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bluegirl
Posted: 12 February 2020 - 01:50 AM                                    
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Hello everyone!

Since at least two of you have encouraged me to give it a shot...

Here I go. This is my first shot at posting a fanfic, it is even my first shot at a completed fanfic... It did get a lot bigger and longer than I expected it to get when I started writing it down. I´ve been playing around with the storyline for about 15 years in my head - yes really!

I´ve been writing fanfic a long time ago when MacGyver was aired for the first time in Austria and stuck to it for quite some years. I can´t really remember why or when I stopped. Of course those stories were all written in german, as I am not a native english speaker. And this was at least 25 years ago. But I still have them archived, so maybe I will pick up some of those ideas and give them another try. This time in english.

I tried my best to stay true to the characters, although I also push them to their limits and challenge them. Especially Mac and Pete. As I am not native-english-speaking I rely on my trusty dictionary, google and MS Word to help me with spelling, grammar and phrases. But please, be patient and forgiving...

But feel free to share your thoughts!

I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing it!



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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bluegirl
Posted: 12 February 2020 - 01:57 AM                                    
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This takes place soon after "The Wasteland"

Part 1

Silence.

It was the first thing he noticed as he came around. Then there was the pain in his head, when he tried to move, to turn to his side. He automatically felt for the bump behind his ear and let out a moan. Slowly MacGyver started to take in his surroundings. The floor he was lying on was cold and hard; when he cautiously blinked his eyes open, there was only little, next to no light.

He could barely make out the walls of the small room, as he looked around. They seemed to be built of sturdy wood. One of them held a door, but there were no windows. The only sources of light were the small gaps between the wooden planks of the walls.

MacGyver carefully turned to his side and then sat up, still looking around. Nothing else was to be seen. His belt and his jacket were gone, and when he checked his pockets, he realized, they were empty, so they also took his Swiss army knife.

Not much to work with.

And by the way, who were they?

MacGyver suddenly realized he had absolutely no idea, where he was and who had kidnapped him. He had been on a biking tour. Someone had asked him for the direction, because they had lost their way in the hills above Malibu. The situation had seemed and felt perfectly normal. Nothing to be suspicious about. But the next thing he knew was waking up here only a few moments ago.

As he slowly got up on his feet, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Mac had to steady himself against the wooden wall. We waited a few seconds to let the worst of it pass, and then started examining his cell closely. There had to be some clue to where he was, to whom was behind this, to what this was all about.

A few minutes later he sat down again, feeling a little discouraged and helpless.

The door obviously opened to the outside, the lock and the hinges were not reachable from inside the room. The walls around him had also been built from the other side – there were no nails or screws to be seen or felt. The tiny gaps between some of the solid planks were too small to get a good look outside, and the planks were too tall to reach their top, even when he had tried to jump. Their bottom was not visible as they were buried in the ground. He could hear almost nothing from the outside. No cars, no trains, only some bird calls. Nothing to help him find out where he might be. The floor was made of tamped clay, so he figured he might be held outside of the city, in some kind of rural area.

But he still had no lead to whom or why they had taken him. Since he had nothing to work his way out of here, MacGyver decided to wait. Sitting in the corner farthest from the door, he managed to find a tolerably comfortable position leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and tried to will the throbbing in his head away.

*****

At some point MacGyver must have dozed off, because he was startled awake, when he suddenly heard someone approaching the door. Within seconds all his senses were on alert. He hurried to get up on his feet, while someone on the outside was opening a padlock, as it seemed from the sounds. He had been in tight spots before, kidnapped, captured, but there had always been a chance to escape. Mac held on to that thought. Even if he still had no idea who was behind this, or why he was being held, there had to be a way. He just had to find it.

When the door swung open to the outside, Mac was for a moment blinded by the light that suddenly flooded his small cell. Two men entered the room, one of them huge and muscular built, the other one smaller, but also athletic and obviously of Asian descent. Both of them were armed, their weapons still in holsters on their belts. They didn´t say a word, but the Asian guy signaled MacGyver to come with them.

Mac didn´t move. “Hello, guys. Would you mind telling me, where we´re going?”

He didn´t get an answer, but the big one closed in on him, rudely grabbed his arm and shoved him to the door. MacGyver stumbled, avoided falling, then straightened himself again and raised his hands a little in defense.

“All right, I´m coming…”

He got the point. Better not provoke those guys…

MacGyver was guided through a corridor; everything was built out of wood. They passed several doors, all closed, some with padlocks.

More cells?, Mac asked himself.

The corridor was brightly lit, but all the lamps were at the highest point inside the roof, way out of reach. Mac scanned everything, looking for an opportunity, for anything he could use. The end of the corridor also held a door, but just as he started to think about, which one would lead out of the building, he was stopped.

The Asian opened a door at his side, and he was pushed inside a large room. In the middle of that room a chain was hanging down with shackles at its end. Mac´s hair at the back of his neck instantly stood on end, a wave of fear washed through him. But he had no time to think about it, the large thug dragged him forward. Together they put the cuffs around his wrists. The cuffs were made of iron, about two inches wide, secured with a padlock. They forced Mac´s hands close together, palms facing each other, and fit quite tightly. The chain was also secured with the lock, and as tight as his hands were held together, he had no way of reaching that padlock.

Just when he started figuring out ways, his hands and arms were pulled up above his head. Looking up, he saw, that the chain threaded through a ring screwn into a sturdy wooden beam just below the roof. From there it went along the beam and through another ring back down a wall, where it just got secured by a bolt by the Asian man. MacGyver had to stand straight, his arm almost straightened out fully; the cuffs were starting to dig into his wrists. Mac took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. His arms were forced in front of his face, so he turned his head to look around the room. There was another door at his side, and an empty table close to it. Apart from that, there was nothing to work with. No windows, no sounds so far. Only some kind of pipe was running along the same beam as the chain. And the floor was different here. It was made of concrete. He heard the door behind him close, and the sound of their footsteps signaled to Mac that the men had left him alone.

MacGyver waited for a few moments, listening intensely. Then he tried pulling on the chain, trying if it would give him a little more room. Within seconds he felt someone grab the nape of his neck rudely and froze instantly.

“Don´t try anything funny.” The words were spoken coldly with Chinese accent. The threat was obvious.

MacGyver nodded slowly. “All right. I won´t.” His heart was pounding. He had really thought to be alone.

The hand left his neck, the guard backed away. Mac couldn´t see him, it all happened behind his back.

MacGyver closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his breath again. He concentrated on staying positive, on hanging on to the thought, that there was always a way. But he frightened by the thought of what might be about to happen. Mac took another deep breath, straightened himself, and waited. His training for the DXS many years ago had also covered situations like this, but only theoretically. Whoever was keeping him here, tried to put him under pressure, tried to push him mentally and emotionally. Following the textbook, the next thing to happen was physical pressure. Mac wasn´t looking forward to it. But he was determined not to let it show.

*****

The longer MacGyver had to wait, the harder it got for him to control his thoughts. He had tried to think about possible masterminds behind all this, but recent Phoenix operations had had no connections to Asia. After what had felt like endless hours of standing there, he still had not even the slightest idea, what this was all about. His body also demanded his attention. The shackles dug into his wrists; when he tried to stretch a little more – just to take the pressure off them – his arms and shoulders protested vehemently. It also put his head and neck into a position that was anything but comfortable. He got tired, he got thirsty, and he got hungry. With being held first in darkness, now in bright light, MacGyver had no clue to what time or day it was. He knew that under circumstances like this, it was dangerous to trust his feelings about time passing. But it had to be hours, so he was sure, his friends outside had noticed he was missing. He had planned a meeting with Pete Thornton after his biking tour. By now he had to be looking for MacGyver. The hope for possible help from the outside aided Mac to fight his fear, to keep his spirit up.

All of a sudden the door to his side opened. The big guard entered, followed by another Asian man. He was taller than the guard behind MacGyver, but obviously not as well trained. He sat down a small metal case on the table, and then turned to MacGyver. He looked all over Mac and walked around him until he was back to face him.

MacGyver felt the adrenaline rush through him. He fought to stay calm, but could feel himself trembling inside. This was it. Now he might be getting some answers. But what might be the cost? The man remained silent, so MacGyver decided to make the first move.

“Hi, name´s MacGyver.” he managed to smile. “I´m sorry, that we can´t shake hands, but I´m kind of … bound at the moment.”

The man seemed to be amused. “I know who you are.” His answer was stone cold. “I know you can be quite elusive. And quite stubborn. We are prepared for your creative tricks.” He took a step back and leaned against the table.

MacGyver swallowed hard. After those words he felt even more trapped.

“It is your decision, how comfortable this is going to be for you.” the man continued after a few moments. “I need some information. I am confident, that you will give it to me, MacGyver.”

Mac held his breath for a moment. That´s what he had been expecting. But no matter what, he would not give away any classified or sensitive information. He smiled apologetically.

“I´d love to help you, but my memory always seems to get weak under pressure … and I didn´t get your name..?”

His smile wasn´t returned. “I am quite sure, you will remember … we have the means to help you remember … and my name is of no importance to you.”

Mac cleared his throat. “I´m sure, you do.” He said with a low voice, more to himself. He was still wondering, what might be in that small metal case.

Now his opposite smiled grimly. “I want you to tell me the access codes for the Computer systems at Phoenix Research”, he demanded.

MacGyver was stunned for a moment. His mind instantly hit overdrive. So that´s was this was all about. Two weeks ago someone had tried to break into the Phoenix Foundations Computer Systems. He remembered talking about it with Pete and Willis. Research had been the target of the attempted attack. MacGyver had helped build up the security for this systems, but that had been years ago, shortly after he had joined the Phoenix Foundation together with Pete Thornton. There had been no lead to who was behind the attack. Even Willis had been unable to trace anything. Now Mac knew. He was facing him.

But even if Mac had wanted to give away the information, he wouldn´t have been able to. The access codes were changed on a regular basis, and they had been changed after the attack. He didn´t know those codes. His security level at Phoenix was high, but not that high. It was likely he would have been able to hack into the system but it would take a high end computer and time. Days, if not even weeks. MacGyver prepared himself to talk himself out of this – if his opponents got to know, that he really couldn´t provide the information, he would quite likely be killed.

“I am with the operations department, I´m sorry, that´s not my business at Phoenix.” he told the Asian man. Mac tried sounding cooperative and helpful.

The man only nodded.

The next thing Mac noticed was a vigorous blow to his back, just above his kidney. The hit drove the air out of his lungs. With some difficulty he bit back a surprised and painful yelp. They gave him a few seconds to recover, then the Asian gave up his relaxed position at the table and slowly approached Mac again.

“I don´t believe you.”

MacGyver drew in a deep breath, tried to ignore the pain, fought for staying upright.

“I´m sorry, you´ve caught the wrong man.”

Another punch hit his back hard. He couldn´t avoid coughing this time, but managed to straighten himself again. He was determined not to show them how the pain was affecting him.

The Asian man circled him once more.

“You helped build up this security system.” he stated as he was standing behind MacGyver. Now the thugs were facing him.

“That was a few years ago, I´m not involved with it anymore”, Mac said over his shoulder. He saw the kick to his ribs coming in the corner of his eye, but he didn´t have enough time to brace himself. A sharp pain rushed through his chest. He knew, he wouldn´t be standing anymore, if there hadn´t been the handcuffs holding him in place. His vision blurred, he had to fight for staying conscious. Mac was breathing hard, when the Asian man came up close behind.

“You are Peter Thornton´s main guy, his right hand.” he said. “You expect me to believe, you know nothing about it, because it´s another department?”

MacGyver´s thoughts went to high speed again. He had been telling the truth – well, not the whole truth – but he had to find another way to talk himself out of this. He wasn´t sure, how much more he could take, before revealing something, he didn´t want to reveal.

The Asian man returned to the table, taking in his relaxed position again.

Mac raised his head a little and faced him. He couldn´t see him as clearly as before.

“I might be able to show you how to get past the security.” he supposed. Maybe lying would buy him some time. “Depends on what information you want to retrieve from the research department.”

The Asian laughed sarcastically. “You expect me to put you in front of a computer with a modem connection?” he asked.

MacGyver only nodded, smiling weakly.

“Nice try, Mr. MacGyver.”, the man continued. “If I would allow you that, the whole Phoenix Foundation would know where to look for you within minutes. I won´t risk that. I know what you´re capable of. We´ve done our homework on you.” He paused for a moment, then looked MacGyver directly in the eyes. “We don´t need your colleagues squirming around here. I guess we need a little more private time. We need to work on your cooperation.”

Another strike hit MacGyver´s stomach. He groaned, his knees gave way, but the sudden pull on his wrists and shoulders made him stand straight fast. He had been beaten before, but those guys definitely knew, how to weaken him and how to cause maximum pain. Keeping up his façade got harder and harder. He couldn´t stop his hands from trembling anymore.

His opponent seemed to notice. “I am waiting for an answer.” he pushed. “Tell me those codes, and the pain will end.”

MacGyver sighed. “If I tell you those codes, you will kill me.”, he replied.

The Asian laughed at him.

“Why should I? If you can provide information, you might still be valuable. Don´t underestimate yourself.” he explained. “Just as I said, MacGyver. You decide. Do we have to convince you the hard way?”

MacGyver straightened himself again, reconsidering his few possibilities. He tried to prepare himself for the inevitable, tried to close his mind to the pain.

His opposite mistook his hesitation for stubbornness. With a flick of his head he ordered the two guards to approach MacGyver.

Mac had only one moment to steel himself against the next strike, but it was no use. The blows rained down on him, he had no means to avoid them or defend himself. Mac only managed to protect his face and head a little between his arms. Now and then he was given a short break, which allowed him to recover a bit. Several times he could barely avoid passing out. After what had felt like an eternity, they suddenly left him alone.

MacGyver was breathing hard. His legs wouldn´t carry him anymore, he was hanging slack from his cuffed wrists. His whole body was hurting; every breath felt like someone was stabbing his chest. Probably a cracked rib, he assessed somewhat automatically. He gathered his last ounces of strength and fought the darkness that was trying to take him away. Not now, he thought. Not yet.

MacGyver´s head was still hanging between his outstretched arms, when someone grabbed a fistful of his hair at the back of his head and pulled back abruptly. MacGyver had almost managed to remain quiet through the beating, but now he released a surprised yelp of pain. Although his vision was blurred, he recognized the leader of the group close to his side.

“So?” he asked. “The codes, MacGyver ... you can end this suffering.”

MacGyver felt himself trembling with pain and exhaustion. “I can´t … tell you … what … I don´t know.” His voice was breaking; even talking took quite an effort.

The man released his head and walked back to the table. He opened the metal case. MacGyver´s gaze followed him. He barely made out some small glass bottles and syringes. Another surge of adrenaline rushed through him. No, not again, he thought. He had been poisoned before, and that was not quite a pleasant memory.

“Get him down.” the Asian ordered his guards. “Take off the cuffs.”

When the chain gave way, MacGyver dropped to his knees. He had to steady himself with the help of his hands to avoid collapsing to the ground. He swayed, as the smaller Asian thug pulled up his arms and released his wrists. When Mac saw their leader fill up a syringe his survival instinct kicked in again. He got up on his feet and took an unsteady step backwards.

