It took them thirty minutes, but Jack and Storm managed to climb the vertical mass of ice blocking their way. As soon as they were on the other side, they switched their Snow Shades back to ‘zoom’. This time they could see something in the near distance. It was the missing plane!
The propellers were gently turning round. Underneath the plane were metal squares that linked together to form a runway. From what Jack could tell, it didn’t look like the plane had crashed. In fact, it looked like someone had intentionally landed it on the Western Cwm.
But where were the crew and passengers?
Except for the plane, there didn’t seem to be anything or anybody in sight. Jack and Storm switched on their boots’ Mine Alert feature. Instantly, a green line shot out of the tips, scanning the ground for booby-traps like bombs.
Slowly they walked around to the main door of the plane, which was hanging open. Jack peered inside. There, tied up with tape on their mouths, lay two men. Jack reckoned they must be the missing scientists.
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.