It's been little more then a month ago since the last chapter I'm sorry about that. Getting to writing ain't that easy anymore with too much inspiration and too less time. Anyway's here's chapter 7 and I hope you enjoy.

(We fade in with some music as we first see Willis then it fades away)
Chapter VII
The Message Deciphered
Preparations
Escaping The Compound
Morning

‘How’s it going?’ Willis asked to a Phoenix employee, - named Harold - who was trying to decipher the message.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this before, Mr. Willis,’ the man answered. ‘It could be a code language. I don’t know. 4-5-1-18.’
The man shook his head because of not knowing the answer.
‘Come on, Harold. There could be something in it about MacGyver.’
Then Harold’s face cleared up.
‘Wait a minute! That’s it,’ he said. ‘Get Mr. Thornton in here.’
Willis went out to get Pete and Jack. Pete was eating a ham sandwich, Jack a cheese sandwich and a flash later they all gathered around Harold’s desk.
‘So what do you got?’ Pete asked. ‘You know something about MacGyver?’
‘All these numbers stand for letters in the alphabet.’
‘What?’
‘Look,’ he said pointing to yellow marked part. ’13-1-3-7-25-22-5-18.’
‘What does it mean?’
‘These numbers are the numbers of MacGyver’s name in our alphabet. I switched them over from numbers to letters, so it would make some sense.’
This is what is on the message:
4-5-1-18 17-5-20-5,
4-15-14’-20 2-15-20-8-5-18 18-5-19-3-21-9-14-7 13-3-17-25-22-5-18.
23-9-20-8-9-14 20-8-18-5-5 8-15-21-18-19 15-18 19-15 13-3-17-25-22-5-18 23-9-12-12 2-5 4-5-1-4. 2-25 20-8-5 20-9-13-5 25-15-21’-12-12 18-5-3-5-9-22-5 20-8-9-19 13-5-19-19-1-7-5 13-3-17-25-22-5-18 9-19 4-5-1-4. 19-15-15-14 25-15-21 14-1-4 20-8-5 5-14-20-9-18-5 16-8-15-5-14-9-24-6-15-21-14-4-1-20-9-15-14 23-9-12-12 2-5 4-5-1-4 20-15-15.
1-18-5 25-15-21 16-18-5-16-1-18-5-4 20-15 4-9-5?
19-9-14-3-5-18-5-12-25,
13-21-18-4-15-3, 26-9-20-15 1-14-4 4-5-2-15-18-1-5
‘So what’s it saying, Pete?’ Jack asked.
‘It says: “Dear, Pete,
Don’t bother rescuing MacGyver.
Within three hours or so MacGyver will be dead. By the time you’ll receive this message, MacGyver IS dead. Soon you and the entire Phoenix Foundation will be dead too.
Are you prepared to die?”
Sincerely,
Murdoc, Zito and Deborah.
That’s what it says, Jack.’
‘Do you really believe that? About MacGyver being dead, I mean.’
‘Never!’ Pete said surely. ‘MacGyver isn’t dead. My gut feeling is telling me that he’s alive.’
‘So what do you want to do?’
‘This letter doesn’t frighten me and it doesn’t change anything for me. MacGyver is alive and out there. We’re still going to get him back,’ Pete said determined.
‘Alright, Pete, if that’s your plan, let’s do it then.’
‘Swell. I’d like to leave within the hour.’
‘He’s determined,’ Willis said to Jack.
‘Yeah, he’d never let down MacGyver before and he’s certainly not going to do it now.’
Willis nodded.
‘Got any coffee around here?’ Jack said.
‘Yeah, over there,’ Willis said pointing his finger the thermos without looking.

Some time passed on and the sun came up again in the jungle. The storm dissolved and got replaced with the intense heat of the jungle.
In and around the compound, everybody was still looking for MacGyver. They haven’t found him yet and Piedra was getting more and more agitated. In the control room they regrouped.
‘I don’t understand. We’ve looked everywhere and we can’t find him.’
