Note. How is your winter going?There is a Vietnam flashback at the end, as always it connects with something Hamilton is doing in 1997.

Fitch was engrossed with the proceedings. He was a champion of culture icons and art. It was an opera play. One of those Italian pieces that had found itself in Spanish culture. A lot of swirling dresses were in front, candles lit the scene. There was no sound from the crowd. The event was that mesmerizing. The president, his advisors and the elite of the city gathered to watch the show.

Just a few blocks from the stage a man sat at one of the outside tables at the diner. It was closed at this hour. The man sat in silence. Juan Chano was very interested in the hands of his Rolex watch. He was almost in a trance. He had once been the king of a drug cartel, now he was reduced to servitude to an American. It was easy at first. Money for the occasional odd job.

There was that oil business some years before. It had been sold to a prominent corporation. Chano had enjoyed it at first, it felt like he was getting power. The next job was the lawyer of a small grain business. It was such small potatoes that he wondered why the American was even interested. But it was only a part of what was going on. A Japanese businessman sold shares of his company. Then the return ticket was cancelled.

The American sold his share to a California based millionaire who gained the company within the next couple of years. After that, he realized he was no longer in control. He didn't like not being in control. He didn't like it at all. After tonight it would be over. He stared at the hands of his watch for a while. There was an eternity before the sun rose.

Behind Hamilton there was a scrape. He could hear them trying to get through the secret door. They would in a minute. Fitch was a rabbit with many holes. There would be another way to open the door accidents happen. His flashlight lit the way in front of him. He could smell the wind from the ocean. He wondered how the exit would open.

He reached it an instant after the entrance to the tunnel was opened. There were shouts behind him and the sound of running feet on the stone floor. There was a knob the shape of a crescent moon. He turned it, there was a sound of air escaping, he could feel the rush of it on his face. The footsteps grew louder. he ran out of the tunnel.

There was a clump of bushes to the right and he skirted around them. There should be some reason the tunnel exited here. He went over a hill, below him the lights of the city shone. He could see where the opera was. There was a warm inviting glow further into the city. There was a shout when his pursuers caught sight of him again. He pressed on.

He was exhilarated, he hadn't done anything quite like this before.

The Opera changed scenes. Fitch watched as the dancers left the stage. There was a smattering of whispers. The music began again. It had a slow tempo, heavy on the brass section at first. Then the flutes and clarinets took over. The President looked occupied, Fitch supposed he was troubled by recent events. The guests were all more or less engaged.

Hamilton ran to the river. He hoped he hadn't been turned around in all the fuss. He had been turned around before. There was some cover and he headed for it. He was exhausted, he figured he was overdue for a heart attack. The men were catching up, they were obnoxiously loud. Their footsteps sounded as if a herd of Sables were giving him chase.

They followed him into the bush. Dark shadows canopied overhead, he looked for them but he could not see them. The river was just a little ways from where he was. It was the route for where he was going. Where they were all going. He had decided to take the kids with them. The woman was something else. They could learn to do camp chores.

The first Indian rose up out of the undergrowth. He blew a dart out of his blowpipe and killed one of the men The darts were coated with cassava. A toxic plant that did not leave the victim conscious and paralyzed before death like curare and more common. Hamilton ran past the Indian, who, by that time, had reloaded and blew another dart. Hamilton was put out, it was a good thing he only had a few feet to run.

He could hear the puff of another dart and a cry when someone got hit. There was a different puff sound. That was a silencer. He decided there must be several. Shadowwalker and Ritzo must be attacking from behind. He hoped they had gotten their man. Surprisingly, everything had gone according to plan. That was not always the case.

He risked stopping to catch his elusive breath. He turned around, he could see the trio coming his way. He drew his pistol and gave the natives a little help covering them. He could barely stand much less aim effectively. He would need sleep. Soon the trio reached them and they hurriedly made for the boats.

The night dragged on. Chano could hear the opera. He took another gulp of the wine. It was Spanish wine, dated 1810, around the time of the Mexican revolution. Chano felt that he was a patriot to his country. The American had gotten him to serve American interest. It wasn't long before he realized that it was somewhat detrimental to his country's interests.

He decided he better be long gone before the sun came up. He rose from his seat and began walking down the deserted street. He was taking an alleyway when the bullet found him. He had no time to gasp and realize he'd been shot. He almost looked to be asleep when a passerby found him later.

The show was concluding. Fitch rose in respect of the performers with the audience. He wondered if he were not too close to the president and his staff. The time for the show to end was at hand. The performers gave a final bow. Fitch was looking forward to a new government.

" Are you sure your uncle is alright?" Willard was standing outside talking to Ellis. The young man had a moment before he went home for the evening. Willard didn't mind chatting, he saw it as a way to keep in good relationship with this office. Chayton would have simply barged in and demanded his kin, not that he had any use for them. Even his wife Bethany would not have as much patience with foreign authorities as Willard had. He recognized it as being a bureaucracy.

"He is shaken up, but he should heal, his family is"-he was about to say that his uncle's family was gone, he wouldn't say that they were dead, when he heard a small shuffling noise. He noticed the older man, Paul walking towards them. He supposed Paul must be in his eighties, he was stooped and looked like he could make use of a cane.

"Ben says we need to go to the Native Village. It isn't far, just downriver."

"Why are we going there"?! Paul paused when Bethany spoke sternly. He simply peered at her over the rims of his glasses "because we need to young lady." Bethany was silently staring at him. Her gaze had crushed Willard in the past. The old man raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Suddenly there was a loud noise. Willard didn't know what it was but the old man did.

"C4"

Ellis stood with his back to the door. The other three were in front of him. The four stood in silence, there was another noise, loud and obnoxious. It was the Costa Rican version of police sirens.

"Jackson Shade" The sun was rising, the only other sound was the hum of insects and the sound of oars in the water. Chano had been found dead an hour after the opera bombing. Three hours after the Opera bombing the group were headed upriver with the asian scientist under guard. They had camped for two hours. Before first light they were on their way. Ben brooded silently while Athen talked "It was Jackson Shade."

In the other canoe Ritzo swatted the air. He looked up at Hamilton "I hate these mosquitoes. I don't know why you love the jungle so much. Nothing but mosquitoes and flies, man."

Willard chuckled, he always enjoyed boating and was in high enough spirits, going with five Indians was icing on the cake "It is worse in Canada. I went up there once with my dad. They can literally eat you alive."

Athen was curious, he leaned back from his paddling at the front " What trouble did Chayton get into then?"

Willard shrugged, he silently reminded himself that their were six indians. " He got a ticket for speeding. He was drunk a couple of times. It wasn't so bad."

Bethany was sulky " It say's a lot about a man if a ticket isn't too bad."

Hamilton had listened to people talk about Chayton and his ways before, he found it mostly tiresome. He scratched the stubble at his cheek as he looked around at the boat beside them. Paul hadn't said but one word since the bombing. Just nodded as he got into one of the canoes. He sat beside... Ben couldn't remember the Indian's name.

"What about Shade?"

Athen dug into his pocket, after a moment he pulled out an empty cartridge, he handed it to Ben who held it up into the sunlight.

"It's military. I am not up to date though." he handed it back.

It is a 5.56mm Nato cartridge. Common enough these days." He put it in his shirt pocket. " It killed Chano at five hundred yards."

Hamilton noticed that the kids were quiet. Frog dipped his oar and said nothing. He thought the whole bunch of them were crazy. He cared nothing for their gibberish. Stands His Ground was talking with Goes Off Alone. The other three were watching the shore line.

Chayton heard noises like thunder. He was running through a field in combat gear. The noises began again. Mortars? The grass turned to desert. Before him was a thin man in safari khakis. A black man was talking "that fool can find honey like nobody's business". Then there was another voice, a woman's " love me Chayton." He smelled brandy. He was still hazy.

There was the clang of a jail cell. " You better start telling us where you got the drugs or you will be here a long time." Chayton paced back and forth in the cell. It reminded him of another place. An uglier place. He didn't know what place. It was right there in the back of his mind.

He found himself in a hall. He could see white light ahead. There was a noise that was loud like a creek running over rocks. It was applause, he could see a band in the back of the stage. He held the silver guitar in his hand. He turned to the audience. The audience was no longer there, there was a voice in a harsh guttural language.

"Chayton."

Chayton awoke to find the entire pride staring at him.

Nadine had been watching the human twitching on the ground. She wasn't concerned with a nightmare. Quick Foot was watching him, he was ashamed at being beaten by this creature. He was ready for his fight. Yellowtail remained out of the way. Chayton simply sat up. His ribs ached and a few other things too. He found he couldn't get up.

He turned to the raptors. They hadn't made a move, he could see a group of red and yellow eyes. There was something white in front of him. He supposed it was the big female. He tried to find her face. He couldn't. He waved a hand and laid back on the ground.

"tomorrow."

Nadine shook her head "We won't get any fight out of him today."

Ben entered the hut while the others stayed outside.

It was dark inside. There was an old couch where she slept. Hona did not have anything else that showed she realized the outside world existed. There were no metal pots like the other people had. She made jewelry. She sold her jewelry in the city. She kept her money in a skin bag. She made her medicine, and she slept on the old couch.

Old lady Hona hadn't changed all that much, she looked much the same as she did the last time he had seen her. Her wrinkles had deepened, that was all. Hamilton didn't like talking to her, because she said nothing without telling a story. She was far worse than Shadow walker's mother, or any of the other old people he had known.

He was only glad that she was at least prone to sit in front of the fire, and not go to parties like Chayton's mother had. Hamilton thought little old women should not act that wild. Hona was carving some wooden beads, Hamilton saw some strips of leather. She made her living this way now. There was not much demand for a woman who guarded against evil spirits.

He spoke softly " I need to know about Gray Eyes."

Hona went back to carving her beads and sat silently for a moment.

"I went to the city and I saw the wanderer who finds the honey."

Hamilton was surprised he spoke before thinking. " Leon?"

Hona did not like being interrupted, she glared at him before continuing. " I told him not to go the isle of death, but they went anyway. They will not come back."

"Why did they go?"

"The paternal grandfather of Gray Eyes came among my people long ago. He traded strange things with them." Hona chuckled " They are not strange now. The people were amazed at his strength. The second time he came, he told them he was taking his smoking boat through the place where no one comes back. The people warned him, but he would not listen."

Ben remembered something from those old days back in the sixties.

He was tired of the dark room. He wanted light. He reached into his pocket for his flashlight. The dim light of the electric torch did very little to show Hamilton what was on the paper Chayton was showing him. He could see it was schematics of a ship of some sort, it was elongated and round with small markings over a structure on top.

He was aware that the big man was warily watching him, waiting to see what would be said.

Chayton hadn't bothered to take off his fatigues. After today's long march, he was just going to sleep in his clothes. An old friend of Hamilton's had shown up. His name was Sion Jang and he was a resistance fighter. He was also very eager to learn the request asked of him. They talked for a while about Jang's wife and daughter. After that Chayton said he wanted to show Hamilton something, and presented him with the drawing.

"It looks like a riverboat but the wheel is on the side."

"It is a riverboat. Not all paddlewheels were on the back. My grandma gave it to me. My grandpa was captain. I want you to hold it for me."

Chayton handed the paper over, Hamilton took it.

"I'll take real good care of this."