Hello Everyone. I understand it's been awhile, and I have few excuses for that. Not no excuses, just a few. To those of you still interested, I thank you, and hope that you enjoy the next chapter. Queen.
Last Chapter:
Stunned, Jack was frozen until he snapped to attention, and started to run after his friend. However, a buzzing in his pocket stopped him at the door.
From: Mac
Don't follow me, Jack, alright? I just need some time alone right now. I'll call you later.
And as the team watched Mac walk away, they couldn't help but feel he left a part of him behind.
Chapter 3:
Jack stared at his phone sitting on his coffee table. His leg jittered anxiously. Getting up, he paced his living room floor. It had been three days since the nuclear revelations, and three days since anyone had seen Mac. Mac never called him back, despite texting him he would that dreadful afternoon. Now, Jack was starting to become worried. Riley's efforts to track Mac down electronically were proving to be futile. Mac hadn't reached out to any of his friends, and none of Jack's professional contacts in the L.A area had seen the young agent.
He stood up and angrily shoved his chair. "Damnit!" Running a hand through his short hair, he spread his arms and yelled at the wall. "Well, Mac, what do you expect me to do now, huh? Go crazy while you are M.I.A? Out of all the dumb things you could've done…" his voice trailed as he resumed his frantic pacing, the back-and-forth steps hauntingly familiar.
His phone rang, the beginning notes of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" breaking the silence. Jack jumped, and raced for his phone, only to be disappointed when he saw Riley's number lighting up his screen.
"Jack! I think I've got a lead," were the first words out of Riley's mouth. Not even allowing Jack to squeeze in a "hello", she continued. "So, Mac is a smart guy - obviously, he turned off the tracking devices on his cell phone and laptop. However, he didn't fully deactivate the location services within his car's Bluetooth devices. There was an system-wide update two months ago that wrote in an command override to the disabling of the tracking system. I was able to hack into the general operations, and work my way into his car's programing."
"Okay, okay, did you get anything then?" Jack asked impatiently.
"Yes, Jack, I was just about to tell you that. He's in Pasadena, California."
Jack frowned. "Pasadena? That's so close - why didn't he say anything? What the hell is he doing there?"
"I don't know, but you can ask him when you see him. Bozer and I are heading to your place now to pick you up and drive there. We've rented a car so that he won't recognize any of ours. We'll be there in fifteen minutes - be ready," Riley responded.
Jack smirked. "I was ready three days ago, Riley. Hurry up."
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Jack stood outside of his apartment building, anxiously tapping his foot. He stared at the sky. A bird sitting on a nearby streetlight stared at him, almost mocking him.
"What're you looking at?" Jack grouched at the bird. The bird cocked his head and chirped. Out of the corner of his eye Jack saw another bird land on the same streetlight, as if responding to the other bird's call. Jack turned around. All around on the neighboring buildings stood identical birds to the initial one he spotted.
They were all staring at him.
Jack started to hear the The Birds theme song in his head. "Man, is Albert Hitchcock going to pop out of the shadows next?" He chuckled nervously. "Geez Mac, you've got me talking to myself and imagin' killer hordes of birds."
He waved his hands at the pigeons. "Shoo, get on now."
They merely turned their heads to the sides and stared at him.
"Good grief," Jack muttered to himself, and prepared himself for any type of attack - gun out, defensive position at the ready.
Riley and Bozer chose that moment to whip around the corner in a nondescript grey crossover vehicle, likely acquisitioned from the Phoenix fleet of cars. Moving fast enough to leave tire skids on the road, Riley swung the car around and stopped perfectly in front of Jack's feet. She rolled down the window and smirked out at Jack.
"Good morning, Jack. Can we help you with anything?" She looked pointedly at the birds up on the ledge. Bozer laughed. "Surprised you haven't started shooting yet, Jack. Man, those birds are creepy."
Jack rolled his eyes as he slid in the backseat. "Glad to hear I'm not the only one who saw those little…." The blaring car horn interrupted Jack's sentence.
"Language, Jack," Riley snickered.
Jack harrumphed. "Can we just get going? My legs are getting antsy just sitting here."
