Wingman (22 page)

Another month went by, and during that time, he knew of several other planes that passed through the base, filled with Mid-Aks heading for Chicago. There was nothing he could do about them as he never got close enough to take any action. Nor did he want to put too much heat on Fitzgerald.

But as the weeks went on, he found himself getting restless. The situation in New Chicago, whatever it was, was probably building toward a climax. God only knew what the Mid-Aks were planning. And the Russian connection, though hard to prove, particularly bothered him. Besides, he did promise Jones that should anything ever go wrong, that he should report to the general's twin brother out on the Coast

But it was more than that. He was getting comfortable. He was flying more and working on engines less. He had fine liquor, good food and beautiful women at his disposal. His jet's repairs and overhaul was almost paid for and ready for air trials.

He increasingly felt the urge to move on.

The F-16 he unveiled a few weeks later was a completely different airplane than the one he'd arrived in. He had modified the engines to carry even more weight, then attached a half dozen more ordnance points on the wings and belly. He installed five additional M-61 cannons, the plane now boasted three to a side. He rigged a system whereby he could carry the extra cartridge belts needed to feed the jet's six guns, and drop them once they were expended, just like a spare fuel drop tank. He disconnected his in-flight refueling capability-he doubted if he could find a KC-135 Air Force tanker flying around these days-and used the weight saved for more onboard fuel storage.

He personally went over the entire ship and tightened every bolt, nut and screw.

He re-wired it and returned its avionics. He bought and repaired a discarded LANTIRN

pod-the magic box of electronic wonder that gave any plane carrying it the ability to see, fly and fight on the darkest of nights or in the worst of weather.

He cleaned every nook and cranny on the plane, inside and out. He repainted it, keeping the old Thunderbird design, but adding a streaking white "W" on its tail section.

He wanted everyone to know who he was. The Wingman. He carried with him a reputation-he couldn't deny it. That reputation, while possibly enticing foolish bounty hunters or young, brash pilots looking for a part in New Order history, would save him fuel and ammo wherever he went. Not many would want to mix it up with him. They would see the near-extinct F-16 and the "W," put two and two together and give him a wide berth. This way, he knew, his reputation was worth something and that he could use it to his advantage. He also knew it was something that needed protecting.

He rolled the plane out, to the oohs and ahhs of ground personnel and pilots alike.

It looked sleeker, quicker, deadlier. He, too, had changed. He was heavier, more muscular, his hair once again had grown out long. His features had always been described, ironically, as handsomely hawk-like. Now he looked like an eagle.

He expressed his thoughts to Fitzgerald, who while saddened that his friend had decided to move on, was understanding as to his reasons why. They both knew he wouldn’t be leaving just yet, however. Because, although the F-16 was back and flying, he still needed money-a good sum of money-to make his way across the continent. Fuel and ammo were expensive these days. So were landing rights. He couldn't go out wandering across the continent unarmed, whether it was in his gun barrels or his money bag.

He had asked Fitzie to look around for some more profitable jobs for him to do, and eventually, his friend got him working a few convoy missions. Hunter could make more in one day, riding shotgun on a convoy than he could working a week in the maintenance hangar. It also gave him a chance to put the F-16 through its air trials.

He flew five missions in all-each one escorting five-plane convoys up to the Canadian border, where they would rendezvous with fighters from the Free Canada Armed Forces. The Canadians would the^ escort the ships for the remainder of the journey to 212 Toronto. In all each mission would take under an hour. They didn't pay the big money that a cross-continent mission would, but he was happy just to be flying regularly again.

He had just returned from the fifth mission-which was, like the first four,

pleasantly routine-when he got a message that Fitz wanted to meet him. He was curious about the site that Fitz selected, a little, dark hole of a barroom called The Broken Wing. Located out in a small hamlet on the very edge of The Aerodrome's territory, The Broken Wing was a place you would go when you didn't want to be seen or overheard.

