“About time I hear from you,” came the HIT director’s voice over the pay phone line. “You’re very late. Have you taken care of Murdoc yet?”

Russet eyes narrowed as Xiuhcoatl shifted her weight. “If I had taken care of Murdoc, I wouldn’t have been late. I’m only calling now because of your order to report back to you. I’ve traced his hideout and he’ll be gone by the end of the day.”

“See to it that the job gets done, Xia. I’d hate to lose one of my favorite trainees. And here I thought that you were the very best.”

“I am the best!” Xia hissed.

The line went dead and the assassin groaned loudly, slamming the pay phone receiver down hard enough to make the plastic crack. She whirled and stalked back to her black rental car, parallel-parked beside the curb, and winced as her mind turned to her mangled Trans Am. That sleek red beauty was more than just a sports car; it was a symbol of her success. She’d bought the Firehawk with her first paycheck from HIT, paid in cash, and since then, at least a portion of her earnings from every single contract had gone into adding something to her most prized possession. Upgraded gearshift, new radio, nitrous hookup and other racing implements, a custom paint job, fresh tires… The Firehawk had been top of the line in every way, and now? Now, the car was scratched and dented almost as badly as Xiuhcoatl’s pride. As she made the short drive to Murdoc’s bomb shelter, the assassin promised herself that one way or another, Murdoc was going to pay for her crashed car.

“Did you see her, Murdoc?” MacGyver’s staticky voice asked over the receiver.

“Yes,” Murdoc replied as he leaned back against the pay phone booth across the street, absently fiddling with his binoculars. “She’s coming to you now. We must’ve struck a nerve. This is going to be fun.”

“How much time do I have before she gets here?”

“Ten minutes or so. I’ll be right behind her. Remember, MacGyver, don’t let her get away!”

“No problem,” MacGyver replied, but Murdoc was already gone, the pay phone receiver dangling in the breeze.

MacGyver watched from the bushes as an unmarked black car pulled off the road and into the dirt along the right-of-way. For the first time, he got a good look at the assassin as she stepped out of the car and beelined for the hidden bomb shelter door. She was carrying something metallic, and as she got closer, MacGyver realized what it was.

“A flamethrower. Great,” he muttered to himself. Moving quickly, he ducked back into Murdoc’s hideout and headed straight for the back, easily avoiding the spiderweb trap now that he knew its location.

When he was rummaging through Murdoc’s closets out of boredom earlier, he’d almost been amused at his rival’s stockpile of cleaning supplies, but now he was thankful for all the useful materials at his fingertips. A half-full jug of vinegar and an almost-new box of baking soda were useful for so much more than cleaning up mildew and getting rid of odd scents. In the right combination, they’d produce an awful lot of carbon dioxide. Mac dumped a healthy dose of the white powder into the vinegar jug and screwed the cap on tight, letting the reaction build up as he made his way back to the tunnel. He’d have to think fast; he couldn’t risk the assassin lighting the spiderwebs on fire and ruining the trap.

He reached the door just as the knob turned. Mac pressed himself against the wall, ready to open up his impromptu fire extinguisher.

Xiuhcoatl peeked inside, opening the door a little more to widen the sliver of light that just barely illuminated the top of the stairs. Murdoc had to be in there somewhere…

She opened the door a little wider and realized that there was someone in her presence. She sprang into the room, aiming the nozzle of her flamethrower directly at the man. In the dim light, she stared at him for a second, mentally removing the scruffy facial hair. “My contract… I recognize you… MacGyver? But Murdoc killed you.” Her almond-shaped eyes hardened. “You tricked us!”

MacGyver never wasted a second, popping the top off of his fire extinguisher just as Xia’s hand twitched to open the throttle on the flamethrower. Jumping back away from the assassin just for good measure, Mac sighed in relief as the carbon dioxide from the chemicals in the jug snuffed the flames almost as soon as they appeared.

