because I am laughing, you see?
He takes up a hearty, chummy, breathless laugh.
Jake stares him down hard. Valenti's eyes show that he tells the truth, so Jake decides to trust him. Jake points the gun high into the air toward the beach. Valenti lowers his arms, raises his eyebrows at Jake to hint to him to play along, continues his fake laugh, and looks in the direction where Jake "Aims." Jake joins in the faked laughter.
VALENTI
Ah, wow! You remind me what an excellent shot I used to be! That duck will not go anywhere else soon!
They indulge in more faked, hearty, chummy laughter.
CATALDO, male, Italian, forty, stout, stocky, with a chummy facade over his cross cynicism, and in a fine suit, emerges from the rear hotel exit, and looks at them. Their backs face him.
CATALDO
What, what is it, my old friend? What is so funny?
Cataldo eyes Jake with greed and regret that he missed this prized hunter trophy. Jake and Valenti both notice it as Jake lowers the gun and they turn to him. Jake casually holds the gun down at his side. Cataldo eyes it, and fails to conceal his wariness.
VALENTI
Ah, what is funny? Why, the incredible aim and quick draw which my friend has just shown me. I challenged him to take down a bird, and--BLAM! Before I could even finish my challenge! He downed a duck! Just like an old Mafia quick-shot! I didn't even see the duck until it fell!
Valenti and Jake indulge in more mock laughter. Cataldo hesitantly joins in.
VALENTI
(to Cataldo)
But do you know what else is funny, my old friend? That I can still see that old Mafia greed in your eyes. It betrays you so. Why, right now, you are looking at my new friend as if he is a prize trophy which has escaped. Why is that?
Cataldo's face flashes alarm, and he takes a quick, deep breath and settles into an unreadable "poker face."
CATALDO
Ah, I am just disappointed he got a duck first. They are coming through, and I hope to get one.
Valenti genuinely laughs.
VALENTI
AH, but that is really funny. Because, you see--
Quick as lightning, Valenti raises a small silenced pistol and aims it at Cataldo's heart, then fires: ZRT! Blood spurts from a wound near Cataldo's heart. Valenti tracks his aim to the movement of Cataldo's head. Cataldo is shocked, and gasps in pain. His hand extends from his suit sleeve and drops a small silenced pistol to the pavement. He staggers back and leans against the wall beside the hotel exit, beside some very thick hedges, then slouches and slides down to the ground. Blood saturates his shirt and pants, and slowly pools under him.
VALENTI
We both know that nobody will find a duck near salt water unless they are lucky, and that there was no duck. I saw that gun hidden in your sleeve. You are after my prize, here!
Valenti gestures with his free hand to Jake, and speaks to Cataldo in a cold fury.
VALENTI
But you cannot have him! No! Why? Because--
Valenti cuts off as he hears Cataldo loudly gasp for air.
CATALDO
I saw the one in your sleeve.
He chokes, and coughs up a lot of blood.
CATALDO
I wanted to negotiate.
VALENTI
BULLSHIT! I know you! You never negotiate! You were going to try to trick my friend into losing his gun, and then shoot me first!
Cataldo laughs, chokes, and coughs up blood.
JACK
Uh, should we call--
VALENTI
Only if you want your family to die. We have minutes, if we're lucky. Nobody sees this.
JACK
Okay, so can you stop with the ego-maniacal super-villain monologue?
Both Italian men laugh.
CATALDO
(to Valenti)
You know me too well indeed, friend. That was my plan. You've got me.
He nods to Jake.
CATALDO
Go.
VALENTI
(to Cataldo)
You were going to shoot me first! But not this time! No, I shot you first first!
JACK
I have to say, this monologue is getting more awesome by the minute.
Cataldo laughs hard, chokes, coughs, and gargles on more blood as he laughs.
CATALDO
You have given me an entertaining exit from this life, my friends.
FULL STORIES
TREACHERY
An original short story, in fountain screen format
For Gramps, every one of you.
Also for “Nem-nem,” who misses each of you dearly, whether she met you or not, and who at age 7 exclaimed, of this book cover: “A pink sun!”
FADE IN:
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
Through the dim red and violet of a nebula, three suns shine faint white, white and blue, and behind them is a larger, circular, lightless void. Stars are scattered through the nebula like very large jewels along a galactic shore. Tangled in the cloud of the nebula in front of the suns hangs planet Hebe. She is breathtakingly beautiful, with her great green and brown rings, clouds, continents, and vast blue oceans. Borealis slowly dance all over her. Three moons orbit her: two are asteroidal, and one is gaseous and green.
