Jack growled in frustration skidding onto the side walk to pass a long row of cars waiting at a stop light. He drove around shoppers of the strip mall who dove off the cement into bushes, grass or doors of shops. Jack hit a couple of stop signs, a parking meter, and mangled one accessible parking sign. Thanks to the chaos Riley had caused, there were no cops to stop them. Jack's foghorn ring tone blared making Riley and Jack jump. Jack fished out his phone and put it on speaker.
"Jack, what's your status?" Matty asked. Her voice was tight with tension.
"Almost there, what've you heard?"
"No sign of Barrister, the building's on lockdown and Security's been
increased on medical." Jack felt a finger of his worry let go.
"How's Bozer?" We're signing out now. We're waiting for a ride but should be at Phoenix-"
"No, don't go to Phoenix."
"What? Why?"
"The last time I talked to Sally she said that Mac…" Jack swallowed and cleared his throat. "We need to find something to help him now." There was a long silence. Jack could feel Riley's look of horror. She knew something was going on with Mac, but Riley hadn't realized it was this bad. Mac was always such a rock, calm in the center of even the most terrifying situations. The idea of him dying-Riley shook her head. No, she told herself, they weren't going to let that happen.
"What should we do?"
"Get Doc Carl and whoever you can to get ready to make up something and keep Mac going, the get over to the Jins. The only ones left who could have any sample, formula or cure are Gauric, Chester or Fai."
"You think Chester and Fai will go to Fai's home."
"Seems likely," Jack grunted as he down shifted and side skidded across an
Intersection narrowly missing a van. He slammed the gears up and smashed the pedal. He glanced over to Riley. Riley braced herself again the pull of momentum with a grim determination.
"And Halil?"
"I suspect he's behind Barrister's disappearance."
"I should have…"
"Matty we don't have time for that shit." Jack snapped.
"Our driver's here, go clean out our house...and keep our boy alive."
"That's the plan." Jack shoved the phone at Riley who disconnected Matty and left the phone in her lap. Jack finally skidded into Phoenix's parking lot. It took him the length of the car park to slow down enough to spin to a stop outside the front door. Jack was typing in his over ride code and was moving through the door before Riley got out of the car. Jack held the door open, the few seconds it took Riley to dive in feeling like an hour. Jack locked the door behind him and met the tac officers who greeted him. Jack grabbed the new M5 and ammo on the run.
"Sit rep!" Jack bellowed as he sprinted for the stairs, shoving in the ear piece of the tac radio on the fly.
"Building's on lockdown, we're searching all floors for the prisoner."
"Medical?" Jack gasped as he half-ran, half-jumped down the stairs.
"No sign of Barrister on our last pass."
"Gauric?" Jack yelled checking the load in his rifle without slowing.
"Haven't seen any sign he's in the building."
"Assume he is, beef up the search. I want a team to meet me at medical."
"Yes, sir." One of the men behind Jack fell out of the pack and vanished. Jack kept bellowing orders as he rounded B2.
"Go lock down the lower levels, we have to keep B9 and the labs clear."
"Yes, sir." Only two more tac agents remained behind Jack and Riley. Jack paused listening to the radio.
"Yes, let her in, accompany her to medical. Sally." Jack answered Riley's unspoken question. Jack skidded to a stop outside the thick steel doors leading to B3, the medical wing. The two tac team members stepped in front of Riley and raised their M5's and nodded. With hand signals Jack indicated that one was to clear the other end of the corridor, the elevator was the only other entrance. The other soldier was to be rear guard. Jack leaned close to Riley. "Stay right behind me." Riley nodded. She was pale, and her mouth was a tight line, but Jack could see the set of her shoulders and knew she was ready. Jack typed in his code and slowly opened the door.
The floor was silent, too silent. Jack stepped forward cautiously. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice scream with terror. Jack broke into a flat out run. He slid around the corner and barely noted Lenny's body sprawled across the hall deep in a large puddle of blood-dead, Jack assessed on the run. Jack coughed, a dark cloud of smoke billowing out.
"Riley, O2 shut off!" Riley nodded and dashed for the lock box that controlled the lower level's environment. Jack's heart dropped as he saw the familiar flickering light barely visible through the smoke-fire. Jack removed his M5 and ammo, pulled his T-shirt up and slid coughing into Mac's room. Mac's blue eyes met his wide-eyed panic mixing with relief. Jack yelled as he ran to Mac's bed. Mac coughed weakly, his eyes barely open. Jack could make out his friend mouthing his name desperately. Jack ignored the heat that curled and burned the hair off his arms. Mac's mouth was open, and he wasn't getting air.
"Hold on, brother, hold on…" Jack yelled over the roar of the fire. Jack grabbed the top layer of the thick pile of blankets and yanked them off the bed. He grunted as his hands burned along his knuckles. The top cover, now little more than embers, broke apart, flaming flakes flying over the entire bed. One landed on Mac's cheek instantly blistering his skin. Mac. Jack was dimly aware of Riley dashing to the other side of Mac's bed slapping it out. Jack kept peeling back layers. Then another set of hands was helping him. Jack glanced up relieved to see Sally pulling off her jacket and using it to beat at the fire closest to Mac's skin. Jack's knuckles stung as fluid hit it. He glanced at the bed. Riley was yanking down the IV fluids and showering Mac's upper body with them, keeping the floating firebrands from hitting him.
