After much cussing from Bo, Dumont's sensor boss, the mule's display came to life. Jeff and Du studied it, the sergeant's fingers flitting over the screen. "We got a group west of us, a big one coming up from the south east of us, and one squatting in the middle. Not to mention a few clusters of two or four. Bo, they players or just innocent bystanders?""My gear says they got a human heart, not what's in it." "Any of them women?" Jeff asked, hoping. "I can get you a pulse rate, son, but your guess is as good as mine as to whether it's a woman or an anxious man." For another hour they drove the winding trail, getting a feel for the people on the mountain this dreary day. The trail got rougher, narrower, the going slower.Finally the driver halted. "Far as we go, boss." "Let's mount up, marines. It's a good day for a ride." "I'll stay here and relay for you," Bo offered. "Pack it in, old man. The higher we get, the better line you'll have on your bird and the less likely we'll have a line on this mule.
