Onto the Roof and Higher
Here's the last installment of our four part series of how I met Dom. Don't forget to read the other guest posters.
Gunfire ricocheted up the cement staircase behind us. I followed Dom as he shot the doorknob off a door and kicked it in. I couldn�t tell how many were after us, four, maybe five guards? At the end of the narrow hallway was a wrought iron ladder that went up to the roof. Dom signaled for me to go first so he could cover us. I was beyond caring about who would see my knickers and scampered up the ladder under cover of a rain of bullets. There was a hatch at the top, secured with a flimsy combination lock. I didn�t have my lock pick tools with me so I�d have to improvise. I reached up the back of my skirt and pulled out the second knife. I worked the blade into the lock and gave it a sharp twist until it popped open. I slammed the hatch open and pulled myself out. Dom handed up the rifle to me and I took it, pressing the butt firmly against my shoulder and firing over his head at the guards who were peeking around the corner. When he was on the roof we slammed the hatch shut and looked around for something to pull over it but the roof was distressingly empty.
�Where the hell is she?� Dom yelled.
I wasn�t sure who she was, but I knew we were in trouble. A bullet flew through the hatch sending both of us reeling backwards, away from the gunfire. Then a chopping noise filled the air. Dom grabbed my hand and we started running to the far side of the rooftop where a dark helicopter was descending on the far corner.
�There�s our ride!� he yelled over the noise.
A bullet came so close to my head it sent my hair flying forward. I risked a look behind me and saw four guards running after us. Dom started running backwards, spraying a wide arc of gunfire.
I ducked to avoid the chopper blades and dove into the open compartment. The helicopter started lifting off. I rolled onto my stomach and held my hand out to Dom.
�Dom! Hurry!� I screamed into the air.
He got one foot onto the landing gear of the copter and grabbed my hand. He kept firing at the men and then yelled in pain.
�What is it?� The helicopter was going ever higher and I wanted to pull him aboard but he kept shooting.
�Drop the gun and get in!� I commanded.
He ignored me, firing the last few rounds and throwing the spent rifle. He then turned towards me holding out his other hand. I used all my strength to pull him up and watched in horror as the microfilm popped from between my cleavage and rolled off the edge of the helicopter and into the air. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. I heard myself scream �No!� as I watched all our hard work fly off into the night. Dom let go of me and reached out his hand and the film landed square in his palm. Since his body weight shifted I started sliding towards the door of the helicopter.
�Dom!� I cried, wrapping my foot around the leg of one of the seats. I felt my back crack as it stretched taut. He put the film between his teeth and grabbed my other hand, climbing over me and into the helicopter. I slid the door shut to keep anything else from rolling out. Dom handed me back the microfilm and I held it against my heart as if the proximity of it could slow my racing pulse.
�We need to get you a better bra,� but he grimaced as he joked and I could see blood pooling underneath him.
�You�ve been shot.� I accused him. He�d been shot in the back of the thigh. I used the knife to cut a swath of fabric from the skirt of my dress and tied a tourniquet and bandage around his leg.
We touched down in a harvested wheat field outside the city. To my surprise the pilot was Nadja. She leaned against the pilot door, smoking a cigarette as we said our goodbyes. Dom handed me the keys to a blue Porsche parked nearby and some papers.
�This road will take you to Odessa. You�ll meet your contact in the Yellow Bird caf� and they will take you to Amsterdam.�
�Thank you,� I said. �It�s been, interesting, working with you.�
�Interesting indeed,� he said leaning closer to me.
�Where will you go next?� I asked.
�Wherever I�m needed.� His finger reached out to my neck and traced up the side to my earlobe and moved slowly down my jaw line. �Maybe we will work together again.�
�Perhaps,� I said as he pulled my chin up and leaned down. We could hear sirens in the distance and Nadja�s insistent cough. There was no time for heartfelt goodbyes. He pulled me roughly against the length of his body and pressed his mouth to mine. His tongue made promises that he�d never be able to keep, but I devoured them all the same.
We broke apart and I ran to the Porsche, risking a single glance over my shoulder as the helicopter lifted off. Dom saluted me before disappearing inside. I revved the engine and took off down, spitting an arc of dirt and gravel onto the highway. I pressed the gas pedal and disappeared into the night as fast as the sports car would take me. I pushed the microfilm canister deeper into my cleavage. I wasn�t going to lose it this time.
Long story short, we ended the cold war and met years later on Diaryland. It�s a small internet.
Posted by kungfukitten
2007-02-22
go back | random brainstorm | go forth
Rachel Ray - 2009-05-03
The cold wind was the reason - 2009-03-02
The Collected Wisdom of Angela Chase - 2009-02-15
All's well that ends well. - 2009-01-07
In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - 2008-10-04