‘Relax, Piedra,’ Zito said. ‘MacGyver is still here.’
‘Isn’t it just possible, that he escaped to his friends,’ the big black guy asked.
‘That’s a possibility,’ Murdoc said going along with the conversation. ‘But MacGyver won’t leave without Nikki Carpenter or Maria Romburg.’
‘If he is here, where’d he hide himself then?’ Deborah asked.
‘That is a good question. Sooner or later MacGyver will show up,’ Murdoc said certain.
(Music comes up in a MacGyver-theme like way)
They were all right. MacGyver was still in the compound, hiding in the ceiling. He fell asleep and got woken up from a sound below him. He looked in the hole of the ceiling and saw a soldier entering the room. MacGyver quickly and quietly placed the part of the ceiling back. Then he heard the door shutting again. MacGyver opened the ceiling again. His head went through the hole, to see if the coast was clear again. (Music fades away here) Carefully he climbed out of the ceiling. MacGyver let out some steam and went back to the room they brought him to earlier. Not the torture room the one where they let him go down his fate with the machine. He looked behind and around him to make sure nobody saw him. Then he went in the room.
The machine was still there. MacGyver looked at it. He remembered it when Deborah placed the goggles on his eyes. It made them bleed. A flash of that moment went through his mind. Angrily he grabbed the machine, kicked the trolley cart over and smashed the machine against the wall where it broke apart in many bits and pieces.
‘That was the last time you damaged the mind of a human being.’
MacGyver founded his stuff back in the room, his knife, tape, matches and even the earphone. He placed them back in his pocket and left.
Dodging camera’s left and right and hiding when he was supposed to, he worked his way back up to Maria’s room in the right part of the building. He took out his knife and with it’s corkscrew he began to pick the lock.
‘Left, up, right and down again.’
MacGyver heard a click and the door was open. (The MacGyver uplifting music comes up here and then fades away) He went inside. There he founded Maria chained up against the wall, head down.
She looked up weakly.
‘MacGyver,’ she whispered.
‘It’s OK, Maria, I’m here,’ he said while getting off her chains.
Maria got out of her chains. Then she hugged MacGyver and started crying.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
‘It’s alright.’
‘I shouldn’t have accepted the assignment, I…’
‘If you didn’t accept the assignment someone else would’ve and then he or she would’ve end up in the same situation like you.’
‘It happened on the last day, I was packing everything to come back to the States. I came out of the bathroom and then… nothing anymore. I woke up here.’
‘If I didn’t accept my assignment to go to Turkey, I came much earlier. Then Pete didn’t had to send Nikki after you.’
‘It was awful, the things they did to us.’
‘I know. I saw the pictures and the videotape. When I found out, I took Jack and Pete along to come and save you and Nikki.’
‘Then why are you here alone?’
MacGyver sat down next to her and began to tell his side of the story.
‘I came here last night, but we were caught. Pete and Jack escaped. I nearly did too but they got me. They syringed me down. You see?’
He showed his lip and eye.
‘That must’ve hurt.’
‘It did hurt. I don’t know what the stuff was. Some sort of hallucinogen, my entire way of looking changed. I thought I was going nuts. They placed that device on my head, Zito once used on Pete. Then with a machine which made awful noises they tried to make me absolutely crazy. Through a pair of goggles they made me see stuff that couldn’t been real. It was as if I was really there.’
‘Than what’d they show you?’
‘I’ve been in the time of the dinosaurs, a deserted dead desolate Serenity and for conclusion I saw my houseboat drifting around in Hell. Completely wacko stuff. Then they made me think I shot you and Nikki.’
‘What?’
‘After escaping a torture chair, I found out it wasn’t you nor Nikki. I was glad it wasn’t you or Nikki but I killed two peoples and I’m going to have to learn to live with that.’
‘You were still probably in the effects of the syringe. It wasn’t you, I’m sure of that. Pete would say the same.’
‘Yeah, well, maybe.’
