CounterStrike
"Care for a Game?"

PARIS,FRANCE

Alexander Addington a handsome man in his early sixties didn't immeaditely glance up when the vidscreen came to life. He assumed it was just the team saying when they were coming back from Hong Kong. Only when his secratary Ms. Helene Previn let out a startled sound did he glance up.

"Hello Alexander.Care for another game?"Conrad Strand said with a childish expression on his face.
"Strand.What the hell do you want?!"Alexander demanded as he motioned to Ms.Previn to get Peter Sinclair on the phone.
"Want?"Strand repeated as if he didn't understand the question,"All I want is a little fun."

"We had quite enough of your fun the last time."Alexander said angerily becoming concened when Ms.Previn shook her head saying she was having trouble reaching Peter.
Strand made a clucking sound with his tounge,"Now Alexander are we being a sore loser?"
Alexander glanced over at his secratary.The young woman in her early thirties shook her head.She couldn't make contact with any of the team.
"Strand,what have you done with them this time?!"Alexander demanded.
Conrad Strand just got a grin on his face that would have made the Chesshire cat fade in shame.
Ms.Previn rejoined Alexander at his desk as the image of Conrad Strand winked out and was replaced by an equally disturbing one.

Peter Sinclair and Hector Stone were standing in a dark gray cavern somewhere.In front of them were three doors an equal distance apart.
************************************
Back in Paris Alexander stood and furiously glared at the screen.
"Oh,no where's Gabrille?"Helene Previn asked fearfully.
********************************************

"Ok,Pete.Which do we take?Door number one,two or three."Stone asked scanning the drab gray doors for some sign as to which one wasn't a trap.
"I was never very good at that game show."Former Scotland Yard dectective Peter Sinclair said wyrily.Peter turned around and started toward the door they had just come through.

Peter came to a sudden halt as the door swung shut with a loud clang,"Now,how did I know that was going to happen?"
"We've got to find Gaby.Remember what happened the last time she disappeared in this fun house?"Stone asked starting toward the middle door.
"Don't remind me."Peter replied with a shudder.
Hector Stone caustiously turned the black door knob of door number two.He was ready for any kind of a trap.Almost any kind of a trap.

Peter jumped startled as Stone let out a yell of surprise as the cement floor beneath his feet slid open. With arms and legs scrambling for some kind of hold the former navy S.E.A.L. plummetted downward.
Peter scrambeled over to the opening,but all he could see was darkness,"Stone?!!"
After a tense moment,Hector Stone's voice floated back up,"Pete!Get down here,I found another maze."

When Hector Stone ment a maze he literally ment a maze. Peter Sinclair found that out when his booted feet hit bottom. Peter found himself staring at a series of white walls about seven foot high.The walls were intergrated in a patteren similar to those found in a labortory.

"You wouldn't happen to have any cheese on you?"Stone said with a small grin.
Peter looked at him as if he had hit his head too hard,"No why?"
"Because I feel like a mouse in a lab."Stone replied grimly.
"I think I know what's at the other end."Peter said,looking carefully at the ground in front of him.
"You going to share that information?"Stone asked.
"Gabrille."Peter said grimly.
Stone's brown eyes did a double take,but he knew Sinclair was right.It would be just like Strand to have Gaby at the end of a maze.

As if on cue the holographic image of Conrad Strand seemed to project from the drab gray wall.
"That's very good,Mr.Sinclair."Strand said with a cold chuckle,"Would you like to see your reward?"
Peter exchanged a glance with Stone,"You already know our answer."
Strand nodded,"Very well."

The image of Conrad Strand vanished and was replaced by one that Peter wished he didn't have to see.
Gabrille Jamont was suspended in midair by a coarse rope tied around her hands. Thirty feet below her dangling desinger shoes was a vat of burning oil.

"As you can see your lovely friend is in a percarious postion.Any wrong turn ethier of you takes in the maze causes the rope to drop ten feet."
Peter's blue eyes turned the color of a glacier,"You Bastard.You're really enjoying this aren't you?!"
Strand just got his Chesshire grin on his face and the hologram winked out.
*****************************************
Back in Paris,Alexander Addington and Helene Previn could only stare in horror.
"Ms.Previn,let's do what we did last time. Call the power companies,see where there's an unusally large amount of power being used.See if we can shut it down."
Helene Previn kept her horrified brown eyes on the screen as she scrambled for the phone.
************************************************

Hector Stone was surprised that Strand let both he and Peter go through the maze at the same time. He must have figured that two mice were better than one.
The first pathway was uneventfull,then the duo came to a cross roads.

"Ok,Pete.You're the brains of this operation.Right or left?"
Peter glared at him slightly but replied,"Right."
After a few minutes Stone stopped,causing Peter to run into him.
"Do you feel like we're going in circles?"Stone asked as he studied the white walls.
Peter grinned,"I've had that feeling since we started this whole thing."

Stone walked closer to the wall,"I have a feeling that there's no end to this maze."He made a small jump and his left hand caught the top of the wall. As Hector hoisted himself up,they both heard a familar scream.
"GABY!"Stone heard himself yell.

The former reporter was only one wall from him,but he was too far away to help. Too far away to help her as the rope came lose from its metal hook and she plummetted down into the burning vat of oil.

