In the blink of an eye, Steiner fired at the Russian. An explosive pain went through Moshenko's left shoulder. His knees started to buckle.
Natasha screamed, "Colonel!"
That was all the time Steiner needed. He spun Natasha around and started running at breakneck speed through the tunnel. Within seconds he saw the steel door. He started running faster.
Moshenko felt warm blood running down his arm. He quickly assessed the damage and determined the bone wasn't broken. He looked down the passageway, no longer able to see Steiner and Natasha. Slipping his left hand gingerly into his jacket pocket to help support his arm, he started forward again.
Grant and Adler heard the shot, giving each other a grim look. All they had going for them was the element of surprise.
Steiner pulled Natasha's hair, making her come to an abrupt stop about ten feet from a door. Her arms flailed out, trying to grab his arm to prevent herself from falling. He snapped his head to the right, seeing the maintenance tunnel. There was a small shaft of light casting down onto the pavement. "Your colonel," he whispered to Natasha as he pointed the gun towards the steel door, "was perhaps sending me into a trap." He took off running into the maintenance tunnel, dragging her alongside.
Moshenko knew he had to be getting close to the end of the tunnel, and within seconds the steel door came into view. He stepped over to the wall, cautiously edging his way closer to the end. Hearing footsteps coming from the maintenance tunnel, he could make his move safely.
Grant and Adler froze, as the steel bar slid back and the door started opening. Then they heard Moshenko's voice, "It is me!"
Adler pulled the door open. Moshenko nearly went sprawling until Grant caught him. "Hurry!" Moshenko said loudly. "He's going down the maintenance tunnel."
Grant noticed the blood dripping from Moshenko's hand. "Are you okay?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Joe, take the tunnel! I'll go this way and try and head him off!"
"Wait!" Moshenko yelled, grabbing Grant's arm. "The woman is alive. He is holding her hostage. She is one of us!"
"What?!" Grant shouted.
Moshenko pushed him away. "Go after them! Save her!"
Grant motioned to Adler, "Go!" Adler disappeared around the corner, as Grant raced toward the ladder.
Moshenko yelled after him, "I have the vials!"
Something's gone right! Grant thought, as he lunged for an upper rung on the ladder. With a grunt, he pushed the grate up, moving it from the lip, and then shoved it across the snow. Scrambling through the opening, he stayed low, scooting close to the wall before standing up fully. There was little activity around the cathedral. Vehicles still had on their headlights.
Moshenko was dragging himself through the opening. "To the right! To the right! Go around the cathedral! There's an exit from the tunnel there!"
Grant started running, trying to keep his balance on the slippery surface. The wind drove snow into his face, stinging his cheeks and eyes. As he started for open ground, getting closer to the Kremlin wall, he saw a man and woman running toward the river. Adler scrambled up through the opening and caught up to him just as they were halfway to the end of the south wall where it turned right onto Kremlyovskaya. That’s when Steiner and Natasha disappeared.
The Americans couldn't run any faster. When they finally got to the corner, their feet skidded across the compacted snow. They reached for the wall, trying to slow their forward progress. Making the turn, they strained their eyes, with Adler finally grabbing Grant's arm. He pointed to a parked taxi. A checkered pattern on its sides made it easily identifiable.
Steiner flung open the taxi door and yanked the surprised driver from the vehicle before pushing Natasha onto the front seat. He jumped in, landing on her ankles. She screamed, and pulled them from under him. He gunned the engine, but the wheels just spun wildly. He threw the gearshift into reverse, then immediately back into first. Somehow, the tires found a patch of pavement and dug in. The car leapt forward.
Grant and Adler ran down the sidewalk next to the four-lane road. Their weapons, grasped tightly in their hands, hung close to their parkas but were nearly out of sight, tucked up inside the sleeves. A horn suddenly blared behind them. They snapped around and saw Moshenko behind the wheel of a commandeered taxi, its windshield wipers swishing back and forth, trying to brush aside snow. First Adler, then Grant jumped into the front seat without even allowing Moshenko to completely stop.
It was all Steiner could do to keep the car from heading into oncoming traffic. A set of headlights, blurry in the falling snow, appeared in his rearview mirror. He knew he was being followed.
Natasha pressed herself against the passenger door, trying to steady herself, while her eyes stayed fixed on Steiner. She eased her hand into her left pants pocket, feeling the metal case. Gingerly, she worked off the cap with her fingers.
"He's straight ahead!" Adler shouted, pointing toward the windshield. Moshenko's fingers curled around the steering wheel as he pressed down on the accelerator, noticeably gaining on the taxi. The rear tires spun, whirring across sporadic patches of ice.
To the left and twenty-five yards ahead of Steiner’s vehicle, a bridge crossed the Moskva River. He jerked the wheel, trying to make the turn, but the car started to fishtail. Seeing her opportunity and realizing it may be her last chance for survival, Natasha whipped the small purse weapon from her pocket, aimed it at Steiner's temple, and fired. The 4.5mm bullet struck him just above the ear. The involuntary blink of his eyes coincided with the slamming of his head against the side window. The muscles in his face started relaxing as his head slid along the glass, finally slumping toward his chest. Blood smeared the window.
Natasha flung herself toward the steering wheel, grabbed it, but was unable to regain control. The side of the car rammed into the concrete bridge abutment, crushing in the passenger door, the force of the impact hurling her back against it. The battered vehicle careened back across the opposite side of the bridge and directly into the path of an oncoming city bus. The taxi spun around like a toy top, its front end jumping the low guard rail just as the braking bus slammed into its trunk. The taxi was launched airborne, high above the river. It began a slow arc toward the water, as the weight of the engine could no longer resist the pull of gravity.
Tumbling downward, hood first, it ultimately smashed against the ice. Steiner's lifeless body catapulted over the steering wheel and jammed into the area between the windshield and dashboard. With only seconds to react, Natasha had tried to take refuge under the dash as the impending crash loomed before her. The car collided with the ice before she could get all the way down. Her head smashed against the bottom edge of the dash, instantly breaking her neck. Cold water hit the hot engine, causing billows of steam to erupt under the fender wells, escaping around the jagged edges of ice.
Grant, Adler, and Moshenko jumped from their vehicle and ran to the corner where the bridge joined the road. Quickly spotting the black and white checkered cab, it was evident that the river’s current and car's weight were taking their toll. Right before their eyes, the frozen river was consuming the battered vehicle.
Water rushed through the cracked windshield, dash, and floorboard. The hole in the ice widened as a large piece of the fractured edge broke free, enlarging the opening. The vehicle began to disappear as the cab started into a slow roll. As the trunk submerged, large bubbles, caused by rushing air, erupted from its sealed edge. The vehicle became dead weight, slipping below the surface of the frigid, murky water.