“Hey guys, I got this thing about needles…”

When the man turned around to him, the syringe in his hand, Mac tried to evade the guards, but he was too weakened and too slow. The huge one grabbed his arm and pulled hard, throwing Mac against the wall. Once again, the air was forced out of MacGyver´s lungs by the impact. His head crushed onto the wood and with stars dancing in front of his eyes, he collapsed to the ground. Before he had any time to recover or react, one of his arms was forced to bend behind his back. The huge thug wrapped his arm around his neck, pressing against his throat and pulling him up again. The second guard grabbed his free arm, straightened it out and pulled up his sleeve.

His vision still threatening to black out Mac saw the man with the syringe closing in on him. MacGyver frantically struggled to free himself, but it was no use. The Asian found a vein and injected the contents. He felt a sudden burning sensation in his arm right after the shot. After the needle was pulled out, they released Mac out of their hold, and he dropped to his knees again. He automatically reached for his throbbing arm, rubbing it.

“You are probably wondering about the effects.” the Asian declared, while returning to the table and putting the syringe back into the case. He turned to face and observe MacGyver.

“This serum has been designed and mixed specially for you. You will definitely enjoy it. But you don´t have to be afraid. It has been diluted, so the dose is low enough that it won´t kill you. You will experience all of its effects in a few hours.” He paused for a moment, while Mac was silently looking up at him.

“Hopefully this will convince you to cooperate.” He turned around, closed his case and left the room.

When he was gone, the two thugs grabbed Mac´s upper arms and pulled him up. They forced him out of the room, down the corridor and back to his dark cell. MacGyver wouldn´t have been able to walk this far on his own. When they pushed him back into the small room, he stumbled, fell against the wall and to the ground. The door closed behind him and he was alone in the dark.

MacGyver lay motionless for a few minutes, and then slowly got up on his hands and knees and crawled to the back of his cell. He cautiously stretched out on his back, feeling the cold clay floor against his bruises. He was staring into the darkness, trying to sort his thoughts about what had happened.

The Asian overweight man had sometimes referred to himself in singular person, sometimes he had talked about “we”. Was he the head of this group, or was there some mastermind behind him? Obviously they really needed those access codes; otherwise he would possibly be dead by now. But the alternative wasn´t much fun either.

MacGyver already felt totally worn out, yet he didn´t know what was still to come. He had a few hours until the symptoms of the drug would show. His heart was still pounding; he had a hard time controlling his breath and no chance of suppressing the trembling in his body. He was covered in sweat from exhaustion and pain. Mac tried to will the pain away, tried to hold on to his survival instinct. There had to be a way out. As long as he was alive, there had to be a chance.

Suddenly, without any warning, the small room was flooded with bright light. MacGyver winced, automatically raised his arms in defense and covered his eyes. But nothing else happened.

Mac rose up a little, looking around the room suspiciously. He recognized a small camera next to the floodlight. Camera and light were mounted way out of reach, just under a beam holding up the roof. He hadn´t noticed them on his first examination of the room in the darkness. All right, so they were observing him.

MacGyver sat there for a few minutes, considering his possibilities. Whoever was behind this, knew a lot about him. They had left nothing for him to work with. He still had no means to escape all this, so he figured the best thing he could do was try to get some rest and recuperate. So he curled himself up on his side, covering his face with his arm and finally allowed himself to fall asleep. His last thought went out to Pete, who had to be searching for him by now.

Hurry up, Pete, he thought. I could use your help this time. Please, hurry.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Sanguine
Posted: 12 February 2020 - 06:39 AM                                    
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Okay, I'm incredibly excited about this already. I feel like Mac is pretty in-character so far, and your English is honestly better than a lot of native speakers from what I can see. I can't wait to see what happens to Mac!



"I am not mad. I'm just very, very determined." ------Murdoc, 'Cleo Rocks'

"What is the color of night?" ------Oblivion

Virtutis Gloria Merces.

Time you enjoy wasting isn't wasted time.

Highly Illogical. Delightfully Useless. Achtung Y'All.

 
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bluegirl
Posted: 12 February 2020 - 07:58 AM                                    
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Thanks a lot, coming from you this is encouraging!

I´ve followed your work throughout the virtual seasons, and I love it!



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 13 February 2020 - 10:48 AM                                    
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I agree with Sanguine. I really liked this and am anxious to read more. I know how hard you must have worked on it given the language difference and think you did a really great job! The one thing that stood out was the way in which you captured the way Mac uses humor in these situations. That's always a favorite part of the show for me and you did it very well! You also do a very good job giving the reader insight into his thoughts and keeping us in suspense.

I have to say that I chuckled at the very beginning because I just finished a chapter in the Fan Fic that I'm writing where Pete and Mac are in a completely empty wooden tool shed with a door that locks from the outside! Great minds think alike!!

Thank you so much for deciding to share this with us. I look forward to what's to come.

Jody (AKA: Uniquelyjas)



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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bluegirl
Posted: 13 February 2020 - 11:35 PM                                    
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Thanks everyone for your feedback! I really appreciate it!

Since there seems to be considerable interest in my story wink.gif biggrin.gif I´ll like to share the next part of it with you.

But be warned of a little surprise at the end of it


Part 2

When MacGyver woke up, he was a little disoriented at first. He wasn´t sure, what had roused him. The room was still quiet, the floodlight was still on. When he blinked his eyes fully open and looked around, nothing had changed. But his eyes wouldn´t focus properly, and the colors he saw just were not right. The floor had not been glowing green before. When he slowly sat up, everything seemed to be moving around him, leaving him feeling dizzy. He remembered the nightmares he had been going through in his sleep clearly. Bright colored scorpions, some of them almost neon, in different sizes, from small to huge, had been closing in on him, crawling all over him, covering him, stinging him. His sleep had not been nearly as restful as Mac had hoped.

Those nightmares and hallucinations had to be caused by the drug, he had been given, MacGyver reflected to himself. He was still feeling exhausted; his whole body was still hurting, although the pain had diminished thanks to his rest. The bright light inside his room made it difficult to distinguish, if it was night or day on the outside. His time sense was definitely way off center. He cautiously stood up on his feet and prepared himself to take another, closer look at his prison, now that there was enough light. His vision stayed blurred though, so he was feeling his way around the room more than seeing it.

Just as MacGyver was examining the door, he suddenly doubled over, and drew in a sharp breath. It felt like someone was stabbing a knife into his stomach. Mac waited a few moments until the pain had ebbed away, and then continued his search for way out. But only a few minutes later he fell to his knees, groaning. The stabbing pain was back, together with spasms rushing through his body. Mac had to steady himself against the wooden planks. Again he waited and then got up on his feet. He also felt the muscles in his arms and legs tighten. He shook his head, trying to clear his senses.

Within another few minutes MacGyver was down again. The convulsions and the shooting pain were rolling over him like waves. He had to crouch down in the far corner of the room, leaning against the wall. He could hardly breathe, the pain got worse with every moment.

Again it was gone as sudden as it had started, giving MacGyver a little break to recover. His breathing was ragged, his whole body shivering with the echo of the suffering. He attempted to find a more comfortable position, but it was no use. The next wave hit even harder. Mac wrapped his arms protectively around his body. He bit back an agonized cry and dropped to the ground. Somewhere in his head the man´s voice echoed, don´t be afraid. It won´t kill you. Was he really sure about that?

The suffering continued, but abruptly the light went out. MacGyver winced with shock. When he managed to look up, the walls seemed to be closing in on him. Even the floor felt like it was moving. He had considered calling for help a few moments ago, but this signaled him, they were no longer interested in watching. MacGyver was left alone in the darkness with the spasms, the excruciating pain and the anguish. He curled himself up on the cold floor and gave in to the inevitable. With a deep sigh he tried to prepare himself mentally to endure whatever was bound to happen. He held on to the phrase: The dose is low enough so it won´t kill you.

After many hours, that had felt like an eternity to MacGyver, the symptoms gradually subsided. Bit by bit he started to relax his strained body, tried to loosen and stretch his tight muscles. He was covered with cold sweat, shivering and breathing hard. Now he was really wasted, physically and mentally. With a last effort he raised his head and tried to sit up. But his body wouldn´t obey, his arms wouldn´t hold him upright. MacGyver collapsed to the ground and finally passed out.

*****

MacGyver´s head was aching badly, when he slowly came out of it. He still felt weak, but this time the sleep had helped him recover a little. He took a few moments to judge his condition, while his eyes were still closed. The convulsions and the resulting pain were gone, but he felt every muscle, every bruise. His sore wrists were burning. The shackles had torn deeply into his skin during the beating.

Cautiously he blinked his eyes open. He was still surrounded by the darkness of the small room. He had no clue to how long he´d been out. Nothing seemed to have changed. MacGyver took a deep breath, while he was mentally preparing to sit up, but he instantly regretted it.

Yes, that rib is almost certainly cracked, he thought.

Automatically he covered it with his hand and rolled over to his side, moaning lightly. The sweat on his skin had dried up, as well as his soaked shirt, so he must have been asleep for some hours.

Good, Mac thought. I guess I needed that.

Then he carefully rose until he was sitting, leaning against the wooden wall. The vertigo was still present, also due to his weakness. His eyesight was nearly back to normal, no more hallucinations, but still hazy and out of focus. With the effects of the drug or poison almost gone, MacGyver found it a lot easier to fight his despair.

“Yes, I am still alive.” he told himself in a low voice, while he was looking around in his prison cell. “Yes, there still has to be a way out of this.”

He noticed the cardboard tablet lying on the ground close to the door. It hadn´t been there before he had collapsed. MacGyver carefully approached it, took a closer look at it. A large paper cup, probably filled with water, was placed next to a paper plate with a sandwich on it. His suspicion arose instantly, but Mac couldn´t afford to be all too picky. The situation was tight, and it could well get worse. He needed the energy to recover, and he desperately needed something to drink. So he sat down next to that tablet, tested the liquid in the cup with a little sip and smelled at the sandwich. He couldn´t sense anything out of the ordinary, so he ate and drank. Having finished, he retreated back to his corner and managed to find a tolerably comfortable position to sit and wait. Still being awfully tired and exhausted MacGyver fell asleep soon.

*****

MacGyver was roused briskly by the floodlight and someone opening the door. Looking up, he saw the two guards in the doorway. His adrenaline level shot up instantly.

Oh no, not again, was his first thought. He couldn´t stop his hands from trembling with fear, as the Asian thug motioned him to get up and follow him. Mac obeyed this time, always keeping his hands up in a defensive position. He wanted to signal them, that he meant no harm, no offence, and no tricks. Again they guided him down the corridor, and Mac felt the tension inside him rise with every step. But he was stopped at another door, much earlier. The Asian thug opened it for him.

“You might want to use the facilities. But we will observe you.” he said.

MacGyver froze with surprise. The room held a hand-basin, a toilet and a shower. He entered it slowly with a little mistrust. There was a towel and fresh clothing prepared for him. After having a closer look, Mac sighed a little shaky. Yes, freshening up would be a good idea.

The huge man followed him inside, as the Asian closed the door behind them. Mac turned to him, smiling shyly.

“Would you mind turning around…?” he asked.

The guard didn´t react; he kept his place right next to the door, watching MacGyver.

Mac sighed again. All right, no privacy then…

After he was done and had changed into the fresh clothes, they took him back to his cell without a word and locked him up again.

The light was still on, so he took another attempt on finding anything that might lead to a way to escape. The tablet was gone, when they had returned him, and he silently recapped the past events. He had been able to wash the blood off his wrists and take a closer look at his injuries. While showering the warm water flowing over him had not been to comfortable on his bruises, but it had definitely helped relax his strained muscles. Food and water had also helped him recuperate. MacGyver felt a lot better than a few hours ago.

He settled back into “his” corner after examining the room and again finding nothing to work on. MacGyver felt better, but inside he knew, they only wanted him to recover so he could take more of what he´d already been through. The mere thought of it sent a cold shiver down his spine. Mac inwardly chided himself for letting the fear crawl back into his mind. He had to remain mentally strong to be able to hold on, to pull through. He had to stay positive. He had to hold on to the certainty that Pete was out there, searching for him. Help was on the way…

The longer he had to wait and sit in silence and bright light, the more his thoughts went wild. Who were they? What did they plan to steal out of the Phoenix Foundations Research Labs? Who was behind all this? He still had no answers to that puzzle. After what had felt like hours, Mac surrendered to his tiredness and dozed off.

The next days – or what seemed to be many days to MacGyver – passed pretty much with the same course of events. More questions, more beating him, more of the drugs. In between they had left him alone, sometimes in bright light, sometimes in darkness. He had had plenty of time to recover after each round and to think about his situation over and over again. The questions had remained the same. MacGyver had tried different tactiques of answering them, but he had not been able to avoid new pain and suffering.
He just couldn´t convince the Asian that he didn´t know the access codes or any other way to get past the security systems.

He hadn´t been able to recognize a certain pattern to what was happening. He had also been given food several times, could use the bathroom; they had even allowed him to shave the stubble off his face. But it all seemed to happen randomly. Mac´s sense of time passing got more and more confused.

*****

Once again MacGyver stood stretched out and bound in the large room, waiting for his tormentors for what felt like hours. He was already exhausted by having to stand there without being able to move. Everything went through his mind for what felt like the hundredth time. Whoever was the mastermind of this, had to know Mac pretty well. They knew how to tire him, they knew how to use his fear, they knew how much pain he could and had to take in order to push him to his mental borders. Still, Mac had one more strategy left. Maybe this one would buy him some more time. Time that he desperately needed, because he felt that his body was on the verge of giving up. After the ordeal had already been forced to go through, he realized that his strength was not endless.

As he saw the corpulent Asian man entering the room, MacGyver mentally prepared himself to lie his socks off. He knew very well, it was a dangerous game to play, because discovering his lie could make these guys really angry. He tried not to imagine, what they could do to him.

On the other hand, angry people tend to make mistakes. Maybe, just maybe they would make a mistake that would lead to some way out of here.

Just as Mac had finished that thought, the Asian turned around to face him and the two guards took their usual places.

“So, MacGyver” he greeted Mac. “Ready for another round? You should be well rested…?”

MacGyver couldn´t help but sigh. Not really, he thought. You made me stand stretched out for hours again. His shoulders and arms were protesting wildly, his back and legs were aching. Not to mention all the bruises and injuries that had summed up over the days passing.

“I am sure, you do remember, what we´ve been talking about.” The Asian addressed him again. “I am still waiting for you to give me those access codes.”

When MacGyver didn´t react at once, he saw the guards move in on him. Time to make his move. He straightened himself, his body got tense with the adrenaline rush; he was looking nervously at the thugs.

“Hey, wait a minute. Hold it.” he rushed to say. “Hold it, please.”

“You´ve tested my patience long enough.” The Asians reply was cold and sharp.

“Yeah, I know. I´m sorry for that.” Mac smiled apologetically. He took a deep breath and then continued: “You are right. I know the computer security system. I helped build it years ago.” So far, so good. Up to this point, I haven´t even been lying, he reminded himself. “I can tell you how to get inside.”

A little surprised look played around the Asian man´s face. “You changed your mind?”

Mac hurried to nod. “I certainly did.” He still managed to keep that apologetic look. Now for the tricky part of this strategy, he thought.

The Asian couldn´t help but laugh for a moment. Then his face grew hard again. “You really expect me to believe that?” he asked. “After all you´ve been through in protecting your precious Phoenix Foundation secrets? After all your stubborn patriotism? You are giving up?”

