Tree and rock had grabbed his leg as in a vise. The rushing cold water was enveloping him completely and pushing him down. Mac was desperately trying to hold on to anything that would allow him to ease the agonizing pull on his leg, was frantically trying to grab on to something that would allow him to yank his leg free. His lungs were screaming for air and burning like hell when suddenly a hand was laid on his forehead and held his head in place.
The abrupt terror of being restrained underwater made MacGyver fight even harder and flinch away from the touch. But then a voice was there with him.
"Easy, MacGyver… it´s okay… you´re safe. You´re dreaming."
The words were spoken soothingly. The voice was familiar. Mac instinctively knew he could trust its bearer.
"Come out of it, will you? This is a dream! Wake up!" The voice now firmly urged him on. "Breathe! … Come on, slow deep breaths!"
The hand returned to his forehead, not holding him anymore, but feeling for him now. MacGyver tried to draw in a deep breath and noticed with relief that he could. He wasn´t caught underwater. But his body was still tense when he turned his head toward the voice and blinked his eyes open. It took a second for him to recognize the face of his boss hovering next to him.
"Sir?" he croaked between raspy breaths and relaxed further with the realization that he´d just been dreaming.
Thornton sighed with the formal address and also with how hot the young man´s skin felt to his touch.
"I thought, we had an agreement on this… kid." he admonished mildly.
MacGyver frowned at him and slightly narrowed his eyes. He needed another moment to fully return to the present and remember what Thornton was talking about. Then he sucked in one more deep breath.
"Sorry, Pete." Mac apologized hoarsely. "Yeah, we do."
"Good." Pete agreed, trying to keep his tone light. "Bad dream, hm?"
MacGyver nodded silently as Pete pulled back his hand, but then a shiver shook him unexpectedly. He pressed his eyes shut and moaned with the fiery blaze of pain the tremor sent through his leg.
Pete Thornton´s hand was on his shoulder in an instant. Oh no, he thought as his earlier worries were confirmed. Probable signs of an infection… please, don´t let it be his lungs.
MacGyver was still occupied with pushing back the pain a little when he sensed Thornton squeeze his shoulder to get his attention.
"Have you got trouble breathing?" Pete queried.
Thornton´s sudden question sounded so worried that Mac´s eyes snapped open and he quickly raised his head.
"What?" He frowned at his boss. "No… it´s no problem at all."
Thornton´s face grew even more serious with MacGyver´s answer. He watched as another shiver sent a fresh wave of suffering through the young man.
"MacGyver… you´re feverish… you´re hurting… where?" Pete asked after it had passed. "And don´t you tell me you´re fine!"
Mac´s frown deepened as he internally took stock of his condition. I´m feeling lightheaded… a little dizzy even… I´m feeling hot and cold at the same time… the throbbing in my legs worsens with every tremor… but is all this a reason to run scared like that? He was still occupied with sorting the thoughts in his slightly fuzzy brain, when Thornton grabbed on firmly to his second shoulder as well.
"Mac!" Pete demanded an answer. "Talk to me! Where?"
Their eyes met and MacGyver saw deep and serious concern in the older man´s expression. Mac sucked in a sharp breath when his trembling intensified once more.
"My leg," he admitted with a low hiss. "Below the knee."
"I´ll better check on it." Thornton sighed and let go of Mac´s shoulders. "Turn that leg a little, will you?"
MacGyver didn´t obey at once.
"Hey, it´s really not that bad…" he tried to assure but was cut off by a stern look from the older man. One of Pete´s hands was already resting on his lower leg.
"Are you honestly trying to convince me that your condition isn´t getting worse?" Thornton asked tersely.
MacGyver held his superior´s intense gaze silently. No, he couldn´t honestly deny that fact. He knew the kind of pain radiating through his leg. Some fear crept up in him as a memory from his service in Vietnam surfaced in his mind. He slowly let out a deep breath to keep it from showing on his face.
"Good," Pete said firmly when Mac didn´t answer him and then concentrated back on the younger one´s leg. "Now let me see."