Grunting in frustration, Xia lunged for MacGyver, only to hit the ground when he rolled away at the last second. Springing to her feet, she gave chase as he ran down the stairs. He lost his balance and fell to one knee just a few steps ahead of her, gripping something on the wall for support. She heard a noise like something tearing, but couldn’t see in the darkness. She charged ahead, hearing his footsteps once again. So close…

But then something sticky flew into her face. Brushing it away left her arms ensnared. Soon, Xiuhcoatl was completely trapped.

MacGyver heaved a sigh of relief when he switched all the lights on and saw that his assailant had immobilized herself, just as he and Murdoc had planned. A slow clap echoed in the tunnel as Murdoc came into view.

“Nice work, MacGyver. I’m impressed.”

Mac glared at Murdoc. “Thanks for all the help.”

Stepping close to MacGyver, Murdoc replied, “I think it’s time that our new friend starts to tell us everything she knows, don’t you?”

MacGyver cleared his throat. “Right. Start talking.”

Xia glanced at her captors. “No. Sonia will kill me.”

“She’s going to kill you anyway,” Murdoc pointed out. “After all, you’ve failed your contract.”

“There’s still time,” Xia replied. “I’m just as good as you are. I can still finish this.”

“Why don’t you start by telling me who you are?” MacGyver asked.

Xia shrugged as much as she could with enhanced spiderwebs binding her arms. “I call myself Xiuhcoatl. Sonia calls me Xia for short.”

“May I call you Xia?” MacGyver said.

“No.” She frowned. “Why are you helping him? He’s your enemy!”

“You just tried to kill both of us, which means that we share a common enemy.”

Xia shook her head. “HIT thinks you’re dead. I’ve been released from my contract on you. Help me kill Murdoc, and I’ll let you go.”

Murdoc scoffed. “Look at you. You’re all tied up. Hardly in any position to make demands.”

MacGyver held up a hand to silence Murdoc and answered, “If given the choice between the devil I know and the devil I don’t, I’m sticking with Murdoc. At least I know he’ll stab me in the front.”

“Or blow you up,” Murdoc added.

Mac rolled his eyes. “You’re not helping your case any.” Shaking his head, he addressed their captive once more. “What do you know about me? About the reason someone put a hit out on me?”

The captive assassin smiled slowly. “You’re asking me about Sicarius, aren’t you? Or should I say, Agent Kennedy Robinson? Well, I know that as soon as Sonia finds him, he’s dead. And so are both of you.”

MacGyver flinched. That was the absolute last thing that he wanted to hear. If Robinson’s identity had been compromised so completely, then it would only be a matter of time before a HIT employee would manage to track him down. For a long moment, the room was silent, and he was lost in thought over the missing agent.

Muttering under his breath, Murdoc broke the temporary lull by saying, “Keep her talking, MacGyver.”

“Why?” Mac hissed.

“Just do it,” Murdoc shot back.

MacGyver sighed, trying to think of some other question to ask. He’d already learned about HIT’s knowledge of the DXS agent, so what else was there to find out?
“May I ask why you go by Xi---uh… Xia…?”

“Xiuhcoatl,” the captive replied with an eyeroll. “It’s not a very long story. And it’s none of your business, but since I have no choice but to be cooperative… My great-grandfather was from México. He died before I was born, and when I was growing up, I wished so badly that I could have known him the way my mother did. She loved him so much---everyone did. So, to feel closer to him, I learned everything I could about him. Learned to whistle, learned Spanish, learned Aztec mythology. And when the time came for me to choose an alias for myself---” She shrugged, “I thought I’d borrow something from the Aztec stories. Xiuhcoatl was a fire spirit, and it was also a weapon used by the king of the gods. The name means ‘fire serpent.’ It seemed to fit.”

MacGyver’s keen eyes didn’t miss Murdoc’s uncomfortable shifting nor the disgusted curling of his lip. Trying not to smirk at his rival’s paralyzing fear, Mac let out a low whistle. “Sounds to me like you made the right choice.”

Xia’s teeth showed in a predatory smile. “Thank you.”

Murdoc smiled as well, and the look on his face made Mac feel oddly unsettled. “Thank you for your help, MacGyver. I think I’ve got it now.”

MacGyver blinked, confused. “Got what?”

