"Then what?" Mike asked.

"Mexico City is five to seven hundred miles from our southern border, which we control. I'm going to send a couple of battalions down there to beef up our forces there, as well as sending in as many scout teams as I can spare to the northern parts of Mexico. I'm going to make Loco and his meres fight for every inch of territory between Mexico City and our southern borders. It's going to be a war of attrition so devastating that Loco may have to be content with having Mexico City.""Then, you're gonna cede Mexico to Loco and his minions?"

Ben nodded. "Essentially, yes."

Mike shook his head. "That doesn't sound good."

113.

113.

Ben grinned. "Oh, it won't be a permanent situation. I'm hoping at some point the citizens of Mexico will rise up and revolt against the carpetbagger leadership of their country. As soon as a credible revolutionary leader emerges, we'll give him our fall backing and help him take back his country."

"That means a lot of Mexicans are going to die."

Ben leaned forward, his elbows on his desk. "Mike, I've said it a hundred times. A country gets the kind of leader they deserve. The Mexican president is an idiot, but he's the one the people down there wanted to lead them. If he fails to protect his people, then they're going to have to pay the price for electing him in the first place. It is not our place to spend the lives of American men and women to sh.o.r.e up his deficiencies of leadership."

"You think he'll agree to letting our scouts into his northern regions to protect our southern borders?"

"Not a chance," Ben replied.

"But you said . . ."

Ben nodded. "I'm going to send them in and have them dig in down there, but he's not going to know anything about it," Ben said with a smile.

"Every road that can carry tanks or other heavy equipment is going to be mined, and every hill or mountain high enough is going to have antiaircraft batteries on it to help protect us against any bombing raids."

"But, with a force that size, he's bound to find out about it," Mike protested.

"Oh, I'm sure at some point he's going to realize what's going on," Ben replied. "That's when I'm going to sit down and talk some turkey with him. I'll simply say if he ever wants to trade with us again, or if he wants any help in saving his country from those madmen from South America, he's going to have to accept the way we do things."

"And if he's too dumb to see the light?"

Ben's face became hard. "Then, I'll simple put his lights out permanently."

"That's playing hardball."

114.

Ben nodded. "Like they say, Mike, war is h.e.l.l."

As Mike got up to leave, Ben asked him, "By the way, have you got anyhints on who may be leading the meres down in South America?"

Mike shook his head. "No, they've been keeping it pretty tight down there. Whoever it is must have spent a lot of money on the South American government to keep his secret, 'cause no one's talking."

"Okay, maybe Harley and his people will be able to find out for me."

After Mike Post left the room, Ben sent for Georgi Strigi-nov, a big bear of a man and the leader of Bat 505, and for Ike McGowen, the commander of Bat 502 and one of Ben's dearest friends.

The two men entered the office at the same time, making it seem suddenly smaller by virtue of their large size. Ike, who weighed close to three hundred pounds and was in a continual battle to try to lose weight in spite of his penchant for sweets, flopped down in a chair across from Ben's desk, making it groan with his weight.

Ben smiled. "Ike, if you get any bigger, I'm going to have to special-order some chairs for you to sit in."

"Bigger?" the big man protested. "Why, I'll have you know I've lost almost ten pounds on my latest diet."

"Yeah," Striginov laughed, "a seafood diet. If you see food, you eat it."

Ike glanced at Striginov, who weighed over 250 pounds. "I don't see where you have any room to talk, Georgi. You look even bigger than you did last time I saw you."

Striginov stuck out his chest and pounded it with his hands. "Yes, Ike, but the difference is my weight is all muscle, while yours is fat."

As Ike started to reply, Ben held up his hand. "All right, you two, cut it out."

115.

115.

The two men leaned back in their chairs and gave Ben their fall attention.

"Intel says Perro Loco is fixing to make his move down in Mexico," Ben said. "I want your two bats down there on the border to get ready for anything."

"How soon can we expect to be attacked?" Striginov asked.

Ben shook his head. "That depends on how long it takes the Mad Dog to take Mexico City. He won't dare try and leapfrog to attack us with the Mexico forces behind him, so he'll have to conquer Mexico City first.

That'll give us plenty of warning."

"So, we just sit and wait?" Ike asked with distaste.

"No," Ben answered. "I want you both to field as many scout teams as you can and have them infiltrate Mexico without anyone knowing."

Striginov grinned. "In other words, that horse's a.s.s of a president in Mexico has not approved this plan?""You got it, Georgi."

"How do you want us to divide it up?" Ike asked.

Ben shrugged. "Work it out between the two of you."

The two generals looked at each other and smiled. "The troops are gonna love this," Ike said. "They've all been complaining things have been too quiet since Osterman was deposed last year."

"Spread your scouts out," Ben advised. "I want them to hara.s.s and slow Loco as much as possible while I'm busy with Osterman's forces to the north."

"Who's going to take care of our northern border?" Striginov asked.

"I'm going to station Dan Gray and his Bat 503 along with Pat O'Shea and the 510 along the border."

"That'll be a hoot," Ike said. "An Englishman and an Irishman cooperating to screw Osterman."

"What about Jackie?" Striginov asked, referring to Jackie Malone, leader of the 512 Bat. "She's been b.i.t.c.hing for months now that her command is getting sloppy from inactivity."

116.