Gingerly, MacGyver complied with Thornton´s request, leaned back against the tree, and closed his eyes. He held his breath reflexively as he sensed Pete push the fabric of his pants aside and probe around the bandage with his fingers. MacGyver gritted his teeth when his boss cautiously removed the bandages and dressings that covered both wounds. Pete froze for a moment at the sight of the injuries. The bandages had kept any swellings at bay, but Mac´s skin was of angry red color and covered with a mixture of dried-up blood and secretion.
"That doesn´t look good." He then assessed as he felt along the edges of the tears in the young man´s skin.
MacGyver opened his eyes and bit back a pained gasp.
"Looks infected," Mac stated dryly after he´d gotten a good look at his leg´s condition. "Explains the fever."
Thornton looked sideways at him, incredulous at how calm the young one seemed despite their discovery.
"Well, I didn´t pack any antibiotics into my first aid kit," Pete said after a beat. "Don´t remember seeing any in yours either."
Mac just quietly shook his head while he examined his leg with one hand.
"Then, I suppose, next you´re going to tell me how to forge some out of the things we´ve got at hand." Thornton continued exasperatedly with a gesture toward their backpacks.
"Unfortunately not." Mac shook his head once more, careful not to worsen his headache all too much. His expression turned pensive. "But there are two other options."
For a split second, Thornton saw fear flashing in MacGyver´s eyes before the young man schooled his features again.
"So?" Pete asked expectantly, choosing not to mention it.
"There´s a special plant growing in these woods." Mac looked up and met the senior agent´s gaze as he answered. "It should help fight the infection… We passed a patch of it not too long ago."
"Alright." Pete straightened himself. "I´ll go get it. What do I need to look for?"
"Narrow-leaved coneflower," Mac told him, fully concentrated again. "It grows about two feet high and is flowering purple. Hard to overlook."
"I think, I´ve heard of it." Thornton nodded.
"I´ll need its roots," MacGyver added.
Pete moved both backpacks within MacGyver´s reach and got up.
"I´ll be right back," he said and hurried off toward where they had come from.
MacGyver sighed deeply as soon as the older man was gone. He hasn´t even asked about the second option, he thought as his concentration narrowed on Thornton´s backpack. Mac reached over and pulled Pete´s hunting knife out of its side pocket. He turned it probing in his hands before he opened the pack and dug out the camping cooker and the remains of their first aid kits. He also quickly found the pot and then scanned his surroundings with his eyes for a suitable stone.
MacGyver found one soon and dragged himself over to retrieve the rock. He fetched the water bottle and thoroughly washed off all remaining soil from the stone before he placed it in the pot. He then settled closer to the backpacks, grabbed a few swabs and the antiseptic fluid, and cleaned the mixture of blood and secretion that had wept out of his wounds since Pete had bandaged them yesterday off his leg. The tears opened up again as he wiped across them and instantly, the familiar, white-hot burning pain the antiseptic fluid caused was back.
MacGyver bit back a groan and pressed along both wounds to make sure whatever fluids were still buried under his skin got out. He then took a closer look at both, once again bleeding injuries, and sighed. Using only the plant to fight back the bleeding and the infection wouldn´t be sufficient. He had to use option two as well.
He had just found and removed a splinter he had missed on the day before when he heard steps nearing through the forest. Reflexively, his body tensed with alarm, and he reached for the stone he´d placed in the pot. MacGyver got ready to get to his feet but had made it only up on one knee when Pete Thornton´s voice sounded from beyond the bushes.
"It´s me, MacGyver." Pete hissed. "I´m back."
Mac quickly relaxed and puffed out a breath as he sat down. Only a moment later, Pete appeared at the edge of their hideout, holding a few plants in his hand.
"I´ve brought the whole plants with me," he stated a little out of breath. "So you can make sure, it´s the correct one. I already washed off the dirt in the creek close by." Thornton eyed all the items, MacGyver had prepared, a bit puzzled as he knelt down.