Bozer and Riley turned serious. Both of their heads snapped forward, Riley concentrating on the road and Bozer on the laptop in his hands. Bozer logged into the computer system, and spoke.
"So, basically, my girl Riley here tapped into all the CCTV cameras in Pasadena, and factored in facial recognition software to try to capture Mac's face." Bozer paused and turned around to look at Jack, anticipation in his face.
"And?" Jack said impatiently. "Continue?"
"Sorry, I was just trying to add a little dramatic effect," Bozer muttered. "I can see how well that worked…"
"Bozer," Jack interjected. "Get on with it."
Riley started speaking the moment Bozer opened his mouth, effectively silencing any retort. Bozer slouched in his seat and pouted. "So, Jack, we got a hit. Cameras near the Old Pasadena District recorded Mac walking into a diner called Sal's Diner twenty minutes ago. It's a twenty minute drive to Pasadena, so we've got to go now to get there before he leaves." Jack felt a rise of expectation in his chest, and he began to tap his legs.
'Well, then, what are we going so slow for?"
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Mac sat alone in Sal's Diner, slowly sipping a cup of coffee. He scanned his surroundings. The cheery hole-in-the-wall restaurant was playing 50's pop music, reminding Mac of his grandfather. When he was little, his grandpa always tuned into his favorite oldies radio station when he worked around the house, humming along and encouraging Mac to join in. The coffee Mac was nursing wasn't as good as his grandfather's brew though - it was a little too bitter for Mac's tastes. Along with the coffee, the decor also grated on Mac's nerves. Encased in an explosion of red and white, the diner's normally pleasing environment worsened Mac's pounding headache. Sleep and actual food would help that headache, his responsible inner voice scolded him. I know, I know, he argued with himself.
Mac knew he didn't deal with stress well. After Nikki "died", it required the collective efforts of Jack, Thornton, and Bozer to drag him out of his funk, forcing him to eat and rest. They took away anything he could tinker with in the house, even his paperclips. Mac knew that he preferred to distract himself rather than deal with his problems, and so did his friends. If Jack was here right now, Mac would be the audience of one hell of a lecture from his overprotective friend.
The more Mac sat, the more he thought. Sal's Diner probably wasn't the best place to have gone; the atmosphere was bringing back memories of all the things in his past he loved. The waitress' mothering looks and gentle touches was a stinging reminder of his own mother - apparently an international criminal. The family sitting nearby, laughing over pancakes was a painful insult to his own family's messed-up situation. More than that, the food itself was nowhere as near as tasty as Bozer's mother's food either.
And the more Mac sat, the more guilty he became. He really shouldn't have bailed out on Jack and the rest of his friends. It was irresponsible, knowing how worried they all would be about him. He knew they would give him space, but this was probably the wrong way to have gone about it. Tightening his fingers around the mug, he gulped down the last few dregs of his cold coffee, grimacing as the remaining grounds slithered down his throat. He tossed a few dollar bills down on the table, and waved at the eternally smiling waitress as he strode out the door.
Turning the corner to the parking lot, he fumbled through his pockets for the keys to his car. He had disabled the GPS tracking; he knew that the GPS would be the first place Riley would look to find him.
His keys flipped out of his pocket and through his fingers, along with other receipts and items Mac had carelessly shoved into his pockets. Leaning down, he grumbled.
"Of course...where's all my change?... I know I have more than four quarters…" On his hands and knees, Mac scanned the ground looking for his fourth quarter when a pair of work boots interrupted his hunt. The voice of the person attached to the boots coughed and began in a low, annoyed tone.
"Searching for this?"
Looking up, Mac saw the peeved face of Jack blocking the sun, and holding out his missing quarter. He got to his feet, and when Jack said nothing, he was instantly flooded with guilt. Jack crossed his arms and spread his feet - Mac wasn't getting past him.
Mac stared at his friend, and sheepishly hung his head. Peering up at Jack, all he saw was a raised eyebrow. Clearly, Jack was going to wait for Mac to explain himself.
Mac relented.
