Chapter 6: Freedom Through Chemistry

Hochstetter had Mac untied and led over to a table where a piece of paper and a pencil were waiting.

Mac looked around the room and the only ones in there were Hochstetter, one guard and himself. Mac picked up the pencil and twirled it in his hand for a moment. He looked again at Hochstetter and then the guard.

I am really in trouble this time. I know Hochstetter's reputation. Once I sign this, and he presents me to Hitler as Papa Bear. There is nothing to stop him from torturing me to see what other information he can get out of me. Two against one, I don't like the odds. Especially when one has a submachine gun pointed at me.

"What are you waiting for? Start writing!"

Mac thought a moment. I hope I have given them enough time to get away. "Ya know Major, I changed my mind. I am not going to sign anything."

"WHAT!"

Mac knocked the submachine gun to the side and punched the guard. Hochstetter quickly jumped on his back, trying to get Mac off of the guard. Hochstetter didn't want to shoot Mac right away in the hopes he could "convince" him to change his mind about admitting he was Papa Bear.

Mac took the pencil and stabbed Hochstetter in the hand and then kicked him to the floor. Mac heard a moan and noticed that the guard started to recover from the punch and going for his gun. Mac quickly grabbed the chair he had been tied to and brought it down over the guard's head, knocking him unconscious. Hochstetter pulled the pencil out of his hand and threw a punch at Mac. He ducked and pushed Hochstetter into the table.

Hochstetter turned around and landed a good punch that sent Mac to the ground. Hochstetter decided that keeping Mac alive was too much trouble and decided it would be easier to kill him and continue to try and prove that Hogan is Papa Bear. He pointedhis side armat Mac. "You are too much trouble to let live. Good bye MacGyver."

Someone must have been looking out for Mac. When he landed on the ground, he landed next to a leg that had broken off the chair. He picked up the leg and knocked the gun out of Hochstetter's hand andhit him in the head with it and ran out the door.

As he was running toward what he hoped was an exit, some guards cut him off.

Hochstetter stood up holding the back of his head. He went over to the semi-conscious guard. "Get up fool and go after him." The guard staggered to his feet and grabbed his gun and ran out the door.

Mac ran down another hall and into the only room that had an open door. He quickly closed it behind him. No lock again. Hmmm. That pipe ought to help brace the door shut. Mac grabbed a steal pipe and wedged it under the door handle and a chip in floor. What is sticky on it? Mac turned the light on since thesun was close to setting, the light coming in through the window was not enough to see clearly. Looks and smells like…blood. Oh my! They have probably been beating some poor soul with it.

HH HH HH

Carter was driving the truck and Hogan and Newkirk were sitting next to him. "Now you know what you are suppose to do right?" Hogan asked the others.

"Right gov'nor. To quote your Western movies, 'We go in guns blazing and go down in a blaze of glory'."

"Newkirk, now is not the time to be funny." Hogan said sternly.

"Who was being funny? You know this plan of yours is suicide? Do you honestly think we can go back in there and not get caught? They'll recgonize us as soon as we get in the door."

"This time I am going in with you. I will have the guard focuse his attention on me and hopefully wontrecgonizeyou.If something goes wrong this time, you two are to get word to Kinch and tell him to close up shop and then all of you get to London."

"What about you Sir? Are you going to come with us?" Carter asked with fear that he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Don't worry about me. You have your orders. Drive to the back, hopefully there wont be as many guards back there and especially no one that has seen you already in there."

HH HH HH

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Mac quickly surveyed the room. Judging by the jars of different color liquids and buckets of other substances, it appeared to be a storage room of some kind. Mac went to the window and looked out. I recognize that truck and there is Newkirk. Mac gave a whistle. When Newkirk looked his way, he waved at him.

Newkirk alerted the others. Carter pulled over and they ran over to the window. "You all right?" Hogan asked.

"Yea, but I am trapped in this room and the goon squad is on the other side of the door" Mac looked around the room again to see if there was anything he could use. He went over to the container of chemicals and tried to identify them. After he opened the third lid and smelled, I know that smell anywhere. This ought to help weaken the wall enough for me to put a hole in it and get out. Mac went back over to the window "Stand back while I pourthis stuffon the wall. Get in the truck and get ready to go as soon as I bust out of here."

"'Ow do you suppose to do that." Newkirk asked trying to figure out how he is going to get out the room. "Thestuff wont eat through stone, will it?"

"No, but it will weaken it." Carter answered with a smile once he got a wiff of the chemical.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Mac went back to the chemicals to see what else he might be able to use. Hmm an oily substance. This could help slow them down when they get through the door. Mac poured the oil in front of the door. He went back looking at the different jars of liquid, seeing if there was anything else he could use.

You know, chemicals are funny. Take NaCl or Sodium Chloride for instance. Individually, Sodium is a very reactive element andChlorine by its self can be very hazardous to touch. Mix them together and you have table salt. These two chemicals here individually are great for cleaning, but together they produce a hazardous gas.

Mac put one of the chemicals into some small glass containers and put a lid securely onthem and placedthem in a bigger glass container. He poured the other chemical in the same jars he had just stuck the smaller jars in and secured lids on them. He found a flat piece of wood that was long enough to go from the table to the doorknob. He placed the wooden stick so it made a bridge between the two and placed one of his jars on top of it. When they open the door, the jar will fall off and brake causing the two chemicals to mix creating the gas. Which I hope that combined with the oil will slow them down even more.

Mac put the rest of the jars in his pockets He took another metal bar and tested the wall. It was starting to crumble nicely.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He noticed that the pounding was weakening his doorstop and almost causing the jars to fall. He spied some gas cylinders in the corner. Perfect. I will use these to put a hole in the wall.

Mac laid the cylinders on the floor so they faced the window and took out his duct tape and taped them together. He took the metal bar and brought it down across the valves, releasing the gas. The cylinders shot through the wall, making an opening big enough for him to crawl through.

Just as he started to go through the hole, the Germans broke through the door, causing the jars to brake. The guards slipped on the oil and fell. The harder the guards tried to get away from the gas, the more they would slip in the oil and get entangled with each other.

Mac jumped to the ground and ran to the truck where Hogan and his men were waiting to take off.

Hochstetter stepped on the squirming guards and made his way across the room to the hole in the wall.

As they drove away, they saw Hochstetter standing at the hole shaking his fist at them. "Bring my care around and go after them. NOW!