High School Reunion Pt. 06

When Sandy awoke, she was slumped in a cushioned chair, arms sprawled on a wooden surface, face resting against her arms. She pushed herself up slowly. A pale, balding man was sitting across the table from her, faded green eyes meeting her wary gaze.

"Ah Miss Romanova. How nice to see you again. I think we started on the wrong foot. As you may remember, I am Mark Foss, and I have some questions to ask you." He leaned forward, and Sandy backed up, fast. Her chair fell back behind her, and she was halfway to the door when he stood, leaning heavily on a cane. "As you'll see, the accommodations are much more...welcoming this time around." He was walking slowly toward her, like a horror movie villain. Sandy pitched her body toward the door, and yanked at it. It opened outward, and she stumbled into a beige hallway, with grey office carpet. Two female soldiers, dressed in black, were guarding the door. At her unexpected exit, they moved to stop her, but a sharp gesture from Mark Foss stopped them. Instead they stepped to the side, effectively blocking her way on either side. Ahead of her was a ceiling-to-floor window. She was at the top floor of a multi-story office building. Black SUVs and sedans swarmed at the curb in front of the building, and as she watched, a black helicopter flew into her line of sight, and then off into the distance.

As she stood, slumped in front of the window, Foss walked up next to her. "This doesn't have to be an unpleasant experience, Miss Romanova." She looked over at him, his thin lips turned up in what was supposed to a comforting smile. She smiled back, and stepping toward, him, kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. He cried out, blood draining from his face, and she was grabbed from behind by one of the soldiers.

"That was stupid." She was thrown up against the glass with bruising force, as her hands were cuffed. Sandy fought back, kicking and screaming loudly. She managed to get an elbow in, drawing a satisfying grunt. "Fuck, Diane, subdue the bitch!" The other soldier shouted harshly. Sandy whirled toward her just in time to have her head knocked back by a sudden blow. As she slumped to the floor, she realized the two soldiers were the same from the last interrogation. Jane and Diane.

She came to still slumped in the hallway, handcuffed. Foss was standing in front of her, face a contorted mask as he hissed orders at multiple soldiers.

"Get him to answer the questions. I don't care what you have to do, it's imperative we find out what he knows. I know he's one of ours! Get creative, or I will." The soldiers retreated in silence. Sandy's heart leapt at the conversation. He had to be talking about Tyler. Which meant he was still alive. She rose slowly to her feet, moving backwards as quietly as she could. Foss was still engrossed agitated conversation, when there was a large bang and the building shook. Foss started shouting, and Sandy took advantage of the sudden distraction, rising to her feet and sprinting down the hallway. A heartbeat later, Foss' voice echoed down the hallway after her. "Catch her, you idiots!" At that, Sandy gave up on being quiet, and threw everything she had into reaching the door at the end of the long hallway.

It was marked with a sign a sign indicating stairs, and turning her body sideways so she could reach the door handle with her cuffed hands, she threw the door open and half ran, half tumbled down. She heard Foss shuffling through the door behind her.

"Romanova!" He roared. She heard a door open below her, and feet pounding up the stairs toward her. She was already two floors down. She tried the door on the landing, and it opened. She dashed through, running down a hallway that was a mirror image of the one she'd just escaped from. She ran past some conference room doors, but stopped as she heard Tyler's voice echoing loud and outraged.

"Go to hell!"

Sandy stopped, and ran back. There were no handles on the outside of these doors, so she kicked one, as hard as she could. It wasn't locked, and she fell into what appeared to be a stripped conference room. Tyler was seated in the middle of the room, hands tied behind his back. A man stood in front of him, fists curled. Three men were standing behind him, but they all looked up in surprise as Sandy burst in.

"Tyler!" She shrieked, barreling into the man standing in front of Tyler. He stumbled, and Tyler exploded into a furious movement, sweeping the chair sideways so the man fell heavily on the wooden chair frame. He groaned, and pieces of wood flew. Tyler was on his feet again, delivering devastating hits to the other two men. They cried out and fell to the ground, one holding his knee and groaning. The other two were out cold. Sandy scrambled to her feet, to see the third man lash out at Tyler, making contact with his chest. Tyler stumbled back, gasping, and Sandy launched herself at the man, screaming intelligibly. He tried to knock her aside but her feet tangled with his, and he fell. His hands went around her neck, and she kicked him as hard as she could, but she could feel his hands tightening, and she was struggling to breathe, with her hands still tied behind her back.