‘You didn’t kill anybody out of free will. You were forced.’
‘Anyway, I escaped. It was a rough night and it’s time to get out of here.’
‘So then, where do we go from here?’
‘I don’t know, yet. All I know is we’re going to need some help, they’re too many guns out there.’
‘How are we going to get some help?’
‘I hope my earphone still works.’
MacGyver placed his earphone back on. ‘Phoenix Camp, come in.’
‘And?’
‘Wait a second,’ he said and tried to listen for any response. ‘Phoenix Camp, this is MacGyver, come in, over.’
Then somebody replied.
‘MacGyver?’ (Uplifting music is heard here)
‘Willis?’
‘Yeah, it’s me. Where are you?’
‘I’m still here, is Pete there?’
‘Yeah, he’s here, I’ll get him,’ Willis said and went to get Pete. ‘Mr. Thornton, we got MacGyver.’
‘What?’
Willis gave Pete the earphone.
‘MacGyver?!’ (The music fades away here)
‘Hey, Pete. How’s it going?’
‘I have to ask you. What happened?’
‘It’s a long story, Pete. Torture, syringes, the usual. I’ll tell ya later. It’s just it was a heavy night and I got Maria. I haven’t found Nikki yet. Come back over here with some help. I can’t get out of here all by myself.’
‘You got it, MacGyver.’
‘Is Jack there?’
‘I’m right here, buddy,’ Jack said.
‘Excellent. This time it’s up to you to get me out of trouble.’
‘What a plan! What a team!’ Jack cheered.
‘We’re with you within the hour,’ Pete said.
‘Over and out, Pete.’
‘What did he say?’
‘They should be here within the hour,’ Mac said while getting up. ‘Got any clothes here?’
‘Maybe in one of the drawers.’
MacGyver opened one of the drawers and took out some clothes.
‘Here put these on. You can’t go out wearing those patient clothes.’
He gave her the clothes. ‘Yes, I’ll turn around.’
Maria smiled and quickly putted on a jeans and a black tank top.
‘You ready?’
‘Yeah.’
MacGyver turned around again.
‘Well, what do you think?’ she asked.
‘You look good in almost everything. What about shoes?’
‘They’re in the lowest drawer.’
He opened the drawer and tossed her the shoes, which she quickly putted on.
‘Alright, now what?’
‘We’re going to have to wait for Pete, till he comes.’

Back in the Phoenix Camp, Pete gathered around the men to rescue MacGyver.
‘Alright, does everybody understand what he has to do?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir!!’ the guards acknowledged all at once.
‘I’ll repeat the plan one more time. There are at least three or more entrances to the compound. Here, here and here,’ Pete explained.
On the table a rough plan of the compound was drawn. The entrances were marked with an X. ‘With a pal, you go in one of those entrances and find MacGyver.’
‘I got a question, sir,’ a guard said.
‘What is it?’
‘Do we have to shoot to kill?’
A question Pete expected but didn’t know the answer on it. He looked at Jack. Jack looked back with a sort of ignorance. Pete looked back at the plan considering his answer.
‘Sir?’
Carefully Pete answered the question.
‘Yes! Shoot to kill.’
‘When do we leave?’
‘Right now. Here are the ear phones, use them to stay in contact with.’
(Tense music comes up here)
When the men grabbed their guns, Jack and Pete led them to MacGyver’s jeep. They all got in the car with Jack at the steering wheel. The car hobbled up and down over the jungle ground. Nothing was said during the ride. There was not much to be said. The main focus now was MacGyver and they had no intention in failing. They will and must get MacGyver out of harms way and deal with those who got them in such a mess forever.
MacGyver carefully opened the door of Maria’s room. He looked to see if the coast was clear. ‘Alright, coast’s clear.’
They snuck out of the room and started to roam the halls.
‘Got any idea where they might keep Nikki captive?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know, I only saw her out of her room and when they made that tape of us. She could be in the room next to me or the floors below.’