"Look Jack, I'm really sorry, man. I just got so caught up with thinking about my mom, and my dad, and I thought about texting you, but then I remembered that you would make me talk about it, and I really don't want to talk about it right now, like I really don't want to, I just wanted some alone time, and seriously, I'm sorry andIreallydidn'twanttomakeyouworry..."
Mac was interrupted by Jack putting his hand over his lips. "Mac, buddy, I get it. Yeah, I'm not happy you ran off without tellin' me, or any of us, but I'm just happy you're safe dude." With that, Jack pulled Mac into a giant bear hug. Mac grabbed Jack back. After days of wallowing alone, it felt good to talk to someone familiar. "Thanks Jack," Mac murmured.
Jack laughed, a release of nervous energy. "You know Mac, just cause I forgave you doesn't mean that Riley will. Or Bozer, for that matter." Mac paled. "They're here?"
Grinning widely, Jack motioned to a grey crossover SUV stopped about a block up the street. "Yeah, right over there. You didn't think that I came by myself, now? Based on the way that Bozer was fuming on the way over here, I think you've got yourself into quite a pot of trouble, my friend." Chuckling, Jack waved his hand. "Well, come on then, get a move on. Don't want to spend all day here."
"How did you even find me?" Mac asked.
"You probably thought you disabled your GPS, but Riley did something with some electronic doodad and whatnot, and was able to locate your general location. And then she tapped into CCTV cameras, did her magic with facial recognition software, and wallah. Here we are, ready to cart you all the way back home." Jack responded.
Shaking his head, Mac started to trudge over to the car. He could see Riley and Bozer fuming, their glares at him practically melting the glass of the front windshield.
"You know Jack, you could just let me stumble into traffic… the bruises from a car collision will probably be better than the ones that Riley will give me." Mac turned his head and looked at Jack with big eyes. Jack just chuckled, "No way Jose. I ain't getting in between you and her."
Both men reached the car and got in. Immediately, Mac received silent glares from both of his friends in the front seat. Raising his hands in surrender, Mac started, "Look, guys…"
In the park across from where the car was stopped, a little old lady feeding birds looked up when she heard shouting. The noise appeared to be coming from a car along the street that was rocking back and forth. Two young people in the driver and passenger seats were shouting and shaking their fingers at whoever was in the back. The old lady chortled and tossed some more bread crumbs on the sidewalk. Birds surrounded her feet.
"Kids these days, I tell you," the old lady said to the birds. "Birds are much better companions, aren't they?" The pigeons simply cocked their heads and warbled.
The car across the street continued to shake.
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Back at the Phoenix
Matty was a patient woman, despite what most people thought about her. She also cared deeply about other people, contrary to popular opinion. Of course, she couldn't act caring, or patient in front of others - it would ruin her persona. People respond to commands - not suggestions. For a person of her stature, any sign of weakness and her abilities would be discounted. Benefits of being a woman and short. So, she was "Matty the Hun": a loud, demanding, and dynamic force of nature. However, underneath her meticulously placed mask, she truly did care. She especially cared about her employees. Yes, even the incorrigible Jack Dalton.
But even she had to admit that she had a very special place in her heart for Macgyver. She felt almost like a mama bear when it came to Mac. Subsequently, she was on his case constantly. She didn't want to see him hurt, and when he was, that's when her worst came out. That's when Matty the Hun came out.
Consequently, when Mac didn't answer anyone's calls, texts, or visits for three days, Matty got anxious. And when she got anxious, she got snippy. Everyone at the Phoenix was hoping that Mac would be found just for the sole purpose of shutting Matty up. When Jack called her to inform her that Mac's location had been found, and that the Phoenix's best were on their way to collect him, the entire office had sighed with relief.
Matty found herself now in the War Room, awaiting his arrival. She stood in her customary spot by the wall, arms crossed, face set in its signature scowl. She checked her watch obsessively every few minutes.
She was angry. When she heard the voices of her best team down the hall, she geared herself up for a confrontation. From the sound of it, however, Riley had beat her to the punch.
"I still cannot believe the absolute nerve of you, Mac! In our line of work, dropping off the map like that means two things: dead, or almost dying. What would Jack do if you were dead? Or Bozer? Or me?"
Or me, Matty thought.
