1.
99 was walking to her car. It was mid-winter, and snowing heavily, and she was dressed accordingly.
Three men, all with guns, accosted her.
"Hello, 99, " said their leader.
"Bogerov!," she said.
He smiled. "At your service! Come with us, please."
They led her to a nearby car. They got in and drove away.
During the ride, the men looked through 99's purse. Finding a gun, they took it out and gave the purse back to her.
The ride was long. They left DC and went into the Maryland countryside. At last, they stopped at a large house and got out.
Walking in, they went to a phone, and Bogerov made a call.
"Is this the chief of CONTROL?. . . This is Bogerov. . . I believe I have something of yours."
He brought poor 99 to the phone.
"Hi, Chief. . . I'm OK."
Bogerov quickly got on, again. "I propose an exchange: Kaposi for 99. . . Never? Then I will kill her!. . . That's more like it! I'll give you further instructions in an hour. Goodbye!"
"Come with me, 99," he said, after hanging up.
They led her upstairs into a bedroom.
"Now, let's get comfortable: take your coat and hat off.
She paused, but they waved their guns. So she took them off. One of the men collected them.
"Good. Now take your shoes and socks off."
"WHAT?!"
He smiled. "It's simple, 99: No one in her right mind would try and escape when it's cold and snowing, and they are coatless and barefooted! Or, would you rather I tie you up?"
She sighed and took her shoes and socks off. The men also collected these.
"That's better. We will leave you now. You will be comfortable here. There's a bathroom and a refrigerator of stuff, in here. There are no clothes, though; we made sure of that! I'll be back in an hour. Goodbye, my dear!"
They left her. Checking the door, she found it was locked from the outside.
Fortunately, they didn't take her purse. Quickly looking through it, she found a pill bottle. She opened it and popped one of the pills. She put the bottle back into her purse.
Then she walked over to the windows. They looked out to the backyard.
Trying one of the windows, she found that it opened. Despite being coatless and barefooted, she jumped out of it!
Fortunately, the snow was deep enough to cushion her fall. She got up, duster herself off, and began running. A picket fence was around the yard, but she readily climbed over it and went to the main road.
No cars were out on that snowy day. However, she eventually came to a gas station. She walked into its office.
The attendant looked at her with shock. "Are you OK, ma'am?"
"I've just been kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped? I'll call the police!"
"Thanks, but that's OK. May I use your phone?"
"Sure, go right ahead."
"Oh, and can you tell me where I am, please?"
"Yeah, this is the Esso station in Olney MD."
"Thanks!"
She called CONTROL. "Chief, this is 99. . . I'm OK. I just escaped. . . I'm at the Esso station in Olney MD. . . Thanks!
2.
It took about a half-hour for the Chief and Max to arrive. During that time, the attendant gave her a spare coat and men's shoes.
Along the way back, she quickly told them about her escape.
"So, how did you manage to walk in the snow coatless and barefoot?"
"It was Dr. Steele's pills, Max."
"Of course, Dr. Steele's pills! Er, which pills?"
"The heat-resistant pills she gave us.
"Oh, those! They work on cold, as well as heat."
"She'll be grateful to know they work," said the Chief.
"But now, it's wearing off-and I'm freezing!" She shivered and hugged herself.
"I'll rug your feet, 99."
She smiled. "Thank you, Max!" She took her shoes off and put her feet in his lap, and he massaged them. The Chief smiled.
Later, the house was raided. A couple KAOS men were arrested, but not Bogerov.
