[MacsChick]

Okay guys, here's part four!

A Crack in the Foundation Part Four
Rated: PG

As MacGyver struggled against the bonds pinning him tightly to the floor, several of Gorman’s men entered. One of them approached MacGyver and pointed a gun at his head, cocking back the safety. The deadly click of the weapon made MacGyver close his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t feel anything the instant he was shot. Gorman had told him that he wasn’t going to kill him because he wanted to pass him on to his other enemies, but maybe he had changed his mind and wanted to exterminate him himself. The man holding the gun laughed and fired, causing MacGyver to jump, pulling against the cuffs holding him. The blast was loud, piercing his ears, but beyond that, he didn’t feel any pain. When he realized he hadn’t been shot, he slowly opened his eyes and saw a bullet hole puncturing the floor close to his ear. He could barely hear out of that ear now, the reverberations of the gunfire causing it to ring loudly.

The man standing over him with the gun continued to laugh, taking pleasure in seeing MacGyver’s fear. He put away his gun and grabbed a long wooden staff from one of the other men, grinning sadistically. He spun it dramatically, making a show with how skilled he was at handling it, obviously having some training in martial arts. MacGyver swallowed hard, preparing himself. He was helpless, unable to defend himself from the beating that was about to begin. The first blow struck him hard across the ribs, causing him to cough and gasp painfully. The man continued, striking him across the cheek and managing to cut the edge of his chin. MacGyver felt the blood trickle down his neck along with his sweat. Blows continued to assault him on his shins, knees, and fingers, highly sensitive areas of his body. At first, he only grunted in response, but as the blows became more painful, he cried out, unable to control it. The other men joined in, pummeling him with their fists. He shouted as they continued, the pain increasing with each blow.

Suddenly, the constant beatings ceased, and the man with the staff pressed it hard across his neck, strangling him. MacGyver fought against the cuffs holding him, straining against them and gasping for breath as the man standing over him pressed harder, almost crushing his larynx. He began to feel dizzy as his oxygen supply continued to be cut off, growing weaker and feeling as if he was about to pass out, but he held on, desperately clinging to consciousness. The man pressing the staff across his neck smiled, releasing it. MacGyver coughed and gasped, gulping in air that had been denied to him, relieved it had ended.

“That’s just a preview of what’s to come,” the man with the staff said. “When Herr Gorman finishes with you, it will be twice as unpleasant.”

Laughing, he and his other men left, bolting the door and leaving MacGyver to suffer in silence.

***

Sam heard MacGyver’s howls in pain, and a part of him truly felt remorseful over what events he had caused to be set in motion. He felt slightly sick when he heard the screaming, wincing as if he were the one getting hit instead.

“What are you doing to him?” He asked Gorman.

They were sitting in front of a computer, and Gorman was waiting to see what intelligence Sam had been able to steal from The Phoenix Foundation. MacGyver’s shouts were loud enough to be heard from where they sat.

“I’m simply preparing him for the future,” Gorman said, grinning. “Now, shall we see what you have brought me?”

“Sure,” Sam said, trying to ignore MacGyver’s cries. He reached into his backpack and looked around inside it. He had two computer disks inside, and he pulled out one of them, handing it to Gorman. “Go ahead and insert that into the computer, and soon you’ll see what I have.” He watched as Gorman inserted the disk.

“How much information were you able to gather?” Gorman asked.

MacGyver had stopped shouting, and Sam saw several of Gorman’s men leaving the room where they were keeping him. One of them was holding a wooden staff, and Sam found it difficult to concentrate for a minute.

“I am asking you a question,” Gorman said, getting his attention again.

“Uh…well, you wouldn’t believe how much I was able to get and in only a few short minutes,” he said, returning to look at Gorman, trying to get his mind off the men and whatever they had done to MacGyver. “All I did was walk around introducing myself as MacGyver’s son, and they practically showed me everything I needed to know about the Foundation’s computer systems and how they worked. While they were showing me, I inserted this disk and copied everything in the system, from employee records to more serious intelligence. It couldn’t have been easier.”

“Show me,” Gorman said.

