Stacey and Pete had found their way out of the warren of hallways and rooms in the basement of the Phoenix Foundation, and now stood together on the sidewalk outside.
“Do you think Mac’s OK, Pete?” Stacey looked up at him anxiously.
Pete chuckled. “Stacey, if I know Mac, he’s just fine. We’re talking here about a guy who can fix a car with a hairpin and a piece of duct tape.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
He laughed out loud now. “I exaggerate, but not by much. I’d love to see what he’s doing right about now.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’ve never been able to figure out how his mind works, but I can guarantee it is working as we speak. I was already hearing the gears turning as we left.”
“Well, if you’re right, I think both he and the Foundation’s building are safe.” Though the sky was still overcast and threatening rain, enough sunlight came through to create a glare and make Stacey squint. “Damn. Too dark for sunglasses, but that glare is driving me crazy. I can hardly keep my eyes open. You may have to help me here, Pete.”
“I know exactly where the station is. Lord knows I’ve been there enough times over the years. If you’ll just keep me from wandering into the street or falling over my own feet, I’ll have us there in no time.” He grinned at her. “Do you and I and Mac make a great team, or what?”
She laughed, and they started in the direction of the police station.

Down in the basement, MacGyver was just finishing disconnecting the wires from the battery. The timer blinked off, with just fifteen seconds left to go. He sat back on his heels and let out a long shaky sigh. Damn, but that was close.
He wondered how Stacey and Pete were doing. They were likely at the station by now, and he hoped he’d been right about Kate being on duty today. He also wondered what he should do now. Should I sit here and wait for them, or should I see if I can take some of these militia characters out before they can think of any more mischief? They’re sure to know by now that someone has managed to defuse this thing.

Sure enough, at that very moment, Phil and a few others were watching from a safe perch about a mile away.
“What the quack?” Phil’s watch, synchronized with the bomb timer, had counted down to zero, but the Phoenix Foundation building still stood. “Someone beat us to it.” He turned to the others. “If you lamebrains hadn’t let her get away, we would be victorious right now! Instead, the entire plan just went down the drain!”
The rest of them were silent. Phil’s temper was notorious, and when it blew, the best thing to do was to keep silent.
“All right.” He stood glaring at them, hands on hips. “That part of the plan is blown, but we can still take out MacGyver and Thornton and Stacey. Let’s go, and please, you numbskulls, try to do something right for a change.”

Kate Murphy’s squad car barreled towards the Phoenix Foundation, siren howling, Stacey in the passenger seat. Pete was in the next car. Kate hadn’t been happy about the two of them coming, but Stacey was the only one who could ID these characters, and Pete had helped the department so many times, he had earned the right to come along on this one.
None of them spoke. All of Kate’s questions so far had been answered, and she didn’t want to be distracted by idle chitchat as she drove. Pete and Stacey were in a state of shock, both still frightened for themselves, the Foundation, and especially for MacGyver.

