The metal rims found no traction. When the machine began to skid, the Captain found he could neither control it nor stop it. In spite of the cold, his body was covered with sweat.
At a point four or five miles beyond the summit, they came to a place where thick trees on both sides of the highway shaded the road so the sun never reached it. The ice was continuous for a hundred feet or more, and it was covered with three inches of unmelted snow. The sedan skidded out of control. Tynia screamed and hid her face in her hands. Tchassen fought the wheel futilely. The car spun toward the shoulder, banged against a tree, and slid across the road into a clearing in front of an abandoned building.
In the sudden silence Tchassen heard nothing but the whisper of icy wind in the trees. He opened the door and looked at the deserted building. The roofs of the smaller structures nearby had collapsed under the pressure of winter snows, but the main building, sheltered by tall pines, was in good repair.
"We'd be warmer inside," Tchassen suggested. "In the morning after the sun comes out—"
"Captain!" Briggan broke in. "We must reach the coast!"
"—after the sun comes out, the ice on the road should begin to melt; the driving will be much easier."
"Don't you realize, sir—these mountains are enemy territory?"
"We're still well-armed, Sergeant."
"We had the rays in Reno, too, but Drein's dead."
"I tell you we'll be safe here. I remember a trick I saw demonstrated at the school of tactics."