𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝙿𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 {𝙼𝚊𝚌𝙶𝚢𝚟𝚎𝚛 📎}

Part 5

Jack's POV

Helicopter Flying Over US 101 North

Back in the Air Again...

Poor Mac looks a little pale again. I guess that's what happens when your best friend is afraid of heights and I've stuck him in a flying object for the second time in about 30 minutes. He looks much jumpier than normal—sweating, twitching, head on a swivel. There is something more going on here than just Chen and Nikki. Don't get me wrong, learning your girlfriend is magically alive after you watched her murdered would jar anybody. However, I can't shake a phrase he said earlier...

"Where is she?!"

Unless I missed something, no one else was missing. So... who is Mac looking for? He was furious about whatever they were discussing. I didn't have to face him to know he had that same look from earlier. He's pissed.

"Mac," I start, "can I ask you about something?"

"What is it?"

"What did Nikki mean when you were asking about-"

"Can we find Chen first?" he asks somewhat bluntly.

This is probably not the time to push him. It's clearly not "Mac is gonna open up about his feelings" time. Something has cut him deep—maybe even deeper than Nikki's betrayal. I knew he had been carrying this around, but what if something else is eating away at him? Sadly, right now, he isn't gonna tell me squat. I'll readdress it when this mess is over. That conversation may not be too pretty, but that's what we're here for...

"Alright, man," I reply, "but know we're here."

"There it is!" Mac shouts, pointing towards a large truck and turning my attention. "The truck Nikki said Chen was driving!"

"Yeah, I got him."

I swing the chopper toward the truck. Mac looks less than thrilled. He is not excited to jump out of something flying. Yet, there he goes, jumping out into the wild blue yonder... or in this case, onto the canvas top of a truck going highway speeds.

"Atta boy!" I holler, watching him land on top.

Mac's POV

Ouch. That landing was not onto a bed of feathers. That will be felt tomorrow. I'm just glad I'm actually on the truck and not lying in the middle of the road. I take out my knife and slice into the canvas roof and enter the truck... with another rough landing. At this point, I'm going to look like someone is abusing me by the time I wake up tomorrow.

I look behind me as I stand to see a silver box with a blinking red light. It doesn't take a genius to know that this thing is likely rigged to explode. The only positive of this situation... is that the man who keeps having unfortunate landings today also happens to be a former army EOD tech.