Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Author: Willy Tamarack
Title: Surfers Rule
Part: 8 of 11
Universe:
Summary:
Keywords: (love story, adventure, war viol)
Language: English


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   @(C) 1996-2015 Willy Tamarack Commercial use in any form requires the
written permission of the author and will ensure a portion of the proceeds
goes to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

   Surfers Rule

   by

   Willy Tamarack

   With thanks to the founding fathers and the U.S.  Constitution

   Chapter Twenty-two

   Below the Malibu, the green of the jungle was rolling by at a very good
clip, close to two hundred miles per hour.  Above them puffy, white clouds
were beginning to build up.  The airplane was below three hundred feet and
coming up on the river.  Isabel was sitting in the co-pilot's seat with Ed
leaning in between the seats from behind.  Craig was flying.  They were all
wearing headsets but Ed was doing most of the talking while Craig flew. 
Low altitude is no place to divide your attention.

   "...clouds you see will turn dark and ugly this afternoon.  Maria said
it rained like hell out here last night.  We both think the penetrations
should take place in the morning.  We flew two afternoons ago and it was
very difficult."

   Isabel retorted.  "Well, what did you expect ?  You knew the rainy
season started before you left.  You said it would not be that much of a
problem.  When you say difficult, do you mean they might not come out after
you ?"

   "Yes, there is that possibility.  Another reason to do it in the early
morning.  It begins to get light out here at about zero five fifty. 
Official sunrise is close to six-thirty.  We plan to be close to the border
at sunrise.  We'll see how good their response time is and better yet this
will push them.  Felix said they were all complaining about too much
training.  They'll be tripping over their dicks to get to us.  All that
hustle and bustle will be to our advantage."

   "You two are the experts.  You've gotten me this far.  You know I trust
your judgment, Ed.  You agree with all this.  Right, Craig ?"

   "Obviously we'll go over all this again when the airplanes arrive
tomorrow but right now, yes.  This is the best plan and we're ready.  Every
day we spend training is another day we could be discovered." Craig had
been stage cooling the engine as they slowed approaching the river.

   They came over the river bank in a slight descent and Craig leveled off
just above the water at about fifty feet.  The airspeed was slowing through
one hundred sixty knots.  The river was a chocolate brown after the heavy
rains last night.  Everything else looked clean and green as they followed
the river to the hacienda.

   *****

   The barge arrived just this morning.  Captain Ricardo Caeres had dropped
anchor up stream and across the river from the landing.  The captain was
the senior vice president of Morales Exporters S.A.  and a retired naval
officer.  He was also one of Alfred Morales' most trusted associates and
Isabel's god-father.  He'd made his bones navigating these waters and after
an exciting career on the inter waterways went to work for Alfred Morales
as he expanded his company westward.

   Ricardo sat in the wheel house and observed the activity surrounding the
landing.  He knew it to be a bustling place during the day.  At night it
quieted down considerably.  He promised Isabel that he'd be hanging around
the dock starting tomorrow for the next five days.  She assured him that it
probably wouldn't take that long.  All of his inquires as to what he was
waiting for, went unanswered.  If it had been anyone else he would have
pressed the issue.

   His god-daughter had been under great strain since Alfred's death.  In
time Ricardo also discovered the truth about Alfred's demise.  He had
contacts that Isabel could never avail herself of and actually knew well
before the family or the public.  He had not shared this information with
his god-daughter and was unaware that his god-daughter knew exactly how her
husband actually died.

   Her performance as the head of Morales S.A.  had initially been more
than executives had hoped for.  Then the vacation to los estadios unidos
and all that changed.  It was almost as if she was working on something
else entirely.  And then there was the "old man" and the Malibu.  That
pilot and plane she brought back from norte america.

   He wished he had paid more attention when it all started.  When the "old
man" was here.  It wasn't until recently that he discovered Isabel's
daughter spent days at a time with the "old man" out at that station Alfred
was developing near here.  And now Ricardo was out here piloting a very
swift specialty barge with some bogus packing crates crowding the deck. 
Ricardo checked the time and decided he should report his intentions to the
landing supervisor.  He made his way forward toward the small water craft
that would take him to shore.