A light, warm rain was falling when he arrived at the bar. It was in a fringe area, as out of the way as one could get from the bustling Aerodrome. It almost looked like an old western frontier town, and just as dangerous. He parked the jeep and walked across the street to the saloon. He could see a few figures hurry out of sight as he approached. Other eyes watched him from the shadows.

He walked in and found the place smoky but nearly empty. The bartender recognized him and pointed to a dark corner of the saloon. There, he found Fitz at a table sitting with a man he introduced only as Gus.

"It's my pleasure, Major Hunter," Gus said after shaking hands with him. "We .

. . my employers . . . are great admirers of yours."

"Gus has a job you might be interested in," Fitz said, ordering a round of beer.

Hunter detected a subtle nod from his friend, indicating that Gus could be trusted.

"Major Hunter, we have a shipment, an extremely valuable shipment, that has to be picked up and delivered here at The Aerodrome," Gus said. "My employers, who are well aware of your talents, specifically requested that you be the man to do the job."

"What's the shipment?" Hunter asked, eyeing Fitzgerald. "Sidewinders? Real silver?

Gold?"

Gus hesitated for a moment. He was a tall, thin, dark-skinned man, with quick darting eyes. He was the type of person who, possibly unwillingly, gave off a mysterious air. He looked at Fitz, who nodded again, then said, quietly: "Diamonds."

"Diamonds?" Hunter asked. "How many diamonds.

" "A small bag, Major Hunter," Gus answered, keeping his hushed tone. "A little under two pounds."

"Two pounds is a lot of diamonds," Hunter said sipping his beer. "What's the shipment worth."

Again, Gus was silent for a moment, as if he were adding numbers up in his head.

"In pre-war terms, about twenty million," he said, rather calmly.

"
Twenty million
?" Hunter asked, not hiding his surprise. "Twenty million
dollars
?"

The figure even made Fitzie let out a long, low whistle, and he was probably worth a couple of million himself.

"That's right," Gus answered. "What's that worth these days?" Hunter asked, taking a larger swig of his beer.

"That's hard to say, Major," Gus said, his calculator mind turned on once again.

"Especially in these times of fluctuating currencies. But if I had to guess, I'd say upward of two-hundred million.

" Fitz and Hunter looked at each other in disbelief. 214 two hundred million dollars could buy half the countries on the continent, lock, stock and barrel.

The bartender wandered over and collected their empties, stopping the discussion momentarily. Fitz signaled him to bring another round. Once he was out of earshot, the hushed conversation continued.

"My employers are willing to pay you quite handsomely, Major, if you successfully retrieve the parcel," Gus told him. Hunter looked at Fitz.

"How much?" he asked.

"One hundred thousand dollars in real silver ," Gus said, matter-of-factly.

A lot of money, Hunter thought. More than enough to get him where he was going and then some.

"Where's the pick-up?" he asked, definitely interested. For the first time, Gus looked nervous. He bit his lip, then said, slowly, "Pittsburgh."

Hunter saw his vision of $100,000 take on a pair of wings and fly away.

"Pittsburgh?" He said. "You're moving two hundred million dollars in diamonds through Pittsburgh?"

Gus nodded.

Pittsburgh was a tough enough place before the war-nowadays, it was worse. Most of the city had been evacuated, but, as in many cases, a community of sorts-bad sorts-had sprung up around the airport. The Pitts, as it was universally called now, was well-known as a haven for terrorists, murderers, drug dealers, slave traders and other assorted scum of the earth. The place was also roundly considered as the unofficial home of the eastern air pirates, only because the airport controllers-shady characters

themselves-allowed the airborne criminals to land and refuel there. Some claimed even men from the Badlands were sometimes spotted there.

"Why The Pitts?" Hunter asked.

"The diamonds are payment of a debt to my bosses," Gus said. "The payer insists that it be done this way."

"He's probably setting you up," Hunter said.