Mac nodded again. The little trembling in his body and his voice wasn´t faked. He was dangerously close to the limits of his physical strength. “I can´t take anymore of this.” he admitted. “I am wasted. I can´t go on.” He looked to the ground, bowing his head a little.

The Asian got up from his comfortable position at the table, smiling coldly. “So, MacGyver, it seems, we have found your limitations. Even you do have a breaking point.” he stated triumphantly. He closed in and forced MacGyver´s head up to face him by rudely gripping his jaw. “You are free to continue, I´m listening.”

The fear was back into MacGyver´s eyes as he had to look at the man close up. “You might want to take some notes…” he replied shyly. “As you are not going to allow me to show you…”

The Asian still smiled satisfied as he backed up and signaled to one of his men. The smaller Asian thug hurried out to side door and returned only moments later with a pen and paper and a small tape recorder. He put it down on the table and pushed the record button. The leader of the group focused on MacGyver, his expression growing serious and dark. “Go ahead, MacGyver. Tell me all about it. Loud and clear.” he demanded.

MacGyver took in a deep breath, nodded and cleared his throat. It took several minutes, and after a number of technical instructions and advisories, he finished with two series of numbers and letters. At the end of his explanation he let out a deep sigh. “This should do it.”

The smile on his opponent´s face was triumphant again. “We´ll see.” He pushed the stop button and reached for the well-known metal case.

The hair on the back of MacGyver´s neck suddenly stood on end. Damn, he probably didn´t buy it, Mac thought. Panic rushed through him. “Hey, I told you everything!” he called out. “You´ve said, you´d end the pain!” He pulled on his restraints.

The Asian filled up the syringe in the meantime, perfectly in Mac´s view. “I will.” he answered, while he got up and approached MacGyver. “But verifying your information will take some time. Until then, MacGyver, I want you to remember why you are cooperating with us.”

Mac´s hands were lowered; the cuffs taken off. MacGyver tried to escape the guards, but he didn´t have the slightest chance. Even without the beating his condition had been weakened too much over the days to fight those guys. They had him within their hold within seconds. He was given his injection and then returned to his cell.

MacGyver stumbled into the small room and fell to his hands and knees. So he was in for another round of hallucinations, convulsions and excruciating pain. At least he had been able to avoid the blows, hits and kicks that usually came first. He sat down, rubbing his arms and shoulders. The crooks of his arms were starting to look as if he was a drug addict, he noticed. The needle marks were adding up. However, this drug wouldn´t cause a pleasant high. It was a somewhat crazy thought, but knowing what was about to come was a little comforting; it helped ease the fear. Mac mentally scolded himself for it instantly. Nevertheless he was afraid of the pain and suffering.

Especially now tough, he needed to stay alert. If they got angry, if they made some mistake, he needed to use his chance. Whatever it may be. And still, there was the possibility of help from the outside. MacGyver was still convinced that Pete was searching for him. He would be coming to his rescue. He had to. MacGyver let out the breath he´d been holding for a few moments and leaned back against the wooden wall. He closed his eyes to the bright light and clung on to that last thought.

*****

This time MacGyver had no chance to recover. He was startled by the door opening, while he was still seeing things and waves of pain were rolling over him. The worst of the symptoms of the drug had passed, but he was considerably off center. He was pulled up briskly at his upper arms, guided into the well known room and bound as usual. Obviously they had discovered his fake a lot faster than Mac had hoped or anticipated they would. He had to pull himself together fast, even if his body wouldn´t obey fully. Now could be his chance.

When the overweight Asian entered the room, Mac desperately tried to blink the haze in front of his eyes away. He couldn´t properly make out the things the man sat down on the table. One looked like the metal case, one like the tape recorder, but there was a stick he hadn´t seen before. His vision was still blurred, he couldn´t see any details. At the next moment he doubled up with new spasms and pain hitting. Even to remain standing took all his effort.

“Did you really think, this would work?” the Asian man asked him. Mac could hear considerable anger in his voice. “Did you really think, we wouldn´t discover your lie?” He picked up the stick and pushed it against MacGyver´s chest.

Before Mac could react, he felt as if his body was on fire. He gasped with pain and shock. It only lasted a few seconds, but his heart was racing and the echo of the pain sent shivers through his whole body. So this was the next level, Mac observed somehow scientifically beyond his panic. Electric shocks. So much for my chance to get out of this. If he wanted to have any possibility of surviving all this, he had to get his act together fast and play along.

He shook his head and looked at his opponent. At the moment he had no difficulties in faking a surprised and frightened expression on his face. “But why?” His voice was hoarse. “What went wrong? I don´t…” He didn´t finish the sentence because the stick touched him again. Mac couldn´t avoid crying out in pain.

The man gave him a few moments to recover. “The codes, you gave us, are wrong.” was his cold reply. “They won´t work.” He circled MacGyver, while almost casually touching his back with the stick several times as he passed around. He watched MacGyver gasp with pain, his body stiffening with every shock. “Would you care to explain that?” he asked when he was back facing him.

MacGyver was coughing, trying to calm down his breath and his racing heart, fighting against losing consciousness. “I can´t” he managed to reply with a trembling voice. “Maybe they changed the codes because I am missing.”

The Asian moved closer and laughed coldly at Mac as he saw him jerk back when he touched him with the side of the stick. Only the electrodes at its end could cause considerable pain. He slid the side of the stick upwards along MacGyver´s body to his arms until its end was close to his face. He set off the spark only inches in front of Mac´s eyes.

MacGyver tried to shrink back, but he had next to no room left to move. This time he didn´t have to fake his fear. The trembling in his body was real.

“So, there has to be another set of codes?” the Asian man asked.

MacGyver hurried to nod. Play along, he thought weakly. Just keep playing along. “Yes” he answered fast. “They most likely raised the security level because I am missing. You´d have to use a different way in.”

The Asian guard approached the table and hit the record button of the small tape recorder. His tormentor let the stick slowly slide down until it reached Mac´s waist and then took it away. “We are listening” he ordered. “But you´d be better correct this time.”

MacGyver´s mind hit overdrive once more. He was standing only by sheer will, yet he managed to give them new directions and different codes that made sense. Just as he was finished, the leader of the group stopped the recording of the tape and put down the stick at the table. He left the room through the side door, followed by both of the guards.

This was new. He had never been left alone in here. In an instant all of MacGyver´s senses were on alert. He tried to remember every detail of the room, even though he couldn´t see it clearly at the moment due to the drugs. He had to find a way to loosen that chain fast, so he could work his way out of his shackles. He was licking his lips nervously as he looked around the room and tried to concentrate. He could taste the sweat that covered his whole body because of the stress and the pain. His eyes suddenly locked on the end of the chain, where it was fixed to the wall. As far as he remembered, that chain was only secured by a bolt through a ring screw. No lock! If he could move that bolt, he´d be out of here.

Naturally it was way out of reach. He had to find anything to increase his radius of action. Maybe he could reach the table by swinging on that chain. Or maybe that ring screw in the beam directly above him would give or loosen, if he could pull it sideways. But he had to protect his wrists by grabbing the chain with his hands. They were sore enough from the last days.

Just as he looked up and prepared himself mentally to jump up a little and get a hold on that chain, the door behind him opened. MacGyver froze instantly. He heard the footsteps of someone entering the room, and then the door closed again. Mac held his breath, trying to suppress a shiver that ran down his spine. Had his attempt been discovered so soon? Despair was sneaking up his mind.

“Hello, MacGyver” he was addressed from behind after a small pause. “Good to see you!”

He knew that voice. A sudden wave of relief washed over him. He let out the breath, he´d been holding and closed his eyes for a moment.

“Pete!” he sighed deeply. “Finally. What took you so long?” His question wasn´t meant all too serious.

Pete didn´t reply. He seemed to be assessing the situation from behind, so Mac tried to turn his head around. He could only make out Pete´s well known silhouette behind his side. Still those drugs at work, he thought.

“Pete, there´s a bolt securing the chain to that wall over there.” MacGyver exclaimed hurriedly. “You need to pull it out, so I can lower my arms. And we might be able to open the padlock with it. I don´t know how soon these guys are going to come back. We need to get out of here fast.”

Pete Thornton still didn´t answer, but he moved over to that bolt. He looked at it, yet didn´t touch it.

“Pete, what´s wrong?” Mac urged him. “Set me free.”

Instead Pete turned around facing MacGyver, looking all over him.

“Just tell me, why I should possibly do that…?” he asked, sounding strangely downcast.

MacGyver didn´t understand. “What?!” The relief inside him instantly mixed with confusion. What the heck…? “Pete, I can hardly stand. I can´t take much more of what I´ve been through. We need to leave before they capture you and start questioning you!” Mac got a little upset. Why was Pete stalling?

“I don´t think they´ll do that…” Pete replied. He slowly walked over to the table and sat down on its edge, still looking all over MacGyver.

Inside MacGyver the confusion bit by bit got the upper hand.

“Pete, please. Tell me what´s wrong?”

He couldn´t believe it as he saw Pete picking up the stick and weighing it in his hand. This was just not possible… This couldn´t be happening…

“I will, MacGyver” Pete answered with a sad voice as he got up again. “In time…”

Then without a further warning he pushed the stick against MacGyver´s ribcage, holding it pressed there for some time through Mac´s convulsions.

MacGyver couldn´t help crying out in pain as once more his whole body was burning like being on fire. When Pete finally took the stick away, he collapsed helplessly and with a last confused look at Pete passed out. He didn´t see the other guys reentering the room; the overweight Asian shaking hands with Pete Thornton. He didn´t feel the two guards lowering him and taking off his cuffs. After another injection, they carried him back to his cell and locked him up.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 14 February 2020 - 01:11 PM                                    
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Wow! "Little surprise at the end"? That was a whopper!! Now you've got me thinking...is that really Pete? If so, is he deep undercover and expecting Mac to trust him?? Oh, now I can't wait until you post more!!! Your writing is very descriptive and really keeps my attention. Now it looks like there might be a little more action coming? Oh, the possibilities....thanks for posting this part, looking forward to the next. And your title totally makes sense now!! Good job!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 14 February 2020 - 02:06 PM                                    
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Thanks for your feedback - I divided the whole story into 14 chapters for posting it - there´s certainly more action to come...

Remember what I said in my introduction about pushing the characters to their limits? I like challenging them... See how far they might go... See how far they can go...

I intend to post a new part every second day - so the next one is due on sunday wink.gif



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 14 February 2020 - 04:19 PM                                    
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QUOTE (bluegirl @ 14 February 2020 - 02:06 PM)
Remember what I said in my introduction about pushing the characters to their limits? I like challenging them... See how far they might go... See how far they can go...


I think that's a really unique and interesting perspective. I'd also think it would challenge you as a writer. So far you're doing a great job! I'll keep my eye out for your next post.

I've only been writing fan fic for almost 3 yrs now. My initial story, "Continuum" kinda exploded and is still going!! I've also done some "one-shots" of which "Widowmaker Rewind" is probably my favorite..it sorta takes on the same theme of pushing Mac's character. I have them all posted on here. Easiest way is just to look for my name "uniquelyjas" as the person who posted! I'm always looking for people, especially fellow writers, to read and review my work, but please don't feel obligated to!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 14 February 2020 - 10:46 PM                                    
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It certainly did challenge me while writing it - after all I have to go through all the feelings and thoughts of my characters before I can write them down - that means diving right into their heads and hearts - I guess that´s what we all do while writing

I´ve already read some of your stories - I liked the approach of SAM in particular, but I´m not yet familiar with all your work - I have some catching up to do!



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 15 February 2020 - 12:09 PM                                    
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QUOTE (bluegirl @ 14 February 2020 - 10:46 PM)
It certainly did challenge me while writing it - after all I have to go through all the feelings and thoughts of my characters before I can write them down - that means diving right into their heads and hearts - I guess that´s what we all do while writing

I´ve already read some of your stories - I liked the approach of SAM in particular, but I´m not yet familiar with all your work - I have some catching up to do!

Although I haven't written anything as emotionally challenging as you, I have written some chapters in my story that have a lot of angst, etc. and it can really wear you out. It even effects my everyday mood during the time I'm writing it!!

Oooh, I'm so excited to hear you liked SAM!!! That story doesn't get a lot of attention from readers so I'm really glad you liked it!!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 16 February 2020 - 03:27 AM                                    
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What did I say about challenging and limits? I hope this part will not scare anyone off reading the remaining parts to come, but it has to be done. sad.gif I guess the title will make sense after reading this one...

Part 3

MacGyver regained consciousness with a terrible hammering headache. It took a few moments to remember where he was and what had happened. Mac was lying on the ground flat on his back; every muscle in his body was hurting. When he tried to raise his head, the ground beneath him seemed to move. He let it drop back and let out a moan while he cautiously rolled to his side. His last disturbing memory crawled back into his mind. MacGyver froze.

That is impossible. It is absolutely out of the question. It must have been that drug that made me envision Pete in that room. He would never do something like that. MacGyver could still feel the effects of the drug quite clearly. He must have been hallucinating.

Careful, MacGyver, he scolded himself. They´re starting to get under your skin.

He slowly rose and sat up, leaning against the wall. The shirt he was wearing pulled on the electric burns every time he moved. The fabric was stuck to the weeping wounds. Mac winced several times as he tried to loosen the fabric. The pain and the spasms form the drug didn´t make his task any easier.

Apart from his truly unsettling last memory everything seemed to be as he had gotten used to it. Hours later, after he had somehow endured another round of the excruciating pain and spasms, he was given food and water and been allowed to freshen up. Then he was left alone in his now dark cell again.

But the pictures in his mind affected him. MacGyver suddenly felt vulnerable. They had hit a sensitive spot. The more time he had to think about it, the more frightening it became. He had known Pete for many years; he trusted him with his life. He was his best, sometimes almost fatherly friend. Mac was certain, he would never hurt him on purpose. Yet he wasn´t able to push the memory away.

*****

When MacGyver was taken back to the larger room next time, he felt tolerably rested, but his eyes still wouldn´t focus properly. He realized the chain in the middle of the room was gone, replaced by shackles mounted to one of the walls. The guards strapped him to that wall, his arms stretched out to his sides and a little above his shoulders, facing the wooden planks. His wrists were held by iron cuffs similar to the other ones. They fit quite tightly; he had almost no room to move. His face and chest were pressed on to the wooden wall. MacGyver swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment, fighting against the fear that rose in him. He barely managed to calm his breath and stop his trembling inside from showing.

When the door behind him opened after endless waiting, he turned his head, trying to see the man behind him. Before he had finished that move, before he had any chance to react, he felt the stick touching his back. MacGyver gulped in pain and surprise, leaning his forehead against the wall, striving to recover. But he was given no time for recovery. One shock followed another until it felt like his whole back was on fire. He had never experienced anything like this before. He had to end it.

“Stop it, please.” he croaked. “Stop it.” Mac´s voice was shaking just like his body. He was standing only by his last ounces of will. “Tell me what you want.” He paused for a moment, waiting for an answer. “Tell me what I have to do to end all this…” he pleaded. Inside he chided himself. Stay alert, MacGyver! Think! Hang in there! You´re still alive!

Mac didn´t get any reaction from the Asian, but he heard another man enter the room. Someone new…?, he asked himself. Another player to the “game”? The voice he heard only moments later hit him harder than any of the electric shocks or blows or kicks of the last days could have.

