MacGyver stepped back, almost dropping the box on the floor as his emotions took control. He was distraught and angry at the same time.

Seeley put a calming hand on Mac’s forearm. “Hey,” he soothed. “We have no way of knowing for sure if that’s Sam’s finger. It’s just a bloodied mess, it could be anyone’s. We need to just stay focused, and carry on playing the game, okay?”

Mac took a deep breath. Normally emotions wouldn’t cloud his judgement, but this wasn’t just any assignment, it was a psychological war between long-time enemies – and Zito and Mariotte were winning. “Okay,” he reluctantly agreed, then scooped up the new note to read.

“Butch and Sundance,
Holmes and Moriarty,
Seeley and Angus,
Do come join the party!
It’s not Sante Fe,
But do come and play…
A finger I’ve taken,
Maybe a hand today?”

MacGyver turned white, how much pain and suffering could Sam take? Was he even still alive? His hand shook, and Seeley gently took the handwritten paper from it and read it for himself.

“C’mon, we’re not giving in,” Atkins pushed. “Pull out the map. The first puzzle was a destination, and this obviously is too. Think, Mac. Concentrate!”

“Well, the motel is our point of reference, but do we look north or south? “It’s not Sante Fe.” Could that mean the opposite of New Mexico, or maybe it is in New Mexico, just not Sante Fe?” Mac rubbed at his eyes, he was getting tired, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

“The opposite would be back where we’ve been, California,” Seeley noted, running a finger away from their location on the map.

MacGyver didn’t like it, there were too many possibilities again, and yet somewhere there must be a clue. “I’ll look for anything relevant to Holmes, Moriarty, Butch, or Sundance. You check New Mexico for the same,” he suggested.

Seeley nodded, his eyes already scanning locations like he had been programmed to do it blindfold. After just a few moments, he looked up. “There’s a place called Moriarty here,” he tapped his finger. “It’s just off the I-40 again. That could be significant? A pattern maybe?”

“That means Butch and Sundance must be what we need to find there!” Mac screwed the map back up into his pocket. “You drive, I’ll get back on the phone and see if Pete can do another search.”

Seeley nodded and then jogged back out of the motel and back to the car. Atkins slid behind the wheel and spun it around with just the palm of his hand as MacGyver began dialing Phoenix again. The sedan kicked a small zephyr as it sped towards the exit sign, but somehow the way out had been blocked by a fallen tree. It looked recently cut.

Mac frowned and paused what he was doing as Atkins began to reverse up. Something was wrong…

Before he could tell Seeley to hit the brakes, the rear end of the car suddenly dropped and they were almost jarred from their seats with the jolting motion. Seeley was still composing himself as MacGyver jumped from his seat, half expecting an explosion, but there was nothing. He sucked down a breath as Atkins joined him, once again straightening his tie.

“Jeez, your friend Zito likes to play dirty huh?”

“Just a little.” Mac kneeled to take a look what had happened. A deep groove had been dug into the sandy ground of the lot, and then covered over. It wasn’t all that deep – it hadn’t meant to hurt them, simply slow down and annoy. “This is Zito’s way of showing even here he was in control, he holds all the cards.”

“We’re not gonna push this baby free,” Atkins observed. “I guess I better call a tow truck, and that’s gonna cost valuable time.” He slammed a hand into the car’s roof in frustration, and then flexed his fingers when he realized it hurt.

MacGyver couldn’t help a small smile as it reminded him of his own terrible punching technique. Then he sobered a little. “We can’t wait,” he insisted, and then turned to search among the tumbleweed like he was looking for gold.

The place was a mess, with scrap iron, rotting car carcasses, old wood, spent cigarette packets, and lots of used gum embedded in the ground.

Mac looked back at the motel, maybe that would be more fruitful? He quickly jogged back inside. Finally, he spotted a fire hose and began to unwind it.

“Exactly what are you going to do with that?” Seeley asked with a frown. “I mean, if we had another car to attach it to then yeah, maybe we could pull ourselves out, but then if we had another car, we wouldn’t need to!” He watched as Mac carried on anyway. “You do know we can’t tug the car free with brute force with that thing, right? So c’mon, put me out my misery, what the heck are you doing? I’ve heard you do stuff like this over and over but…”

Mac enjoyed the moment. It was good to see Seeley forced into lateral thinking. Without answering, he unwound the flat hose and dragged it to their car. Luckily, their ride was front wheel drive, and that small fact was about to save their bacon.

