Once the ritual had been completed, Billy pushed himself into a sitting position. He put on the best no-nonsense expression that he could muster.
‘Will you get the other two up here now?’
Carmen stretched languidly.
‘Now?’
‘Really, please, now.’
She sat up and absentmindedly caressed her left breast.
‘You sure you wouldn’t like to go again? We could do something perverted. I could even fetch a crock of gin.’
Carmen was pushing hard, but she realized that Billy had the advantage. She knew it was almost impossible to turn him on just twenty minutes after they had finished screwing. She doubted that even obscene chatter would work.
Billy firmly shook his head.
‘I can’t do nothing.’
She ran her hand down his stomach.
‘You don’t have to do nothing. I’ll do it, lover. Just lie back.’
Billy shook his head even harder.
‘No way. It’s no good, I’m far too tense. Please, Carmen. Get the other two up here. Okay?’
Carmen exhaled ponderously.
‘Yeah - okay!’
She got slowly out of bed, giving Billy the maximum display of her naked body. Billy looked somewhere else. He had, after all, seen it so often before. She pulled her dress over her head and brushed her hair out of her eyes. The gesture suddenly threw up another facet of her character: the slatternly whore. She smiled thinly at Billy.
‘Okay. I’ll fetch them. Don’t go away, will you.’
It took Carmen half an hour to collect the Minstrel Boy and Olad. Neither looked overjoyed at the summons. They were both only half dressed. The Minstrel Boy was barefoot. His coarse weave white shirt was dirty, and half stuffed into his pinstripe stovepipe trousers. He hadn’t shaved for at least four days. The stubble heightened his air of sickness and decay. Olad was naked to the waist. He had obviously simply pulled on his black leather breeches when Carmen had come to collect him. But he hadn’t neglected to strap on his gun. They both looked at Billy with some impatience. The Minstrel Boy yawned.
‘Okay, sunshine, what’s the trouble?’
Billy took a deep breath.
‘I want out. Now.’
The Minstrel Boy raised an eyebrow.
‘Now?’
Billy’s voice shook just a fraction.
‘Now.’
The Minstrel Boy sensed the tension.
‘Okay, how?’
Billy stared at the floor.
‘I can’t see no easy way. I figure we just have to dodge the patrols as best we can, get out of the city and hit the nothings.’
The Minstrel Boy pulled a sour face.
‘I suppose I’m expected to guide you.’
‘It’s your gift, buddy. You’ve got the wayfinding.’
The Minstrel Boy became even more sour.
‘Thanks for reminding me.’
Billy waved his hands in front of him.
‘I know it hurts, but what else can we do? We can’t stay here much longer.’
The Siderian, who’d been quiet all through the exchange, suddenly butted in.
‘I ain’t too sure I want to leave.’
Billy turned on him in amazement.
‘You want to stay here? You want to get picked up by the Ocpol? You got to be fucking crazy.’
Olad scratched the matted hair on his chest.
‘I didn’t say I wanted to stay for ever. I just don’t think there’s any great hurry. I mean, nobody’s bothered us’
‘Yet.’
The Minstrel Boy rubbed the stubble on his chin.
‘Billy’s right. We can’t lay around here drinking and screwing indefinitely. We’re bound to get picked up in the long run.’
Olad stroked the top of his shaved head and scowled.
‘I still don’t see why we have to go right now. Shit, I’m having the best time I’ve had in a long while.’
Billy started to get angry.
‘You want to risk getting picked up just because you’re getting your ashes hauled? Goddamn it, it can’t be that hard for you to get laid.’
The Siderian hooked his thumbs in his gunbelt.
‘If you’re so scared of the Ocpol, why don’t you just get out on your own? I ain’t ready to hold your hand. Anyway, what’s so bad about being picked up? It might be rough at first, and I wouldn’t go out looking for it, but I’ve been in wars before. One side’s as good as the other in the long run.’
The Minstrel Boy slowly shook his head.
‘Nobody wants to fall into the hands of this lot.’
Both Billy and Olad looked at him in surprise.
‘What do you know about them? They’re weird, but nobody’s sure where they came from.’
The Minstrel Boy glanced at Billy.
‘I thought even you ought to have worked it out by now.’
‘Huh?’
‘Where the invaders come from.’
Billy looked bewildered.
‘How the hell should I know where they come from?’
‘You were there when A.A. Catto ordered the prototypes.’
‘Son of a bitch! From Quahal!’
That’s right.’
Billy shook his head as the information struck home.
‘You mean that whole goddamn army’s hers?’
The Minstrel Boy nodded.
Billy looked puzzled.
‘How the fuck did she get so many of them?’
‘From Stuff Central, same as those first ones that took out Jeb Stuart Ho.’
Billy still looked confused.
‘I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all. Stuff Central ain’t about to beam out a whole army to one chick, whoever she is.’
The Minstrel Boy shrugged.
‘I don’t know. It happened. Maybe she had a chat with the computer. Maybe she offered it her body.’
‘Oh, come on.’
The Minstrel Boy looked annoyed.
‘Shit, man. I don’t know, but those troops are modifications of A.A. Catto’s original six. That’s for sure.’
Billy became thoughtful.
‘How do we know they ain’t from the brotherhood?’
‘It’s not the brotherhood style. They wouldn’t pull something like this. If they wanted to change things in Feld, they’d take out the duke or something like that. They’d never stage an invasion. It’d be against all their principles. It’s got to be A.A. Catto.’
Billy pulled a wry face.
‘If she gets us, she’ll kill us.’
Olad suddenly had enough of being left out of the discussion.
‘I don’t know what the fuck you two are talking about.’
The Minstrel Boy turned and faced him.
‘We just made up our minds. We’re going to leave.’
The Siderian nodded.
‘I was afraid of that.’
‘Are you coming with us?’
He hesitated, looking from Billy to the Minstrel Boy and back again. Finally he took a deep breath.
‘Yeah, I guess so. I’ve always been dumb.’
Carmen sat up on the bed and took notice.
‘So you’re going? All three of you?’
The Minstrel Boy seemed to take control now the decision was made.
‘That’s right. We’re grateful for you looking after us, but we’re going.’
‘You don’t ask me if I want to come.’
‘Do you?’
Carmen paused and looked at Billy.
‘No, I don’t think so.’
Billy moved towards the bed.
‘You sure about that? You’re welcome to come with us if you want to.’
Carmen sadly shook her head.
‘I don’t know nothing but this city. I’ll stay here. It ain’t going to be that bad.’
Olad turned to the Minstrel Boy.
‘When do we leave?’
‘We might as well leave tonight, as soon as it’s dark.’
Olad grinned wryly.
‘It’s lucky they didn’t change the day and night when they changed the weather.’
The Minstrel Boy shrugged.
‘It’s easy to change the weather. Altering the day cycle needs heavy modification work on the generator.’