Finally, Jack was able to pull Mac free. Jack pivoted and dashed for the door wincing as Mac's thin legs and feet hit the floor. Jack didn't take the time to lift him only dragged him into the corridor which was full of smoke. Jack bent over hacking. Hand went to take Mac away from him. Jack straightened, ready to fight. Doc Carl put a hand on his shoulder. Two tac team members carried Mac away from the smoke. Jack gasped feeling dizzy. Another tac member grabbed him and helped him after Mac. He glanced over his shoulder to see Sally running beside Doc Carl pushing the crash cart between them. Riley slammed the door and hit the red button beside it, setting off the fire suppression system in the room. Another tac member ran to her side and helped her after the others.
Jack staggered to a conference room across from the elevator. Mac shivered sprawled on the long wooden table. His abdomen and chest heaved as he tried to suck in air. His eyes darted toward Jack with pleading. Jack plopped in a chair beside Mac. Jack blinked and gasped around a long stretch of coughing. He felt an oxygen mask placed on his face and gratefully sucked in the cooler air. Jack reached out and grabbed Mac's hand.
"Breathe brother, just breathe…" Jack said. A thick mask hooked up to some ventilating machine was pressed tightly over Mac's nose and mouth. Mac's eyes opened in surprise, and he weakly fought to pull the mask off. Jack held onto his hand. "Mac, breathe...relax let the machine do its work." Mac turned his tearful eyes to Jack with heartbreaking desperation. "It's ok; you're safe I promise." Mac finally was able to take in a deep breath. His eyes closed in pain, relief, and exhaustion. Mac forced his eyes open looking at Jack with sadness. Jack shook his head and leaned forward grabbing his partner's hand tighter. "No, no, no...you're going to be fine, just keep breathing." Mac smiled weakly his hand going limp. Jack looked up to see Sally lean over Mac and turn his face to hers.
"Remember your promise, you always keep your promises, right?" Mac blinked and managed another weak smile. Sally turned Mac to face Jack. She mouthed the words 'keep him awake.' Jack nodded unable to blink away the scalding tears. Mac's eyes fluttered closed. Jack shook Mac gently by the shoulders. Mac's eyes opened slowly. They looked in the general direction of Jack's face, but Jack could see they were unfocused.
"Hey, bud, ever tell you about the time I tripped over Kim Kardashian's shoes…"
"What? You did not!" Riley said at his elbow her face muffled by an oxygen mask.
"Yeah, I did." Jack turned to focus on Mac and shook him again to keep him awake. Jack could tell the blonde wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. Jack shot a worried look at Sally and Doc Carl. Chelsea had come in and handed them IV and TPN bags. Sally had Mac on a softly beeping monitor. Jack could easily see his heart rate was sluggish and irregular. Doc Carl was pushing medicine through an IV port and calling out orders. Chelsea ran out then returned holding thick warm blankets and a pillow. Jack set aside the oxygen mask and slid the pillow under Mac's head. Jack winced at how thin Mac's neck was. His face looked like pale skilled pulled taunt over sharp bones. His eyes were sunken. Earlier Sally told Jack Mac had lost 50 pounds. It showed. Jack spread the blanket over the too-thin shaking body. Mac's eyes fluttered, and he managed a weak attempt at a smile. Jack grinned. It wasn't much, but at least it showed Mac hadn't surrendered. Jack reached out and brushed singed bangs out of the kid's eyes. Mac turned his head toward the touch his eyes flickering open. Mac moved his lips. Jack thought he was trying to say Jack's name. Jack leaned in but couldn't hear Mac's weak voice over the motor of the machine, a bi-pap, Sally had called it, whatever the hell that was. Jack listened to a voice and leaned back putting the ear piece to the com.
"Sir, the building is clear. No sign of the prisoner or Gauric." Jack scowled. He stood up to lead the search. Mac's fingers twitched in his hand. Jack sat back down. Jack's heart beat skipped as a thought occurred to him.
"Call sign clearance." Jack barked.
"Green team code Oklahoma."
"Blue team code Oklahoma."
"Red team code Oklahoma." Then silence. Jack cussed.
"Yellow team report!" He snapped. Nothing.
"All teams code Sam Alpha Delta." All teams acknowledged. Jack paused looking at Mac. Mac's eyes were blue slits. His hand was limp. "I have to go catch the bad guys, bud. Your job is to breathe, got that? I'll be back with two heads on a plate when you wake up." Jack thought he saw a tiny flicker at the corner of Mac's mouth, but it might have been hopeful thinking. Jack looked up at Sally. They shared a worried grim determination. Jack nodded and turned to Riley.
"Go, I'm not going anywhere." Jack squeezed her shoulder and crossed to the door. He heard Sally's voice as he glanced back then strode out.
"Jack, make it hurt a lot."
"My pleasure, Sally," Jack muttered as he regained his weapon and ammunition and led Alpha team on the hunt. The tac team was more alert and tense than normal-Jack had ordered SAD, search and destroy, shoot on sight. No one had an issue other than wanting to be the ones to pull the trigger. All of Phoenix was a family, and you don't fuck with family.