Chapter
35: Sleight of Hand
**Nav and April barrel down the hallway, nearly tripping over each other as they frantically skitter around the corner. A second later, the entire corridor explodes. Nav tumbles forward and rolls just in time to avoid a saber of molten steel as it spins overhead. In the background, chunks of rubble rain down like hail, and wave of searing heat charges after them, a herald of the destruction wrought by their hands**
NAV: (looking back over his shoulder) Woohoohoo! Would you get a load of the size of those flames!
**April laughs**
APRIL: Good thing you did not use the second charge! You would have brought the whole ocean down upon us!
**They continue in their dead run,
leaving the section behind them in shambles. They sprint down three
more corridors, and the sounds of mayhem slowly recede**
NAV:
(re-loading his gun) Jeez, Sector 4 seems to go on forever! What the
heck? We took out an armory and like three storage rooms – not to
mention like forty of those freaky robot things. It never ends!
**As if to confirm his complaint, three more of the robotic guardians leap out in a surprise attack when they round the next bend. The two fronts collide in a furious shock of screeching metal and straining bone. The first bot launches itself onto Nav, knocking him to the floor; he lands with the creature on top of his chest, and his gun slides from his hand and spins away. Nav grabs hold of the creature’s muzzle moments before its teeth close around his throat. Sweat drips into his field of vision as he desperately struggles to pry the jaws apart.
April, on the other hand, narrowly avoids her assailant, pivoting on one foot while simultaneously pulling a handgun from the holster on her hip. One slanted purple eye squints shut as she aims and pulls the trigger. The ensuing bolt of energy takes the second guardian straight in the face, blowing off its metal jaws and sending it twisting and writhing into the wall. She spins around and, crouching to steady her arm, shoots the front legs off the other. Its forward momentum carries it toward her, and she lunges nimbly and grabs it by the hindquarters. Blood-lust glowing in her eyes, she yanks out a knife and begins to savagely slash at the creature, snarling like an animal herself as she rips off sections of synthetic flesh and casts them to the wayside.
A few feet away, cyborg and machine wrestle against one another with all their might. The muscles in Nav’s living arm begin to tremble from overexertion, and he calls out to April**
NAV: (voice cracking) Babe, not to interrupt your fun, but a little help please…
**April looks up, and in one deft movement, throws her knife at Nav’s attacker. The blade sticks in the robot’s neck, cutting off power to the head. Nav throws it off him and, grabbing his gun from the floor, puts a permanent end to their duel. He turns to face his fiancée, shaking beads of perspiration from his hair**
NAV: Nice save, O Gorlock-of-mine-eye! And I know I’ve said this before, but you are just so cute when you’re ruthlessly massacring the enemy!
**April wipes a blob of oil from her cheek and bears her fangs in a grin, eyes sparkling with bloodthirsty delight**
APRIL: (hoarsely) I will tear them all limb from limb! I will snap open their ribcages and strangle them with their own innards!
NAV: Aww, and you’re such a positive thinker, too! Honestly, I am one lucky guy...
**Smirking, April retrieves her dagger while Nav tacks some C-4 onto the wall. He sets the charge, then flips April a thumbs-up**
NAV: Ready to make some noise?
**She thrusts her fist into the air**
APRIL: Raze this sector to the ground!
**He starts the timer, and the two of them take off running again. As they swerve down the pipe, Nav plugs his ears, tee-heeing like a naughty little kid**
NAV: Fire in the hole!
**Rolling explosions engulf the section behind them. This blast is smaller than the previous one, and April and Nav slow their pace to a self-assured stroll as currents of roaring flame flood the hallway. They saunter forward out of the columns of smoke, their suave figures outlined by the spectacular fiery backlight**
NAV: (cracking his knuckles) Ho yeah, we’ve got so much style. If only we had some crazy background music to accompany us right now, we’d be the ultimate in badass.
APRIL: The explosions could be our music…
NAV: True, true. And I have always liked explosions. They make me feel all manly.
APRIL: (brightly) Me too!
NAV: Uh…
**As they round the next corner, their dramatic flair instantly vanishes. There, at the other end of the corridor, their next opponent is waiting. Future Carl stands motionless, arms limp, his red hair waving gently in the light wind generated by all the destruction. Two bots crouch on either side of him, languid yet menacing in their coiled poses. April reaches for her machine gun, but Nav grabs her wrist before she can fire**
NAV: No, don’t shoot! That pasty whelp is future chubby lumpkins…Aurora said he helped her escape, remember? He might be able to help us.
**Still brandishing her weapon, April shouts ahead to Future Carl**
APRIL: Carl! We will gladly spare your life if you join with us. Call off your robots and come forward!
**When he doesn’t reply, April takes a cautious step forward**
APRIL: Carl! Did you not hear me? Please acknowledge!