Mac's exasperated voice filtered through to Matty's ears. "I know, Riley. I was reckless. I know. I understood you the first time that you lambasted me. And the second time, and the third time."
The group dissolved into squabbles, their voices echoing along the corridor. They rounded the corner, and spilled into the War Room.
All of them looked overtaxed. Matty knew Jack hadn't slept much in the last three days, and it showed. Dark circles under his eyes matched his overgrown beard, and wrinkled shirt. Bozer too - the normally clean shaven special-effects specialist was looking decidedly less dapper than normal. Riley's hair was in a haphazard ponytail, and she looked downright pissed. Mac, on the receiving end of Riley's ire, was his skinny, blond self, looking exhausted and burdened. Mac looked like the titan Atlas - with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He turned away from Riley and toward Matty.
He spread out his arms and strode to the center of the room. "Alright Matty, give it to me. Tell me what I did was wrong, and stupid, and how I should be ashamed of myself."
Jack scoffed from his corner of the room. "Well, it was stupid, Mac. We're gonna call you out on your bullshit, and this little vacation of yours was the stupidest shit you could do."
Riley and Bozer nodded in agreement. Riley looked like she wanted to continue her tirade against Mac, but Bozer placed a cautionary hand on her arm.
It was time for Matty to take control of this situation. She walked up to Mac, putting her hands on her hips.
"Quiet! Everyone! Jack! Riley! Bozer!" The room fell silent.
"Macgyver. This stunt that you pulled was not only irresponsible, but wildly reckless. Your disappearance is not just an inconvenience for yourself, but for the entire Phoenix Foundation. Do you have any idea what an enemy of the state would want with you? Any idea? They wouldn't care about your personal relationships or your dreams or desires. They only care about the highly classified information about the United States government that's in your head. That's it. So next time you decide to take an impromptu sabbatical, you must tell someone. You got it, Blondie?"
Mac looked stunned at Matty. "That's it? You're not going to tell me I'm in trouble with Oversight, or that I've lost some privilege that I didn't even have?"
Matty shook her head. "Nope. I think you got enough of a reprimand from your friends here, if I'm correct, Riley?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Riley smirked.
Jack looked mildly disappointed at the scolding Matty had given Mac. He had been hoping that it would be more severe in order to knock some sense into his stubborn friend.
Mac cleared his throat. "Guys, I just wanted to say, again, that I am sorry for leaving and not telling you all. I am...dealing...with a lot of stuff right now, and I guess I just needed to clear my head. Finally, just forgive me?"
Jack peeled himself off the wall and held his hand out to Mac. "I've got your back, dude. I forgive you." Bozer came from behind Jack, and wrapped Mac in a hug. "Me too. Just don't scare me like that again, bro."
The group looked over at Riley. "Miss Davis?" Matty pointedly directed at Riley. Riley glowered for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, I can't stay mad at super spy forever. His hair is too irresistible." She walked over and lightly slapped Mac on the shoulder before hugging him too.
"But seriously, Mac, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will… I'll castrate you. You understand me?" Riley chided Mac.
Mac gulped and nodded. "Yes, yep, I got it. Crystal clear."
The room was still until Jack broke the sappiness of the moment. "You know, Mac, you won't believe these birds that I saw when I was coming to carry home your ass…"
Matty smiled. Her team was back together, and Mac was safe. They still had some work to do with Mac, namely with his father. It bothered her to no end that Oversight never tried to reach out to Mac after his life-altering revelations to his son. Oversight had left the country hours after the explosive argument, and had been just as unreachable as his son was in the days after the confrontation. Yet again, Mac had been left to deal with the pieces without his father there to support him. He was an utter bastard, in Matty's opinion. If he didn't return from whatever mission he was on now, the world wouldn't be lacking.
Matty snapped back to attention when she heard coats rustling as the people in the room were preparing to leave. It was a weekend, and technically with no current, pressing mission, the team was off.
"Hey Matty, want to go grabs some beers with us? We are going to head to that new pub across from that strip mall off of the 101, and celebrate Mac's return." Bozer offered to Matty.
Riley chimed in, "You should come, Matty! Loosen up a little!" she smiled.
