to push the detonator button, they heard a noise coming from the bridge nearest to them. Yaz looked up to see first one, then two, then a half dozen Circle Army troop trucks pull to a stop right in the middle of the bridge.
"Christ, are those the same trucks we saw downtown?" Elvis asked, trying to focus on the trucks that had stopped beneath the dim lights of the bottom span of the bridge about a quarter mile away.
There were 16 of them, the same as the downtown convoy, and groups of men were riding in their open backs.
"It's them," Yaz said. "I'm sure of it . . ."
"But what the hell are they bring POWs up to that bridge in the middle of the night," Ace asked. "It's certainly not to work . . ."
76
They watched as Circle troops herded the POWs out of the back of the first truck and up against the railing. Suddenly, one of the POWs fell-or was pushed-off the bridge, falling head first into the river. It was obvious the man's hands and feet were tied.
"What the fuck is going on?" Elvis said.
Then another prisoner fell. Then another and another.
"Jesus, they're killing them!" Yaz cried out.
"I can't believe it," Elvis said. Yet as they watched helplessly, the prisoners were being pushed off the bridge, one right after another. It was execution. Those men who somehow survived the long plunge would drown immediately.
"Goddamn, we've got to do something . . ." Yaz said.
Elvis spun around and started shaking Ace. "Blow that fucking thing . . .
now!"
Ace hit the detonator button-and immediately the pier went up in a loud, fiery roar.
The sudden explosion startled the Circle soldiers on the bridge and the executions were halted. Then Elvis retrieved his .45 automatic from the gunny sack and started firing away wildly in the general direction of the bridge.
The momentarily stunned Circle troops started returning the fire almost immediately.
"Look, they're backing the trucks off!" Yaz yelled out as they ducked away from the hail of bullets.
"The blast distracted them," Elvis said, pumping off another three shots. "And they'll be firing down here for a while. Maybe they'll call off the executions if they think some saboteurs are running around.
"The important thing is that we get back and tell Hunter about this ..."
Ace immediately ran to the pier next to the one
77
already engulfed in flame, set up his second explosive device, then scrambled back to the jetty. Without hesitation, he detonated the second bomb, which blew a large section of the pier some 50 feet into the night sky.
The explosion intensified the Circle fusillade coming at them from the bridge.
"OK, let's get the hell out of here!" Elvis told them.
Yaz and Ace needed no prodding. They ran south, right under the bridge where the Circle soldiers were firing from.
Turning back once to look at the two major fires they had caused, Yaz saw by the fire's reflection on the water, about a dozen shapes floating down the river.
They were the prisoners, all bound hand and foot and all floating face down in the dirty water.
None of them were moving . . .
78
CHAPTER 13
The RF-4 Phantom roared off the bumpy runway and streaked into the early morning sky.
Captain "Crunch" O'Malley banked the jet to the west and climbed to a comfortable 12,500 feet. He passed over University City, over Olivette, then Maryland Heights. Ten minutes later he was no longer over Circle-held territory.
"This is Romeo-Diana-Zebra," O'Malley called into a preset UHF radio frequency. "Come in, Umpire . . ."
His radio crackled once, then he heard a familiar voice. "This is Umpire, Crunch," came the reply. "Had breakfast yet?"
"That's a negative, General," O'Malley called back. "I've got time for some flaps and a cup of joe . . ."
"See you in the mess tent in fifteen minutes . . ." the voice on the other end, that of General Dave Jones, told him.
79
O'Malley put the RF-4 into a tight turn, overflying a line of SAMs and several troop bivouacs. He lowered his landing gear and came in
"Christ, are those the same trucks we saw downtown?" Elvis asked, trying to focus on the trucks that had stopped beneath the dim lights of the bottom span of the bridge about a quarter mile away.
There were 16 of them, the same as the downtown convoy, and groups of men were riding in their open backs.
"It's them," Yaz said. "I'm sure of it . . ."
"But what the hell are they bring POWs up to that bridge in the middle of the night," Ace asked. "It's certainly not to work . . ."
76
They watched as Circle troops herded the POWs out of the back of the first truck and up against the railing. Suddenly, one of the POWs fell-or was pushed-off the bridge, falling head first into the river. It was obvious the man's hands and feet were tied.
"What the fuck is going on?" Elvis said.
Then another prisoner fell. Then another and another.
"Jesus, they're killing them!" Yaz cried out.
"I can't believe it," Elvis said. Yet as they watched helplessly, the prisoners were being pushed off the bridge, one right after another. It was execution. Those men who somehow survived the long plunge would drown immediately.
"Goddamn, we've got to do something . . ." Yaz said.
Elvis spun around and started shaking Ace. "Blow that fucking thing . . .
now!"
Ace hit the detonator button-and immediately the pier went up in a loud, fiery roar.
The sudden explosion startled the Circle soldiers on the bridge and the executions were halted. Then Elvis retrieved his .45 automatic from the gunny sack and started firing away wildly in the general direction of the bridge.
The momentarily stunned Circle troops started returning the fire almost immediately.
"Look, they're backing the trucks off!" Yaz yelled out as they ducked away from the hail of bullets.
"The blast distracted them," Elvis said, pumping off another three shots. "And they'll be firing down here for a while. Maybe they'll call off the executions if they think some saboteurs are running around.
"The important thing is that we get back and tell Hunter about this ..."
Ace immediately ran to the pier next to the one
77
already engulfed in flame, set up his second explosive device, then scrambled back to the jetty. Without hesitation, he detonated the second bomb, which blew a large section of the pier some 50 feet into the night sky.
The explosion intensified the Circle fusillade coming at them from the bridge.
"OK, let's get the hell out of here!" Elvis told them.
Yaz and Ace needed no prodding. They ran south, right under the bridge where the Circle soldiers were firing from.
Turning back once to look at the two major fires they had caused, Yaz saw by the fire's reflection on the water, about a dozen shapes floating down the river.
They were the prisoners, all bound hand and foot and all floating face down in the dirty water.
None of them were moving . . .
78
CHAPTER 13
The RF-4 Phantom roared off the bumpy runway and streaked into the early morning sky.
Captain "Crunch" O'Malley banked the jet to the west and climbed to a comfortable 12,500 feet. He passed over University City, over Olivette, then Maryland Heights. Ten minutes later he was no longer over Circle-held territory.
"This is Romeo-Diana-Zebra," O'Malley called into a preset UHF radio frequency. "Come in, Umpire . . ."
His radio crackled once, then he heard a familiar voice. "This is Umpire, Crunch," came the reply. "Had breakfast yet?"
"That's a negative, General," O'Malley called back. "I've got time for some flaps and a cup of joe . . ."
"See you in the mess tent in fifteen minutes . . ." the voice on the other end, that of General Dave Jones, told him.
79
O'Malley put the RF-4 into a tight turn, overflying a line of SAMs and several troop bivouacs. He lowered his landing gear and came in
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