Part 89 (1/2)

'Come on, Jodi. I played it straight with you. Level with me.”

The seconds ticked away. Finally she swung her eyes back on to his and held them there. Defiantly. 'Did Dave tell you he doesn't want to go back either?”

They both turned to look at Kelso. He read Steve's face in the half-light and spread his hands apologetically.

Steve greeted the news with a nod then looked away, as Jodi had done, over the bows. Ahead of them to starboard was the foaming wake from SideWinder's boat. He wondered how the big mex was making out with Cadillac and Clearwater. And whether he realised they knew he wasn't a real lumphead. He began to think of Mr Snow. And how Mr Snow had made him think really think about the world around him and his part in the great scheme of things.

What a mess! So many promises to so many people.

Whichever way it went, someone was bound to end up getting shafted.

The face of Roz, his kin-sister, appeared before his inner eye. He drove everything else from his mind and concentrated on the image in an effort to make contact. Despite the barriers he had erected, her voice had sometimes found a way through. Like on the shuttle to Grand Central when he'd been under escort and on trial for his life.

Come on, brain! TR Y! If it hadn't been for Roz, you and I wouldn't be in this jam!

A delicious coolness filled his skull as he and Roz broke through to each other. He was conscious of weightless, formless, wraith-like bodies embracing, merging. His and hers. He was both observer and partic.i.p.ant. The contact had never been as strong as this before. Her voice whispered directly into his brain. Not a single word was spoken, but as he listened, he understood what he had to do. A deep, soothing calm replaced his mental anguish.

He straightened up and found Jodi shaking his shoulder. 'Hey! Are you okay?”

'What? Oh, yeah, sure.”

'You had me worried.”

Steve grimaced. 'Just thinking things over.”

'And...?”

'Would it come as a big surprise if I told you I felt the same way?”

Jodi stared at him in disbelief. 'You playing some kind of game with me?”

'Nope. I'm serious. Where were you planning on heading?”

'Wyoming,' she said, cautiously. 'We, uhh -we want to try and get back with Malone and the other guys.”

'Couldn't be better. I'm going the same way.”

Jodi scrambled back to Kelso and broke the news. He beckoned to Steve to join them and raised his voice above the noise of the motor.

'How're we gonna do it?”

'There's five of us and three of them. Shouldn't be too difficult.”

'How about asking your friend Clearwater to help?”

Steve shook his head. 'Mute magic can't be turned on and off like a tap. Besides which, it's too risky. You saw what happened at the Heron Pool. Those planes nearly jumped off their trolleys. We don't want her shaking all the wires loose in those Sky-Riders.”

'So what d'you have in mind?”

Steve laid a hand on the canvas tote-bag. 'Don't ask me why I didn't throw 'em away. It must be Fate. But in here are five face-masks and...” he reached inside his tunic and pulled out a grey canister '... I've also got one gas grenade.”