Page 100 of Fire and Ice

Maia shook her head in annoyance. "Look, you have a problem with my methods, suck it up. If you tie him up and he gets loose and we're still around, that's another hostile we're up against, you get me?"

"I'm still in charge here," Rick reminded her.

"Fine, let's tie him up," Maia retorted.

They used the ropes that had been their foot restraints to secure the remaining guard. Maia tore a strip of cloth from the guard's clothing to gag him. They took an inventory of their arsenal: two carbines, two 9mm, two extra magazines.

They also took a set of keys. There were no cellphones on the guards. Maia grabbed one of their radios.

Rick poked his head through the door and checked out the hallway.

"It's clear."

"Question is, which way is out?"

"Footsteps keep coming from the right so I guess it's that way."

"This looks like a big old house."

The two moved stealthily along the passageway until they saw stairs leading up. Maia saw an opposite hallway.

"I wonder what's over there. I see light shining under one of the rooms," Maia murmured.

"We do not have time to explore," Rick hissed.

Suddenly the guard's radio crackled.

"Stepan, come in. You forgot to check in."

Rick and Maia looked at each other with an identical "Oh shit" look on their face.

"Let's go!" Rick urged.

Halfway up the basement stairs, they heard the thundering of footsteps above; they were heading their way fast.

"Prisoners have escaped! They're at the basement stairs."

Too late they saw the camera that was mounted at the top of the steps.

"God damn it!" Rick cursed as he shot out the surveillance camera. "They're almost on top of us. We need to retreat."

"Over here," Maia said quickly as she bolted down the hallway where she observed the lit room.

"Damn it, Maia," Rick growled as he ran after her. A hail of gunfire peppered the ground behind them as Reznikov's men appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Go, go, go!" Rick barked.

Reaching the room, Maia hurtled through the door, startling a young woman dressed in a lab coat.

She immediately hunkered down with her arms up.

"I'll be damned," Maia said as she surveyed the laboratory before her. Reznikov was closer to producing the Rave-IX than she thought. There was medical equipment and boxes of raw material stashed almost to the ceiling. A couple of steel tables, high-swivel chairs, metal book cases and an old wooden table were arranged throughout the room.

"Who are you?" Maia asked the young woman who right then looked scared shitless.

"My name is Lizveta," the woman said in an accented voice. "Please, do not hurt me. I only do as I'm told."

"Maia!" Rick yelled. "Some help here! I'm almost out." He was taking cover behind a door frame while keeping the Russians at bay with a torrent of bullets.

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