“Hold it, MacGyver. Don´t make it any worse.”

Mac threw his head around, trying hard to see who was behind him. That was impossible. Pete?

“You´ve done enough damage.” Pete continued. His voice sounded sad and disappointed.

MacGyver´s thoughts ran wild. Worse? Damage? What was he talking about? Why didn´t he just end this and get both of them out of here? Or am I hallucinating again? Is the drug playing tricks on my mind? Mac tried to hold on to that idea, but this time the effects of the drug had almost totally subsided. Are the shocks causing the hallucination? His confusion took over.

Apart from the guards there were two men standing behind him. The corpulent Asian and someone who – through his still blurred vision – looked like Pete Thornton. Mac shook his head, tried to blink the haze away, but the picture wouldn´t change. His mind refused to accept it, but somehow Pete was a part of this.

“Pete?” he heard himself ask. “What are you talking about?” Mac needed some answers fast.

“Don´t, Mac. Please don´t.” Pete replied, now sounding also a little angry. “Don´t play dumb with me.”

MacGyver still couldn´t believe it. “Pete, what´s going on here?” He made another effort to turn around a little more, to face Pete, but he froze as he felt the stick suddenly lying on his shoulder, just inches away from his face.

“I was about to ask you that question.” Pete stated. “Which secrets had you planned to hand over next?”

MacGyver was instantly speechless. “What?” he whispered in his shock.

“We were quite sure about a mole inside the Phoenix Foundation for some time.” Pete explained. “But until that attack on the research department we couldn´t pinpoint it. He paused for a moment, sighing deeply. “I´d never thought it could be you.”

MacGyver couldn´t believe what Pete accused him of doing. At first he didn´t know what to say. The disappointment in Pete´s voice sent a shiver down his spine. His voice was hoarse as he answered.

“Pete, you´ve got to know I would never hand over anything. You know me. How…”

He was cut off by an electric shock that hit his shoulder blade. He gasped in pain, and then closed his eyes, breathing hard. He still refused to believe what was happening. His thoughts were still on high speed, but got more and more entangled. Obviously he hadn´t been hallucinating when he had met Pete at the last time he´d been here. Somehow Mac had to convince him that he was innocent.

But then Pete continued. “I thought I knew you. I trusted you with my life.” The sadness was back in his voice. “How could you? How dare you, after all those years?”

Before Mac was able to answer, the stick touched his back again. He arched his back, fighting to remain silent through the pain.

“How long has this been going on?” Pete asked, while Mac was recovering. “How long have you been selling off the Phoenix Foundation´s secrets?”

MacGyver´s body was trembling; he was pushing back the darkness that threatened to take over. “I didn´t sell anything…” he managed to croak. “Pete, please, you´ve got to believe me…” How could there be any evidence for those accusations? Another shock made him yelp in pain.

“How could I believe you?” Pete was angry again. He went back to the table, set down the stick and retrieved the tape from the recorder. Slowly he closed in on MacGyver and held up the tape in front of his face. “You gave those guys you didn´t know the codes to our security systems and the instructions how to get in! Twice!” His other hand closed to a fist and he angrily hit the wall close to Mac´s head.

MacGyver flinched, then looked at the tape in surprise.

“Pete, I made all this up to buy me some time!” he rushed to answer. “That´s a fake. It won´t work. I made up those codes to survive! After all they´ve done to me I had to act. You don´t know…”

“I know very well.” Pete´s answer cut him off. He held up the tape again. “We´ve had enough time to verify those codes. They work perfectly well with your instructions.”

Another surprise.

“But how?” Mac whispered. “Why? This can´t be… I didn´t want to…” His last words trailed off to silence.

Pete Thornton retreated back to the table. “You´re right.” he said with a stone cold voice. “This can´t be.”

At the next moment the two guards were approaching him. Mac braced himself expecting another round of beating.

About an hour later he was out cold, released from his cuffs on the wall, given another dose of the drug and carried back to his cell. Pete had left without a further look at him and his condition.

*****

MacGyver came around slowly in his dark and silent cell. He had got strangely used to waking up terrible pain over the time he had been held captive. But this time was different. He felt empty, physically as well as mentally. Staring into the darkness he couldn´t conceive what had happened.

Pete was accusing him of selling off the Phoenix Foundation´s classifieds. He seemed to be a part of this trap right from the beginning. Could he really be the mastermind behind it? He wouldn´t even listen to Mac. Everything Mac had said had turned against him. He had never imagined Pete to be able to do what he´d done shortly ago. Mac lay in the darkness softly shaking his aching head. He´d heard it; he´d seen it; he´d felt it. But he still refused to believe it. All this just couldn´t be real. It couldn´t be happening.

MacGyver considered everything over and over again; his thoughts were circling fast for what seemed like an eternity. At some point the well known effects of the drug took over and he had to cope with convulsions and agony for the next hours. From there on the course of events went back to what he was used to. After the symptoms had diminished he was given his meal and been taken to the bathroom. Taking off his clothes and taking shower had gotten a lot more harrowing with the electric burns all over his body. They would not stop throbbing, but Mac knew he´d better wash up to clean the wounds. He couldn´t risk an infection in his tight situation. This time he was given back the clothes he had been wearing, when they had kidnapped him. They had been cleaned and it felt a little comforting as he put them on. At least there was something familiar.

*****

His world was breaking apart inside his mind. MacGyver had really tried hard to hold on to the thought that something was wrong here, that this was not real. But at some point within the next days he had to admit to himself that he was giving in. After more rounds of questions, accusations, beating him and electrocuting him, he was weary and desperate. Pete had kept asking him what secrets he had given away, what codes he knew or had hacked into. Nothing Mac had said had made Pete believe him. MacGyver had found no way to convince him or even raise reasonable doubt to the accusations. Their trust and friendship was ruined. Pete kept causing him horrible pain and suffering. The last time they had even brought a long leather whip. It had torn the fabric of his shirt and then the skin of his back.

As he stood in that large room again, waiting, chained to the wall, all passed through his mind. He wasn´t able to control the thoughts anymore. Many of his physical injuries were healing, kind of “making room” for the new ones. Mentally he felt weaker than ever. The way Pete was treating him had ripped his insides into pieces.

He had to prove his innocence, but how? Caged as he was, he had no chance. He needed to get out of here… But what if? After all that had happened, if Mac was able to restore his reputation, what next? How was he supposed to get back to his work, to the Phoenix Foundation after all this? His life was shattered.

His thoughts were cut off by the door opening and the men entering. Mac´s heart was racing within a split second. He had to admit, he was deeply frightened about what they might do next.

Pete Thornton took his usual place close to the table behind Mac.

“Do you have anything you want to tell me?”

Mac turned his head to look at Pete. In the corner of his eye he saw his Swiss army knife lying on the table. Mac had also gotten used to his blurred eyesight that remained for some time even after the drug effects had diminished. He took a deep breath.

“Only that I am innocent, Pete.” he answered. “I´m sure Willis would be able to prove it.”

“Willis knows nothing about this!” Pete scolded. “You will not involve him. He has been cleared of all charges. Unlike you…”

He closed in on MacGyver and started picking on the bloodied shirt that still was stuck to Mac´s back. This time he had not been allowed to shower and change his clothes.

MacGyver winced as the fabric was torn from his skin and his wounds. He steeled himself, preparing for what might be coming. The next thing he heard was the well known, familiar click of his Swiss army knife opening. A new wave of fear washed through him.

Pete cut through the fabric of Mac´s shirt exposing more of the already torn and bruised skin on MacGyver´s back.

“Nothing else…?” he asked.

Mac couldn´t control the trembling anymore.

“I can´t… I´ve done nothing wrong.” he answered in a low voice. He felt the cold steel of the blade sliding over his skin as Pete cut into his shirt.

“Nothing wrong…” Pete echoed, then slowly pushed the tip of the blade into the flesh of MacGyver´s back, just below his neck.

MacGyver bit back a painful yelp. He closed his eyes to the pain and the horror as Pete pulled the knife back out of his muscle. That was insane. Pete Thornton was stabbing him with his own Swiss army knife! What else was to come? Mac could hardly imagine things getting worse than this.

“Are you sure?” Pete asked quietly.

“Yes, Pete.” Mac managed to nod. In the next second he cried out as the blade entered the muscle covering his shoulder blade.

“I´ve been really patient with you, MacGyver.” Pete said pulling the blade back. “But we´ve wasted enough time.”

Another stab hit Mac, this time lower down his back. He felt the cold steel of the blade almost touch his ribs, tried to arch his back, striving to escape the pain. His body tensed with the suffering, yet he managed to remain quiet.

“I need some answers from you.” Pete demanded.

This time Pete´s thrust went to the other side of Mac´s spine.

This was it, MacGyver suddenly realized. If he picked the right spot, the right angle and pushed through, Pete was able to kill him. By now Mac was sure Pete knew how to do it. Even with a Swiss army knife. He couldn´t control the terror any longer.

“Stop it, Pete.” he said with a trembling voice. “Please, stop it…” He felt his eyes filling with tears. Giving in to the realization that Pete could and probably would kill him was breaking his heart. That pain felt even worse. “I can´t take any more of it.”

Pete wiped the blood off the blade at Mac´s sleeve and then closed it.

“So?” he asked. “What other codes did you hand over? What projects did you compromise? How much did they pay you? How many buyers did you have? How long has this been going on?”

MacGyver had heard all those questions in the days passing. He had no answers to them. He stood there silent, not knowing what more he could say or do. His forehead was leaning against the wooden planks, his whole body trembling. He closed his eyes fighting the tears. He winced as Pete´s fist slammed onto the planks just next to his face.

“You´ve always told me, that money wasn´t that important to you. The Phoenix Foundation took care of everything you needed! I god´s name, what changed your mind?! Why?! How?!” Pete shouted at him angrily.

MacGyver pressed his eyelids shut; he sensed a tear trailing down his cheek. He could also feel his own blood oozing down his back slow and sticky. He only managed to weakly shake his head.

“I didn´t, Pete… Please, believe me, I never did.” he pleaded. He had never felt that helpless and alone. Now he was really and dangerously close to his breaking point. “I was set up. I never handed anything over…”

Pete didn´t answer him. He went back to the table and ordered the guards to untie MacGyver. Mac dropped to his knees, breathing hard. Had he, at last, reached out successfully to Pete? A small glimpse of hope flared up inside.

Pete turned around to face him.

“I conducted and supervised that investigation myself.” he told Mac. “No one at Phoenix knows about it. I had to find the mole with help from the outside, with old friends supporting me. I didn´t know whom I could trust.”

Mac looked up at him, striving to calm down his labored breathing.

“Don´t you think, I would have discovered a set-up? When everything started pointing to you, I double- and triple-checked it. I didn´t want to believe it. It couldn´t be true.” Pete continued.

“It isn´t true.” MacGyver reassured him. “You can still trust me. Like you have over all those years.” He felt his hopes rise a little.

Pete remained quiet for some moments. Then he looked directly into Mac´s brown eyes.

“But there is enough evidence. I had to believe it.” His voice was showing his disappointment. “Anyone but you, MacGyver…I won´t let you get away with it.”

All of a sudden the glimpse of hope was drowned. Mac didn´t resist as the Asian thug bound his wrists with the end of a longer rope that was reaching in through the side wall. A part of him didn´t care anymore, what they might do next.

Then the guard got up and opened a huge sliding door in that side wall. Mac hadn´t even realized it was there all the time, but what he saw raised his level of panic instantly. Now he knew why everything had been that silent all the time.

The camp was located way from any cities on some mountain in the middle of woods. The wall that had just opened up, exposed a breathtakingly beautiful view, but it was also situated at the very edge of a rocky cliff. MacGyver´s fear of heights was triggered within the blink of an eye.

The huge guard pulled him up to his feet and shoved him towards the edge of the cliff. Mac struggled to refuse, but in his condition he was no match for that guy. Within moments he had to stand there, facing the abyss, forced to look down the rock face. The drop wasn´t that high, only 40 or 50 yards, but definitely high enough to kill him. Waves of vertigo and panic rushed through MacGyver.

After a few moments Mac suddenly sensed Pete Thornton standing close behind him.

“I am sorry about this, Mac.” he tried to apologize. “I had truly hoped, I wouldn´t have to do this. I had hoped, it wouldn´t come this far. But as I said, I can´t let you get away with it.” He laid a hand on MacGyver´s shoulder causing Mac to flinch. “Tell me what you know. Tell me all about it.”

MacGyver couldn´t tell up from down. His eyes were widened with terror. His mind went berserk. Somehow in the back of his mind he had always known that falling would be his end. Mac closed his eyes for a moment and then made up his mind.

“I am also sorry, Pete.” he replied with a breaking, hoarse voice. “I can´t believe what you are doing to me…but I´ve got nothing to confess.”

Mac tried to step back, but in the very next moment he felt an abrupt intense push forward, that sent him over the edge. His survival instinct made him grab on to the rope that bound his wrists, not knowing if it would save him. Time seemed to suddenly pass in slow motion. His heart seemed to stop as he felt himself falling. The shock totally froze him. But the blink of a moment later the motion was stopped by a violent jerk. His hands, wrists, arms and shoulders felt like being ripped off. Somehow the rope had stopped his fall. MacGyver cried out in terrible pain and fear. The sudden change of motion sent him swinging like a pendulum on that rope. Just as he realized, that he wasn´t falling anymore, that he wouldn´t die now, Mac hit something hard. Hanging from his hands, he was crushed into the rock face. His head was smashed against a rock and he passed out instantly.

Pete was standing at the edge, looking down.

“Pull him up.” he ordered after a few seconds.

The two thugs worked on the rope; the huge one drew Mac back inside. Pete knelt down beside his limp body lying on the floor. He turned Mac´s head around, checked his pulse on his neck and had a brief look at the bleeding wound behind his temple. Satisfied with Mac still being alive, he nodded to his companions and then got up and left the room. MacGyver was given his usual injection, carried back to his cell and locked up.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 06:19 AM                                    
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No comments this time? Have I shocked you too much?? blush.gif unsure.gif

Tomorrow´s part will clear up some of it...



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 11:05 AM                                    
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Note to self: Don't read this while you're eating lunch. That knife scene practically did ME in!!

Wow, something is really weird with Pete. I'm thinking he's brainwashed. A little bit of me also thinks it's Murdoc in disguise! It's just not characteristic of Pete to do this...even if he thought Mac was the mole he would definitely go through proper channels. Hmmm.......



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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 11:53 AM                                    
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Add to the note to yourself - the story is rated 'R'

What proper channels??? - if he doesn´t know whom he can trust - those old friends may be from darker times long ago, when he was working for the DXS as an operative, before he met Mac... and thinking he was deceived and double-crossed by his best friend, don´t you think he might get a 'little' angry?

And no, definitely no Murdoc this time... whistle.gif



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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 01:10 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 17 February 2020 - 02:05 PM)
Note to self: Don't read this while you're eating lunch. That knife scene practically did ME in!!

Wow, something is really weird with Pete. I'm thinking he's brainwashed. A little bit of me also thinks it's Murdoc in disguise! It's just not characteristic of Pete to do this...even if he thought Mac was the mole he would definitely go through proper channels. Hmmm.......

