Back in the jungle, three people waited behind a tent. The two men and woman kept looking around them nervously. One of the men spoke up. "It's too risky. He's been suspicious of everyone since that fiasco in L.A."

"We've been over this Andrew. He's also been losing control since L.A.," replied the woman. "And his next move is going to be personal. He's distracted. It's the perfect opportunity."

The second man nodded in agreement. Just then, a fourth shape stepped into the shadows with them. A tall man, with a mustache walked calmly up to the other three.

"I'm here," he stated simply.

The woman looked the tall, muscular man up and down. She nodded her approval. "Good. Murdoc is taking you with him to the states?"

"Yes. We leave in 20 minutes," he replied.

Andrew started coughing. "All this dang smoke. Didn't think twice about burning away half our cover," he grumbled. The woman rolled her eyes at his complaining. Her calmer co-conspirator spoke up.

"You understand the assignment Carl?"

"Yes," he replied. "But we haven't agreed on my fee?"

"Fee," scoffed the woman. "Do you have this organization's interests at heart or not? Murdoc is a has-been that needs to be removed."

"That's all well and good," replied Carl. "But it seems to me that the part of the organization benefiting the most from his removal will be you three."

"So, what do you want?"

"I want to be a full partner."

"That's ridiculous," sputtered Andrew.

"Is it?" replied Carl. "I'm the one who will be taking the most risk, and if you try to back out now, Murdoc will know what you are planning. Or do you think you can eliminate one of his personal recruits without him noticing?"

The calmer man smiled and held out his hand. "Partners it is then." Carl took his hand to shake, but the man yanked his arm and pulled him in close. "But know, if you fail on your mark, a promotion will be the least of your worries." Carl smirked and pulled away. Without another word he turned and walked away.

"Do you think he can be trusted?" asked the woman.

"He knows he'll never rise through the ranks as long as Murdoc's in charge. He'll follow through."

Andrew glared at Carl's retreating form. "Still, I'm not looking forward to being partners with him."

The woman smiled. "Don't worry. I have a feeling we won't all be partners for long."

…

By the time they got back to the states, Riss had given Nikki all the information she had about Commander Varden, the weapons he had, and what his plans for them were. When it came to Murdoc though, Riss wasn't as forthcoming. In fact, the second Nikki tried to get any information on him or his new organization, Riss went silent and wouldn't talk for the rest of the trip, except to say they needed to move faster. She wouldn't even wait to have a medic or doctor look at her eyes or her hand. If there was one on the plane or helicopter, she let him check, but she wouldn't let them stop moving for it. She kept pushing them to move faster till they got to the hospital her mother was at. She'd been surprised to learn they weren't going to California.

"Yeah," said MacGyver. "We thought it would be too obvious. Pete wasn't able to tell me exactly where at the time, since I wasn't with the foundation anymore. Where did he pick Nikki?"

Nikki smiled. "St. Paul, Minnesota."

"Minnesota?" asked MacGyver, his eyebrows shooting up.

Nikki smiled. "He thought it sounded nice. Relax, he didn't pick your home town. Would have been a little obvious."

Just before MacGyver, Sam and Riss boarded the final helicopter that would take them to the roof of the hospital, Nikki grabbed MacGyver's arm and held him back.

"Mac, are you sure about this? About bringing her along?"

"Riss? She's got as big a stake in this as anyone."

"Maybe, but I'm still not convinced she should be here instead of in custody. She's a criminal Mac. A trained assassin. I should take her back the Pheonix Foundation with me right now. We're breaking the law sheltering a person of interest."

"We don't actually know that she's killed anyone."

"We don't know that she hasn't! Look, I'm not denying that she cares about her mother, and I do believe she wants to help, but to what point? Maybe she saved you two out there, but she's still not on our side. Not completely."

MacGyver nodded his head. "I know Nikki. I know that. But, you've got to trust me on this one. At least for now. She's not going to cause a problem here. I admit her behavior hasn't always been…..consistent, believe me. But for right now we are on the same side, and she is right. We're gonna need her. She's our best chance to see Murdoc coming."

Nikki sighed deeply. "Alright, but you better be right Mac, and watch your back."

"I will, and thank you Nikki."

"Yeah, well, maybe I owed you one. Don't make me regret it," she said as she hugged him. MacGyver climbed onto the helicopter as it took off. Riss was facing straight ahead. Her hands fidgeting.

"You alright?" asked MacGyver.

Riss nodded her head. "I'm fine." She continued to fidget with her fingers.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon. Last word from Pete, your brother was born 9 hours ago."

Riss nodded. She sat still, still twiddling her fingers. Clasping and unclasping her hands.

"Riss, it's okay. You can say if you're nervous," prompted MacGyver.

"I'm not nervous."

MacGyver reached out and clasped her hands.

Riss' fingers froze. She hadn't realized she'd been playing with them. "That's not nerves," she said.

"What is it?" asked MacGyver.

Riss shifted uncomfortably, but MacGyver and Sam sat waiting.

"I'm not use to going on assignment unarmed. Normally, I'd be checking my weapons right now. Taking them apart and putting them back together. I feel naked without a gun." She leaned in closer to Sam and MacGyver. "They're not going to let me have one, are they?"

MacGyver leaned in too. "I know you may not believe me right now, but Riss, you really don't need one."

Riss gave a small chuckle and leaned back. "I don't buy it MacGyver. Even your friend Nikki had a gun."

"How did you know?" asked Sam.

"I heard her checking it on the helicopter when I went silent. I know what guns sound like in the dark."

MacGyver continued. "Nikki and I may not always see eye to eye, but her gun has never been her biggest weapon. Most missions she and I completed together, it was her quick thinking that got her through."

Riss shrugged, "If you say so."

…

When they touched down on the hospital roof, Pete was waiting at the top with several orderlies. He ran and hugged MacGyver and Sam. He turned towards Riss. A worried look on his face. He hesitated. Riss just stared blindly ahead, her hands in her pocket. An awkward moment passed. Finally, Riss broke the silence.

"Is Mom alright?"

"Jenny's just fine. It was hard, she's not so young anymore, but everything went fine."

Riss nodded. She looked down. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Pete gave a small half smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good," said Riss. She bit the side of her cheek and kept staring down.

Finally, MacGyver broke the silence. "Pete, we need to have a doctor look at Riss' eyes."

Riss' head shot up. "No, I need to check on my Mom. I'm fine. It's been getting clearer." She reached up to remove the bandages on her eyes.

"Riss," said Pete, "At least let a doctor look you over. We'll need your help, but you won't be able to do much if you can't help us spot Murdoc's men."

Riss paused and lowered her arms. "Alright, but let's make this quick."

The orderlies came up around Riss and gently held her arm. Sam could see how uncomfortable she was, but she let them lead her off the roof. MacGyver led Pete down. Pete went with Riss as they checked out her eyes. MacGyver and Sam headed down the hall to where Jenny was.

She was in the hospital bed resting. Aaron was sitting next to her, and her little baby was sleeping next to her.

"MacGyver, Sam," she whispered, smiling as they walked in. She motioned for them to be quiet, and then held out her hand.

"Is it true? Do you really have Clarissa?"

"She's here. She's safe. A little banged up, but she should be fine. Pete's having the doctors check her out now."

Jennifer leaned back and sighed. "Thank God." She looked down at the little boy in her arms. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. It all seems too good to be true."

MacGyver nodded awkwardly. "Well….."

Aaron spoke up. "Do they really think Murdoc is coming after us."

Sam nodded. "He indicated that to Riss. She is worried."

"Yeah," said MacGyver, "but we've got the best and brightest standing outside and we're all here. We're not going to let anything happen to you Jennifer, or your baby."

Jenny nodded. "Thank you." She reached over and took Aaron's hand. "It's going to be okay. I know it is."

There was a quiet knock on the door. Pete and Riss walked into the room. Somewhere Pete had found her a brown jacket. Probably to cover all the scratches and bandages on her arm. Instead of the bandages, she had plastic shades on her face now, shielding her eyes from the bright light from the afternoon sun and the florescent lighting in the halls.

She stepped into the room quietly. She looked around at Sam and MacGyver first, glanced at Aaron and then finally settled her eyes on her Mother and little brother.

Jenny smiled worriedly. "Riss?"

"Hi Mom."

Jenny looked at a loss for words. Instead she propped up the sleeping baby in her arms. "Do you want to hold him."

