Just in the nick of time, a dialogue-only piece:
Parting of the Ways
“How long has it been, Icarus?”
“Why do you always ask me ‘how long has
it been’?”
“You’re the one with the watch.”
“I know. Is only…you ask every few
moments. I am getting tired of your voice asking me this.”
“Tell me how long it has been,
Icarus, then I can know how much more until we can part ways forever.”
“It has been another fifteen
minutes, Seven.”
“Fifteen more minutes should be
sufficient.”
“This is what you said fifteen
minutes ago. Is also what you said fifteen minutes before that.”
“I know. If I told you we had to
wait one full hour you would have been even more impatient than now.”
“I will not miss you, Seven.”
“Nor I you, Icarus.”
“What will you do, when you are
free?”
“Why the sudden interest in me,
Icarus? Have you not thought about what you will do yourself once you are no
longer a prisoner?”
“I just want to know where you are
going to be so that I may be sure to always be halfway around the world from
you.”
“Ha! That’s funny, Icarus. You
should have let your funny side show sooner, perhaps we could have been friends
all these years.”
“Not likely.”
“I am going to go first into
Eastern Germany and there I will enjoy Oktoberfest one more time before I make
my way to London.”
“What’s in London?”
“Three women I have not seen since
before we were brought here.”
“Seven, you are quite the ladies
man, eh?”
“Maybe when I was a younger man,
Icarus. But no…I go to London to see my mother, my sister and, Sophia.”
“Ah, so you do have at least one
lover waiting for you, no?”
“No, no. My wife died during the
initial hostilities. But she left behind my beautiful daughter, Sophia. I can
only hope that she will remember me after all these years.”
“I imagine so. I suspect it will
take me at least twice as long as I’ve known you to forget you. I would wish it
to be only half that, or less even.”
“What about you, Icarus? Where will
you go? What will you do?”
“New York City. I have always
dreamed of going to the United States of America. Even after the Second Civil
War, she is still a proud country. I heard that once the War was over, they
rebuilt New York City into twice the grandeur as before. And were there is
grandeur, there is surely fortune to be had.”
“So you will seek your fortune,
become an Aristocrat, will you?”
“Ha! Aristocrat indeed! I will find
myself rich widow to seduce and I will be her bodyguard, her confidant, and
even her lover. When I grow tired of her I will move on to the next widow.
Surely there are plenty of rich widows to be found in a city such as this, no?”
“Surely.”
“Seven.”
“Yes, Icarus?”
“It’s been another fifteen
minutes.”
“Let’s move. Open the door
quietly.”
“Okay, it is open, but barely.”
“You must whisper, Icarus, or they
will surely hear us in the tunnels.”
“Is this quiet enough for you?”
“Better.”
“Now what?”
“Let me put the nigh vision goggles
on a moment.”
“Why couldn’t you get two pairs?
This would have been so much easier.”
“Why? So you could take off in any
direction and leave me stranded at the slightest sound in the tunnels? No thank
you, Icarus.”
“You think me a coward?”
“I was jesting, Icarus. I nearly
got caught nicking these.”
“Alright then, are you ready.”
“My God, man!”
“What?”
“You are even uglier in the green
light of the night vision.”
“Screw you, Seven.”
“Let me get past you now.
There…grab hold of my suspenders and follow me. Keep as quiet as you can.”
“Alright…let’s move.”
“We must continue down this old
access tunnel until we can go no farther.”
“How much longer until we’re out of
here?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes or forty-five?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“What happens when we can go no
farther?”
“Why, Icarus, we fly of course.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“You’ll see.”
“Tell, me, Seven, why did you join
the resistance in the first place?”
“I was a soldier in my youth. I
left military service after six years, longer than most. But it was always in
my veins, always a part of who I was. I tried to avoid the conflict, at first.
But when I found what they had done to my wife, I could stay away no longer.”
“I never thought to ask you this
before.”
“Close quarters and darkness tend to
make one more vulnerable, more susceptible to speaking from the heart. It is a
phenomenon I witnessed much in the Army when serving on graveyard guard
duties.”
“But we have spent much time
together over the past five years in both close quarters and darkness and,
aside from hurling insults or fists at one another, we have never been close.”
“Icarus, do I detect a hint of
remorse?”
“Is only, I wonder if maybe we
could have been friends, if things were different.”
“I suppose that is possible. But we
may never have had chance to cross paths had we not both been captured during
the resistence.”
“I suppose not.”
“What of you, Icarus? Why did you
join the fight?”
“I was caught stealing when I was
seventeen. I was given a choice: have both of my hands cut off or join the
military. I had plans for my hands that involved many young ladies, so I chose
the military. Then the Coup started and I decided I didn’t like the choices the
government was making for me, so I chose the resistence.”
“You chose well.”
“Seven, it’s been nearly fifteen
minutes more.”
“And, see…we are here.”
“No…I don’t see. You have the night
vision goggles.”
“Ah, yes. Feel here. This is a
ladder.”
“Where does it go?”
“To our freedom. I will go and open
the hatch.”
“How far up?”
“Only about three meters.”
“Is it safe?”
“That is why we waited so long.
See, I am opening the hatch now.”
“Why is there so little light?”
“That is the moon, Icarus. Here,
let me help you up.”
“Why must we go by night?”
“So you won’t fly too close to the
sun and melt your wings, Icarus. Fly away now, my friend. We are free. May our
paths ne’er cross again.”
“And good journeys to you. I hope I
never see you again also.”
“Goodbye, Icarus.”
“Goodbye, Seven.”
