Ares Bugle

by Cindy Combs

  Banks and Craig watched with interest as Ernie studied the map. "Oh yes, there are two possibilities in that area."

  Simon frowned. He had been hoping they wouldn't have to guess. Simon didn't want to do any backtracking, especially since the remote trails would be rough traveling this time of year. He refused to think of them as impossible. He was NOT going to be stopped with his men's lives on the line.

  Jack's eyes suddenly brightened with an idea. "Hey, Ernie, on any of these projects, did you ever meet a man by the name of Dexter Fillmore?"

  "Dalton!" Craig reprimanded. He didn't want any more information about this operation given out. Too many knew about it already. Jack ignored him.

  Ernie looked at him with interest. "Yes, I met Dexter. Do you know him?"

  Jack smiled. "I grew up with Mac."

  "Dalton!"

  Ernie began smiling, too. "Yes, MacGyver did tell me his real name. A very good man. Is he involved with this?"

  Jack's smile disappeared. "He is the third man Kincaid has hostage." In the background, Craig threw up his hands in defeat.

  Ernie's face grew serious, too. "That means they have gone to the Ares Bugle facility. Right here," as he pointed it out on the map. "MacGyver knows it well. Can Kincaid force him to use his knowledge?"

  Jack cringed inward, knowing Kincaid had the best weapon in the world, if he realized it. "Mac has been mentoring Blair Sandburg."

  Ernie looked from Jack to Simon. "So this criminal can use the young man to force both Steve's brother and MacGyver to do his will?" They both nodded. "And you believe the young man to be sick?" They nodded again. Ernie's face turned grim. "Then we'd better hurry. It will take us at least three to four hours to reach the facility."

  Monday, 7:25 p.m., Ares Bugle Facility

  "Here's another one. You have to lift your foot at least two feet off the ground." Jim pointed at the wire, covering his nose and mouth to filter out the smoke.

  "We will also have to duck," Mac added. His finger outlined the beam drifting in and out of view.

  Jim carefully ducked and stepped, watering eyes still searching for another wire. For the past half hour, he and Mac had been winding their way through a wire and beam-filled hall. Mac's smoke had helped them find the beams but irritated Jim's sensitive eyes. In spite of the cold air, Jim was sweating from his effort. He paused for a moment, trying to calm his heart rate to a normal level. He again searched ahead but saw nothing. "Hey Mac," he asked, turning to the older man, "What comes ne..."

  At that moment, Jim saw the tile Mac had stepped on begin to sink as a soft rumble started above him. "Watch out!" Jim grabbed Mac's arm and roughly pulled both of them next to the other wall. The soft rumble turned into a thundering roar. Once the noise had stopped, Jim turned his flashlight to reveal a pile of rocks on the spot where Mac had stepped. "Are you okay?" Jim asked faintly, coughing from the dust.

  "Yeah," Mac replied, still staring at the spot where he could have died. "This must be the section where the floor is riddled with pressure spots that trigger rock falls."

  "You mean, there are MORE of these?"

  "Yep."

  "Great." Jim trained his flashlight ahead, viewing the hall floor made up of small octagonal shapes. "Just like the bridge Brackett made Blair and I cross."

  Mac brushed the dust off his heavy flannel shirt. "How'd you get across?"

  "I listened for the sound of the active mines."

  "Can you hear anything now?"

  Jim quietly concentrated on the floor. "Yes, I can hear the electronic buzz, but it is faint."

  Mac quietly studied the sentinel. The exhaustion was growing on his face, but they didn't have much of a choice. "Wait a minute. Didn't Blair say something about you zoning out with Brackett?"

  "Yep. Right in the middle of that bridge."

  Guess Jim wasn't the only one who was going to have to stay alert. "You think you can handle it?"

  Jim turned serious eyes to meet Mac's gaze. "Will have to, since we don't have much of a choice. Blair is counting on us."

  "How do you two operate in this situation?"

  "Walk behind me and step where I step. If I pause, then freeze, I'm zoning."

  Mac stood behind Jim, and lightly grasped his shoulder. "Okay, I am ready when you are."

  Monday, 7:58 p.m., Green Creek Clinic, ID

  Steven entered the clinic with a burst of speed, leaving the doors swinging behind him. He knew there hadn't been time for them to reach Jim and Blair, but hoped Ben would have at least heard something. He was never good at just waiting.

