Chapter 15
The guard who spoke good English appeared almost immediately after Dr. Ahmad left the room. He said, "If you cooperate, I am to release you in 48 hours. If you resist, you will both be eliminated. This way."
Angie was scared and asked Harry, "What are we going to do?"
"We are going to do as we're told. But remember the Alamo."
The guard almost shouted, "No talking!"
Harry stood and pulled back Angie's chair. They held hands as they left the dining room and returned to the sick bay as directed. The two waiters acted as additional guards, though still dressed in their formal attire, and looked quite comfortable carrying their automatic weapons. They kept sufficient space between themselves and Harry, not taking any chances. They arrived back at the infirmary and the leading guard opened the door. The nurse was still cleaning up. Harry's patient had been moved into one of the two recovery beds.
Harry said, "I should check the status of the patient."
The guard responded, "OK, but the lady stays here."
Harry walked over to the bed. The young man was no longer seizing but remained unconscious. His breathing seemed more regular and his pulse was strong. Harry lifted the eyelids one at a time and looked at the pupils. They still seemed somewhat large, but both were reactive to the light. The drain he had placed seemed to be working. Fluid still dripped into the bag which was about one third full. Not a bad surgical result considering the conditions. He asked the nurse, "Has he had any more Valium?"
The nurse looked confused and Harry returned to their pantomime by pretending to inject medicine into his arm. The nurse shook her head in the negative and responded in Arabic. Harry pretended to have a seizure and held up his five fingers and again pretended to inject into his arm. The nurse looked at him questioningly and held up the bottle of benzodiazepine. Harry nodded in the affirmative and the nurse reached for a syringe to give the medicine. Harry said, "No, not now. Only if he has another seizure."
The nurse again look confused and Harry turned back to the guard asking, "Can you tell her to administer the medicine only if he has another seizure?"
The guard spoke in Arabic and the nurse smiled and nodded in the affirmative. Harry gave her a thumbs up sign and returned to where Angie was waiting. They stood in silence for a few minutes until Harry complained to the guard, "I need to sit down because my feet are still sore."
The guard replied simply, "Sit."
Harry guided Angie to a couple of chairs in the waiting area and sat down. He allowed himself to settle into a watchful waiting mode. To Angie he seemed almost asleep. It was hard to visualize her impatient Harry waiting so calmly - especially when they were planning to inject him with worms. She wanted to talk. But looking up at the guard and the scowl on his face, she kept her silence. She thought of the tapping Harry had been doing in bed and wished she could do something like it to communicate. She decided to try an old game. With very subtle movements she drew the capital letter "I" on Harry's leg and then covered it with her hand. She then continued with a L-O-V-E and again covered it with her hand. Harry seemed oblivious but she continued with a Y-O-U and let her hand settle quietly over her writing.
Harry shifted slightly in his chair and his hand rested on her knee. With just subtle changes in pressure he replied L-U-V-U.
Angie was beaming inside. She was going to try some more writing when Harry stiffened noticeably and she perceived the sound of an airplane in the distance. Harry was concentrating hard on the sound. When he apparently recognized the type of plane, his body again relaxed into his state of watchful waiting. The airplane sound grew louder and changed pitch as it approached, landed on the water and taxied in. The sound suddenly quit as the craft was shut down. Silence had returned for only a couple of minutes before the door opened and Dr. Ahmad entered. Accompanying Dr. Ahmad was a middle-aged man of dark complexion, wearing a white lab coat with the label “Microbiology” on it. The man looked as if he had not slept in some time.
Dr. Ahmad's manner was brusque and he never looked directly at Angie. He said, "Dr. Williams, have you reconsidered?"
Harry replied, "Not much to reconsider."
"So be it then. My assistant has brought what is needed. We have not used this modification before, but the theory is sound. My assistant is nervous because as a researcher he has never worked on a human before but he is competent.” After a short pause, Dr Ahmad continued, “If someone in my organization needs your help I would expect you to provide the assistance. Refusal would be as if you were harming me directly and would be justification for activating the cysticercus. Any questions?"
Angie flared, "But that's like blackmail!"
Dr. Ahmad ignored her comment and did not take his gaze from Harry. Harry shrugged his shoulders and said, "Seems simple enough. Either I cooperate or you will produce a pseudo Parkinson's disease that could be fatal - or at least incapacitating enough to end my surgical career. You're not going to win any nice guy contest."