   *****

   Cindy called out to Maria, "I have them on radar.  They're about seventy
miles out." Maria was lying on a cot against the far wall of their command
post.  She jumped to her feet and walked quickly to where Cindy was peering
at the radar picture.

   "This contact has been heading directly for the entry point and it's
about the time they should be arriving.  So I think that's them !?" Cindy
said as she pointed to the contact.

   "So it could be a boat load of dope dealers on their way to Cartegena
for all you know." Maria replied then laughed and patted Cindy on the
shoulder.  In the distance she could see the ground crew sleeping under
some trees about half the way down the runway.

   "The contact just disappeared.  It's them.  They'll be here in thirty
minutes or so.  I'm going down to tell the Bahia boys.  Listen for them
will you ?" Cindy said before turning off the radar unit and standing.

   "Sure." Maria called.  Cindy was out of the building and trotting down
the runway toward where the brothers were sleeping in the shade of the
jungle.  Maria laid back on the cot and drifted off.....

   .....She had dreaded the trip back and forth to the landing yesterday.
But she had to pass "D" day to Captain Caeres so she took one of the Bahia
brothers to keep her company and provide back-up.  Neither of the Bahia
boys had been briefed on what they were all doing out here but they were
smart enough to figure out the air machines they serviced every day around
noon time were not practicing for an air show.....

   .....Maria woke with a start when she heard Craig on the radio.  "Malibu
base." Maria bolted for the radio.  She keyed the mic.

   "Cleared to land." She looked for the Malibu and found it out over the
water.  She imagined her mother was shittin' her pants.  She could just see
the Bahia boys standing in the parking area under the netting at the far
end of the runway.  Cindy was trotting toward the jeep.  Maria turned off
the radio and walked the short distance to the jeep.  The Malibu was
rolling toward the end before Cindy climbed into the jeep.

   "Five bucks or reals or whatever you call them down here says your
mother shit her pants."

   "No bet.  I'm sure she did.  The first time Ed did it with me I was
scared shitless !" Maria had the jeep in gear and off they went.  By the
time they arrived at the other end of the runway the Bahia boys were
already refueling the Malibu.

   The three from the Malibu were carrying several travel bags toward the
path to the estancia.  Maria parked where the bags were being dropped. 
Cindy jumped out and threw her arms around Craig.  Isabel was already on
her way back to the airplane.  She started talking with the Bahia boys as
they refueled the Malibu.  Ed started tossing the bags into the back of the
jeep.

   "Well, did she shit her pants ?" Maria asked Ed.  He laughed.

   "No, she was too busy telling Malibu how to fly.  She thought we were
flying too slow, too low.  Are we sure the wheels won't touch the water
when you put them down ?  Malibu was starting to laugh.  He took his hands
off the yoke and the plane didn't move.  He told her to take it.  `Make the
landing, Isabel.' He said.  She shut up but was a little blue after
landing." Maria was laughing like a fool.

   The oldest Bahia brother was trotting toward the jeep.  "Old man, is
ready."

   Ed reached across the jeep and gave Maria's shoulder a squeeze.  "See
you tomorrow at fifteen hundred, sweet heart." He turned and headed toward
the Malibu.  Craig and Cindy were talking with Isabel near the airplane. 
Ed gave Isabel a hug, squeeze and just a peck on the cheek before climbing
aboard.  Craig followed.  Cindy and Isabel walked toward the jeep.  The
Bahia boys were coiling up the fuel lines and shutting down the generator.

   The Malibu was running up and they all had their hands over their ears.
The plane started moving and they all watched until the gear came up and it
disappeared over the end of the runway.  Just the tail was visible for
several moments until the Malibu flew further away from the runway.  It
started turning and then was lost to sight although they could still hear
it.

   "Excellent turn around, senors." Isabel was sitting on the older
brother's lap in the front seat.  Surfer Girl and the youngest Bahia
brother were sitting on the bags in the back area of the jeep.  Maria let
out the clutch and the jeep moved into the jungle, slowly gaining speed
before climbing the first traverse up to the top.

