Free Into the Black by Sean Ellis Page B

so."
    The group began moving down the length of the hall, passing directly beneath Kismet.  He threw a backward glance at Lyse but she had already vanished through the opening.  Moments later, Grimes and Harcourt, along with a submissive Kerns and the retinue of guards, stopped beneath the ladder.
    Kismet could no longer hear their conversation, but saw Grimes gesturing to the gigantic man, directing him and another fellow to return to watch over Kerns' daughter.  As the two guards wandered back through the hall, Harcourt and the others commenced ascending the ladder.  Kismet quickly walked down the long beam until he reached the last of the crosspieces.  He tiptoed across the system of braces and perched directly above where Kerns' daughter sat bound and gagged in a chair.  Beside her, the slack ropes that had restrained her father lay upon his now vacant seat.
    He could not see much of her, only blonde hair cascading over what appeared to be flawless, pale skin.  She did not struggle against her bonds, but it was clear to Kismet that she had not surrendered to the idea of captivity.  Her eyes darted warily around the hall, following the movements of the giant and the other guard.
    The two men paused, waiting until the last of Grimes' party had exited through the opening above.  Kismet also waited, weighing his options and formulating a plan of attack.
    "Guess what missy," grunted the smaller of the men below Kismet . "As soon as your daddy gets on that plane, me and Rudy get to have some fun with you."
    "Fun," echoed the giant, Rudy.  Both men laughed hysterically as if they had reached the very zenith of humor.
    Kismet fished a coin from his pocket and hurled it the length of the hall.  There was a metallic clink twenty yards away, then a pinging ricochet from a second beam.  A moment later it clattered on the stone floor.
    "What was that?" asked the smaller guard, who being marginally more intelligent, was evidently in charge.  "Go check it out, Rudy."
    Rudy grunted an affirmative and stalked off to investigate, while the other fellow assumed a defensive stance behind Miss Kerns.  Kismet waited until Rudy's footsteps were barely audible, and then cautiously lowered himself from the beam.  His grip tightened instinctively as more and more of his body hung out into open space, but he pushed back his primal trepidation, took a deep breath, and let go.   A fraction of a second later, he landed directly on the smaller of the woman's tormentors.
    His feet struck the man between the shoulder blades, instantly slamming him to the floor, but Kismet lost his balance in the process and went sprawling.  His attempt to stay upright succeeded only in his twisting an ankle before he slammed into the stone floor.  The guard however had borne the brunt of the impact, and now lay supine alongside Miss Kerns, clutching his chest and unable to catch his breath.  Kismet ignored the pain in his foot and pounced, striking the stunned guard at the pressure point behind his ear.  Two such blows rendered the man unconscious.  The commotion however had not gone unnoticed.  
    "Frank?" Rudy called, turning around.  "Where are you, Frank?"
    Kismet ducked behind the bound captive, but could do nothing to hide the slumped form from Rudy's view.  He could hear the giant's steps growing louder and as the big man drew near, Kismet crawled around to the other side of the hostage, keeping her between himself and Rudy.  In the dim light, the giant never saw him, but Kerns' daughter did, and Kismet got his first good look at her.  Her beauty caught him off guard.
    Her features were classically Russian: broad cheekbones framing a triangular face, marred only by a strip of silver tape that covered her mouth.  Her eyes were liquid black, almost haunting against her delicate white skin.  He risked a quick smile before reaching out to take hold of the empty chair beside her.
    Rudy was standing over his unmoving companion.  "Get up