The Amtrak Wars - Ironmaster Part 44

'Provided you land back at the same field."

'You got a point there,' conceded Simons. 'If you've got any bright ideas, don't be shy about speaking up.

Brickman runs a tight ship, but he's always open to suggestions. And as wingmen, you guys know a lot more about this stuff than we do."

'Yeah . . ."

'What's the connection?"

'With Brickman? Oh... we shipped out together on the same wagon-train.

The Lady from Louisiana. I was his section leader. We ran into all kinds of trouble -that's when I went over the side. From what he told me when we met up, he was shot down the next day. But he's a survivor.

Smart too. Doesn't miss a trick."

'You can say that again."

Jodi watched the glider now under test drift gracefully across the evening sky. 'I'm surprised he hasn't taught any of you to fly."

Simons laughed. 'Are you kidding? You wouldn't catch me going up in one of those things. Took me long enough to get used to standing out here on the ground all by myself without getting the shakes."

The glider, now way over on the right, swept southwards across the road running past the compound, then circled back towards the field. As he drew near the road, Brickman dropped the starboard wing and applied top rudder, making the same steep approach they had watched first time round. It seemed like he was going to slide right into the workshops, but when he was down to about fifty feet, he levelled out and kicked the nose straight, swishing over their heads to land a short distance away.

Kelso walked down the alleyway in time to see the touchdown.

Positioning himself between them with folded arms, he rocked gently back and forth on his heels and pointedly ignored their presence.

Simons glanced up at him, then aimed a questioning look behind his back at Jodi. She raised her eyebrows and shoulders in reply.

The glider slid to a halt about a hundred and fifty yards away, then tilted gently over on to its starboard runner as the Tracker ground crew ran a trolley out on to the field.

A figure dressed in an all-white outfit climbed out of the c.o.c.kpit and stood, hands on hips, as the sleek craft was lifted gently on to its carrying frame, then walked behind the six-man crew as they wheeled it back towards the workshops.

'Is that it for today?" enquired Kelso. 'Or is this where we start hanging out lanterns?" His voice carried no hint of rancour.

'No. We don't start night flying till next week."

The joke was lost on Kelso. 'Good. How about introducing us?"

'I thought you already knew each other."

'We do. But since he isn't expecting us it might be better if you break the ice. Don't want him to get the wrong idea."

Simons looked at Jodi. 'Is he always this difficult?"

'Only when his feet hurt."

The ground party pushing the glider drew closer.

Brickman was now walking level with the tailplane, his face partially obscured by the starboard wing. He wore a white headband bearing the brown petal motif of the Min-Orota and looked thinner than the last time Jodi had seen him. His crewcut hair looked darker too.

Simons set off towards the plane. Jodi and Kelso let him get ten yards ahead, then followed.

'Steve! Got the new boys here. They'd like to meet you."

The white-clad figure gave an answering wave then motioned to the ground crew to take the glider back inside the workshop. The intervening wing moved out of the way, enabling Jodi and Kelso to get a clear view of their fellow alumnus. He was slimmer. His hair was not just darker, it was jet black.

And the guy it belonged to wasn't Brickman.

Kelso faltered in mid-stride. 'Wait a minute ' 'Keep going,' whispered Jodi. 'Just play it by ear."

They approached to within arm's length in time to hear Simons identify them by name, adding. 'They tell me they're old friends of yours."

Cadillac found himself in something of a quandary. In 'borrowing'

Steve's acquired memory, and later a.s.suming his ident.i.ty, he had not considered the possibility that he might encounter Trackers who actually knew the real Steve Brickman.

There was no danger of them guessing he was a Mute, but they would know he was an impostor -'and that might prove awkward.

If they had not been wingmen, he would have arranged for their removal on some trumped-up charge of sloppy workmanship or insolent behaviour.

But that was not possible. He was in urgent need of people with flight experience to help move the project along, and these two new arrivals were the only ones available in the whole of Ne-Issan.

Cadillac squared up to the new recruits and cast his eyes over each of them in turn. He was sure that Steve would have known exactly how to turn a situation like this to his advantage. He had to try and do likewise. But knowing everything that Steve knew was not the same thing as knowing how Steve would act in any given set of circ.u.mstances.

Not the same thing at all...

And there was another problem he hadn't foreseen.

The transfer of information had ceased the moment that Steve had finished teaching him to fly. Cadillac had then gone on a long journey with Mr Snow, arriving back at the settlement in time to witness Steve's flight to freedom. He only knew at second hand the events leading up to Steve's escape, and was unaware of what had happened since. He was thus able to recall everything Steve knew about Jodi up to the moment of her dramatic disappearance: Kelso, on the other hand, was a total stranger.

'Jodi Kazan... Yeah, the name's familiar. She was the flight section leader aboard The Lady from Louisiana.

But she was killed trying to land during a thunderstorm."

'uh-uh,' said Jodi. 'Almost." She motioned to the disfiguring sheet of livid scar tissue that covered the left side of her face and neck.

'I got the marks to prove it."

'So I see . . . ' 'Brickman' eyed her keenly. 'You still look a lot different to the Kazan I remember."

'I am a lot different. You've changed quite a bit too."

'You must have me mixed up with someone else,' said 'Brickman'. 'I heard about what happened to Kazan and The Lady, but I wasn't on board at the time. I'm not saying you aren't who you claim to be, but I joined Hartmann's crew after the refit. The Plainfolk gave The Lady a real pounding."

'True. Yeah, well . . . that explains everything,' said Jodi.

'Brickman' suppressed a smile and turned his attention to Dave Kelso.