Mac heard sirens and engines outside as he climbed the stairs back to the doorway. Glancing outside, he saw half a dozen LAPD squad cars pull in. He ran out of the building as Stacey and Pete jumped out of the first two cars and ran towards him. Kate and her colleagues were out of the cars, too, and swarmed the building, looking for any secondary bombs, and some of them headed into the woods around the building to keep an eye out for the militia members, who were almost certain to return soon.
But as they were moving towards each other, shots rang out. Mac ducked back into the doorway, Pete hit the ground immediately, and both looked up to see Stacey pitch forward and land hard, clutching her shoulder.
“STACEY!” cried Mac. “Oh, God, Pete, she’s hit!” He wanted to rush to her side, but the bullets were still whizzing. Before they knew what was happening, at least three militia members also lay on the ground, dead or seriously wounded.
Stacey’s shoulder felt like it was on fire, but she spotted an AR dropped by one of the fallen militia members, and crawled forward through the smoke. Fortunately for her, the day was growing dark, and she had at least a little cover.
She made it to the gun, clutched it in her good hand, and crawled to a protected spot near where Phil was. Her heart ached for her family, and she was angry enough to kill the man who, she now knew, had masterminded the whole thing. Evidently, the militia was too busy shooting at the police to notice her, but MacGyver spotted her.
“What the heck is Stacey doing? Has she lost her mind?” he wondered.
Suddenly, a flurry of shots rang out about above the din, and the shooting stopped. Everyone looked around, and the sight that met their eyes chilled their blood. Even the police froze at the vision before them.
Stacey stood in front of Phil, aiming an AR at him. He watched her, an amused look on his face, but her expression was a combination of fury, terrible pain, blood lust, and heartbreak.
“All right, everyone. Now that I have your attention, I’ll explain myself. You assholes murdered my family, kidnapped and abused me, and have now tried to bomb and kill your way to a sick fantasy world that will never happen. Since Phil here was the one who started it all, I’m thinking I should shoot him right now, and then the rest of you. It’s true I hate guns, but I’m one hell of a shot, and you all know it. Don’t even try to run, because I’ll hunt you down eventually.”
“Don’t do it, Stacey,” came a shout from the direction of the building. Now all eyes were riveted on MacGyver as he slowly emerged from the doorway.
“It’s the only way to stop them, Mac,” she answered, her voice shaking. “The only good racist is a dead racist. They deserve exactly what they’re planning for others. And they murdered my family.”
“Stacey, killing isn’t going to bring your family back. We both know that. And you told me yourself that the death penalty doesn’t work on these people. If you shoot Phil, the rest of them are just going to get that much worse, and you’ll still be on their hit list.” He approached her as he spoke. Thunder began to growl in the distance, and the wind picked up a bit.
Phil, for the first time in his life, was genuinely afraid. This brilliant kid, whom he had thought he was training to be a great race warrior, had turned into a warrior all right, but for the other side. And for all his bluster, Phil had never had a gun to his head before.
“Mac, I don’t have a choice here. It’s either my life or theirs.” Now Stacey had tears running down her face.
“Stacey, you do have a choice. Put down the gun, and let justice take its course. Let them be brought before a court of law, and face punishment there. They’ll wind up in jail, and you’ll be free to get your life back together. And think about this,” he continued, working his voice up to be heard over the growing wind. “If you kill them, you will be a murderer, too. You’ll be no better than they are, and chances are you’ll wind up in jail just like the rest of them. You’ll ruin your own life.” Now Mac stood beside her. His voice softened. “I know you’ve been hurt, badly. Don’t think I don’t understand what you’ve been through. But this isn’t the way to make peace with what’s been done to you. Revenge isn’t the same as justice. Come on, Stacey. Give me the gun. The hate and the violence have to stop somewhere. You didn’t start this, but you can be the one to put an end to it, right now. It’s in your hands. Choose to do the right thing.”
There was silence for a long moment, as Stacey’s arms started to waver, and then, slowly, she lowered the gun. Rain started to fall, and lightning began flickering close by. Mac gently took the gun out of her hands, unloaded it, and threw the gun one way and the ammunition the other. The police moved in and started arresting the militia members. As Stacey stood staring at Mac, one of the officers approached her.
“Ms. Rick?” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I understand you’re a victim of this bunch. We need you to come down to the station and make a statement, preferably sooner rather than later.”
Stacey looked at Mac. “Go ahead,” he told her. “I’ll meet up with you at the station when you’re done.” He looked at the officer. “Can you have her wait in a safe area until I arrive? I know you’ve got these guys, finally, but I’m just being careful.”
“You bet,” replied the officer. “Just ask for her at the desk.”

The sound of footsteps made them both look up.
“Stacey!” Mac ran to her. He swept the girl up in a bear hug.
Pete hurried over to hug Stacey as well. “You all right?” he asked anxiously.
Stacey smiled. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m tired as hell again, though, and I’m hurting and hungry.”
“I’m hungry too, come to think of it,” answered Mac. “Pete, how about you? How’s pizza sound?”
“Great,” answered Pete. Stacey nodded, too.
“All right. What say we head for Pizza Hut, then get you home so you can get some rest?” He looked at Stacey.
“Sounds good to me, Mac,” she answered.
She was quiet the rest of the night, and as soon as they got back to the houseboat, she tumbled into bed with hardly a word. Mac came out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly.
“She’s exhausted, Pete. I have a feeling she’s going to sleep an awful lot in the next few days. She’s earned it.”
“I’ll say. So have you,” the older man replied.
“Before you leave, though, there’s something I want to talk over with you.” MacGyver took a deep breath. “What do you know about the ins and outs of adoption?”