Not by blood, but by fire and water

Chapter 11

Macs eyes scoured the table and landed on the picana. He pushed aside the sickening feeling he had when the images of Jack being tortured with the device replayed with vivid clarity in his mind. He hooked up the battery cables and turned the rheostat as high as it would go. A smirk grew on his face, it was payback time.

Jack quickly shuffled over to the wall next to the door and leaned against it, waiting, knife in hand. Adrenaline and stubbornness was the only thing keeping him vertical.

Mac's nerves were frayed and his anxiety for his partner was through the roof. Sinclair had very nearly ended Jack's existence, right in front of him. If they made it out of this hell hole, he knew the nightmares of losing Jack would torment his sleep for the foreseeable future.

Mac looked his partner over, a drop of blood fell from his chin and splashed onto his bruised and heaving chest. Jack was shivering and he was too pale, he knew fever and blood loss were the most likely culprits. Any lesser man would have dropped long ago.

He heard Sinclair and his goons talking as they approached the door. Mac watched Jack transform into the Delta Operator he had met years ago in the sandbox.

Mac silently communicated that the first one through the door would be Jack's then Mac would electrify the metal door with the picana. Jack nodded in understanding.

The door swung open with Alex entering first. Jack flattened himself against the wall, waiting for his victim to clear the entryway.

He allowed him to get a step into the room before he pounced.

He threw his good arm around Alex's head.

Mac electrified the door in the same moment and heard a scream which was followed by a thud.

The former Delta slid the blade into the base of the bodyguards neck. He felt the huge man go limp and let him drop bonelessly to the floor.

Suddenly the door was kicked hard and it swung inward, narrowly missing Mac.

Levi roared in anger and charged in.

Jack heard Levi and was mid turn when he was tackled.

Mac saw the door fly open and Sinclair trying to pick himself up from the ground.

He ran to the arms dealer and grabbed two fistfuls of the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground then slammed his back into the concrete wall.

The look of surprise on Sinclair's face was almost comical. "I told you I was going to kill you," Mac ground out coldly.

Jack twisted out from under Levi and stood quickly, he had lost the knife.

Jack delivered a kick to his face and followed them up with several kicks to the bodyguards abdomen.

Levi struggled upright then swung as hard as he could at the angry red knife wound by Jack's hip.

Mac's heart lept into his throat when he heard the familiar sound of his partner crying out in pain.

Jack was doubled over and cursing his unusually slow reaction time. Levi landed a punch to the side of Jack's face, then he raised him off the ground, pressing his forearm into Jack's throat. "You killed my friend!" Levi yelled. Jack pulled weakly at the meaty arm pinning him to the wall.

Jack needed him. Mac pulled Sinclair close to him then thrust him away forcefully. Sinclairs head bounced off the concrete wall with a crack.

Jack would be unconscious in seconds if Mac didn't do something right then, so he stepped up behind Levi and kicked him in the balls as hard as he could. Jack was the one who taught him how to fight after all.

Levi dropped to his knees, clutching the family jewels, and Jack dropped with him, out of breath, but still conscious.

Mac looked around the room for his next weapon.

The glint of polished metal drew his eye.

He kicked the knife to Jack's ready hand.

Levi dove forward, still hyper focused on Jack. There was a moment of struggle then all was still.

"Jack… Jack are you okay!?" Mac yelled. Pulling on Levi's shoulder and rolling him off his partner. Judging by the hole in the bodyguards neck, he was very much dead.

"I'm fine, kid," Jack said gasping for air. "Unless you want to count being almost smothered by the not so friendly giant," he wheezed. Mac smiled in relief.

Mac saw his friend shiver. "Hey let's get you off this cold floor," Mac said, helping him stand. The knife wound at Jack's hip had started bleeding again. Mac shucked out of his long sleeve shirt, leaving him in his white bloodstained undershirt, then helped his partner ease his injured arm into Macs dingy and holey olive green shirt.

"Down!" Jack screamed. His eyes wide and focused on something behind Mac.

Gunfire erupted.

Jack pulled Mac toward the wall where he had been standing a moment before and charged at their attacker.

Bullets impacted the concrete near his face and the shards peppered his cheek.

Jack didn't have time to think he just ran and prayed he could take out Sinclair before the lunatic hurt Mac or worse.

At seeing the former Delta commander run straight for him, Sinclairs eyes bugged out and he started to back peddle.

Jack knocked the small gun out of the arms dealers grasp then hooked his arm behind the the man's neck, anchoring him in place "No! Please!" Sinclair begged. Without hesitation Jack thrust the blade up under his chin, killing him instantly.

"Let's get outta here, kid," Jack stated, turning towards his partner. Borderline panic shot through him at the sight that greeted him. "Oh my God! Mac!" He exclaimed as he ran to help his partner.

To be continued...