Page 55 of Yankee in the Wind

“Then that must be Smith,” Jack guessed.

Fox was already running past them. “Let’s get Smith.”

“I need your help getting Tiger out of the machine,” Lilly said, already running toward it. “His head is stuck in a helmet attached to the gurney.”

“Shit!” Jack cursed, following Lilly.

Via his microphone he said, “Ace, where are you? Michelle, do you have a visual of Ace? Smith is escaping through the front.”

After a few seconds, Michelle finally replied, “Ace is okay. Got knocked out, but he’s alright.”

“I’m okay,” Ace said with a groan.

“Fox is heading out the front, following Smith. I need to help Lilly get Tiger out of the MRI machine.” Jack reached the machine.

“I can cut the power again,” Michelle said.

“Yes, cut the power,” Jack said.

“No!” Lilly cried out. “I need the power to get the gurney out. Or Tiger will be stuck inside.”

“Did you hear that, Michelle? Leave the power on.”

“Okay.”

Jack watched as Lilly pressed a button, and slowly the gurney with Tiger on it came out of the machine, until Tiger’s entire body was outside. Jack instantly saw why Lilly needed his help. The helmet around Tiger’s head was fused with the gurney, and the gurney in turn was firmly attached to the machine. There was no way detaching the gurney and transporting Tiger with it out of the machine. They had to free him from the helmet now.

“Can you get the helmet off him?” Lilly asked frantically, while she riffled through the supplies of syringes and bottles on the shelf next to the machine.

“I’ll take care of it,” Jack said, then glanced at Lilly as she filled a syringe with a clear liquid from a medicine bottle. “What are you doing?”

“Tiger got drugged with Midazolam. I’m giving him Flumazenil to counteract the Midazolam.”

Jack took a closer look at the helmet and how it was closed around Tiger’s head. At first it looked like the white plastic was one solid piece, but then he sensed a groove with his fingers. He pressed against it, and suddenly the helmet parted in the front, and its two halves opened up like a clamshell.

“I’ve got it.”

He saw how Lilly injected the syringe into Tiger’s IV port, then set the empty syringe aside. She leaned over Tiger’s head. His eyes were open.

“You’re okay, Tiger, I gave you an antidote. I know you can’t move yet, but the paralysis is only temporary. I promise you, you’ll be fine.”

It looked like Tiger tried to blink, but the movement of his eyelids was barely visible.

“Tiger, I’m Yankee. You’re safe now.”

Jack looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. He saw Fox, Ace, and Michelle coming toward him.

“Did you get Smith?” Jack asked.

Ace and Fox both shook their heads.

“He took off before we could get to him,” Fox said.

“Sorry, I wasn’t much help. That jerk I fought with had a mean right hook,” Ace said, rubbing his jaw. Then he pointed to the gurney. “How’s Tiger? Is he gonna make it?”

“Yes,” Lilly said. “He’ll be fine. But you’ll have to carry him out of here. It’ll be a couple of hours until the paralysis wears off.”

Ace nodded. “Okay, then let’s rig this place first. Fox, can you set up the charges, while Yankee and I bring all the bodies in here?”