Sleight of Mind, ch 10
Unpredictable Conduct

Eddie circled the tree again, unable to believe his eyes. MacGyver had been here—he had seen him!—but now he had disappeared, leaving Eddie with a deep suspicion that MacGyver had somehow developed a power to teleport himself… or perhaps even to become invisible! Eddie stretched out his hands, waving it through the space where Mac should have been standing.

Eddie panicked for a moment then he paused to collect himself; to focus his powers and try to ‘see’ where MacGyver might have materialized. But Eddie was near the end of his strength now, after having expended so much already. Instead of the answer coming into his mind, he received only a terrible, terrible flare of pain. Eddie gasped and clutched at his head, moaning. Fresh blood stained his face and soaked into his shirt.

A sound of movement came from overhead; leaves rained down on Eddie’s face as he looked up. He spotted MacGyver amid the leaves, barely visible. “There you are!” he panted, “Haven’t you ever heard that you should avoid trees during a lightning storm?” he called out tauntingly. He ignored his pain and raised his arms, electricity sending Jacob’s Ladders arching between his outstretched fingers, and he willed all his power toward MacGyver, intent to kill.

“Yeah… I’ve heard that,” MacGyver called down at him, “I’ve also heard that you should avoid lakes, rivers, and standing water, and flag poles… and gazebos—learned that one the hard way—and raving lunatics who think they’re invincible. Oh, and one more thing…”

Eddie noticed something was wrong when his feet began to grow hot. He looked around in confusion; the electricity he had raised, instead of blasting upward from his fingertips, was flowing down into the earth. He stepped back and staggered. He had been standing unknowingly on top of a coil of chain, just covered with fallen leaves, and the soles of his shoes were melting. Cursing, he kicked his feet to free himself.

“… you should avoid standing on metal during any electrical discharge.”

Perched on a wide limb, Mac held the tire he had hauled up in both of his hands and waited. When Eddie was in just the right place below, he dropped it over his head; it slid down over his shoulders and pinned his arms to his sides. Eddie let out a yell of surprise and toppled over onto the grass.

Mac leaped down beside him and swiftly bound Eddie’s hands and feet with the length of rope that had once been part of the tire swing—the same rope he had used to haul himself up the tree, praying that the rotting twine would not break. Mac then looped the chain around Eddie, handling it gingerly; it was still a little hot. He made sure that the iron stake that rooted the chain in place was secure. “There! I hate to say it, Eddie old son… but you are grounded!"

“You… can’t… do… this!” Eddie grunted and groaned, but he could not free himself from either the ropes or the tire that bound his arms. He tried to gather his power and strike out, but the electricity that had once jumped to his command now flowed away from him, along the metal chain and into the earth, leaving him exhausted and gasping t through gritted teeth, “I… I am lightning! I am… above your… petty laws…”

“You may think you are above the laws of Men, Eddie,” Mac said, “but nobody is above the laws of Nature. Now, you be a good boy and stay here and wait for the police. And stop trying to zap me!” Mac added, looking over the bloodied and weakening man. “The effort’s killing you… I think you know that by now.”

“You can’t… can’t leave me here!” Eddie cried desperately. “Let me go… it hurts! I need help…I can help you, too! There’s a cure… an anti-serum… only I know!”

“No good, Ed. Clare let it slip that this was condition is temporary. I don’t know how much longer it will take for it to wear off, but it shouldn’t be too long… I hope. Anyway, if there is a cure or a way to reverse this, you’d better try it on yourself. You don’t look so good, Eddie.”

“You can’t avoid using it! The power uses you… it demands to be used!”

Mac turned away, focusing his mind on the next task at hand.

Mac’s Voice-over:
I tried not to listen to Eddie, but I knew that the man was at least partially right; the strange abilities that had been awakened within me were not so easily muted. It took concentration to keep them at bay, and while it took less energy to suppress them than to use them, it was nevertheless tiring. I hoped I still had enough strength to face John Kelly… in my mind, he was perhaps the most dangerous of the three; I knew that he was a killer without conscious.

Something made me turn and look at the house… one of those feelings that aren’t really mine… the windows are dark blank eyes set within the homely white face. I really hoped that I wouldn’t find Catherine and John Jr. inside—but I knew who was in there waiting for me… and it brought a cold, hollow feeling to my belly—a feeling that was entirely my own and entirely natural.

It was fear.

Oh yeah... sooo good! Eddie's wacko!

I'm really lovin' this story! Kudos!

Hey Lothie HIT HIT Idea for a new story I want to know about this. I"ll understand if It can't be posted onthe boord becuse it NC-17.

REALLY I WILL!

OOOH BAD PUN NO MILK BONES FOR YOU .

Hey Lothie HIT HIT Idea for a new story I want to know about this. I"ll understand if It can't be posted onthe boord becuse it NC-17.
REALLY I WILL!

My dear MEP,

the gazebo reference is from an episode of MacGyver 'The Secret of Parker House'. IN the ep., a gazebo is struck by lighning during a storm, revealing the skeletal remains of Penny's late aunt, Betty Parker.

I haven't written any MacFic that could be described as NC-17... but there is always a possibility....

OOOH BAD PUN NO MILK BONES FOR YOU .

Just trying to adhere to true MacGyver tradition!

This is so MacGyver-like.

Hey Lothie HIT HIT Idea for a new story I want to know about this. I"ll understand if It can't be posted onthe boord becuse it NC-17.
REALLY I WILL!

My dear MEP,

the gazebo reference is from an episode of MacGyver 'The Secret of Parker House'. IN the ep., a gazebo is struck by lighning during a storm, revealing the skeletal remains of Penny's late aunt, Betty Parker.

I haven't written any MacFic that could be described as NC-17... but there is always a possibility....

Hey I Never been able to see the Episode all the way though. Its like with in the frist 6 month of havind a tape or CD of the Beach Boys "Still Cruisn" album gets trashed or lost.

I know how you feel, MEP... a friend of mine taped all the episodes for me, but cut off the last minute of 'Bloodbrothers', just as they were opening their 'time capsule'.

I was so excited when I finally got the DVD and could see the end of the show!

Wow good chapter Loth I can't wait for the next one