The Monster

Nicknames are well earned. Jack's past comes back to haunt him. The team tries to help the stubborn Jack, but will they be too late?

Whispers

As they return to Phoenix foundation they are greeted with high fives and congratulatory handshakes. Neither Mac or Riley cared though. Jack was still missing. According to a local officer on the scene, Jack told him that he'd meet Riley and Mac back at Phoenix. That he needed to clear his head. However they did not seen him, and they did not expect to see him. They knew Jack left. They went to the war room.

"I shouldn't have left him. I knew something was wrong..." Mac said under his breath as he saw Matty waiting for them. "Where's Jack? He said he was going to meet us here."

"Jack called me. He said was not feeling well... I need your reports." Matty said as Mac still looked angry and confused. "Mac, I need to talk to you."

"What's going on with Jack?" Mac demanded. Matty glared at him and pointed at the chair as she sat behind her desk.

"How long have you known Jack?" She asked.

"About eight years. We lost touch when I separated from the army but he recruited me to DXS."

"Okay..." She sighed. "The CIA recruited Jack because of his actions in the military. While he was in the delta force, he earned himself the nickname the Monster. It carried over when he first joined the CIA, monstruo. Jack the monster, is a scary guy, but regular Jack is not. You'd never guess it looking at him, or by how goofy he is but he can be a killing machine..."

"I know." Mac said leaning forward confused by where his boss was going with her story.

"The last couple years at the CIA he lightened up considerably. When I got here I hardly recognized him... until this morning. This morning I saw the monster, and I know you did too or else you would not be as scared as you were. I will get your report later. Go check on him, but be careful." She said turning her attention to some files on her desk. Mac did not need to wait another second.

Mac leaves Matty's office only to run into Riley who he was certain was eavesdropping on their conversation not that he minded. Not now. His only focus now was Jack. Finding him, and making sure everything was alright.

"I'm going with you." She said.

"Where do you think I'm going?"

"Oh, come on. I've known Jack for forever. I know when there's something up. Where are we going?"

"Jack's place."

As they drove over to Jack's they quickly found the changes of the new team dynamics. Jack always drove. He drove like a mad man but he always drove. Jack was also the only person who carried a weapon. Everyone on the team was trained in basic hand to hand combat but they were all taught by Jack and he was the only one proficient with it.

"Car's gone." Riley announced as Mac banged on his door.

"Jack?! Are you home?!" Mac yelled as they looked in the windows. Mac began looking at his key ring. He remembered that Jack gave him a key to use if anything happened to him. Mac tried the key but it did not work.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked confused.

"Jack gave this key but it doesn't work." Mac said as he began to pick the lock. Riley chuckled a little. It would be like Jack to give someone a key and not specify what it was used for. Once they were inside they begin to search his house.

Jack's house was a lot cleaner than they expected it would be. Jack was not always the cleanest person. He was notorious for wearing a shirt with stains. His house was very tidy with the exception of a thing here and there out of place. They saw the picture frames with the stock photos. The good facade hiding an evil core. His laundry area was a disaster as expected. His bed was neatly made with hospital corners. His bedroom told a story though.

"Riley!" Mac called out.

"What'd you find?"

"Jack's gone. I think he dumped out his gym bag. His laundry is a mess but I think he packed a bag and left."

"I'll track his phone but it'll take time. All of our phones have top notch firewalls on them."

"Yeah. Jack probably destroyed the phone anyway. Jack said it was family stuff. Do you know anything about Jack's family?" Mac asked feeling indifferent that he could not answer the question himself.

"No... No,I only knew about his dad, and I barely know anything about his dad."

"I don't know if he has any siblings or anything about his mother. What about his file at Phoenix? Who's his ICE?" Mac asked as Riley began typing away on her laptop.

"His ICE is you and my mom. He has no next of kin listed." Riley read. They both hung their hung heads in defeat. They had more questions and still no answers. They both felt like they knew Jack well but the harsh reality was they did not know much of anything about a Jack's life.

"Who'd know..." He whispered before having an epiphany. Mac pulled out his phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Sara. Maybe she knows." Mac said as the phone just rang and rang. He was greeted by a bland voicemail greeting. "Hello Sara, it's Macgyver. I wanted to talk to you about Jack. Give me a call when you can." He hung up.

