[pshrynk]

Vera stepped off the plane in Mexico City. She doggedly ignored the corridor of vendors wanting to sell her everything from cheap silver to their sister to her gold watch and moved to customs.

"Hola, senorita! Welcome to Mexico! Business or pleasure?"

"Pleasure," she replied. Well, it wasn't an actual lie. She would derive great pleasure from knocking over the spy network she had come to suspect Hilda Miyatake of running. It was obvious that she was here as a result of the Naval Operations going on in the Sea of Cortez.

Getting her passport stamped, she gathered her bags and went to find a taxi. After fending off the attentions of three men who wanted to get her a cab, a free drink, and all for just "an hour of your time," she finally stood at the curb, hailing a cab. A beat up car, no more or less beat up than the other cabs prowling the airport crossed three lines of traffic and edged out two others as she raised her hand. Survival of the fittest, she thought, as she threw her bag into the trunk.

"Hola, senorita! Where to?"

"Take me to Rick's Cafe Americain, Mexico City, please."

"Certainly, senorita!"

The cab lurched out into traffic and quickly sped up to seventy miles an hour. It caromed off the side of a bus filled to overflowing with chickens and raced down a dusty street, scattering children, chickens and irate business men in its wake. Vera concentrated on the back of the driver's head, trying to not look out at the scenery flashing by.

Eventually, the traffic cleared a bit and she felt safe in looking out.

"Hey! This isn't the way to downtown!" she cried.

"Sorry senorita!" the cabbie replied and gunned the engine.