How Heroes are created 9

Harun looked down on the map lying on the desk in front of him. He had done so often that he could have drawn it by heart. The map showed the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea and a part of the Mediterranean. It was an ordinary map and he hadn`t even marked specific spots on it, but to Harun, it told the story of glory and power to come. To come soon, if his plan would work out.

In comparison, exacting his brother`s petty revenge plans felt small. But he needed the money Ahmed had promised to him in exchange. And so, Harun tried to concentrate on what to do with the five women he held captive.

According to what he knew, the boyfriends or fiancés of Cordelia and Isabelle were around and so, he had to make sure that they would vanish forever. Ahmed would appreciate it if his revenge included two suffering guys. In addition, he had use for them. He had quite a bunch of men to keep under control and giving them a valve for their sexual need definitely would help.

He grinned as he thought of Laila who had almost come too close to his plans, but who would now also end up as a reward for his loyal soldiers. The same fate, Harun considered for the blonde nurse. She had seen too much to let her go, though Aida should make her brother believe that they would release her as long as they needed him to be silent.

»Which brings us to the other one – the little escape artist!«

Though he had of course reprimanded Ali for tying up the girls too loosely, the fact that Samantha had managed to nearly escape had amused him. The girl would be the perfect bait for his trap!

»After all, I already have a redhead for my men, and I don`t want them to get bored!«

***

Perhaps, because she had been one of the first to be narcotized or because she weighed more than Samantha, Manu was the first to regain her consciousness. It took her a few moments to realize where she was, but then, she looked around, her drowsiness quickly washed away by her growing fear.

Manu realized that she was not restrained, except for a pair of handcuffs around her ankles. She was, however, still naked except for her panties and she now felt that the room was quite chilly. She slung her arms around her body as she sat up and nearly hit her head, for she was lying in the lower part of a bunk bed.

The room, lit by a neon light, seemed to be meant for the crew of the bunker, for it contained four of these bunk beds. The other beds ere empty, but she could hear breathing and a faint snore from the upper beds and also saw a white arm right above her.

Manu got to her feet and now, she could see her co-captives sleeping. Since they had been hooded inside Harun`s room, she only recognized Samantha, clad only in her black lacy thong and shivering from the cold in her sleep. Instinctively, Manu reached out and brushed over Samantha`s cheek and neck. The girl sighed, but didn`t open her eyes.

Feeling slightly supported by the other`s touch, Manu now looked at the other beds. In one, she saw a woman she knew from seeing: Isabelle Marceau, one of the spa`s guests. She was wearing a turquoise bikini bottom that looked quite modest. Manu now saw the great resemblance towards Samantha and she guessed that Isabelle was her sister.

On the other two beds were two women who looked almost decent in comparison. A tallish brunette in a sheer pantyhose, white panties and a matching bra was sleeping in a foetal position and in the last bed, a woman with black curls had turned her back towards her. Manu saw the rear part of a golden bustier and below, she was wearing what looked like sweatpants made of transparent gauze. Manu could see all too clearly that she was wearing nothing underneath.

All others had their ankles cuffed, but were otherwise unrestrained. Now, Manu felt fingers touch her hand and Samantha moved. Then, she yawned before she fully recognized Manu. The two girls quickly hugged, but then, Samantha sat up and looked at Isabelle.

»Isabelle, I-eeek!«

Samantha tried to get up and wake up her sister, but with her cuffed ankles, she staggered and Manu had to stop her from falling from the bed. None of the girls was too eager to end the resulting hug, but at least, Samantha`s cry of surprise had wakened up the others who now came to life.

To Manu`s surprise, the two sisters knew the brunette who introduced herself as Cordelia. The black-haired girl`s name was Laila, but she seemed to have no connection to any of the others. Manu now could see that her bustier`s cups were as transparent as her trousers.

They helped each other climbing the beds` ladders and then, they stood close as they examined their prison. Not that there was much to examine. Except for the beds, the room contained just a sink. The door was made of solid iron and there were no windows, just an air vent at one of the walls.

Of course, after having introduced each other, they spoke about what had happened, but their stories didn`t make up a consistent picture: Manu had obviously just been kidnapped to force her brother into cooperation whilst Cordelia and Isabelle had crossed the paths of their kidnapper`s brother who now was in jail. Laila could add that she had heard about Harun planning some really big criminal act that included a secret deal concerning some Harrier fighters, but she had also been caught before she could find out more details.