Riss looked taken aback. She looked back at Pete. He felt her step back. "It's okay," he said. Riss stepped around to the side of the bed and held out her hands.

"Support his head," said Jenny as she placed him in Riss' arms.

"I remember," said Riss quietly. She stared into the tiny face of the baby in her arms, rocking him gently in her arms.

Sam smiled absentmindedly. He hadn't seen this side of Riss since the day they rode around L.A. on his motorcycle and he'd shown her the city. This calm and relaxed version of herself. Jenny seemed to notice it too.

Riss smiled as the baby boy yawned and stretched his little arms up. "He's so tiny," she whispered.

Jenny chuckled. "He sure didn't feel tiny when he came out." Riss smiled wider. "That's what you said about Ashton." Jenny smiled sadly.

Riss held one of the baby's hands in her own. "Does he have a name yet?"

"Well," said Jenny looking at her Uncle. "We were thinking about Peter."

Peter smiled in shock. "Really?"

Aaron nodded. "If you don't mind."

"Mind? I'd be honored." Pete stepped forward. Riss handed the baby to him, helping him place his hands around him. Pete smiled down at baby Peter in absolute joy.

MacGyver clapped Peter on the back. "Congratulations Pete," he said warmly.

While everyone crowded around Pete and Baby Peter, Sam saw Riss slipping towards the door. Aaron caught the movement too, but a glance from Riss kept him silent. Sam slipped out after her. He stepped out just in time to see Riss adjusting a gun in her jacket.

"Really?" he asked, making Riss jump. "You couldn't go more than 5 minutes without getting one. Where did you even find one in a hospital in the first place?"

Riss smiled. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Murdoc knows that Baby Peter is here by now. Now whether or not he's planning on dealing with this in person, or sending someone to do his dirty work, there is a good chance this hospital is already compromised. I'm doing what I've been trained to do. I'm looking for a threat."

Sam stepped closer to Riss. "By yourself?"

"Please Sam, this is the most normal I've felt for over a year. This is what I'm good at. This is my element."

"Fine then, but I'm coming with you."

Riss shook her head. "You're going to get me spotted. I'm hoping to see them before they see me."

Sam tapped the side of his head. "You might want some help with the whole seeing part. Besides, I'm a photo journalist, remember? I know how to spot when something's out of place."

Riss tried to stare him down, but Sam reached out to open the door.

"Fine," she said. "But don't get in my line of sight."

Sam nodded and fell into step behind her.

…...…

It took MacGyver only a moment to realize Riss and Sam were gone. He wasn't worried about Riss betraying them, at least not to Murdoc. He'd seen her face when she held little Peter. He was more worried about her doing something reckless, and Sam wasn't the most level headed influence either. He left everyone in the hospital room and headed out to find errant kids. "Come on Sam," he whispered to himself. "Be careful."

…

Up on the roof another helicopter had landed. Emergency flight from the mountains. A hiker had gotten in trouble. As the paramedics rushed up to the door, the patient sat up in his bed and fired a round of shots. Carl stepped out of the pilot's seat as Murdoc kicked off the blanket and stepped out with two young men dressed as first responders. Murdoc and Carl both pulled out their handguns and cocked them as they walked towards the door.

"Well Jim?" asked Murdoc.

One of the young men had pulled out a laptop and was clicking furiously. "I can cut the power from up here, but I'm going to need one of their computers to hack in and get the information."

Murdoc nodded. "Wait to cut the lights then. We don't need anyone scurying off before we can visit their room." He stowed his guns under his jacket. "Carl," he reminded, "we're trying to be inconspicuous." Carl stowed his gun.

"Very good," said Murdoc. "Well, it's showtime," he said as he opened the door to the stairs.

…

Sam and Riss stepped out of the elevator and into a busy hallway. Riss had wanted to check the parking below the hospital first. She'd seen that there were cameras down there. Now she was hoping to figure out where the security room and footage were.

"We should get the others. Even if we find it, they're not going to let us."

"No need, I have a way in," she flashed a Phoenix Badge at Sam before stowing it in her pocket.

"Was that Nikki's?!"

"Well I couldn't very well pass for Uncle Pete, now could I?"