"Vague much?" Riley teased as she continued digging into Jack's past not being able to find anything. She could not find anything that ever resembled a family as far as it appeared Jack and his father were aliens that just appeared here.

"I'll text her." Mac said writing a text out explaining the situation in detail.

"My mom might know." Riley said without the most certainty in her voice.

Mac and Riley drive over to see Diane. They arrive at her apartment building which was not far away from Jack's place. As they approached her apartment building they saw Diane walking up smiling as she held a bag of groceries.

"Riles!" Diane squealed with excitement. Diane gave Riley a hug. "You are Macgyver, right?" Diane said uncertain as there last time meeting was brief and dramatic.

"Yes, ma'am." Mac said smiled.

"Where's Jack?" She asked reading the seriousness from their faces.

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about." Mac replied as he took her groceries.

"Come inside." She said leading them to her apartment. Diane releases a big sighed as she held her door open for them. "What'd Jack do now?"

"Why'd you ask that?" Riley asked a little surprised.

"I heard him arguing on the phone with someone on the phone. He told me it was work related. I thought it was an emergency."

"Why?" Mac asked knowing that besides the bomb threat today would've been uneventful.

"He stemmed flustered and withdrawn after he got off the phone and right after that." Diane explained thinking back.

"What time was that?" Mac asked.

"A quarter after seven." She answered.

"Jack did not make it to Phoenix until nine thirty." Mac told Riley who looked to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Why was Jack here so early?" Riley interrupted. Diane looked at her daughter as Riley then looked disgusted with her mother. "Gross."

"What is this about?" Diane asked crossing her arms.

"We can't find him. He left after... We worked in the field for a little while and left afterwards and now we can't find him. His phone is off. We looked at his place. His usual slew of dive bars, and nothing." Mac explained. Diane shook her head.

"Do you know about Jack's family?" Riley asked hoping to leave this conversation with more than just some mental scars.

"His father died years ago. He never talked about his mother. I think he has a brother or a sister..." Diane said slowly. Riley marched into the living room and sat down and once again began searching the Internet.

"Do you know a name?" Mac asked but Diane appeared to become incredibly uncomfortable battling mental demons of her own.

"Not in front of Riley." She whispered to Mac, but her growing anxieties betrayed her as she said it louder than she had hoped. They both watched as Riley's head popped up. Riley abandoned her computer and returned to the it he. With her mother and Mac.

"What do you know?" Riley questioned upset that her mother was trying to keep her out of the loop. Diane rubbed her face.

"Damn it, Jack. He will never forgive me for telling you." Diane said upset.

"What is it?" Mac asked with a relaxing tone.

"Jack has a younger brother and sister. I really don't know much about either of them. Jack is not exactly an open book. His mother is still alive. She had psychiatric issues when he was younger and she couldn't take care them. Jack moved in with his father when he was 11. I think they all got separated. His mother was a touchy subject. The last I heard she had dementia and his sister took care of her... I think." Diane confessed.

"Do you know where his mother lives?" Riley asked keeping her attitude.

"Texas. Just outside of Belton." Diane said with confidence.

"Where?"

"I want to come. I can show you where he brought me once."

"No way." Riley easily dismissed.

"You're going to need me."

"Why?"

"You're going to need a Monster whisperer." Diane teased trying to make light of the situation in her nervousness. Mac looked surprised as Riley remained confused. "I knew. I've always known. I went to a party with Jack after he retired out and I heard his friends telling him how they missed the monster. At the time I didn't get it... Jack was a bath tile salesman, and a sweetheart. But then he almost beat your father to death, and probably would have if we were not there." Diane confesses. Riley phone began to ring.

"It's Matty." She said taking the call in the next room.

"Where'd you get that key?" Mac asked pointing to the familiar key on Diane's key ring. She chuckled.

"Jack gave it to me. It's to his gun safe. He gave it to me years ago. When he left that dumb safe was the only thing he took... Why?" Diane said touching the key as her ind flooded with old memories.

"Matty wants us." Riley announced.

Please Review! Where's Jack? What do think?