Stacey lay on the couch at the safehouse, watching Dances With Wolves. It was a great flick; she could see why it had won seven Academy Awards. It was Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after lunch.
“This is one of my favorites,” said Charlie, who sat in the chair nearby. “I’m part Cherokee, myself, and this was the first movie I can remember that actually portrayed Indians in a positive light. Before this, we were always made out to be the bad guys.”
Stacey looked over at him and smiled. “I’m kind of glad I never saw the old westerns that made Indians the bad guys. Growing up, I knew a brother and sister who were Lakota, and they and their family introduced me to some of their customs, including their spiritual ways. Compared to that, Christianity kind of paled in comparison.” She chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if part of the reason the white missionaries tried to wipe out the Indians’ religion was that they were jealous. I mean, here was this beautiful tradition that always felt very natural, and Christianity is so… I don’t know… contrived, in some ways.”
Charlie smiled. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you were right about the jealousy thing, Stacey.” He shook his head. “You remind me so much of Mac. You two think a lot alike.”
Stacey grinned back at him. “Yeah, I know. Sam and I have started to joke privately that I must be MacGyver’s long-lost daughter. He hasn’t picked up on it yet, though. We’re not sure whether to let him in on it or not. He might not think it was funny.”
“Yeah, with Mac, it can be kind of hard to tell. I’ve known him for almost five years, myself, and I still don’t know how he’ll react sometimes.” Charlie shook his head. “He sure as hell wasn’t cut from the same cloth as the rest of us. What the good Lord had in mind when he created that guy, I’ll never know.”
“Maybe he intended for Mac to be just what he is now: someone who makes a difference in the world,” Stacey observed quietly.
“Could well be, Stacey. Could well be.” They both fell silent, watching their movie. Suddenly, the phone rang.
“I’ll get that.” Charlie stood up.
“Want me to pause it?” asked Stacey, the remote control in her hand.
“Nah, that’s all right.” Charlie picked up the phone. “Phoenix Foundation, this is Charlie.” He listened for a moment. “Hello?” A concerned look crossed his face, and he hung up.
“What?” Stacey knew something was very wrong.
“No one on the other end, but I did hear some background noise.”
“A wrong number, maybe?”
“I doubt it. This number is unlisted and unpublished. It might be nothing to worry about, Stacey, but I’m calling Thornton, just to be on the safe side.”

“What?” Pete Thornton was deeply concerned. “What do you mean, you got a call you can’t explain?”
“That’s just what I’m telling you, Thornton,” replied Charlie. “I picked up the phone, and there was no one there, just background noise.”
“Did anything come up on the caller ID?”
“’Caller blocked,’” the young guard told him. “It might not be anything to worry about, but I thought I’d better let you know right away.”
Pete sighed. “OK, thanks for letting me know, Charlie. You might be right, but I have a bad feeling about this. You folks be extra cautious out there, all right?”
“Will do. Judy suggested we change the code on the garage door, and Rex had the idea to double up on the staffing, until this is resolved. That means OT, though, Thornton. I sure as hell wouldn’t recommend hiring anyone new at this point in the game.”
“I’m thinking the same. If there is someone watching, and, heaven forbid, has figured out where Stacey is, the last thing we want is to unwittingly hire a spy for WAPLA.” Pete rubbed his forehead, thinking. “If MacGyver weren’t out actively investigating this, I’d assign him as security, too.”
“Might not be a good idea, Thornton. Mac is already emotionally attached to Stacey, and that’s a no-no in the bodyguard business. If you get emotionally attached to the person you’re protecting, it can be a distraction.”
“As usual, you’re right, Charlie. Thanks for helping me keep my head straight about this.” Pete grinned. “Rex is an old hand, and if he thinks it’s a good idea to double up on staffing, I’m willing to go along with him. You folks sit down and come up with a new schedule, and let me know as soon as you’ve got something that will work. We may be jumping the gun on this, but I’d rather jump the gun and not have anything happen, than do nothing and have things go horribly wrong.” He sighed. “The one good thing about the WTC bombing is that the higher-up muckety-mucks don’t question me on security expenses anymore. Speaking of Mac,” he added, “that reminds me, Charlie. I just heard from him, and he found photos that someone left inside his houseboat.”
“What?” Now it was Charlie’s turn to be concerned. “Inside the houseboat? What were they of?”
“Mac says they were pictures of him and Stacey, the day they loaded up his car to take her to the safehouse. I don’t know, Charlie.” Pete sighed again. “Someone is upping the ante, and in a hurry.”
“Hmmm. You don’t think you could talk Mac into moving into a safehouse too, do you?” Charlie kept his tone light, but he was only half-joking.
Pete chuckled. “That’s not a bad idea, Charlie, but you know it would never work. For one thing, it’s not Mac’s style to go into hiding. For another, I need him on the investigation.”
“Yeah, I know. Just tell him to be careful. I like Mac an awful lot, and would hate to see anything happen to him.”
“That makes two of us. Keep me posted.”
“If anything else happens, Thornton, first you’ll know, then God.”