"She's going to notice that, if she hasn't already."

"And I'll make sure it ends up on the floor in a hospital helicopter for her to find. Later. Right now we're trying to find the…..there it is!"

Riss hurried her pace towards the door marked "security" in front of her. Just as she spotted it, MacGyver came out of the stairwell and saw them. "Sam! Riss!" he called. Riss kept moving but Sam looked back at him. His Dad hurried towards them, with a look that was equal parts annoyed and relieved when the smile dropped from his face, and a panic look came over his eyes. Turning, Sam saw that a tall man with a mustache had walked out of the security room. Confused at what was wrong, he looked down and realized that Riss had moved into a defensive position and was pulling the gun out of her jacket. Sam looked back up and saw the man reaching into his jacket as well.

MacGyver rushed forward. Riss pulled the gun, stepping back and trying to push Sam around the corner of the desk to their right as she did. Carl finished pulling his gun and pointed it at Riss. She fired. At this point, Sam had grabbed her shoulders and was diving behind the desk pulling her with him. MacGyver dodged right as well. With the movement, Riss' shots went wide, but she was able to graze Carl's shoulder. He fired off two shots as well, but missed. Nurses and doctors started screaming. The nurse behind the desk dropped to the floor and started calling 911.

The second they hit the floor behind the desk, Riss lifted herself up and fired a few more rounds. Carl opened the door and stepped back into the room, shouting at the people inside. Suddenly, all the lights went off and the phones went dead. MacGyver crawled up to Sam and Riss. "Who was that?"

"Carl. He's one of my Dad's men," replied Riss.

The door opened again. Riss started firing again. More shots came back at them.

Riss dropped below the desk and pulled out a spare mag. "I've just got one more of these." More shots rang out overhead. "And, that sounds like more than one gun by the door there."

She popped back up with her gun but froze and dropped back down. Her eyes were wide and her breathing heavy. She looked at Sam. "He's here."

Suddenly, canisters rolled down the hall toward them, spewing smoke as they went. MacGyver started pulling them further down the hall. "Smoke boms," he warned. "They're trying to get closer."

He ushered Sam and Riss down the hall, Riss firing off a few rounds to keep Murdoc and his men at bay. MacGyver reached around the desk and grabbed the nurses hand. "Come on," he urged. Gasping, she scooted to him and he put his arm around her, shielding her and guiding her down the hallway. They hurried to the doors in the hall. Hurrying into them before the men standing behind them banged them shut. They looked nervous when they came in, they had seen Riss shooting, but when they saw the nurse and that they'd been protecting her, they went back to barricading the door. This second half of the hallway was a mess as nurses and doctors were pulling patients from their rooms, rushing to get them away from the shooters. Riss looked through one of the windows of the doors. Murdoc stepped out of the smoke and looked through the door. Even in the dim emergency lights, they could make each other out. Murdoc stared at his daughter, a cold hard look in his eyes. Riss stared back determinedly. But instead of moving towards them, Murdoc turned his back and moved back into the smoke, towards the stairwell.

Riss turned to MacGyver and Sam. "He's going for Mom. I'm betting they know where the baby is. I don't know that he saw you MacGyver. He may think you're in there as well. We have to get down there!"

"Yeah, I know, but we've got to get help to the hospital too." He turned to a security officer he saw in the hallway.

"Do you have a radio?" he asked.

"Yes," replied the officer.

"Can I see it?" asked MacGyver.

The Security Officer looked suspicious. Riss stepped over and flashed her badge. "Nikki Carpenter," she said. "We'll need that radio, and anything else my associate asks for." MacGyver shot her a horrified look, but kept his mouth shut as the security officer handed over the radio.

"I've already advised all units that we have at least three armed suspects in the building, though I did say one of them was a woman," he said looking to Riss.

"There probably are at least three of them," replied Riss. "They'll have brought a tech specialist, though that could be a man or a woman."

MacGyver walked over to an electrical closet in the hallway. "With the phones down, we need to find a way to boost the signal of this radio. Try to get specifics out to the authorities."

"We need to go find my family," interjected Riss. "I'm heading there now."

MacGyver flashed his hand out and grabbed her arm. "We will, I promise, but we're going to need help to get everyone out of here safely. I care about them too Riss. Pete has been like a brother to me, I'm not going to let anything happen to them."