Stone forced himself to look away.
Peter Sinclair was the symbol of frustration,he couldn't see a thing.
"Stone!What's happening?!"
As soon as Peter saw the look on his face,he knew that Gabrille was gone.
*************************************************
"No!Damn it!"Alexander Addington yelled as he helplessly watched the nightmare unfolding in front of him.
He glanced at his secratary who was holding onto the oak desk for support,"Ms.Previn!Any luck with the electric company?!"
His secratary didn't reply,she was still staring at the vat of fire a horrified expression on her pretty face.
"Ms.Previn!"Alexander said a little louder.
That seemed to shake her a little,"No,I'm still trying."
***************************************************

Hector Stone vaulted over the next wall,reaching the vat of fire.No sign of Gabrille.He didn't know if he was relieved about that or not.
"Damn it!"Peter Sinclair swore angerily as he stared at the flames.
"This is my fault."Hector Stone said softly.
Peter stared at his friend in disbelief,"Stone,don't."
Stone's black eyes were the color of coal,"I killed her,Sinclair."
"You listen to me."Peter said with such force that Stone turned his head,"The only person who killed Gabrille is Conrad Strand.And for that he will pay,and pay dearly."
***********************************************

Gabrille Jamont hit the yellow air cushion with a loud woosh. She lay there for serval minutes wondering why she hadn't been burned alive.Then she realized it had all been another elborate trick by Strand. It had all been too real of a hologram.

She had heard Stone call out as she fell,and could only imangine what they were thinking. She had to get out of there and find them,before they did anything rash.
*******************************************************
	
"Mr.Addington,I have the President of the Electric company."Helene Previn said with one hand over the reciever.
"Finally."Alexander said bitterly,he kept his brown eyes on the screen as he picked up the reciever."Maybe we can get some justice out of this whole mess."
*****************************************************

Peter had discovered a black door on the other side of the vat and the two had headed toward it. Just as Stone turned the door knob,the cement floor started to sink.

"I've had just about enough of this."Stone said angerily as he turned around in a circle trying to keep all angles in view as the floor continued to sink.	
Peter was about to reply but he never got the words out of his mouth.
The holographic image of Conrad Strand appeared less than three feet from them."Mr.Sinclair,are you enjoying my little game?"

Just the sound of the man's voice made Stone's blood start to boil."Game?!Here's what I think of your game.You're going down for first degree murder!"
Strand's face paled a little,but his grin remained,"Murder?" He said holding his arms up,"What murder?"
Stone looked like a person who should have steam coming out of his ears,"What Murder?!"

Peter put a restraining arm on Stone's shoulder,"Mr.Strand. You might as well end this right now.I can guarntee you,that none of us will rest untill you are rotting in jail."
"Haven't you learned by now,Mr.Sinclair.I'll never be caught."Strand said,his chesshire grin returning.
"I will hunt you down."Peter said coldly.
Strand was about to reply when his image flickered and than disappered entirely. Stone stumbled into Peter as the floor stopped sinking.

"Mr.A.?"Stone asked as he started to lower himself from the hydralauic floor.
"Who else could order the electric company to shut off the power."Peter said with a small grin.
After Peter had joined him in a smaller cavern,Stone started down a small path way.
"I think we found the control room."Stone said as he started toward a door that had more locks,than Fort Knox.
"Ethier that,or a very happy lock smith."Peter said as he reached for his lock pick.
"No need,"Stone said as he cocked his hammer back and aimed the .9mm at the lock nearest to the door knob and squeezed the trigger.

The door swung inward. Conrad Strand looked like a deer caught in a pair of headlights.
Stone slammed the researcher into the swivel chair.His cocked gun leveled at the man's head.
Peter found a long extension cord and tied the man to his chair.
Stone crouched down so he was eyelevel.He couldn't remember the last time he felt such hatred for a person.He pressed the barrel of his gun against the auburn haired head.

"Now,your going to listen and listen good.I'm going to tell you all about the person you killed."
Peter realized what Stone was going to do,"Stone."
Stone ignored him,"Gabrille Jamont was beutiful,smart and one of the most stubborn women I've ever met."
"Stone,this isn't going to bring her back."Peter said.
"You know,he's never going to trial.This is the only justice Gaby's going to get."
Peter put his hand on Stone's arm and was about to reply when he froze,"Stone."
"Don't try to stop me Pete."
"Stone."Peter started again but Gabrille took the words right out of his mouth.
"Why,Stone.I didn't know you cared."Gabrille said with a huge grin on her face.

Stone felt his face pale as he glanced up,"Gaby?"He asked as if he didn't believe he wasn't staring at one of Strand's holograms.
Gabrille laughed she'd never seen Hector Stone look so completely shocked.
Stone found his voice,"But the fire,I saw....."He trailed off as he realized what had happened. He put away his gun and slammed his right fist into Strand's face,causing the chair to topple over.
Peter Sinclair just shook his head in exsaperation.
*****************************************************

"Ms.Jamont.I'm relieved to see you back among the living."Alexander said.
"So am I."Helene Previn said looking a little shaken from the whole exprerence.
"Thank you,Alexander."Gabrille Jamont said from the jet which was en route back to Paris.
"Well,Strand will be spending the next several years behind bars.With all the multiple kidnapping charges."Peter said with a grin.
"I hope they throw away the key."Stone grumbled from his perch on the desk.
Gabrille laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck,"Have I thanked you?"
"For what?"Stone said warily.
"For being a good friend."Gabrille said with a huge grin.
Everyone laughed at Stone's expression.

The end