Incarna

82 - Episode 24 North of the Border

Day 12 California Mexico Border Patrol

"Yah shor 'bout this Tex?" asked Clay the leader of the Volunteer Border Patrol squad.

"Shaw as!" replied Agent Riles mixing his drawl so no one could pin him down to one particular region. Clay the Squad Leader, shook his head and looked at the ePad with it's blinking Clay light smack in the middle of eMap display showing where they were.

"Ain't nahbody nor nuthin got through 'ere since we burned them last lot, eh boys!" and the rest of the patrol chuckled and swore blind "nuthin bin thru ere".

Riles nodded and checked the coordinates and then the eMap. "Well, ya'll gonna be pissin in yah boots if yah wrong now, cause that'd be the gulch up ahead that I'd seen em two days back!" Riles watched as Clay eyed off the terrain and then hand signaled the squad. Two off them went off to Clay's right toward the barrier fence. They covered each other military style but in a more relaxed fashion showing that they were hunters not soldiers.

Two went off on Clay's left leaving Riles standing beside Clay, who waited for the line to form up and everyone sign OK. Slowly they edged forward, keeping to the cover of the Mesquite and Sage brush. Riles admired the way Clay carefully placed each step avoiding sticks and leaves and loose ground. It was the mark of a hunter who knew how to stalk his prey. Some one who was confident and in no rush to prove anything. Just get the job done proper like!

The squad member off to Clay's right, Sugarman held up a hand and the line stopped in its tracks each one scanning the brush in front and the air overhead. A solitary bird took flight about twenty yards in front then nothing. Sugarman motioned OK and they moved forward again unti they came to what appeared to be the western side of a wash out gully. In it lay clothing, empty plastic water bottles and take away food containers. Clay motioned for his left squadman, Chalkie, to move forward and secure the head of the washout and take up point guard. He motioned for Sugarman and Walker to move down toward the Barrier and assess the damage.

Riles watched each man carefully gauging their confidence and proficiency. They all wore the same sort of camo gear common amongst hunters of these dry rangelands Mesquite scrub. Each carried their favourite rifle slung casually over their left shoulder with the barrel pointing downward so it could be swung up into a firing position without any fuss. At their right hips, in plain view and for quick access, each wore a holstered semi-auto. They were hunters of people yes, but they weren't out to kill. They did make the ones they find climb back through the barrier fence and send em on their way. Then fixed the fence and watched over the area for a couple of days to keep it secure.

"We ain't vigilantes son," Clay had told Riles when he'd joined up with them two days ago and informed them of this border crossing infringement. "We just taking up our right to defend our home. Seeing as the feds are too strung out to do it proper and the states even worse off. So those who can, are!"

Riles knew what was happening along the border, shit Ive been working this patch since before that little run into Mexico. He knew some of the volunteer border patrol boys were vigilantes and had shot up illegals and left em as warnings to others. He knew how many subplots there were to the whole border crossing argument. He also knew the whole thing was doomed. The info he'd brought back from the Sinaloan drug cartel had been dynamite. Nope it'd been nuclear, and now he was testing whether what he'd deducted was going to happen.

"Go get the proof Riles. Don't stand here telling me the world's gonna end, go help me stop it," his new boss George Deitmann had told him when he'd presented his report to the new Joint Security Office. He liked Deitmann, he was gruff and blustering but thought things through like a chess player. Riles had the impression that Deitmann always liked to be at least four or five moves ahead of everyone else.

"Chalkie, keep watch man, this is ain't normal trash!" Clay spoke into his comm mic that extended from his left ear and was attached to the goggles that sat on his camo cap. He motioned Riles up next to him and pointed down at the floor of the wash out. "Stuffs been planted Tex. Clothes just too good to 've bin left. Usually they change inta stuff left for em by people smugglahs from this side. That way they're wearin' good 'ol US of A gear when they get into town. Here," and he pointed at some specific items, "some of the wrong stuff's been left, and some of em water bottles still got water in 'em. No scared shitless Mex'can gonna leave water behind."

Clay threw a rock at one of the water bottles. "Usually all dry 'n without tops on 'em." He picked up another small rock and tossed it at another bottle. Whumpf and Riles jumped back as a small explosion erupted from the sand. "Righto boys, watcha selves," Clay called. "Damn junkies booby trapped the trash pile ag'in!"

Clay reached up to his comm mic. "Beam me up Mr Scott!" and he gave Riles a big grin. "Ya gotta keep ya sense o' humour son!" Clay pulled down the goggles from on top of his peaked camo cap, then pulled out a hand held drone remote control from his inside vest pocket. He thumbed the on button of the RC and, "Righto boys I'm back trackin' up the wash. Yep there's the tracks alright. Make out three, nah four sets."

Riles watched as Clay moved the RC unit around and his body mimicked the drones movements as if Clay was in it. Riles imagined seeing through the Drones camera and ticked another box of competence for these boys. "Aw shite, we gotta dead Mex boys! Looks like a shoot out o' some kind. Maybe this is what ya heard hey Tex?" Riles stopped himself from nodding and tapped on his mic. "Yep, could be Clay!"

"I've dropped a tag Mr Scott, mark the body and send the State Troopers the location." Clay moved his head around as he scanned further about him, "I'm returning Mr Scott, bring in the trucks!" Clay flew the drone back to where they were and landed in a sandy patch back from the wash out. Sugarman squatted next to it and checked it over. Clay pulled up his goggles and lost his peaked cap in the process to reveal a balding skull with the rest of the hair shaved close. Clay grinned at Tex, "run the razor over it as well every day. When you've lost most of it no sense in fussin' over the rest now is there?"

Riles smiled back at him and he realised now why Clay had circles around his eyes. He must use the goggles regularly so around his eyes wasn't as tanned as the rest of his face. Riles turned as he heard the sound of engines coming through the brush behind him. Three ATVs made there way slowly up toward them. Mr Scott switched off the first and the other riderless two with RC assist switched off as well. Six men three ATVs, well Riles had his machine parked back aways so no mind. Riles nodded to himself, yep he could use a team like this. They would do just fine for what he had in mind!