"Fine, but I'm going there now," she said tugging her arm. MacGyver held on.

"We are not splitting up."

Sam put his hand on MacGyver's shoulder. "Dad, we can scout it out. You know where we're heading."

MacGyver opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't think of a way to dissuade Sam or Riss. He locked eyes with Sam. Sam held his gaze, and nodded.

"Alright, but if you can don't engage them. I'll be right behind you."

Riss smiled and started towards the stairs, pulling her gun as she went.

MacGyver called out to her. "Riss!" She turned.

"If you use the gun, it means you have to be willing to use it against him. Are you really prepared for that?"

Riss frowned, but turned and just kept walking. Sam looked over his shoulder at MacGyver as he walked through the stairwell door.

MacGyver turned his attention back to his task. The faster he got this done, the sooner he could go after them. The security officer walked up to MacGyver. "How can I help?"

"We just need to build an antenna. Police and SWAT will know there's been a problem at the hospital, they'll be near by. We just need a more efficient method than yelling from the window." MacGyver twisted and crimped some wires he'd found. "You will want to be near a window though. Duck behind it, but have the wires up. That way the signal won't have to go through the walls."

He finished constructing the antenna and handed it to the security officer. "The man we're dealing with his one of the most deadly assassins I've ever met, named Murdoc. He's here for personal reasons with a specific target in mind. Get the Phoenix Foundation. They'll know what's going on." MacGyver started to walk away, but paused and turned around. "Oh, and if another Nikki Carpenter reaches out., just go with it. We've…..got a few of them." Turning he took off quickly before the security officer could ask him any questions.

…

Riss and Sam ran down the stairs. Sam had always considered himself athletic, but Riss had a way of taking corners that would have impressed a NASCAR driver. She kept her momentum going, only stopping if they heard a sound. "Just 3 more floors," she said. Just then, they heard running behind them. Riss paused. "MacGyver?" asked Sam. Riss raised her gun. "Maybe." She leaned over the rail, trying to see who was coming down. She'd taken off the shades once it got dark. Sam wasn't sure how good her vision was right now.

Four levels up, Riss could see MacGyver rushing down to them. His mop of hair was easy to spot. She smiled and started to turn away, but then paused. There were two men up ahead of him. They were hard to make out, because they were all in black. One of them reached out his arm. She wasn't sure, but she could guess what was in his hand. She couldn't make out their shapes. Didn't know if it was her father or one of her men. She wasn't even sure if she could hit them at this range. But, in the dim lighting, she could see that there was a fire extinguisher near them.

"MacGyver, down!" she called, firing two shots at the fire extinguisher. The first one broke the glass. The second one pierced the extinguisher. It shot out of the case, propelled by the carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It smashed into the back of one of them men, bringing him to his knees, and continued to roll around, spraying it's white smoke everywhere. MacGyver had ducked at the shots, but started running again when he saw the fire extinguisher spraying. He made it down to Sam and Riss just as one of the men stepped out of the smoke and started firing. They ducked against the wall and kept running, trying to stay out of his line of sight. "MACGYVER!" called out Murdoc. Riss started but kept running.

"There's no where to run Macgyver!"

They made it to Peter's floor and dashed through the door. "Ah!" cried MacGyver as they ran through the door. Sam ran back to him. "It's just my shoulder. Keep moving!"

Sam put pressure on the wound as they started running down the hall. Looking forward, they saw two orderlies running down from the opposite stairwell. Sam watched as one of them pulled a gun. He and MacGyver dived to the left while Riss dived to the right. She fired at them, keeping them back.

"They're almost to the room!" she called. MacGyver whinced in pain, but grabbed Sam's shoulder. "Think you could lob that down the hall?" he said pointing to the extinguisher above them. Sam smiled. "Riss!" he called. Riss looked over and nodded as Sam grabbed the extinguisher. Nodding back, he threw it hard, MacGyver pulling him back as another shot just missed his head. Riss waited for it to roll by the men, and fired once, setting it off. They shot wildly for a moment, before coughing and thuds were heard.

"Hurry! Move!" she called. Going full speed, they dashed to the door where Pete and Jennifer were. It was locked.

