, telling him that he'd forgotten something. Something important. He crossed the room and flipped the small sink on. He splashed water in his face and tried to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. He grimaced as a lance of pain flew across his chest. He gripped the sides of the sink, trying to control his breathing.

'Pain is just a signal,' he told himself, 'it will stop hurting if I just block the signal.'

The pain didn't go away, but Mac forced himself to ignore it as he heard Steve and Jack shifting behind him. Martin had disappeared yesterday. Steve had gotten reports of him going into James' office, but never coming out. Mac knew that he was dead and he felt a quiet pang of sadness at the loss of life. He hadn't like Martin, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he had still been a human being who deserved a fair trial.

"Mac?" He heard Jack coming up behind him, "how ya feelin' kid?"

"I'm fine," Mac replied, forcing a smile onto his face as he turned to face his partner.

"You're also a liar," Steve spoke up from his bed, "you still hurtin'?"

Mac grimaced, "okay, a little bit," he admitted, "but really, I'm fine. I've had worse."

If there could be anything said about Mac's situation it was that it was definitely not 'fine'. But Mac had learned to live with it and accept it as his lot in life so he was, in his mind, fine. He ignored Jack's concerned looks as he made his way to the door stiffly.

"Dad said I have to meet him in his office," he explained as Jack went towards the door with him, "sorry, but he specified that it be only me."

Jack growled unintelligibly, "fine," he snapped, "but you'd better come back in one piece or I will have words with him."

"No you won't," Mac replied easily, breezing past his friend and exiting the room, "I'll be back in a little while."

As he walked away he could hear Jack's feet hitting the floor in a rhythmic pattern. He was pacing. Again. Mac smiled to himself and shook his head fondly. Jack was nothing if not loyal. The second Mac was out of his sight, his worry increased by ten-fold and all of his senses magnified by ten. Mac knew it because he'd seen it happen before, and Steve had told him first hand what Jack did when he was with his dad. Steve. The guy was an interesting character. He would be the cruelest human being one minute, then concerned for Mac's well-being the second they were alone. Mac could not, for the life of him, figure the man out. Mac had never seen him pick fights but he had always won the ones picked with him. He never drank and was always alert. Mac couldn't help wondering if Steve was who he said he was. He didn't seem like a criminal, but maybe he was just down on his luck and James was the first guy to hire him with good pay.

Mac shook his thoughts away as he came to his father's office door. Levi was outside waiting for him, grinning like the evil psychopath he was. Mac barely spared him a glance, knowing that if he did then it would do nothing but send shivers down his spine. Levi pushed the door open and propelled Mac inside. The shivers that mac had been trying to avoid now crawled up and down his spine as the door slammed shut and locked behind him. He knew that that door was sound proof. No one could hear him anymore. He was cut off from the rest of the world. From Jack.

Mac forced himself to stay calm, although it was no easy task when every nerve in his body was conflicted between running to the door and staying rooted to the spot in terror. He looked straight ahead, but never met his father's eye. That was a challenge to his father's dominance and Mac had learned it was better to never ever challenge his father on anything.

"Angus," his father purred, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine father," Mac replied, struggling to repress the chills that danced up and down his arms at his father's voice.

"Good, good," James' fake smile was firmly set in place, "because I have another task for you."

"Yes sir..." Mac frowned inwardly, James never gave him more than on mission a month, if even that.

"You, Dalton, Levi, and I have some intel we need to retrieve," James stood from behind his desk, hand casually resting on his belt, turning Mac's blood to ice, "I trust that won't be a problem."

"No sir," Mac shook his head fervently, dragging his eyes away from his father's belt, "it's no problem."

"Good," James nodded, closing the gap between himself and Mac, "now, I want you to tell me everything you know about the Phoenix Foundation."

Mac's blood froze and he struggled to keep his composure, "is... isn't it, um... a think tank?" he stammered helplessly.

"Yes," James smiled and nodded, "that's its cover identity anyways," he smirked, "but it is actually a covert government operation that functions just under the radar of the law. They've been after me for years," he frowned thoughtfully, "and this time I think they're getting close. I think they have an operative on the inside," he fixed his gaze on his son, "have you heard anything about it?"

Mac shook his head, "n-no sir," he stumbled over his words, "I haven't heard anything," he lied.

James studied him carefully, then backed away, "very well," he nodded in satisfaction, "go tell Dalton to be ready to go by 0800 tomorrow morning."

Mac swallowed hard and turned to leave the room, "Oh and Angus," his father stopped him, grabbing his arm and effectively freezing Mac's feet to the ground, "I do hope you're telling the truth."

Mac felt his father's grip tighten enough to leave a bruise then he was propelled forward and shoved out the door. His father's hand was replaced by Levi's and he was steered away from the hall to his room. Mac barely forced the tears away from his eyes. He knew that going anywhere by himself with Levi was a bad idea. Levi was a pervert of the worst kind and Mac had been at his mercy several times during his childhood. he tried to pull away but Levi kept a tight grip on his arm.