»So, I have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time!«, Samantha concluded. She realized how that sounded and pressed Manu`s hand. She sat close to her sister and had put her other arm around her.

»So, when will Mike come to the rescue?«, Samantha asked in an attempt to cheer her co-captives up. Cordelia seemed to know whom she was referring to, but Laila looked questioningly and so, Isabelle explained:

»He`s my – my boyfriend. And in addition, he is a retired Secret Agent. However, we haven`t met before my massage was so rudely interrupted!«

»Why do you always let him go? I thought the two of you have reconciled?«, Samantha asked, trying to joke, but showing that she was indeed disappointed that rescue wasn`t that close. Isabelle glanced at her.

»Because he found the keys to his chains, obviously! Now, let`s see if we at least have water!«

She tested the tap and to her relief, after a gush of rusty brown broth, clear water came. All five quenched their thirst; then, they looked at the door. Laila tried the handle, but of course, it was locked. Just to have tried everything, she slammed against it, but the sound was so faint she stopped after two blows.

»So, what shall we do? Just wait for them to come for us?«

It wasn`t a pleasant thought, but there were few alternatives. Laila suggested that they should try to smash one of the beds to get some makeshift clubs, but they decided against it; not only had their opponents guns, they wanted to escape, not to defend their prison. Samantha examined the air vent.

»Looks narrow, but one could just fit through it – even after all the good food at the spa!«

Isabelle playfully slapped the back of Samantha`s head, but then, they explored the grid covering the vent. It was held by four rusty screws. Laila tried to loosen one of them with her fingernail, but they were just too tight.

»If only we had something hard! A coin, a spoon, anything!«

»Anything?«, Isabelle repeated and the others turned towards her. She took a deep breath and her cheeks reddened, but then, she said:

»Desperate situations acquire desperate means – and we are just among us girls, after all!«

With the help of the others, she piled the mattresses under the grid and then climbed on top of them. Then, to the astonishment of her friends, she squirmed until her butt was close to the screw.

 The front and the back panel of the bikini bottom were linked by two brass rings and one of those, Isabelle now tried to push into the slot of one of the screws. The other four even held their breaths and so, they could hear the faint screech when the screw finally loosened. Samantha and Laila began to cheer, but Cordelia stopped them.

»We are not alone! One of us should better listen if our captors approach!«

However, the others were too fascinated and so, she had to do so herself. Manu and Samantha looked at Isabelle`s wriggling hips and her distortions and Laila almost trembled with anticipation. Finally, the first screw came off. Isabelle panted and massaged her aching fingers.

»I know it sounds wrong – but may I help?«, Laila asked and, when Isabelle didn`t answer immediately, she reached for her bikini bottom and grabbed the brass ring. Isabelle blushed, but she brought her hip closer to the second screw, allowing Laila to try her best. The girl did not touch her deliberately, but her left arm rested directly on Isabelle`s pubic mound.

The screw came off quite easily, but the other two were so close to the ceiling that the only solution was that Isabelle had to take a doggy-style position whilst Laila also had to climb on the mattresses to work on them.

»Once this is over, you have to reenact this scene, so I can take a photo!«, Samantha joked. She and Manu still held hands and watched the removal of the grid with growing excitement. Isabelle told Samantha where she could put her camera.

»Untwist your panties!«, Samantha replied and this time, Isabelle could not oppress a giggle, though it was actually Laila who twisted her panties whilst turning the last screw. Finally, they could remove the grid and Isabelle peeked into the dark drain. The air was musty, but a slight draught indicated that the system had access to the surface. However, crawling through the dark and dusty channel wasn`t very appealing.

»Bruce Willis at least had his singlet and pants!«

Cordelia was the one who was dressed the most, wearing a pantyhose, panties and a bra, and Laila at least had the little protection of her bustier, but the other three all were only clad in their panties. Isabelle sighed.

»Now, shall we draw sticks who has to go first?«

Lacking sticks, none of the others made a move and so, Isabelle slid into the drain herself. She decided that turning to the left was reasonable, for the draught was coming from that direction. Her cuffed ankles slowed her down even more than crawling would have anyway. The only source of light came behind her, but in front of her, Isabelle could only see pitch black darkness.

Now, Samantha wanted to follow her sister, but Manu did want to stay together with her. Quickly, Samantha made a decision:

»You go first! You are taller than me or Isabelle; so, if you get stuck, we can help you from both sides!«

Though the idea of getting stuck was frightening, Manu nodded. She and Isabelle exchanged a short kiss and then, Manu manoeuvred herself inside. In front of her, she saw the silhouette of Isabelle slowly crawling forward.