“Oh, God.” MacGyver put his head in his hands. He had just hung up with Pete, who had told him of the odd call to the safehouse.
“What is it, Dad?” Sam looked up from up from the couch, where he was reading a book.
“The safehouse just got an anonymous call,” his father told him. “No one on the other end, just an open line.” He looked up at them. “Pete and Charlie think that someone is raising the stakes here. I don’t know if they’re on to Stacey or not, but this does not look good.” His eyes took on an almost frantic look. “I want you safely out of town no later than tomorrow evening. I have to know you’re out of these people’s reach.”
“I talked to Chris this morning,” answered Sam. “As soon as I explained what was happening, she talked with her parents, then called me back within fifteen minutes. I’m welcome to use their vacation home for as long as necessary. It’s February, so they won’t be using it for at least another few months, anyway.”
“Good. I do hope it’s heated, at least? I don’t want to send you away from a death threat here, only to have you die of pneumonia up there.”
“Yes, it’s winterized and heated. They sometimes go up there in the winter for cross-country skiing, so it’s all set. Chris says it’s pretty easy to turn on the water and heat and whatnot. I offered to pay them for the heat and water we use, but he and his parents wouldn’t hear of it. I told them I’d be by to pick up the keys this afternoon or evening.” He looked at his father for a long moment. “I’m really worried about you, Dad, and about Stacey, too. Please, please be careful.” Sam wrapped his arms around his father again.
MacGyver held onto his son tightly. “I’ll be fine, and so will Stacey. We’ll get this figured out and these kooks stopped. Call me?”
“Of course, Dad. Every day.” Sam had tears in his eyes. He let go of his father. “I’d better get ready to go. I want to roll out first thing tomorrow.”

The next morning, MacGyver said goodbye to Sam and watched him drive away, with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he knew they would be safe, at Chris’ family’s remote cabin in the wilds of Oregon. On the other, it was terribly hard to be separated from him again, and for who knew how long. But if Sam didn’t get out of town now, Mac might well find himself separated from him forever.
Sighing, the tall man headed back inside to wash the dishes. He needed to stop by Pete’s office, to give him an update. They had agreed that they should no longer communicate by phone; there was no secure line at Mac’s houseboat, and cell phones were even more easily tapped than land lines. Things were getting very dangerous, indeed, and neither of them wanted to take any more unnecessary chances.
“I hate to admit it, Pete, and I sure wouldn’t say this to just anyone, but I’m really getting scared,” Mac told his friend later, at the office. He had just told Pete about the mysterious car Sam had seen. “Not so much for me… heck, I’ve been in bad guys’ cross-hairs before… but for Stacey, and Sam. Not to mention, you too. I hope to God you and Connie and Michael are taking precautions.”
“We’ve had a security team at our place since this started,” Pete told him. “I really wish you would move into a safehouse yourself, MacGyver, or at least let me put a team out at your houseboat.”
“Pete, you know as well as I do that if they were at my boat, it would be way too obvious. Besides, there are logistical issues. I can house one person no problem, even two at a stretch, but more than that and it starts to get real crowded. As for the safehouse, well, it would be that much harder to do my job, and anyway, they would probably find a way to track me down there, too. If I’m screwed, I’ll be screwed whether I’m at home or in a safehouse.”
Pete chuckled grimly. “I give up, Mac. At least Sam is out of harm’s way, thank God.”
“Yes, but what about Stacey? These characters may be on to her.”
“We’re doubling the guards up at the safehouse, and changing the code on the garage. Also, we’re making sure Stacey knows how to work the secret door to the saferoom, and having her spend a little time in it, now and then, so she won’t get too freaked out if things go south and she has to be down there for awhile. There will be someone down there with her, but still…”
Mac sighed. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Stacey told me the other day that she does get a little claustrophobic, if she’s in an enclosed space for a really long time. She seemed kind of embarrassed about it, so I told her that I’m pretty scared of heights.” He smiled in spite of himself. “I told her, everyone’s scared of something. The trick is not to let it get the best of you.”
“Wiser words were never spoken.” Pete smiled at his friend’s comment. “By the way, MacGyver,” he said, “there’s something I’ve been curious about for a long time.”
“What’s that?”
“How did you get to be so damn wise? You’re almost young enough to be my son, for heaven’s sake, and you’re far wiser than I am. I just can’t keep up with you.”
Mac smiled again. “I’ve seen a lot, Pete. We both know that. And, I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with the way my mind works, which neither one of us can quite explain.”
Pete grinned. “Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to go on wondering.”
“I guess you will.” Mac’s smile turned smug, and they both laughed.