"Not so fast Pretty Boy," the man smirked, tightening his grip just a little, "James might want you to do something for him, but I have my needs for you too."

A whimper escaped the back of his throat as Mac was pulled along. They stopped in front of Levi's room and Mac was dragged inside. His heart sank as the door slammed shut, cutting him off from his only means of escape.

***Line Break***

Jack paced the room from front to back. Mac had been gone for way to long, even Steve was starting to get antsy. Jack growled and let loose his frustration by slamming his fist into the concrete wall. The other man didn't even comment as the delta shook the pain out of his hand. Both men were worried for the young blond. he'd been gone for several hours and still no word. Jack's nerves were beginning to fray, and a delta with frayed nerves was a very dangerous man.

There was a knock at their door. Steve went to open it and Mac practically fell inside. He was crying. Jack knelt next to him, noticing that Mac flinched away.

"Mac," he spoke quietly so as not to scare him, "Mac, buddy what happened?"

Mac just shook his head, trying to stand up, but his legs were insanely shaky. he managed to pull himself up onto his bed, but he refused to let even Jack touch him. he curled up in the far corner of his bed and tried to ignore the two men asking him questions. He couldn't tell Jack. Jack could not find out. Mac had told someone before, but all he'd gotten was a slap and then told that he should have fought Levi off. He'd been twelve. Mac tried to force those memories out of his mind but he couldn't stop reliving what had happened. He was vaguely aware of his bed dipping as Jack sat next to him. he curled away from his best friend, knowing that if Jack showed him any kind of sympathy right now then he'd tell his friend exactly what had happened.

Jack didn't Mac to use his words in order to figure it out. One of the other members of James' gang, a pal of Steve's, came by and told the two men that he'd seen Mac get dragged into Levi's room, then thrown out a couple hours later. Mac had been... Jack couldn't even bear to think the word. He knew that Mac needed to talk, but he didn't know how to get him to.

"You're going to have to get him to talk," Steve's words mirrored his own thoughts, "try doing what you did the other day," he suggested, "just lay your hand on his shoulder, see if it helps."

Jack shook his head, "he doesn't want to be touched," he ran a hand over his face, he was getting really sick of not being able to help Mac like the kid needed it.

"Maybe," Steve's voice was soft, "he doesn't want you to touch him because he knows he'll tell you if you do."

Jack frowned, "ya think it's worth sending him into a panic?"

Steve nodded,, "he needs to talk it out," he said, "if he just bottles it up inside he'll explode one day," he sighed, "and it won't be pretty."

"You sound like you speak from experience," Jack sighed.

Steve's face darkened, "I do," he turned and walked out saying, "he might be more willing to talk if it's just you with him. I'll be right outside, just yell if you need anything."

Jack nodded his thanks to the other man and turned his attention back to Mac. Hesitantly he gently rested his hand on Mac's shoulder. he was shocked when, instead of flinching away, Mac turned around and buried his head in Jack's side. Jack slowly wrapped his arms around his kid, allowing Mac enough time between his movements to indicate if he didn't want it. Mac allowed Jack to wrap his arms fully around his thin torso and Jack pulled him close.

"What happened kiddo," he asked, keeping his voice level and his tone open, "you have to talk to me."

In a halting voice, in between sobs, Mac related to Jack exactly what had happened from the time Jack had last seen him. Jack's grip tightened around his friend and he glared at the door as Mac dissolved into sobs again.

"Easy kiddo," Jack soothed, "I've got you, he can't get you again, I've got you and I'm never letting you go."

Mac whimpered and Jack's voice caught in his throat as Mac, whispered, "I wanna get out."

"What?" Jack shifted in order to hear Mac's words more clearly, "what did you say?"

"I wanna get out," Mac repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, "please, I don't wanna do this anymore."

Jack rested his hand on the back of Mac's neck and pulled him close, "I haven't wanted to since the first time you showed up bloody and bruised, kiddo," he sighed, "we'll get you out. I promise."

***Line Break***

James glared over at Levi as he entered the room, "what did you do?"

"Just had a little fun is all boss," Levi grinned, "he'll be fine."

"If he can't pull off this mission it will be your head on a platter," James snapped, "we need him and Dalton for leverage against Matty and Walsh. he has to be able to come with us."

"He'll be fine by the morning," Levi smirked, "he might be walking a little funny, but he'll be fully operational. You know I'd never take it that far the night before a mission," he rolled his eyes, "just needed an adrenaline rush is all, and he's a fighter."

James whirled around and glared at the map, "if this op goes to hell I will kill you."

The smirk dropped from Levi's face, he knew that James was serious, "yes sir."