Samantha was just inside the drain when the door opened. Cordelia, eager to leave their prison, too, had left her post and was waiting beside Laila to get into the narrow tunnel, too, and so, she had not heard the approaching steps.

»Good mor- what the fuck?«

Samantha tried to get deeper into the tunnel, but pushed against Manu`s feet. Her hair brushed over the blonde`s bare soles and her reflexes caused Manu to squeal and kick. Samantha did not get hurt,  but she staggered and then, she felt the vice grip of strong hands on her ankles, pulling her back into the room.

***

Mike had the ability to find sleep whenever there was the opportunity and so, it was David who first noticed the faint clink at the window. He got up and looked down, seeing a shadow standing beside their car and yet throwing another pebble. It was Tintin.

Quickly, he woke up Mike and they brought the orderly upstairs. Tintin had rings under his eyes, but he also seemed to be in high spirits. In his hands, he was holding a big, illustrated book.

»It`s the history of our village during the last 100 years!«, Tintin proudly announced, »My Grandmére helped the priest and the former teacher of the old school in their research!«

It was like most of these books, a collection of old photos and interviews with the elder people about how life had been in earlier decades. Tintin had left a piece of paper at the chapter titled »Under the Swastika«.

»Do you really think that we have to deal with some Nazi conspirators?«, David asked, still drowsy. Tintin pointed at a photo showing a girl talking to a smiling Wehrmacht soldier.

»That`s Grandmére!«

»So, she was rather a collaborator than a Resistance fighter?«, Mike asked. Tintin shrugged.

»She was just 13 when the Americans came. Anyway, look at this!«

He turned the page and their eyes fell on a large antenna mast. Beside it stood a few G. I.s, posing for the photographer.

»You maybe know that the Germans thought the invasion would be near Calais and so, the Abwehr had one of their bases at the sanatorium. In addition, they built an underground tunnel system!«

Now, Mike began to understand why Tintin had come to them at five o`clock in the morning.

»And these tunnels – do they still exist?«

Tintin nodded.

»Grandmére told me that they were quite a playground for the local kids until the 50ies, when a boy nearly died as a part of the tunnels collapsed. The mayor then ordered the entrance to be sealed – but behind the barrier, I am sure that the tunnels are still intact!«

»And if the Abwehr had their headquarter at the spa, there must be another entrance somewhere!«, David concluded. Mike looked through the book, but there were only two pictures referring to the tunnels: a photo of an underground shower room and another one depicting a shed. Tintin pointed at the latter.

»That`s the old main entrance! But now, there is just a pile of stones and concrete! It would take days to dig through it, even with machines!«

»We will have a closer look nevertheless«, Mike decided. »They have at least one car and they must have parked it somewhere. In addition, they must have brought some equipment there, for I doubt that the old water and electric currency supplies are still working!«

He put his hand on Tintin`s shoulder.

»Good work!«

Tintin grinned proudly and Mike saw that David had turned on the small water boiler and was pouring some instant coffee into two mugs. So, he also patted David`s shoulder.

»Ah, coffee! Even better work!«

He opened the window and lit a cigarette. David refused his offer, but Tintin took one, though he obviously only wanted to look cool, for he had to oppress a cough.

»So, we have two operations to do: the first, ›Operation Nazi Cave‹, will be led by our local comrade, supported by you, David. It`s the Auld Alliance, so to say!«

»So, I am Tintin`s sidekick now?«, David grumbled, but handed one of the mugs to Mike. He didn`t offer Tintin any coffee, for the young man looked as if he could need some Camomile tea instead.

»If the audience likes you, you will sure get a spinoff series! Anyway, whilst you are exploring the old entrance and try to find a new one, I will follow my initial plan – ›Operation Verdi‹!«

Tintin looked a bit puzzled, but David knew enough about operas to know that Mike was referring to Aida, the only member of the criminals they knew of.

***

Inside their prison room, Cordelia felt a mixture of fear, frustration and a glimpse of hope. When the men had entered, both she and Laila had tried to stop the men, to buy Samantha a few precious seconds. However, with their ankles cuffed and unarmed, they had been no match for the four men and so, each of them was now kneeling on the floor, a gun pressed against her temple. Ali and Harun had pulled the struggling Samantha out of the tunnel and when her upper body had still been trapped, an enraged Ali had spanked her buttocks a few times before they had pulled her inside where Harun had taken over.

