Synchronization in Chaos

by Cindy Combs

  Vin glanced up ahead. Even he could barely see with so little light. He was really hoping what he suspected about Ellison was true. Super human sight might be their only chance.

  Just then, Jim smiled. "Hang on, everybody. I've got an idea."

  Blair instantly braced. Vin, having learned his lesson, grabbed the back of the seat with one hand as he clicked Buck's seatbelt into place with the other. Buck shot his teammate a puzzled look, but before he could ask, the Explorer dipped down sharply, then slid to the right. With a swift shove into reverse, Jim backed up and immediately killed the lights.

  Glancing around, Vin realized that Jim had parked them into a rocky enclave by the side of the road at the bottom of an incline. Everyone held their breath as the Ford pickup and the small Jeep rolled by their position, the drivers too busy concentrating on the road to notice their prey had given them the slip.

  After a few moments, Buck softly asked, "Is that it?"

  "No," Jim replied just as softly. Vin noticed a familiar tilt to his former commander's head. "There's one more."

  Sure enough, another truck roared over the hill and bounced past their hiding place. Vin could barely contain his smirk. If Ellison wasn't one of those sentinels, he was the president's grandma. A quick glance confirmed that Buck was too tired and hurting to realize anything unusual was happening. Not that Vin would have a problem telling Buck; the older man knew how to keep his mouth shut when it was important and wouldn't take the Captain's abilities the wrong way like Chris might. However, it wasn't Vin's secret to tell, and he respected Ellison too much to spread tales about him.

  Soon, Jim was driving back in the other direction with the parking lights. Blair gave him a gentle pat on the back. "Now what?"

  "I take it we don't have a radio?" Vin commented.

  "Nope, and the cell is giving us a 'no signal'," Blair added. "I'm beginning to think I need to invest in one of those satellite phones like Dad has."

  "Well," Buck drawled, "I imagine Chris would head back to Ridgway."

  "Good idea," Jim agreed. "Anyone know where we are? Except you, Sandburg."

  Blair rolled his eyes as Vin and Buck both replied negatively. "I left the topo map in Chris' truck," Vin added.

  "I've got a map in my carry-on." Jim stopped the Explorer at a crossing while Vin dug for the map. Taking a deep breath, the sentinel extended his hearing in all directions. As his partner covertly laid a hand on his arm to ground him, Jim noted that their pursuers were still going in the wrong direction. He could also hear another set of three vehicles to their left. Suspecting that Larabee would be on his own, he decided they were either militias or unknowns. At the moment, Jim wasn't willing to chance an unknown person. With the way their luck was running, it would probably be an axe murderer.

  "Vin," Buck asked seriously. "How much ammo do you have left?" He knew Vin would have checked by now.

  "I've got about a third of a clip in my SIG, with another spare clip that's full. Plus my backup piece in my ankle hostler has a full load. You?"

  "About six rounds. I don't suppose either of you are packing?"

  "Nope," Blair replied as he noticed his partner had withdrawn his hearing to normal. "We're suppose to be on vacation."

  "We need to take up hunting," Jim commented lightly as he turned the truck right.

  "Oh, that'll go over good with Mac," Blair replied.

  "I thought it was your ma who didn't like guns?" Vin asked as he pulled out a flashlight from Jim's bag. He handed it to Buck.

  "Neither of my parents do, just that Naomi's more vocal about it. Mac's never told me not to carry a gun because he understands I need to for my job. But just like Sam said, he's got a phobia about them, so I know he isn't happy about it." Blair frowned as he looked out the window. "Man, I hope Sam's all right."

  Vin found the map and pulled it out of the bag. "He'll be okay. Chris'll keep him out of the action as much as possible, and Ezra's keeping an eye on him."

  Buck turned the flashlight on so that it would shine on the map. "Yeah, I noticed that Ezra seems to like the kid, and he doesn't warm up that quickly to most people."

  Vin chuckled as he studied the map. "Probably because Sam understands all of Ezra's big words. Didn't even blink at 'em."

  "That's the MacGyver genes," Jim explained, giving his partner a smirk. "They're always much smarter than they look."

  Blair gave him a playful glare. "Smart enough to know an insult when I hear one."