MacGyver recognized the large plants carrying a couple of purplish blooms instantly and smiled up at the senior agent.
"Perfect," he confirmed.
"So, what do we do next?" Pete queried with a gaze around all the items arranged.
MacGyver reached for the knife and the pot and met Thornton´s questioning look as he handed them to him.
"You take the roots and cut them into small pieces," Mac explained as he settled down and rested his injured leg above the good one.
Pete went to work quickly but shot MacGyver a probing sideways glance. His long fingers were examining his knee. After a minute or two, Pete was done and looked up waiting for MacGyver to tell him the next step of the procedure. MacGyver took back the knife from him and handed Pete the stone in exchange.
"Now please squash those pieces," Mac asked and reached for the camping cooker.
Thornton instantly concentrated on his task and noticed out of the corner of his eye how the young man lit the flame and adjusted its size.
"So you´re going to brew some tea out of this?" Pete wanted to know without looking up.
"Nope." MacGyver´s reply was curt and tense. He picked up the knife and started threading the blade back and forth through the flame.
Pete Thornton froze when he noticed his doing. A memory from many years ago popped up in his mind. During some 'first aid in the field'-training, he´d heard about another way of treating infected wounds. His eyes widened with shock as he realized what MacGyver´s doing was leading to and he raised his head.
"What the…?" he gasped. "What are you…?"
"I gotta cauterize it." MacGyver cut him off while his concentration stayed on the blade. "That mashed root will help but it´ll take too long until the symptoms ease up. Cauterizing it will also stop the bleeding. I gotta be able to keep going if we wanna meet the helicopter in roughly five and a half hours." he then explained seemingly calm.
"You can´t be serious!" Pete exclaimed. He couldn´t believe what he´d just heard. "This is crazy!"
Finally, MacGyver looked up and met Pete´s incredulous stare.
"I´m not looking forward to it either," he answered low after a couple of seconds.
Again, Pete noticed a hint of fear in the young man´s dark eyes before Mac quickly hid it under his determination. Pete drew in a deep breath.
"Listen…" he then offered cautiously. "If you really think this is necessary… I could…"
"No." Mac cut him off again and turned back to the knife. "I know how and where the splinters were stuck. I gotta do this myself."
Pete scrutinized MacGyver for a few more moments and then returned to squashing the roots.
"You seem like you already know the routine…" Pete probed hesitantly after a bit of silence between them. "Have you had to do this before?"
"Yeah." Mac nodded. "Remember when I told you I got shot in 'Nam? … Well, infections are kind of given if you´re wounded and trying to make it through the jungle alone."
Thornton had expected an answer like this but the lopsided grin widening on Mac´s face surprised him.
"What´s so funny about that?" Pete asked.
"Actually, nothing," MacGyver replied after a second, still smiling. "I just remembered something… I nearly melted off the grip plates of my Swiss Army knife while heating the blade back then. Had to replace them once I got back home."
He glanced sideways at Thornton and then focused back on the blade. The steel was starting to change its color. The silvery surface had taken on a yellowish tint that was heading toward purple.
Still far from glowing but definitely hot enough to treat those wounds, Mac noted mentally. Time to get it done and over with.
He straightened himself a little, drew in a deep breath, and placed the fingers of his free hand right and left of the tear so he could spread the gash open.
"Wait!"
The sound of Pete´s voice stopped him. MacGyver looked up and met the concerned gaze of his boss silently.
"What do we do with those roots when you´re done?" Pete wanted to know.
"Apply it to the wounds and cover it with gauze," Mac explained flatly. "Then wrap it all up again." His voice was tense once more. The boyish grin from moments ago was gone from his face, replaced by carefully guarded resolve.
Thornton nodded, but eyed him with deep worry, quietly trying to ask if he was really sure about this, if he truly meant it.
MacGyver didn´t react but returned his concentration to the blade and nervously licked his lips. His breath sped up subconsciously. He tightened his grip on the knife as he removed the blade from the flame. He sensed Thornton turn off the gas and then move closer to his side, ready to step in should his help be needed. Mac swallowed dryly and gritted his teeth as he spread the wound´s edges. He knew it would hurt. Real bad.