"Good," Levi was back in submission, James nodded in satisfaction, "now. We have to get to the War Room in order to get to Matty. Walsh will follow if we get Matty in a corner. Then, we use Angus as leverage to make Dalton cooperate and we use Dalton to make the Phoenix cooperate. You will be in charge of keeping hold of Angus, can you do that?"

"Oh yeah," Levi's grin was back, "the kid won't fight me anymore."

"Good," James nodded firmly, his plan was falling into place, "then here's what we'll do..."

***Line Break***

Jack stayed close to Mac as the two of them entered James' office. They were packed and ready for the op, their go bags already in the car. Jack had alerted Matty that James was going to try and break into Phoenix. This was their chance to catch him and lock him away for good. He couldn't escape an entire Phoenix tac team. No one ever had.

"Ah, good," James looked up, his frosty glare sweeping over the two operatives, "it's about time you two showed up," he looked back down at his map, he did seem to love that thing, "now, here's how this op will go. There will be guards at the front entrance, so Dalton and I will take them out while Levi and Angus get inside. Once you two have breached the building, set off the lock-down procedure," he glanced at his partner, "you remember how to do that?"

Levi nodded, "absolutely."

Whatever Mac couldn't remember was trying to scream at him now, his mind struggled to piece together what it was and listen to his father at the same time. It wasn't working. He shoved his forgotten memory to the side and elected to deal with it later. He focused on his father's plan, knowing if he screwed up it could be his and Jack's heads on the table.

"Now," James was still speaking, "once the lock-down procedure is in order, Jack and I will find Matty Webber, she is the director, she should be in a room called the War Room. We can pull this off as long as everyone," he glared at Mac, "pulls their own weight, I don't care how rough of a night any of you have had, anyone caught slacking off will be shot."

Mac shuddered, he knew that his father knew what had happened the day before. He also knew that James couldn't care less as long as he was functioning. He shifted closer to Jack and relaxed slightly at the comforting presence of his friend. Mac took a deep breath and nodded to his father. He could feel jack shift closer to him and wondered what was on the delta's mind. He couldn't be enjoying this, having to break into his own agency. They both knew what was at risk for Jack if this succeeded. Jack could be fired or charged with treason or-

"Why am I not with Mac?" Jack questioned.

Okay, so they weren't both concerned about Jack. Jack was worried about him being alone with levi. If he was honest, Mac was a little concerned about it too, but he was more worried about his friend.

"I beg your pardon," James hissed, hating to be questioned.

"I asked why I wasn't working with Mac," Jack pressed, ignoring Mac's frantic gestures for him to stop talking, "I mean, don't get me wrong boss, your plan is good, but Mac and I are trained to act as a unit together. We know each other's strengths and can play off each other's falling points," he specifically avoided the use of the word 'weakness', knowing it could set James off, "Mac and I know how to work with each other," he risked a glance at Mac, then focused back on James, "this is one op that you can't afford any mistakes on, and Mac and I work better together than I would with you. It makes the team as a whole stronger if you put Mac and I together in a unit, and you and Levi work together."

Mac waited with baited breath as James seemed to ponder the words. The senior Macgyver exchanged glances with his second in command and Mac found he didn't like the looks. James finally sighed and nodded.

"Very well, Dalton," he regarded Jack with a look of respect, which was unnerving to Mac who had only ever seen his father look at others with an expression of contempt and superiority, "you and Mac will work together and Levi and I will neutralize the guards. Now, you two go wait by the car and I will get the tech ready that we'll need for this op."

Jack and Mac nodded and quickly exited the room. Mac spun around as the door shut behind them. Jack was grinning like a fool and gripped the younger man's shoulder. Mac tried to be angry but found that he couldn't. That didn't stop him from acting like it.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded, "challenging him like that?!"

Jack didn't drop his grin, "I've got you at my back kiddo. Again. We're going into the field together just like old times. We've got this in the bag."

"Yeah," Mac rolled his eyes, "as long as you don't get us killed first," he lowered his voice, "they know we're coming, right?"

Jack nodded, "I alerted Matty as soon as you told me what he said. She's ready to pull the plug and snag both of them."

"Good," Mac sighed in satisfaction, rubbing his arms.

"Once they're caught," Jack smiled, "James Macgyver will never see the light of day again. He will live out the rest of his days in a prison cell."

***Line Break***

Jack and Mac flashed James and Levi a thumbs up. They were ready. Time for the op to start.

James and Levi exchanged looks and nodded. Their plan was in motion. It was time to take down the Phoenix.

Alrighty y'all! Hope y'all enjoyed that chapter! It was a whirlwind to write but it was essential to the story! The op is a go and there are two possible outcomes! Either Phoenix will win or James will! Pop in and leave a review leaving your thoughts on what will happen! Tell me what y'all think so far! Hope you like it! Love y'all!

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