Hey guys! So this is the longest chapter in the story, and then after this, I think there's only one more, so :( Kinda sad...
Also, thanks for everyone who went and read and/or reviewed my Spider-Man story!
I don't own these characters sadly :(
"I mean, it doesn't look like a house of horrors," Jack said as they parked a little ways down the street from the house Riley had found. "And it's in a nice neighborhood," he added, looking around at the duplexes. "It basically looks like it belongs in a snowglobe," he stated.
"Looks can be deceiving," Mac said grimly, pointing as the door opened and a man walked out. The man walked over to the mailbox and grabbed the mail, then turned and walked back into the house.
"Is that him?" Jack asked.
"I think so," Mac confirmed.
"Think?" Jack asked, sounding slightly concerned. "Buddy, if we go in there all Die Hard style, and it's the wrong house, we're in for a world of crap."
"First, we're not going to go in Die Hard style," Mac said, quashing Jack's hopes and dreams. "People could get hurt that way. Second, I was being choked by the man after having my head dashed in; forgive me if my memory is a little foggy. Third, I wasn't going to go in there blind," he added.
"What's the plan then?" Jack asked as MacGyver unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to the back of the vehicle. The blond didn't answer, but soon came back with the megaphone that was kept in the back of each Phoenix vehicle. "Sorry to burst your bubble dude, but if we go out there with a megaphone and demand that they come out, that's just going to put Penny in danger," Jack pointed out.
"No duh," Mac replied drily. "That's why it's not staying as a megaphone," he continued. Jack watched in fascination as Mac disassembled the speaker device, pulling apart the cone and grabbing the circuit board.
The blond pulled out his knife and opened the screwdriver section, quickly unscrewing the microphone portion of the megaphone. He switched a few wires around and pulled what looked like a small bugging device out of the handheld device and screwed the back of the speaker back on.
The next thing Mac did was grab the circuit board attached to the battery pack, and he unplugged three wires connected to the circuit board.
He unscrewed a few more things and removed the speaker from the rest of the megaphone before he took a cone-shaped device out of the speaker. Once he'd done that, he stuck the small device he'd pulled from the microphone into a small hole in the voice amplifier.
Jack's head began hurting slightly as he watched his partner work. Mac was switching wires and connecting different things to different parts of the megaphone, and while Jack wanted to as what was going on, he knew that if his partner tried explaining, it would probably only make his head hurt worse.
"Done," Mac said a few minutes later, holding up the reassembled megaphone.
"It still looks the same," Jack pointed out.
"That's because everything that changed was on the inside," Mac replied somewhat distractedly. He rolled the window down and stuck the megaphone out of the window, keeping the microphone inside. Once he had pointed it at the house, Mac pressed a button on the microphone, and suddenly, a voice began crackling over the radio-looking device.
"-Told you how I felt all along," the voice said. "I thought that maybe you would eventually feel the same way if I kept doing what I was doing!"
"Jaq," another voice chimed in. Mac recognized Penny's voice, and he and Jack looked at each other. "You've been an amazing friend and a perfect gentleman, but I just don't feel that way about you!"
"So who is it then?" Jaq asked harshly. "It's that other guy, isn't it? The one in your house. I shoulda finished him when I had the chance," he muttered, almost too low for Mac to hear.
"If you had killed him, I can promise you that you would never have a chance with me," Penny stated vehemently.
"So you're saying I have a chance still?" There was hope in Jaq's voice as he asked the question.
"I mean, maybe," Penny said. "But I'd have to do it on my own terms. You'd have to let me go," she insisted. There was silence for a moment, and Mac almost wondered if Jaq was crazy enough to fall for it. His hopes were dashed as Jaq answered though.
"No. You're just playing me. If I let you go, you're going to go to the cops and have me arrested."
"Jaq, you have to let me go!" Penny said.
"I have to leave for a little bit," Jaq said, his voice having turned ice-cold. "This is just so you can't get out and go anywhere."
"No, Jaq, please!" Penny plead.
"In time you'll come to love me," Jaq assured her. "We just need to give it time, and you need to see the type of guy I actually am."
Over the speaker, Mac and Jack heard what sounded like footsteps, and then a few moments later, the front door was opened and Jaq walked out. When he shut the door behind himself, he turned and inserted a key into a lock on the door, then turned and strode towards the car parked in front of the house.
Mac and Jack slouched down in their seats as Jaq came outside. They knew they were far enough away that he probably couldn't see them, but neither of them wanted to risk Mac being recognized. They waited until Jaq drove off before the two of them opened their car doors and hurried towards the house.
