Ares Bugle

by Cindy Combs

  "I want to speak with him," Jim tersely stated. He could pick up several heartbeats, including one that could be his friend, but wanted to make sure.

  A short pause followed, during which Jim could hear movement, then a soft grunt. A hoarse but well-known voice asked, "Jim?"

  "How you doing, Chief?" Jim asked in a gentler tone. The others in the loft exchanged glances.

  "A little banged up, but I'll live," Blair softly replied.

  Jim could tell he was having trouble speaking. "Daryl said you had caught the flu."

  "Yeah, Daryl's right." Damn.

  Before Jim could ask another question, Kincaid's voice again spoke coldly, "Listen Ellison, I have heard about you helping Lee Brackett steal a top secret plane. With such skills, I have a job for you. Payment will be your scruffy Jewish partner's life."

  In the background, Jim heard Blair say, "Don't do it, Jim!" and a fist connecting to flesh, probably his partner's.

  "Meet my courier at the old Lewis Mill on Waverly at 10:00, alone and unarmed," Kincaid continued. "Your instructions will be there."

  "You better be taking good care of Sandburg, Kincaid," Jim growled, fighting to control his anger. "I needed his help to get that plane for Brackett." On the word 'Brackett', both Simon's and Joel's faces turned gray, for different reasons.

  "Oh really? I find that hard to believe. But if that is the case, you had better follow my instructions to the letter." The line clicked and fell silent.

  Jim slowly closed his cell phone, as Rafe shut off the scanner and tape recorder. Simon glanced over to Joel, who pulled away from the phone he was on and shook his head. Jim saw Joel's negative response for the trace. He nearly threw his cell phone against the wall as anger and frustration swept over him.

  Sunday, 9:58 am, Sun Rise Patriot's Base

  ~CLICK~

  Nervously, Blair's good eye scanned the basement through the metal wiring of his cage. No, no one was coming to investigate. In fact, Blair hadn't seen anyone after they had dumped him on the cold cement floor down here. They apparently didn't expect him to get out of the duct tape, nor unlock the padlock on the door of the cage. Probably because they hadn't discovered his Swiss army knife. Blair knelt down to slip the knife into his boot for safekeeping.

  Standing up, he quickly grabbed the wiring as a wave of lightheadedness swept over him. A fierce headache he couldn't shake had taken up residence behind his swollen left eye. The flu had also continued it's devastating course, causing his entire body to ache along with his sore throat and throbbing bruises. But he couldn't give in to it. Blair refused to be Kincaid's pawn to make Jim steal something. If he could escape, then Jim would be in a better position to catch Kincaid. He closed his eyes a moment, forcing his discomfort from his mind.

  Slowly, he opened the gate, then crept to the basement door, searching for anything that would betray him. The doorknob felt cold to his hand and was hard to turn. The clunk of the latch caused Blair to wince. Cautiously, Blair peeked around the door, finding a dark stairwell. He slipped up the steps as quickly and as silently as he could. Placing his ear next to the door, he strained to listen, wishing he had Jim's hearing. Voices drifted to him.

  "You really think this Ellison can get us into the Ares Bugle facility?"

  "Maybe. Heard he was once covert ops. If not, he will be the one to die..."

  Blair's grip on the knob tightened. He wasn't going to let Jim risk his life for these jerks if he could help it. After the voices faded, he cautiously opened the door. The hallway was quiet and empty. Silently mouthing, 'eenie, meenie, mynie, moe', he turned right and slipped down the corridor.

  Sunday, 10:00 am, Lewis Mill

  Jim scanned the abandoned lumber mill. The dilapidated buildings around the loading bay looked like a good place for a trap. Cautiously, he extended his hearing. Rafe's heartbeat sounded from several rooftops away. His mission was to follow Kincaid's man and see if he could determine where they were hiding Blair. Tilting his head, he picked up one more heartbeat walking towards him. Jim brought his hearing back to normal and waited.

  A rangy man with a military haircut and wearing an army jacket appeared. He stopped a couple feet from Jim. "Take off your jacket, Ellison, and turn around."

  Jim did as he was told. "Isn't it a little cold for this?" he asked, his breath rising as steam in the freezing air.