***

Pete had received the results of the DNA test one more time, and once again they showed conclusively that Sam was not MacGyver’s son. He knew his friend still wouldn’t accept it, but he knew he had to call him and tell him the bad news anyway. Sighing, he picked up the phone and called MacGyver’s loft. There was no answer. Pete figured he might have stepped out briefly for something, but a deeper feeling gnawed at him and made him wonder if something more serious had happened to his friend. His secretary Dorothy entered, holding a new file in her hands. She placed it on his desk. Even though his vision was impaired, Pete could still see the look of concern on her face.

“Your men working on the Maxlin case think they’ve finally had a break,” she said. “They think they know who he’s been giving our intelligence to.”

Quickly, Pete opened the file and reached for his magnifier. “Thanks, Dorothy,” he said.

She nodded and left, closing his office doors.

Pete bent over, getting close to the documents, squinting through his magnifier. He read that several Phoenix sources had found what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Inside, they had found computers and weapons, and some of their agents had managed to pose as men willing to work for Joseph Gorman, ex-Stasi. Others had positioned themselves a few blocks away with listening equipment. While there, they accessed all the information they could, but it was unclear to them what his plans were once he had the intelligence he wanted. Pete knew that since Gorman had used a spy and had him pretend to be MacGyver’s son, it had to involve MacGyver somehow. A shudder ran through him as he thought of the possibility that Gorman might be holding MacGyver captive or worse. He put away his magnifier and called the head of his investigative team on Gorman and Sean Maxlin.

“Simms, how soon can we move on the warehouse?” He asked.

“We’re ready when you are, sir,” Simms said.

***

The knot on the back of MacGyver’s head was no longer his main focus. His whole body hurt now. It was swelling, cut, and bruised from the staff blows. His throat felt raw and still slightly constricted from being squeezed. Still, he tried to think of a way out, once again struggling against the metal cuffs. As he pulled, he thought he heard something crack. He pulled again, and the cracking sound came from his right side. The floorboard that the cuff holding his right wrist had been screwed into was slowly giving way. He looked at it and noticed that the floor underneath the board had water damage which weakened it. Smiling slightly, not wanting to crack open the cut on his chin or aggravate the pulsing pain in his puffy cheek, he continued to pull his right wrist, listening as the wood continued to crack.

Finally, it gave, and MacGyver’s right wrist shot up in the air, free from the floor. It was still attached to the board, so he needed something to unscrew the cuffs. Gorman had been smart enough to make sure his knife was taken from him, but he underestimated him. He still had his belt. Propping himself up as much as he could, still hindered by the other cuffs holding him and the pain it caused his body to move, MacGyver removed his belt with his one free hand and opened the buckle, using the sturdiest part of it to unscrew the cuff holding his left wrist. Twisting his body to reach it caused new spasms of pain as he pressed against some of his bruises, but he tried to ignore it and continued until the screws loosened enough for him to wriggle his wrist out of it. He then worked to unscrew the cuffs around his ankles and finished liberating himself from the cuff holding his right wrist, the broken board falling to the floor.

He picked up one of the screws and examined it, and then he looked at the lock on the door. The screw was thick, yet it was thin enough that he thought he could fit it inside the lock to pick it. Bracing himself, he stood, his whole body screaming in protest. He released a groan as new waves of pain hit him, and he felt a little unsteady, stumbling as he walked, but he managed to regain his bearings and began to pick at the lock with the screw. Once he heard it click open, he carefully opened the door, not sure what was waiting for him on the other side.

Sure enough, Gorman had placed one of his men at the door as a guard. MacGyver could see him through the small crack in the door. Quickly, he pushed the door open, slamming it into the guard and knocking him against the wall. MacGyver punched him and knocked his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. He watched as the guard slumped to the floor and shook his tingling hand. Looking in both directions to make sure no one saw him, he continued ahead, not sure what he would find or what he would do next, but he knew he had to keep going and try to stop Sam from giving the Foundation’s intelligence to Gorman. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

To be continued…

[trtlsoup]

A classic MacGyver escape! And, oh boy... did you whump Mac!

Now off to save Sam from himself... 'nuther good chapter!