I frowned again. Were these people honestly thick or what? I shook my head sadly, taking the note of general interest in anything aside talk and bicker. I left the small group, no longer intent on wasting my breath, and wandered back over to the ancient tree, already digging another cooling menthol. I paused for a moment,t feeling the quickly hollowing pack through the fabric, and decided against another. I sighed, cursing the moment I had decided for flair; the last one wasn't even half gone. A motion to the left of my head caused me to snap back to attention, nearly toppling over from the sensation. Glancing up, and seeing little aside from a bulking frame, I quickly deduced it was Nestor. I frowned yet again.
The brute looked back at the group, swallowed, and then eased a few of my frayed nerves by speaking some words I actually knew. “What do you think?” He inquired, casting another glance in their direction. I wasn't surprised to see a few of their members glance back at the burst of Portuguese, and I wasn't surprised to see a few suddenly sport nervous glances, but it still chafed at the blatant show.
“I don't know anymore.” I fought the urge of another menthol, playing with fraying edge of the uniform for a moment. “We're to trust them and their judgment now? There are fourteen of them; yet we could have taken more than few of them with clean shots, and our presence wouldn't even been felt. Obviously, you had the commander's head in your shot.” I paused and twisted my head upwards, watching clouds roll across the sparse skyline. “I say we stick with them so long as it benefits us. Use their numbers to our advantage, keep their guns trained and their heels moving with pace. Should anyone becomes a hindrance, it won't be our problem.”
Nestor paused for a moment. “In favor of keeping with the group then?” he repeated.
I sighed and nodded, hoping the message was conveyed. “So long as it benefits us.” He nodded, climbed back to his feet, and wandered back to the commander. More movement caught my eye, and I watched in growing curiosity as one of the more sleek of the mercs made his way, slowly, over to my tree. He paused for a moment, before dropping to his knees and, pulling off a miracle, produced two cigarettes. Taking an immediate liking to the man, I was more than happy to accept the offered commodity and with a flick of his wrist, he brought flame to both.
The man surprised me once more after he took a drag off the stick, and in a voice only showing a slight accent, spoke in Portuguese. “I honestly doubt it was a cartel. First off, the militias they hire could never operate this well, and second, there is no value to this jungle for the drug trade (except maybe storage). Sometimes I wonder if these guys have ever known any truth of the whole drug ordeal...”He paused, shaking his head slightly at the group. “Personally, I think it might be a government project gone loco. We are most likely just here as a cover up...a means of getting rid of the problem without the other nations finding out. Your thoughts?"
I took a deep hit off the cigarette, frowning at the full flavor instead of menthol. “You've had past experiences dealing with the cartels, huh?” I shook the ashes from the tip. “That man,” I paused, flicking the tip of the cigarette towards the man that had started the whole cartel theory, “is a fool. There is nothing here that could relate to either a cartel or a war.” I paused, a sour grin dropping on my face. “You know what's amusing? Your commander has two men walk into his graces, two men with backgrounds he has no bearings of, and all he decides is to step back and to allow his lowers to do the questioning.”
The other man said nothing, just pausing to take another hit. I continued. “ Five years I spent in the favelas of Rio, fighting against what this man suspects and claims. These tactics, these weapons, this society; these are not consórcios killings. Different locations, definitely, but these methods stay the same- no matter if on the coast of in the forest. I tell you now that these are not cartel related. And yes, I have a bad feeling concerning the nature of these affairs. A cover-up? Perhaps. Honestly I can't say more, as it would simply be speculation.” I put the cigarette out, carefully extinguishing the end and then placing it with the rest.