  "By the way," Buck asked casually. "How come you and your brother don't have your Dad's last name?"

  "Those are two very long stories," Blair replied lightly.

  Encouraged by the tone and curious about anything related to the legend, Buck returned, "Well, we've got time."

  Blair chuckled. "Well, mine starts with my mother Naomi..."

  Interstate-70, Vail Pass, CO

  I'm doing it again. I am rushing into a situation I know very little about because my sons may be in danger. I can almost hear Nikki in my ear, pointing out that Sam and Blair are adults and can take care of themselves. Certainly, they both grew up into fine young men without any protection or guidance from me. Nor are either of their jobs considered 'safe', both having been led into fields where their welfare is often weighed against the greater good. Just like the kind of job their old man works.

  Yet they are entwined so firmly around my soul, I can't bear the thought of losing them. Sam and Blair have filled my life in places I didn't even know were empty. While I know Jim will do his best, even a sentinel can't stop bullets or prevent a bomb from exploding. Besides, bombs are MY specialty. The thought of a bomber related to Kincaid within the same vicinity as Blair scares me to death. I have to be there, both to protect him and keep this maniac from hurting others. I guess it's my family's destiny to protect people from the evil in this world. I just don't want to lose any more of my family to that evil.

  "You okay?"

  MacGyver turned to Josiah. He appreciated the agent driving his suburban over a mountain pass at night simply because he was worried about his missing sons. Nathan sat behind them, lightly snoring. "Yeah. Just wish we were already there."

  "Understand, brother." Josiah concentrated on his driving for a moment. "Your boys are important to you."

  "Yeah." Mac rubbed his eyes a moment. "I haven't had them in my life for very long, so I guess I get overprotective."

  "That why they have different last names?"

  "Yeah. Blair's mom and I broke up over Viet Nam and college. She wanted me to drop out of school to protest the war. I refused, so she never told me about Blair. I didn't meet him until a few years ago when I was helping Jim with a bomber." With a sigh, Mac stared at the dark shadows of rock speeding by. "Sam was born while I was in 'Nam. Kate didn't tell me, apparently because she wanted me to take care of myself in a war zone and not worry about them. Afterwards, I suspect she was giving me time to get my head back on straight."

  Josiah nodded grimly. "Took me a while to get my head straight after the 'Nam, too. That jungle warfare was hard on a lot of men. I drifted in and out of a lot of things."

  "Me, too. Lots of dangerous things. I can see why Kate didn't want Sam too close to me at that point."

  "When did she tell you?"

  "She didn't. Kate died on assignment over in China. Since she never told anyone my name, Sam went to live with some of her friends." Mac sighed. "I think that's the worst part of all. It was hard for him, witnessing his mother's death at age nine then going to live with virtual strangers. If I had known, I'd have dropped everything to raise Sam myself."

  "But you're close now?"

  "Yeah. After I met Sam, we traveled for a year together. He was nineteen, so it was easy to do at that point. Afterwards, I convinced him to go back to college while I returned to Phoenix. I just wish I could have spent that kind of time with Blair."

  "You couldn't?"

  "Nah, Blair was already deep into his life by the time we met, working on his doctorat
e and consulting with Jim's department. I've tried not to disrupt him too much."

  Josiah nodded. Cautiously, he decided to shake the bush and see what fell out. "What about after his press conference?"

  It was dead silent in the compartment. Then MacGyver lightly replied, "Blair went straight into the police department after that."

  "Rather surprising move, considering he admitted to fraud."

  Mac turned to face Josiah. "Blair never committed fraud, because he never turned in his dissertation. What happened was that a greedy publisher and University politics forced him into a bad situation. Blair had to make a choice between doing what was good for him or keeping his promise to protect another. He chose to keep his promise. I couldn't be prouder of him."

  Josiah gave a sharp nod. "Thought it might be something like that. When I told Tanner about the press conference, he quoted Croce and ordered me to drop it. I learned a long time ago to trust Vin's instincts, so I did."

  "Croce?"

  "'You Don't Mess Around With Jim'."

  Mac broke out in a loud laugh, releasing some of his tension. "I think I need to meet this Vin Tanner."

