The tension in the compound was a tangible thing. Dimitri looked across to Vladimir and he knew from the tense lines and worry on his face that it was true. They had taken Lia.
It was a week since the ambush and he had taken precautions to make sure that Lia was protected at all times. In the day time, Vlad and another guard, Andrei had been with her. At nights it was Dimitri. But in his precautions Dimitri had not forseen the times when Lia was away from Vlad and Andrei in the women's locker room. From what he had heard it was in the locker room that there had been a scuffle and Lia had been taken. Dimitri cursed himself. It was the perfect time to take her. In the shower she would have been naked and unarmed. Vulnerable to an attack. He felt sick. Who had taken Lia and why?
Vlad moved next to him. He knew he would be blaming himself for this so he turned to him.
'Let's concentrate on getting her back,' he said to Vlad. 'Did anyone see anything?'
'Not of the kidnapping, Dima,' Vlad replied. 'We did find a part of a badge though. It seems as if your woman put up a good fight before they subdued her and she managed to tear off a part of the badge on a jacket.'
'Whose badge is it?' Dimitri asked.
The look on Vlad's face made his stomach drop. This was not going to be good news he could tell.
'Igor's badge' Vlad said.
Dimitri felt the first feelings of real fear. Igor hated him. Their history was not a pleasant one and for the first time since the news was given to him about Lia's kidnapping Dimitri felt hopeless. He didn't want to think about what Igor could be doing to Lia even as they spoke.
Dimitri turned to his men.
'We leave in 5,' he said. 'Full battle preparations. If Igor wants a fight, he's got it. No one touches something that belongs to me and lives.'
The mood in the lead group was tense. No one spoke but the anger emanating off Dimitri was palpable. His expression was harsh and his jaw clenched. Vlad felt a rush of guilt consume him again. This was his fault. He had been tasked with protecting Lia and he had failed miserably. He didn't want to think about what Igor could do to her. The thought must be killing Dimitri he realised. Igor was notorious for torturing women and he would certainly take great pleasure in torturing Lia.
As they approached the compound, Dimitri indicated that the group should stop.
'From here we will split up. Vlad, Alexi and I will go into the tunnels below the compound. When we know where Igor is and where they are keeping Lia we can co-ordinate our attack.'
The group indicated agreement.
'Stay out of site until we return. We must have the element of surprise to succeed with this.'
Vlad and Alexi followed Dimitri into the tunnels. They were dark and humid but the only way to access the compound secretly. Slowly they moved deeper into the compound. Dimitri suddenly stopped. As Alexi and Vlad moved up to him, he whispered to them.
'I estimate that we are just about in the middle of the compound. If memory serves me correctly, above us should be the main hall. Above that is Igor's room. My guess is that they will have her in one of those two places for now. We need to climb up into the air ducts above us now. That will give us a better view of where she is and who is with her.'
Dimitri felt Alexi and Vlad nod in understanding next to him. His anger and frustration had grown as he moved deeper into the compound. He didn't want to think about what Igor could have done to Lia already. He breathed out slowly. Focus Dimitri he thought. You can't save Lia if you aren't focussed. Dimitri forced himself to keep moving. The fear he felt couldn't surface now. Lia needed him if she was going to survive this.
The view from the ducts above the compound showed an empty main hall and no one in Igor's rooms. The feelings of anxiety and frustration grew in Dimitri. Where was Lia?
'They may be holding her in the medical wing,' Alexi whispered to Dimitri.
She was right he realised. Igor liked his prisoners interrogated before he tortured and disposed of them. Dimitri changed direction so that they moved towards the medical room.
What he saw there made him immediately nauseous. The room was full of people. Dimitri immediately recognised Igor and his closest advisors and councillors. Several medical personnel were also there and in the centre of the room was a medical bed with a drip and full set up for an interrogation. The screens around the bed confirmed that this was the set up for a full memory search.
Next to him, Dimitri felt Vlad stiffen. He had just realised what Dimitri had seen. Whoever was about to be interrogated was going to suffer. A full memory search could kill a prisoner. All their memories would be exposed for the viewers to see on the screens. It was worse for those who had a memory block because the process was too much of a strain on their minds. And both Vlad and Dimitri suspected that a memory block was what prevented Lia from remembering her past.
Vlad looked at Dimitri. Horror was on both of their faces. If Lia was the intended target of this memory search, there was a really good chance she wouldn't survive the process.
As if to answer their unspoken question, below them, the door opened. Two heavily armed guards walked into the room. Between them was the small, familiar frame of Lia. Dimitri felt the bile rise in his throat.