‘Which we don’t have …’
‘No. He hasn’t totally rejected the idea of a joint attack. We have agreed to meet again. But he may be right. Perhaps it’s time you and I faced up to the realities of the situation.’
Cadillac watched the uniformed warriors going through their paces for a moment then said: ‘Anyway that’s one of the things we need to discuss.’
‘Sure. Can it wait – or d’you wanna do it now?’ Steve saw the expression in Cadillac’s eyes and turned to shout though cupped hands at his perspiring trainees. ‘Okay! Break it up, you guys! Game’s over. I’ll catch up with you later!’
Cadillac led Steve out of the settlement. Blue-Thunder and the other three Bears followed. Nobody said anything and Steve felt a slight prickle of apprehension. If Cadillac wanted a quiet chat, what did he need the heavy mob for?
The M’Calls had pitched their huts on the same piece of turf they had occupied in 2989 when Steve had been shot down and made a prisoner. Cadillac led the way to the top of the slope above the settlement and halted on the bluff where Steve had fought a last-minute battle with Motor-Head, Black-Top and Steel-Eye. The three Mutes had caught him trying to escape on the hang-glider he and Cadillac had built. Clearwater had used her powers to help him get away. Had she not done so, he would have been a dead man.
Steve had fled because he had broken his promise to Mr Snow to stay away from Clearwater. In so doing, he had also betrayed Cadillac. And here he was, back on the very spot where he’d stepped off the M’Calls’ turf and soared into the air. Was he supposed to read some weighty significance into the choice of venue?
The young wordsmith invited him to sit on a rock. Two of the Bears, Storm-Trooper and Twilight-Zone positioned themselves on either side at the edge of his field of vision; Blue-Thunder and Funky-Deelix planted themselves about three yards in front of him, legs astride, arms folded across their chests.
Deciding there was nothing he could do but wait for the next move, Steve rested his hands on his splayed thighs and tapped out an impatient rhythm as Cadillac paced back and forth across the intervening space. He knew it was all part of the act, but there came a point when he felt they had played around for long enough. ‘You got something to say to me? Or have we just come up here to enjoy the view?’
Cadillac stopped in front of Steve. ‘It’s about the Old One. Apart from the impact his death has had on me personally, it has placed us in a very difficult position.’
‘You mean with Malone?’
‘No. I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you could persuade him to help us. On the other hand he may be right. Maybe we should forget the whole idea –’
‘– of trying to rescue Clearwater?’
‘Yes. What do you think we should do?’
Steve shrugged. ‘Not for me to say. I obviously have a vested interest but this is a matter for the Clan M’Call. You’ve taken over from Mr Snow. From here on in, you are gonna have to make the decisions.’
‘Yes, I know, but …’ Cadillac paced up and down again, chewing over his words then asked: ‘Did you get a chance to talk to the Old One before he …?’
‘You mean about Clearwater being on the wagon-train? Yes, I told him what happened – and that you’d decided to try and rescue her.’
‘Did you tell him you thought it was a crazy idea?’
‘No. I just pointed out some of the difficulties.’
‘And …?’
‘He said we should go for it.’
‘Yes, but when he said that did he know he was dying …?’
‘Dying?’ Steve grimaced. ‘Can’t say. It wasn’t his last wish if that’s what you mean. He just told me The Path was drawn – and gave you his blessing.’
‘Even though it means walking into a trap?’
Steve frowned. ‘I’m not sure what you’re getting at.’
Cadillac eyed him expectantly then said: ‘I see. You didn’t tell him about Malone’s little secret.’
There was only one way to meet this veiled accusation. Head on. Steve glanced at the two warriors standing on either side of him then said: ‘Oh … you mean about him being an undercover agent? Yeah, I told him.’
‘But you didn’t tell me.’
‘I was going to. I thought I’d give you the chance to work it out for yourself. And you have. Which is great. Saves me a whole lot of trouble.’
Cadillac’s temper rose. ‘Just what the hell is your game, Brickman?!’
‘It’s called “survival”! You make up the rules as you go along and any number can play. But before this goes any further, try and grasp one simple fact – you and I are on the same side.’
