Part Two

Six weeks later

"C'mon, Pete!" MacGyver insisted urgently.

Clutching his friend's hand, Pete followed him without question through the old building into which they had been chased. "Remind me how we got into this mess!"

MacGyver pushed a door open and pulled Pete through before turning to look at him a little incredulously. "Is that really important right now?!"

"No…guess not," Pete admitted. "What are you doing?"

"Lookin' for a lock on these doors…gimme your cane, Pete."

Pete handed over the cane he had finally started growing accustomed to carrying, though he didn't bother to use it when he was with MacGyver.

MacGyver jammed the cane through the door handles, then tugged on the door to test it. "That should hold 'em, at least for a while," he declared, reaching for Pete once more. "Now let's go!" Again he urged Pete on through the maze of deserted hallways. To Pete's relief, he could no longer hear their pursuers' footsteps echoing behind them; now their only concern was to find the way out of here.

"Okay, Pete, up here," MacGyver told him, stopping at the bottom of an iron staircase. "Rails on both sides; it's kinda steep, but the steps are all the same height. I'll be right behind ya."

Clutching both railings, Pete felt for the first step, then moved a little faster once he had an idea of their height and depth. The structure shook as MacGyver stepped up behind him, and Pete froze. "You sure this thing will hold us both?"

"Well, I wouldn't do any jumpin' jacks on it," MacGyver muttered, suddenly none too sure of its integrity himself.

"You wait down here," Pete told him; "I'm all right to the top on my own."

"You got it," MacGyver agreed, watching narrowly ahead of Pete to warn him of any obstacles. "Okay, you're at the top; landing's to your left."

He wanted until Pete stepped off the staircase, then drew a deep breath before starting up himself. It was nearly steep enough to qualify as a ladder, and it would have been easier if he had been concentrating on guiding Pete rather than how high he was on this rickety structure… Stop it, Mac! Just don't look down! he reminded himself, even as he did take an irresistible look over his shoulder before joining Pete on the landing with a gasp.

"You all right, Mac?"

"Yeah. That thing was just a little steep for my taste… C'mon; if I'm remembering the outside of the building right, if we stay on this level we'll get to a fire escape."

Suddenly the lights in the building flashed into full brilliance for a second, followed by absolute darkness with a distant sizzle and pop.

"What happened?!" Pete cried, alarmed more by the fact that MacGyver had suddenly stopped dead. "I can't see a thing!" Even the shadowy forms he had been aware of without attempting to see them clearly were now gone.

"Yeah, me neither," MacGyver agreed. "Looked like a power surge…" He drew a deep breath. "Pete, looks like it's your turn to lead."

"What?!" Pete protested. "MacGyver, I can't —!"

"Sure ya can," MacGyver insisted. "You've been doin' great at your classes for the blind, an' I've seen ya walk across a room without usin' your cane or waitin' for me ta guide ya. 'Sides, we don't have a choice, unless ya wanna hang around here till they come lookin' for us with flashlights."

"But — you said you could —"

"That was a long time ago," MacGyver dismissed; "I've lost it by now. It's up to you, Pete — and I trust ya."

"You're crazy," Pete muttered, feeling MacGyver's hand on his back, the touch passive now as he was following rather than guiding.

MacGyver said nothing, closing his eyes as they adjusted to the near-blackness so he wouldn't subconsciously influence Pete. Pete's steps were slower than if MacGyver had been guiding him or even if he had had his cane, but they were steady and unwavering, until suddenly he stopped.

"What is it?" MacGyver asked.

"I…don't know," Pete admitted. "Something… doesn't feel right ahead."

MacGyver opened his eyes and instantly flung out an arm, pushing Pete back.

"Hey, what's the idea?!" Pete protested, stumbling and catching himself on MacGyver's arm.

MacGyver swallowed hard. "A great big hole in the floor, is what."

Pete frowned, not fully taking in the import of MacGyver's words as he realized what they implied. "How long have you been able to see?" he accused.

"A while," MacGyver admitted absently, bending to pull the laces from his boots.

"What are you doing?!" Pete demanded, hearing MacGyver's voice come from lower down than he had expected.

"Gettin' an idea of how big a drop this thing really is." Tying the laces together, he pulled a match from his pocket and fastened it to the end of the cord before striking it. If they had been in a cave, he would have simply dropped it down, but he couldn't risk setting the building on fire when they still weren't sure of the way out.

The sound of the match striking was unmistakable, coupled with the familiar odor and the flare of light even Pete could see, though it did nothing to illuminate their surroundings for him. "You mean you could have had light all along?!" he protested.

"Not without a torch of some kind," MacGyver dismissed.

"Then you should have made one, because I could've walked us right off the edge of this thing!"

"But ya didn't," MacGyver drawled, a half-grin in his voice. "I knew ya could do it, Pete." He would never tell him that he wouldn't have let him try if he had had any idea portions of the floor would simply be missing like that.

Kneeling carefully at the edge, he lowered the burning match. "That drop's gotta be at least two floors," he murmured, pulling the match up and blowing it out before it could burn through his bootlaces.

He laced his boots by feel as he waited for his eyes to readjust to the darkness, not caring about getting them in all the holes.

"Okay, Pete, I'm gonna scout around and see if there's a way across or around this thing. Stay here, and whatever you do don't move forward."

"Talk to me," Pete insisted. He knew MacGyver would never abandon him alone in the dark, but he felt like he might start imagining things if he couldn't hear his voice.

He was sure MacGyver wouldn't question or make him feel ashamed of asking; indeed, he didn't even acknowledge the request but chatted randomly with Pete as if it was his own idea.

Then the sound of his voice was growing closer, so that Pete jumped only slightly when MacGyver laid a hand on his arm. "I found a kind of bridge over there; c'mon."

"A bridge?" Pete asked dubiously, following MacGyver's lead without hesitating.

"Yeah; couple floor support beams; they feel solid, so it'll be safe enough. It's pretty narrow, though, so you're gonna hafta keep your hand on my back and stay exactly behind me."

Pete bit back any misgivings, reflecting that the last thing MacGyver needed was a reminder that crossing a two-story drop on a two-foot beam could hardly be considered safe.

Indeed, he was all too aware of it, hesitating slightly before drawing a deep breath and fixing his eyes unswervingly on the far end of the beam.

"An' believe me," he muttered half to himself as he started across, "if ya still had your cane, I'd let you lead so I could close my eyes an' not hafta see the drop on this thing."

Epilogue coming next week!

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I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have only minimal internet access, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. (But they are much appreciated, even if you're reading this story long after I originally post it!) If you have questions regarding my MacGyver alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie