Rosa Jardine lay protectively over Hanyo Soon, who himself was lying flat on his back on the dusty ground. Both were looking up at the woman standing over them, her green eyes flashing brightly with anger. She stepped back from the two on the ground, and gestured to the bodyguards surrounding them to step back as well. She leaned down to pick up the ball of money she had tossed beside earlier, and rolled it around between her black-gloved hands. She glanced back at Rosa and Hanyo, noting the print of the crane on the back of the yukata that Rosa was wearing.

“The Golden Queen? I have no idea who you are or what that title is supposed to mean to me,” Alejandra Carillo said, and added, “Whoever you are, you are curiously protective of this smuggler who will double-cross you in a heartbeat to get a better deal.” Catching a wary look from Rosa, she continued, “Trust me, I speak as one who has had a deal or two go sour with Mr. Soon, here.”

Hanyo chuckled and put his hands up in surrender. “Can I get up?” he asked, “I’m used to getting kicked to the ground, but Rosa here is the reason why we are here, and now asking for your help.”

“Get up. I have some questions,” Alejandra said curtly, examining for dust on the hem of her white dress and shiny black stiletto shoes.

Rosa turned her head to look at Hanyo’s face below her, and put her head on his chest for a moment, hearing his heartbeat and trying to collect her thoughts. Hanyo laughed, as if tickled, and lifted himself up, bringing Rosa to stand up with him. “Thank you,” he whispered to her, and started slapping the dust off of his jeans and jacket. They both turned to face Alejandra, her face expressionless as she spoke to them in a sharp tone.

“What are you doing here, other than to deliver Jebediah Haught’s tribute payment? You took the secret flight path used for undetected crossings at the border at Mexicali,” Alejandra asked.

“I was commissioned to give safe passage to Rosa here and her group to Rosarito, and then on to Ventura in California,” Hanyo answered, looking back at his battered aircraft behind him, and nodding to his co-pilot, Skoaler, still standing in the opened door.

“Who else is with you, other than your ‘Golden Queen’ here?” Alejandra asked, looking Rosa up and down.

Hanyo looked at Rosa, for guidance on how to answer, but Rosa answered for him, “I am joined with my son, Theo, and his dog, Arfie. Kenji Nobu made the arrangements with Hanyo and is accompanying us. An associate of Sherrif Haught is with us as well.” Hanyo winced a bit at all the information Rosa was providing to Alejandra, trying not to say anything.

“Well, I’d like to meet all these people who are so keen to visit us here at Diamantes Brillantes. Come on out! Exit immediately and show yourselves!” Alejandra commanded, nodding to her bodyguards to approach the plane.

Skoaler stepped down to the ground, and turned to help Theo out; Arfie scampered out behind him down the steps. Both the boy and Husky ran over to Rosa, and stood beside her. Kenji stepped warily out of the aircraft, and walked over to stand beside Skoaler, putting distance between himself and Alejandra. “Come here old man! Maybe you can tell me more about your ‘Golden Queen’ and why you have brought me out into the mid-day sun today?”

Kenji stepped closer to Alejandra, and bowed his head slightly, mumbling, “Yes, madam,” appearing to be intimidated by her severe appearance and manner.

“And there’s one more? Come show yourself!” Alejandra commanded through the open aircraft door. There was a clanging noise, and then a clattering of metal-on-metal when Jola Winters grasped a wall handle with her mechanical arm to steady herself as she stepped out of the aircraft in a single step with her bird-like mechanical legs. Alejandra’s expressionless face turned to shock on seeing the smiling blonde woman with bionic arm and legs.

“I’m Jola Winters!” she introduced herself cheerfully, striding over to Alejandra and extending the pincer of her mechanical arm to her.

Alejandra shrank back a bit from Jola, and did not accept her mechanical hand, instead saying, “How do you know Sheriff Haught? Do you work for him?” Her face was clearly full of disdain now, as she surveyed Jola’s bionic prosthetics and said, “And why would you allow anyone to do this to you?”

Jola’s face dropped on the cold greeting, but still answered in a friendly tone, “I don’t so much work for Jebediah as I am his acquaintance and I keep an eye on him. And the SEA War decided this for me; I didn’t have much choice in the matter.” Jola waved her arm around, opening and closing the pincers on it and stamped at the ground with her 3-toed metal feet, the red LEDs running up and down them glowing in defiance.

“A military spy,” Alejandra sniffed and addressed Hanyo, “I should take your heart right now, just for the trouble you have brought to me today. Mis hermanos! Tie up the smuggler and confine him at the resort. Bring the child and dog, too, and make sure they are comfortable. The smuggler’s partner and the military spy can stay with the plane, we’ll bring them food and water later.” She turned to Rosa and Kenji and said, “You two can walk with me back to the resort… don’t worry, you will meet up with the child and dog there… and at some point later you’ll re-unite with Mr. Soon after I am finished with him.”

The armed guards roughly grabbed Hanyo, cuffed him, and shoved him into the back of the white pick-up truck parked nearby. Theo stepped back from the guard approaching him and Arfie growled in warning, until Rosa came over and helped them get into the back of the pickup with the now restrained Hanyo, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll meet up with you soon. I’ll get this sorted out, I hope.” She glanced at Hanyo, seeing her fear mirrored in his eyes. The truck started up and roared off to the resort/fortress, shimmering in the distance across the desert plain.

Skaoler and Jola stood helpless by the plane, with two armed guards watching over them. Alejandra said to them, “Do whatever you have to do to keep them here, I will send relief guards in a few hours.” She took off her stiletto shoes with one hand, balancing the tightly-ball of bills on her hip with her other hand.. As she slipped off each shoe, she revealed strangely smooth feet without toes, and tossed her shoes aside. Grabbing Rosa’s wrist with her free hand, she pulled her along as she started to walk barefoot through the rocky sand. “Come along, you two, and convince me of how my helping you and your cause will help me and my business. If I’m to welcome you and your friends to the Diamantes Brillantes resort tonight, it’s going to cost you!”
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*** This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ***