Not by blood, but by fire and water

Chapter 2

Jack was running, desperately trying to find Mac.

How could he have lost his partner?

It was his job to keep him safe. Actually it had become more than a job, he needed to keep him safe.

It would kill him if anything happened to the kid, especially on his watch!

Growing more and more panicked the longer he ran, he tried calling out to his friend, "Mac!"

He stopped to listen, desperately trying to hear something. He waited... then faintly he heard something.

He began running in the direction the sound had came from, faster this time. "Jack!" he clearly heard his partner calling for him this time.

With the relief of hearing his friend also came worry, he could tell something was wrong.

Praying that the kid would be okay when he found him, he ran faster.

Mac jolted awake.

His head was pounding and his vision a bit fuzzy, he tried to take in his surroundings; wrists and ankles bound, small cold concrete room, and-... "Jack!"

"Jack," he called again. Seeing his friend brought back the last moments he remembered before his involuntary nap.

They had just completed their mission, stealing an incriminating hard drive from a very slippery and connected arms dealer. The two agents had last contacted Matty while they were in Jordan.

They had tracked the arms dealer's right hand man to Turkey, and with the help of Jack's right hook they had easily procured the hard drive.

He and Jack had just arrived at the airport and had been heading into a hangar that housed private planes. He had been bantering with his partner, "All I'm saying is, I don't think it was absolutely necessary to knock the guy out, that's all."

"Really? That guy works for some psycho that supplies weapons to ISIS! He had it coming," Jack replied, Mumbling something about a "punchface" a moment later.

Jack had been leading the way and being followed closely by Mac, who had been studying his boots as they walked and his mind wandered.

He had looked up in time to see a steel pipe connect with the back of his friend's skull.

"Jack!" Mac had shouted as his partner had crumpled to the cement floor.

His attention had still been on his partner and the with assailant standing above him, he had seen Jack shake his head to clear his vision and search him out.

The last thing Mac remembered was Jack's eyes widening and a shout forming on his lips. Sensing someone behind him, he had turned right into the path of a fist coming his way.

"Jack, please wake up," Mac pleaded. His friend looked like he'd been used as a punching bag with the bruises he could see starting to form.

Mac cringed at the blood splatter on the wall next to Jack's head.

There was a gash above Jack's left eye that had bled all the way down the side of his face, and neck. His left cheek was swollen and split along with his lip. Blood had dried grotesquely on his chin. Mac hoped there weren't more injuries he couldn't see.

"Jack," he tried again. He was rewarded by a moan from his friend.

Jack's eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal soft unfocused chocolate brown eyes.

Pain, that's the first thing Jack felt when he returned to consciousness.

He tried to raise his hand to his face, feeling the restraints, memories of their current situation came flooding back

His head snapped up to meet the younger man's gaze. "Hey man, it sure is good to see you! How are you feelin' buddy?" Jack asked, relieved to see his partner still mostly okay.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. You look like you went ten rounds with Muhammad Ali," Mac shook his head fondly at Jack.

"So I clearly missed a few things while I was knocked out, care to fill me in?" Mac said.

Jack proceeded to tell Mac everything that had happened - everything he could recall that is - during the past few hours. When he finished, he could see the wheel's in Mac's head start to turn.

"Who's this mysterious Mr. Sinclair and what does he think we stole from him?" Mac questioned.

"He has to be the arms dealer, that's the only option that makes sense," Jack concluded. "Let's worry about all that after we get out of here, bud," he requested. Mac nodded in agreement.

"Got any idea how we can get out of here yet?" Jack asked.

Looking around his surroundings, Mac replied, "There's not much to work with in here."

Jack had faith in the kid and he knew Mac would get them out of this mess when the opportunity presented itself.

After some time passed, he heard movement behind the large metal door. His body tensing and his muscles bunching, he wasn't quite ready for another round with that psycho. Jack looked at his friend nervously, he couldn't let anything happen to him.

Facing the door again, Jack steeled himself for what was about to happen.

The heavy door creaked open...