Mac hurried up to the front door, intending to pick the lock, but he smacked himself lightly in the forehead.
"Dude!" Jack exclaimed. "Are you trying to hurt yourself worse?"
"It wasn't hard," Mac defended. "And I deserved it," he added, gesturing to the door. "It's a bolt lock," he explained when Jack gave him a questioning look.
"And you can't pick a bolt lock?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Usually I can," Mac replied. "But that's when I have the right tools. I left my lock-picking kit back in LA."
"Whaddija do that for?" Jack asked, holding his hands out in exasperation.
"Well, I didn't think I was going to need to be breaking into a house to rescue my ex-girlfriend," Mac shot back snarkily.
"Well, can't you just use a bobby pin or something?"
Mac raised his eyebrows at Jack. "Do you carry bobby pins around with you wherever you go?"
He took Jack's silence as a negative answer, and he nodded. "Didn't think so. Anyways, bobby pins are usually too weak to pick a bolt lock," the blond added.
"So what are you gonna do?" Jack asked, deciding to drop the lock-picking topic. Mac looked around, trying to decide what the best course of action to take would be. He spotted an open window, and he realized he should be able to climb through. That was, if he could get up to it; the window was on the second floor, and it was at least a good ten-to-fifteen feet off the ground.
Jack followed his partner's gaze up to the window, and his jaw dropped. "You can't be serious," he said.
"You see those?" MacGyver asked, pointing at different devices hanging around the roof. "Those are security cameras, and there's a security lock on the door. He's got a security system, meaning that even if we were able to get any of the doors or windows open, we'd need to find and disable the security system before a minute passes, otherwise the police are called," he explained. "But since that window is already open, it won't trigger the alarm when I go through."
"Yes, thank you, I know how security systems work," Jack quipped. "I just can't believe you're thinking of climbing up there. Why not let me do it?"
"I need someone on the ground watching my back," Mac reasoned. "Besides, I think if I can find the box for the security system, I should be able to find a way to turn it off, and then we can just walk out the front door."
"Dude," Jack began, hesitation clear in his voice. Mac held up his hand, stopping Jack from continuing.
"If I'm not out in five minutes, feel free to climb up after me," Mac granted.
"How're you gonna get up there anyway?" Jack asked after a minute of considering his friend's offer.
Mac looked around the lawn for a moment before walking over and grabbing a long rubber garden hose lying on the lawn.
"Okay," Jack said. "You've got a way to get up, but how are you gonna make it stick up there?"
Mac was already on his way to answering the question before it was completely out of Jack's mouth. There were several gardening tools on the lawn, and Mac grabbed what looked like a small rake, picking it up and weighing it in his hands. After a few seconds, he tied the hose around the neck of the tool and tightened the knot, making sure that it was secure.
"Did you just make a grappling hook out of garden tools?" Jack asked.
"Seriously Jack, I don't know why you ask anymore," Mac replied with a smirk.
"Yeah, I don't either," Jack agreed, rolling his eyes.
MacGyver took in a deep breath as he stared up at the window. "Here goes," he muttered before he vaulted the hose in the air. It made it into the window on the first attempt, but it didn't catch on anything and it just slid right out. He caught it as it fell back down and tried again. It took him four different tries before the hose finally caught on something inside the room, and Mac was relieved when he tugged on the hose and it didn't budge.
"Okay," he said as he turned to Jack. "Give me five minutes, then follow me up if you don't hear from me," he instructed. "Just keep an eyes out for Jaq to come back."
"Hey, hey, hey," Jack said as Mac braced himself against the wall, preparing to climb. "What if he comes back and you're not out yet?"
Mac looked at him. "Improvise," he said simply with a grin. Without waiting for Jack to say anything else, he began climbing up the side of the house, making sure he didn't look down. About halfway up, the hose slipped slightly, and Mac's heart began pounding. He could hear Jack down below him saying something, but he tuned his partner out, not needing that distraction. He carefully tested his weight against the hose, making sure it was still secure enough to hold his weight, and when he decided it was, he continued his climb.
It wasn't that high off the ground, but for MacGyver, the climb felt like it took forever before he was finally able to grasp the windowsill. He hoisted himself up through the window, glad to know he didn't have to trust his weight to the rubber hose anymore, and he took a second to take a deep breath. He set his feet down on the floor, seeing that the garden tool had hooked onto the leg of a sturdy-looking desk.
Mac looked outside and nodded at Jack, who was staring up at him, a concerned look on his face. Mac held up his fingers, signifying Jack's five-minute wait had begun, then the blond turned and walked out of the room, staying as quiet as he could. They'd seen Jaq leave, and even though they hadn't heard anyone else through the reverse-megaphone, Mac didn't want to take the chance that Jaq might have an accomplice.