Murdoc’s grin stretched until he looked like the proverbial canary-fed feline. In a perfect imitation of Xiuhcoatl’s voice, he replied, “I have the next step of our plan.”

Xia’s eyes widened in horror. “The rumors are true!”

“Of course. I’m still the best, even if the Board of Directors won’t admit it,” Murdoc said. “Really, what is HIT teaching its recruits these days?”

“You’re the scum of the earth, Murdoc,” the prisoner hissed.

The master assassin nodded. “Thank you. I know. MacGyver, the telephone, please.”

Mac stepped out of the way to let Murdoc through. The assassin plucked the receiver from its cradle, dialed a number, and waited.

In a moment, he was greeted with Sonia Chapel’s voice. “Hello?”

“Murdoc is dead,” Murdoc said, his mimicry of Xia’s voice pitch-perfect.

“Excellent!” Sonia replied. “To be honest, I thought for certain that he would make mincemeat out of you. But since you survived, I’ll give you the honor of assisting me in executing the spy. We found out that he’s been hiding in a warehouse in Yorba Linda. You’ll rendezvous with me there tomorrow at 1800 hours sharp. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Ms. Chairman.” After writing down the address, Murdoc carefully unhooked the telephone.

Xia shook her head. “You tricked her. You tricked Sonia. I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t either,” Murdoc said. “It could easily be a trap. Which is why, MacGyver, we should---”

“No,” Mac said firmly. “No guns, no killing.”

“MacGyver, this is HIT we’re talking about. If we take out Sonia---”

Mac shook his head. “If we take out Sonia, nothing will change. You took out your old buddy Nicholas Helman, and nothing changed. Violence won’t stop HIT. Evidence will. We’re going to get Agent Robinson out of this alive, and we’re going to take his evidence and testimony to trial, and that’s how we’ll stop HIT.”

“Your optimism is astounding,” Xia said dryly. “But what are you going to do with me? You can’t just leave me here.”

“She’s right, Murdoc,” MacGyver said. “What are we going to do with her?”

Wordlessly, Murdoc reached into his jacket pocket and held up a grenade.

“No! That can’t be your answer for everything!” Mac snapped.

“You said---”

“I said no killing, Murdoc.”

Murdoc huffed. “All right, fine. I never get to do anything I want. After we’ve taken care of your friend, you can come back and let the girl go.”

“He’s lying,” Xia blurted. “He’ll kill both of us, and you're crazy if you think he won’t.”

Mac lifted an eyebrow. “So what do you suggest I do? You’ll kill me, too, won’t you?”

“No.” The captive hesitated for just a second. “I want to make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

Reflexively, Xia tried to glance over her shoulder. “I want to be just like the two of you,” she said quietly. “You don’t know what you did to HIT when you stopped Nicholas Helman on Halloween night. The both of you changed everything. Sonia changed how we’re recruited, how we’re trained… The video that Helman took, to show the Board of Directors that night? It’s required viewing now.”

MacGyver took a step backwards. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You mean they’re using us to teach people like you how to kill?”

“Not just how to kill. How to react. How to think quickly, be creative. You changed the way HIT looks at assassinations forever.”

“No! No way!”

“You can deny it if you want, but your actions had an impact,” Xia replied. “You beat the Board of Directors, you beat Sonia, and you’ve beaten me. So I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I’ll help you find your DXS agent, I’ll---I’ll turn state’s witness and testify in court, I’ll help you take out Sonia---whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. I don’t care. But…”

“There’s a condition,” MacGyver said flatly.

Xia nodded, glancing sideways at Murdoc. “I want to learn, get better. I want you to train me.”

Murdoc scoffed. “Out of the question.”

MacGyver sighed. “Done.”

Murdoc stared at MacGyver. “What?”

But MacGyver was already cutting their prisoner loose. “We can use her testimony, Murdoc. With her evidence added to Agent Robinson’s---and yours---we should have more than enough to put away HIT.”

“You don’t really believe her, do you, MacGyver?”

Mac shrugged. “I believed you, didn’t I?”