   *****

   Randal Hopps, Colonel U.S.A.F., retired, was just back from some R&R in
the states.  He was reading the pilot information file, getting himself up
to speed for tomorrow's flight.  He'd left at a good time.  There had been
no activity.  He worried this gravy train just might be coming to an end. A
shame.  It was very good money.  The comm intercepts jumped off the page at
him.  He walked toward the operations desk and picked up the secure phone.
He asked to be connected and turned toward the duty officer.

   "Leave the room for a few minutes, will you, Mister Edwards." The guy
got up and headed toward the door.  The colonel called to the departing
figure.  "Thanks, Dave."

   The line came alive.  "You rang ?" The CIA guy laughed a little. 
"What's on your mind, Colonel ?"

   "These intercepts.  Somebody is out there.  They are training !  This
must be obvious by now, even to you !  What else do you have ?  Do you know
who these people are ?" He was very tense, agitated.

   "Slow down.  There has been absolutely no drug activity.  No one has
been near those air fields.  The Orion has seen some suspicious activity
several hundred miles into Brazil but it could be anything.  And yes, the
comm was intercepted at the same time that the activity was in progress and
stopped when it did.  We are still analyzing the data.  They also appeared
and disappeared in the same area that...That other thing happened.  So yes,
you are correct.  This is very serious.  What do you propose we do ?  Stop
flying ?"

   "I don't know ?" The per diem was okay but he only got paid the big
bucks when he was flying.  "That might be a little sever..."

   The CIA guy interrupted.  "We also received a report from inside one of
the cartels.  On two July at about zero six hundred, a large multi-engine
airplane landed at a remote airstrip in Columbia.  At twenty-two hundred
hours the same day the airplane departed for parts unknown."

   Could they be trying an armed escort of a large shipment ?  A flight of
two A-37s strafe the cargo, fuck the escort.  He couldn't imagine them
having the expertise to attack a flight of two or better yet four
Dragonflys.

   "Why don't we error on the side of caution.  We bring two Dragonflys to
the party and better yet have two more on alert.  The first birds take off
when the Orion gets an unidentified contact from the area we're interested
in.  The second two go on alert and get airborne when we get a tally ho. 
Let's push back.  Whoever this is, they're obviously doing something
illegal...Why all the subterfuge ?  Frequency hopping, running all those
faints...It all points to something illegal."

   The silence stretched on for ten, fifteen seconds.  "Okay, I'll start
getting it set up.  You talk to the host country guy on your end and have
him work his side."

   "You got it." The connection was closed.  Colonel Hopps walked down the
hall toward the Peruvian Lieutenant Colonel's office.  He was sure he could
convince him.  He'd dangle that big cargo in front of him.  Five, six tons
for sure !

   Chapter Twenty-three

   The Jornal do Commercio printed it on the front page in big letters,
"Brasilia Consortium takes Morales Exporters, S.A." As soon as you got into
the article you found that the consortium just took a controlling interest
in the company through a stock acquisition and that all Morales Exporters,
S.A.  employees were to remain in their present capacity, continuing to run
the company.  The family will still retain three seats on the board of
directors.  And finally in the last paragraph it was reported that Senora
Isabel Morales would be stepping down as president of Morales Exporters,
S.A.  to be replaced by the family's long time friend, advisor, board
member and senior vice president, Captain Ricardo Caeres, Brazilian Navy
(ret.).

   Not many noticed the flyer that fell out of the folded paper.  It
announced that the air show planes were going on tour before coming back to
Manaus in early August.  It had a lot of advertisements on the back page.
The front page announced that they were going to perform some stunts before
departing at ten-thirty in the morning on Friday.  Most bars and
restaurants found a modest number of the flyers in their establishments.

   *****

   At exactly ten-twenty on Friday morning the two A-1s started to taxi to
the active runway at Manaus.  The two pilots were using fox mike to
communicate.

   "You ready, old man ?"

   "Yea, Malibu, let's do it."

   Approaching the runway on UHF (ultra high frequency).  "Tower, Airshow
one and two are ready for takeoff."

   "Cleared for takeoff, Airshow one and two.  The airfield is closed for
the next fifteen minutes."

   "Thanks, tower.  See you in August."

