Chapter Text
“I’m telling y’all, something’s wrong”, Bozer said as he, Leanna and Riley entered the War Room of the Phoenix Foundation.
“Aw, Boze”, Riley replied, smiling, “they’re probably up at her place in Santa Barbara”.
“Nope”, Bozer replied. “Her car was still in my driveway when I left this morning”.
He was about to say more, but at that moment, the door opened, held by Jack as he and Matty walked into the room, laughing a a private joke. For a moment, it looked like they were holding hands.
Leanna silently caught Riley’s eye. Her unspoken expression was, Girl, you seeing what I’m seeing?
Riley raised an eyebrow. Yeah, something’s going on.
Matty cleared her throat. “Where’s Blondie?” She asked, looking around the room.
“That’s just it, Matty”, Bozer said. “He didn’t come home last night”.
“Well”, Matty continued, “have you tried calling him?”
“Several times”, Bozer replied. “Kaitlyn too. Just goes straight to voicemail”.
“Did anyone consider that maybe”, Jack drawled with a grin, “they turned their phones off because they were...knocking boots?”
His question was answered by a chorus of exclamations. He raised his hands defensively. “I’m just sayin’ “, he continued, “they could have turned off their phones”.
“Riley--”
“Already on it”, she replied, tapping keys on the keyboard of her laptop. A few moments later, the screen wall came to life with images. “Mac’s Jeep is in this parking garage, just been reported to be towed”. She glanced at Matty. “Already put the call in to have it towed here”, she continued. She was quiet for a few moments. “That’s weird”, she said quietly.
“What is?” Matty demanded.
“I pinged both cell phones”, Riley answered, “and Mac’s is here”, she highlighted a spot on the map, “but Kaitlyn’s is here”. She highlighted another spot several miles away.
Instantly, Jack was all business. “They’ve been kidnapped”, he said.
Matty nodded. “Jack”, she said, “go with Bozer to Mac’s location. Riley, Leanna, you go to Kaitlyn’s”.
The teams nodded and left, leaving Matty watching the screens on the wall in front of her.
“Director Webber, call on line one”. The aide looked up from her tablet nervously. “It’s --”
“If it isn’t one of our own”, Matty interrupted, “I don’t--”
“Matty”, MacGyver’s voice came out of the video wall, “it’s me. Could you tell me where I am? All I’m seeing is trees”.
Matty pressed a few buttons on the wall, and a symbol of MacGyver’s position glowed red, with an approaching dot. “It looks like you’re just off of the Angeles Crest Highway. Stay where you are. Jack and Bozer are about two minutes away”.
She heard him sigh. “Good”, MacGyver said wearily. “I can sit down and rest. Being tased and thrown out the back of a van in motion sucks”. There was a pause, then he added, “I see Jack’s car now”.
“Yeah, Matty”, Jack’s voice came over the comms, “I’ve got a visual on our boy. He looks a little scuffed up, but ok”.
“Get him some comms and then get him back here to debrief”, Matty said. There were a few moments of silence, during which MacGyver disconnected his phone and put the comm in his ear.
“Is Kaitlyn with you?” MacGyver asked as soon as his comms were up.
“No”, Matty said, as gently as she could. “Riley and Leanna are on their way to the location of her phone”.
“She’s not there”, MacGyver said, disappointment heavy in his voice. “They threw her phone out first”.
“Mac’s right”, Riley chimed in. “We found her phone on the side of the road, and it looks like it’s been bounced across the asphalt a few times before landing”.
“Matty, what’s their location?” MacGyver asked,”we can be there in a few minutes”.
“No way, Blondie”, Matty said firmly. “I want you back here and get checked out before you go back out into the field”.
“Matty--”MacGyver began.
“Jack, Bozer”, Matty cut him off, “you two have my permission to hogtie and gag him to get back here. Now”. She took a breath. “Ladies, pick up Kaitlyn’s phone and come back, too. We’ll regroup from here”.
“You got it, boss”, Jack said. He turned to MacGyver. “Get in the car”, he directed, then saw the look in the other man’s eyes. “Don’t think I won’t”, he continued. “I was a Junior Champion Roper. I can hogtie you faster than you can blink. Remember Dublin?”
MacGyver’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah”, he said, opening the car door, “I remember”.
A short time later, the team was gathered in a room on the Infirmary level of the Phoenix Foundation.
“Well”, the doctor said, straightening up from looking in MacGyver’s eyes, “there’s no sign of concussion, so once you get those road burns taken care of, you’re cleared to go back into the field”.
“And a set of clean clothes”, MacGyver added, looking down at the hospital gown he wore.
“That can be easily taken care of, Mac”, Matty replied. “In fact, I have them ready for you on the other side of that curtain. But first, you’re going to tell us everything you remember before Jack and Bozer picked you up”.
MacGyver took a deep breath, then said, “Well…”