Part 48 (1/2)

Apart from the broken skid, which had ripped an untidy furrow in the topsoil, the pilot had got the plane down in one piece. With only one and a half wings that was no mean feat.

Steve ran forward, ducking between the ragged strips of white fabric hanging from the trailing edge of the port wing as the pilot eased himself gingerly out of the c.o.c.kpit.

He, or rather she, wore a white headband and a loose blue tunic and trousers. And she had a livid slab of scar tissue down the left-hand side of her face.

'You wanna watch where you're going,' said Steve amiably. 'Almost ran me over.”

Jodi Kazan froze with one leg over the side and did a rapid double-take. 'Sweet Christopher! What the effeff are you doing here?”

'I was about to ask you the same question.”

'I got in first. Let's hear it.”

'It's a long story but, among other things, I came to see you. I promised I'd look out for you - remember?”

Jodi threw him an old-fas.h.i.+oned look and swung her other leg out of the c.o.c.kpit. As both feet hit the ground she buckled slightly at the knees.

Steve grabbed her arm. 'You okay?”

Jodi straightened up stiffly. 'Feels like my a.s.shole's been rammed halfway up my spine.” Throwing off his hand, she cast her eyes over the stripped wing, walked round behind the tail boom to check the undamaged starboard wing, then knelt down to inspect the underside of the fuselage and the wrecked skid.

Steve peered into the c.o.c.kpit. It was fitted with a woven cane seat, joystick and rudder bar, but, as he had correctly surmised, contained no instruments of any kind. He knelt down and took a look at the damage from his side. The laminated wooden skid was badly split and the supporting struts had been driven up through the underside of the fuselage pod. He straightened up and leaned over the nose of the glider.

'Could be worse. When that wing started to unravel I thought you might not make it. But I see you haven't lost your touch.”

Jodi raised her head but stayed on her knees. 'Just what are you after, Brickman?”

'Nothing.”

'Come on, I wasn't born yesterday.”

'I was just on my way to deliver some mail to the Heron Pool. I work around here now.” He smiled. 'Just like you.”

'You got some nerve, you know that?”

'Not really. I meant what I said back in the Big Open.”

Steve looked over his shoulder and saw a small crowd of blue-and-white-clad figures running towards them from the direction of the Heron Pool. They were still a long way off. He turned back to Jodi, his voice taking on a new urgency. 'Listen, we don't have much time. Who else was up there with you?”

'Kelso ' 'How about that? Good o” Dave . . .”

'Don't count on it. If you run into him stand well back. He still blames you for being here.”

'Who was the third man?”

'You mean Number One.” Jodi was unable to resist a smile. 'He's the guy who runs the project.” She paused, then let him have it. 'Goes by the name of Steve Brickman.”

Steve took the news in his stride. 'Good. Any more wingmen on the project?”

Jodi, who had been hoping to see Steve knocked sideways, was completely thrown by his matter-of-fact reply.