   The A-1s never stopped moving and went right into their takeoff roll. 
Ed was right there the whole way.  A quick look from Craig and the gear was
on the way.  Craig stayed in ground effect and watched the airspeed start
to build.  At the end of the runway they were no more than fifty feet off
the ground and accelerating through two hundred and ten knots.

   Craig lowered the pitch by several hundred RPM and pulled the throttle
back five inches.  He looked over at Ed and found him flashing a thumbs up.
They were accelerating through two hundred forty knots.

   "Smoke." A one second pause.  "Now." Craig started a smooth four "g"
pull into the vertical.  Ed was like welded to the right wing tip.  Craig
could see the smoke coming off Ed's right wing.  They were approaching the
vertical.  Craig kept pulling.  Then they were on their backs.  Craig kept
pulling until their noses were pointing down hill, forty or so degrees nose
low.  They were still upside down when Craig nodded his head a moment
before starting a slow aileron roll to bring them right side up about fifty
degrees nose low.

   The A-1s were picking up lots of airspeed going down hill and Craig
could see the crowd outside of the airport perimeter.  He started leveling
off.  "Smoke." A one second pause.  "Now." The smoke stopped.  Craig was
leveling at about fifty feet when they came over the wire and right down
the runway centerline at over two hundred eighty knots with Ed welded to
his right wing.

   "Shit !  Old man, there's a lot of people here.  A couple of thousand
easy." A moment later.

   "Okay, old man, here we go.  Meet you at the merge.  Three, two,
one...Now."

   Ed turned on the smoke generator and pulled away from Craig in the
vertical.  He completed the Cuban eight they had started together and
remained at low altitude, heading out the way they entered until he was
able to realign himself with the runway.

   "Inbound." He transmitted.

   Craig was maneuvering to fly down the runway in the opposite direction.
Thirty seconds later they met in the middle of the airfield, Ed still
trailing smoke.  Craig was a couple of hundred feet above Ed but the crowd
never noticed as the A-1s passed close aboard.  After the pass the
airplanes pulled up into the vertical and did aileron rolls so their
headings were opposite each other.  They rolled out above the field and
slowly turned to the west.  The crowd below was hooting and hollering for
quite a while until it was apparent the show was over.  Some swirls of
smoke were still visible in the sky above the runway.

   Craig and Ed were west of the airfield and climbing out through eight
thousand.  The clouds were building up around them as they climbed.  Today
they were entering from an entirely different initial point (IP).  This IP
was located much further east and although they would appear on the Orion's
radar from time to time for the most part they would be two hits and off
the radar screen for a bit.

   *****

   Maria and Isabel were sitting in the command post, watching the radar.
Cindy was down with the Bahia boys, giving them instruction on how to load
twenty millimeter shells into the A-1s.  When she brought up the first
picture on the laptop both of the teenagers smiled very wicked smiles. 
They were eager learners.

   It was a quarter to three.  Isabel just checked.  She was pacing back
and forth behind Maria when, "Lead's base," came over the radio.

   "Cleared to land, lead." Maria transmitted before picking up the whistle
from the table and giving it a good blow.  She saw Cindy run out of the
jungle and toward the command post.  The Bahia boys were right behind her
running toward the parking area.  She looked in the opposite direction and
could see the first Skyraider turning toward the runway.  It was just off
the water about a half a mile out rolling it's wings level.

   Her mother complained, "They're going to kill themselves before this all
ends.  Can't they fly higher ?" She knew her daughter was on the other side
on this issue and didn't even pretend to support her.  Who is she kidding ?
These guys are the pros from Torrance.  They were going to do it their way.
Here comes the second one.  She had no idea they would be this close while
they were landing.

   Cindy called to them while she was running toward the jeep.  "Turn off
the radio and let's go !" Maria saw the second Skyraider turning about a
half a mile behind Craig.  Ed was also just off the water with his gear
down.  She keyed the mic.  "Cleared to land, two." Craig was just crossing
the threshold, nose high in the air.  She turned off the radio and sprinted
to the jeep.