  A young doctor witnessed his friend's entrance. Handing the clipboard to the duty nurse, he walked over. Brown eyes danced as he called, "Hey Steve, never knew you to be so eager for my services before."

  Ben's merriment ended when he saw the depth of concern in Steven's eyes. "Have you heard anything?" his friend demanded.

  A lighter voice answered, "Just that Uncle Ernie has met them and they are on their way now." Steven and Ben turned as Ben's wife Violet approached, followed by Ben's grandfather. She gave Steven a big hug. "Don't worry, Sky Eyes. If anyone can find them, Uncle Ernie can."

  Steven gave her a weak smile in appreciation. "Thanks, Vi, I know. That is why I called Uncle Ernie as soon as I knew where they were heading."

  Ben gently pushed Steven to a waiting area chair, then sat down across from him. "They will be fine. Your brother sounds like he can handle almost anything."

  Steven sighed. "Normally, yes, but Blair is like a kid brother to him. Hell, Blair has been more of a brother to him the last couple years than I have. If he's in bad shape, I don't know how clearly Jim's going to be thinking."

  Violet handed Steven a cup of coffee. "Why don't you tell us what is going on." Comforted by the presence of his friends, Steven slowly began to open up.

  Sitting close, Grandfather listened to the young people talk. All of this was connected to his dream last night, that much he was certain. A large, protective black cat had stood over a fallen Shaman, hissing until the people could arrive to help. Somehow, their survival would be important to his people's future. But just how a large cat and a shaman were connected to their Sky Eyes, he did not know. He just had to watch and wait.

  Monday, 8:15 p.m., Ares Bugle Facility

  Jim sat with his back against the wall, head on his arms resting across his legs. He was exhausted, his head ached, his vision blurred. After nearly zoning four times in the past hour, he wasn't sure he could take much more. Yet he had to. Blair was counting on him.

  A cold bottle was placed in his hand. Jim looked up into Mac's tired and worried face. "When did you have this flu bug?" Mac quietly asked, dropping a couple ibuprofen into his other hand.

  "Last week," Jim replied, then popped the pills into his mouth. He took a long drink of water and wiped his mouth. "I'm over it."

  "Yeah, but it probably lowered your normal energy reserve," Mac stated thoughtfully as he handed Jim an Power bar.

  "Have you had it?"

  Mac smiled as he sat back down across from Jim. "I am hoping my flu shot covers it."

  "Hopefully," Jim returned, matching Mac's smile with a meager one of his own. He quietly chewed as he leaned his head back against the wall. After a couple minutes, he asked, "What is next?"

  Mac sighed. "A couple miles of twisting maze. We will have to be careful, because in some spots there are spears."

  "Spears? As in 'shoot out of the wall' spears?"

  "Yep. They are on a thermal detector."

  Jim stared at him in disbelief. "Just how are we getting past those?"

  Mac smiled. "That is why I brought the thermal blankets."

  Jim blinked. "Will those be good enough to shield our body heat?"

  "Should be. They're old technology and not that great a detector to begin with."

  Jim simply shook his head. Looking back at Mac, he asked, "Just how in the hell do we get Blair and the Patriots back through all this?"

  Mac shrugged.
"We don't. Once in the central control center, we can open a shorter, clean passage back to the entry. You just can't open it from the entry without a special card, and I'm guessing Kincaid wasn't able to get one of those."

  Jim took a deep breath. It had been over an hour since they had left Blair. He prayed the kid was all right. With thoughts of his sick guide, Jim reluctantly pushed away from the wall and stood up. "Where are those blankets?"

  Monday, 8:43 p.m., The Bitterroots, ID

  Simon hung on tight as the 4X4 tilted and dipped. He was almost glad it was night, so that he couldn't see the steep drop he knew was beside them. He had never been on such a rough and icy mountain road before. Even Dalton, who was driving, looked serious. Man, Jack hadn't even looked that serious flying a wreck of a plane through a thunderstorm. Simon spared a quick glance to the back seat. Rafe was the whitest he'd ever seen him. Hell, even Taggart looked pale. Ahead, the tail lights of Ernie's jeep disappeared from view again. Simon braced himself. It didn't matter how many bruises their collective tailbones received. They just had to reach their friends in time.

