The red recording light blinked off.

"You were well behaved," smirked Blake.

Annie pushed her tired mind into action. After the rough treatment she had endured over the last couple of hours she wholly believed that he would keep his word. She couldn't trust that Ryan or Langley would reach her in time; she would need to find some way of getting free herself.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I have bigger fish to fry. I'm afraid your death is just the beginning of a much bigger game," her captor sighed before leaving her in the hands of the three guards who had manhandled her since they shot her in the forest.

"I am former FSB, Annie Walker. I have heard of you," said the largest, most brutish man in broken English, "I think we have some fun, breaking some your pretty bones."

Annie braced herself as his meaty fist collided with her ribs. Amidst the pain, she noticed the youngest of her torturers was keeping back. His face was stoic during the violence but she thought she could detect the slightest recoil each time she screamed in pain.

She found the young Russian's eyes and held his gaze, in way she hoped expressed her plea for help. After just a few seconds he lowered his face and clenched his fist; he felt guilty.

He would be her way out, if only the other two would disappear.

"This is too easy," said the aggressive man in Russian, "I am going to get a drink."

"Blake will be pissed if he finds out," answered his partner.

"Bah, she isn't going anywhere," he spat, "Leave her with pidar zhopoliz there," motioning to the younger Russian.

Annie thanked her stars. Pushing aside the pain that coursed through every muscle, she put on her charm; she had to turn the young Russian.

"Why so you take their abuse?" she asked him.

"Shut up," he barked.

"They don't like you. I don't think you like them either," she said, ignoring his order.

"I said shut up, or I'll hurt you!" he repeated, but he didn't move.

"I don't think you will. I could see that you didn't like what they were doing to me," she pressed.

The Russian hesitated and then his shoulders relaxed, "I have sister who look like you."

"So, why don't they like you, your comrades?"

He relaxed more, "I am Balsunov's brother. I got job from him. They are jealous and think me soft and uh, weak. I don't like hurting people unless to save a comrade."

"Because, you don't love violence like they do? That's not a sign of weakness," she said, flinching as pain arced up through her ribs again.

"I am not weak. Balsunov trained my well with gun," he asserted.

"He wouldn't trust you in this position otherwise," Annie complimented as she tried to push the relationship a little further.

"He stick me here, working for Blake. Stupid American's plan will get us all killed. I want to learn proper family business."

"What's your name?" Annie asked tenderly.

The Russian became hesitant again but eventually answered, "Maks."

"They are going to kill me Maks. You don't need to be a part of this. You're right. The CIA, my partner who escaped, they will be sending a team pretty soon. This place won't exist at the end of today, whether I am dead or not. We could both get out," she pleaded.

Maks's face stretched in anguish as he considered what Annie said.

"I can't betray my brother, even if it mean dying!" he answered.

"It doesn't need to be a betrayal Maks. You could spin the story as a lucky escape. It shouldn't be our day to die!"

Maks started pacing and cursing under his breath in Russian.

"OK, I cut your binds, but I stay here. You are on your own. I'll say you got free and knocked me out," he said.

He took one of the knives his comrades had used to slice into Annie's arm. It was still stained with her blood. Bending down, he cut the ties around Annie's ankles, then her wrists.

"Punch me and take my gun," he instructed.

Annie pushed herself onto her feet. Her injured leg almost gave way but she forced herself to push the pain aside.

"Maks, come with me. When the men arrive from the CIA they won't know you helped me otherwise!"

"No, if you are caught and I am with you, Blake will kill me and my brother will know I betrayed him. Better this way. Now punch me!"

Annie swung back her hand and struck Maks with as much force as her battered body would allow. The brave Russian staggered back but the blow seemed to hurt Annie more than her new friend. Pocketing his gun she hobbled to the door.

"Thanks Maks," she said to him as he positioned himself on the floor.

"Avoid corridor to the right. Those two oafs will be in guard room up there."

Annie nodded and gave him a flash her wide smile before pushing the door open and scanning the corridor. Turning left, she followed the corridor. She had no idea if she was anywhere near the exit Ryan and she had used before.

She thought about trying to find another map of the facility but she knew that meeting any guards would spell her downfall once more. So she pulled herself blindly onwards, hoping she would be lucky enough to come across an area she was familiar with.

Feeling light-headed, she looked down to find that her thigh was bleeding profusely once more and worse, she had left a trail of red droplets behind her. Tightening the bandage around the gunshot wound, she fought off the dizziness and pushed on. Her only hope was to put as much distance between her and them before they realised she was gone.

She had hobbled another hundred metres through the twisting corridors when she heard the whir. She recognised the sound from her blindfolded journey earlier. Perhaps she was in the same place now.

Relaxing her mind, she allowed her memory to stretch back to earlier that day. She had memorized the turns, if she could get back to the corridor with the cell then she could find the exit.

Ignoring the protests from her muscles, she counted her steps and rounded the corners until she found the walls and doors to be familiar. Her heart picked up pace and a new found hope fuelled her movements.

She passed the room where they had found the map. She was close now, she would make it, she told herself.

"Tut tut. Imagine my surprise when I went to check on my guest to find that she escaped my hospitality!" said a cold voice behind her, "Third time you have been caught today. You must be getting sloppy, Miss Walker."

Annie's stopped in her tracks and looked around to find Blake, closely followed by his two cronies and a sheepish looking Maks with a bruise smarting on his face.

"Dmitry, Feliks, go fetch."

Ignoring her shrieks of pain, they dragged Annie back to the torture room with the camera. Blake followed them with his smug swagger and when she was seated and once again tied in the chair, he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out his gun.

"Poor Maks, you got him a nice one, Annie. But something just doesn't quite fit with his story. He reckons you escaped by yourself, but then I find the cable ties neatly cut. I don't think even the skilled Annie Walker could manage a feat like that unaided."

Blade swivelled round, taking the aim of his gun from Annie's chest and without a moment's hesitancy, fired a bullet into Mak's chest.

Annie fought against the ties, wishing desperately that she could free herself so she could get to Blake. But her struggle was futile; the ties were too tight and she was too exhausted and beaten to move much.

"I think it's time we gave Langley another call, don't you?" said Blake.

He slammed his fist into her gut before leaning over and switching on the video camera once more.