   Ed watched Isabel leaving the command post, heading toward the jeep. 
Then he was coming over the threshold.  Craig had already disappeared into
the jungle.  Nice landing, Merril.  He was excited, pumped up.  He fast
taxied to the end and entered the camouflaged overhang which came out
almost a thousand feet from where the runway ends.  He saw that Craig had
already turned around and was pointing toward the runway.  He swung hard
right and gave the big Wright R-3350 a squirt of power then stomped on the
left brake.  The tail came around and he was parked facing the runway about
thirty feet from Craig.

   The Bahia boys were just coming out from under Craig's A-1.  They came
toward Ed's aircraft and he raised his hands above his head as they placed
the chocks in front of his wheels.

   *****

   They ran the video again in slow motion.  The guy in the pilot's seat
was wearing a gray air force issue helmet with a dark face shield.  He was
leaning forward in the seat and turning his head to watch the spy plane and
then the A-37 fly over the top of the Malibu.  There was no doubt in any
one's mind that this guy was following the Citation and Dragonfly.

   The woman, wearing a civilian headset, was holding what appeared to be a
camera to her face.  There was no doubt she was taking pictures at the
pass.

   They ran it again.  In all they ran it five times.  What could these
people be doing ?  The CIA guy was on the phone, calling Colonel Hopps.

   The phone was ringing.  It was after zero one hundred hours before the
figures were found quite by accident.  Some guys were experimenting, more
like fucking around and slowed the playback down to a crawl.  Now the
figures were fuzzy as the crossing rate was faster than the camera could
keep up with so there was only a few pictures.  The phone was still
ringing.

   Randal Hopps, Colonel U.S.A.F.  retired, finally rolled over, looking at
the clock.  It was zero three eighteen.  Fuck !  Who could this be ?  He
rolled off his bed and went to get his phone.

   "Hello."

   "Colonel, you've got to come down here to see this right now.  No shit,
partner !  Get you ass in gear.  Now !  We know where they're coming from."

   "Where !?"

   "You gotta come down here.  There's more.  Get down here."

   Randal Hopps was already getting into his jeans.  Thirty minutes later
he rushed through the doors of the CIA guy's office.  Even if they know you
they fuck with you down here, asking all sorts of bio info about you before
allowing you to enter.

   There were four of them around the laptop.  Randal moved to get a view.
They were looking at a still photo from a satellite.  It showed what looked
like a wide river with a short road leading back into the jungle.  There
appeared to be nothing else around the road.

   They were silent.  "Okay, assholes, I'm here !  What's so important I
have to be here at zero dark thirty !?" The CIA guy zoomed in on the road
and there it was.  Some kind of large structure, mostly covered with
jungle, built up on a bluff with the road below, in a valley.  The image of
the structure got fuzzier when it was enlarged.  While there was no doubt
that there could be activity there, so what !?

   "So...Is that it ?!  All the way down here for that.  It's fifty, sixty
miles inside Brazil.  What ?!  An air strike !?  You can't prove shit with
that and you know it." He was glaring at the CIA guy.

   "Look at this.  Our friend is back." Randal leaned forward and looked
over his shoulder.  It was plain as day, the silhouette of a Piper Malibu
flying very low over the water near the top right corner of the picture. 
The CIA guy continued.  "That's the only possible explanation.  The Malibu
is here to land there." It appeared the Malibu was about a mile out.

   "No shit !  He's gonna land on that ?!  It hardly looks long enough to
land a light weight Cessna."

   "But it could be done, right ?"

   "Yea, I suppose so."

   "Our people think that there may be another thousand feet or so of
runway, covered by netting of some kind.  We ran a IR (infrared) scan last
night but found just normal heat sources.  There were a lot of
thunderstorms around and that fucks these things up."

   "We got permission to use four of them yet ?" Colonel Hopps changed the
subject.  He wanted plenty of fire power.

   "Yea, just came in today.  I'm sending our requests to the Orion as we
speak.  Hey !  You got to watch this video again.  We've got close-ups of
the pilot and co-pilot and she's a woman.  Look at these and then we'll go
eat and discuss this."

   After watching the video and that dark visor following his aircraft, he
almost puked.  But what really affected him was the pilot of the Malibu had
straightened his right arm, up on to the glare shield and was tracking him
like he had a weapon.  This was frightening !  Randal Hopps lost his
appetite after viewing the video several times.