Suddenly there was a thud and a crack, and his head snapped sideways. Tyler stood over him, having delivered a deadly kick to his face. The man fell, and Tyler pulled keys from his pocket, quickly unshackling himself and Sandy.

"Are you okay?" She touched his bruised face.

"Yeah, they patched me up pretty well before the interrogation." He rolled his eyes, pulling up his shirt to show her the white bandage across his muscled brown chest. "It was a clean shot. I'll be okay, as long as we get the hell out of here."

"Then let's go," Sandy said, steel in her voice. Tyler pulled her back to him for a moment, running a gentle hand over her neck. His face hardened, but he kissed her gently, quickly.

"To be continued," he said, and his granite mask cracked when he smiled at her. He removed guns from the men lying on the floor and handed her one. "Shoot anyone who gets within five feet."

"What if I miss?"

"Don't." He wasn't looking at her, was already scanning the hallway. "Let's go." The hallway was empty, and Tyler led her to the stairwell, his muscular body moving swiftly and silently. Sandy followed him, her heart pounding, hands sweaty against the pommel of the gun. She refused to think about what could happen if they were caught, and instead pulled herself forcefully back to the present, following Tyler into the stairwell. He pointed down, and waved her toward the wall. He stalked into the stairwell, pressing his body against the wall. Sandy followed. After several heart-pounding minutes, they'd made their way to the ground floor. As they stealthily made their way into the long hallway adjoining the lobby, they heard the sound of angry voices, raised in argument. The language was one Sandy didn't understand, but could be Russian.

"You cheating son of a bitch!!" A woman's voice shrieked. A man's voice, somewhat familiar, responded, speaking in low, urgent Russian. There was a sudden flurry of thuds, punctuated by paint grunts, and then silence.

Tyler placed his hand on Sandy's arm silently, and pointed to a side door with 'EXIT' emblazoned in green LED lights above it. To get to the door, they would have to walk across the hallway. He brought a finger to his lips, and directed her to go first. She nodded, and taking a deep breath to gather her courage, squared her shoulders, and walked briskly across the hallway, concealing the gun she carried against her body.

"Celia! I didn't cheat!" The man's voice rang across the room, and at the mention of Celia's name, Sandy gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. From the corner of her eye, she saw both of them looking at her. She turned her head, and came face to face with Maruc. She froze. The woman next to him turned. Sandy could see the resemblance, from her long curls to her light brown skin tone. Her eyes narrowed.

"You whore." Her English was inflected with a slightly Spanish accent. Sandy opened her mouth to speak.

"I--" and Celia leaped at her. Her fist struck Sandy's face as she shrieked at her in Spanish. There was a loud bang, and Celia collapsed on top of her. Sandy's hands were wrapped around the gun so tightly it felt as if the metal had been melded into her skin. And it hurt. She struggled to push Celia, who was clutching her stomach and moaning, to the floor. As she staggered to her feet, Celia made an ineffective grab at her, but Sandy stepped back, eyes on Maruc and Tyler, who were circling each other slowly.

"Sandy." Tyler's voice was low and dangerous, all his attention trained on Maruc, who was stalking him like a predatory jungle cat. "Get out of here. NOW!" He shouted, when Sandy didn't move. Maruc struck at that moment, so swiftly Sandy barely saw his body move. Tyler deflected the blow, and retaliated with one of his own.

"Stop!" A cold voice rang out, one she recognized as belonging to Mark Foss. She turned her head and saw him with another man, lean, with a shock of yellow hair and a military bearing. The other man shouted at Tyler,

"Stand down, agent!" Maruc lunged at Tyler again, and was driven back as Tyler landed a solid roundhouse kick to his jaw, responding,

"You're a traitor, Daniel. You can't give me orders." Maruc sagged, barely missing a lethal blow by Tyler, prompting Daniel to shout, "That's an order! Don't make me shoot you," he said, aiming his gun and pulling the trigger in one smooth motion. Tyler had already hit the ground, and Maruc, disoriented from Tyler's blow, held up an ineffective hand to block it, but the bullet tore through his hand and buried itself in his chest. Celia's cry of pain and despair rent the air as Maruc fell, one hand up, holding a small black remote with a blinking light on it. Tyler ran for Sandy, dragging her to the exit with him. They found themselves in an alleyway, and Tyler threw her behind a large green garbage bin, shielding her with his body just as an explosion rocked the building.