‘Do you seriously expect me to believe that?’ Cadillac’s anger exploded. ‘You set me up! You and Malone were going to lead my clanfolk into a trap!’
‘No, no, you’ve got it all wrong, Caddy. I admit it looks that way but that’s not what’s meant to happen. This is a set-up but the idea is to turn it around! It’s Malone’s renegades and the crew of Red River who’re gonna end up as the fall guys – not us.’
Cadillac looked unconvinced. ‘Easy to say that now your lies have been uncovered! Just as you have no proof that you confessed this to the Old One and received his blessing!’
Steve bit back his reply. He had suddenly realized where this discussion was heading. He decided to let it run. If he was right he could get off the hook later. It was time to go on the offensive. ‘Listen! I’m not the guilty party – you are! None of this would have been necessary if you’d trusted me. But what did you do? You went shooting your mouth off to Malone – about how you thought I was an undercover Fed! You’re lucky he’s a mex! If he’d been a real renegade he’d have put a bullet through me. Where the hell would you have been then?!’
‘No worse off than I am now!’ cried Cadillac, still stricken by the knowledge that he could never again turn to his teacher and mentor for aid.
‘Well you get no sympathy from me! If it hadn’t been for your stiff-necked attitude I wouldn’t have had to lie to you! But what happened when I suggested trying to rescue Roz and Clearwater from the wagon-train? You dismissed the whole idea, accused me of trying to sell you down the river and we end up drawing a knife on each other! Thanks to your paranoia Clearwater came close to getting killed. I didn’t put her on that wagon-train – you did!’
‘Well, that’s your story …’
Steve ignored the jibe. ‘Then what happens? Malone comes up with the same idea – strokes you up the right way – plays on your distrust of me, and you swallow it hook line and sinker!’
‘You tricked me into it!’ cried Cadillac. ‘You put him up to it! You knew that if you said it couldn’t be done, I would want to prove that it could!’
‘Yes,’ shouted Steve. ‘That’s because you always want to be Number One! You always want to do it your way, and every five minutes you want someone telling you you’re Mister Wonderful! Well, sometimes you are. But most of the time you behave like a complete and utter bonzo!
‘That was why I had to play it this way! Because you didn’t trust me! Didn’t we exchange a blood-oath with Clearwater as our witness?’
‘Yes, but –’
‘There’s no “buts”! Now that Mr Snow has gone to the High Ground, we’ve got to get her off that train. After what happened at the trading post, this clan and the She-Kargo are going to need her more than ever. That’s why we have to free Roz too. Not because she’s my kin-sister but because she’s a doctor.
‘It’ll take another three or four months before Clearwater is back on her feet, and during that time she’ll need proper medical care. If she doesn’t get it, then the whole exercise is pointless.’
‘Yes, I can see that. You’ve reasoned this out very cleverly. But then you’ve always been good at wriggling out of tight spots. You’re a valuable asset, Brickman. That’s why your masters are prepared to go to such extraordinary lengths to keep you alive.’
‘You’re right. They have,’ said St
eve. ‘Because I’ve managed to fool them into thinking I’m still working for them.’
‘Just as you’ve managed to fool us …’
Steve’s patience began to wear thin. ‘That’s a load of shit and you know it! Have you ever asked yourself why I’ve gone to such extraordinary lengths to keep you alive? No. And you know why? Cos you’re the one who can’t face up to the truth! I could have dumped you anywhere along the line and you know it!’
‘Clearwater wouldn’t have let you!’
‘At the Heron Pool? She couldn’t have stopped me! She was drained of all her power. She could barely walk! And at Long Point, when you were stewed to the gills, I could have pulled you out of that cargo hold and taken off without anyone being the wiser. Or better still, I could have forgotten to lock the hatch and slow-rolled you out once we were airborne –’
‘Thanks for letting me know how your mind works. It’s been most instructive.’
‘You know exactly what I’m trying to say!’
