[MacsChick]

Second Strike Part Four
Rated: PG

Pete could almost feel the intensity of the heat radiating from MacGyver’s body. It felt different than body heat, and being in proximity to him inside his sedan only reinforced this uncomfortable feeling, as if he was standing dangerously too close to a transformer, the hairs on his neck rising. His hands were bandaged from the burns he suffered after touching MacGyver, and his friend looked at him with deep sympathy, obviously still feeling guilt for inflicting such pain, even though there was nothing he could have done to control it.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t take my jeep,” MacGyver said.

“I don’t think you should drive right now,” Pete said. “Whatever is happening to you is unpredictable. Who knows what would happen?”

“You could drive it.”

“What’s wrong with my car?”

MacGyver shrugged. “Oh, nothing I guess,” he said.

“Besides, I’ve never trusted jeeps. I’ve always thought they were a roll hazard.”

MacGyver rolled his eyes. He’d never heard Pete’s misgivings about his jeep before. “All right, fine. Let’s just go,” he said, feeling irritable from the uncertainty of his condition and the fact that he consented to see someone whom he considered to be a crackpot, a waste of the Foundation’s time and resources.

Pete tried to start the ignition, but nothing happened. “Great,” he muttered.

“My jeep…forget it, I’ll take a look to see what’s wrong.”

Sighing angrily, he stepped out, sparks of static electricity following him as he walked by the car, bouncing off the metal and hitting him. Strangely, he couldn’t feel the usual tingling or sharp, brief needle stabs of pain usually associated with such shocks. He lifted the hood and examined the engine. Everything seemed to be in working order.

“I think your battery is dead,” he said, peering around the hood at Pete.

“What?” Pete asked, getting out of the car and meeting MacGyver near the hood, careful to maintain his distance, still feeling the incredible energy surrounding him. “That can’t be! I just replaced it recently! It’s almost brand new!”

“Well, it’s dead now,” MacGyver said.

“Maybe whatever is happening to you caused it to be drained somehow. Maybe you shorted it out or something.”

“Pete, this has nothing to do with…”

Both men stopped when they heard a whining, buzzing sound. Looking down, Pete saw that MacGyver’s hands were close to the battery, vivid blue bolts of electricity shooting from the tips of his fingertips and covering it. The car’s engine roared to life without Pete having to start it with the turn of his key. He stared at MacGyver in amazement over his new, extraordinary abilities. MacGyver, also stunned but trying to conceal it, looked at Pete.

“Don’t even say it,” he said.

***

As they drove toward The Phoenix Foundation building, Pete witnessed more evidence of MacGyver’s emerging powers. Every time they reached a red light, it automatically turned green, as if he was influencing them to change somehow. The reach of his ability to manipulate electricity was increasing, extending beyond anything that was near his body.

“MacGyver, have you noticed that we haven’t encountered a single red light on the way to The Phoenix Foundation?” He asked.

MacGyver groaned and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “That could just be a coincidence, Pete,” he said.

“It could be,” Pete said, the tone of his voice doubtful.

***

Dr. Brock’s appearance was not what MacGyver expected for a crackpot. She was a petite woman with dark hair pinned back in a tidy yet not severe bun. Her green eyes sparkled with intelligence.

“MacGyver,” she said, extending her arm and smiling sardonically, almost in a condescending smirk as if she already knew what he thought of her and was prepared to meet his challenge in the battle of what was considered legitimate science. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the legend.”

“I…wouldn’t shake his hand if I were you,” Pete said. MacGyver shot him an annoyed glance. Pete lifted his bandaged hands to show her. “Just a precaution.”

“Ah yes,” Dr. Brock said, dropping her arm. “Mr. Thornton has told me all about your case, MacGyver. You were struck by lightning, and ever since then your electronic devices have been malfunctioning, first with your hairdryer, then your microwave, stereo, blender…”

“He practically jump started my car with just the touch of his hands,” Pete said.

“Pete…”

“Well, you did. It’s the truth. Oh, and on the way over here, all the stoplights turned green just as we were about to pass them.”

MacGyver rolled his eyes and slumped against one of the windows in Dr. Brock’s office.

