by Cindy Combs
Teal'c decided to confirm his theory. "You are the son of MacGyver."
'Sam' turned to look at him again. His eyes did look like O'Neill's, especially when O'Neill didn't like a situation. It made sense that they were inherited from O'Neill's double. "Do you know my Dad?"
Teal'c gave a slow nod of respect. "Indeed. I have met your father and your brother, BlairSandburg."
Sam's eyes turn thoughtful. The General replied, "In fact, it's my cabin they're staying at. If you like, you can follow us in." He extended his hand. "I'm General George Hammond."
The other warrior shook the hand. "I'm Cory Buchanan."
"Sam Malloy, and my son, Ian." There was still suspicion in the O'Neill-like eyes.
"You wanna go' fish?"
Teal'c looked down to see the small boy offering a tiny cracker to him. Innocence shone from the big, brown eyes. Teal'c gave him a gentle smile and took the cracker, well aware of his father's close scrutiny. "Thank you."
The boy dipped his head shyly, smiling. "You well-come."
Teal'c turned to the boy's father. "I am called Murray."
"Murray?" SamMalloy repeated. A light of recognition appeared. "Blair's mentioned you. You're part of the Colonel's team, right?"
"Indeed."
SamMalloy nodded to himself. Teal'c could feel the suspicion lessen as the young warrior placed him in the context of 'friend of father's friend'. However, the other warrior was still on guard, in spite of his casual appearance.
General Hammond smiled. "Well, let's get this show on the road. We're only about five miles away."
"Thank you, sir," CoryBuchanan replied.
* * *
Once back behind the wheel of the rented Jeep, Sam turned to his friend. "Okay, what's got you so upset?"
Cory was digging into his laptop case. "That Murray guy smells funny."
Sam lifted an eyebrow as he started the vehicle. "Smells funny? Like he hasn't showered or something?"
Cory rolled his eyes as he pulled out his cell phone. "No. Just..." He paused a moment, trying to find the words. "It's like... scary death. Makes every one of my nerves tense like someone's running their fingernails down a chalk board."
"But Blair did mention the guy. He asked if Murray and Carter were okay after I told him about Daniel." Sam gazed at the Mercedes SUV with the General and Murray in it. "He did kinda talk funny, like he's not use to conversing in English or something."
"That's why I'm calling Jim," Cory replied. "If he knows him, maybe he can shed some light."
* * *
Major Crime Department, Cascade Police Headquarters
Jim was working on a report when he noticed his partner stand up. He noted the time as he stretched. "Going to lunch early, Sandburg?"
"Yeah. Meeting Diana." Blair pulled on his jacket, then paused. "Man, I really don't want to tell her we can't see each other for a while."
"Think of her safety, Chief. Where are you taking her?"
"I'm picking her up downtown, then I thought I'd take her to the Star of India near the waterfront." Blair bounced his keys in his hand a couple of times. "We are going to figure this out, right Jim?"
"That's why they call us detectives," Jim told him reassuringly. "Just be careful."
Blair rolled his eyes at him. "I'm only going to lunch."
"Remember how 'I was only getting a good luck statue authenticated' went?"
"Yeah," Blair replied with a smirk. He had been held hostage in an elevator during that errand. "I'll be careful."
A few minutes after Blair left, Jim's cell phone rang. "Ellison."
"Jim, it's Cory."
Jim could hear the strain in the younger sentinel's voice. "What's wrong? You guys okay?"
"We're fine. But on the way to the cabin, we ran into a couple of guys. One's a General George Hammond; the other's named 'Murray'."
Jim could easily see where Cory was headed. "Let me guess. Tall, black guy with some sort of hat pulled over his forehead, and smells really bad."
"That's him. He seemed nice enough and says he knows Mac and Blair. But the smell just gets to me."
"I know, but Murray's okay. He's on the Colonel's team."
"That's what Sam thought. But what's with the smell?"
Jim smirked, remembering the first time he had smelled the Jaffa. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you. It's classified."
"That's not much help."