   Chapter Twenty-four

   It was pitch black out.  Ed and Craig were smoking cigarettes in the
command post.  Cindy was warming up the radar.  Isabel and Maria were
drinking coffee.  Not many talked.  The old man looked at his watch and
then flipped his butt out into the jungle.  He felt eager and went to
embrace Isabel.  Maria was already moving toward the jeep.  Craig was
kissing Cindy's neck from behind as she put on her headset and put the
radar through some software tests.

   Craig ran to the jeep and they were off.  Maria bounced the jeep up on
to the runway and then ran down to the other end at about forty knots.  She
dropped the boys off and got a squeeze from each of them.  The Bahia
brothers were standing by the lead aircraft with the ladder.  Craig rushed
toward it and bounced up the rungs.

   Ed took his time and shook each of the Bahia boys hands before slowly
climbing up into his cockpit.  After strapping in he raised his fist in the
air and looked over at Craig.  He was rotating his arm above his head so Ed
hit the starter.  The blade caught on the second turn and the engine RPM
rose to a smooth idle.  Ed looked at his check list and ran up the engine
as the Bahia boys stood out front watching.

   It was starting to get light.  Ed checked his watch.  Two minutes to
takeoff.  He held his fist in the air and then closed his canopy.  Seconds
later Craig closed his.  Moments later.

   "Malibu."

   "Toop."

   "Three." Cindy checked in from the command post.

   Craig took one last look at Ed and started running up his engine.  He
was standing on the brakes, the eight hundred rounds of armour piercing
twenty mike mike makes a bit of a difference.  When Craig looked over at
Ed, Ed was nodding his head up and down.  Craig waved as he released his
brakes.  Ed started counting.

   When he got to fifteen the debris had settled back to the ground and
there was only a fine dust in the air.  Isabel was standing at the edge of
the slab in the command post and leaning forward to catch a glimpse of
Craig taking off.  The A-1 flew by just a foot or so off the ground.  The
gear doors were just closing.  The vorticies from his wing tip blowing into
the command post.  Isabel stepped away from the edge.

   "Cleared." Cindy transmitted.  Ed released his brakes and started his
takeoff roll.  Another check of the engine instruments.  Oil pressure in
the green.  Inches of mercury just short of red line.  He was accelerating
rapidly and smoothly rolled the wheels off at about eighty five knots then
zoomed up over Craig's wingtip vortices which he hoped were already dying
in the jungle on each side of his wings.

   He could see Craig out in front of him, accelerating straight ahead. 
The end of the runway flashed by and the gear light had just gone out.  Ed
used only about five degrees of bank to turn left about forty degrees.  He
slowly let down to fifty feet as the airspeed increased up above one
ninety. He was wings level and looking off to his right, watching Craig
start his turn to the left.

   Ed slid right in on the left side and they were a steady one hundred and
sixty knots.  Craig was flying no more that a thousand feet from the jungle
canopy which was about a half a mile from the river at this point.  It was
ugly mud below them as they headed southwest.

   Ed noticed the power coming forward.  He pushed the props up to
twenty-five hundred and pushed the throttle up to forty-three inches.  He
walked the throttle back a bit and was right in position when Craig flashed
him an echelon turn signal.  Moments later they were climbing up and
turning directly west.  Ed was tucked in on the left side and slipped right
under Craig when they rolled out.  The power came back and Ed reached
forward and raised the red cover that hid the weapons arming switch.  He
checked that the weapons selector was set in the gun's position.  He had
maybe five, six seconds of hot rounds.  Could he get that solution without
wasting any rounds ?

   ******

   The P-3 Orion was climbing through eight thousand feet.  Checklists were
being run and replied to through out the airplane.  At exactly ten thousand
feet on the pilot's altimeter the large dish started to rotate.  Software
programs were being run and over lays were being applied to the computers.

   "I've got a target !  Appears to be heading right for the border.  Call
Hostel Inambu and get them airborne.  This target is going to be over the
border in just a few minutes." Several supervisors had gathered around the
console.