  Ellison's Explorer, western slope

  Jim stepped on the brakes, stopping the vehicle just short of a snow slide. Quietly, so as not to disturb his dozing guide or the sleeping ATF agents in the back seat, Jim slipped out and shut the door. As he walked forward in the strong wind, he could hear another door close. Vin joined him at the edge of the snow.

  For a moment, they both studied the six foot deep bank glittering in the starlight. Then Vin softly commented, "We aren't going to get through this."

  Jim shook his head. "Not without a bulldozer or two. Also looks like there's another slide ready to go." Jim tried not to shiver as the wind drove the cold through his ski jacket.

  Vin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Guess we're going to have to find another way down." As Jim turned back, Vin added softly, "Nice eyesight, by the way."

  Jim froze in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

  "Saw a tape of Sandburg's press conference. Interesting show. Probably would've believed it if I hadn't met him and seen you do a few things I couldn't explain."

  Jim sighed as he turned back around. "Your question?"

  "No question. You're one of those sentinel guys. Knew that before you started driving without headlights tonight."

  "You tell anyone?"

  "Nope. Ezra saw the same tape, and from what little he said, he's figured it out, too. But don't worry about him; Ez's the expert at keeping secrets. Our partner, Josiah, brought the tape to our attention, and I told him to drop it. He did."

  Jim sighed. How many people did it take to find out about a secret before it was no longer a secret? "Well, it's probably a good thing you know anyway."

  "How come?"

  "Your JD said something that made Blair think you have enhanced sight."

  Vin shrugged. "Sure, I can see good. Helps with my shooting. But I'm not one of you sentinels."

  Jim chuckled. "Already told him that." At Vin's curious look, Jim explained, "I can sense other sentinels. I can't sense you."

  Vin grinned. "Well, I do shower regularly." After Jim snorted, Vin asked, "How many others have you met?"

  "Three. Only one you'd want to meet, though. Anyway, Blair believes that a person who carries the sentinel gene, but isn't a sentinel, will have one to three heightened senses. My brother's sense of touch is above normal. You could be a carrier."

  "What do you mean by 'carrier'?" Vin asked.

  "You can pass the sentinel genes to your children," Blair's voice popped up behind them. As the two former rangers turned, Blair grinned at them, bouncing in place to keep warm. "If you mate with the right woman, you could produce a sentinel like Jim."

  Vin lifted an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're talking about livestock."

  Jim smirked as he cuffed his partner's head. "Now you know what I live with."

  "Yeah, yeah," Blair countered. "Laugh it up. But really, Vin, if both you and the woman you hook up with carry the right genes, there's a possibility your child could be a sentinel."

  Vin shook his head. "That's if I can find a woman who'll have me."

  Jim gave Vin's neck a comforting squeeze. "You will."

  Blair continued to bounce in place. "It's freezing out here. What's going on?"

  "We're stopped by an avalanche," Jim explained.

  "Which means we're going to have to take a much longer route to get back to Ridgway." Vin sighed in frustration.

  "We also need to keep trying the phone," Blair commented, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. "We've got to reach Mac."

  "Good idea, Chief," Jim replied as he ushered the younger men back to the Explorer. "We need to call your dad before HE runs into militiamen."

  "You don't think he would, do you?" Vin asked before opening the door. He glanced inside to check that Buck was still sleeping. "The western slope covers a lot of territory."

  "Oh yeah, he would," Jim replied darkly. "Who do you think passed the trouble-attracting genes to Blair and Sam?"

  Jack O'Neill's cabin, western slope

  Dawn was just peaking over the ridge as Jack O'Neill stepped out of his cabin. He took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp mountain air. There was just something about the peaceful surroundings. Jack couldn't think of a better way to recover from a hard mission than to enjoy the Rockies in their winter splendor.

  Quietly closing the door behind him, Jack trotted down the steps and walked over to the woodpile. Last night, Daniel had insisted that he do most of the chores, but Jack hated to be waited on. He planned to have breakfast all made by the time his friend woke up. Considering how late Daniel was up reading the night before, Jack knew he had time.

  As he began to stack wood in the crook between his cast and chest, Jack heard a truck grinding over the four wheel drive trail. Since traffic was rare on the remote road, he turned to see which neighbor was out so early, especially in winter. He didn't recognize the Ford, but waited patiently when it stopped nearby.

