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about, then nodded at someone in the group, who went to get a car.
    Gil said, ‘How can Cole miss one plane when he has seventy?’
    â€˜Cole knows what he owns,’ said his brother. Conrad Crow was apparently unperturbed by the pilot’s pallor and oozing ear. He got up and his eyes found Xas in the crowd. He stared for a long minute—then frowned. For a minute Xas could see Crow wondering what he was looking at—then the man put it out of his mind and got down to business.
    Crow pointed to where, out over the sea, there was a towering white cliff of cloud, a solid-seeming mass thathung in the air, its dark base almost flat against its own black shadow. ‘That cloud may not be going anywhere in a hurry, nevertheless I want everyone in the air before it disappears, or bears down on us. It’s the first thing I saw when we got here. It’s the kind of cloud that it usually takes a whole hot day to build. So perhaps the day will pack up on us come afternoon. Meanwhile, that cloud is a Godsend. It’ll help give some sense of scale to every movement in the battle. Xas—if that’s your name—the first thing I’d like you to do is take Frank’s Fokker and put it into a spin right up against that cloud. Can you do that?’
    â€˜That’s my name,’ and, ‘Yes,’ Xas said.
    The director looked around the gathering. ‘We have to do this today. We have to do everything today. I want Millie to crash her Spad—I’m already up to nine hundred and she still hasn’t given me a firm yes.’
    â€˜I haven’t given you any kind of yes, Connie.’
    Crow gave Millie his full attention. He revised his offer. ‘Nine fifty,’ he said.
    She shook her head. ‘I’ll fly stunts and light the smoke pots for you today, Connie. I’ll crash the Spad tomorrow.’
    Crow was silent a moment, looking out over their heads, serene, like a minister directing his prayer to the decoration over the door of the church. When all the talk had subsided in the group, he returned his eyes to Millie. ‘Barnstormers blow in all the time here, Millie. But I like to hire the best people. People I know. I’m in a fix with this film. You know that. And my best pilot seems to have lost her nerve.’
    â€˜Sorry,’ Millie said. ‘But not today.’
    â€˜Even if I hire your friend?’
    â€˜No, Connie.’
    â€˜Early tomorrow, then?’ Crow said, with arch sweetness. ‘I’m talking about a crash you’ll walk away from without a broken fingernail. I’m not talking about a big spectacle. Just something that will do with the right shots around it. I’m not Cole, after all. I’m not going to leave in footage with real deaths.’
    The pilot with the bleeding ear spoke up suddenly. He said, ‘I think I’m good to go.’ He sounded gloomy, but gallant.
    â€˜No you’re not, Frank,’ said Crow, and clapped his hands and pointed down at the man, meaning ‘someone get this guy out of here for me’. ‘But thanks,’ he said.
    Frank’s appointed minder helped him up and led him over to a car. Its engine was running. Frank paused, looked back over his shoulder and said, to Millie, ‘Will you get that Fokker back to Mines for me?’
    â€˜Sure,’ Millie said.
    Crow lifted his voice to recall everyone’s attention. ‘I’ll go over the plans once more with all the flyers, and the crews in the chase planes.’ He placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. ‘Gil is in charge once I go. I have to hunt up Paige this afternoon and write dialogue.’
    Various people made noises of sympathetic exasperation.
    â€˜We’ll re-shoot Marshall’s death scene with sound tomorrow, so might as well do it in the wreck. Did you get that, Millie? The wreck .’
    â€˜Nine hundred,’ said Millie, ‘and I’ll supply you with a wreck