The scenery was beautiful; verdant green pine trees, emerald oaks and maples, thick mossy trunks, and glittering rocks. The air was fresh, pure, and just on the comfortable side of brisk. Birds chirped from the trees or swooped through the air around them, and little furry forest creatures darted through the underbrush. The sun painted golden streaks through the trees as the azure sky glowed above.
Mac took in a deep breath, marveling once again at how at home he felt in the woods. He'd grown up in a small town in Minnesota, playing in the woods as a boy from sun up to sun down. The forest was a part of him, it completed him, and it was home.
Gibbs looked comfortable too as he adjusted his pack across his shoulders and slid soundlessly over the uneven terrain. Some of the inherent stress had melted from his features, and something approaching a smile rested on his lips.
Ellie Bishop, however, was not the happiest camper. As MacGyver turned to check on her, he noticed she was staggering under the weight of her backpack, tripping over the loose straps, tangling her feet in her oversized boots, and bouncing comically off of every tree and rock in her path. Her slight body was bent double, and her attractive features were dark with a furious scowl.
"How're ya doin', Ellie?" Mac asked.
She grunted as she staggered to a stop and caught her balance. "For the record…" she panted, "…I hate you both… A lot…"
Gibbs chuckled. "Ah, Bishop, you don't spend enough time outdoors."
Mac gestured for her to ignore him. "Look around, Ellie… Can you feel the Nature around you? This is our Home, the only planet we have. It's where life started, it makes us who we are…"
"Don't make me 'Thoreau' up," she challenged him with a hard stare, her expression not changing in the least as he laughed in response to her jibe. "I can feel Nature crawling down my collar and biting me!"
"Give it a few days… You'll get used to this," Gibbs suggested helpfully.
Trying not to grin as Bishop spluttered, MacGyver took another deep breath. "If we do have to go hunting our suspect in a forest, I'm glad he picked such a pretty one to hide out in."
"Pretty?" Bishop demanded, shifting her backpack into a more comfortable position.
A breeze ruffled the pine-scented air around them, and birds sang out to celebrate. "Yeah. It makes one feel a part of something bigger," Mac started, but he broke off as something glinting in the underbrush caught his attention. His peaceful and uplifted expression crumpled as he realized they were standing in the remnants of someone else's campfire, and the underbrush was littered with all kinds of trash. "I wish everyone felt that way," he mourned in a soft tone. He knelt and gathered as many items as he could reach.
"We've got suspects to trail, Mac," Gibbs reminded him. "We don't have time to play Litter Patrol."
Mac tucked the shard of broken glass, the 9-volt battery, and the crumpled soda can into the outside pocket of his backpack. "Cut me a bit of slack, Gibbs… You know how I feel about this kind of thing."
"Tree hugging can wait until after we've caught our suspect."
Irritation flickered darkly behind MacGyver's eyes, but he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Three extra seconds isn't going to make or break our case, and this happens to be the only planet we have; every little bit helps. Besides… you never know when this stuff will come in handy!"
Bishop was feeling just tired and cranky enough to take Gibbs' side. "You're going to weigh yourself down with that garbage. Besides, in the face of all the litter in the world, what's three pieces?"
Although his tone was laconic and his words spoken with a smile, there was a painful seriousness behind his jest of, "I'm not asking you to carry anything, am I?" Throwing his bag back over his shoulders, Mac strode off through the trees. "C'mon, slowpokes…"
Bishop could feel that she'd missed something, and a quick glance at Gibbs showed that the Boss was staring after his old buddy with concern and confusion. "What's with him?" she wanted to know.
A shrug that clearly said, "none of your business," was her only answer as Gibbs struck off, leaving her standing alone in the clearing.