"PETE!" called MacGyver. They heard a sliding noise and the door opened. Aaron grabbed them all and pulled them inside, closing the door quickly as Pete shoved a desk back in front of the door. Sam set MacGyver down in a chair. Jenny was sitting behind the bed, holding little Pete. The fight in the hallway had woken him and he was crying.

"Whose out there?"

"At least 4. Carl, Murdoc, Jim and….I don't remember the name of the fourth one. Max or something like that. I think I winged him before we set off the fire extinguisher."

Sam was cleaning MacGyver's wound. "It just grazed it."

"I could tell, I've been shot before."

Pete came over worried. "Shot?"

"It's fine Pete."

"No, it's not," said Riss. "We've got no way out. Both stairwells will be blocked now. No exits, and I've only got one bullet left."

Pete looked over. "You took my gun?"

"Oh, you noticed that was missing," said Riss guiltily.

"When did you-?"

"When I handed you little Pete, but focus!" She turned to Aaron.

"Do you have a gun?"

Aaron looked at Jenny and Pete and back at Riss. "Yes," he replied pulling out a Beretta 950s. "I've got 9 shots."

Jennifer looked up upset. "You promised," she accused. Aaron looked down, but cocked the gun. "We knew he was coming for us. I'm not letting him hurt you or my son."

MacGyver stood up. "No one's getting hurt."

Riss crossed over to the window. "Police and Swatt are here. They'll be working their way up the building, evacuating each floor as they clear it. We're on the 12th floor. It will take them a while to get here. Too long."

MacGyver crossed over to the window. "This could be our exit."

Riss gave him a double take. "Did you miss the part where I said 12th floor? Besides, they could shoot down at us from the windows."

"Are you sure that's what he wants?" asked Jenny.

Riss looked back at her mother. She nodded. "I think so."

MacGyver looked back at the window. "There's a telephone pole over there, near the police. If we could get a rope there, they could tie it around and we could slide down. Faster targets, and out of range quickly."

Sam looked where MacGyver was pointing. "We'd need at least 300 feet of rope."

Aaron unhooked his belt. "Here." MacGyver touched the braided belt. "Paracord?"

"Thin but strong." Been thinking about patenting the design some time. Technically, it's Murdoc's design though." MacGyver looked impressed. Aaron smiled. "Don't be too impressed with him. It's common knowledge he got the idea from watching your 'hijinks' as he calls them."

Sam chuckled, but Riss just shook her head. "So we have the rope. So what? We can't throw it that far."

"No, but we can build a makeshift bow with the things in this room."

Suddenly there was a thud at the door, like a battering Ram. Aaron and Pete ran to the door to hold it. Aaron started trying to brace more furniture against it.

"They're going to break through!"

"Sam," instructed MacGyver, "Start using the sheets to make harnesses. Remember the makeshift harnesses I showed you? Build them like that. They just need to be strong enough to hold each of us. Jenny, move over here. Pete and Aaron, blocade the door. Riss-Riss?"

MacGyver turned as Riss grabbed a chair, stood on it, punched a ceiling tile out of her way and climbed through it. "Riss, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to slow them down. I can get to the hallway through the ceiling."

The banging at the door continued.

"With what?" asked Sam.

Riss held down her hand. "Give me your lighter."

Sam had gotten in the habbit of carrying a lighter around, even though he didn't smoke.

"Clarissa, don't," cried Jenny.

"The door is starting to crack!" called Aaron.

"I'll be careful Mom. I'm not stupid. But we have to get all of us down before they come through. We need time."

Sam started to climb up on the chair, but Riss put her hand out. "No, you need to make the harnesses." She leaned down out of the ceiling. "Please, get my family out of here."

"Riss-"

"I'll be right behind you, I promise." Riss looked at him for a moment, before rushing her head down and kissing him. Sam was shocked at first, but leaned into it, lifting his hand to the back of her head. Riss pulled back, a little smile creeping onto her face before she turned and crawled away. Sam stared at her for a moment before stepping down and realizing everyone was staring at him. Even Pete was looking his way with a bemused expression.

"What?" he asked shrugging. MacGyver stared at him open mouthed. Another bang shook the door breaking the awkward moment.

"Let's just get out of here first," said MacGyver as he started tearing apart the things he needed.