Oh my gosh, that comment cracked me up. I'm literally finishing a sandwich right now and the knife scene was completely my favorite part of that section. laugh.gif

I guess I'm pretty desensitized to the whumping......comes with the territory of being a Murdoc fan, I guess! biggrin.gif

It's not really Murdoc's MO, although nothing would surprise me at this point. Hmmm.... you could be on to something with the undercover thing, maybe. What if Pete is playing along to save Mac in the long run, somehow? Convincing them that Mac is still useful alive until he can clear Mac's name?

Honestly, I'm less concerned for the why and more for the how. Is this a black site? Is it a DXS base? Obviously there's been quite a lot of planning put into this. MacGyver is the type who would likely be missed, so what's the cover story---another mission? Where are these drugs coming from? DXS again?

What if Pete has been working for HIT or something all along?

What if the *Phoenix Foundation* has been corrupt all along?

What if Mac *really is* a bad guy and this is all one giant swerve? hmm.bmp

Too many questions...!!!



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Highly Illogical. Delightfully Useless. Achtung Y'All.

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 01:14 PM                                    
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QUOTE (bluegirl @ 17 February 2020 - 11:53 AM)
Add to the note to yourself - the story is rated 'R'

What proper channels??? - if he doesn´t know whom he can trust - those old friends may be from darker times long ago, when he was working for the DXS as an operative, before he met Mac... and thinking he was deceived and double-crossed by his best friend, don´t you think he might get a 'little' angry?

And no, definitely no Murdoc this time... whistle.gif

True, I suppose Pete would feel he couldn't trust anybody...but he trusts these Asian dudes? Sorry, not buying it...yet. And where did these Asian dudes come from anyway? My focus has shifted totally from Mac to Pete at this point.



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 01:36 PM                                    
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I just read all of this last night.

I'm holding onto the idea that Pete would never do this, even if he thought Mac were guilty. It's just... so inhumane (of course, it's your story, so things might be different wink.gif )

Looking forward to having some things cleared up wink.gif



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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 01:45 PM                                    
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At least for you who are reading this some thing might clear up tomorrow... even if it might get worse before that.



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 01:48 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 17 February 2020 - 10:14 PM)
True, I suppose Pete would feel he couldn't trust anybody...but he trusts these Asian dudes?  Sorry, not buying it...yet.  And where did these Asian dudes come from anyway?  My focus has shifted totally from Mac to Pete at this point.

Mac has to buy it... you will know more about it tomorrow



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 07:50 PM                                    
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QUOTE (bluegirl @ 17 February 2020 - 04:48 PM)
QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 17 February 2020 - 10:14 PM)
True, I suppose Pete would feel he couldn't trust anybody...but he trusts these Asian dudes?  Sorry, not buying it...yet.  And where did these Asian dudes come from anyway?  My focus has shifted totally from Mac to Pete at this point.

Mac has to buy it... you will know more about it tomorrow

Mac has to buy it? <latches onto that> Okay. Okay. Now my brain is going in 100 different directions........

Are they conditioning him for something?!?!

If all of this is a ruse, then what's the motive? And what's the endgame? hmm.bmp



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Highly Illogical. Delightfully Useless. Achtung Y'All.

 
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Posted: 17 February 2020 - 11:50 PM                                    
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Here we go - many of you have been speculating about Pete... This part might clear some thing... but it might get worse before that - and I have to say, I´m sorry, I miscounted - there are 13 parts in total

Part 4

This time the first thing that surfaced through the darkness was pain. MacGyver´s head, shoulders, arms and wrists were hurting terribly; the stabbing wounds on his back were throbbing. Then his last memory flashed through his head, over and over again. He wasn´t able to control the shivers that ran up and down his spine; he couldn´t fight the tears filling his eyes. His dizziness faded slowly as he opened his eyes to the darkness around him. Staring blankly into his dark cell he remained motionless lying on his back.

Mac felt shattered inside, as if his heart had been torn apart. Pete had been his best friend for so many years. He had trusted him totally. Pete had been his mentor, his boss, even his safety net sometimes. He had saved MacGyver´s life. But now? Within days, everything had changed… Pete was willing to kill him…

MacGyver weakly shook his head, still lying flat on the ground. Cautiously he tried to move first his hands and then his arms. Every muscle, tendon and ligament was protesting wildly, but nothing seemed to be torn, only strained and pulled. Sitting up wasn´t all too comfortable. He felt the dried blood on his back pulling on his wounds, some of them reopening and bleeding anew, when he curled himself up leaning against the wooden planks in the back corner of his cell.

But the physical strain was bearable compared to his mental agony. He couldn´t remember if he had ever felt that hopeless before in his life. Giving in to the emptiness inside Mac bowed his head and just sat there, waiting quietly for what else could probably happen. Right now MacGyver didn´t know if he would be able to cope with it any longer. Ending this torment any way suddenly seemed like a dangerously tempting option.

After a few minutes Mac raised his head again. Whoa, he chided himself mentally. Be careful, where your thoughts are taking you, MacGyver!

He forced himself to recall the events from the beginning, striving to make any sense of it for the hundredth time. He´d been kidnapped out of nowhere, questioned to give away the security codes for the Phoenix Foundations systems. They had beaten and drugged him. He had tried to lie his way out of it, but the plan had blown up in his face. Pete Thornton had turned up. He had accused him of selling off secrets, of handing over security codes and classifieds. He had talked of evidence, had wanted to know precisely who the buyers were and what he had sold. He had continued and intensified Mac´s suffering in order to obtain the information.

He had not believed in any of Mac´s answers. As his boss he should have known that Mac´s security clearance level for the research division wasn´t high enough. He couldn´t have those codes. But Pete had not listened to him. He knew what Mac was capable of. He had even let Mac know, that he could kill him using his worst fear. Now MacGyver knew why there had been nothing to help him escape, nothing to work on. The person planning and conducting all this knew him very well. Pete Thornton.

Some part of MacGyver had all the way refused to believe that this had really happened, that it was not only a bad dream. At the very moment when Pete had pushed him over the edge, that part had been broken. The bitter disappointment over the end of their friendship and trust left MacGyver feeling ripped apart and empty inside. The longer he sat there staring into the darkness, the clearer the realization hit him, the deeper his grief got. At some point he gave in to the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and allowed his head to drop onto his arms and dozed off.

*****

MacGyver was startled awake by something unusual. He heard men shouting outside his cell, but he couldn´t understand a thing. They were talking in some foreign language. MacGyver´s senses and mind were on alert within the blink of a second, as he heard someone running down the corridor. What the heck was going on? Sensing the uproar on the outside his survival instinct awakened out of nowhere. Now or never.

He got up to his feet quickly, ignoring the pain, the dizziness and the starting hallucinations. When he heard the runner stop at his door and open the padlock, he positioned himself close to it. Just as the door started to move open, he rammed it with all his remaining strength. He surprised the Asian guard, who was hit hard by the heavy wooden door and thrown back against the opposite wall of the corridor. Without thinking Mac followed up with a solid punch to the man´s jaw that set him out cold to the floor.

A little surprised about himself, Mac stood there for a few seconds, shaking his aching hand. The sound of gunshots from another room made him act again. He picked up the bunch of keys that had dropped to the ground, threw the guards pistol into his dark cell and hurried off to the door at the end of the corridor, away from the gunfire. If he could still trust his sense of orientation and room layout, this one should lead to the outside, to freedom hopefully.

Whatever was going on here, he wasn´t in for being a part of the shooting. He could hide somewhere in the woods of that mountain, find out where he was and then figure out what to do next. But his main priority was getting out.

MacGyver tested the handle and sighed in relief, as he realized that it wasn´t locked. He opened it just a little and peeked out through the crack. Trees… Bushes… Thicket… MacGyver let out a bigger sigh of relief and sneaked out of the door staying close to the wall. He looked around carefully, but there was no one to be seen. Just as he heard another round of gunfire somewhere in the camp behind him, he pushed himself off the wall and ran for cover in the forest.

He had not noticed that just as he went out the door, Pete Thornton had entered the corridor. He saw the cell door open, his guard down and then heard the door at the other end of the corridor close. His face darkened.

“No, MacGyver.” he growled to himself. “You´re not going to get away.” Then he picked up the pursuit.

MacGyver rushed the slope of the mountain downwards as fast as he could. His blurred vision didn´t help it, the intensifying hallucinations didn´t either. His body was considerably weakened, running took quite an effort.

But he had to get some distance between himself and that camp. He tried to stay more or less parallel to the cliff while keeping a safe distance to it. It might prove valuable for orientation. The sky was clouded, so he couldn´t tell which time of day it was, and it must have been raining earlier. The ground was soaked wet and sometimes slippery. The trees and bushes had not dried up yet.

After a few minutes of running and slipping he once again stumbled to his knees close to a huge tree. MacGyver had to balance himself with the help of his hands, as everything around him seemed to move due to the effects of the drug. He sat up slowly, trying to will the vertigo away. Mac was breathing heavily, feeling every little bit of his weakness and exhaustion. He had noticed the rock face getting a little lower the further he got down the slope. It didn´t end at the bottom of the valley; there was a little plateau and another wooded slope below it. He had seen some clearances and a small river down below. The whole scenery seemed strangely familiar.

Taking a short break and reflecting on all this, Mac suddenly heard something at a distance behind him. Someone was dashing through the thicket.

A new wave of adrenaline rushed through MacGyver as he suddenly realized that he was being followed. He jumped up, looked back and then hurried sideways through the cover of the trees.

He heard Pete´s well known voice shouting out to him: “MacGyver, this is no use! You can´t outrun me in your condition.”

Normally Mac would have laughed at this. But now, heading for the cliff, he had to admit Pete was right. Mac was already on reserve power and slowed down additionally by the drug. Closer to the edge of the cliff was less thicket – maybe he could go faster there. But there was also less cover. A dangerous choice, but one he had to make, if he wanted to hold on to his chance to escape.

When he reached a small clearing he made another effort to quicken his pace. He heard Pete call out to him again.

“Hold it, MacGyver! This is useless!”

Only seconds later something hit his thigh hard and he felt an immense stabbing pain. His leg wouldn´t carry him anymore. He stumbled, fell and rolled over with the momentum of his flight, until he stopped lying on his front, close to the edge of the cliff. MacGyver groaned, automatically felt for his thigh. His hand touched something small and cold. He rose up a little and turned to look at it as he realized, it was his own Swiss army knife. Shock washed over him, but he had no time to spare. Pete was closing in fast.

MacGyver pulled the knife out of his leg with a moan, tried to get up and away, but it was too late. Just as he was on his hands and knees, Pete reached his side and kicked hard. The Swiss army knife slipped out of Mac´s grip; he went down gasping with pain and coughing. Pete followed with another violent kick and then another. Mac collapsed, breathing ragged, feeling the pain from his cracked rib. He was fighting the darkness that threatened to take him away. No, he urged himself, not now! Stay awake!

He sensed Pete kneeling down on his side and grabbing his shirt. He picked Mac up rudely and turned him over until he was lying on his back. MacGyver hardly bit back a painful yelp as the cold and wet rock pressed against the wounds on his back. Looking left and right quickly, he realized that his head was just inches from the edge of the cliff.

Pete was over him, also breathing heavily, grabbing the front of Mac´s shirt. The expression on his face was unreadable to Mac´s blurred eyesight. He changed his hold to MacGyver´s neck and started strangling, squeezing on his throat.

MacGyver was shocked, but instinctively grabbed on to Pete´s wrists and tried to loosen the pressure on his neck.

“Pete, no!” he pleaded, barely able to speak. “Please… don´t do this!” He got no reaction, no answer.

Somehow deep inside he had known that this time he would be fighting for his life, fighting to survive. In his weakened condition, Mac was no match for Pete; he was unable to move his hands only an inch. He looked at Pete desperately, noticing the bunch of keys and the Swiss army knife lying close by in the corner of his eye. There was no time to spare. His vision started to black out due to the lack of air. Within a split second he made up his decision.

One of his hands left Pete´s wrist, reached for the Swiss army knife and thrust the still open blade into Pete´s upper arm quickly. Pete yelled in pain and surprise; his grip on Mac´s neck loosened a bit. Mac´s hand reached out again for the keys and slammed them against the side of Pete´s head, simultaneously his other hand pulled on Pete´s grip around his neck. Now getting a little more air, he followed that up with punch of his knee to Pete´s side, as hard as he could. Pete was thrown over, his hands left MacGyver´s neck.

Both of them being dangerously close to the edge, Pete skidded on the wet rock as he tried to recover. The rock he tried to grab for a new hold crumbled, and in that same blink of an eye the edge of the cliff broke away under his weight. His hands found nothing to hold on; he slipped over the edge helplessly. MacGyver turned around as fast as he could, when he saw Pete falling. He desperately tried to get a hold on him, but he was too late. He saw Pete falling down that cliff, heard him shout out his name in a voice that sounded strange, but the shout was abruptly stopped.

All of a sudden time seemed to slow down.

MacGyver was lying prone at the edge of the cliff, staring downwards. His arms and hands were still reaching out for Pete. He couldn´t conceive what had happened at first. Realization came slowly, accompanied by tears welling up in his eyes.

“No, please…” he said in a low voice to himself. “No…whatever happened, this is not how I wanted it to end.”

Through his hazy vision he saw a body lying down there, about 15 yards below, strangely bent, not moving at all.

“Pete!” he called out. “Pete!”

Nothing.

Slowly he raised himself up, kneeling close to the edge for what felt like an eternity. Everything seemed to be moving around him, yet he couldn´t decide whether it was the effects of the drug or his shock. MacGyver didn´t fight his tears anymore. His heart was shattered; he felt totally empty inside. He had killed Pete Thornton.

Mac closed his eyes, covered his face with his hands, wiped the tears away as if he could undo the last few minutes. But the sight was still there, when he opened up his eyes again only moments later. That lifeless body was still lying at the bottom of the rock face. MacGyver also saw his Swiss army knife lying nearby, covered in blood. He slowly picked it up, mechanically closed the blade and slid it into his pocket. It had to be a mixture of my own and Pete´s blood, he thought.

Bit by bit his physical pain sneaked back into his mind. Realizing that he needed help badly, he skidded back from the edge. He needed to get out of here – wherever here was. He would have to find that out first. MacGyver felt totally worn out, yet he cautiously tried to get back on his feet with the help of a tree. Standing there a little swaying, leaning on that tree worked fine, but as he wanted to walk on, taking a few steps, his wounded and bleeding leg wouldn´t carry him. With a painful gasp, MacGyver collapsed to the rocky ground and finally passed out.

*****

MacGyver couldn´t tell how long he´d been out. He was surrounded by silence. One after another his injuries made themselves felt, accompanied by shivers running up and down his body. As he blinked his eyes open, he had to shield them with his hands. The rain was pouring down again. The hallucinations caused by the drug had lessened, so he was in for a period of spasms and suffering soon, he assessed somewhat automatically.

MacGyver still couldn´t tell the daytime, the light hadn´t changed much. His shirt and jeans were soaked wet; he was freezing. Just as he slowly sat up to check on his wounded leg, his last memories struck him hard. He stopped moving and closed his eyes as the grief and shock washed over him. After a few moments he turned around and looked to the edge of the cliff. He had to be sure, he suddenly decided. He had to get down that rock face.

