4
5
It’s Good to Have Friends
That’s my life, but no pirate operates alone. To get the big
payoffs, you have to have some help—which means fi nding
people you can trust. These days, that can be hard to do. I’m
lucky, though. I found some people who are hungry like me,
can fl y straight, and won’t stab me in the back. I call them the
Fortune Hunters.
Every gang needs a leader though.
That’s where I come in….
Nathan Zachary
My name was “Natan Zingari”
before I changed it. After growing
up wandering from place to place
in the southwestern United States,
I joined the Escadrille Lafayette
(a French air war squadron in the
Great War) at 16 and fought in
Europe under the legendary ace
Eddie Rickenbacker. My military
career was brief as my plane was
brought down by a lucky shot.
Then the Germans stuck me in
a POW camp to rot. While I was
there, I met Dr. Fassenbiender, who
became a dear and lasting friend.
I didn’t want to wait until the war ended to leave the
place, so I escaped. The only place to go was Russia. From
there, I managed to fi nesse my way into Oxford, and after
graduating, I returned to the good ol’ USA. I put what I learned
into action and made a fortune on Wall Street. The crash of
’29 hit me hard—almost knocked me all the way down to the
street. There was no way I could rejoin the legit world, so I
formed the gang. Together, we put the hurt on some fat cats
and slowly but surely I’ve been getting back the fortune I lost.
“Brooklyn” Betty Charles
Betty is our newest member;
she has a crush on me, I’m sure
of it. I can’t say I don’t give some
of that back—she’s quite a looker.
Betty grew up in a rough neighbor-
hood in Brooklyn, then her mother
sent her to her aunt and uncle’s
in Minnesota. That’s where she
learned how to fl y her uncle’s crop
dusting plane. After a stint as a
wing walker in the circus, Betty
left to become a commercial pilot,
which is when I met her. I could
tell she was longing for adventure,
so I offered her a position in the
Fortune Hunters.
Big John
Big John is a natural pilot, and
even better, a trustworthy friend.
He’s a gentle giant, but he grew up
in a tough world and is nobody’s
fool. He honed his skills fi rst with
the Rangers in Texas; now he tends
to identify with the underdog in
any situation. He’s a man of few
words: Some think that makes him
mysterious; I think he just does his
talking with his fl ying.