Sandy lay facedown on the pavement, her ears still ringing. She was pinned down by what felt like dead weight. She grunted, pushing herself up, and the weight became soft, rolling off her. Tyler was lying there, blood seeping slowly from a wound on his chest.

"Tyler!" She shouted, and he moved his head, eyes fluttering open. "Come on." She pulled him up, and they limped out of the alley. The big office building's windows were blasted out, looking like a so many jagged teeth and empty eye sockets. In front of the building there was pandemonium. Sandy kept her head down, and with Tyler leaning heavily against her shoulder, moved slowly away from the building. After a couple of blocks, Tyler stopped stumbling so much, and his weight grew a bit lighter. She glanced up at him. His face sagged with effort.

"Over there." He pointed toward a phone booth, and tried to move toward it. The sudden effort left him gasping.

"Okay, okay lean on me Tye." Sandy held him closer to her, and half walked half dragged him toward it. She crowded in with him, as he leaned heavily against the side, pulling the phone from the hook and handing it to her. He dialed a number, then sighed, leaning his head back, eyes shut. The phone rang once, and then a familiar voice came on.

"Swanson Dental Emporium."

"Bea?" Sandy gasped, smiling at the ridiculous greeting in spite of herself.

"Sandy?? Where's Tye?" The worry in Bea's voice shook her, and she responded, "he's here, but he's really hurt. We need help."

"Don't move." The phone went dead. Sandy looked up at Tyler. He looked close to unconscious, eyes fluttering open for a moment, he met her brown eyes with his hazel ones. His gaze strengthened, and she read the pain in it, until his eyes fluttered closed again. She put a hand against his cheek.

"Hold on, Robot. Just stay with me." She heard her voice shaking, but she couldn't control it. The ghost of a smile passed over his face.

"Okay," he whispered, pushing open the door to the phone booth. Sandy looked out. A man in a suit stood outside, his ebony face worried. Tyler stumbled out, and he grabbed his arm. The tall man caught him.

"James," Tyler nodded, and James responded,

"Brother."

"You must be Sandy. How about we get you the hell out of here?" He motioned toward a maroon van at the curb. Sandy nodded gratefully, and they propelled Tyler into the van. Once they were seated, James took off. As soon as Tyler was seated, he passed out.

"Is he going to be okay, James?" Sandy asked, swallowing tears.

"If I have anything to say about it, he'll be just fine," James said, as he sped away from the curb.

Tyler woke up in a hospital. His chest was bandaged, but the ringing in his ears from the explosion had subsided. Someone's hand, warm and soft, was in his. He looked down, and saw Sandy seated in a chair next to his bed. Her hand was clasped in his, her other arm cradling her face resting on the bed. She was breathing deeply. He cleared his throat, and she jumped, wide awake instantly. Her brown eyes met his and lit up.

"You're awake! How do you feel? Would you like some water?" She grabbed a cup from the bedside and he drank it gratefully. He handed it back and reached for her. She came closer.

"Hey. Thanks for saving my life." He said. Sandy burst into tears. He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the pain in his chest, and kissed her forehead. She tipped her face up, and his lips met hers. She tasted like salt, but he didn't care. He deepened the kiss, and he felt her body relaxing against his, as she moaned into his mouth.

"Hey you two. I'd tell you to get a room if you weren't already in one." James strode in, and clasped Tyler's hand tightly. "Good to see you awake bro." His eyes sparkled as he looked at Sandy. "Did I interrupt something?" Sandy started laughing through her tears, and she sat up and hugged James.

"Thank you, James," she said. James smiled at her.

"Tye's friends are my friends. Although from what I hear, sounds like you're quite a bit more than that." Sandy felt her cheeks heat, but she smiled back at him anyway. Tyler turned her face toward him, and kissed her soundly.

"James, meet Sandy. I love this woman." Sandy felt the emotion rise up in her chest, and she took a big sobbing breath.

"Oh Tye," her voice was swallowed by tears, and she clung to him, crying out all the fear, stress and anger of the last twenty-four hours. She was vaguely aware of James resting a comforting hand on her back, and leaving the room quietly. Tyler just held her, until she could breathe without sobbing. "I love you too, Robot," she whispered, and kissed him gently.