  Ernie Horse hung on tight as his young partner hit another pothole. Pete was going a little fast, but Ernie had told him to. He was worried and wanted to get there as quick as possible. He remembered well the soft-spoken but incredibly intelligent man who had worked as a computer nerd for weeks, yet secretly checked for security breaches. He trusted that MacGyver would not do anything to truly jeopardize the facility, yet there had been something in Mr. Dalton's eyes. Just how important was this young man to MacGyver? Ernie glanced back. Dalton was keeping up with Pete, though the DXS people were lagging behind.

  There was no question how important the brother was to Steve, which made him important to Ernie as well. Freshman year had been tough on his shy nephew, uneasy in a large city far from the mountains of his birth. Without a supportive roommate, Ernie doubted Ben would have made it through the first semester. Later, as Steve's relations with his father deteriorated, Ben's family had taken him in. The serious young man visibly loosened up when visiting, playing with the children and even accepting his nickname, 'Sky Eyes', with grace. Ever since, Steve had freely given money or his time to help Ben's people. Steve Ellison was a true friend.

  Ernie wondered what Steve's brother was like. Judging from his friends, probably a strong, capable man. At first glance, Ernie had pegged Captain Banks as one of those fancy city policemen who was more politician than cop. That had quickly changed. This was a man who could take control, get things done, and cared very much for his people. Ernie was impressed that Banks and his men were willing to cross state lines and risk remote mountain roads to help Steve's brother. Apparently Steve wasn't the only Ellison to make strong friendships.

  Monday, 9:37 p.m., Ares Bugle facility

  ~Hmpf~

  ~Hmpf~

  "You have to be Blair's father. You both follow too close."

  Unsure how to take that remark, Mac pulled back after running into Jim again, who had just ran into another wall. "Maybe because we have to stay close to make sure you don't zone out."

  A soft, tired chuckle flowed from somewhere ahead of him. "That is what Blair always says, too. Except he usually has the advantage of being able to see me."

  Mac cautiously pulled back the thermal blanket from his face. They had been navigating half blind through the maze, shielding their bodies and lights from possible detection. Jim had taken the brunt of it, hitting walls and dead ends, only to be hit from behind by the even blinder MacGyver. At least it sounded like Jim still had his sense of humor.

  Jim ran a cold hand over an even colder wall. "This one feels different."

  Stepping around him, Mac aimed his flashlight at the wall. "You are right. This is the door into the facility."

  "What do we have to do now?" Jim inquired wearily but with resignation. "Whistle a tune? Climb a wall while dodging darts?"

  Mac smiled as he searched the wall with his hand. "No, something much simpler. Find the handle." Feeling the bar, Mac turned it counter-clockwise. The wall slid inward, revealing the command center. The large room contained computer workstations, tables, radios, lounge and dining areas, and floor to ceiling monitors. Activated by the wall's movement, the lights and computers spun up to full power.

  "Wow," Jim whispered as he followed Mac inside. "All this just for communications?"

  "Yep," Mac replied, finding the bank of monitors he needed. He flipped a switch. Jim watched as the various security cameras came on line, until one lit up the entry. Both men relaxed when they spotted Blair, sleeping in the chair they had left him in. Kincaid stood by the gate with several of his men.

  Mac studied Jim a moment. He still looked tired. "Are you ready for our plan?"

  Jim returned Mac's gaze. "Yes. Are you sure you can still work these computers?"

  A smile stretched across Mac's face. "In some ways, the Dexter alias isn't that far removed. I can handle it. Just make sure Blair gets to safety."

  "Just make sure you get yourself out," Jim replied. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easy."

  Mac didn't even have to ask which hook. "No, I want that mystery solved, too. So let's get the ball rolling." Mac flipped a couple more switches, then tapped the mic. "Kincaid, we are through."

  On the camera, they could see the men react to the sudden voice. Even Blair stirred in his sleep, coughing. Kincaid walked over to Blair and yanked the young man to his feet. Blair nearly fell, but managed to stay standing. He wobbled as he gazed around him in confusion.

  "Go easy on him, Kincaid!" Jim ordered forcefully.

  "Open the door!" Kincaid ordered.