‘Aw, man. I got no intention to pick all these locks open. Let’s just try the doors that are open.’
They tried the doors but most of them were closed.
‘Ain’t got much time for this. I gotta call Pete.’
MacGyver spoke in his earphone.
‘Yo, Pete. What the hell is taken you so long?’
‘We’re on our way, MacGyver. Five more minutes.’
‘Hurry up.’
‘Did you find Nikki, yet?’
‘No.’
‘Look, MacGyver, just hang in there, we’re on our way.’
‘We’re here, Pete,’ Jack said.
MacGyver heard that through the earphone.
‘Alright, Pete. I’ll go to the roof of the main building and signal for you.’
‘You sure, MacGyver? I can see four guys standing on the roof.’
‘Four?’
‘Yeah.’
‘It’s my job to take them out, Pete. I can handle it.’
‘How?’
‘Oh, I’ll think of something.’
‘Sure.’ (The music becomes more dramatic)
‘OK, Maria, listen to me. We’ll split up in a second. I want you to run out there to the Jeep. It’s on the hill across the compound. Run to it and hide there till I come.’
‘No,’ she protested.
‘Don’t argue with me.’
‘But if we work together…’
MacGyver nodded. ‘I know. But most important now is that you get out of harms way. If they catch you, they got me. That already happened last night. I don’t know if I can handle another night like that. Now go.’
Maria decided not to argue with him anymore and left. MacGyver was left behind in the hallway and tried to figure something to get rid of the four guys on the roof.
(The music becomes more tense again)
MacGyver ran to the roof. There was a door and a flight of stairs before you reached the roof. He carefully opened the door and slowly went up the stairs. About halfway up the stairs he saw the men walking around. MacGyver tried to think of something.
‘Alright, I’m going back down,’ one of the men said.
MacGyver heard that and he went back in the compound. The soldier went down the stairs and when he entered the compound again, MacGyver took him from behind and slugged him down.
‘That’s one!’ he said.
MacGyver went up to the roof again.
‘Excuse me,’ he said.
The soldiers turned around surprised.
‘MacGyver?’
‘You noticed your friend is sleeping, down there?’
‘Yeah, right and the cheque’s in the mail.’
‘Only if Pete can’t hand it over personally.’
The soldiers aimed their weapons at him.
‘Aw, man!’
MacGyver ducked away back down the stairs when they opened fire.

Pete, Jack and the others saw what was happening.
‘You think, that was the signal?’ Jack asked.
’Ten to one they were firing at him, let’s go,’ Pete said.
‘Wait a minute, there’s somebody coming towards us,’ Jack said pointing his finger out. ‘I think it’s Maria.’
Jack was right. Maria was running towards them. But from behind Maria a bunch of soldiers showed up and opened fire. Of course they missed her always by an inch.
‘Cover her,’ Pete ordered.
The guards opened their fire.
Maria succeeded in reaching the hill and to climb on it. (The music fades away here)
‘Alright, cease fire,’ Pete ordered. ‘Maria, I’m so happy to see you again.’
‘Oh, Pete. It was awful. But I’ll tell ya later about it. MacGyver and Nikki are still there.’
‘When did you last saw, MacGyver?’
‘A few minutes ago, before I came up here. He told me to stay here and hide in the car.’
‘Sounds like a good idea,’ Jack said.
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘Look, Maria, we’ll get him out of there,’ Pete said determined. ‘It’s only a matter of time.’
‘Do it Pete, save him and Nikki.’
‘We’ll do it and you stay hiding in here.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Alright, let’s get MacGyver out of there,’ Pete said.
(The music becomes more tense and then changes into the music when MacGyver goes looking for Harry in Phoenix under Siege)
MacGyver was running through the halls, he shook off his pursuers from the roof, but he still wasn’t safe and he still hadn’t found Nikki yet. He was going through doors and halls to find her and after searching for some time he finally founded her in a room.
‘Nikki?’
