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"Kurt Austin He was running the project"

"They'll do for a start Have hie plans off if you have to"

"As you say Don Halcon"

Halcon dismissed Guzman and went back to his map

Guzman had no illusions about Halcon He had known hiel He thought Halcon's alomaniacal scheme had more to do with his selfish pursuit of power and riches than restoring the lost grandeur of those he called his people He was using those of Indian blood toward his own ends and would enslave themwould mean civil war, certain bloodshed, possibly the death of thousands

Guzman knew all this and didn't care When the old , he created a being of undihly placed NUMA operatives could be a big ht as he left the room But he had become bored with his work in recent years, and what had becoaan to work on an assassination plan

The Yucatan, Mexico

34 THE YUCATAN HAMMOCK WAS NEVERas Paul Trout The handwoven fiber sling was designed with the dito find a place for the arled to the dirt floor of the Indian hut Dawn's first gray light was a welcome relief He extricated himself from the sack, smoothed the wrinkles out of his suit as best he could, decided he could do nothing about his lance at Morales, who lay snoring in another ha e of woods where the helicopter lay on its side reseonfly

The pilot had tried to land in the field as the helicopter used up the fuel vapors powering its engine The aircraft plunged into the canopy of foliage that was so deceivingly softlooking froh the treetops acco branches and the screech of tortured metal

Trout had the wind knocked out of him The pilot hit his head and was knocked cold Morales was dazed Ruiz, who'd been awakened by the racket, sat there in bewildered the pilot out of the chopper, and he came around in the fresh air Everyone had bruised knees and elbows, but no serious injuries were noted Trout was glad Ruiz had survived; heGamay

With his hands on his hips Trout surveyed the dae and shook his head in amazement The trees had cushioned the copter's momentum The runners had collapsed, and the main and tail rotors were history, but the body reled fuselage There was a stirring inside The pilot, who had chosen to spend the night in the helicopter crawled out, stretched his arms, and opened his mouth in a bellowlike yawn The noise awoke Ruiz, as on the ground with his hands cuffed to the useless runners He blinked sleepily when he saw Trout Thelike a swine pen had its advantages, Trout guessed He walked around the chopper and thought again that it was a ot down in one piece He had counted seven bullet holes in the helicopter including the lucky fuel tank shot

Minutes after the JetRanger hit the ground a figure had approached from across the cornfield An Indian farreeted therin froe men dropped out of the sky every day The pilot did a quick dae assessment and found that the radio was useless They followed the farmer to his hut, where his wife offered food and water and four young children eyed them warily from a distance

Morales questioned the farth, then turned to Trout

"I asked hie or town near here with a telephone He says a priest in a nearby village has a radio He will go there to tell him about us and ask to send help"

"How far is the village?"