Part 71 (1/2)

It wasn't a question Steve had been expecting, but he took it in his stride. 'Yes, sire. It's a standard operating procedure which I'm sure even your organisation must use from time to time. We call it ”s.e.xual entrapment”.”

Skull-Face nodded. 'I see. Well, I suppose that's as good a description as any. Goodnight, Mr Brickman.

You are what used to be called ”a plausible rogue”. If you can manage to keep your b.a.l.l.s out of the jar I have a fbeling you could go a long way.”

On the day before the display, Steve discovered he wasn't the only one who had been making plans. The Iron Masters had also been quietly putting their own act together. s.h.i.+gamitsu broke the news to Cadillac while making his daily round of the workshops. The j.a.panese staff of the Heron Pool would be running things on the day, and the newly drafted team of Koreans, Viets and Thais would look after the ground-handling, together with the reloading of the rocket-trays and ground trolleys. All Trackers would be confined to their quarters the two long bunk-houses inside the walled compound.

In the last month, the strict rules governing the behaviour of slaves had been relaxed. To speed things along, captive Trackers were no longer required to kneel before samurai during working hours. This arrangement only covered the Iron Masters on the permanent staff; all visitors were to be shown the utmost deference.

As Cadillac's constant shadow, Steve was included in this temporary dispensation, but he was still required to bow from the waist when addressed and to keep his eyes averted whilst in the presence of samurai. He did so now and was able to steal a sideways glance at Cadillac.

When in the company of his new masters the Mute tried very hard to keep his face as expressionless as theirs. The Plainfolk called the j.a.ps 'dead-faces' on account of the fearsome metal masks they wore, but their real faces underneath were just as lifeless. They were a strange people. Given an angry dressing-down by a superior, or some really bad news, they became more blank-faced than ever. Laughter was occasionally allowed to break through, but only when among equals or when the top man present gave the cue.

On this particular occasion, Cadillac wasn't doing too well. Steve knew the Mute had been giving a lot of thought to what he was going to wear and how he was going to comport himself when he stood in line to get his share of the praise the domain-lords were bound to hand out.

But that wasn't going to happen. When Steve and his two friends were through the only things the d.i.n.ks would be handing out were neck-trims - if you were lucky - or a meltdown in boiling water if you weren't.

But at this point the Mute didn't know that.

After bowing from the waist, Cadillac enquired if, in view of his past and present contribution, he might be allowed to attend as a spectator.

s.h.i.+gamitsu told him he had already raised this point with the palace.

The answer was 'No'. From one hour prior to the arrival of their distinguished guests, he and the other two pilots were to remain in the house Lord Min-Orota had graciously provided, and would not emerge until called upon to do so. The same ruling applied to the gra.s.s-monkey he had taken on as his a.s.sistant.

Cadillac and Steve accepted this with another deep bow and kept their heads down until s.h.i.+gamitsu and his two aides had moved on. When they both straightened up, Steve found himself looking at a broken man.

Cadillac's pride had been dealt a mortal blow, his expectations cruelly shattered.

It was sad to see the new persona he'd st.i.tched together coming apart at the seams, but if he was hoping for sympathy he didn't get it.

'Don't look at me,' said Steve. 'You were the one who saw this coming, but you preferred to stick your head in the sand.”

The Mute - who was not normally lost for words -didn't say anything.

Neither did Steve. Cadillac had always displayed a certain defensive arrogance, but this aspect of his character had been puffed up out of all proportion through the quite exceptional privileges granted to him by Lord Min-Orota and his subordinates.

In trying to ape Steve, Cadillac had lost touch with his own inner strengths, his true nature and his heritage as a child of the Plainfolk. In his eagerness to abandon his past life in favour of a new existence, he had blinded himself to the fact that it was totally dependent on the continued patronage of the Iron Masters. Now he was paying the price, and there was nothing Steve could do except stand back and wait until it was time to pick up the pieces.

'What are we going to do?”

'I'd say it was more a question of what they're going to do,' replied Steve. 'But, either way, I don't intend to hang around and find out.”

Cadillac was too preoccupied to get the message.

'What?”

'I'm going to take one of these planes we've built and fly out of here with Clearwater. And if you've got any sense you'll do the same.”