   *****

   The Citation crew was just starting their walk around.  The liaison
officer was still drinking coffee in his office.  The duty officer came
running out of the operations building.  It was still just dawn on the
flight line.  The co-pilot was using a flashlight on his walk around.

   The duty officer was yelling as he approached the jet.  Randal Hopps was
in the cockpit and couldn't make out what the duty officer was saying.  The
first officer stuck his head through the open passenger door.

   "They want us airborne ASAP (as soon as possible).  They have a target
about to cross the border." The Peruvian liaison officer was sprinting out
of the operations center and heading to the airplane.  The first officer
continued his walk around albeit with a little more sense of urgency.

   *****

   Ed could catch glimpses of the airfield about a mile ahead of them. 
Craig was slowing to final approach speed.  They were below a hundred knots
and just floating down the expanse of the runway which hadn't been used for
a long while.  Clumps of grass and weeds were growing every where.

   Craig checked his watch.  Assuming the Citation got airborne a little
after the A-1s crossed the border; they were half way here.  The Dragonflys
were ten minutes out if they got airborne any time around the Citation's
time.

   Craig transmitted, "Info...Chatter mark."

   Ed flipped the frequency selector to the next freq.  Cindy transmitted
on the new frequency from the hacienda, "Clear." Ed was walking the power
forward.  They had been at eighty-five knots as they flew down the
centerline.  Ed was trimming forward as the airspeed increased.  They were
climbing and turning toward the west.  The two hundred and seventy degree
turn kept the flight right over the top of the air field.

   Craig dumped the nose as the altimeter passed eight hundred feet. 
Airspeed was increasing through one hundred and forty.  They were back down
in the weeds and exiting the area.  Speed was set at one hundred and fifty
knots.  Ed was still tucked in right below Craig.  His neck was killing him
but he maintained position fore and aft almost effortlessly.  They had been
heading east for over fifteen minutes and were just about to cross the
border on their way back to their forward operating location - the
hacienda.

   "Three targets, two five zero, thirty miles.  High speed.  Chatter
mark." Cindy spoke into her mic.  Maria was sitting next to her with her
head set on.  The targets were racing to the border but the A-1s had just
crossed the border.  The river was close.  It would be just a few minutes
now.  Maria had already changed the second transmitter to the frequency
they were using for landing.  Isabel was standing behind her along with the
Bahia brothers, watching the targets racing toward home.

   What were they doing ?  They had no chance of catching the A-1s before
they were deep into Brazil, why chase ?  The Skyraiders were approaching
the river and Craig took them down with a little slice to a hundred feet
and then let down when they were wings level to about fifty feet.  Ed moved
to the right and dropped back a hundred feet or so.  He moved his neck
around exercising the stiffness out of it.

   Just minutes later Craig rolled the wings back and forth.  Ed moved
forward to fingertip formation.  Craig was holding up three fingers.  Ed
dropped back and changed frequency to the hacienda's landing freq.  It was
another fifteen minutes but it would pass quickly.....

   .....Craig had the field in sight when he kicked Ed away from him.  As
soon as Ed turned away Craig dropped the gear and checked on three green
before turning to final.  "Lead's base."

   "Cleared to land, lead." They were all looking out at the river.  The
Bahia brother's were up by the forward part of the command post.  Maria got
rid of her head set and moved toward the jeep.  The Bahia brothers followed
and jumped in the back.  Isabel got into the front seat.  The lead A-1 had
passed the command post, nose high in the air and was disappearing into the
netting.  As soon as the number two airplane passed the command post, Cindy
came running out of the building and jumped into the back of the jeep. 
Maria bumped up on to the runway and floored the accelerator.

   Both airplanes were still idling when they all arrived.  The Bahia
brothers jumped out of the jeep and ran for the chocks.  Maria drove over
by the road to the main house.  The A-1s finally shutdown.  The silence was
welcome.  The hustle and bustle stopped almost immediately.  Ed looked at
his watch as the eldest Bahia brother put up the ladder.  It was zero seven
thirty-four.  He was hungry and he wanted a drink.  The bad guys would be
waiting for them tomorrow.  "No doubt about that," Ed thought.