and leaves
tore at his face, slashing and cutting him. He fell again, tangled in
a mass of twisted shrubbery. He fought desperately, trying to free
himself. If he could reach the knife in his pocket--

Voices. Footsteps. Men were behind him, running down the slope. Cole
struggled frantically, gasping and twisting, trying to pull loose. He
strained, breaking the vines, clawing at them with his hands.

A soldier dropped to his knee, leveling his gun. More soldiers
arrived, bringing up their rifles and aiming.

Cole cried out. He closed his eyes, his body suddenly limp. He waited,
his teeth locked together, sweat dripping down his neck, into his
shirt, sagging against the mesh of vines and branches coiled around
him.

Silence.

Cole opened his eyes slowly. The soldiers had regrouped. A huge man
was striding down the slope toward them, barking orders as he came.

Two soldiers stepped into the brush. One of them grabbed Cole by the
shoulder.

"Don't let go of him." The huge man came over, his black beard jutting
out. "Hold on."

Cole gasped for breath. He was caught. There was nothing he could do.
More soldiers were pouring down into the gulley, surrounding him on
all sides. They studied him curiously murmuring together. Cole shook
his head wearily and said nothing.

The huge man with the beard stood directly in front of him, his hands
on his hips, looking him up and down. "Don't try to get away," the man
said. "You can't get away. Do you understand?"

Cole nodded.

"All right. Good." The man waved. Soldiers clamped metal bands around
Cole's arms and wrists. The metal dug into his flesh, making him gasp
with pain. More clamps locked around his legs. "Those stay there until
we're out of here. A long way out."

"Where--where are you taking me?"

Peter Sherikov studied the variable man for a moment before he
answered. "Where? I'm taking you to my labs. Under the Urals." He
glanced suddenly up at the sky. "We better hurry. The Security police
will be starting their demolition attack in a few hours. We want to be
a long way from here when that begins."

* * * * *

Sherikov settled down in his comfortable reinforced chair with a sigh.
"It's good to be back." He signalled to one of his guards. "All right.
You can unfasten him."

The metal clamps were removed from Cole's arms and legs. He sagged,
sinking down in a heap. Sherikov watched him silently.

Cole sat on the floor, rub