"Doing God's will is not a game. I do what I must and I gave you every opportunity to work as a colleague. You refused. Now you will experience Arab science as it again ascends to its rightful place in the forefront."
Dr. Ahmad began speaking in Arabic to the guard. The guard looked up at Angie and nodded his head. The conversation continued with Dr. Ahmad obviously giving orders. Dr. Ahmad then began talking with the man in the lab coat who said almost nothing in reply but nodded his head intermittently. It seemed obvious to Harry that Dr. Ahmad was giving very specific instructions which probably meant little good for him. The guards still dressed in their formal wear seemed to be paying as much attention to Dr. Ahmad as they were to him.
Harry began planning a trajectory to the nearest guard and shifted his position slightly to launch himself in attack. Just as he was about to push off, Dr. Ahmad pointed at him and the guard's attention was refocused in his direction. Harry let his body relax back to the state of watchful waiting. Their conversation in Arabic went on for several more minutes as final instructions were given.
Dr. Ahmad turned to Harry and Angie. He bowed ever so slightly in their direction saying, "I had hoped for a much different relationship, but God's will… Do as the guard says because I still mean you no harm. They have been instructed on your release if you cooperate, but no resistance will be tolerated."
Dr. Ahmad looked at Angie one last time as if to give her one last chance to change her mind. His intense gaze made her shudder inside, but she kept her external composure and returned the gaze. It was a wordless battle and finally Dr. Ahmad shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly before turning and leaving the room. Angie’s emotions rose to the surface as a slight trembling although she said nothing.
The man in the white coat began preparing the treatment table by adding two arm extensions to the sides. He nodded at the guard who then said, "Lie down on the table. Any resistance will cause your elimination and the woman will be taken to our Doctor."
Harry arose slowly as if he were in great pain and moved to the treatment table. As he turned to lie down, he looked up at Angie and gave her a subtle wink of his right eye. Angie's emotions churned as she watched her Harry who had apparently become passive. The subtle wink implied hope, though, didn’t it? Did it mean he still planned to resist? What was she to do? Why did he use the Alamo as a signal. Didn't they all die in that battle? What did the guard mean when he said she would be taken to their doctor? Were they planning to abduct her again? She never wanted to see Dr. Ahmad again. This wasn't her life; she was a musician.
Harry very much looked an old man as he slowly lay down on the table. Straps were placed on both of his arms and cinched down tightly. The guard spoke up in Arabic and the man in the white coat added a second strap to both of Harry's arms. The guards rearranged themselves into a rough triangle, with the military-appearing guard staying near the only window. One of the wait staff stood n
ext to Angie and the other stood at the foot of the treatment table. All of their weapons were kept pointed at Harry.
Angie watched as the man in the white coat held up a small vial and carefully inserted a needle syringe into the top. He held the vial up the light to make sure he drained it completely. His hands had a noticeable tremor and he seemed extra careful as he put the needle guard back on the syringe. Setting the syringe on the counter, he picked up a rubber strap and worked it around Harry's left arm just above the elbow. With the strap reducing the blood flow back to Harry's heart, Harry’s veins began to swell. The man poked Harry's arm with his finger trying to choose a vein to inject.
Even though Angie could see the veins in Harry's arms from across the room, the man just kept poking and fidgeting. Finally he seemed to select one and began wiping it with an alcohol sponge. The skin cleaning seemed to go on for at least a full minute. It seemed like a form of torture - taking so long to prepare the skin just to inject the brain worms that could end up killing Harry. The man's tremor seemed to get worse as he kept wiping the skin.
Putting down the alcohol sponge, the man picked up the syringe. Holding it upright, he flicked it with his finger to move all of the air bubbles to the top. Holding the syringe up to the light, he gradually advanced the plunger to remove a small amount of air. Beads of sweat broke across his forehead. Positioning himself on the exam stool, the man took the needle guard off the syringe and pointed it towards the vein he had selected. His tremor was severe enough that he had to rest his hand on Harry's arm. The beads of sweat were now rivers, and he stopped to mop his brow with the back of his arm.
As the now shaking hand returned to Harry's arm, the sound of a helicopter starting outside the window penetrated into the room. Everyone's attention was drawn to the sound. As the turbine wound up and caught, the guard nearest the window turned to watch. It was the opening Harry needed. With a violent contraction of his arm and chest muscles, he snapped the arm support boards free from the treatment table. The violent movement knocked the man in the white coat backwards and the syringe he was holding struck him in the chest. The needle penetrated to its hilt, and the inertia of his hand injected the contents into his own body. The man’s screams were partially drowned out by Harry's yelling, "Alamo."