There were two bedrooms upstairs, both unlocked and both unoccupied. He quickly went downstairs, noting that the security box was right next to the front door. Mac could see Jack's figure through the frosted glass as the older man stood guard, making sure that Jaq didn't come back and catch them unawares.
"Mac?" he heard someone whisper. He whirled around and his heart lifted as he saw Penny sitting in the kitchen, handcuffed to both the chair she was sitting in, as well as to the leg of the heavy oak table the chair was next to.
"Penny," he said, visibly relieved. "Is there anyone else here?" he asked. Penny shook her head.
"No, it was just me and Jaq, but then he left to run a quick errand. Oh my gosh Mac, I didn't think that you'd be able to find me! I was worried Jaq had accidentally killed you! Wait...how'd you get in?" she asked, as if realizing for the first time the blond hadn't come through the front door like a normal human being. "I heard the front door lock, and no one came in," she stated.
"Yeah, there was an open window on the second floor," Mac explained as he hurried over to her, crouching down. He looked at the cuffs, then up at her. "You wouldn't happen to have any bobby pins in your hair, would you?"
"Yeah, I do," she confirmed. Mac quickly glanced in her hair and saw one of the metal pins. He gently pulled it out of her hair and bent it, forever ruining the pin.
"Sorry," he said as he bent the pin.
"It's fine, I've got like, a million others at home," she assured him. "But Mac," Penny asked quietly as the blond bent down and began picking the locks to her handcuffs. "How did you find me?"
"Got a good computer person at work," Mac said vaguely.
"What does that mean?" Penny asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"I'll explain later," Mac said, knowing that his five minutes before Jack came in were almost up. "Right now we have to get out of here," he said as the last handcuff clicked open. Penny stood up and rubbed her wrists, and MacGyver straightened up as well before he walked over to the security system. He removed the front panel, exposing the wires behind, and he was just about to cut the right wires, but a noise outside stopped him in his tracks.
They both heard tires pulling up in front of the house, and MacGyver peered out the front window. He could see Jack glancing at the house, then start to walk over to the car.
"Back, get back," Mac hissed, motioning for Penny to scoot backwards. The two of them backed quietly into the living room, and Mac heard Jack begin to speak.
"Hey!" the older man called out. "Are you the owner of the house?"
Jaq's reply was muffled, and Mac couldn't make out what he said, but he heard Jack continue speaking.
"I'm just goin' around and seeing if people are interested in looking at bathroom tile. I've got some great products here, at an even better price!"
Jaq had apparently gotten closer to the door, because Mac and Penny were able to hear him a little better, but Mac froze when he saw that he had left the panel dangling from the box, exposing the wires. He moved forward, intent on putting it back, but Penny grabbed him and pulled him back right as the front door was unlocked and then opened.
"Listen, I don't really have any interest in bathroom tile right now, I just came back to get my wallet that I left hereā¦" Jaq trailed off as he turned and saw the dismantled security system, and he turned back to Jack, his hand going to his side. Jack, however, had beaten him to the draw.
"Hey Jaq," Jack said as he levelled the gun at the theater director. Jaq's eyes widened. "Mac, you can come on out now," Jack called out. MacGyver held Penny's arm protectively as the two of them stepped out from behind the living room wall. Jaq's eyes went from wide and shocked to narrow and angry as he saw the two of them standing side-by-side.
The stalker took a step towards the two of them, but the click of Jack's gun cocking stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jack cautioned. Jaq slowly raised his hands up, indicating his cooperation. "Mac, wanna call Riley? Have her send the cops out here to pick him up?" Jack asked.
Mac pulled out his phone as Jack ushered Jaq inside, shutting the door behind them. "Riley," Mac said as the hacker picked up.
"Mac, is everything okay?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, I think everything's fine now," Mac assured her. "Hey, we got Jaq and Penny," he informed her.
"I'll get the cops over to your location now," she promised.
"Thanks Riley," Mac said.
"Just sit tight. They should be there in five minutes or less," Riley said. "Once I call them, that is," she added. "Dude kinda lives out in the boondocks, so it'll take them at least five minutes once I call. I'll talk to you soon," Riley said. She hung up the phone and Mac put the device back in his pocket.
"We good?" Jack asked as he and Jaq entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, we're good," Mac replied with a tired smile. He wrapped one arm around Penny's shoulder, pulling her into a comforting embrace. He could feel her shaking, and he knew that she was going into shock. The adrenaline was keeping her going for now, but he knew sooner rather than later, that was going to drop and Penny would be an absolute mess. He needed to get her home.
