means to appear in the tent.
"Besides," he continued, "I'd like to think that my dropping in on you was actually a good omen. A meaningful coincidence ..."
"How so?" Dantini asked.
Hunter shrugged. "I think we can work together," he answered. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out you guys are going up against this Twisted Cross gang.
Well, so am I. And, if the info I bring back with me warrants it, and I'm sure it will, the entire resources of the United American Army will be up against them too."
"Now this is sounding serious," Dantini said.
"It is serious," Hunter replied. He then took the next five minutes telling the two men about his encounter with Captain Pegg, the assassination attempt on the old man and their interrogation of Jean LaFeet, the world's biggest slime-ball.
"You guys are obviously North Americans," Hunter concluded. "You've got to appreciate the fact that the Canal has to be in friendly hands for us to keep the continent together, and keep the frigging Sovs and their shithead allies out . . ."
Dantini rubbed his three-day growth of beard.
"Well, our goals aren't as lofty," he said. "I mean, we're just hired help down here."
"Hired by whom?" Hunter asked.
"A bunch of local landowners and business men, both here in Panama and in Big Banana," Dantini said, pouring out another glass of tequila for himself. "Let me start at the beginning. Most of us are ex-US military - some of us are Army, some Marines. We were doing duty in the Canal Zone when the Big War broke out. Like a lot people, we were stranded for a while, then, when the New Order went down, we just didn't feel right, returning to America.
"We had three choppers, so we started hiring out as a land convoy protection service. Down here the birds come in handy when the guys driving the convoy trucks have no idea what's around the next bend. We made some money, bought new equipment, bought more choppers and expanded the business.
"Then about two years ago, the Cross started showing up around the Canal Zone.
They hired some Colombian gangs, outfitted them as military units and kicked ass on the various local armies that were 'based along the Canal . . ."
"So The Twisted Cross didn't do much of the fighting themselves?" Hunter asked.
"That's right," Burke answered him. "They had the Colombians do their dirty work for them. But, get this: as soon as the Canal was in their hands, they turned around and massacred their hired hands. Killed about twenty five hundred Colombian meres, just like that . . ."
"These guys play rough," Hunter said in classic understatement.
"So did the Colombians, up to that point anyway," Dantini said. "But after they greased those meres, no one, anywhere in the area, wanted to fuck around with The Cross."
Hunter nodded. He had heard it all before. "They were sending a message," he said.
Both Dantini and Burke agreed. "And it was received down here, loud and clear," Dantini said.
Hunter took a few moments to let it all sink in. The stories of brutality of The Cross by Pegg and now by the chopper team matched up.
"But you guys have gone up against The Cross, right?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, that's what the locals hired us to do," Dantini confirmed. "But we're just in the beginning stages of something that will take a few years at least.
Frankly, we're just harassing them now. Hit and run stuff. We hit them, then we move. They look for us and we hide from them. When the smoke clears, we establish a new base and hit them again."
"It's a vicious cycle," Burke laughed.
"And only sporadically effective," Dantini added.
Hunter was just about to say something when he felt a tingling sensation run down his spine.
"Damn," he whispered. "And you guys don't have any SAMs, do you?"
Both Dantini and Burke were mystified. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Dantini asked him.
But Hunter didn't hear him. His equipment, captured when he blundered down into the chopper team's territory, was stacked near the entrance to
"Besides," he continued, "I'd like to think that my dropping in on you was actually a good omen. A meaningful coincidence ..."
"How so?" Dantini asked.
Hunter shrugged. "I think we can work together," he answered. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out you guys are going up against this Twisted Cross gang.
Well, so am I. And, if the info I bring back with me warrants it, and I'm sure it will, the entire resources of the United American Army will be up against them too."
"Now this is sounding serious," Dantini said.
"It is serious," Hunter replied. He then took the next five minutes telling the two men about his encounter with Captain Pegg, the assassination attempt on the old man and their interrogation of Jean LaFeet, the world's biggest slime-ball.
"You guys are obviously North Americans," Hunter concluded. "You've got to appreciate the fact that the Canal has to be in friendly hands for us to keep the continent together, and keep the frigging Sovs and their shithead allies out . . ."
Dantini rubbed his three-day growth of beard.
"Well, our goals aren't as lofty," he said. "I mean, we're just hired help down here."
"Hired by whom?" Hunter asked.
"A bunch of local landowners and business men, both here in Panama and in Big Banana," Dantini said, pouring out another glass of tequila for himself. "Let me start at the beginning. Most of us are ex-US military - some of us are Army, some Marines. We were doing duty in the Canal Zone when the Big War broke out. Like a lot people, we were stranded for a while, then, when the New Order went down, we just didn't feel right, returning to America.
"We had three choppers, so we started hiring out as a land convoy protection service. Down here the birds come in handy when the guys driving the convoy trucks have no idea what's around the next bend. We made some money, bought new equipment, bought more choppers and expanded the business.
"Then about two years ago, the Cross started showing up around the Canal Zone.
They hired some Colombian gangs, outfitted them as military units and kicked ass on the various local armies that were 'based along the Canal . . ."
"So The Twisted Cross didn't do much of the fighting themselves?" Hunter asked.
"That's right," Burke answered him. "They had the Colombians do their dirty work for them. But, get this: as soon as the Canal was in their hands, they turned around and massacred their hired hands. Killed about twenty five hundred Colombian meres, just like that . . ."
"These guys play rough," Hunter said in classic understatement.
"So did the Colombians, up to that point anyway," Dantini said. "But after they greased those meres, no one, anywhere in the area, wanted to fuck around with The Cross."
Hunter nodded. He had heard it all before. "They were sending a message," he said.
Both Dantini and Burke agreed. "And it was received down here, loud and clear," Dantini said.
Hunter took a few moments to let it all sink in. The stories of brutality of The Cross by Pegg and now by the chopper team matched up.
"But you guys have gone up against The Cross, right?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, that's what the locals hired us to do," Dantini confirmed. "But we're just in the beginning stages of something that will take a few years at least.
Frankly, we're just harassing them now. Hit and run stuff. We hit them, then we move. They look for us and we hide from them. When the smoke clears, we establish a new base and hit them again."
"It's a vicious cycle," Burke laughed.
"And only sporadically effective," Dantini added.
Hunter was just about to say something when he felt a tingling sensation run down his spine.
"Damn," he whispered. "And you guys don't have any SAMs, do you?"
Both Dantini and Burke were mystified. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Dantini asked him.
But Hunter didn't hear him. His equipment, captured when he blundered down into the chopper team's territory, was stacked near the entrance to
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