He popped off the hub cap and began to thread the hose through a slat in the steel wheel, and then tied it off. Taking some of the slack hose, he then wrapped it around as much of the tire as possible. Satisfied one end was secure, he took the other and fastened it to the nearest tree that he assumed would take the force of what he was about to do.

“Okay, run the motor.” MacGyver pointed to the open driver’s door, and Atkins climbed in and turned the ignition. Once it fired up, he gunned the gas, making the front wheels spin. As the wheels turned, the hose went with them winding around the tire until it turned into a makeshift winch.

As the hose continued to gather around the wheel, the car was pulled forwards and free, using its own momentum.

With a grunt, the sedan lurched out of the rut and Seeley quickly hit the brakes. MacGyver nodded to him, and then pulled out his penknife, cutting the now unwanted hose from the tire. It wasn’t the easiest thing to cut through, but his blade was sharp and true.

Eventually, MacGyver slid into the car slightly breathless with the effort. Dang, I’m getting old – no, just tired, he chided himself.

While Mac once again began to dial Phoenix, Atkins guided the car out of the lot, using the entrance rather than exit this time. They were just a few miles down the road when Pete came back to them with more answers.

“Mac, the only reference we can come up with here to Butch and Sundance that include Moriarty is Sundance Aviation! It’s a flying club for gliders. Could that be it?” Pete’s voice sounded almost as tired as Mac felt.

“It has to be!” Mac answered hopefully.

“It’s at the Moriarty Municipal Airport,” Pete continued, “According to our information the place is small, but the runway should take the Phoenix jet!

MacGyver looked to Seeley. “I guess we’re about to take yet another flight…”

Atkins nodded. “Yeah, and this time I’m taking the helm.” He grinned cheekily, and Mac had to wonder if the ex-fed wasn’t making an attempt to lighten his spirits just a touch. “Your landings suck…” He winked and then hit the gas just that little bit harder back to the Learjet.

* * * *

Sundance Aviation Office
Moriarty Municipal Airport
New Mexico

The airport was much smaller than what Mac expected – Pete had warned him it wasn’t exactly LAX, but it was so quiet it was almost dead. He shuddered at his own choice of words and decided maybe rural was a better description.

The Sundance office was on the edge of the strip, and even as they approached MacGyver could see it looked empty. He sighed and took a moment to shake himself. He was tired, and from Atkins constant rubbing of his eyes, he was too. They’d been going for hours now, and neither of them was superhuman – but then, that was what Zito was probably hoping for. A tired man made mistakes.

Seeley reached for his weapon as they got closer to the front shutter door, but Mac waved him off. There was probably no need for firearms if this was like the last couple of leads.

The door creaked ominously as Mac pulled it back and they entered. He told himself it just wanted a little oil, but the sound still grated on his jangling nerves.

The room was tiny, and as he’d expected, very empty. There was a counter with flying club leaflets, and a bell. Mac rang it and looked around while they waited. There were photos of gliders on the walls, and several certificates for safety and training.

Seeley went for his tie again, this time to loosen it, instead of straighten. “Is it me, or is it kinda hot in here?”

MacGyver’s gaze wandered to the air conditioning vents and he moved to hold a hand over the nearest. It wasn’t blowing at all – either it was broken, or it had been purposefully switched off.

“Mac, I think you’re going to want to see this…” Seeley had moved behind the counter and was staring at something with distaste.

MacGyver wasn’t sure he wanted to see it at all, but he moved around to join Atkins anyway. Under the lip of the desk there was yet another box and accompanying note. Mac reached out to open it, his face turning white and his right hand shaking. Sam…

Seeley reached out, gently pushing MacGyver’s hand away. “Let me do this? I got a kid too you know? I get it.” He picked up the box and slowly opened it. It was obvious he tried, and failed not shrink back from what he saw.