"Tell Sam it has to do with Blair's little unplanned vacation after the diss disaster. And Cory? If you ever, and I mean ever, smell that smell from anyone else, you grab Sam and Ian and head for the hills. Then call O'Neill when you're clear. Understand?"
"Got it. And I'll email once we talk with Mac."
"Be careful."
"You, too."
* * *
Rented jeep, Pikes Peak National Forest
Cory relayed Jim's half of the conversation as Sam drove, tuning out Ian's happy humming in the back seat. Then Sam nodded. "Blair's mystery abduction."
"Blair's what?"
Sighing, Sam replied, "Soon after Blair's press conference, some Men in Black grabbed him. I was in Europe at the time, and Dad told me to 'disappear' for a few days while he and Jim went after Blair. I wasn't happy about being left out, but I was too far away to do anything else. A few days later, Dad informed me that they had Blair and the coast was clear. None of them would tell me about it later, except to say it was 'classified'. It was soon after that Blair told me about Colonel O'Neill and how much he looked like Dad. Only he never told me HOW he met the Colonel."
"So you think he met O'Neill while he was abducted? Do you think these people had something to do with it?"
Sam shrugged. "I'm sure they were involved somehow, but Jim likes the Colonel. If he had been the one to abduct Blair, Jim still wouldn't trust him."
Cory nodded. That did sound like the older sentinel. "You know, this is just way too weird."
"Welcome to life in the MacGyver family," Sam replied as he watched the Mercedes make a left hand turn onto a short, dirt road. Soon they could both see the two story log house through the trees. "Certainly fancier than Harry's two-room cabin."
"I wouldn't call that a cabin." Cory thought a moment. "Sam, I know Jim says these guys are okay, but considering the bug issue, we'd better stay alert."
"Agree."
* * *
Jack had finished cleaning a couple of brook trout he and Mac had caught that morning. He was walking towards the cabin for lunch when he heard vehicles pull into the drive. Cautious, he approached the front. He immediately recognized the General's SUV. That didn't surprise him; in fact, he kinda expected George to check up on him. However, he didn't recognize the Jeep.
Suddenly, a high voice shouted, "Gampa Mac!" Jack turned his head in time to see a small blur race towards him. Then the boy stopped short a foot away, a brown teddy bear trailing behind him. Jack swallowed hard. Other than the color of the eyes and the thick curls, the boy could have been Charlie. It had to be MacGyver's grandson, Ian.
Ian tilted his head to the side. "You not Gampa Mac."
With a sad smile, Jack knelt down to be closer to eye level. "No. I'm Colonel O'Neill."
Tilting his head to the other side, the boy asked, "Gampa Neill?"
"No, Colonel--"
"Gampa Neill needs a hug," Ian interrupted matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, the small arms wrapped around Jack's neck. After a moment of surprise, Jack gently wrapped his arms around Ian. His hard, military heart melted. He had needed the hug.
"Hi, Colonel." Sam had followed his son. "Dad around?"
"He's inside, and you can call me Jack." Jack stood up, Ian in his arms. "To what do we owe this unexpected surprise?"
Sam glanced over his shoulder, obviously checking that the General and Teal'c were out of hearing range. "Blair and Jim may have some trouble, so we need to talk with Dad."
Jack frowned a moment. "Then let's go inside."
* * *
Diana's bas
e of operations, New York, NY
The door burst open. Homicide detectives Sara Pezzini and Jake McCartey, along with a handful of uniformed officers, entered the residence with guns ready. With smooth and practiced moves, they searched the apartment of a suspected assassin. It was quickly apparent that the suspect wasn't there, though a variety of weapons and surveillance equipment were found.
Sara sighed to herself. She had really hoped to find the woman here. Her sentient bracelet, the Witchblade, had been twinging throughout the case, but Sara had yet to figure out why.
"Hey Pez! Check this out!"
She followed her partner's voice into a small back bedroom. Jake waved at the walls, indicating several large bulletin boards. "You think she lays out information on her victims?"
"Possibly," Sara replied. She pointed the computer out to a forensic tech. "We'll need to take that for evidence." Then both she and Jake were drawn to the only board with pictures tacked to the right side.
