Part 48 (2/2)

'No... ' She got to her feet while her brain was putting the rest of the sentence together: ' . . . just the three of us and a couple of dozen linemen.” She paused, still bewildered. 'I don't get it. You know about this guy?”

'Yeah. He's the reason why I'm here. His name's Cadillac. He's a Mute. You've heard of straights - this one's a super-straight.”

Jodi hid her surprise behind a sarcastic laugh. 'Really?”

She cast her eyes over Steve's black and yellow outfit and the swirling skin patterns on his face and arms. 'And just what are you supposed to be?”

'Hey, c'mon - don't let's go through all that s.h.i.+t again.

What you see is what it takes to stay alive. Underneath it's still me.”

Jodi eyed him suspiciously. 'Yeah? I've only got your word for that.”

Steve glanced over his shoulder to check on the progress of the rescue party. 'Wave to them. It may slow 'em down a little if they know you're in one piece.”

Jodi stepped clear of the glider and waved both hands across her head, looking at Steve as she did so. 'I really don't know what to make of you, Brickman. But I'll say one thing. You're certainly full of surprises.”

'Yeah? Well brace yourself. There's another one coming up right now.”

Steve took a deep breath. 'I didn't give you the full story when we met up in Nebraska ' 'You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Malone was right. You are an undercover Fed!” 'I'm not! I swear it!” cried Steve. He dropped his voice to a harsh whisper. 'But I am on an a.s.signment.”

Jodi took a step back.

'I had no choice! They threatened to kill my kin-sister and strip Poppa-Jack! I did escape from the Mutes just like I said, but I made it back home.” He threw up his hands. 'Biggest mistake of my life.

Thought I'd be a hero. Instead of which the s.h.i.+t hit the fan and I ended up in the A-levels! Christo! Can you imagine what it's like for one of us to have to live down there?” He paused.

'How far away are they?”

'About a hundred and fifty yards.” Jodi's voice had lost its hard edge. 'But they're not running.”

She's bought it. I'm in with a chance . . .

'I made a big mistake when I was preparing to escape from the M'Calls.

In order to get them to trust me, I persuaded this guy Cadillac to help me put this plane together from some bits and pieces they'd salvaged from Fazetti's rig and that other guy's...”

'Naylor.”

'Yeah. Naylor. Anyway, this Mute agrees to help - on condition I teach him to fly.”

'Wowww...” breathed Jodi. 'I bet the a.s.sessors were thrilled to hear that.”

'I didn't tell 'em. But they found out anyway. The thing is, besides being a straight, unmarked Mute, this guy is also a wordsmith -'

'They're supposed to be the bright ones.”

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