He drew in a deep breath, held it, and froze for a second, but before he could change his mind, MacGyver forced himself into action.
As soon as he inserted the blade into the wound the pain became excruciating. He almost lost his firm grip on the knife´s handle and his vision blurred with tears filling his eyes. Mac barely avoided crying out when he pressed both sides of the injury against the heated steel for several seconds. A wave of nausea washed through him once he noticed the smell of his own burnt flesh in his nose. With trembling hands, he released the pressure and quickly treated the second wound in the same manner.
MacGyver couldn´t fully recall the moment he´d lost control later on, but all of a sudden sensed Pete wrap one arm around his shoulders and grab the knife from his hand to keep him from hurting himself. Thornton dropped the hot knife aside, crouched down right next to Mac, and drew him sideways against himself in an attempt to steady the swaying young man.
Mac´s breath came only in short gasps with the lingering agony, and his eyes were glassy and distant when he glanced up at Thornton. Clinging on to consciousness, he tried to straighten himself, tried to reach out for the pot, the gauze pads, and bandages, but Pete held on tight to him and stopped him with his free hand.
"Whoa, MacGyver. Take it easy." The older man ordered softly.
"But… I need… I need to cover it." MacGyver mumbled in protest. He knew he was on the verge of passing out. He had to complete his task before the darkness took over his senses.
"It´s alright. I´ll cover your wounds." Pete promised. He felt MacGyver´s pulse racing under his fingers where he´d grasped his wrist. "You´ve done more than enough."
MacGyver´s vision started to black out at the edges during Thornton´s words. Dizziness and nausea grew overwhelming. He drew in deep breaths to fight at least the latter while the pounding in his head worsened. He couldn´t hold himself upright anymore and sensed his head drop onto his superior´s shoulder. No… his partner, he remembered abruptly in his mind.
"Pete…" Mac gasped through his despair, still having the urge to do something about his injuries. "I gotta…"
"I´ll take care of it." Pete cut him off and clasped MacGyver´s moving hand into his. He cradled the young man against his rotund body. "I´m right here. I got you." Pete reassured him. "You´ll be alright."
MacGyver´s body stiffened momentarily as a wave of shivers rushed over him. He couldn´t suppress a moan any longer. His eyes fell closed as Pete´s words fully registered in his mind. Suddenly, despite his agony, he felt safe. He squeezed Pete´s hand holding his a little gratefully, then gave in and let himself drift off into oblivion.
Pete Thornton sighed deeply as he looked down at the motionless body in his arm. After a couple of moments, Pete let go of the limp hand and used his now free hand to steady MacGyver´s head while he cautiously laid the young man down. His thoughts ran wild as Thornton turned to tend to Mac´s injuries. A lump formed in his throat when he took in the burn marks on MacGyver´s leg. His chest had already tightened while he´d watched the young man treat himself.
So much for staying emotionally detached, Pete chided himself.
Once again, he was impressed by how his rookie had dealt with the situation. He´d conquered the fear and the agony with true courage, but not the slightest bit of false bravado. Determined to do whatever was necessary, even if it meant going beyond his limits, even as he´d almost blacked out… he´d still struggled to carry on. He´d only been stopped by Pete´s firm intervention.
With another sigh, Pete reached for the pot, the gauze pads, and the bandages. Carefully, every once and a while glancing sideways at MacGyver´s face, he covered both wounds according to Mac´s instructions. The young man didn´t stir at all. He also remained still when Pete took off his coat and wrapped it around MacGyver. Pete sat back, observing his rookie for several moments, before he grabbed a cloth and dabbed the sweat off MacGyver´s face and neck. He just hoped the young man wouldn´t remain unconscious for too long.