  "Just want to make sure you are following instructions," the man replied. He tossed a packet that landed at Jim's feet. "Wait until I am gone before picking that up."

  Jim silently watched the man leave, hoping Rafe could keep up.

  Sunday, 10:17 am, Sun Rise Patriot's Base

  Blair shivered as an icy blast of air blew past him through the open door. Man, it was cold. Swiftly, he zipped up his jacket and slipped out the door. Several militia men were walking around the compound. Blair ducked behind some crates. Peering over the rough wood, he spotted a jeep a few hundred yards away. Surely he could reach it. Then he could run down the gate just ahead of it and be home free. He hoped.

  Slipping up to the door and reaching for the handle, Blair nearly jumped when a gun clicked in his ear. "Stand up, Scum!" the man snapped. Raising his arms and slowly standing, Blair turned to face his captor. "Move it!" he was ordered, forced to march back to Kincaid's office.

  Kincaid stood up when the guard shoved Blair in, arms still raised. "What the hell is going on, soldier?" he barked. Blair tried not to shiver as Kincaid's glare grew icier, hearing the story. Upon its completion, Kincaid again walked around the desk to confront his prisoner.

  "You know what, Sandburg? You are offensive to me." Blair aimed his one good eye at the wall behind Kincaid, refusing to give this man even an ounce of respect or satisfaction. "You are a bastard of an unwed hippie. You are of a race who cheats, lies and steals. You flaunt your long hair and raggy clothes. You aid the enemy currently oppressing the people. You disrespect everything this country used to stand for. And if that isn't enough, you continue to disrespect me by trying to escape. What do you have to say for yourself?"

  Continuing to stare at the wall, Blair replied, "Isn't it the duty of a prisoner of war to escape?"

  Kincaid grabbed his shoulder shouting, "On your knees!" and shoved him to the floor. Blair fought not to tremble as Kincaid grabbed a huge handful of his hair and yanked his head back up. "Hand me your knife, Smith. At least I can take care of one offensive thing right now!"

  Oh hell, he is going to cut my throat, and Jim won't even know it until it's too late. Blair closed his eyes and tried to lean away as Kincaid roughly yanked more of his hair into his grasp, knife tip flashing by his face. Suddenly, the knife slashed behind him, releasing the pull on his head. Blair barely caught himself from falling face first to the floor.

  "Take him away, and make SURE that gate is chained and padlocked this time."

  Blair was pulled unresistingly up to his feet, his hands duct taped again. "He chopped off my hair," he thought silently in shock. As Smith led him away, the words kept repeating themselves in his mind, "That SOB chopped off my hair..."

  Sunday, 11:30 am, Cascade

  Ellison and Banks studied the information in the packet as Joel drove, following Rafe's signal. Simon finally sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. "Can you believe this! That idiot wants you to bring an entire high tech arsenal!"

  Jim sighed as he read down the list again. "That is probably why Daryl was a target, too. There is no way I could get this stuff without your help."

  Simon shook his head, "I'm not even sure we can get it WITH my help. Someone is going to ask questions if we drag out this much hardware."

  "Only problem is, I'm not sure if we have a choice."

  Simon quietly glanced at Joel's back, then lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Do you think Kincaid knows about your abilities?"

  Jim shrugged worriedly. "Can't say at this moment. He knows about the attempt on the spy plane, but he didn't seem to realize that Blair was required to do it. I can't help but thin
k if Brackett was spreading tales, he'd mention Blair's role as well. But I just don't know."

  "Damn," Simon replied. Simon almost wished Kincaid did know and realized Blair's importance. Then he wouldn't have to be so worried about the kid's health.

  "Hey guys," Joel called back. "Rafe says his man appears to be waiting at a warehouse now."

  A few minutes later, Jim had joined Rafe on his rooftop perch. "Where is he?"

  Rafe quietly pointed down to a loading dock. Then, peering through his binoculars, he whispered, "Here comes another guy."

  Pretending to use the binoculars in his hands, Jim quickly spotted the new arrival. He seemed to be tall, though Jim couldn't tell his build with the long nylon coat he was wearing. Shaggy blond hair was sticking out of a heavy wool cap, and large, dark rimmed glasses hid the rest of his face. Careful not to zone out, Jim turned up his hearing to piggyback on his sight.

