Saben stopped, his path forward blocked by a gaping hole in the skyway. On the other side was a large pileup of construction equipment, making it impossible for him to jump across even if the distance had been shorter.
Dade slowed, unsure whether to confront Saben or back off. He didn’t think that Saben could make that big a leap, and it wasn’t like he could very well turn around and come back at Dade. Though Dade wondered if that was exactly what Saben was going to do. He shifted back a few steps, scanning the area. It was the wrong place to have the final duel. He couldn’t fake his death here. There was no place where he could make the death look real.
Saben tucked his phaser into the back of his pants and took a running leap toward the hole in the skyway. There was a protracted moment as he flew, feet moving, hands reaching forward, suspended over the space, before he slapped against the bulk on the other side, barely making it across. His hand scrabbled on the concrete bricks, fingers digging and clawing to climb up the other side.
Staring in disbelief, Dade stood at the edge of the wide, empty space that stretched between them, taking a gulp of air as he looked down at the crowd gathered on the skyway below. Faces peered up at him with slack jaws and wide eyes. And then the pointing began. They definitely recognized them. So that part of the plan had worked.
He shot off another few rounds, knowing they’d land nowhere near Saben, who was now past the construction debris. Dade again assessed the vast gulf between where he stood and where he needed to be. Now that Saben had done the impossible, Dade had to follow. They wouldn’t get another opportunity at this. He groaned, while gathering his courage to mirror Saben’s insanity. His palms became slick with sweat, making it difficult to handle his phaser. The leap wasn’t going to get any easier the more he freaked over it.
Dade let out a long, frustrated breath and tucked his phaser at his waist. Then he backtracked a distance to get a running start and hurled himself through the air. As he flew, he became convinced he wouldn’t make it. The distance seemed too long, and his jump felt too short. He regretted the leap the second he left the platform, wishing that there’d been more momentum behind it.
He barely touched the far side. Dade let out a sound halfway between a scream and a grunt as his fingers caught and held. He must have broken a bone or two. He fell into the space between the worst pain he’d ever felt and encroaching numbness. His fingers scraped as he slid, rubbing flesh from his hands. His skin was raw and bleeding, and his hands wouldn’t respond when he mentally told them to move. He fought against the shaking. Didn’t want to give in to the numb feeling that would cause him to lose everything. He forced himself to hold on.
Dade dug in harder, desperation making him strong. He would not die like this. Not when he was so close to freedom. This was not how his life was meant to end.
Below him, people screamed. He heard their cries, though he forced himself not to give them his full attention. Neither would he look down. Forget about them, he told himself. Yet the noise rattled him, threatening to break his concentration.
Dade was too low to pull himself up with sheer will. He’d have to propel his body upward a few inches to catch a toehold. The slickness of the sweat and blood on his hands didn’t help with the traction as he clung. His shoulders burned and his muscles ached as he swung his feet in an effort to create momentum. When he gained enough speed, he let go, swinging upward a few inches. He caught on, gripping deep.
When he finally crested onto the other side, sweat dripped from his brow and his limbs were numb and shaky. Phase-fire whizzed by his cheek, the flare of the blast hot and bright, sending him sprawling onto the ground. He pulled his phaser from his waist and returned fire. His aim was unsteady, and the shot flew wild. His fingers had difficulty squeezing the trigger. The agonizing pain of moving the misplaced bones shocked his system.
He pushed forward on his hands and knees, then got to his feet and began to chase Saben once again, though his heart wasn’t in it. Certainly his body was past the ability to fight. He was tired and aching and wished to be finished. To get to an area where they could follow through with their plan and end this charade.
Ahead, Saben ran into another blocked walkway, where a building had crumbled, its side spilling onto the street. Saben didn’t pause. He jumped onto a beam that projected out of the debris and stretched across the open sky across to the opposite skyway. It had been secured in place by several stabilizing cables.
As he ran, he shot one of the cables, detaching it from its mooring. As it swung out, he launched himself onto it, using it as a pendulum to swing across the expanse. He was graceful when he did it, holding his phaser in one hand and returning fire to Dade, his other arm and a leg wrapped around the cable to keep him steady.
Dade stumbled to a halt, letting out a staggering breath. No way. Perhaps they should have been clearer about the death-defying feats this chase would entail.
He made his way out onto the beam much slower than Saben had, perfectly aware of how crazy this was. Then he let that thought go and simply ran, pushing his body forward with as much momentum as he could, while his feet slid along the slick surface of the metal, unable to gain traction. He began to wobble too far to the right and threw his hands out to balance himself.
Saben chose that moment to shoot at him.
Dade ducked to avoid the blast, but that shifted his weight even more. His foot slid off the edge, his body falling after it. He moved his weight, centering his balance on the other foot in an attempt to stay on the beam. It left him swaying as he looked over the vast darkness of the static cloud below.
Slowly he brought his dangling foot onto the beam, leaning back into his other side while readjusting his weight. His heart hammered, fighting his instinct to lie down and hug whatever surface would keep him from falling. Sickness rolled his gut and burned through his chest, leaving him hollowed out and shaky.
He knew that Saben wasn’t trying to kill him. He was sure it was an accident. But really, that was too close for comfort.
The beam shifted beneath Dade’s feet, unsteady, the final cable stressed. He crouched low and grabbed on to the edge. Dade needed to get off this beam as soon as possible before it gave way, and he needed the last cable to get across the expanse. He looked back at the crowd of construction workers calling out to him. The beam shifted again, a bigger tremble this time. Dade surged forward, shooting at the remaining cable as he ran. It detached, spinning into the air as Dade launched himself and caught it. He felt the beam give way beneath him and fall into the dark static depths below.