Dr. Brock smiled at him, pleased and amused to have such a reluctant subject. “You have also been able to move objects without directly touching them, evidence of telekinesis,” she said.

“Look, Doctor, and I use that title loosely here,” MacGyver said, glaring at her, feeling more hostile and obdurate as each moment passed, unsure what he was doing there or why he agreed to go along with something so preposterous. “The fact is, you can’t prove any of this. Something else has to be going on, here. Something based in real science.”

As he spoke, small, hairline cracks formed on the window his body was leaning against, spreading rapidly across the once smooth surface, creating a web-like pattern. They could hear the glass slowly fracturing.

“MacGyver, look,” Pete said.

MacGyver pushed away from the window, staring at the freshly formed cracks. Both he and Pete were shocked, but Dr. Brock maintained her composure, as if she had seen it before.

“How do you explain that with science, MacGyver?” Dr. Brock asked in a mocking tone.

“Well, it could be a number of things, from weak glass to minuscule flaws in the glass to temperature changes causing them to expand—you know, like with a windshield that has been dinged by a pebble? There’s no way you’re going to convince me that I somehow caused that.”

“You know, there is nothing wrong with being skeptical. I don’t fault you for that. Skepticism and even a little cynicism are healthy aspects of all scientific inquiry,” Dr. Brock said. “However, I have devoted my life to the study of what we cannot explain easily, because I believe it is just as worthy of our exploration, especially if we want to understand it someday. My goals are the same as yours. We’re really not so different, you and me. I wish you could see that.”

“I thought you were curious,” Pete said. “Don’t you want to learn more about what could be happening to you?”

MacGyver sighed. He realized he was being perhaps slightly too narrow-minded. “All right, what do you want me to do?” He asked.

“We’ll begin with a simple experiment. I want to see if we can replicate the results produced at your home,” Dr. Brock said. “To simulate similar conditions, I have unplugged all electronic devices I use in this office—radio, computer, calculator—to see if you can generate enough electricity to get them working. Also, I would like you to interact with other objects in this room without touching them to see if you can reproduce your telekinetic abilities. I’ll record my observations as you proceed.”

MacGyver noticed she had a video camera set up, and he was about to protest, unused to and uncomfortable with being an object of scientific study. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being recorded as if he were some rare species in the wild. Then, he relented, understanding that she needed measurable results and evidence. Whether she was a true scientist or not, she was certainly making an effort to be accurate with her methods.

“Fair enough. Where do I start?” He asked.

“With anything you like. Just relax, MacGyver. Try not to concentrate too hard. Just let it happen.”

“Right.”

As MacGyver walked around the office, a part of him was hoping nothing would happen, partly wanting to prove Dr. Brock’s assertions to be erroneous. Still, another part of him grew excited, wanting to see if indeed he had some kind of power. He started with a pen on her desk, holding his hand over it without directly touching it, just as she had instructed. It rolled across the desk as if by magic, some invisible hand guiding it. Moving his fingers over her pile of paperclips, they began to lift in the air, floating. MacGyver watched with a combination of curiosity, fear, and fascination, dazzled by what he seemed to be doing without using physical contact whatsoever.

“This is just what happened back at his house boat,” Pete whispered, gaping in astonishment.

“This is clear evidence of telekinesis,” Dr. Brock said for Pete and the camera.

MacGyver’s electrically charged fingers next grazed the top of a pad of sticky notes, setting them ablaze.

“Mac!” Pete said, his eyes wide in alarm.

Quickly, MacGyver stamped out the flames. “It’s okay, Pete. I’m all right…I guess. Considering…” he smiled awkwardly. Once he was sure the fire was completely extinguished, he moved around the office, approaching Dr. Brock’s radio. “You say this thing is unplugged?” He asked, staring at it.

“Yes it is. Examine it for yourself,” Dr. Brock said.

MacGyver looked at it closely and noticed that it was indeed unplugged. No source of electricity could make it run, unless it came from him. The next moment, it crackled to life, the tuning dial turning wildly, flipping through the stations—all with just a touch of his hand. As he moved toward her electronic calculator, it also turned on, rapidly printing a random series of numbers and calculations. Next, the computer booted up with only his touch. MacGyver smiled. The more he was able to do with merely a touch of his charged fingertips and body, the more delighted and pleased he became. What had once been a source of consternation and fear for him had become something that intrigued him. It was impossible for a human body to safely conduct enough electricity to run appliances, yet he was doing it. He couldn’t explain it.