The soft rustling of the wind in the trees was the first thing that made it back into MacGyver´s mind. Then the echo of a searing pain reminded him of why he´d passed out. Mac sucked in a raspy breath and tried to stretch a little while lying with still closed eyes, but froze instantly when the hurting got very real again. He groaned low and, only a second later, heard steps hurrying closer.
Pete Thornton´s concentration shifted abruptly when he heard MacGyver´s groan behind him. He´d been observing the forest surrounding them, been watching out for patrols Moreno might have sent out, but now he turned and rushed to MacGyver´s side. He saw Mac´s agonized grimace as he crouched down at his side and softly laid one hand onto the young man´s shoulder.
"MacGyver?" Pete addressed him. "You with me again?"
Mac was still way too exhausted to flinch away from the touch he hadn´t expected. He slowly turned his head toward the voice he´d recognized and let his eyes drift open.
"Hey," he replied feebly. "Guess, I am."
"Oh, thank God." Pete sighed as the pain faded from MacGyver´s face.
"How long have I been out?" Mac breathed as soon as his eyes had properly focused and his foggy mind had cleared a bit. Pete glanced at his watch.
"Just about half an hour," he told MacGyver. "How are you feeling?"
"I´m alright," Mac replied automatically when he realized how much time they´d lost. Some alarm rose within him and he prepared to sit up. "We´d better get going."
But Pete´s firm grip on his shoulder didn´t allow him to. MacGyver´s dark eyes found Pete´s concerned gaze. The older man was scrutinizing him closely.
"Take it easy," Thornton ordered quietly. "Slow, MacGyver."
The stark contrast between Mac´s pale skin and the purplish bruise covering his cheekbone worried Pete. But the young man´s gaze steadied and his breathing evened out during the next few moments. Thornton had mused about finding a suitable hiding place for the rookie and returning to him with a rescue team as soon as he´d met the helicopter while MacGyver had been unconscious, yet now, as he saw the determination in Mac´s expression he knew his idea wouldn´t work out. MacGyver would never agree to being left behind. He´d never agree to just sitting around, to waiting for someone to pick him up.
With a small sigh, Pete lightened his hold on Mac´s shoulder. His hand stayed with him though, securing him as the young man gingerly pushed himself up to a sitting position. Pete caught his coat as it slipped down, but instantly held it out to MacGyver.
"Pull this on." he offered.
Mac needed a moment to push back some throbbing in his head and then looked sideways at Thornton with questioningly raised eyebrows.
"You´re still feverish." Pete continued firmly. "We need to keep you warm. I´ll be okay."
MacGyver took the padded jacket with a single nod and slipped into it while Thornton got up. Pete cautiously pulled him to his feet, then bent down to pick up the crutch and handed it to MacGyver. He waited a moment until Mac had found a secure footing before he shouldered his backpack and also grabbed Mac´s. MacGyver automatically reached out for it, but Pete only eyed him probingly.
"No," Thornton stated after a couple of seconds. "I´ll carry them both. You´ve got to use your energy for staying on your feet while we´re getting off this mountain."
Mac puffed out a breath and quenched his sudden urge to argue. His boss was probably right.
"Alright," Pete said when Mac didn´t answer. "You ready?"
"Yeah." MacGyver drew in a deep breath. "Let´s go."
Pete Thornton took the lead once again and was careful to pick a trail MacGyver would be able to follow while leaning on his crutch. The senior agent glanced back every now and then at his rookie, making sure he was okay. Pete was quite certain he shouldn´t classify Mac´s condition as 'alright' anymore, but the young man made every effort to appear as such. The remnants of his self-treatment had needed only a couple of minutes to fade once they´d been on the move again.
Well, at his age, I used to bounce back a lot easier as well, Pete mused with a little regret.
They had made good progress so far, but all of a sudden, MacGyver hissed his name from behind.
"Pete, take cover!" Mac whispered alarmed. "Now!"
Thornton froze with surprise for the blink of an eye but then hurried to drop behind a dense thicket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw MacGyver hide next to a huge tree, pressing his back against its trunk. Pete looked up at him puzzled. He had no idea what the young man had noticed, what had triggered his alarms. MacGyver´s eyes met his after a second.