The hopeful faces of her team implored her to come. Dalton winked at her playfully.
She gave in. "Alright, alright. I'll come along."
Grabbing her coat from her nearby office, she caught up with the group as they headed out of the building, chattering about their upcoming festivities. Now that Mac had been reconciled with everyone, the normal gaiety of the group had returned. They all could use some sleep, but that was sure to come after all the drinking that was in store.
Walking past the receptionist Marcy, they all waved, and pushed open the doors to the sunny outdoors. Living in L.A had its perks, but the blinding afternoon sun was not one of them. Squinting their eyes against the brightness, no one saw the darkened van parked around the corner of the building.
"Jack, come on. I know you can't drink more than two beers in ten minutes. For all the bragging you do, you're a total lightweight," Mac teased Jack.
"I'll have you know back when I was your age, I could drink two pints in ten minutes. No stopping the J-train, not when its chugging…."
Jack was cut off by the sudden squeal of tires. Jack's head swung to the side, and he barely had enough time to shout "Get down!" before all hell broke loose.
To Matty, it was all a blur of action.
The previously hidden van burst from its position and skidded in front of the Phoenix team, catching them off guard. Men dressed in black tactical gear burst from the back and immediately surrounded the group.
Bozer grabbed Riley as she screamed in shock. The pair was accosted by men who expertly restrained them and held them back from helping their friends.
"Jack! Help me!" Riley yelled at Jack from her captured position.
Jack shouted to Matty as he defended himself from the physical onslaught, "Call the Phoenix! There's too many of them here!"
Matty pressed the center of her pendant necklace. Hidden inside was a panic button traced to her exact location. Given that they were outside of the building, reinforcements should be to them within seconds.
She jabbed at an attacker, targeting the back of his knees and the soft tissue that she had easy access too. Still, there were too many - Jack was right. She took a hit to her ribs that took her breath away.
"Give it up," breathed a rough voice in her ear. "We only want the boy."
She stopped her struggling in confusion. "What?"
"MAC!" Matty heard a tormented scream from Jack. Kicking at her attackers, she climbed to her feet and saw what Jack was yelling about.
Caught off guard and weakened, Mac was wrestling against the grip of three assailants who had him in a tight hold. His thrashing was growing increasingly feeble though - one of the men held a cloth to Mac's face, and Matty could see his eyelashes bat close. Chloroform. Finally, with one last attempt to break free Mac's body gave up the fight. He slumped to the ground. Along with obvious bruising along his brow, Mac was in no shape to fight against whatever his kidnappers were planning for him.
Jack was locked in a battle of his own and could do nothing to help his friends. He punched, kicked, strangled, and lashed out at the men surrounding him. First, Riley and Bozer, now Mac - and nobody touched those he loved if he could do anything about it. Jack took a hit to the face, and with blood pouring into his eye, unleashed his full fury.
He took down a man with a well-placed round kick to the kidneys, and punched the lights out of another. He was about to stab another when Phoenix forces arrived.
"FREEZE. Hands in the air! Guns on the ground! Release the federal agents, and step away - SLOWLY." Commands were issued to the attackers.
Out of the ten men, Jack and Matty had incapacitated six. The remaining four put down their weapons and surrendered to Phoenix agents.
Free of their assailants, Jack, Riley, and Bozer ran to Mac's side. The young agent laid prone on the hot asphalt, completely unconscious. Running a hand across Mac's torso, Jack checked for injuries. Mac was pretty beat up, bruises and blood decorated his face and clothing.
"Mac? Can you hear me?" Jack called, patting his hand across Mac's cheek.
"He needs medical attention, Jack," worried Riley.
"I know, Riley."
Scanning the scene, Jack saw Matty, disheveled and nursing a few contusions of her own, commanding the agents. The van that the assailants had come in was being emptied and cataloged, men were being taken into custody, and Jack could see the Phoenix medical team running from the building. It was almost like Jack was hallucinating.
An afternoon of relief had quickly soured.
Their fun had turned into a crime scene.
Jack couldn't help but wonder aloud.
"What the hell is going on?"
Chapter End.
Thanks for reading.