“Oh my God,” he muttered. “Pete, look at this!” He giggled slightly, the powers he now had making him giddy.

Pete was watching, dumbfounded, unable to even blink.

“It’s as if he’s made a special connection with the electricity that struck his body from the lightning bolt,” Dr. Brock said, once again making verbal notes behind the camera. “Instead of it severely injuring him, it absorbed in his body somehow, and he’s able to channel it. This phenomenon could also explain his heightened telekinetic abilities. His body is acting as an electromagnet or a high voltage transformer.”

MacGyver’s euphoria over his newfound powers faded quickly when he felt tremendous pressure on his body, as if something was squeezing him, hardening around him and encasing him. He winced and gasped, his body beginning to writhe and tremble. It was an almost indescribable feeling, not quite painful and yet not pleasant, either. It felt as if something was desperately trying to escape his body, something he couldn’t control, and it had overwhelming force, demanding to be released despite his best efforts to subdue and suppress it.

“MacGyver, what’s happening? What’s wrong?” Pete asked.

MacGyver released a strangled cry. Hot bolts of electricity discharged from him, darting around the room. The lens on Dr. Brock’s camera shattered. Heavier objects were hurled across the room, smashing into the walls. Arcing sparks covered the computer, and moments later, it began burning.

“Get down!” Dr. Brock shouted, pulling Pete to the floor with her.

The bolts of electricity increased their frequency and intensity, and soon they were no longer merely affecting the office. The entire Phoenix Foundation building began to shut down, the alarm systems going berserk, the lights blinking, the sprinkler system gushing. Lightbulbs overhead shattered, along with several windows. Soon, the whole building went dark. In the darkness, Pete could see MacGyver glow with energy, swirls of electricity surrounding his body. He knew his friend was contending with an unstoppable, uncontrollable force, and they were in its harmful path, unable to contain it.

“Mac!” He shouted.

MacGyver’s body continued to convulse as if he were being electrocuted all over again, the bolts of electricity wrenching themselves violently from him, causing their havoc. Slowly, the current began to weaken until electricity was only coming from him in small sparks. Dizzy and stunned, he collapsed, leaning heavily against Dr. Brock’s desk, panting. Once they felt it was safe, Pete and Dr. Brock stood, staring at him in amazement. They could still see small, jagged bolts of electricity race up and down his body, but this time they remained wrapped around him like coiling ropes, not extending beyond him. Pete wanted to run to him to see if he was all right, but he knew it still wouldn’t be advisable to touch him, remembering the burns on his hands.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

MacGyver nodded. “Yeah…I think so,” he said quietly. “What just happened?”

“You must have had an incredible buildup of electricity that needed to be released in some kind of outlet,” Dr. Brock said. “It almost seems as if your body requires an equal amount of energy input and output.”

“How do you feel?” Pete asked.

“Strange,” MacGyver said. He looked up and smiled faintly. “Drained.”

“But you’re not in pain?”

“Not really. I just feel really…tired.”

“That’s understandable,” Dr. Brock said. She turned and looked out the broken windows, feeling the cool evening air rush inside. She also noticed something else. The remaining windows no longer revealed the reflections of lights from the neighboring buildings. Everything had gone completely black. “Uh…gentlemen…I think you should see this,” she said.

Pete moved toward the windows, MacGyver following him, stumbling weakly. They looked out on the city, finding the familiar night skyline eerily absent, a dark void facing them instead. Chaos ensued on the crippled streets below as the streetlights and even the headlights of the cars in traffic were gone. No engine noise could be heard, as if all of them had been stopped. Only the angry blasts of horns and panicked shouts could be heard, echoing.

“My God,” Pete said. He looked at MacGyver with concern. “It’s a total blackout.”

To be continued…

[Tiger_lily]

This is definately an interesting story, I like what you have done so far! I like how Mac found it frightening at first but now it intrigues him. keep up the good work

[MacGyverGod]

Intriguing.

[Astra]

Oh. My. God.