"Possibly," Gus acknowledged. "But with that much money at stake, my employers feel they have to take the chance."

"Then why don't you just hire a squadron of fighters and some chopper troops and go down there and get it?" Hunter wanted to know.

"No," Gus said, emphatically. "This has to be done quietly. As quietly as possible. That's why we have contacted you, Major.”

Hunter thought for a moment. He was ready, anxious, almost itching, for a change.

But flying into The Pitts might be a little more excitement than he needed.

Gus could tell he was tossing the job offer around in his mind.

"One hundred fifty thousand dollars, Major," he said. Hunter glanced at Fitz, who was nodding, urging him to take the offer.

"I just don't know," Hunter said. "Just who are your employers?"

"I can't tell you that, Major," Gus said. "Not until you return with the diamonds."

"Well," Hunter said. "Can you tell me who they
aren't
! There are some people I just won't work for."

Gus nodded.

"Are they Mid-Aks?" Hunter asked.

"No."

"The Family?"

"Certainly not," Gus said, slightly upset.

Hunter thought for a moment. Who was left?

"The Russians?" he finally said.

For the first time, Gus stared him straight in the eye. He rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal a familiar-looking tattoo.

"Major," he began slowly, pointing to the eagle and globe drawing on his arm.

"I was in the Marine Corps in the last war. I fought the Russians on the Yugoslav border.

two straight weeks of combat. Night and day. Hand-to-hand. I saw brave men die, fighting for their country. Fighting those godless bastards and winning. Only to be stabbed in the back. The Russians, you ask? It would never traffic with those war criminals."

From then on, Hunter liked Gus.

"You've got yourself a pilot," Hunter said. "Now, what's the plan?"

Forty-eight hours later, Hunter was wrestling the controls of an ancient C-47 Spooky cargo plane. It was a moonless, clear night, and the plane was heading due south, in the direction of The Pitts.

With him were two ADF pilots-Al and Zal-serving as copilot and navigator.

The C-47 was a two-engine workhorse of a plane, built some twenty years before either of them were even born. It was like a bucking bronco to steer, and it was very noisy. But it was as inconspicuous as one could get. The plane, a puddle-jumper Fitzie used for" short flights and training, had lost its in-flight radio intercom long ago.

It was also unarmed.

"I was in The Pitts once," Al, the tall, skinny redheaded copilot yelled to him, trying to be heard above the constant rumble of the engines. "I was coming . back from a cross continent convoy job, flying one of the F-105s.

"I hit a bad storm and had to put down in The Pitts. Believe me, It would have rather ditched the Thunderchief and bailed out, but I knew Fitz would go nuts. So I put down there."

Both Hunter and Zal had heard similar stories of pilots visiting The Pitts-all too unwillingly.

"What happened?" Hunter yelled back.

"Well, as soon as I set down, "Al continued. "I'm surrounded by a dozen goons with shotguns. It's storming. Terrible, thick stuff. It's the middle of the night. The place is dark, spooky. But here are these guys, pointing their guns at me.

"I had to pay a landing tax, a taxiing tax and a parking tax. All before I even got out of the goddamn plane. Luckily Fitz gives us extra money for stuff like that, because I didn't have much money of my own."

Hunter reassuringly patted the bags of silver he had in the pockets of his flight jacket.

"I pay these guys and they disappear," Al said. "Of course, no monkeys are around, so I have to block off and shut down myself. I go into the terminal figuring I'd get a cup of joe and wait until the weather cleared. There's only one place open. They got no coffee, no food. Just beer. So I order a beer.

"The place is filled with creeps and the bartender is mean and the size of a B-52.

But it was warm, so I figure, what the hell. I order another beer and drink it and start to get another when the bartender says I have to pay for the first two. I ask how much.

He says ten bucks. I say, ten bucks for two beers. He says no, ten bucks apiece for the two beers. Twenty bucks!