**Future Carl doesn’t even look up as he wearily lifts a gun and points it in their direction. Nav backs up a step in surprise**
NAV: Whoa there buddy, let’s not do anything rash…
**April leans forward, hands at the ready**
APRIL: (hissing) Do not be foolish, Carl. You do not want to fight us. Lower your weapon, or we will not show mercy.
**Future Carl doesn’t respond; he merely stands there, his weapon trained on his targets, eyes hidden from view. After a long moment, Nav shrugs and turns to April**
NAV: Well, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this…would you like to kill him, or shall I?
APRIL: Joint effort. I’ll take precision. Swap?
NAV: Right-o.
**They toss their respective weapons to each other, exchanging Nav’s handgun for April’s AK 47. They square off with Future Carl across the passageway, guns cocked and at the ready**
APRIL: (touching her finger to the trigger) Last chance, Carl…you cannot beat us this way. I am a trained sharpshooter, and I will not hesitate. If you do not want to die, then either join with us or surrender.
NAV: Seriously, bro…do yourself a favor and quit before her bullet gets up-close and personal with your internal organs. And if you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for me, man. It really goes against my personal code of villainous conduct to kill a hapless Igor like you.
**Future Carl’s gun arm shakes, but he holds firm to his position. At last he flips his chin up and engages with them, a spark showing in his eyes for the first time**
FUTURE CARL: Don’t come any further this way. You’ll just wind up dead. Please leave while you still have the chance.
**April and Nav exchange glances**
NAV: Uh…hate to burst your bubble, my feckless freckled friend, but we have our orders. We’re going that way whether you like it or not.
**Future Carl’s expression sharpens**
FUTURE CARL: Please go back. I’m asking you nicely. He will kill you for sure if you keep running around like this. You need to hide until it’s all over. I can help you if you…
**April lurches forward, both hands clenched, her face twisted in anger**
APRIL: Coward! Soldiers never hide! We must continue carrying out our mission at all costs. Whether we die or not is irrelevant!
**Future Carl retreats a step, frightened by the strength of her outburst. Seeing that his strategy is not working, he lowers the gun and reaches out to Nav in a plaintive entreaty**
FUTURE CARL: Please, you have to listen to me! I know you. I see you on the news from time to time – Nav, the 7th Samarkandi, right?
**Nav touches a finger to his lips, looking up at the ceiling in an exaggerated imitation of deep thought**
NAV: You watch the news? Hmm, I took you to be more of a “Barney” kinda guy…no? Blues Clues, maybe? Muppets? …Sesame Street? Come on, you gotta tell me “warm” or “cold” here, man…
CARL: Stop joking around! I’m serious! You’re not a bad guy, and I don’t want to see you get killed.
NAV: (dryly) Ha, tell that to the Galactic police. I’ve defrauded twenty-two multibillion dollar corporations and stolen priceless goods from more pompous windbags than I can count. I’m a con artist who charms and manipulates unsuspecting victims before making off with everything they own. I’ve held up banks and stolen army supplies and led terrorist attacks on my own planet. I’m a felon, unscrupulous and thoughtless and rotten to the core.
**Future Carl shakes his head**
FUTURE CARL: I don’t believe you. You can pretend to be heartless, but you’re not. Just because you sometimes do bad things, that doesn’t make you a bad person, right? Like that time you robbed the bank on Tounk, or the time you hijacked the train station. Remember? You let all the women and children hostages go.
**Nav frowns for a moment**
NAV: You’ve been following my career?
FUTURE CARL: (embarrassed) Not exactly…I, err, it’s just…well, if you’re still a good guy despite doing all those bad things, then I thought that maybe…maybe I…
NAV: (softly) How many times have you looked the other way while the Dictator murdered people? How many friends have you betrayed by your inaction?
**Future Carl slaps a hand to his chest**
FUTURE CARL: I want to change. I really do! I want to do something good, even if I’ve done bad stuff before. I just…I just don’t know where to start!
**Nav smiles, then shoulders the AK 47**
NAV: I’ve just decided that I like you, Carl. And to answer your question, the fact that you’re sticking your neck out like this proves that you’ve already started. I’d be honored to have you as one of my companions, if you’re willing to take the risk.
**Future Carl turns his face away**
FUTURE CARL: I didn’t come here to join you. I can’t. Jimmy would…
I just don’t want to see you guys die. You’re not a bad person. You don’t deserve that. So please…please go back.
NAV: (sighing) You want to know the truth? To be honest, I’d love to turn back. I’m scared witless right now, but I volunteered for this mission and I’m going to see it through. Not to sound cliché, but that’s what courage is, isn’t it? Doing what you promised even when you’re about to pee yourself because you’re so afraid? Now I may be a lot of things, but I’m not somebody who scuttles away with my tail between my legs when the going gets rough. So thanks for the warning, but we really need to get moving.