Then, however, when Ali had tried to get into the tunnel, it had turned out that he, being 6` and muscular, was unable to get in, at least not fast enough to grab Manu or Isabelle. He had reached for his gun, but Harun had stopped him.

»I want them alive – if possible. Just wait here, so they can`t get back! Once we have taken care of the other three, I will send you Chalid with a smoke grenade!«

The idea of Isabelle and Manu getting smoked out in the tunnel was horrifying, but there was little Cordelia, Laila and Samantha could do. They were forced down on their bellies and whilst their hands were cuffed, the chains of the handcuffs threaded through that of their ankle cuffs, so they were hogtied, Aida placed a piece of tape over each woman`s lips.

»Soon, you will get a more – entertaining gag!«, she promised. Chalid put Samantha over his shoulder and a smacking sound, accompanied by the redhead`s muffled scream, told that he was continuing her spanking whilst carrying her along the corridor. Jemal took Laila; she didn`t get spanked, but his fingers clawed into her buttocks and though she remained silent, Cordelia was sure that the man was trying to push his fingers between her legs.

Aida followed the two men whilst Harun leaned against the wall. Obviously, it was below his dignity to either carry her or to get the smoke grenade for Ali himself. The latter fact at least bought some time for Isabelle and Manu. Cordelia could no longer hear any sounds from the tunnel and Ali had also stopped looking inside and just stood beside the entrance.

»They won`t get very far«, Harun said, just to further discourage Cordelia, »The shafts to the surface are vertical and they can`t get into another room! They have grids, too!«

»And yet, every minute they are on the run increases their chances that Mike and David will arrive with the Cavalry!«, Cordelia thought. However, before this happened, others would come for her: either Jemal the groper or Chalid the spanker.

It was the latter and he indeed slapped her buttocks a few times on their way along the corridors, but at least, his fingers stayed outside her panties. Nevertheless, the painful strokes made her whimper. Harun, who was walking behind them, grinned.

»You better enjoy it – the punishment for your escapee friends will be much worse!«

They brought her into a bigger room with tiled walls and floor. On one end, there were several shower heads. Cordelia shuddered, remembering what humiliating things had been done to her in such rooms.

Laila and Samantha stood side by side at one of the walls, still gagged and their wrists still cuffed behind their backs. Their feet had been freed, however and now, Cordelia`s ankles were released, too, before she had to stand beside Samantha.

Harun said something in Arabic to Chalid and the man left.

»He is fetching the smoke grenade!«, Cordelia thought and from the way Samantha mewed, she knew that she was thinking the same. Now, Harun let his eyes wander over their barely covered bodies and said:

»Soon, you will be reunited with your friends. But first things first! You all have committed the crime of trying to escape!«

Cordelia could hardly consider this a crime, but she had noticed that Harun had a more than conservative opinion on a woman`s »place« and her obedience. She looked around in the room. Jemal was leaning beside the door and Aida was sitting on one of two boxes placed on the wall opposite to the showers. She was wearing a jeans and T-Shirt; obviously, her shift as a nurse started later this day. Now, she approached them and in her hand, she held a pair of scissors.

»Don`t worry, the price for attempted escape isn`t that hard – just one piece of clothing from all of you!«

She stepped towards Cordelia and used both her hands and the scissors to half cut, half rip the pantyhose from her. Cordelia shivered, but at least, she still had her bra and panties. Unlike her less lucky friends.

Aida placed the shredded pantyhose on the floor and then approached Laila. The Arab stared daggers at her, but held still as Aida cut the shoulder straps of her bustier before opening the button and removing it from her. She playfully held the open scissors to one of her nipples, but then withdrew with a malicious smile.

»No, that would be too gruesome. After all, your buds seem to be eager to greet Prince Harun!«

Cordelia was sure it was rather a reaction to the still quite chilly air, but indeed, Laila`s nipples had hardened. The Arab`s cheeks flushed slightly and Cordelia felt compassion for the girl who now had only the transparent trousers to protect her from views or touches.

Last, Aida cut the sides of Samantha`s thong and then slowly pulled it from between her legs. The girl, who had been stripped by kidnappers before, managed to remain cool. Harun looked at them and seemed to enjoy what he saw, though he managed to keep up his friendly smile and calm attitude.

»Now, that wasn`t too hard, was it? However-«

He looked at the naked Samantha and touched the corner of his mouth with his index finger, as if he was pondering. Then, he said:

»However, according to what Ali told me, this was your second escape attempt! And you have no clothes left on you! So, what can we do?«

»Perhaps, we could remove that«, Aida suggested and plucked one of Samantha`s pubic hairs, causing the girl to twitch and snort angrily. Harun thought about it and then, he also plucked one of the reddish hairs. He blew it from his palm and then, he looked at Laila and Cordelia.