Jack took a quick second to glance back at his partner and the young woman they had just rescued, and in that split-second, Jaq lunged across the counter and grabbed a sharp knife from a cutting block on the counter, turning around and slicing Jack's hand holding the gun. The older man dropped the piece with a curse as he grabbed at his bloody hand, the pain shocking him enough that Jaq was able to place a well aimed kick to the Jack's groin, sending the agent to the ground with a groan.
"Not...fair," Jack grunted out as he tried to stand.
Without paying Jack any more attention, Jaq turned for Mac and Penny, swinging the knife wildly. By pure chance, he caught Mac's arm, giving the blond a nice, deep cut on his upper bicep. Mac grunted in pain as he grabbed his arm, already feeling the blood dripping through his fingers. The blond looked up at the knife-wielding theater director, glaring at him while trying to staunch the flow of blood.
Mac had instinctively pushed Penny behind him when he saw Jaq moving towards them, so thankfully she had avoided getting cut.
"Jaq," Mac cautioned, putting himself in front of Penny further as the theater director advanced. "Think about this, think about what you're doing," he implored.
"I know what I'm doing," Jaq said with a grim smile. "Two men broke into my house while my girlfriend and I were talking, and I had to act in self-defense," he explained as he waved the dagger at them and kicked Jack's gun across the kitchen. "Tragically, my girlfriend was shot when she tried to grab the gun from the man holding her."
"Jaq, please," Penny said, trying to reason with the man.
"Sorry Penny," Jaq said with a shrug. "I tried to get you to be with me, but this is the way it has to be now," he said.
"It doesn't have to be this way, you dingwad," Jack spat. "You're just choosing for it to be this way because you don't want to go to prison. Actually, if we're being honest, I don't think you have it in you," Jack admitted. "Killing three people? What's the worst thing you've ever done before today? Not paid a parking ticket?"
"Never gotten in any sort of trouble with the law," Jaq said proudly. "Which is why they'll believe my story."
"You're expecting to go from zero to one-hundred in one go?" Jack asked dubiously. "That's a bit of a stretch to believe," he pointed out.
"Guess you'll never be around to find out if it worked or not," Jaq said with a shrug. Mac was shocked and slightly worried by how calm and collected Jaq seemed about the whole situation.
"We've got friends who know where we were going," Mac tried stalling, trying to give the police a few more moments to get closer.
"And?" Jaq asked. "You broke into my house. Who are they going to believe? The victim, or the friend of the people who broke into my house?"
MacGyver knew the man had a point, though he wasn't planning on giving up that easy.
"Go on," Jaq said, motioning at MacGyver with the knife towards Jack. "Go to your friend."
MacGyver slowly began moving, trying to find the best vantage point to take Jaq down from, but as he got closer to the maniac, they heard sirens, and they were getting closer and closer. Mac instinctively flinched towards the front door. While the blond was distracted, Jaq raised the hand with the knife, preparing to bring it slashing down on Mac's body.
"Mac, look out!" Jack yelled. Mac put up his hands to try and ward off the attack, but before he could, Penny yelled, and he saw her leg flying in the air. Her foot connected solidly with Jaq's foot, and the knife went flying. Jack had to duck out of the way of the flying knife, but as soon as he was out of danger, he tackled Jaq to the ground, crashing into the man's middle and sending them both to the ground.
As the theater director struggled under Jaq, the sirens reached the outside of the house, and soon the door was kicked in. Officers began flowing in, yelling at everyone to put their hands in the air.
"Get off him," one of the officers ordered Jack, who quickly obliged, holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Officers, thank goodness!" Jaq said as he got up, brushing his clothes off. "I caught these three breaking into my house trying to rob me! When I came in, they pulled a gun on me. I had to use defensive measures," he explained, pointing to the knife on the floor. The officers didn't say anything, but they grabbed Jaq and pulled his hands behind his back.
"Wait," he said. "What are you doing? I'm the victim here!"
"Until we can get this whole mess sorted out, you're all coming with us," one of the officers stated, grabbing Mac's arms and cuffing them behind his back as well. Jack and Penny were receiving similar treatment, though Mac and Jack were handled slightly differently due to their knife wounds.
"Hey Mac," Jack called out as they were all led out to the police cruisers. "At least this time you don't know any of the officers!"
So...? What did you guys think? Like I said, there's only one chapter after this :( Sorry it was a short one :(
Lemme know what you guys think!