**Nav strides forward, and Future Carl jerks the gun toward them again, a bar of light gliding across his glasses**
FUTURE CARL: (desperately) No! I won’t let you go! Get out of here, or I’ll…I’ll shoot!
**Nav raises an amused eyebrow**
NAV: Oh? And here I thought you were trying to prevent us from getting shot…
FUTURE CARL: (stuttering) I don’t – I mean, I don’t know, I’ll just injure you or something. I mean it, go back! I won’t let you come any further!
APRIL: Wrong.
**She squeezes the trigger, and her perfectly aimed shot knocks the gun out of Future Carl’s grip – just in time for Dictator Jimmy to step out of the wall and effortlessly snatch the spinning weapon from midair. The onlookers can barely believe their eyes as the tele-portal in the wall churns shut behind him**
NAV: (eyes widening) How did…?
**April only hesitates for a second before she opens fire – but her shots bounce harmlessly off a force field of some kind, which seems to be issuing from the high-tech watch on his wrist. Dictator Jimmy twirls the gun around his finger, his self-satisfied smirk mocking his enemies from across the hall. Regarding April and Nav from the corner of his eye, he addresses Carl, a hint of cruelty hiding under his falsely thankful tone**
DICTATOR: Thanks for delaying them, Carl. It would have been bothersome to track them down had they strayed any further.
**Future Carl gapes at him, horrified**
FUTURE CARL: But I…
DICTATOR: (cocking the gun) If you want to leave, Carl, I won’t stop you. This will be over with quickly anyway.
**Carl looks from one face to another, stricken like a deer in the headlights. Nav is the first to react – he smiles sadly at April, then lifts his shoulders in a resigned shrug**
NAV: Well, looks like our number’s finally up, babe. It was only a matter of time, really. I’ve had the Devil’s luck for 8 years running. It had to end somewhere.
**Beneath this outward nonchalance, Nav’s mind races through every possible course of action. He analyzes the situation from every angle and, in a flash of insight, his sharp mind hatches an audacious plan. He crosses his fingers and, closing his eyes briefly, silently asks whoever might be listening for one last stroke of good fortune**
NAV: (shrugging again) Well, you know what they say. When you’re dealt a losing hand, there’s only one thing you can do…
APRIL: And that is?
NAV: (winking) Cheat.
**In the blink of an eye, Nav yanks April’s dagger from her belt, and, stepping between her and the line of fire, rams the blade into her stomach. April’s strangled grunt resounds through the confined space, and a river of thick liquid trickles down her legs and pools on the floor. Future Carl covers his mouth, sickened by the sight of blood, and even Dictator Jimmy pauses at this unexpected action. But only April sees the truth…that Nav has stabbed through his own mechanical hand, and that it is only purple coolant which leaks from the gash, mimicking blood as it drips to the ground. Numbly, April touches the rapidly spreading stain. Fingers slippery with his sacrifice, she raises her gaze**
APRIL: (whispering) You…?
NAV: I’m sorry, honey. I guess in the end, I’m just selfish after all.
APRIL: (voice trembling) But…why?
**Nav smiles gently, his eyes telling the real story even as he continues in his perfectly executed charade**
NAV: It’s better this way, April. I can’t stand the thought of you suffering the same kind of torture that Aurora endured. I don’t want to leave you at the mercy of that monster. Die in peace, knowing that it was me who took your life, and not him.
**He twists the knife, snapping the synthetic ligaments in his hand. Nav’s body obscures the true nature of his action; Dictator Jimmy sees only purple blood spurting from what he believes to be a fatal wound. Nav rips the dagger out in a flourish, splattering the walls with lustrous droplets. Hands clasped over her abdomen, April stares up at her fiancée, terribly conscious of the event to come and desperate for one more moment, one more word, one more touch. Brushing his fingers across her cheek, Nav leans forward and kisses her forehead**
NAV: Goodbye, sweetheart.
**Before she can stop him, he draws back and bashes the stock of the machine gun across her face. April falls to the floor, knocked unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. Her helmet rolls from her head and stops just in front of Future Carl, who recoils in horror. Dictator Jimmy’s eyes travel over April’s corpse-like form, which lies motionless, face-down in the glistening violet puddle. After surveying the scene without comment, he looks at last into Nav’s determined face**
DICTATOR JIMMY: It’s been a long time since I’ve had the occasion to say this, but I’m impressed. Murdering the woman you love to save her from death at the hands of the enemy? That takes a lot of nerve. I was going to kill you without ceremony, but you clearly deserve better than that. Any last words?
**Nav swings around lazily to face his executioner. Flashing him a crooked grin, he spreads his arms wide**
NAV: Ya. Say hi to Aurora for me when she’s kicking your ass.
**Unable to watch, Future Carl turns and plunges blindly down the hall, running with all his might, running from the blood and the shame and the guilt. Plugging his ears, he prays not to hear the gunshots, which ring out a moment later in a wordless testament to another senseless killing…**
