Chapter Text
First Person POV (Mariah)
You know, I never imagined that helping a man with a stab wound would lead me here. The leader of the Phoenix Foundation. A secret government division, led by my husband Russ Taylor, and my best friend Matilda "Matty" Webber. Our team: Angus "Mac" MacGyver, a genius; Riley Davis, brilliant hacker; Desiree "Desi" Nuygen, extraction expert and the calvary; and Wilt Bozer; filmmaker turned special effects specialist. And we did a lot in our time together.
We saved the world from Codex, a doomsday terrorist group that wanted to destroy the world to save it. Even with finding out Mac's familial connection to the group, we still managed to work together to take it down. Even a global pandemic didn't stop us from saving the day. But relationships changed after that. Mac and Desi were unsure of themselves, Mac and Riley had something blooming, and Russ and I realized we were better together. We saved an Indian Princess during her wedding. We stopped a criminal using a classic Italian car. Even with Mac losing the use of his hands temporarily, we never gave up. And we discovered the truth behind the nano-trackers Mac and Riley inhaled.
What I also didn't expect was the truth behind the nano-trackers. The U.S government sanctioned the nano-trackers. But the thing that made me the angriest was the revelation that the government experimented on Mac and Riley, having them do things they would never do. I knew Mac and Riley felt violated. And that was after they lost their memory, and Riley's group of hackers found the footage. So, we destroyed the nano-trackers. And we got them out of Mac and Riley. And in the process, we nearly lost Mac.
And nearly losing Mac nearly killed me. Thank God he made it. But after what happened with Mac and Riley, and the government's excuse being that Mac and Riley made promises to their country, we made the executive decision to end the contract with the government.
But as we toasted our champagne, something clicked. We had become a family. And we were now able to do our own thing. Together. As a family.
I may not be the most qualified for my job or the best person to get a family like this, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy every second.
Sure, we had some bad times too. My jealousy with Sofia, Mac and Desi's relationship issues, finding out Codex 2.0 was a thing, nearly losing Mac twice, betrayed by the government I served. But I never regretted anything. I don't regret helping Russ. I don't regret agreeing to be his girlfriend. I don't regret becoming the boss of the Phoenix team. I don't regret saying yes when he asked me to marry him in the middle of our first op as a team, or saying I do at our small wedding at Mac's house. I don't regret this team becoming my family. And I don't regret making the choice to stay.
And now, with the brand new Phoenix Foundation to run, I was never gonna get bored. And with my family I created, we were gonna do what the Phoenix was always meant to do. Help people who needed it and save the world. So, here's to new adventures.