***

The bunker loomed up out of barren earth, covered with weeds and hard-packed dirt ominously. Sandy didn't want to get out of the car, but she knew she had no choice. She was walking toward the large building when the doors opened, and people in suits and uniforms spilled out, running toward her. She glanced back at the car, unsure of what to do. She knew she'd been seen, some of the soldiers started running her way. She stopped and turned back to the car, willing her feet to move, but they were stuck in what felt like quicksand. She glanced back and saw a huge fireball engulfing the building. She was finally able to move again and raced back to the car, jumping into the driver's seat, and started the engine. She had to find Tyler. She drove off the road and toward the fire. The soldiers swarmed her vehicle, but she gunned the engine, wincing as the tires of the truck rolled over the limbs of a few that didn't jump out of the way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two people grappling. It was Daniel and Tyler. Daniel pulled a blade, and Tyler had jumped back out of his reach. Sandy drove toward them, blaring the horn. Daniel didn't move, and Sandy plowed into him. She slammed on the brakes as he screamed and fell. Tyler ran toward the car, and Sandy unlocked the doors. Hers swung open, and a huge soldier with a half-burned face started trying to drag her out of the her seat roaring the whole time. Sandy screamed and fought back. He drew back a fist. Pain blurred the edges of her vision, and she was vaguely aware of Tyler shouting her name. She screamed for him, reaching out as she fell.

Sandy awoke to the sound of her own voice, crying out.

"Babe, wake up. Sandy. You're having a nightmare, wake up!" Her eyes snapped open in the fading darkness of their bedroom. The sun was coming up. Her legs were tangled in the blanket, and Tyler was leaning over her, concern showing in his eyes.

"Ohh..." Sandy sank back into the bed, sighing as relief washed over her.

"I had this crazy dream. I was back in the desert." As she spoke, Tyler gathered her into his arms. She gazed up into his eyes. "But you were there. You were fighting everyone. But I couldn't reach you."

"I told you I would take care of you. I always will." Tyler looked at her seriously, and she knew he meant it.

Sandy could feel her emotions threatening to overtake her. She sat up all the way and put her arms around Tyler, pulling him closer to her body. She saw the surprise in his eyes for a moment, before he sat down on the bed and held her to him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything." He was silent for couple of minutes, before he said,

"Sandy. You have to leave the country." She pulled back and looked up at him. His square jaw was tense, and his face was still bruised, his light brown skin discolored by blue and purple swelling around his left eye. She reached up to place a palm gently on his face. He pressed his hand against hers and closed his eyes. She could see the pain on his face.

"Why? I thought..."

"Maruc isn't dead. I found out this morning."

"But...it's been weeks. Surely he won't come after me now."

"He might. There will be an investigation, but as long as he's out there, you're in danger. It'll just be for a couple of months, until I can find him, and end it, once and for all."

"You mean..." she couldn't say the words.

"I'll do what I have to. Nobody threatens the people I love."

"You can't come with me, then."

"I can't. You would be in more danger if I came." Tears sprang to her eyes at his tone.

"Tye." She only got the first anguished word out, before his mouth claimed hers. His hands stroked her thighs and her back, pulling her impossibly closer. She opened her mouth to him, arching her body against his, as his hands slowly ran their way under her clothes, skin to skin. He pulled back and stripped her shirt from her body. She didn't remember undressing, but now she was naked as the night sky.

"I wish..." he swallowed, and continued, his voice gravelly. "I wish I could come with you."

"Then come with me, Tye." She took his hand from his side and pressed it against her breast. As he began to massage her gently, her nipple beaded and she moaned. "I don't want to be anywhere you're not."

His eyes met hers, and he pulled her to him again, kissing her passionately, until her legs opened against him, and she arched, limp with desire against his turgid length.

"Sandy I..." he ground out, as she pulled off his shirt, and unbuttoning his pants, slid her hand inside to cup the hardest, hottest part of him.

"Make love to me Tye. Show me how you feel." He pushed her back into the bed and shucking off his pants, impaled her smoothly. She gasped with the pleasure of being filled by him. His hips began to move, almost languidly, as he stroked her gently. She felt the hidden rush of desire, and her wetness could soon be heard, intermingling with their breathing and her soft sighs. Suddenly, he sat up, pulling her with him, with his cock still deep inside her. She groaned and shuddered, each move sending shards of pleasure through her body.