louds with a fleeting

glow of silver. The light, which was strong enough to cast shadows on

the snow, turned the night frost at their feet into a carpet of

pearls.

The landscape beyond, harsh and blinding in the winter sun, had been

coloured in with mysterious, washed-out shades of blue. At moments

like this, it was easy to understand why Mutes thought such beauty was

the inspired handiwork of some all-powerful being. Like Mo-Town, the

Great Sky-Mother...

Jodi surveyed the scene then said: 'This is one of the things I'm gonna

miss."

'Yeah. Not bad, is it?" Compared to this, the vistas offered by the

John Wayne Plaza paled into insignificance.

She fisted his shoulder. 'Think I'll stroll around for a bit while you

guys swap secrets. Have fun..."

Steve laid a few more branches on the fire then settled down beside

Kelso. 'You and I need to talk."

'S'posing I don't feel like it?"

'S'posing it means living instead of dying?"

'You mean I got a choice?"

'Wanna know something? Adversity really brings out the best side of

your nature."

'Move it along, Brickman. Otherwise I may fall asleep on you."

Steve outlined Jodi's plan to get them both aboard The Lady, and the

reason why she thought she'd get a friendly reception.

'Because of her connections..."

'Yes. I think it's a runner, don't you?"

Kelso greeted this with a husky sneer. You could see by his face it

hurt even to breathe. 'She might get away with it but what about me?

When they feed my serial to that bug-eyed monster back in Houston,

they'll know I've been on the run for over three years. Those guys on

that wagon-train'll dump me over the side without even bothering to

change the bandages!"

'It's true they rarely take renegades back alive, but in your case I

think they'll make an exception."

'Oh, yeah? You must know something' I don't." Kelso tried to keep his

voice and expression neutral but the way his lips froze up around the

words gave him away.

'Wrong. I heard something I wasn't meant to." Steve's eyes fastened

on the left side of Kelso's head. 'Hold still.

You got a bug crawling up your neck." He reached over and flicked away

the imaginary insect then slid his forefinger upwards under Kelso's ear

and located the pea-sized transceiver lying beneath the skin just below

the edge of the skull.

Kelso tried to move his head away but Steve's own transceiver had

already picked up the signal and fed it into his eardrum as a

mosquito-like whine. Jodi was right.

David Kelso was a mexican - as Steve had once suspected back at the

Heron Pool when he'd encountered the irascible red-headed breaker

humming 'Down Mexico Way'.

'Just testing. Let me guess your call-sign -RT-CR...?"

With only one free hand and the rest of him tied to the hatch, Kelso

knew he was at Steve's mercy. 'How long have you known?"

'It was just before we took off from Long Point. I heard this

character called Rat-Catcher asking Sky-Bucket Three to pass 'a message

to Mother." Steve fed him an edited version of Jodi's story.

'What can I say?"

'Plenty. That evening back at the Heron Pool - when I met you in the

alleyway and--' 'I was humming our signature tune--' 'Yeah. When I

responded with my call-sign - why didn't you answer back?"

Kelso shrugged his good shoulder. 'I was checking you out. Jodi'd

told me what you had in mind. I just wanted to make sure you really

were one of us."

'Are you telling me that, on top of everything else, there are guys who

pretend to be mexicans?"

"There are some strange people out here, Brickman grinding some very

peculiar axes."

'And you thought I might be one of them..."

'The question did crop up. Jodi wasn't one hundred per cent sure of

you either. You're a hard man to pin down."

'Look who's talking. What about your change of heart on the way to

Long Point?"