“Would you like to get back at them?” Blade asked him.
Red Cloud’s eyes brightened. “Of course.”
“Do all of your people feel the same way?”
Red Cloud gestured at the nearest Flatheads. “Let them answer for themselves. How do you feel?” he asked them. “Do you want to take revenge on those who conquered us?”
There was a chorus of vehement affirmatives.
Blade nodded. “I was hoping you would say that.” He raised his voice so every Flathead could hear him. “Listen to me! I have an offer for you! We will free you from your shackles if you will agree to aid us in our fight against the Doktor and Samuel the Second. Are you willing to fight?”
All of the Flatheads began shouting in unison, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Blade waited until they quieted, then held his arms aloft to attract their attention. “We will supply you with the arms you will need. If you will stand by us, after it is all over we will reunite you with the daughter of your chief.”
Red Cloud gripped Blade’s right arm. “Star? You know where Star is?”
“Yes,” Blade confirmed. “She is staying with my Family in our Home.”
“How can this be?” Red Cloud inquired in amazement.
“It’s a long story,” Blade responded, “and we don’t have the time to tell it right now.”
“What about Rainbow, Star’s mother?”
Blade glanced at Geronimo. Would it be wise to divulge the whole story? How Rainbow had led them to Kalispell under the pretext of locating desperately needed medical supplies, when all she really wanted to do was steal the SEAL? How she had shot Geronimo, and herself been shot by soldiers from the Civilized Zone? No. It was unnecessary to elaborate now. He could always tell them the full truth later, after the upcoming battle was over. “Rainbow passed on to the higher mansions,” Blade replied.
“But Star is all right?” Red Cloud queried.
“Star has been adopted by our Leader and his wife,” Blade explained.
“Plato and Nadine are taking excellent care of her.”
“Plato? What an odd name,” Red Cloud remarked.
“He took it from a book,” Blade stated.
“A book? I don’t understand.”
“We call it our Naming,” Blade elaborated. “It’s a special ceremony every Family member goes through when they turn sixteen. We are encouraged to go through the books in our vast library and select whatever name we want for our own. The Founder of our Home started the practice. He wanted us to always be aware of our history, so we wouldn’t find ourselves committing the same stupid blunders our ancestors did, the mistakes which led to World War Three. Most of us pick names from our history or literature books. Some of us take a name of our own choosing.”
“I have never heard of such a thing,” Red Cloud stated.
Lynx suddenly appeared at Red Cloud’s left elbow, and the Flathead inadvertently recoiled in shock.
“What’s the matter, chuckles?” Lynx chattered.
“Don’t you like kitty cats?”
Red Cloud and the rest of the Flatheads were gazing at Lynx in wide-eyed stupefaction. “What are you?” Red Cloud blurted out.
“Don’t you know?” Lynx retorted.
“My people call you, and the other creatures like you, demons,” Red Cloud answered. “We have heard fantastic tales about the Doktor, about how he creates you out of the thin air to do his evil bidding.”
Lynx shook his head. “Someone’s been feedin’ you a line, dimples. The Doktor creates us, sure, but he does it from test-tubes. Ever heard of genetic engineering?”
“No,” Red Cloud admitted. “My parents taught me to read, and I did own a dozen or so books, but I never heard of genetic engineering. What is it?”
At that moment, Orson ran up, holding a key chain in his left hand.
“Look at what I found,” he announced.
Blade took the keys and knelt in front of Red Cloud. There were seven keys on the chain; with the third key, the shackles came unlocked.
Red Cloud reached down and placed his right hand on Blade’s left shoulder. “Thank you. For this act of kindness, you have my undying friendship.”
Blade stood, smiling. “I would be honored to consider you a friend.” He handed the keys to Red Cloud. “Would you like to finish freeing the rest of them?”
Red Cloud beamed from ear to ear. “I would!” He turned and walked to the nearest prisoner.
“So what’s next?” Geronimo inquired.
Blade thoughtfully stroked his chin. “We’ll give them some of the weapons we’ve confiscated, and let them take the two troop transports and the jeep—
“Why don’t we keep the jeep for ourselves?” Orson asked, interrupting.
“It’s too crowded in that SEAL of yours with all seven of us inside. Why not let a couple of us ride in the jeep?”
“Could you drive it?” Blade demanded, his jaw muscles tightening.
“No,” Orson confessed. “But I know Hickok could, ’cause he drove the SEAL part of the way here. Let him do it.”
“We all stay in the SEAL,” Blade declared.
“When we have a jeep we could use?” Orson countered. He snorted derisively. “Sounds like a dumb idea, if you ask—”
Orson never completed his sentence.
In a blur of motion, Blade stepped up to Orson and gripped the malcontent by the front of his flannel shirt. Blade’s powerful muscles rippled as he heaved, lifting Orson an inch off the ground. Orson dropped his shotgun and frantically attempted to break Blade’s iron hold, to no avail.
Lynx laughed.
Blade’s lips were a compressed line as he stared into Orson’s eyes.
“Listen to me, Orson, and listen good,” he said, his voice harsh and grating. “I won’t tolerate any more back talk out of you. The fact that you were forced to come along on this assignment doesn’t give you the right to be impudent. From now on, when I say we’re going to do something a certain way, then that’s the way we’ll do it. And I don’t want any sass out of you.”
Orson’s bearded face was a bright red.
“Now if you have any objections,” Blade stated with a hint of menace in his tone, “speak right up. We’re going to settle this here and now. The lives of all of us will depend on how well each of us follows orders when we reach Catlow. If I can’t rely on you, I don’t want you with us.”
Blade released Orson and shoved. Orson stumbled backward for several steps before he regained his balance. He rubbed his neck, glowering at Blade.
“Wipe that scowl off your face,” Blade threatened, “or I’ll do it for you!”
Orson gulped and managed a feeble grin. “I didn’t mean anything by what I said!”
“What’s it going to be?” Blade angrily demanded. “Are you with us or not? If you want out, just say the word. I’ll send you with the Flatheads.”
“I’ve got to stay,” Orson whined. “Wolfe will have me killed if I leave.”
“If you stay,” Blade warned him, “you’ll do what I tell you, when I tell you, with no lip. Is that understood?”
Orson nodded.
“I can’t hear you,” Blade said.
“I understand,” Orson shouted.
Blade picked up the shotgun and tossed it to Orson. “I want you to walk south a couple of hundred yards. Keep your eyes peeled. If you see anything coming our way, report back on the double. Move!”
Orson whirled and hurried away.
Lynx was beaming. “I like your style, big guy! You should have punched his lights out, though.”
“If we didn’t need Orson in Catlow,” Geronimo interjected, “you can bet Blade would have.”
Rudabaugh walked up. “Was Orson being a bad boy again?”
Blade simply nodded.
“So what’s next?” Geronimo asked one more time.