‘MacGyver.’ (The music fades away here)
The two embraced.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked.
‘Have you seen those…?’
‘Pictures and tape? Yes.’
‘Then you know, I’m not alright. Next time Pete will have to send someone else to save your girlfriend.’
‘Who then? He only trusts you on and me and I was out of the country, Nikki,’ MacGyver said. ‘Look, I don’t wanna argue right now. I wanna get out of here.’
‘Did you find, Maria yet?’
‘Yeah, I send her out to the car.’
‘Got any backup?’
‘Yeah, Pete and Jack are here with a bunch of guys.’
‘Really?’
‘Can’t you see this earphone, I’m wearing?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Pete, do you read me, over?’
‘Yeah, I read you over.’
‘What are you guys doing?’
‘We’re about to break in the compound.’
‘Have you seen Maria?’
‘Yeah, she’s safe.’
‘Got it.’
‘You found Nikki yet.’
‘Yeah, she’s here with me.’
‘Good. You can come out now, we got you covered.’
‘They got us covered, it’s time to go.’
MacGyver and Nikki were on their way out when they bumped into a bunch of soldiers. (Tense music comes up here)
‘Go back the other way,’ MacGyver said.
They ran back in the direction they came from.

Zito was in the main room along with the big black guy. Deborah, Murdoc and Piedra were in search of MacGyver.
‘Look, doctor Zito,’ the big black guy said.
‘What?’
‘I can see MacGyver running through the halls and he has Carpenter.’
‘Does he now?’
‘Yeah, you want him?’
‘Yes.’
‘Dead or alive?’
‘Take your pick.’
‘Dead!’
‘So be it. Go after him and kill him. This time I want him dead no matter what.’
‘Yes sir.’
The big black guy did what he was told to and left the control room. Zito couldn’t help but laugh at the monitor when he saw MacGyver being hunted down by the soldiers.
(The music becomes slower and more tense)
MacGyver and Nikki managed to reach the ground level and kept running. They ended up in the hangar where they kept all their stuff. Ammunition, cars, weapons, the plane. It was an easy hiding place. They hid behind some crates.
‘Where do we go from here?’ Nikki asked.
‘I’m going to call Pete again. Pete, do you read me over?’
‘Yeah, where are you, MacGyver?’
‘I’m in that hangar with Nikki.’
‘Is it safe?’
‘Well, I don’t see anybody special around here but be careful.’
‘We’re coming your way, then.’
‘Yeah, Pete just be…,’ (The music becomes even more tense)
Click! The sound of a gun next to his temple.
‘MacGyver? MacGyver, do you read me, over?’ Pete asked.
MacGyver was pulled up straight by a powerful hand. His earphone was pulled out of his ear. Then he stood eye to eye to the big black man.
‘Alright, MacGyver,’ he said, ‘the time has come for you to die.’
‘You know,’ MacGyver responded, ‘you look so familiar. Haven’t you and I clashed before?’
‘Perhaps, you remember me now?’ he said while he took off his big sunglasses.
MacGyver’s face cleared up but still he was shocked of who he saw.
‘Axminster?’
‘That’s right. Straight of jail back to you.’
‘Who is he?’ Nikki asked.
‘Six years ago, he chased me and my grandfather Harry down when I was visiting him. I got identified when I blew up a nuclear power plant. He went after me and I took him out.’
‘And now it’s payback time.’
(The music jumps over in the music from the fightscene of Trail to Doomsday)
He suddenly grabbed MacGyver and threw him against some boxes. Nikki jumped on Axminster but he threw her off him. He slugged her down with a big right fist. MacGyver grabbed a board of the boxes and attacked Axminster with it. He hit him right on the back. He hit him again, then he kicked him in the stomach. MacGyver missed his other kick when Axminster grabbed his leg and launched his big fist in MacGyver’s stomach. He pushed MacGyver away. MacGyver rolled over backwardly. Axminster came to him with big steps. MacGyver got up, he lost his board. He tried to hit Axminster again. Axminster blocked the punch and hit MacGyver instead, then he grabbed MacGyver with his collar and his leg and picked him up of the ground. He had MacGyver now high above him. He walked around him with him like that for several moments and threw him on top of a Jeep.
