Cairo Day #1
So late on all of these but I'm getting them in. @macgyvercairo
prompts: Sandbox, Cold Open
The transport van was already on fire when Mac tuned back into reality.
He coughed and tried to blink through the cloud of confusion. The sharp ringing in his ears muffled everything else out, like something screaming far away and right inside his head at the same time. Mac shifted, the ground was gritty under his cheek. Breathing hard he pushed himself up a bit on shaky hands. But his sweaty hands, at least he was sure it was sweat, promptly slipped in the sand and he face-planted back down. Everything felt heavy, like someone threw him underwater fully clothed and then pulled him out soaking wet. It took him more than a minute to get his bearings together.
What had happened? Mac thinks back as best he can to figure out what happened. He remembered being in the van with Desi. They were talking about something when she turned to look at him mid sentence and-
The memory spins. A bang. The sound of screeching metal. Pain. A burst of light that turned dark. Hands grabbing him. Then waking up on the ground with his hands wet with what he was starting to believe was potentially blood.
Mac groaned and rolled onto his side. Important. What he was missing was very important.
Okay.
Okay he could do this.
He closed his eyes. They were on a mission to relocate someone. Matty and Russ were giving him and Desi details-breakfast he was eating toast-his hands were on the wheel as he cranked the van back up-Bozer was laughing at something he said while they were getting ready to leave-concrete walls with bright overhead LED lights, he walks down the corridor to the large glass wall that showed the room where-
His eyes snapped open and he struggled to his knees. Trying to get up to get to the burning van despite the wave of dizziness that washed over him.
“Murdoc.” Mac croaked out.
He’d just managed to get the spinning under control when a hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down to the ground.
“Ah ah ah, MacGyver. You don't get up.”
Mac groaned at the impact, head throbbing worse and making his vision blurry again. He blinked hard, rolling onto his back to try and see who just shoved him down. The man crouched above him slowly came into view. Mac swallowed.
“Murdoc.”
The assassin smiled, black hair a mess but aside from a few minor injuries and dirt on his prison uniform the man looked unharmed.
“The one and only.”
Mac breathed an instant sigh of relief, letting his head thump back down to the ground. Grateful to see Murdoc standing over him and not potentially stuck in the currently burning van. At least one good thing had happened. Murdoc tilted his head, looking strangely thoughtful.
“Were you really worried about me?”
Mac huffed, as the tension left his body just as fast as it had built. “Of course I was. I don't want you to die.”
It was then that the rest of the puzzle finished putting itself together. Mac and Desi had been sent to relocate Murdoc to another black site earlier that day after they got news that Codex was thinking of potentially recruiting him. Everything had proceeded as planned. Desi had been snapping at him about something while he drove. They had been half way to the next transport location when another armored truck appeared and rammed into them.
It was also then that he realized Murdoc was out of the van. And he didn't have his handcuffs on anymore. Mac's instincts jumped back on line and he tensed up.
“Shit.” He tried to move but Murdoc pinned him to the ground with a hand, laughing.
“Oh MacGyver, I'm not going to hurt you. I pulled you out of the van after those Codex guys were so nice as to undo those pretty silver bracelets for me.”
Codex. Mac turned his head frantically, looking around as best he could. If Codex had really been the cause then he was in danger. So was Desi. He squirmed to look towards the van and saw three bodies in tactical gear, the three guards they took with them.
Murdoc followed his gaze and hissed, “Yeah, where I managed to get out only with some bruises, those guys weren't so lucky. Well,” Murdoc rolled his eyes, “That and the fact that they got shot.”
He couldn't see Desi anywhere. And Murdoc's words did little to comfort him. Just as Mac's breathing picked up said man pressed down on his chest, making Mac gasp and his breathing stutter and slow.
“Don't worry, I pulled your prissy little girlfriend out right after I pulled you out. Not sure how you could stand her yapping for the whole car ride. She's over to the left out of harm's way.”
Mac’s head snapped to the left where Murdoc gestured to. He could see her a few feet away laying on her back unconscious. Unconscious, but safe. Safer than he probably was at this moment.
Murdoc seemed to catch what he was thinking because he smiled and reached down to brush hair from his eyes. “Don’t be so worried, I’m not going to hurt you after taking the time to save you. For a second time no less.”
Mac winced when his hand brushed higher and hit near a wound. He couldn’t remember exactly what had happened to his head but he was pretty sure he had a concussion from busting it open on the, steering wheel? It might be where the blood on his hands came from. Murdoc leaned down and he felt lips press lightly next to the wound. Then a wet drag across the side of his face before Murdoc pulled back licking his lips free of blood.
“Why did you do that?”
Murdoc tilted his head, “Why not?”
Then he stood up and walked back to the van. Mac tried to keep his eyes on the assassin but his head started to pound so he closed his eyes, Murdoc did say he wasn’t going to hurt him. All he could hear was the faint ringing still present in his ears and the sounds of Murdoc messing around with something.
When he opened his eyes he saw Murdoc standing over him again.
“I don’t particularly feel like being sent back to another black site anytime soon, so I’m going to get as far away from here as I can before the rest of your little posse gets here.” He crouched down again and set a bottle of water next to Mac’s head. “This way you won’t die before they get here.”
Mac watched him move and start to walk away. He didn’t really want to just let Murdoc walk away. But there wasn’t much of an option since he couldn’t move without knowing the extent of his injuries. He also wasn’t too keen on being left alone in the middle of the desert, even if it wasn’t hot hot yet, with three dead bodies and an unconscious girlfriend who was probably going to chew him out when she woke up.
“How,” Mac’s throat caught a dry patch and he coughed before swallowing what little saliva he had, “How are you going to get away?”
Murdoc paused and turned back slightly. “Codex wasn’t my cup of tea, so after they got my cuffs off I took the liberty of giving them the same treatment they gave your guards. Well, almost the same. They’re on the other side of the van knocked out and chained up better than I was. The non-wreaked van they brought is my ticket out.”
Mac glanced over at the van while Murdoc continued walking away. He hadn’t expected Murdoc to be that merciful towards some random people. But he knows the man does seem to pay back those that help him, as seen when Murdoc let Bozer go instead of killing him and kept his promise to Mac when he forced him to help find Cassian.
He called out, “706 Overlook Dr, Hanover Township, PA 18017.”
The sound of footsteps stopped. Mac blinked and Murdoc was standing over him again. He blinked.
“What, was that Macgyver?”
“An address.” He shifted as little as he could so as to not hurt his injuries. “Cassian’s address. 706 Overlook Dr, Hanover Township, PA 18017.”
Neither of them speak for a while. Then Mac hears a sound from over where Murdoc said Desi was. Murdoc moved. Feet taking him away from Mac’s line of sight. He sighed and grabbed the water bottle that he left and took a small sip. He heard a door open and knew Murdoc was going to be gone soon.
“Thanks by the way.”
“...You're welcome, Boy Scout.”
With that an engine started and he heard the van Murdoc mentioned drive away. Now all he had to do was wait for the rest of the team to get here. And hope Desi would stay unconscious until they got there.
Perfection