Jake tilted his head and gently touched one of the pictures with his gloved hand. "This man seems to be the main subject. Do you think he's her next target?"
"Maybe." Something was nudging the back of Sara's mind. "But why are there only pictures on one side of the board?"
Jake continued to study the pictures. "You know, he seems familiar. The kid, too."
"You're right," Sara agreed. "But why?"
All of a sudden, Jake snapped his fingers. "Blair Sandburg in Cascade! His brother and nephew! Remember the picture on his desk?"
"Oh my god," Sara whispered, remembering the pride in Sandburg's eyes as he spoke of his family. She gently touched the empty space of the board, triggering the Witchblade to swirl with light.
~FLASH~
Sandburg sat with his brother and an older, graying man before a blazing fire. All three were laughing.
~FLASH~
The picture on Blair's desk, his voice explaining, "My father, brother, and nephew. They live in L.A., so I don't get to see them very often."
~FLASH~
Blair's father, blond hair indicating an earlier time, was hiding in a warehouse as a storm raged outside. From his uncertain moves, he appeared to be injured. A young, dark haired woman was hunting him, holding a knife. She knelt on the cement floor, picking up bandages that Sara knew instinctively had been covering his eyes only minutes before.
~FLASH~
They were on a cliff face, Blair's father holding onto the woman's hands as she clung to the rocks. She slammed a knife at him, intending to stab him in the back but only slicing his arm. Unable to maintain her hold on the rocks, she fell to her death.
~FLASH~
"...is he a target?" Jake's voice drifted back to her. "Did Sandburg ever say what he did?"
"No," Sara declared softly. She touched a hand to each side of the board. "Two sides, two sons. She was deciding which son to go after."
Jake blinked, but he had long ago learned to listen to Sara's hunches. "You mean, the ultimate target is Sandburg's father?" Eyes wide, he stared at the board. "So who is she going after?"
The Witchblade provided an image of Sandburg eating and smiling with another young woman. A young woman who bore a strong resemblance to the one who had tried to kill his father. Sara tapped the empty side. "There must have been pictures of Sandburg here, which she took with her. She's after Sandburg."
"We better warn him," Jake replied grimly.
* * *
Star of India, Cascade, WA
Diana smiled at Blair. "So, your case is finished now?"
"All except the paperwork. And let me tell you, that's not trivial."
"Great." Diana practically beamed at Blair. "Then we can go away for the weekend!"
Blair's eyes grew huge. "Whoa! Wait a minute."
"Don't you want to go away with me?" Diana pouted.
"I'd love to go away with you," Blair replied truthfully. "But I can't."
"Why not? You said your case is done."
"Yes, but..."
"Then it's time for us to play!"
"Diana..." Blair paused to take a deep breath. "I'm sorry, as much as I would love to spend the weekend concentrating on you, I can't. In fact, I really shouldn't see you at all for the next couple of weeks."
Her hazel eyes grew teary. "Blair, are you dumping me?"
"No! I adore you, honest!" Blair declared. "It's just..."
"What? Do you have another girlfriend?"
"No, not now." Blair ran his hands through his hair. "It's for your protection, Diana."
She stared at him. "My protection? What, you have some disease I should know about?"
"What! No, of course not," Blair rushed to assure her. "Just that there's something weird going on, and Jim and I need time to figure it out."
"Weird?" Diana asked. "What do you mean?"
Blair sighed. "We've been finding electronic listening devices in our apartment."
Diana wrinkled her nose. "You have? Why would anyone do that?"
"That's what Jim and I have to figure out." Blair gave her his most winning smile. "Honest, once we do, I'll call you and we'll go out, take a weekend getaway, whatever you like. But we've got to find out what's going on first."
Still frowning, Diana replied, "And how do I know you're not just messing around with me?"
"Because I think you're the sexiest girl I've ever seen, and I'll call you the first moment I can," Blair answered.
Diana rolled her eyes. Blair could tell she was still miffed, but hoped she'd eventually understand. "Okay, I guess we might as well go."
