The Hunt for the Yeti Skull: Nepal (7 page)

Storm rushed over to one of them and pulled the tape off his mouth. The man's eyes looked glazed and his head slumped down. It was clear he was suffering from altitude sickness.

Jack and Storm each pulled a spare Oxygen Exchanger out of their Book Bag. They strapped them onto the men. After a few moments one of the scientists mumbled something.

‘Mero nam Roshan,' he said slowly. He was barely able to string his words together. ‘Malai topaiko.'

Jack pulled out his Secret Language Decoder. As the man spoke, it told Jack what he was saying in English.

‘They took the skull,' the man said, gasping for air. ‘They left us to die.'

Storm took his Language Decoder out too. He switched it to ‘Nepalese'. It translated what he was saying into the men's native language.

‘Who left you?' asked Storm.

‘The pilot,' said the man. ‘When he landed, he opened a door. Another man and a boy appeared.'

‘A boy?' asked Jack, confused.

The scientist nodded. ‘The three of them tied us up.'

Jack was surprised. He didn't realize the RSO had junior agents. As far as he knew, the GPF was the only organization that relied on the skills and intelligence of children.

‘Did they tell you their names?' asked Jack. ‘Did they say where they were going?'

The man shook his head. ‘Only that their client was waiting for the skull. But it hasn't been long since they left.'

The fact that they'd only just departed gave Jack hope. This meant that, with any luck, he and Storm could quickly track the villains and get the skull back. But they had to take care of the scientists first.

Even though they now had oxygen, the men needed to get down the mountain. It was the only way to cure their sickness. Since they weren't climbers, they needed the help of an expert.

Jack called Mr Bell on his Watch Phone. They agreed that Storm would escort the men down and meet Scarlet at Base Camp. From there, Scarlet and Storm would start all over again and make their way back up to Jack.

In the meantime, Jack was to search for clues. If possible, he was to find the villains' escape route. Now Jack was going to go it alone against the bad guys, and against the unwelcome terrain of one of the deadliest mountains on Earth.

After Storm and the men had left, Jack surveyed the snow around the plane. As he expected, there were fresh tracks. The boot prints headed north towards the Lhotse Face – the vertical wall of ice in the distance. This could mean only one thing: the thieves were heading over the mountain.

On the other side was Tibet, in China. From there, several routes led back to Russia. There was the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway in the world, which linked China to Russia. There were also a number of smaller airports, any of which the villains could use.

Jack reported back to Mr Bell, who alerted the Tibetan authorities. But the base of Mount Everest was huge, and there was no way they or the GPF could surround the entire mountain. Jack's only choice was to set off after them on foot.

He zoomed his Snow Shades across the Western Cwm and up to Camp II. Camp II was halfway between where Jack was standing and the Lhotse Face. There, in the distance, he spied three figures. Since they were dressed in white, he nearly missed them. But he was sure these must be the thieves.

For a few moments Jack watched them move. The two taller ones walked quickly, but the small one, possibly the boy, was slower. If the boy was tiring, there was a chance that Jack might catch up with them. He started to make his way after them.

The higher in altitude he went, the colder it got and the longer it took. Jack switched his Polar Parka back to ‘warm'. Even with the help of his Oxygen Exchanger, he was feeling tired – more tired than he'd ever felt in his life. For every step he took, he had to wait at least a minute before he could take another one.

Several hours passed, and Jack finally made it to the Lhotse Face – higher in altitude than he'd ever been before. For a moment he thought how proud his parents would be, and how impressed his missing brother, Max, would be with him too. Despite Max's courage, he had never really got into mountain climbing. But Jack had always liked heights. As Jack stood at the base of the Lhotse Face, he stared at the three figures above him. They had no idea that he was only about 150 feet below them. He carefully thought through his options.

He could catch them with the GPF's Tornado, which could send a speeding rope to capture all three at the same time. Or he could use the Spray Gun to send a vial of sleeping potion their way. But there were only two vials in his bag – not enough to knock them all out. Lastly, there was the Net Tosser, but gravity was against him. There was no way he could throw it upwards without it falling straight back down.

Jack decided to use his Tornado. That way he could disable all three bad guys at once. He lifted the Tornado out of his Book Bag and programmed it to seek the crooks. With a push of a button, three ropes spiralled out. But because it was so cold, they froze in mid-air.

They fell to the ground like steel rods, making a clink as they crashed. Not only could Jack hear the noise: so too could the climbers. They had spotted him. One of them pulled something out of his bag and threw it down. Before Jack could react, a huge net opened over him. It fastened itself to the ground, trapping him inside. Jack pulled at the sides, but it was impossible to get out. From above, a high-pitched boy's voice rang out.

‘Better luck next time, Stalwart!' it said.

Stunned that someone actually knew his name, Jack looked up. The boy pulled down his mask to expose his face. It was none other than Marko Mayer, Jack's rival from the indoor rock-climbing center.