"Patrol!" he hissed. "Way above… to the right."
Pete carefully turned behind the bushes and rose a little, just enough to glance in the direction Mac had indicated. It took a couple of moments for him to spot what had worried his rookie: Two of Moreno´s men, a lot higher up on the slope, both heavily armed and searching the area. Pete lowered himself again and turned to MacGyver.
"We gotta hide here and wait until they´re out of sight," Pete suggested. "This thicket will conceal our presence."
MacGyver seemed to consider his idea and glanced down to where he and Pete had to continue their way.
"It would, but we don´t have enough time left." Mac shook his head. "We gotta cross relatively open terrain real soon… they can easily spot us from up there for quite a while."
"We don´t have a lot of time left for any detours either," Pete argued.
"I know."
Mac glanced around the tree, up to Moreno´s goons. His expression had taken on that focused, concentrated look Pete had come to know by now. Thornton waited quietly for MacGyver´s idea to take form, yet at the same time, he was bewildered by how, in his weakened condition, the young man had still been vigilant enough to even notice Moreno´s patrol. Especially since those two were still quite far away and hardly audible at all.
MacGyver observed Moreno´s men for a couple of moments and then scanned the whole forest surrounding them. He compared his memories of this side of the mountain to what he saw. The outline of a plan grew in his head.
"We gotta split up." he then stated out of the blue, without even looking at his boss.
Pete had just screwed the cap off his water canteen but froze baffled at MacGyver´s words.
"What?" he gasped exasperatedly. "We can´t!"
"You´ve got the camera and the films in your pack. Getting those out of here is our most important goal." MacGyver continued low without taking his eyes off Moreno´s patrol. "You´re the one who can make it easier to the helicopter in time. I´m slowing you down."
"Yes, the films are important." Pete had to give him that. "But I am not going to…"
"They still don´t know about you even being here." MacGyver cut him off. "We gotta use that. I can lure them away… keep them busy… and give you a better chance to reach the helicopter unseen… and safe." Mac heard Pete draw in a sharp breath.
"How?" The senior agent asked perplexed after a second. "You´re in no condition to take on those two alone."
"I´ll think of something." MacGyver quickly brushed his question off, still concentrating upward.
"No!" Pete snapped after a beat. He was starting to get furious at the young man for not seeing how dangerous his plan was. "I am not going to leave you behind! This is nuts! You can´t just…"
"Pete!" MacGyver didn´t give him a chance to finish, but finally turned around and pinned the older man with an intense stare of his brown eyes. "You´re not leaving me behind! You´re taking the evidence to safety. Think about the hundreds and thousands of lives that could be saved if we can take down the arms dealer ring thanks to the information on the films. I´ll manage… and if I get delayed for some reason, just return with the helicopter to the same spot three hours later."
Pete Thornton held MacGyver´s stare quietly for a couple of moments. Despite his battered condition, the young man´s dark eyes were full of energy and unwavering determination. Silently, Pete had to admit, he had a point… and he knew this forest quite well. Although Pete couldn´t imagine how it could be done, he was surprised to find himself trusting his rookie to come up with some diversion for Moreno´s men. But it worried Pete if he could do it without putting his life on the line once more.
Suddenly, Pete Thornton realized that he cared more about getting the young man out of here safe and alive than about completing their assignment and that his concern, once again, had caused him to get angry at MacGyver. Mac, on the other hand, still seemed to put the intel he´d gathered and the people who could be saved by putting it to good use first and foremost. And he seemed to trust Pete to keep it safe. The senior agent drew in a sharp breath and forced himself to quench his personal feelings. Inwardly, he chided himself for even allowing those kinds of emotions.
If he thought through it logically, MacGyver was right. They had a better chance of getting the information out of here if they split up. Still, he hated the idea of leaving Mac to deal with those goons alone. With no chance to help him.