Blair quickly paid the bill, and escorted her out to his Cobra. As he bent slightly to unlock the door, Diana triggered a needle from her ring and jabbed it into his neck. Blair turned, eyes shocked. Then his knees crumpled. Diana finished opening the door and tucked him inside. Then she picked up his keys and ran to the driver's side.
* * *
Major Crime Department, Cascade Police Headquarters
Jim pitched the remains of his sandwich into the trash can beside his desk. He wanted to get the reports on the Cisco/Motts case done, so he could concentrate on the bug problem. He tapped his pen on his desk a moment. A feeling that he'd missed something kept tugging on him. Jim shrugged to himself as he went back to his report. Perhaps this evening, he and Blair could sit down and concentrate on the problem. His roommate probably had some ideas on how to tackle it, if he wasn't still mourning 'stinky perfume' Diana.
Blair's phone rang on his desk. Jim glanced at it, debating on whether to answer it for him. The thought of Sam and Cory in trouble pushed him to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Ellison? I thought this was Sandburg's phone."
Jim frowned, trying to place the voice. "It is his phone. He's out."
"Damn," the woman replied. "It's Pezzini."
"Pez," Jim greeted, remembering the tough New York detective. "What can we do for you?"
"It's what we can do for you. We have some photos that came up in a case. We think Sandburg might recognize the main subject."
"Can you send them to me?" Jim asked.
"Jake's emailing them now."
Jim walked over to his desk as his email pinged. He swiftly opened it up, clicking on the first jpeg. It was a picture of Sam outside the firehouse. Jim clenched his jaw. "It's Blair's brother, Sam Malloy." He quickly clicked on the remaining jpegs.
"That's what we were afraid of," Sara replied.
"The rest of these include Sam's son and his partner, Cory Buchanan."
"What does Malloy do?"
"He and Buchanan are troubleshooters for the Phoenix Foundation. They're a think tank based in Los Angeles. Recently, they've been consulting with the airlines on safety issues." Jim frowned a moment. "What case are these from?"
He could feel Sara's pause. "We're working on the murder of a prominent businessman. These were found in the apartment of the hired assassin we believed killed him."
Jim closed his eyes. "So Sam may be a target?" He thought of the bugs in
their own apartment. Was there a connection?
"There's more, Jim." Sara hesitated again. "These pictures were found on only one side of a large bulletin board. The other side was blank. I suspect there may have been pictures of Blair on that side, like the assassin was trying to decide who to go after."
When Pezzini and McCartey were in Cascade, Jim had suspected that Sara had psychic abilities. As a consequence, Jim trusted her 'hunches'. "Meaning Blair could be the intended target."
Simon had stopped by Jim's desk, noting his tension. "Jim?"
Jim turned from the phone and quickly updated his captain. While pointing out the pictures, it occurred to Jim what was missing. "Pez, in any of the photos of Sam, was there an older man, tall, gray white hair, brown eyes like Sam's?"
Sara paused again. "No, why?"
"Sam lives with his father. He travels so much, Mac's been helping him raise Ian. Mac also works at Phoenix. He should have naturally popped up in some of these pictures, unless..."
"He was left out on purpose," Sara finished for him. "Jim, what's Blair's father's name?"
"MacGyver. And before you ask, he doesn't use his first name, only his last."
"Does he have any more children?"
"Just Blair and Sam."
"Could he be the target, and she's just going through his sons to get to him? From our information so far, it would fit her M.O."
"Wait a minute, 'She'?"
"Yes, it's a woman."
"Young?"
"Approximately late twenties."
Jim looked straight into Simon's eyes, fear coursing between them. Simon softly concurred, "Sandburg's new girlfriend."
"Damn, he's with her now." Jim turned back to the phone. "I've got to check on Sandburg. Will you send us what you've got?"
"No prob. Just keep us updated, and look out for Sandburg."
Jim hung up and ran a hand over his face. Simon touched his shoulder. "Can you give a description?"
"I still haven't met her. We'll have to wait for New York."