»This could take quite long – or, if we pull out several hairs at once, it could become a bit uncomfortable. However, perhaps, one of you wants to sacrifice a piece of clothing for her!«

Cordelia and Laila exchanged a look. Laila`s pants did not hide her pubic mound in the slightest. However, they were a symbolic barrier between her and her captors. With a sigh, Cordelia flexed her bound arms and finally managed to grab the clasp of her bra and open it.

»You might need some help!«

Aida cut the shoulder straps and then, yelling »Tada!«, she exposed Cordelia`s breasts. Like Samantha, she had endured such predicament before, but when Harun approached her, she felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

»So, you told the truth, Cordelia! Nice and firm, almost no sag!«

Cordelia let out a fluttering breath, involuntarily pulling on her cuffs in an attempt to shield her breasts. Aida stepped beside her and painfully slapped her butt.

»The Prince just made you a compliment! Show some gratitude!«

The urge to either kick the mean girl or her evil master was hard to oppress, but Cordelia knew that her punishment for attacking one of their captors would be worse than just losing her panties, too. So, though her cheeks burned from humiliation, she straightened her upper body and dropped a curtsey. Harun nodded approvingly and then, his eyes wandered to the air vent, remembering the captives of his order to smoke out Isabelle and Manu.

»This room is one floor below the one where our two fugitives are. So, the smoke won`t bother us here. However – they will soon be brought here and then, they have to be punished. So, who of you wants to persuade me to be lenient?«

The three captives stared at him, not knowing what he had in mind. Harun let his eyes wander over their breasts and said:

»Those of you who are willing to reduce Isabelle`s and Manu`s punishment shall bring their elbows together!«

The reason for this order was clear, but after a few seconds, Harun looked down on three pairs of arched back shoulders and three pairs of thrust out breasts, pointing at him. He walked along the row of women, like a General inspecting his troops.

»Lovely! Too bad they can`t be like that forever!«

»No problem, my Prince!«

Aida went for one of the boxes and returned with three narrow leather straps. She buckled them around the girls` elbows, pulling them so tight that the joints met. Cordelia could not oppress a mew and Samantha also whimpered. Aida, still standing behind them, slapped each captive`s buttocks two times.

»I remember that the Prince called your boobs ›lovely‹!«

For a moment, Cordelia expected Laila`s eyes to glow red, but then, she dropped a slightly clumsy curtsey and the others did the same. Now, Harun continued the game and started complimenting their breasts, obviously citing from the Song of Songs. Repeatedly, the three women had to curtsey, until he lost interest and turned his attention to something else.

»So, I am delighted that you want to help your friends. However, since we do not know each other that well, I insist on a pawn. Or rather, two pawns – one for each of the fugitives!«

His eyes wandered to Laila`s and Cordelia`s loins, to emphasize what he wanted from them. Then, he turned his attention to Laila and held out his hand. The girl fumed through her gag and he shrugged.

»Your choice – so, it`s either 50 lashes for Manu or for Isabelle!«

»Mph!«

Laila showed an expression of sheer hatred, but at the same time, she started to twist her arms and wriggle her hips, trying to lower her pants. Finally, she did what looked like squats whilst having her thumbs hooked into the waistband and thus, she managed to get them over her hips and butt. Then, blushing from humiliation, she did a strange parody of a belly dance until the pants slid down her legs, allowing her to step out of them. With her toes, she handed them to Harun who then turned towards Cordelia, raising his other hand.

For a terrible moment, Cordelia thought that she owed no loyalty to Manu and that she and Isabelle also were rather acquaintances than friends. However, when she saw what Aida had taken from the box – a cat o` nine tails –, she began to reach for her panties` waistband.

It wasn`t an easy procedure. With her elbows bound, she could not move her arms much and also, her panties were her typical choice – plain white cotton briefs that were meant to cover, not to tease. However, this mean that they had a tight waistband and so, progress was slow. Aida stepped behind her and Cordelia gasped when something touched her half-exposed buttocks. It was something hard, obviously, the handle of the whip.

»Stand straight!«

Cordelia obeyed and the handle was pushed into her panties. Aida used the stick like a lever and once it was between her legs, she pushed downwards. Harun watched closely as Cordelia`s pubic mound became visible, inch after inch. Her chest heaved as the panties were pulled down to her ankles.