Inside the box was a roughly severed human hand – apparently the same one the finger had come from. Bone and sinew had been torn like it had been hacked off cruelly without thought, and Mac had to close his eyes to push away mental images he wished his mind hadn’t conjured. He felt sick, but tried to console himself that a hand was just that, a person could live without one. Sam might still be alive.

Seeley picked up the note and read its contents out.

“John Wayne went there,
Maybe Sam will too?
Menagerie or zoion,
The name’s up to you…”

Seeley pulled a face, “What the hell is a zoion?” He turned the note sideways, then upside down to see if the word made any more sense to him. It didn’t.

“I’ve heard it before somewhere…” MacGyver closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, letting the calming breath open his mind. “I think I heard Professor Atticus use it at some point…” He chewed his bottom lip for a second before the eureka moment. “I’ve got it! Zoion is the Greek for animal, and it’s the origin of the word zoo! That coincides with the word menagerie, so we’re looking for a zoo somewhere!”

“Whoa.” Seeley cringed, “That was some mouthful of fact you got there.” He smiled just a little before growing serious again. “Maybe I can help, actually. I’m a bit of a John Wayne fan, and there are a few of his movies that might fit our puzzle too. Especially the New Mexico location. Sante Fe Stampede, Rio Grande, Rio Bravo…”

MacGyver held up a hand to stop Atkins babbling any further about his favorite hero. “Wait! There’s a Rio Grande Zoo! I’ve worked with them on saving some rare species through Phoenix.”

“Would Zito know that?” Seeley pondered.

Mac nodded. “Yeah, this is Zito, he’s a cut above your average bad guy, remember? He’s Hannibal Lecter without the craving for flesh…”

Atkins cringed again. “You could have fooled me. He sure likes body parts, even if he doesn’t eat them.” He stopped talking when MacGyver winced at the reference.

“The zoo is about half an hour away in Albuquerque, ya think this could be the end of the trail?” Mac was vocalizing the scenario he was hoping for, but his expression suggested he had doubts.

“Let’s go find out.” Seeley moved to the door and looked surprised to find it closed. He reached out and turned the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried again, but still it resisted.

“Someone locked it while we were chatting,” Mac mused.

“You’re politely saying we got sloppy, right?” Seeley ran a hand through his hair Mac style.

“We got sloppy,” Mac agreed, “but that’s not really our biggest problem…” He pointed to the aircon vents that had been still and silent before. Something was seeping through them with just the tiniest tinge of red to it.

Seeley followed MacGyver’s gaze and his eyes widened just a touch. “Gas! No wonder it wasn’t working before.” He pulled a perfectly folded white handkerchief from his pocket and placed it over his nose, but it was a futile action.

The noxious vapor was filling the room at an alarming rate. It oozed through the metal grating of the vent and seemed to consume office space until there was nowhere to hide.

There was no smell, just the ominous color invading the air with a slightly sweet taste.

MacGyver and Seeley scrambled to the floor coughing, but the gas followed them within minutes.

“I guess it’s too late to change my mind about tagging along and helping?” Seeley’s eyes watered as he spoke and each breath came out a gasp.

“Maybe you could go wait in the car?” MacGyver got out the last quip before both men fell unconscious, their minds drifting to off into a bleak darkness that was all consuming.

* * * *

The world refocused into a blurred, shiny glass dome that reminded MacGyver of a scene from a Sci Fi movie – something about growing plants in outer space? He shook himself and realized that the dome was, in fact, the cockpit of a glider. He looked around, noting it was the twin seat trainer variety.

A groan from the back confirmed Seeley was in the rear seat.

MacGyver ignored his companion’s protests and took stock of the situation. His hands were handcuffed in front of him, and there was a note stuck to the clocks written in the same pen as the notes with the boxes.

“Time to Fly!”

Was it Zito’s or Mariotte’s sick little joke?

“MacGyver? You awake up there?” Atkins still sounded groggy, but there was an urgency in his voice that said he already understood this was a far more dangerous situation than it looked on the surface.

“I’m awake,” Mac responded, but his focus was on the glider. It was the type that was launched by a winch from the ground, catapulting it forwards and up with great speed, and if it launched right now, neither Mac nor Seeley could reach the controls because of the cuffs.

If they didn’t do something and fast, this was going to be a very short, very deadly flight.

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