  "Well, I don't know," a nasal voice whined. "I haven't worked for the government in a long time."

  "They sure didn't leave you much for your loyalty. This is your chance to get back at them, plus make some money besides."

  "Hmmm, okay. But I have to pick up some supplies." Jim tilted his head slightly. That voice seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

  "No problem. Meet me back here at midnight."

  Jim quietly turned back to Rafe. "You continue following Kincaid's man. I'll follow the new player and see if I can find out who he is." They both silently climbed off the roof and split up.

  Jim, keeping his focus on his unsuspecting quarry, was startled when a gun was shoved into his neck.

  A few minutes later, Jim was forced to kneel in a small office in an abandoned warehouse, his hands on his head. Simon and Joel were already there, glaring at the two men holding guns on them. Rafe was brought in right after Jim and shoved to the floor next to him.

  "All right then, exactly who are you and what are you doing?" the oldest man of the group growled.

  "WE," Simon stated forcefully, "are the Major Crimes Unit of the Cascade PD. Exactly WHO are YOU?"

  The man ignored Banks' question. "This is a federal matter and out of your jurisdiction. You will leave here and forget about the men you were following."

  "Like HELL we will!" Jim spat out to the man. His anger was boiling, threatening his control. This was their one chance to find Blair quickly, and it was getting screwed up because of some damn Fed.

  "Ellison?" All heads turned to the lanky blond and a heavyset man in a pilot's jacket standing in the doorway.

  Jim felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. Oh hell, that is why that voice sounded familiar. "MacGyver?"

  "You can lower your weapons, Craig," MacGyver quietly told the lead man. As the rest of the group obeyed, Mac lent a hand to Taggart to help him off the floor.

  As the rest of his co-workers brushed themselves off, Jim turned his focus to Mac. "Why are you on this? I thought you were out of the DXS."

  Mac shrugged, noting worriedly that one particular member of the Major Crimes unit was missing. "An old alias of mine was contacted by a militia group. We are trying to figure out what is going on. Why are you guys after them?"

  Jim carefully watched the man in front of him as he delivered the news. "They abducted Blair last night."

  All the color drained from Mac's face. Jim thought silently, "So he at least cares for Blair. Does he know the rest?"

  Craig switched his gaze from MacGyver to Ellison to MacGyver again. "Who is Blair?"

  Jack Dalton, who had also been studying his friend, replied worriedly, "Blair Sandburg. A young protege of Mac's, and Ellison's partner."

  Mac ran a tired hand over his face. "I think we need to compare notes."

  Sunday, 12:30 p.m., DXS Cascade headquarters

  It had started out as a simple fishing expedition for 'Dexter Fillmore'. When a dangerous outer fringe militia group began searching for MacGyver's nerd alias, he and the DXS had only wanted to find out what they were up to. Someone had neglected to inform him that the group had formerly taken over the Cascade police headquarters. Specifically, no one mentioned James Ellison's or Simon Banks' involvement. Either name would have sent a red flag through Mac's mind. Just the fact he was meeting the group's representative in Cascade, WA, should have warned him that Blair might be tied in somehow. Even then, Mac doubted he would have realized the depth of the situation. Listening to Taggart tell about Blair's actions during the hostage situation brought chills to his spine. Damn, that kid was even better at finding trouble than he was.

  What was even more disconcerting was the cool looks Ellison kept sending his way. Mac could have sworn they had become friends. Maybe Ellison was just worried about Blair. Mac was certainly catching up fast in that department. Hearing Banks recount the abduction, Daryl's escape, and the later phone call had definitely raised his blood pressure to an all time high.

  "So, why would they go to all this trouble to get you, Ellison?" Craig asked.

  Jim sighed. "A couple years ago, a CIA rogue stole a canister of Ebola virus. He threatened to use it on the city if Blair and I didn't help him steal a stealth plane from an agency skunk works. Apparently, Kincaid heard about it."

  "But why you?" Craig asked again.

  "Ellison was in covert ops. Brackett wanted his expertise," Banks quickly explained.

  However, the worried, trapped look Jim sent Mac's way told a whole different story. MacGyver took a deep breath. Sounded like he needed a chance to talk privately with Ellison to get the real scoop.

