The man known only as Cross and his skilled team of urban mercenaries are back (Blackjack, Urban Renewal), but this time they are on the defensive as they receive a series of cryptic messages. The question is, are they being warned-or hunted? Even the deadliest gangs in Chicagoland fear the Cross Crew and carefully avoid their cinderblock bunker headquarters- Red 71 is well known as the last place you'd want to go . . . unless you're willing to risk it being the last place you'll ever go. The Crew is notorious for its ruthless efficiency and cold-blooded cunning. Why, then, would anyone be foolhardy enough to threaten them-and even more dangerous-their loved ones? As Cross catches the scent of a far-reaching conspiracy, he realizes that it all connects to an unexplained event in his past- a massacre from which he emerged inexplicably unscathed, save for the blue mark on his face that pulses when danger is near. That scar has been throbbing more frequently of late. . . .If he's reading the signs accurately, Cross might find himself again facing a terrible menace that is not altogether human. * MEMO FROM-Captain Nathan Lancaster, Chief,Gang Surveillance Unit TO-All Precincts, Focus Near-North ALERT- Incoming Threats to Cross Crew,SituationHighly Unstable DETAILS- "Cross" and known associatesclearly organizingresponse to perceived pattern of threats.Gang Intelligenceindicates high probabilityof pre-emptive strikes. Report any suspicious and/or unusual activity in Badlands area immediately, gang violence alert level RED.