‘Yes, sure. And you could have let me drown in the wheel-boat. But you didn’t.’ Cadillac’s voice lost its shrill edge and became a confident cat-like purr. A sign he now had the upper hand. ‘Why? Why go to all this trouble?’
Cadillac answered his own question with a mocking laugh. ‘It was all part of a plan. After you’d rushed off to the trading post and Malone – rather stupidly – gave himself away – everything fell into place. You’d been sent out to capture all three of us. When Clearwater was wounded and I was lying unconscious, you had a golden opportunity to put both of us on board Red River. But you didn’t take it because you wanted to use me to suck Mr Snow into the trap!
‘Bringing me back to the settlement made you a hero. The loyal friend of the M’Calls! An honorary Bear who goes to the ends of the earth to rescue his clan-brother! Who would suspect that underneath all that paint and leather was a lying treacherous toad?!’
With Blue-Thunder, and the other three armed Bears watching the whole proceedings closely, it was unwise to make any rash moves. But violence wasn’t the answer. The way to destroy Cadillac in front of his peers was to hit him below the belt with some incisive syntax.
‘You deserve to get your head broken for that, but I’m not gonna allow myself that pleasure. I made a promise to the Great Sky-Mother that if she spared Clearwater’s life, I would never fight with you again.’
‘How very noble of you,’ said Cadillac. ‘Can you swear in the name of Mo-Town that a plan such as I’ve described never entered your mind?’
‘No. It did. That’s exactly the line I fed to the people on board Red River.’
Cadillac caught his breath. ‘You …?!’
‘Yeah, I know what I said.’ Steve waited while Cadillac cranked up a suitable degree of outrage.
‘You – you’ve actually been on board the wagon-train?!’
‘Of course! I had to go! I had to see Roz – find out how badly Clearwater had been hurt, and what the chances were of rescuing them both! Isn’t that what you would have done?’ Steve didn’t wait for a reply. ‘And the only way I could get off the train and back here was by selling them this plan to lure you and Mr Snow into making a sneak attack on Red River to rescue Clearwater.
‘In reality, of course, it was to be an ambush. Once the two of you were under lock and key, the idea was to pretend the attack had succeeded so as to bring the rest of the clan into play and …’ Steve completed the sentence with a shrug. ‘I brought Malone in on the plan to keep them happy. By putting him in to work with me they figured there was no chance of, well – anything going wrong.’
‘You mean they don’t trust you either.’
‘The man who runs AMEXICO likes to cover all the angles.’
Cadillac mulled over what he had just heard. ‘What made them think they could capture the Old One? Don’t they know he is the Storm-Bringer?’
‘Of course they do. That’s why they want him so badly. But Roz managed to convince them she had the power to neutralize his earth-magic – perhaps only for a short while, but long enough for him to be seized and pumped full of mind-warping drugs.’ Steve described the demonstration she had laid on for the task force.
‘Was that wise?’
‘To let them know what she’s capable of? Yes. They had to be convinced they had some way to control Mr Snow. Otherwise they’d never let us on board. Can’t you understand? I had to set up this ambush plan. It was the only way I could persuade them to let a bunch of Mutes get inside Red River. And they only agreed to it because Malone was going to be holding your hand during the planning stage –’
‘And he and his renegades were going to be part of the attack force … leading us into the trap.’
‘Exactly. Just get this simple fact into your head. No raid, no rescue. D’you want Clearwater back or don’t you?’
‘Yes, but –’
‘Then we have to go ahead with it.’
‘I see. Let ourselves be herded into an ambush by Malone’s renegades. Many of the She-Kargo clans use a similar technique to catch buffalo. They hem them in and stampede them over a cliff.’
‘But we’re not gonna be following Malone’s plan, we’re gonna play it our way – and Roz will use her power to help us.’
‘You hope …’
‘I don’t hope, Caddy. I know. Our minds are linked, remember?’
Cadillac became irritated as he sensed he was losing the initative. ‘Yes, yes, I believe you can read each other’s thoughts. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. The question is – how can anyone else discover what your true motives are?’
Steve’s anger burst enough. He leapt to his feet. ‘Aww, for chrissakes, Caddy – why d’you keep twisting everything around?! I’ve given you the whole set-up and been absolutely straight with you. Can’t you see that?’