  "Howdy," called a man leaning out the open window. "Do you know which county road this is?"

  "Actually," Jack drawled, "you're on the Rugged Peak Mine Trail."

  Inside the truck, Jack could see a young man flipping through a map. Then he caught the glare of the third man inside. Even the dark beard couldn't hide the sneer on the face. "Hey Paul, that's Dexter Fillmore."

  "Fillmore!" The driver glared at Jack.

  Jack blinked back in confusion. "Who?" Then he saw the men reach inside their jacket. "Ah, guys..."

  As guns cleared their coats, Jack dived for the slight cover of the woodpile. "Come on out, Mr. Fillmore!" the driver shouted. "You're going to meet justice."

  "For crying out loud, I don't know any Fillmore," Jack shouted back. "I'm Col--" His voice was interrupted by gunfire. "Damn it," Jack muttered to himself. "Regulations or not, next time I'm slipping out a zat gun."

  Larabee's Ram truck, western slope

  Chris stomped his feet to keep warm, watching the sun rise. He still didn't know where they were, except that they weren't near the main road.

  Behind him, Sam was perched on the roof of the Dodge, holding a stretched-out coat hanger where the radio antenna once resided. "Tape," he requested.

  Ezra handed him a length of electrician's tape. From his seat inside the cab, JD asked, "You really think this will work?"

  "Ought to." Sam carefully wound the tape around the base of the antenna, the hanger, and the roof. "Got to try something."

  JD sighed as he tinkered with Ezra's satellite tracker. "Yeah, I'm hoping Buck and the rest of the guys are okay."

  "Me, too. Plus my Dad's suppose to drive to Harry's cabin at some point today. I don't want him walking into this mess without warning." Sam banged the top of the roof. "Try it now." As JD turned to the radio, Sam glanced at the pacing Larabee. "He doesn't look happy."

  "Mr. Larabee is rarely happy." Ezra examined his boss with
a frown.

  Sam raised an eyebrow at his new friend. "That doesn't sound reassuring."

  "Oh, his leadership may be tough but he is always forthright, intelligent and truly cares for his subordinates. However, having both Mr. Wilmington and Mr. Tanner missing is an insufferable burden for Mr. Larabee."

  "How come?"

  "He and Buck have been compatriots since high school, and then were partners while employed by the Denver PD. More recently, Vin has become Chris' right hand man. Chris treats him like a beloved younger brother. For one of them to be missing would be difficult for our fearsome leader. To have both of them missing is intolerable."

  "So that's why he looks like a bomb ready to explode?"

  "Exactly, Mr. Malloy."

  "Sam."

  Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed off the rock. "Let's go!" Chris ordered, dashing to his truck. Sam was barely inside before they were rolling.

  Jack O'Neill's cabin

  Jack flinched as a splinter of wood flew past his face. Unarmed and pinned down, there wasn't much the Air Force Colonel could do except duck.

  Thankfully, the welcomed sound of a shotgun cocking cracked through the air. "Hold it!" Daniel's voice sent a surge of relief through the colonel.

  One of the bad guys turned his gun turned the cabin. Jack heard a 'boom' from the shotgun, then the sound of the door slamming. Bet Daniel wishes he had a staff weapon about now. We need more practice with Earth defenses.

  After another boom from the cabin and another wood shower for Jack, the sound of a truck roaring down the lane reached their ears. The three men in the Ford jumped back into their vehicle. Once the truck raced back down the road, Jack cautiously rose from behind the torn-up logs.

  The black Dodge Ram slammed to a halt in front of Jack. Barely aware of Daniel walking up behind him still holding the shotgun, Jack called out, "Hello?"

  A tall blond man dressed in black jeans and a long leather coat stepped out of the truck. He looked at Jack in surprise. "MacGyver?"

  Jack sighed. "No, I'm not MacGyver. And I'm not Dexter Fillmore. So who are you?"

  Climbing out the other side, Sam studied the scene in front of him. "Like Blair said: sounds like Dad, looks like Dad, but hair WAY too short." Before Ezra could ask what he meant, Sam raised his voice. "Colonel O'Neill?"