One Wild Ride (A Marvel Fanfic-Complete)

Struggle Love

Khalid - This Way

'Mika... baby girl...'

"Huh?" Tamika looked over her shoulder for the whispering voice. It floated on the breeze from some unknown destination sweeping up the plastic cover behind her. The drafty warehouse, where she hid among the shadows spying on a covert meeting, was cavernous to the point of swallowing up even the enormous industrial shelves that were lined up in neat columns and rows. Shaking her thoughts straight after deciding the voice was just part of her imagination, Tamika pressed a button in front of her right earlobe and released the virtual visor across her face. She allowed it to sharpen and focus her vision, giving her full view of the men standing in a huddle just beyond the first few rows of shelves. Then she placed the plugs in her ears to amplify her hearing and pressed the final button on the bottom of her throat to obscure her voice and act as a com.

"Fred..." Tamika whispered. Only static answered back in her ears. Where was he? He was supposed to meet her here twenty minutes ago.

The men standing together in the middle of the warehouse began to move. She could not wait much longer or they would disappear into their cars before she could fully identify the contact.

The two who faced towards her were definitely made. Italian. Staten Islanders. They moved quickly up the ranks after Buscelli was put away for life. The tall man, who faced away, was definitely not Italian mafia. He had a smooth dark brown complexion, was muscular and very tall. He dressed more like the muscle than like the brains. But it was apparent that he was doing most of the talking though she could not hear him clearly with her amplifiers or see his lips to read them.

The third man did seem familiar... though she could not quite make out enough of his face to place him. But deja vu was causing her head to spin. She knew him well... very well, once upon a time.

As the men moved, Tamika followed, agiley keeping herself hidden from the men who stood watch above on scaffolding in the rafters. The three moved slowly, continuing to talk among themselves. So Tamika made her way around to the front of them before doubling back. She needed to see the face of the third man. Now that Carl Washington was gone, he was their likely contact in the Bronx.

'Its me. Take a good look ma...'

The familiar voice came again, causing Tamika to jump and lose her footing. She bumped into a shelf and knocked off a box. CRASH!!

"Shit." She said under her breath. She tapped the side of her head with her hand. What was going on with her? Hearing voices. Losing focus. "Get it together, girl."

The three men turned in her direction at the sound of the falling box. She dipped back behind the next shelf, but they saw her anyway. The two mafia began to yell to their men above. But the third man came after her.

He was swift, though she was swifter. But she also had to avoid the men targeting her from above. Gunfire came in her direction. She lifted her right arm up, the nano parts extending out and taking on a rounded shield like shape in order to protect her head. As she ran by the scaffolding that held the men with guns. She swung her arm at the metal poles and planks, knocking them to the ground.

Heading towards the front of the warehouse, she turned around and took a defensive stance as soon as she found a corner to protect her back. Then she came at her purser. Her right arm now extended into a sharp edged blade. But her left fist stopped just inches from his chest. The blade extended towards the bottom of his throat but stopped just short too.

Recognition hit her like a speeding train as soon as her purser's face came into full view. She gasped, "Erik?? But... how?? You're dead..."

Though he was always tall compared to her, Erik was even taller than she remembered. His locs were longer and plaited back out of his face. He reached down and pulled her towards him with little to no effort.  He was so strong, even stronger than before. The blade sliced superficially into the skin on his neck causing him to bleed, but he ignored the pain. She tried to struggle away from his vice like grip, but soon found that despite the armor her entire body was paralyzed as though his eyes had locked onto her and would not let her go. She felt herself involuntarily melt into his embrace. She lay her head against his chest listening to the familiar steady thumping of his heart.  The whispering voice came from him. It was his voice. "I came back for you, my Mika..."