With a deep sigh, Mac had a look on his injured thigh. It was still bleeding, so he ripped off the sleeves of his shirt and improvised a bandage that put some pressure on the wound. Slow and with caution he rose up on his feet, testing his aching leg. The compression of his makeshift bandage helped; he was able to control and stand on it. Now upright again, he could see the body still lying at the same spot down there.

Determined to check on Pete Thornton´s condition MacGyver went closer to the edge and started searching for a way down. His fear of heights kicked in instantly. His memory of almost falling to his death and being stopped by the rope didn´t help it either. Scanning the rock face and the cliff he followed the slope further downwards. Mac didn´t have to go far to find what he was looking for. A crevice was leading down to a ledge closer to the ground.

He wasn´t looking forward to free climbing in the rain. But he had to. He had to know for sure.

Kneeling down at the edge he carefully started his decent. The rocks were slippery from the rain that subsided and then stopped along Mac´s way to the foot of the rock face. When Mac reached the ledge, he felt the symptoms of the drug clearly already. He had to take a break waiting out a sudden wave of pain to pass. He was still a few yards from the ground, but from here on the route got a lot more challenging. He couldn´t see Pete´s body anymore because high trees and thicket close to the cliff were blocking his view. He felt his way from one hold to another cautiously, trying to ignore the pain and the spasms. But he had to stop moving over and over again when the suffering became too overwhelming.

When he was about 5 yards above the ground one of his feet slipped off his hold, just as he was changing his grip with his hands. All of a sudden his injured leg had to take his full weight, but that was too much for it. It gave way. With a painful gasp MacGyver frantically reached out for any grip with his hands, but his strained arms were too weak. He slipped and fell. His feet reached the ground first. Mac felt a sudden stinging pain in his wounded thigh, groaned, but only an instant later his back and head also hit the rocky ground hard. MacGyver was out cold in the same very moment.

He lay motionless between the trees and bushes, hidden by the vegetation. He didn´t hear or see the helicopter passing along the cliff, over him and Pete, and landing on a clearing nearby at the bottom of the valley. He didn´t hear or see the two men hurrying out of the helicopter as soon as it had touched ground.

They had seen a body lying at the foot of the rock face from above and were rushing up the wooded slope to get there as fast as they could. The slim one reached the plateau first and stopped abruptly.

“What the…” he uttered surprised under his breath as he recognized the man lying there. “You´ve got to see this!” he continued louder over his shoulder to his companion.

The other man caught up with him soon. He was rather corpulent; running up the slope took him a little longer.

“What is it, Willis?” he asked while slowing down.

Willis approached the motionless body. “Looks familiar, doesn´t it, Pete?”

Pete Thornton was stunned by the sight. At first he was speechless, after a few seconds he also closed in on the man.

“In god´s name, what…” He didn´t know what to ask first. They had been searching for MacGyver, had seen the silhouette from the chopper, had both hoped that it wouldn´t be Mac they would find there. But finding a double of himself…That was definitely not what Pete and Willis had been expecting. Willis kneeled down beside the man and checked for a pulse but found none.

“He´s dead.” he told Pete. “And his skin looks and feels strange.” He looked up the rock face and pointed to the top. “See that? There has been a small rockslide. He must have fallen.” Willis examined the body further. “His arm is wounded, there´s blood, but I can´t see any blood on his head, not even a bruise. Something is wrong here.”

Pete´s eyes had been fixed on the dead man. He also kneeled down. His confused thoughts were running wild. After all they had seen while storming that camp, he didn´t know where to fit this man that looked exactly like himself, lying here dead. What had happened to MacGyver in the past three weeks since he was missing? And, still more important, where was Mac? A little hesitant he also touched the man´s neck. Pete had noticed a strange wrinkle or scar.

“Willis, what´s that? Have you seen that?”

Willis shook his head. His fingers followed the wrinkle to the man´s shirt and jacket. He carefully opened first the jacket then the shirt a little more. They looked at each other in surprise as they found the edge of a silicone mask hidden below. Willis lifted the mask from the man´s neck. Now they could see that the man´s neck was broken, probably by the fall.

Pete frowned with deep concern. “If he fell from up there, maybe we should look for MacGyver on that higher slope.”

Willis wasn´t that sure. “I don´t think so.” he replied. “If he saw “you” falling, he would have done anything to get down here.”

Pete nodded. Willis had a point. But where to start looking for him?

In the next moment both of them froze and looked up at each other, both hearing something from a little distance, also close to the rock face, but hidden by some trees and thicket.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 18 February 2020 - 10:20 AM                                    
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In the beginning, when you describe Mac's mentally agony I keep thinking of him in The Widowmaker. I also like how you summarize the events and his thoughts. Puts thing in perspective for the reader. LOL...Mac shaking his hand after hitting the Asian dude! TOTALLY typical...I was hoping you'd have him do that! Also tossing the gun back inside the cell...he always tossed the guns away. Pete and Mac fighting each other is so hard to read about, but glad Mac got free. Then Pete falling off the cliff...Wow! Really high impact (no pun intended!) AHA!! I KNEW it wasn't really Pete!!

Okay, so I made comments as I read if you couldn't tell. Very exciting and intriguing!! I really got caught up in this part to the point that I was really disappointed when it abruptly (for me, anyway) ended. Looking forward to next part. Is that Mac they hear??? And who is the dead Pete???



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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bluegirl
Posted: 18 February 2020 - 11:28 AM                                    
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Abrupt ending... well that´s what make´s a good cliffhanger, right?

And now YOU know it wasn´t Pete, but what will it take to make Mac know and believe - after all he´s been through?

hmm.bmp doh.gif



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 19 February 2020 - 09:18 PM                                    
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Hmm, so it looks like the REAL Pete is about to find where Mac is. Assuming Mac doesn't manage to get away before Pete finds him... hmm.bmp



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

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"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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bluegirl
Posted: 19 February 2020 - 11:36 PM                                    
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So, Mac might be in for getting help - but given his condidtion, physically, mentally, emotionally... will he be able to accept it...?

Part 5

MacGyver wasn´t able to stop the ringing in his head, when he came to consciousness again. The next thing he felt was the cold that made him shiver. His still wet clothes didn´t help it. As he rolled over to his side and slowly got up to his hands and knees every injury made itself known. Mac stiffened for a few moments as he had to wait for a wave of pain and spasms to pass. Just then he realized he could hear muffled voices.

With the blink of an eye all his senses were on alert.

The voices sounded somehow familiar, but he couldn´t make out the words through the ringing in his head. One of those voices made his adrenaline flow instantly. Mac was still hidden behind the bushes and the thicket and couldn´t see through them, so he decided to get up. What he saw when he was up on his feet and peeked around the leaves paralyzed him in the same second.

His eyes widened with a mixture of shock, confusion and panic. The lifeless body of Pete was still lying there, but right next to it kneeled two men. One of them was with his back to MacGyver, but the other one was suddenly looking directly at him. It was another Pete Thornton! Mac´s mouth opened with a whispered question.

“What…? How…?”

In that moment Pete called out his name in relief. “MacGyver! Thank God!”

The other guy turned around, but Mac never looked at him. The call of his name had loosened his paralysis and in the same split second he turned on his heels and ran off.

Pete was up on his feet only a moment later and wanted to hurry after him.

“Mac! Wait!”

Willis grabbed his arm fast as Pete wanted to run by him stopping Pete in his tracks. Pete tried to angrily brush his hand off.

“Willis, we´ve got to…” He was cut off by Willis answer.

“No, don´t follow him.” He shook his head, rising up fully. “Have you seen how he looked at you?”

Pete turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

Willis sighed, looking into the direction where Mac had just disappeared.

“He was shocked, he was frightened. He is injured.” he stated. “Pete, we don´t know what they´ve done to him. We don´t know what role “this” Pete Thornton had to play.” He pointed at the dead man. “I know, I´m more of the lab guy, I´m not into field operations. But I think I´d better follow MacGyver and try to catch up with him. You should stay out of his sight for now.”

Pete wanted to protest at first, but he gave in fast. Willis was right. He had also seen it.

“All right. Now go! Hurry!” he sent him off.

Willis took off quickly and disappeared into the thicket pursuing Mac´s path.

Standing there alone, Pete looked down at the false Pete Thornton. Not being able to act, to help his best friend tore him inside. He raised his gaze to the forest again. He had noticed that Mac was wounded and his condition was weak, his skin pale. His concern for MacGyver grew even bigger than it had been for the last three weeks while they had been searching for him.

“Oh, MacGyver…” he sighed to himself. “What did they make you go through?”

*****

As MacGyver ran off his mind hit overdrive. Running away was pure survival instinct. He had barely survived their first fight; he wasn´t going to take his chances on a second time. At the moment he didn´t care who the other man had been. He just wanted to get away. His fear of being caught and brought back to the camp took over. He was frightened by the thought of returning to this suffering and what else they might do to him to increase it.

Mac rushed through the forest as fast as he could, but he didn´t know the terrain and the effects of the drug slowed him down. They were almost full blown by now. He knew he wouldn´t be able to outrun whoever was following him. Frantically he kept looking for any opportunity to hide, but it wasn´t all too easy with his blurred vision and the hallucinations, he was experiencing. Running seemed to aggravate the symptoms.

MacGyver had just passed a bend in the rock face when he was forced to stop. He doubled over and fell to his knees, groaning as the pain cut through him. His whole body stiffened with spasms. His panic inside screamed at him to get up and run, but he wasn´t able to move only an inch. Helpless he dropped to his side, fighting to stay quiet through the pain, fighting not to give away his location.

*****

Willis didn´t have too much difficulties following MacGyver. He could hear him, he could see the traces he left which was unusual for him. He soon noticed he was easily catching up. When all of a sudden everything went quiet in front of him, Willis instinctively slowed down. If Mac was hiding, he might be in for some creative surprise. MacGyver had saved Willis´ life once and he´d heard a lot of stories about Mac´s ingenuity. Willis didn´t want to be the target of one of his imaginative ideas.

Cautiously he worked his way closer to the rock face and around a corner of it. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks. MacGyver was lying on the ground, curled up on his side, his arms wrapped around his body. He didn´t move and his face was covered with sweat and marked with severe pain. His breathing was ragged.

Willis first felt the urge to rush to him, but on second thought he approached Mac slowly, step by step.

“MacGyver?” he asked with a soft voice. “Mac?” he tried again, as he got no reaction.

Hi concern for his friend grew with every step; he cautiously crouched down beside him. He gently touched Mac´s upper arm close to his shoulder.

“MacGyver?...What´s wrong with you?”

MacGyver was consumed in coping with the excruciating pain and the ringing in his head. He didn´t notice Willis closing in or calling his name. He was startled by Willis´ touch, instinctively raised his hands in defense and reflexively tried to knock whoever was close to him away.

Willis was shocked for a moment by his fierce reaction and then managed to grab on to Mac´s wrists in order to keep Mac from hitting him. This only earned him a painful cry from MacGyver so he let go instantly. Only then he realized that Mac´s wrists were sore and bloodied. But MacGyver immediately continued to fight him, tried to get up and away without even looking at who was near him. His panic took over.

Willis drew back for a second, but then realized he had to stop him fast. For MacGyver´s own best.

He grabbed on again, this time lower at Mac´s forearms and tried to steady him. Willis was surprised he was able to push him back to the ground and hold him there, one arm to his left, one to his right side. Under normal circumstances there would have been no way that he´d been a match for the well trained man. Mac was forced to spread out on his back, struggling to free himself, but the pressure on his wounded back made him moan.

“MacGyver, stop it!” Willis called out to him. “Calm down! Look at me! It´s me. It´s Willis!”

MacGyver stopped moving as the words registered in his mind. His thoughts went wild again. What…? How…? He slowly turned his head towards the voice he´d heard and blinked his eyes open, still breathing heavily, his body still tense. He tried to blink the haze away, but the drug wouldn´t allow him to see clearly. That guy sounded like Willis, he looked like Willis. Pete´s voice echoed in his head: Willis knows nothing about this. He has been cleared of all charges. No one at Phoenix knows about this. But why was he here?

A part of Mac was still on high alert, yet another part of him desperately wanted to believe that this was his chance for rescue. He looked at Willis directly.

“Willis…?” he asked. “Why are you…?”

“That´s not important now, MacGyver.” Willis cut him off. He felt Mac relax a little. “Will you hit me again, if I let go?”

MacGyver shook his head with a weak smile. “No…” He let out a deep breath he´d been holding.

Willis slowly released his grip, looking all over Mac, trying to assess his condition. He saw Mac closing his eyes in relief and exhaustion. He laid a hand on his forehead, checking his temperature, then on his neck feeling for his pulse. Mac tried to relax his muscles and calm down his racing heart and ragged breathing.

Willis had noticed the fresh bleeding cut on the side of Mac´s head, the bruises on his neck, the bandage around his thigh, his sore wrists. He´d felt the shivers running through him; his temperature was too high, his pulse fast but steady and strong. At first sight, he couldn´t tell, why his overall condition was that weak. Willis sat up and took off his jacket.

“Mac, you´re feverish. Your clothes are wet. You´re freezing.” he said. “We´d better wrap you into my jacket, hm?”

Mac opened his eyes and nodded. When he prepared to sit up, Willis was leaning over him again.

“Wait. Slow down. I´ll help you.” he offered.

One of his hands held on to Mac´s upper arm, the other one went around the back of his neck steadying his head. MacGyver turned a little into Willis direction, but in the middle of rising up another wave of convulsions and agony rushed through him violently. He doubled up, gasped in pain; his whole body was out of control within the second. He would have fallen, if Willis had not been holding him.

“Mac!” Willis was shocked. He pulled MacGyver closer, attempting to steady his friend with his hold. “MacGyver, what is it? What´s wrong?”

Mac couldn´t react to his question.

One of Willis´ arms held Mac´s head and his shoulders, with the other one he let go of Mac´s arm and went around his back. But Willis flinched back instantly being scared of what he had felt. He had concentrated on Mac´s face, yet now, with MacGyver lying on his side in Willis´ arm, he got a first look at his back. Willis heart seemed to stop for a split second as he first stared at his own bloodied hand, then at MacGyver´s back, completely speechless. He saw the torn and cut fabric of his shirt, stained with a mixture of dirt and blood. What was visible of Mac´s skin was torn and bruised, also partly covered with blood and dirt, partly with angry red color.

Willis got out of his shock as Mac´s body stiffened once again and he managed to bite back a painful cry. Willis tried to provide as much support and comfort to Mac as he could. His free hand reached out for the jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders and upper body.

After a few moments MacGyver weakly turned his head to look at Willis. His gaze was unsteady and clouded.

“It´s okay, Willis…” he tried to calm him with a breaking voice, merely more than a whisper. “It won´t kill me…”

Having said that he drew in a sharp breath, his body tensed once more, then went slack and he passed out.

“What?” Willis was stunned for a moment. Then he shook MacGyver softly. “MacGyver? Mac?” he asked, but got no answer.

Willis took another look at Mac´s pale face and checked for his pulse. He pulled Mac even closer into his arms, at least trying to keep him warm.

“What have those maniacs done to you, MacGyver?” he asked himself angrily, shaking his head with deep concern for his friend. He needed to get Mac into medical care as soon as possible. Willis remembered the portable radio sets he and Pete had taken with them and reached for it in the pocket of his jacket. One handed he pulled it out and turned it on.

“Pete, do you read me?” he asked into it. “I found him!”

It took a few seconds until Pete was responding.