  Mac triggered the command to open the secret door. Jim watched the monitors as the Patriots and Blair made their way down the tunnel, leaving two behind as guards. Ten minutes later, Jim walked over to greet them at the door.

  "Here," Kincaid snarled, shoving the sick and dazed man at his partner.

  Jim quickly caught Blair as his knees buckled. Heat poured off his friend as the coughing shook him. Jim helped him to a small sofa in a lounge area, then gently eased him onto it. "You still with me, Chief?" he asked softly. The curly head barely nodded. "Okay, just take it easy. Mac and I will handle it from here."

  Kincaid had marched over to where Mac was swiftly tapping a keyboard. Noticing the worried glance his computer nerd sent over to the other hostages, Kincaid ordered, "Don't worry about them. I want control of this facility, and I want it now."

  Mac stopped working and glared at the militia leader. "It will take some time for me to switch the program around, and having you yell at me or them won't help." The battle of wills lasted a moment, then Mac went back to work.

  Monday, 10:04 p.m., Outside the Ares Bugle Facility

  "There it is," Ernie pointed.

  Simon and Craig trained their binoculars on the site. The DXS team Craig had called in had already secured the two Sun Rise Patriot helicopters and was preparing an area for more helicopters to land. Now, they just needed to find a way in.

  "I see three guards," Craig whispered.

  "There's a fourth in the rocks above the door," Simon quietly commented. He turned to Ernie. "Is there any other way in or out?"

  "No, just the one entrance."

  "Then let's take this one step at a time."

  Monday, 10:15 p.m., Ares Bugle Central Command Center

  The large area was quiet except for the steady tapping of MacGyver's keyboard. Jim fought to stay alert, scanning the movements of their enemy. His and Blair's main guard was sitting on the arm of a chair, keeping his gun ready to aim at them. Kincaid paced a few feet away from the workstation where Mac sat. Three others were working on the radio, preparing to open a line to the outside world.

  ~cough, cough~

  Jim laid a cool hand on his partner's forehead, watching a grimace of pain briefly cross his features as he coughed. Blair's lungs were sounding worse, his fever much too high for Jim's comfort. "Just a little longer, Chief", he th
ought silently. "Just a little longer."

  Jim raised his eyes and caught Mac's worried gaze. When a slight smile flitted across Mac's face, Jim realized it was showtime. He quickly turned down his hearing and waited.

  A siren suddenly shattered the quiet. Clear plastic partitions fell from the ceiling, closing the room off in sections. Jim immediately kicked the gun out of his startled guard's hands, then knocked him out. Scanning the room, Jim realized that the other three were trapped by the radio. However, Kincaid had managed to slide into the area where MacGyver was. Jim frantically scanned the room, trying to find a way to reach Mac, until their eyes met. Mac mouthed the word 'GO' and hit the keyboard. The metal door to the entry opened next to Jim. Jim slung the guard's gun over his shoulder, then ran to the sofa to scoop up his sick friend. Sparing one more glance towards Mac, Jim raced out the door.

  Monday, 10:16 p.m., other side of the partition

  MacGyver watched Ellison carry Blair out, then turned his attention to Kincaid. The militia leader was charging at him, his face full of betrayed rage. Mac kicked the gun out of his hands, then swung out of the path of his charge. Kincaid spun around and flew at MacGyver, tackling him to the ground.

  Monday, 10:22 p.m., Entrance of Ares Bugle Facility

  "Looks like it requires a key," Taggart stated thoughtfully, studying the hidden door. With the four guards taken care of, Ernie and Taggart were trying to open it.

  "I believe it does," Ernie replied. "I do not know how they managed to get in without it."

  Taggart suddenly placed his ear next to the door. "Do you hear something?"

  Before Ernie could answer, the door suddenly swung in on its own. Startled, Taggart and Ernie jumped back. Rafe, Simon, and Dalton immediately aimed their guns at the opening, wincing at the loud siren. An unconscious militia man was tossed out the door.

  "Joel?"

  "Jim!" Joel had never seen Ellison look so exhausted.

  "What's going on?" Simon asked, running to his friend.

  "Help me with Blair," Jim wearily requested, turning inside. As the others followed, he continued, "Mac set the lock down system, so the Patriots would be trapped and Blair and I could get out."