"Jackie's going to have a special treat," Ben said with a grin. "I'm gonna leapfrog her and her command up north of Osterman's forces. I intend to show Osterman just what fighting on two fronts means."

Striginov rubbed his hands together. "This is beginning to sound like fun."

"I don't think Sugar Babe Osterman is going to think it's much fun when she finds Jackie Malone breathing down her a.s.s," Ike said with a wide smile.

Bruno Bottger stood before the a.s.sembled troops with Rudolf Hessner, Sergei Bergman, and Herman Bundt at his side. The meres gathered there were apprehensive, not knowing exactly why they'd been mustered out at such an early hour.

Bundt went among the meres, stopping and asking several of them questions before he came back to the front of the group and stood before Bottger.

"Well?" Bottger asked him.

"It appears that several of our newest recruits are missing. Their beds had pillows stacked on them under the covers to conceal the fact they weren't there."

"Who are the ones missing?" Bergman asked.

"Harley Reno and his friends, sir," Bundt answered.

"And just who are these missing meres?" Bottger asked, turning to Bergman.

"Some of the best recruits I've ever seen," Bergman answered. "Theyclaimed to be ex-soldiers from Ben Raines's SUSA Army. They were so good I made them drill instructors after their first days here."

"And you think they had something to do with the lab break-in?"

Bergman shrugged. "They must have. It's the only reason I can think of for them to be AWOL."

"Send a team of your best men after them immediately, 117.

117.

Herman. I do not want them to escape with whatever information they managed to get from the lab."

"Yes, sir," Bergman said.

"If they manage to get off the island, they will undoubtedly head south, since going north would merely take them farther into the jungle and it is much too long a trip to Rio de Janeiro on foot. Fill one of the helicopters with a team and have it take them south to the mainland.

Then set up an ambush there while another team follows from the rear,"

Bottger said, turning on his heel and striding rapidly toward his office without waiting for Bergman's reply.

"Herman," Bergman said, leaning close to his friend.

"Yes, Sergei?"

"If you don't want to end up like Higgins, I'd suggest you bring us the heads of these traitors, or don't bother to return."

Bundt swallowed as his face blanched as pale as the underbelly of a slug. "I understand, Sergei."

As Bergman stalked away after his boss, Bundt turned back to his men. He pointed to the team Harley and his group had humiliated on their first day in the camp, and motioned them to come forward.

The tall, broad-shouldered black man with extensive burn scars on his face stood at attention before Bundt.

"Ronald Watanabe," Bundt said.

"Yes, sir!" the man snapped back, his spine straight as an arrow.

"Would you like a chance to avenge yourself on the traitors who humiliated you last week?"

Watanabe grinned, exposing several gold teeth in his mouth. "Yes, sir!"

"Good, 'cause you're going to get your chance. a.s.semble your team and report with full weapons and gear to the airport. You will be transported ahead of the traitors by helicopter. You will set up an ambush on the mainland and stop them from escaping. You will then bring me back the heads of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Do you understand?"

118Watanabe's grin faded, replaced by a sneer. "Yes, sir. I guarantee you it will be done."

"It had better be, Ronald, or you might as well stay in the jungle and let the cats and crocs eat you, because that will be an easier death than the one you'll face here if you fail."

As Watanabe gestured to Lieutenant Johnson to gather their team together, Bundt began picking other men to lead the chase of the traitors. He wasn't as concerned with the quality of the men who would be sent, for he planned to send such a quant.i.ty of men that it wouldn't matter how good they were. Their only job was to chase and hound the deserters into the ambush being set up by Watanabe and his team.

When he had twenty men picked out, he gathered them around the big table in the mess tent and spread out a detailed map of the area in front of them.

"The only chance the deserters have is to make it to the coast and find some native fishing boats for the trip across the strait to the mainland. They won't dare make the crossing in the daylight, so that will give you almost twenty-four hours to find and kill them."

He looked around as the men nodded they understood. "Let me make myself clear," he added. "These men are the best I've ever seen. Take no chances. You will have superior firepower, so do not be afraid to use it. Blast the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds to death from as far away as you can, 'cause if you get close to them, they will surely kill you first."

119.

Bruno Bottger sat in his office with Rudolf Hessner and Sergei Bergman, making plans for the upcoming war.

"Sergei, we cannot afford any more time for training of our mercenaries.

It is time to move the men and equipment out and head for Mexico."

"But, Herr Bottger," Bergman said, "the men are not ready."

"We have no choice, Sergei," Bottger said impatiently. "If these traitors manage to get the information about our plague weapon to Ben Raines, it will give Raines time to try and develop a vaccine. We must press the attack on Mexico immediately, and keep our enemies so busy they have no time for defensive measures against our biological weapons."

"But what about this Perro Loco who is to fight with us?" Bergman asked.

"Will he be ready?"

"I will contact Osterman in the U.S. and tell her the timetable must be advanced."

"She will want to know why, Bruno," Rudolf Hessner said, "and we dare not tell her of our plans to use the plague as a weapon."

"I will merely tell her that some spies from Ben Raines have found out about our mercenary force and we need to strike before the Mexicans can ask Raines for reinforcements."

"Do you think that will work?" Hessner asked.Bottger nodded. "Yes. Osterman is so paranoid about Raines that any mention of his name will cloud her mind to our real reasons for advancing the date of the attack."