“Thank God! How is he? What´s the matter with him?”

“At the moment he´s unconscious.” Willis looked down at MacGyver before he continued. “And he´s in bad shape. We do need a doctor here. Fast.”

Pete remained silent, but another voice answered. “We´re on our way. Where do we find you?”

Pete and Willis had brought another Phoenix operative, who had flown the helicopter, and one of Phoenix´ doctors with them on this search and rescue mission, just in case. They had stayed with the helicopter, when Pete and Willis had jumped out to check on the body they´d seen.

“A few hundred yards down the slope, close to the rock face, just behind a bend.” Willis answered. “But you´d better come alone at first, doc.”

“Understood.”

Willis was about to put the walkie-talkie down, as he heard Pete´s voice again.

“How bad, Willis?” he asked. “Do I really have to stay away?”

“I´m not sure, Pete.” Willis sighed. “And I know you´re not going to like it, but I think you have to stay out of sight… and out of hearing.” With that he put the radio set down and concentrated on MacGyver again.

*****

Fortunately Dr. Thompson found them quite fast. It took only a few minutes until Willis heard someone through the thicket.

“Over here!” he called out to the doctor.

Only moments later the doctor set down his emergency case close to them.

“You need to lay him down, Willis.” He asked, while he opened the case.

Willis nodded. “You might want to take a look at his back first.” he added.

Dr. Thompson looked up in surprise. “I do?...All right…”

With the help of Willis he cautiously took the coat off MacGyver. As he saw the wounds and bruises through the torn fabric, he stopped moving for a moment. His face darkened as he took in the sight. Then he spread the jacket out on the ground and carefully felt across MacGyver´s whole back. The doctor moved to feel for Mac´s pulse on his neck and then looked at Willis again.

“Now let´s lay him down.” he asked softly.

Together they slowly lowered Mac until he was lying flat on his back on Willis´ jacket. Dr. Thompson continued to examine MacGyver´s condition, noticing the needle marks on his arms. As he opened his shirt on the front, they saw more bruises and the electric burns. The doctor checked his heart and lungs with a stethoscope and then closed the shirt again.

“Was he unconscious when you found him?” he asked Willis.

“No.” Willis shook his head. “He was going through severe pain and spasms. MacGyver was confused, frightened and shocked until he recognized me. He relaxed, but when the convulsions returned, he passed out. Just before that he told me not to be afraid. It won´t kill him.”

“It won´t kill him?” Dr. Thompson repeated, looking up puzzled.

Willis just raised his hands and shrugged. “That´s all he said.”

In the next moment MacGyver stirred moaning lightly. Willis was quick to take his hand and stabilize Mac´s head with his other one.

“Quiet, MacGyver. Take it easy.”

Mac turned his head a little towards his voice and opened his eyes.

“I did get help for you. This is Dr. Thompson.” Willis told him, looking at the doctor.

MacGyver followed his gaze; his body tensed when he saw the doctor beside him. He tried to get up, but Willis held him down at his shoulder.

“Don´t. It´s okay.”

MacGyver relaxed a little, yet some fear remained in his eyes. The doctor laid a hand softly on his forehead, while he looked scrutinizing at him.

“Willis told me about some serious pain and spasms.” he stated. “Do you think you have internal injuries?”

“No.” Mac shook his head weakly.

“Your vision is blurred? Are you feeling dizzy?”

Mac nodded.

Dr. Thompson took another look at Mac´s arms. “You´ve been given some drug or poison, right?”

Mac nodded again. “It causes the…” he tried to add with a hoarse voice, but was cut off by a wave of pain washing over him. He rolled to his side, curled up, closed his eyes and tried to endure quietly. Willis was there fast, supporting Mac´s head and his shoulders. Dr. Thompson also stabilized Mac at first, but he soon turned around to his case as he realized how intense MacGyver´s suffering was.

“We need to ease those symptoms.” he stated, picking up a syringe, a needle and a small glass bottle.

As the pain allowed him a short break, MacGyver opened his eyes and saw the doctor preparing the syringe. The mere sight of it triggered his panic instantly.

“No!” he cried out and bolted up and backwards before Willis could react. He didn´t get very far, stumbled against the rock face only a few yards away and collapsed. MacGyver lay there trembling, curled up with pain and convulsions again. Willis wanted to follow him, but the doctor held him back.

“No, wait. Give him a few moments.” He filled up another syringe, and then looked seriously at Willis. “I hate to do this, but do you think you can retain him?”

Willis nodded hesitantly. “I had to earlier.” he answered observing Mac closely.

The doctor picked up both syringes and sighed. “Very well…” Thompson said. “You need to hold him tight, while I administer those injections. I´m sorry about it, but it is necessary.”

Willis also sighed deeply and then approached MacGyver cautiously. “MacGyver?” He touched his shoulder gently.

Mac turned abruptly, raised his hands in defense and tried to hit Willis hand away. This time Willis reacted faster, held on to Mac´s forearms and pushed him down against rock and ground.

“Shh, Mac. Quiet.” he tried to calm him. “It´s me, Willis.”

MacGyver kept fighting his hold. Willis heard Dr. Thompson closing in. Mac saw him, fear filling his eyes.

“No!” he pleaded. “Don´t! Please, don´t!”

It hurt Willis deep inside to see his friend like this.

“Mac, it´s okay. We´re not going to harm you.” he told him. “We´re here to help you.”

He felt MacGyver trembling in his grip. Dr. Thompson quickly found a vein and emptied both syringes into Mac´s body one after another.

MacGyver´s resistance ceased. He felt the darkness taking over his senses. He desperately fought to stay awake, looking from Willis to the doctor and back pleading and scared.

“Don´t fight it, MacGyver.” Dr. Thompson recommended softly. “It will make it easier for you. It will take away the pain.”

Gradually MacGyver´s body went limp; Willis had to catch him as he lost consciousness. He held him close in his arms with a questioning look towards the doctor.

“He will be asleep for a few hours.” Dr. Thompson explained. “It will take away the convulsions and the pain. And allow me to take care of him. I wouldn´t be able to help him in his panicked state.” He retrieved Willis´ jacket and wrapped it around MacGyver while Willis held him. “Keep him warm.”

Then he got up and picked up the portable radio set.

“ Jonas, are you there?” he asked. “We need the stretcher up here.”

“On my way.” The answer took a few seconds.

“Mr. Thornton?” Thompson asked after that. “You can meet us at the helicopter. MacGyver is sedated. But you have to keep your distance and remain quiet. I´ll brief you then.”

“Copy.” Pete´s voice answered. “I´ll see you there.” His worry could be clearly heard.

Jonas arrived in a few minutes. Together they laid MacGyver on the stretcher, covered him with a blanket and secured him with the straps. Willis carried the doctor´s case while they took the unconscious man to the helicopter and loaded him inside.

Pete was already there; his face marked with concern that grew even deeper as he saw them approaching. He could see only Mac´s head and neck due to the blanket he was wrapped in. But MacGyver´s face was pale, covered with sweat and lined with stress and exhaustion. He also seemed to have lost weight. Pete couldn´t help but close in on his friend until Dr. Thompson stopped him.

“No… I had to keep the dosage of the sedation low. He has been given some drug or poison. I don´t know what it is yet. I´m not sure, how it interacts with the medication. He might notice you, and we can´t risk that right now. For his own best, sir. Please.” he explained as he got into the helicopter alongside MacGyver. “You need to get into the front seat. Willis and I are staying with him.” The tone of his voice left no room for arguments.

Pete took a step back. “Is he…” he almost didn´t dare to ask.

Dr. Thompson was checking Mac´s pulse, then he turned to face Pete again.

“He´s hurt badly, his condition is serious, yet at the moment his life is not in immediate danger. But we´d better get him to the infirmary fast.”

Pete just nodded, closed the helicopter´s doors behind Willis and climbed into the front seat next to Jonas, who was already starting the engine.

“You heard the doctor.” Pete ordered. “Go as fast as you can.”

“Is everything set up at the lab complex?” the doctor asked from behind.

Pete turned to look over his shoulder. “They should be ready by now.” he replied. “I´ll notify them that we´re on our way as soon as we´re high enough. We have to get out of these valleys. The mountains would block the signal of the helicopters radio.”

“Good.”

Dr. Thompson focused on MacGyver again, took blood samples and set up an IV in Mac´s arm and an infusion with Willis help. He checked the blood pressure on his other arm, while constantly monitoring his pulse. MacGyver didn´t become aware of all this. The medication held him asleep for the whole flight.

*****

When they arrived at the Phoenix Foundation´s underground research complex, the rest of the medical team was already awaiting them. They had set up a sick-bay especially suited for taking care of MacGyver at sub-level 2. As soon as the helicopter touched ground everything happened fast. The team approached the chopper, got Mac out of it and took him towards the elevator. Willis stayed at Mac´s side together with Dr. Thompson. Pete hurried to follow them, but the doctor stopped him in front of the elevator.

“You are not coming with us.”

Pete was not willing to accept that. “I am not going to leave him.”

Dr Thompson sighed. “Mr. Thornton, as long as we don´t know what really happened to him, you´re not going to be close to him. After all you´ve told me before Willis found him and considering all I´ve seen, your presence might be a threat to his recovery.”

Pete wanted to oppose, but the doctor continued. “You can´t do anything for him down there. If you want to help him, go back to that camp and find out as much as you can. The more information we have about what they´ve done to him, the better.”

He paused for a moment, giving Pete the chance to react. But Pete´s eyes were fixed on MacGyver and the medical team hovering around him. Not being able to be there for his best friend, not being able to help him through this felt like someone stabbing his heart. He was torn inside. After a moment that felt like an eternity he nodded.

“Keep me informed. I want to know about everything concerning MacGyver.”

“We will take care of him.” Dr. Thompson reassured Pete. “He will get the best help available.”

Having said that, he stepped into the elevator and allowed the doors to close.

Pete was left alone in the hall that held the entrance and the elevator to the underground lab installation. He stood silent for a few seconds staring at the closed elevator doors. The doctor was right, he realized. He had to find out what Mac had had to be going through in the last three weeks. Probably he could retrieve a sample of the drug Mac had been given. With that thought he rushed back to the helicopter and ordered the pilot to take him back to that camp on the mountain.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 20 February 2020 - 10:36 AM                                    
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Wow, Willis is really on top of things...for a "lab guy"...LOL!! Also, Willis can surely run faster than Pete!

Another 'Wow' at how vulnerable Mac is both physically and mentally. We never saw a whole lot of this but I think you're doing a very good and believable job with it.

I think you did a really good job portraying Pete. I could hear his voice in my head (normal for fan fic writers/readers, I'm assuming!) and feel his anguish at not being able to help Mac.

Finally, THANK YOU for giving Willis such a big role!! I think a lot of us like him but he just gets lost in the shuffle. You did a great job with him!!!

I'm so glad Mac is safe, but now I'm worried about Pete, darn you!!! He shouldn't be going back to the camp!! I'm certain this is NOT a good thing!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 20 February 2020 - 10:52 AM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 20 February 2020 - 07:36 PM)
Another 'Wow' at how vulnerable Mac is both physically and mentally.  We never saw a whole lot of this but I think you're doing a very good and believable job with it.


THANK YOU!

We saw hints of it throughout the series - Nightmares, The Widowmaker, DOA MacGyver - only to name a few... I only tried to take it to another level.

But I just got a comment in screaming orange on the other forum where I posted it, saying that the story is ridiculous off where the 'false Pete' appears at the end of part two... Mac would never buy it, he had to be trained to withstand torture and so on...

Well the story is about how much it would take to make Mac vulnerable... just referring to the title of it 'Breaking Point'

Thanks for your appreciation!



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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Posted: 20 February 2020 - 12:46 PM                                    
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QUOTE (bluegirl @ 20 February 2020 - 10:52 AM)




But I just got a comment in screaming orange on the other forum where I posted it, saying that the story is ridiculous off where the 'false Pete' appears at the end of part two... Mac would never buy it, he had to be trained to withstand torture and so on...


I had an idea of where else you post and I checked it out and found it. Please read my response. In short, you're doing a great job and are portraying the characters very well. I'm really looking forward to the next part.



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 21 February 2020 - 10:46 PM                                    
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After a little controversy on the other forum...

I am convinced, there are many of you out there who like what I am doing... I really appreciate that!
So, let´s get on with the next part - Mac is finally getting help, but how will his friends cope with what they find out...?


Part 6

When MacGyver, Willis and the medical team arrived at the infirmary, Dr. Thompson sent Willis off to the labs with Mac´s blood samples at once.

“Take those to the toxicology scans. They sooner we know what they´ve given him, the better. We´ll take care of his injuries in the meantime.”

Then he followed Mac and his medical team into the treatment room they had set up. The two nurses and the second doctor were already preparing the heart rate monitor, the medicines and the instruments they would need. MacGyver was still unconscious, lying wrapped up in the blanket on the stretcher in the middle of the room. Dr. Thompson walked up to his side, focusing on him.

“All right, everybody.” he addressed his team. “Let´s put MacGyver back together into one piece.”

*****

It took a few hours for Willis to get the results of the toxicology. When he returned to the infirmary, MacGyver had been transferred to another room. They had cleaned and dressed all of his wounds, and put in stitches where needed. They had also x-rayed him, found the broken rib and assessed the damage to the tendons of his shoulders and arms. After MacGyver had been cared for all over physically, they had laid him into a softly padded bed. The especially soft padding was supposed to take some pressure off his wounded back.

Dr. Thompson was still at his side, when Willis entered the room. MacGyver lay quietly on his back, all but his arm with the IV covered with the sheets. He was asleep, his face still pale and marked with strain and exhaustion. Yet he seemed peaceful, now that he no longer felt the pain. Transparent tubes reaching into his nose were supporting him with extra oxygen.

Willis hesitated to close in as he took in the sight. The whole day had been kind of a shock to him. He had often been part of Mac´s and Pete´s operations, but only in the lab, in a supporting role. He had been reading MacGyver´s reports afterwards. It had always felt “theoretical”. This time was different. He was involved in it first row.

He had never seen MacGyver like this. He had never seen him wounded and in distress and danger. Normally Mac was the one to be sent out for the rescue of others. This time everything was upside down. Mac was the one in need of help. Willis was worried about his friend´s well-being; he was scared about what they might find out about the last three weeks.

Dr. Thompson cut off his thoughts. “You´ve got the report for me?”

Willis needed a moment to react. Then he walked up to the bed and handed the papers over. His gaze was still fixed on MacGyver.

“How is he doing?” he asked.

“He´s okay.” the doctor replied while scanning through the pages. “Serious, but stable. We managed to put the pieces together and in place again.” He smiled lopsided at Willis. “That tox screening fits well into it. He was right. It won´t kill him. The symptoms of it should be gone in one or two days. Yet we´ve got a lot of different areas with problems. Each of it – standing alone – wouldn´t be a threat, but they all add up.” He paused for a moment, looking at his patient. “I´ve decided to keep him sedated for a few days. He might hurt himself even more if he panics again. The treatment of his injuries will be a lot easier, and his body should recover a little faster without him noticing the pain fully.”

Willis nodded. “Have you notified Pete Thornton?”

“Not yet.” Dr. Thompson replied. “I was going to do that now. Can you stay with him?”

Willis took a place at Mac´s side a little hesitantly. “Sure. Do I have to look out for anything special?”