“You got the number for the safehouse?” Phil’s eyes were wide. “Nice going. How’d you pull that off?” It was late Thursday night.
“Managed to break into MacGyver’s houseboat yesterday to leave those photos, and he had it lying right by the phone. It wasn’t marked, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what it was.” Carl grinned at his commander.
“Have you placed any calls yet?”
“Yep, just dialed the number and then when someone answered, put down the phone and walked away. It’s less than I’d like to do, but I think we should let them wonder for awhile.”
“I don’t agree. The Foundation is on to us, and if we give them any more time, our plan will be completely wrecked. Forget March 20th. I think we should move on this, yesterday. Monday should be a nice, symbolic day… Martin Luther King Day.” He gave Carl a nasty grin. “We know where the safehouse is. Move.”
“No problem. We’ll get her.”
“Do it, and find a way to take out MacGyver and Thornton while you’re at it. We don’t need any more complications. The timetable has accelerated… considerably.”

“What now, Pete?” Mac was pacing the office like a caged tiger again. It was now Friday afternoon, and neither of them had slept well the night before. “Now that Sam is out of harm’s way, what’s our next move?”
“I was hoping you might have some ideas. I’m fresh out.” Pete sat forward, his head in his hands. “We’ve got to stop these nutcases, but how?”
“Undercover operative? That might be our only choice.” Mac sighed, as Pete started to object. “I know, I know, Pete. I don’t like it any more than you do. But what else makes sense at this point?”
“Yeah, I guess you may be right. But before we do anything else, maybe we ought to alert the FBI on this. In fact, we should have done that first thing.”
“As long as they don’t get wind of Stacey, I have no problem with that. Who knows? Maybe they’re already on to it, for all we know.”
The phone on Pete’s desk rang. Helen announced that FBI Special Agent Robert Millings was calling.
“Well, speak of the devil.” Pete answered with his usual “Thornton.”
“Yes, Agent Millings, actually, we already know of the plot against the Foundation. We found out about it from a… confidential source a few days ago. Yes, yes, that’s right. What?” He looked up, startled. “Do we know of a young woman named Anastasia Rick, aka Elizabeth Ross? Why do you ask?” He thought fast, trying to play for time.
Mac felt his heart beating faster. Oh, God, if they know about Stacey, this may be it for her.
“Uh, no, I haven’t heard that name.” Nicely done, Pete. “Why do you want to know?”
“Missing child, huh? Well, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open. No, no, I understand. You’re just asking everyone you come in contact with… What? She may be in serious danger? What kind? You can’t tell me?” Now Pete’s expression turned to one of skepticism. “Agent Millings, we deal with classified government contracts at the Phoenix Foundation, and I am cleared to handle top secret documents, as are several of the people I supervise.”
MacGyver was getting suspicious as he listened to Pete’s side of the conversation. They had worked with the FBI before, and many of the top brass and field agents knew Pete, and knew he had top secret clearance. Something is definitely not right here. The person on the other end of the line was obviously dancing around, trying to get information.
Pete listened for a minute or two more, then said, “All right, Agent Millings, we’ll let you know if we hear anything. What is your phone number? What?! You can’t give me your phone number?!” Now his expression was one of anger, and he hung up.
Mac was on his feet. “Pete, I’m going over to the safehouse, now. I have a feeling something has gone very, very wrong.”
“Go. I’m going to star-6-9 this call, and I’ll let you know what I get. If it wasn’t the FBI, then…”
“Someone is on to Stacey, and has probably cracked the safehouse location. If only we’re not too late.” Mac sprinted out of the room, and down to the car.