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-fashioned 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.

'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."