The doctor looked up with a little reassuring smile.

“Just be there for him.” He told Willis. “We still have to keep his medication low, due to his weakened condition and the drug. He might stir a little because of remnants of the spasms and the pain. He´ll be okay, Willis. He won´t wake up. Just be there, offer him comfort.”

He turned, added the toxicology report to the rest of MacGyver´s medical report and left.

A few seconds later, after the door had closed behind the doc, Willis noticed the constant low beeping of the heart rate monitor and the soft hiss of the oxygen supply for the first time. Apart from that everything was silent. Standing there, watching over MacGyver, Willis also realized how exhausted he was himself. The past three weeks searching for Mac had been hard on all of the team, especially this last, very long day. He didn´t dare to imagine, how Pete Thornton had been and was feeling now. He was closest to Mac, they were like family, and he wasn´t even allowed to be here.

Finding that double of Pete hat aroused a lot of questions; MacGyver´s reaction to seeing Pete had aroused even more. Willis thoughts circled in his mind, considering everything he knew over and over again. Hopefully Pete´s investigation of the camp would add more parts to the puzzle they were facing and provide answers to some of the questions.

After some time Willis got himself a chair and settled into it alongside Mac´s bed. He was resting his hands on the bed, close to Mac´s arm and hand, ready to be there if he was needed. It was already late at night, so at some point he must have dozed off.

He was startled by a soft moan. Willis was wide awake instantly, looking at Mac´s face. He saw Mac still asleep, but his face was distorted with pain, his body tense. He was breathing hard, moaning every now and then. Willis got up fast, taking MacGyver´s hand into his.

“Shh, MacGyver.” he tried to calm him down. “Easy. It´ll be okay.”

Mac flinched a little away from the touch of Willis´ hand first. Even though he was unconscious, he seemed to listen, to notice that Willis was there. His breath got a little more regular, his body relaxed a bit.

“That´s good, Mac. Calm down.” Willis encouraged him.

MacGyver´s forehead was covered with sweat again. Willis fetched a cloth from one of the tables close to the bed and dabbed the sweat off Mac´s face, carefully avoiding any wounds or bandages.

“You´ll be all right.” he said, not sure if he tried to reassure MacGyver or himself. “Just hang in there…”

He could feel that Mac was still feverish and small shivers were running through his body.

“Relax, MacGyver.” he said softly. “Don´t fight the meds. They´ll make it easier for you. Sleep on.”

Again Mac seemed to hear Willis´ words. His fingers closed a little tighter around Willis´ hand, then his whole body went limp slowly. Willis sighed. MacGyver lay quiet again, but it took Willis some minutes until he could sit down, still intensely observing his friend.

Only a few minutes later Dr. Thompson returned. Without saying a word he conducted a check-up on MacGyver. He took a quick look into the medical report, then prepared a Syringe with some opaque white medicine and emptied it into Mac´s IV.

“You did well on calming him down.” he stated, still focusing on his patient.

Willis looked up on him surprised. “How do you know…?”

“We´re monitoring this room – him – via camera.” Dr. Thompson explained smiling at Willis. “I wouldn´t dare not to observe MacGyver for only a minute. Director Thornton would have my head if anything happened to him.”

Willis also had to smile at that thought. That was true. Pete would tip off the world if it was for saving MacGyver.

“Have you talked to Pete?” he asked.

Dr. Thompson straightened himself. “Sure.” he nodded. “He´s still searching that compound on the mountain for any clues. We agreed to meet in the morning.” He turned to look directly at Willis. “You look like you´d also better get some rest until then.”

Willis suddenly felt torn. He was exhausted, he desperately needed some sleep, but he didn´t want to leave Mac alone.

The doctor seemed to know his thoughts.

“You can use one of the beds in our ready room, if you don´t want to go home.” he added. “We will look after him. We´ll get you if we need you.”

Willis hesitated for another long moment, but then gave in to his tiredness. He nodded, got up, and with a last concerned look at MacGyver left the room.

*****

At the next morning Pete, Willis and Dr. Thompson met in a room just across the corridor to Mac´s sick-room. From there the medical team was monitoring him. One screen was showing Mac lying in his bed; another was mirroring the heart rate, blood pressure and breathing surveillance. MacGyver´s medical report next to some x-rays and more folders were lying on the table.

“Looks like you didn´t take my advice, Mr. Thornton.” The doctor greeted Pete as he entered the room. “Willis did. At least for a few hours.”

Willis took a closer look at Pete. He was really worn out. He looked like he hadn´t slept all night. Yet his concern for Mac and his determination remained.

“There was no time for rest, doctor.” Pete replied sharply. “We tried to get some answers. I guess you didn´t sleep either.”

Dr. Thompson shrugged. “No. But that´s okay, regarding our patient.” He picked up the medical reports, opened one folder and skipped through the pages.

“I´ll give both of you a brief status report now.” he began, addressing Pete and Willis. “Fortunately the night has passed uneventfully. MacGyver´s condition is still weak but stable. So far we´ve had no complications. The fever has dropped a little until the morning and he´s sleeping quietly thanks to the medication.”

Pete sighed with relief and took a quick look at Willis, who also drew in a deep breath.

“So far, so good, doctor, but I need to know what happened to him.” Pete demanded.

Dr. Thompson´s face grew serious and dark. “Are you sure?” he asked. “All of it?”

“I am sure.” Pete replied a little impatient. “It´s MacGyver we´re talking about!”

“That´s why I was asking.” Thompson answered quietly. He closed the folder and set it down. “MacGyver has been missing for three weeks. His body´s injuries tell quite a story about what happened to him. He´s been beaten several times, electrocuted several times, some of the wounds of his back look like they were caused by a leather whip, and he has a few cuts on his back that fit the blade of his Swiss army knife. He´s got a broken rib; his arms and shoulders are strained and pulled. His wrists are sore and torn from being handcuffed or bound. His arms show several needle marks because he´s been drugged or poisoned regularly. Some of the bruises and injuries have healed or are starting to heal, and new ones are adding up above them. So I can tell this has been going on over all the three weeks. I can´t tell too much about the mental side tough, as far as we had to sedate him yesterday in order to even be able to take care of him. Right now his physical recovery is on priority. That´s why we still keep him asleep.”

Pete and Willis were speechless and stunned. Willis had seen some of it yesterday, but he had not realized the full picture then.

“His latest injuries are a stabbing wound to the back of his thigh, bruises on his neck and a mild concussion. Someone must have chased him, while he was on the run. The stabbing stopped him from fleeing and someone tried to strangulate him.” the doctor added.

Pete was still shocked. “You mean, he´s been…” he managed to ask, but didn´t dare to say it.

“MacGyver has been tortured, yes.” Dr. Thompson broke the tense silence that hung in the room for a moment. “They were causing maximum pain and mental stress without killing him. The drugs add to that. The mixture they used causes hallucinations, disorientation, convulsions and excruciating pain.”

Pete held his breath while his eyes were fixed on the monitor showing MacGyver sleeping in his bed. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, caused by the concern for his best friend as well as the anger about the guys that had been doing this to him.

“But he´ll live…” he asked.

Dr. Thompson nodded. “Yes. His life is not in immediate danger. Given some time, his body will heal. But you have to find out what this double of yours had to do with it. We can´t hold him asleep for too long. When he wakes up, we should have an answer to that question.”

“We´re trying.” Willis nodded. “But there is a lot of evidence from the camp to sort through. I´d better get to work on it right away.”He hurried out of the room and to his lab at the next level, where all the stuff had been taken to.

Pete was still staring at the monitor. “Have you taken pictures for evidence?” he asked.

Dr. Thompson nodded again. “Sure.”

“I want to see them.”

Dr. Thompson sighed and shook his head. “No, sir, you don´t.”

Pete looked up at the doctor, hardly able to keep his composure.

“You´re right.” The pain could be clearly heard in his voice. “But I have to.”

Dr. Thompson hesitated for a moment. Almost everyone at Phoenix knew how close those two men were. He knew it would be unsettling for Pete Thornton to see those pictures of his best friend. He slowly picked up another folder and set it down in front of Pete.

“I´m going to do a check-up on Mac. I´ll be back in a few minutes.” He briefly laid a hand on Pete´s shoulder and then left the room.

Pete delayed it for a few seconds, but after the door had closed and he was alone, he opened the folder. Each of the photos felt like a stab to his heart. He had to sit down after looking through all of them. He was mad at the guys who had done this; he felt deep sorrow for Mac, who had had to endure all that Pete had just seen on the pictures. And once again he was deeply impressed by MacGyver´s determination and stamina, who, after all this, still had had the energy and spirit to contrive an escape and follow through with it.

Pete´s gaze was fixed on the monitor again, when Dr. Thompson returned to the room only minutes later.

“Are you all right?” he asked Pete, who remained motionless.

“Can I see him?”

The doctor took a seat close to Pete.

“No, sir.” he answered. “That would be too dangerous. Given the reaction you earned yesterday and after his reaction to what Willis and I did, I´m afraid he might panic if he notices you. He might hurt himself, and it might ruin the trust he at the moment has with Willis. We can´t risk that.” He paused, giving Pete the opportunity to react.

Pete looked up at him. “But we´ve known each other for years. I am closest to him.”

Dr. Thompson sighed deeply.

“For now this is just speculation on my side,” he said. “But I am afraid, that is exactly what they used against him. I am afraid, they made him believe, that you had turned against him to break his spirit. The hands of this dead double of yours fit the marks on MacGyver´s neck.”

Pete´s expression turned to shock. “They made him believe, I was trying to kill him?”

“That masked man has a stabbing wound in his arm that also fits the Swiss army knife.” The doctor continued. “But when we found Mac, the knife was in his pocket, covered with blood.”

“You mean he stabbed “me”?”

Dr. Thompson nodded. “In his effort to survive, yes, I think so. I am still waiting for the results of the blood samples from the Swiss army knife.”

Pete´s heart skipped a beat. Could it get any worse? “Mac had to fight “me”?”

“Quite possible, sir.” the doctor answered. “Although I think it was the rockslide on top of that cliff that caused your double to fall and break his neck. But to Mac it sure feels…”

“As if he had killed me.” Pete ended the sentence, feeling devastated. “Oh, no…”

They sat in silence for some moments. Then Pete Thornton slowly got out of his shock.

“What can I do for him? How do we tell him the truth?”

The doctor shook his head. “At the moment we don´t. We have to give him some time to recover physically first. In his weakened condition I am afraid he might not be able to take the stress of confronting him. We might risk a serious breakdown.”

Pete nodded slowly. His eyes were again fixed on the screen. He hated the idea of letting Mac believe he had killed him. But the doctor was right. MacGyver needed some time to recover, and Pete needed some answers fast. For now, all was speculation. He had to be sure, before he might try talking to MacGyver. Pete got up. He still felt the urge to see Mac, to be there for him.

“Thank you, doctor.” he said. “We´ll keep in touch.”

Dr. Thompson also got up. “At least once or twice a day.” He reassured as Pete left the room and hurried for the lab to see Willis.

Pete had refused to believe in all that he had seen in that camp while they had stormed it. He had refused to accept the direction the evidence was pointing at. This couldn´t and shouldn´t have happened to MacGyver. But the pictures he had just seen left no room for further doubt. Most likely those guys had used him, Pete, to get under Mac´s skin. This was insane. His sorrow and pain partly changed into determination. Whoever was behind this would have to pay for it. He had to talk to Willis and then they would hunt them down.

*****

The next days were filled mostly with investigative and lab work. Willis was conducting a lot of tests on the evidence they had collected from the mountain camp. The DNA test of the blood samples from the Swiss army knife showed two people: MacGyver and the dead guy with the mask. Every result that had turned in, had added in supporting Dr. Thompson´s hypothesis. Let alone, there was no one they could ask to confirm their suspicions.

One huge man had been killed during the shooting while storming the camp; they had retrieved the body of the dead double, and they had arrested a well trained Asian guy. But he wouldn´t talk. To no one. Pete had tried several times, but he had found no way to get any information from that man. Not even his name.

The only person who might be of help and could possibly answer those questions was still in his medicated sleep. MacGyver had recovered well over the last days, his fever had diminished and his wounds were healing well without further complications. Pete had obeyed in not seeing him personally, though it had been very hard on him. He had to trust fully in what Willis and the doctor had told him about Mac´s progress. Willis had stayed with Mac as often as the lab work had allowed him to.

*****

It was the morning of day four when Dr. Thompson called Willis to the infirmary. Pete Thornton was already there in the monitoring room, when Willis arrived.

“I´ve called you both in, because this is a little more than my usual daily morning report on MacGyver.” the doctor began. “His overall condition has improved enough to let him come out of his sleep.”

Pete held his breath for a moment. This was crucial.

“The infections of his wounds are gone or under control. His temperature is back to normal since yesterday morning. The blood tests show no remains of any drug or poison.” Dr. Thompson added. “But he is still considerably weakened, so we have to be careful.”

Pete and Willis could just nod.

“Willis, he seems to trust you, so I´d like you to stay with him. You should be able to calm him down if he overreacts or even panics.”

Willis again nodded. “Sure, I´ll do whatever I can.” He knew about the responsibility. MacGyver was one of his best friends. No matter how difficult, he had to be there to help him through this. Especially now in this situation, where Pete couldn´t be at his side.

“Unfortunately we have to take some security measures.” Dr. Thompson continued. “I may not like it, but I and the rest of Mac´s medical team have agreed to restrain him. He will be strapped to his bed while we wait for him to wake up. We have to do this for MacGyver´s own safety. He might hurt himself or others if he panics unrestrained.”

Pete suddenly felt the pain, the worry and the horror again, that he had managed to push away for the last days. To be honest, no one of the three men really knew what Mac had experienced. None of them knew how he would react to it. Pete was afraid of what still lay ahead of MacGyver.

Dr. Thompson didn´t give them much time to think about it. “We have reduced the meds gradually since the last night, and we´ve put on the straps after we had taken care of his injuries and changed the dressings earlier this morning.” he explained. “It´s time.” He looked at Willis and Pete.

Willis just nodded, picked up his morning coffee and left for Mac´s sick-room.

Pete didn´t move at first. He couldn´t take his eyes off the monitor showing Mac. Seeing his friend like this, but not being able to do anything for him, was tearing on him.

Dr. Thompson was about to follow Willis, but stopped close to Pete. “Are you okay?”

Pete looked up at him. “Yes. I just want to be there for him… just like I usually am.”

“You are. You will be.” the doctor reassured him. “Give it time. You sent all of us to take care of him. He´ll be all right.” Then he left Pete alone with the monitors.

Willis had settled in his chair alongside MacGyver´s bed when the doctor arrived. Mac´s face was still pale, but the oxygen tubes were gone. Only the IV and the heart rate monitor were still connected. Willis had noticed the straps around Mac´s wrists and ankles. They were about four inches wide, made of leather but softly padded, yet held tight. Another strap crossed his chest just below his armpit.

Dr. Thompson conducted a quick check-up, then turned to Willis.

“As you remember, he´s been fighting the medication every now and then over the last days. But there´s really no way to tell, how long it will take until he wakes up. I´ll be in my ready room, so you may call me anytime.”

Willis concentrated on MacGyver. “Will do.”

When Dr. Thompson returned to the monitoring room only one of the nurses was there, but Pete Thornton was already gone.

*****



The stuff is already there, I just find a different way to use it!

 
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