第90节

ding 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.

Shigamitsu 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

grass-monkey he had taken on as his assistant.

Cadillac and Steve accepted this with another deep bow and kept their

heads down until Shigamitsu 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 stitched 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."

The news caused the Mute to look beyond the ruins of a once-promising

career. 'You're crazy. You'll never get away with it."

'You got a better idea?"

'No, but... ' Cadillac looked over his shoulder to see who was near by,

then dropped his voice even further.

'There'll be eight pilots on parade tomorrow - twelve if you count the

glider pilots. Even if we managed to steal a couple of planes they'd

be able to follow us."

'Then we must make sure they don't..."

Cadillac's eyes flickered uneasily as he considered the implications of

Steve's reply. 'You mean. spike the rockets?"

'Something like that." Steve wasn't yet ready to reveal' his hand.

'Any objections?"

'I don't know. I'm not sure." Cadillac took another look round. 'I I

need time to think about it."

'There is no time!" hissed Steve. 'Tomorrow's our one and only

chance! We have to take it!" 'But how are we ' 'Never mind how! Are

you willing to go for it? Yes or no?"

Cadillac sighed heavily. 'Since I don't seem to have much choice, I

suppose the answer's yes. Satisfied?"