Harry's forward motion carried him off the table and launched him at the nearest guard. The guard's reaction was quick but not quick enough to overcome Harry's onslaught. Harry used the arm board still strapped tightly to his arm as a club, and struck the guard alongside the neck before he could raise his weapon. The guard fell and Harry tore the automatic weapon from his hand. As Harry's forward motion carried him toward the floor, the guard dressed in uniform responded and fired a burst at Harry. Harry held the metal arm boards in front of him like a shield, deflecting the few bullets accurately aimed at him. By the time Harry had hit the floor, the weapon in his hand was operational and returned a deadly burst at the guard. The inertia of the automatic weapon blast pushed the guard through the now shattered window.
Angie responded to Harry's yell with a fury she did not know she possessed. Her self-defense training, that she had taken only to please Harry, took over. She kicked violently towards the guard's groin from behind. The force was only partially effective but it was enough to disrupt his attempt to shoot at Harry. She jumped onto his back and began clawing at his eyes. The guard swung around trying to dislodge her, but she held on. Angie felt her head being jerked back as the guard grabbed her hair and pulled to dislodge her. Holding on to his face for all she was worth, she ignored the pain of her hair being pulled out and kept trying to gouge his eyes so he could not see to shoot Harry.
Angie wasn't sure she could hang on any longer when suddenly the man lurched backwards and she found herself in Harry's arms. Her enraged body had just begun to relax when she heard the nurse yell something in Arabic. The only word she understood was "Doctor." She and Harry both turned toward the sound, and Harry dropped into a combat position as he turned. The man in the lab coat had produced a gun. The nurse behind him tried to stop him from shooting by stabbing him with a syringe she had filled with Valium. The man turned his weapon on the nurse and fired point-blank at her before Harry could respond with a deadly burst from his weapon. The nurse never even had a chance to scream in pain because the chest wound had ruptured her heart. By the time Harry had crossed the room she had fallen silently, still holding the syringe. Harry felt for a pulse in her neck and then gently used his two fingers to close her eyelids.
Angie looked around the room in disbelief. There was blood and carnage everywhere. She stood still, in shock. Harry quickly ascertained that the two guards who were still dressed in formal wear were alive but unconscious. He used a piece of tape to secure their hands and feet, not taking any chances. The helicopter had taken off just before the shooting had begun and was just visible in the distance. Harry stared at it for a few seconds while calculating its direction. He then said, "I have to go get José. Can you guard the hallway?"
Angie replied, "Me? I don't know how. I want to stay with you."
"I'll only be gone for a minute or two. I need you to cover my back so we don't get trapped. You can handle it; you know how to use a gun. If anything moves, shoot at it. Okay?"
Angie nodded her head and Harry handed her one of the automatic rifles saying, "Don't worry about hitting anything. If something moves, just shoot. You should have at least 20 shots left. Stand here in the doorway so you can see both ways but still be protected by the wall."
The gun was much heavier than Angie had expected. She cradled the gun as Harry carefully looked both ways down the hallway before moving quickly to the elevator door. It seemed to take forever before the elevator opened. Then Harry was gone. Angie's heart was beating so hard she was sure the sound could be heard across the room. She glanced back into the room and could not believe her eyes which revealed such horrible carnage. She turned back to the hallway concentrating her attention there. Her ears picked up the sound before she saw the movement. Someone was coming and trying to be quiet.
Her tension level ratcheted up another step. She pressed herself against the wall with only her head poking into the hallway. The bright multicolored dress she was wearing was definitely not the best camouflage. Her eyes picked up movement and she responded by pulling the trigger of the weapon. The weapon became alive, unleashing noise and fire in its fury. Angie would have dropped the weapon except for Harry's admonition that he needed her to cover his back. The movement was gone. But for how long?
Angie heard a burst of gunfire coming from below. Now what was happening to Harry? How long could it take? Then the lights went out. The hallway became engulfed in darkness broken only by the light coming through the broken window. While her eyes were adapting the shadows seemed almost alive. She wanted to retreat into the room where there was some light, but she knew she needed to guard the hallway. The sound of a speedboat leaving at high speed penetrated into her world but she ignored it.