  "In addition, they want several tech items from our arsenal. We suspect that is why they also went after my son, hoping to force me to help Jim get the equipment," Simon continued.

  "If you will show me the list, maybe we can get it for you and add some surprises for the so-called Patriots," Craig offered.

  "We'd appreciate that," Simon accepted.

  Noting Jim rubbing his tired eyes, Mac asked, "Hey, Ellison, we have coffee in the back. Would you like some?"

  Jim cracked a faint smile and stood up. "Sounds good. May I come with you?"

  "Be my guest."

  Once the door was closed to the small kitchen, Mac quietly asked, "Did Brackett know?"

  Jim sighed, knowing exactly what MacGyver was asking. "Yes."

  "Does Kincaid?"

  "I don't know. Kincaid doesn't seem to connect Blair into it, so I'm leaning towards no."

  Mac shot a worried look at Jim. "How did Blair sound?"

  "Sick," Ellison replied, studying Mac's reaction. "This flu going around is a bad one. He also mentioned being 'banged up', which isn't surprising considering how much Kincaid hates him."

  "Damn," Mac muttered softly. Noticing Ellison giving him another cool look, Mac asked, "What?"

  Blue eyes turned frosty as Jim replied, "Just wondering why all the sudden concern after 28 years." Jim watched Mac's face go still. Years of detective work told him that Mac knew exactly what he was talking about.

  "I didn't know Blair until last winter," Mac softly replied, feeling the trap closing in on him.

  Jim lowered his voice in both decibels and temperature. "You ARE his father, aren't you?"

  Mac sighed and ran a hand behind his head. "I honestly don't know. I didn't connect Blair with Naomi until I did the background check on him for Phoenix. Around the time I was helping you guys with Harding, I realized the timing was about right. Other than that, I don't know."

  Ellison continued to stare at him.

  "How can you be so sure?" Mac asked in exasperation. It seemed that Ellison was dead certain about an issue Mac had struggled with for months.

  Jim shrugged. "Took me a while to realize it, but yours and Sam's scents are very close to Blair's, like it is with other people who are blood-related. So after your last visit, I did a background check on you. Not only do I now know what the 'A' in your name stands for, I also know that Sam is your only close relative. Without siblings or cousins, that pretty much narrows
down the field. And I think I can safely rule out Sam."

  Mac closed his eyes and released a long breath. Hell, who needs blood tests when you have a Sentinel around? Opening his eyes to meet Ellison's icy stare, Mac asked, "Does Blair know?"

  Ellison's eyes shifted slightly, barely indicating his unease. "No, not yet." The gaze steadied on his emphasis of the word 'yet' and grew even colder.

  Continuing to meet Jim's eyes, Mac offered, "I honestly did not know anything about Blair until last winter." Ellison only raised his eyebrows a fraction. "It is a very LONG story," Mac added.

  "I bet," Ellison replied coldly.

  "A long story I will tell you after we get Blair back home. Truce?"

  Jim pondered for a moment, then replied, "Truce, until we can discuss this further."

  Mac sighed, remembering just who had Blair. "You still want some coffee?"

  Jim nodded, then asked, "Do you know what the Patriots have planned?"

  Mac frowned as he handed Jim a cup. "Several years ago, I worked on a few top-secret projects using my 'Dexter Fillmore' alias." He gave Jim a faint smile as he picked up his own cup. "I use Dexter whenever I need a very nerdy, unthreatening computer expert cover. I suspect Kincaid must be targeting one of them, but I haven't a clue which one."

  Jim shrugged, "Probably whichever one would have a state-of-the-art high security system I would need to get past and disable."

  Mac smiled ruefully. "That about covers all of them."

  The kitchen door opened and Rafe poked his head in, "You about ready to go?"

  As Mac watched the Major Crimes van drive off, Jack Dalton quietly walked up next to him. "You're pretty worried about the Sandburg kid, aren't you?"

  "Yeah," Mac sighed. "I'm afraid this Kincaid isn't going to leave much left unless we can reach him soon."

  Jack paused for a moment, then continued, "You know, I have known you for quite a long time."

  "Ja-ack," Mac warned.

  "Since grade school, in fact. And in all that time, I have only once before seen that particular expression on your face like when Ellison told you Blair was abducted."