Harun reached out and, unable to feel more humiliated, she stepped out of her panties, grabbed them with her toes and handed them to him, knowing exactly where he was looking at.

Now, with all three captives being stark naked, Harun ordered them to get on their knees. With their arms bound, this was a bit difficult and not very conductive to their sense of modesty, but they finally kneeled in a row. Samantha gasped when Aida approached with three sticks, but these were not meant for beating them. Each had a leather belt fixed to each of its ends and the sticks were some two feet in length each.

»Spreader bars«, Cordelia thought and indeed, Aida pushed the stick through the chain of her handcuffs, buckled one of the belts around her left ankle and then forced her feet apart. To avoid toppling over, she had to open her thighs.

Once her other foot was buckled, too, Aida brushed over Cordelia`s soles. She seemed disappointed that she wasn`t ticklish, but did not try any other mean things. Cordelia found out that she could close her thighs, but felt it was a straining position. Nevertheless, she decided to keep that little bit of cover her bondage allowed her.

The others got restrained the same way. In both cases, Aida tested their ticklishness; Samantha didn`t react, but Laila twitched and uttered a high-pitched mew. To Cordelia`s surprise, Aida did not torture her further, but she knew that sooner or later, she would give the poor Arab`s nerves some close attention.

»Now, let`s wait for Ali and Chalid to bring your friends!«

***

Driven more by the atavistic drive to escape than by rational thoughts, both Isabelle and Manu had crawled deeper into the metal tube. Manu had screamed and pushed against Isabelle who had also tried her best to get more distance between themselves and the man`s arms. She had not wanted to leave Samantha behind, but now, their only way out was to find an exit before the criminals found them.

They had withdrawn until they had reached a curve in the tube. Behind them, some five yards away, they saw some light coming from their cell. Obviously, the man had withdrawn.

They crawled around the corner. Here, everything was dark, but Isabelle had seen that the man had a gun and at least, they were save from getting shot now. Manu cried and Isabelle slung her arms around her.

»Samantha! Th-they will – they will-«

Sobbing, Manu was unable to spell the unsayable and Isabelle tightened her grip around Manu. She was scared to death and feared for her sister, but she could not need a hysteric girl around now.

»Listen, they won`t do anything to her! They will tie her up, yes, but then, they will try to get us! We are a danger for them and so, they don`t have any time to hurt Samantha! We will escape and find help and soon, this will be over!«

Isabelle didn`t feel half as confident as she tried to sound, but after a while, Manu`s sobbing ceased and she cleared her nose. She loosened her grip on Manu and the girl moved, causing their bare breasts to grind against each other. The air shaft was definitely not meant for people who were not as close as lovers.

»Now, what shall we do?«

Manu whispered, though the gangsters knew where they were. Isabelle shrugged.

»Well, since we only have two options and one of them leads back to our cell-«

They crawled forward and after a few yards, Isabelle stopped.

»There!«

In front of her, to her left, she spotted another grid and behind it was some reddish emergency light. She looked inside an empty room. It seemed to be an abandoned sleeping room, too – and the door was open!

At that moment, they heard a voice from behind, hollow and faint:

»We will count to 20 now – come back, or we will throw the smoke grenade!«

Manu shrieked, but Isabelle now found some new strength. She leaned against the tube`s wall and kicked against the grid with her feet. It trembled, but stayed in place. She kicked again and when they heard the man yell the countdown, Manu joined her.

At the moment the gangster shouted »20!«, the grid came loose. Manu kicked once more and when it fell off, her legs rushed into the room. Then, two things happened at the same time: one of the men entered the room, obviously alarmed by the sound of the kicks – and some thick smoke was approaching from behind!

The man had reached Manu who was desperately trying to pull herself back into the tunnel. Isabelle wanted to help her, but then, the clouds reached her and she coughed.

»For Samantha and the others!«, she thought and forced herself to crawl forward, ignoring Manu`s screams and trying to be faster than the smoke following her.

The clouds did not approach fast and suddenly, Isabelle realized that there was a blow of air coming from in front of her. Fresh air! She doubled her efforts, pushed herself forward once again – and then, there was suddenly no more tunnel.

Actually, the tunnel was still there, but it made a 90 degree turn downwards and Isabelle`s hands were suddenly waving through the air whilst her legs, unable to stop, were pushing her forward. Then, gravity took over.

Isabelle screamed as she fell into the dark abyss.

***