The Bargain

Part XV

Location: America, California 2017

Lara's phone had been ditched in an alley not far from where Riley had spotted the taxi. It was a lucky break that it was still there and it had taken Riley less than a minute to access the contact history. The most recent was from a burner but the text history itself contained a data file from the C.I.A. on Murdoc.

"No, no, no, no, no," Jack said when Riley showed them. "Not this psycho-pants."

"We were expecting it, Jack," Matty told him.

Mac's heart seemed to skip a beat though as it was confirmed. When Murdoc had gotten hold of Mac, his team had been unable to find his location. Smart and resourceful as Lara could be, it had been a miracle that Mac had gotten out alive. She'd need help, particularly if Murdoc decided to experiment. The thought sent Mac pale.

"Damn it Lara," Mac swore. He should have known that there had been more to that apology than three years ago. He should have expected this. He shouldn't have let Matty reassign that temporary replacement. She'd saved his and Jack's hinds countless times in Afghanistan by losing tails. Her brother had taught her she'd claimed. He shouldn't have let her slip past so easily. Should have known that bringing Marcus in wouldn't be enough to drag Murdoc out of the shadows. That he'd just find a way to get Marcus all the same. How could he have been so stupid how could he-

"Hey, Mac, buddy," Jack said, suddenly beside the younger agent. "We'll get her, don't you worry. And whilst we find her... well she survived the sandbox, didn't she?"

Mac smiled weakly at Jack. His glare was piercing and told Mac that Jack had known exactly what he'd been thinking and was utterly unimpressed by it.

Lara's phone trilled.

"Put it through the system," Matty told Riley.

An unwelcome voice poured into the room's audio systems, the accompanying face smiled broadly, mockingly, on the data display. "Matilda, Angus, Jack, and Riley. Well, it would appear the gang's all here,"

"What do you want Murdoc," Matty asked icily.

"A lot of things Matilda but I thought I'd just congratulate you on finally finding the phone and to show you how Angus' old army buddy is going."

The face disappeared and Mac watched as Lara lay by the door. She was unconscious, parts of the door handle were scattered nearby. Watching Mac realised that she seemed to come too. There was no audio but she appeared to be yelling, fear plastered on her face. Whatever she was seeing wasn't the stripped-out bedroom. Mac's teeth ground in anger.

"What do you want," Mac asked hotly.

"Oh, I've already got the first half Macgyver, You can tell Agent Grey he drives a hard bargain."

The call dialed off.

"Were you able to trace that?" Matty asked Riley.

"I'm sorry, Matty. He's bouncing the signal all over the city," Riley responded. "I'm sorry, Mac. He wasn't talking long enough."

"Then I think it's time to question the bastard in the basement," Jack said, storming out of the war room before Matty could stop him.

"Blondie, you go too," Matty told him. "Try and stop him from killing a federal agent while you're there."

Mac nodded before following Jack, though, if he was honest, he couldn't make any promises that the man would make it out of the interrogation with all limbs attached.

"That was for being a selfish asshole," Jack was telling Agent Grey, whose nose was bloody and broken by the time Mac arrived.

"You realise I'm a federal agent, right?" the man asked, as though it was going to mean diddly squat to Jack.

"Well, Mr. Federal Agent," Jack said with a fake smile, "I'll give you a black eye to match if you don't tell me right now what Murdoc wants with Lara."

Instead of the worried glare turning into terror, the bastard closed his eyes, tension appeared to leave his body. Jack's expression turned murderous and, if only to follow orders, Mac stepped in.

"What did you do?" Mac asked from where he stood behind Jack.

"I've known for weeks that Murdoc was after me. So I wondered what could I possibly give him to buy myself just a touch of extra time to go missing,"

"So that's what the money was for,"

"Aren't you a bright chap," Grey mocked Jack, "I remembered Beccy telling me that Jane's daughter was in Afghanistan with a Mac. Apparently, she'd call out for him in her sleep. She'd once asked me to look into it. Well I did and what would you know but this 'Mac' was featured in Murdoc's file as a past apprehended. I figured it was a fifty-fifty chance that Murdoc would give me up to get to him."

Jack launched forward at the man, Mac stepping forward to get between him and Agent Grey. It wouldn't help Lara if Jack went up for murder. Upon seeing him Agent Grey's face went pale.

"You're Angus MacGyver," He said, the hubris draining from the tone.

"Yeah," Mac told him, then to Jack, "Come on, he's not worth it. Matty's already going to put him away for a long time."

"Yeah, I know," Jack told him. "Bastard."

Mac couldn't agree more with the sentiment.