‘Woah!’
MacGyver stood on the jeep and jumped on Axminster’s back. He tried to get MacGyver off of him. He threw him of his back and kicked MacGyver. MacGyver got up and swung both his fists in Axminster’s face. He was ready to hit Axminster again when gunshots were heard. Then Axminster fell over motionless. MacGyver looked behind him, he saw Nikki still laying down but handling a gun.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I was ready to shoot him but I didn’t get a chance, so don’t look at me.’ The music fades away here)
‘MacGyver?’ a voice said. ‘It’s me, Pete. Did I get him?’
Pete showed up from behind some crates along with Jack and the guards of the camp.
‘Pete!’
Both men ran to each other and embraced.
‘You got him,’ he said.
‘When I saw him picking you up, I was certain you needed help.’
‘I had him right where I wanted him then.’
‘Yeah, right.’
‘Come on. Let’s get out of here.’
‘Not so fast,’ another voice said. (Yet again tense music comes up)
MacGyver sighed.
‘What now?’
Murdoc, Deborah, Zito and Piedra appeared. They noticed Axminster laying dead on the floor.
‘You killed him?’ Zito asked.
‘No,’ Deborah said. ‘MacGyver didn’t kill him. It’s not in his blood. I’d say Carpenter did it. Good girl.’
‘It was Thornton who killed him,’ Murdoc said. ‘Nice shot, Thornton. I thought you lost your touch after all this time.’
‘You thought wrong,’ Pete bit back.
‘I guess so.’
‘What do you want?’
‘We want, what we always want and that’s MacGyver.’
‘Sorry, Murdoc, ain’t gonna happen this time,’ MacGyver replied. ‘I have to admit, we all had our fun last night but I’m worn down. It’s time to go home, don’t you think?’
‘Home? What’s a home? This is our home. We’ve spend a lot of time planning your death, it’s not going to fail now.’
‘You already failed.’
‘Did I?’
‘Yep, you failed and as usual you can’t stand the fact.’
MacGyver was right and Murdoc knew that. ‘I have to admit, Murdoc. You had me in a tight spot there for a moment with those hallucinogen and that torture chair. You even made me kill two of your own men.’
Pete looked at MacGyver when he mentioned the kills he did.
‘But I still got out, didn’t I? You tried to blow me and Pete up, you tried to burn me with a flamethrower, you tried to pulverize me in that theatre. Now you tried to brainwash me and make me kill people. Good plan but it’s not flawless. I still got out and you can never kill me.’
‘We’ll see about that.’
‘Alright, enough with the chatter,’ Piedra said. ‘Let’s kill him now.’
(The music becomes more tense)
The soldiers of around the compound appeared and tore the group of MacGyver apart. Zito held Thornton under shot, Deborah kept Dalton and the other guards were held hostage by the soldiers. Now MacGyver was standing in front of Murdoc and Piedra.
‘Two against one. That ain’t fair boys, but I’m always up for a challenge.’
‘MacGyver?’ Pete said.
‘Forget it, Pete. I’ll do it.’
‘You can’t handle those two.’
‘Just get ready.’
‘Ready for what?’ (The music becomes bigger and more intense)
‘To fight back!’ MacGyver screamed and swung his fist in Murdoc’s direction.
A direct hit, Murdoc fell against Piedra and both men went down. For a moment there was confusion. Jack was the first one to come out of his tranquilizing and pushed Deborah against the floor. Thornton rammed his fist in Zito’s stomach making him cough. The guards started to fight with their captors and then all hell broke loose. Everything happened so fast and everybody went their own ways shooting and fighting throughout the compound.
(The music reaches it's peak as we fade out here)

Original date of story post: Mar 25 2006, 04:16 AM.