EXT. PLANET HEBE (ORBIT)--NIGHT
From high orbit, streaks and flashes of light illuminate the shadow of Hebe's rings. We descend to lower orbit, to see five million laser streaks and five thousand explosions blink every second; a war of incomparable light and fury, the war to end all wars.
Five thousand giant worm cruisers, part machine, part-organic, wrap like pythons around as many huge, boxy cruisers, which fire lasers and missiles at the worms. The blasts plaster the surface of the worms with flack and quick flashes of explosions, to little destructive effect. The worms eject giant walls of blue fiery plasma from chasms between ridges on their bodies, and pour this plasma onto the cruisers.
Five hundred thousand smaller "fly" fighter jets dogfight two hundred thousand boxy yet sleek starfighters.
INT. JANUS' FIGHTER--NIGHT
Human Squadron Leader JANUS THADDEUS, male, twenty-three, wiry, worn, sharp, and glacially calm, pilots a fighter. A fly tails him. He dovetails and destroys it with laser fire. He launches a missile, which tails another fly...
EXT. PLANET HEBE (ORBIT)--NIGHT
Janus' squadron of seventy fighters flit along a worm's belly. The worm is wrapped around a huge, boxy cruiser, and pours its plasma fire over the cruiser's shield, which lights and strains under the fire.
The squadron passes through a fiery plasma wall ejected by the worm. The flames light their shields on contact.
From a bay in the worm, a squadron of three-hundred flies launch and advance on Janus' squadron with incredible speed and a massive battery of lasers. Janus' squadron deftly dodges and fires back...FLASH, a fly disappears. FLASH, another goes...FLASH...
Fronted by an extremely dense swarm of flies, the huge Command Battleship levies a hundred lasers per second at them. The flies hammer the Battleship's shields with many times more lasers. Even so, many flies flash out of existence...
INT. COMMAND BATTLESHIP DECK--NIGHT
A great window overlooks the furious blaze of battle. MANY MILITARY PERSONNEL man command, technical, and tactical battle hologram stations. The staccato of battle sounds over radio almost like white noise.
Commander NEREUS THADDEUS, male and forty-five, is chiseled and sharp, with brown hair and a stout frame. Even in the thick of battle, his ineffably sunny bearing can't be removed, although he looks on the battle now seriously. At the main command station, a battle hologram shows him the morbid spaghetti fray of battle. He raises a corded, boxy device to his mouth, and presses its orange button.
NEREUS
Commander Thaddeus to Fleet.
EXT. PLANET HEBE (ORBIT)--NIGHT
Over the line of dawn, the battle to end all battles silently rages.
Note: in all rad
io V.O. and ship interior battle scenes, space battle sounds are heard over fleet radio. But in all exterior battle scenes, it is silent (in the vacuum of space).
NEREUS (V.O.)
All squadrons, begin irritations.
INT. JANUS' FIGHTER--NIGHT
JANUS
Alpha One to Squadron Alpha. Irritate the mouth, especially with napalm. Let's wrap it in a ball.
EXT. PLANET HEBE (ORBIT)--NIGHT
Janus' squadron dogfights and destroys flies with laser and missile fire. They rip open the flesh of the worm's mouth with lasers, missiles, and bombs.
Huge fireballs quickly explode and implode as they tear machinery and flesh off the worm. The explosions scatter a fiery gel which sticks to it all over. Bright yellow-green and dark red fluids pour from its open wounds. The fluids vaporize in sunlight, and crystallize in shadow.
The worm's mouth opens, in six slits, to reveal dense rows of giant, sharp teeth. The mouth spews giant plasma fires, and chases Janus' squadron. His squadron splits in two directions. The worm lets go of the boxy cruiser and follows one half of the squadron. They lure it into an approximate ball shape.
NEREUS (V.O.)
Commander to Fleet. This is it! On mark, begin closed nuclear attack. Squadron leaders, relay my mark.
INT. JANUS' FIGHTER--NIGHT
NEREUS (V.O.)
Son, confirm fleet radio and ciphers are working and ready.
As he dogfights, Janus glances at instruments and consoles.
JANUS
This is Squadron Leader Thaddeus. Confirmed, Sir. Sir, why are you addressing me as "Son?"
NEREUS
Treachery Page 8