第30节

well?"

'Isn't everybody?"

'Are you crazy?! You wouldn't catch me within a mile of any of that

junk! What happened with the Mutes was a different situation. I

didn't want to rub them up the wrong way. But not down here."

'Didn't do you any harm, did it?"

'That's not the point!" hissed Steve. 'That stuff's Code One! How

can you even think about it? Columbus! I mean here, in the White

House!" Chisum grinned broadly. 'Exactly. If you're gonna do

anything wrong, this is the safest place to do it."

'Listen, just - don't let's talk about it. You're a crazy man,

John."

'The whole world is crazy,' replied Chisum. 'Or hadn't you noticed?"

Steve didn't reply.

Chisum kept his voice low. 'The reason I asked if you'd smoked grass

is because it can blow your mind. It distorts things. Bends the real

world out of shape - so you no longer know where the edges are."

'Maybe. I'm not an expert,' admitted Steve. 'But let me ask you

something. We're both cold turkey now. So go ahead. Tell me where

the edges are, John."

Chisum smiled evasively. 'That's a good question."

'Here's another. What are you trying to tell me?"

Chisum tapped the tips of his fingers and thumbs together then spread

his palms. 'There's all kinds of grass, Steve. I know, because one of

the labs I worked in did some research on it ' 'You certainly get

around."

'Yeah,' replied Chisum affably. 'That's what makes me such a useful

guy to know. Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that it affects

different people in different ways. I'm no expert either but I know

what's going down the wire. Maybe a lot of what you saw while you were

out there didn't really happen."

Steve eyed Chisum then shook his head. 'John, I'm telling you. I've

seen things you wouldn't believe."

Chisum nodded. 'That's what I mean."

'I'm not talking about hitting the sky."

'Just for the record, reafers call it "tunnelling out"."

'Reafers . . .?"

'Yeah. If you don't have a pipe, you use a rolled leaf.

A reaf- get it?"

'Got it. What I'm trying to say is that I know the difference between

"tunnelling out" and hard-rock reality."

'Lucky man..."

'Don't kid around. I'm talking about the big one, John.

Mute magic."

Chisum laughed and waved his hands in front of Steve's face. 'Whoa!

Hold it right there!" Steve frowned. 'What are you frightened

about-somebody listening in? You already burned out the wires,

John."

Chisum stood up and moved the chair back to its original position.

'Look, you're a nice guy. A little mixed up, but okay. And you've got

a great sister. Let's not spoil a beautiful friendship."

Steve stood up. 'You disappoint me, John. You're quite happy to buck

the system, but the moment somebody threatens you with a new idea you

run for cover."

'Nobody's perfect,' replied Chisum. 'Let me give you some friendly

advice. There ain't no such thing as magic ' 'John, it's true. I

swear it."

Chisum shook his head. 'Look. I'm a good eight years older than

you.

I haven't been topside but I've been around. Truth doesn't win wars,

soldier-boy. Okay, I bend the rules a little, but I also know what's

right. Just get one thing fixed in your mind. Mutes are the enemy.

And no matter how tough they are, we are gonna pound 'em into the

ground. Because there ain't room for both f us. If we in the

Federation, in the generations to come, are ever going to be free to

live in that great big blue-sky world up there then the Plainfolk and

the last of the Southern Mutes will have to go. The big ones, the

little ones, the ugly ones and the not-so-ugly ones. We've got to get

rid of them all, Steve."

Chisum paused and stared hard at the young wingman. Yes, he thought,

the pressure's building nicely. This guy is not going to be able to

hold it down much longer. It was a shitty job he had to do but Chisum

was honest enough to admit to himself that he enjoyed it even though,

in his shadow world of half-truths and outright deception, he no longer

knew - as Brickman had reminded him - where the edges were.

Chisum clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. 'Okay!

Change the subject. And I'm only gonna ask you this one last time."

He aimed a finger at Steve's chest. 'Do you want to see Roz?"

Steve chewed the idea over.

'Once you hit the A-Levels, there's no knowing when you'll be bak