‘It doesn’t really matter now, does it? The Old One is no longer with us.’ Cadillac mastered the grief which surfaced at each mention of his teacher’s name. ‘True or false, all your scheming and plotting has come to naught.’
‘No it hasn’t. We still have Roz. If we can get enough of our people aboard Red River, we can still turn this situation around.’
Cadillac looked unconvinced. ‘Yes, well, you say that now, but you’ve concealed the truth for so long – behind so many lies and layers of deceit – I’m not sure your tongue would recognize the taste of it if it ever managed to slip through your lying throat.’
Steve realized that Cadillac was doing his utmost to provoke a violent reaction. No, my friend, I’m not going to rise to it – because now it’s, clear what your game is … He tuned back in on what the Mute was saying.
‘… but even if this latest confession of yours is the truth, it comes too late. We can’t mount any rescue attempt unless we can discover what they really intend to do. Malone is obviously not going to tell me – and given your track record he’s not going to tell you either.
‘And I doubt that your kin-sister can be of much help to us. They probably distrust her as much as they do you.’ Cadillac sighed heavily. ‘No. Like so many of your schemes, it’s far too complicated. I’m afraid we’re going to have to abandon the whole idea.’
‘So you’re not going to try and rescue Clearwater …
‘Let me put it this way, Brickman. I am not going to sacrifice this clan in order to further your own, rather dubious ambitions.’
Steve laid on a pitying smile. ‘Know what? I’ve just realized what this is all about. It’s got nothing to do with whether I’m telling the truth or not. You’re trying to discredit me ‘cos you’re looking for an out! Now that Mr Snow isn’t here to lead the way you don’t want to take a shot at that wagon-train, do you?
‘What are you frightened of – the responsibility? That a lot of your clan-brothers and sisters could die as a result of your decisions – leaving you holding the can? Or are you just scared to take the job in case they refuse to follow you?’
Steve laughed dismissively. ‘Well, I’ll tell you somet
hing. After watching you trying to wriggle off the hook I wouldn’t blame them! This clan needs Clearwater to help them get through the bad times that are on the way. I’ve kept her alive, kept her within reach and set up a deal which gives us a chance to rescue her. What you should be doing is providing some real leadership! Positive thinking – some action, for crissakes! But all we’ve had from you are negative waves and a lot of cheap shots about my reliability.’
‘Yes,’ cried Cadillac. ‘And considering the circumstances, they’re perfectly justified!’
Steve went for the throat. ‘More fancy words. But then that’s your job isn’t it? I may talk a lot, but at least I deliver! You? You’re pathetic!’
Cadillac’s right hand flashed towards the hilt of his knife. Blue-Thunder and Funky-Deelix seized his arms and locked them to his sides, preventing him from drawing the blade.
Steve raised his hands as Storm-Trooper and Twilight-Zone went to grab him and stepped out of reach. ‘Uh-uh! Hold it, guys. I’m not looking for trouble.’
‘We know that,’ said Funky.
‘Good.’ Steve avoided eye contact with Cadillac and addressed Blue-Thunder. ‘You can check my story with Awesome-Wells and Boston-Bruin. They were with Mr Snow when I told him about Malone and the whole shooting-match. If that doesn’t clear the air, you know where to find me.’
Blue-Thunder’s eyes were not unfriendly but they carried a clear signal that – for the moment at least – enough had been said.
CHAPTER NINE
Night-Fever ducked in through the door-flap of Steve’s hut and knelt before him. The flickering light from the fire-stone raying upwards onto her face made it look like one of the snarling carved and coloured demons that decorated the religious shrines of the Iron Masters.
During his last stay with the M’Calls, the fearsome-looking She-Wolf had developed a soft spot for Steve and, in Clearwater’s absence, had appointed herself as his cook, go-fer and bed-warmer. She had, apparently, failed to find a permanent partner during the months he had spent in Ne-Issan, and following his return with Cadillac and her journey with him to the trading post, she had prepared a hut for him with loving care.
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