MacGyver had watched Pete´s inner struggle silently for a few seconds and now glanced up at Moreno´s patrol over his shoulder. When he deemed it safe, he pushed himself off the tree and closed in on Pete. Protecting his wounded leg, Mac crouched down at his side and reached for his backpack.
"I know, you don´t like the idea," Mac said low while he dug string and wire out of a side pocket of his pack. He was still thoroughly focused but his expression had softened when he looked up at Pete. "But I´ll be okay… my main concern is getting the films out of here."
"Although you´re a sharp thinker and have got a remarkably bright mind …" Pete stated a bit frustrated. "You are also incredibly stubborn, you know that?"
Mac shot him a quick lopsided grin. "You´re not the first to tell me that," he responded dryly.
"Alright." Pete agreed to Mac´s plan with a deep sigh as he realized he had no chance to change his rookie´s mind. "I´ll do it. I´ll be there." He reached for the revolver in his shoulder holster and offered it to MacGyver. "But at least take this one," he said firmly. "You might have to defend yourself."
MacGyver instantly froze and subconsciously drew back a little from the older man. His eyes locked on the gun in Pete´s hand.
"No, thanks," he answered low after a beat. His expression had grown dark in the blink of an eye. "I´ll find another way to defend myself."
"But you´ll probably need…" Thornton tried again but couldn´t finish.
"No, Pete!" Mac interrupted him sharply. "I don´t need those things."
MacGyver´s intense reaction surprised Pete a little. He let his hand sink while he scrutinized the young man for a couple of seconds. He saw a mixture of pain, grief, and disgust flash in Mac´s dark eyes. Something terrible had to have happened in this young man´s past he didn´t know about… yet. Slowly, he stuffed the gun back into its holster.
"Someday…" Pete sighed. "I´d appreciate it if you told me the reason why you despise guns that much."
MacGyver drew in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. For a moment, grief had the upper hand in his eyes before he hid his emotions under his determination.
"Someday," he replied. "But let´s get out of here first."
"Alright." Pete nodded his agreement. "You seem like you already have a game plan."
"An idea," Mac answered with a glance toward Moreno´s men. "Nothing solid yet… but I´ll..."
"You´ll think of something." Pete ended MacGyver´s sentence. "Right?"
Mac´s head snapped back to his partner with surprise. Their eyes met and slowly a mischievous grin crept onto the young man´s face.
"Right." MacGyver stuffed the string and wire into his pants pocket. "May I borrow your knife?"
"Do you think it´ll still cut properly after you´ve heated the blade that much?" Pete raised his eyebrows inquiringly.
"It should do for what I´ve got in mind." Mac´s grin widened a little when Pete handed over the knife. He also gathered his fishing pole from where it was strapped to the side of his backpack.
Pete watched with a mixture of curiosity and concern how the young man got to his feet again, adjusted his makeshift crutch, and gazed upward at the patrol.
"Give me a few minutes," Mac said. "When you see them hurry off…"
"I leave." Pete cut in.
"Be careful until you reach the valley floor," Mac advised. "You won´t have a lot of cover until you´ve reached the dense forest growing there."
"You be careful." Pete retorted sharply as he grabbed MacGyver´s backpack and stood up. MacGyver´s gaze returned to Pete and their eyes locked for a long moment. Thornton noticed the sparkle in his rookie´s brown eyes. Is the young man really enjoying all this, Pete asked himself incredulously. His outward expression softened. "Good luck, MacGyver."
"Thanks." Mac nodded with a smile. "To you as well. See you at the clearing." With that, he disappeared through the thicket.
Thornton slowly let out a deep breath once MacGyver was gone. The young man´s stamina and steadfast dedication to completing his assignment – no matter what the cost may be – at the same time fascinated and worried Pete. Despite his outward nonchalance, Pete didn´t doubt that Mac was aware he was putting himself in a life-threatening situation – once again. The rookie´s willingness to face that danger, to put his life on the line for the greater good impressed the senior agent. He only hoped that Mac wouldn´t push his limits too far and remain lucky – once more.