The Hunt for the Yeti Skull: Nepal (10 page)

Jack knew that the punishment for stealing was jail time. Or, in the case of a child, a visit to the juvenile detention center.

Marko slumped down into the snow. ‘I heard that my real father was a Russian spy,' he muttered, ‘and I wanted to be just like him.'

Jack sympathized with him. After all, he'd joined the GPF so that he could find out more about his brother, Max. But Jack and Marko were different. Jack didn't turn to crime. Instead, he'd joined an organization that fought for good.

Once he had the thieves under control, Jack hurried over to Scarlet and Storm. They'd definitely been hit with something powerful. Jack bent down and put some Smelling Salts under their noses. Instantly, they started to wake up.

When they came to, they were surprised to see Marko, a helicopter and a net full of men – all captured singlehandedly by none other than Secret Agent Courage.

‘Nice work,' said Storm.

Jack smiled. ‘Thanks,' he said. ‘But I couldn't have done it without you.'

The three agents radioed down to Mr Bell, who sent out a rescue helicopter. This time it was full of Nepalese police, come to take the thieves away. Jack released the Net Tosser and the police descended on the adults, dragging them along by their ears. Then they pulled a squealing Marko up off the snow.

As the police took Marko to the helicopter, Jack leaned over to him. ‘What was that about being on top of the world?' he said.

Marko sneered at Jack, then looked away.

When Jack, Scarlet and Storm got back down to Base Camp, Mr Bell, Digger, the scientists and the Yeti experts were all waiting for them. Jack handed the wrapped skull to the scientist he'd first spoken to on the plane. ‘This is for you,' he said.

The man's eyes danced with happiness. He quickly unwrapped the skull. When the Yeti experts saw it, they gasped.

‘This is unbelievable!' said one. ‘We've never seen anything like it.'

Staring at everyone was an enormous white skull with large eye sockets and some teeth still in its jawbone. The top of the skull had a large ridge along it.

Mr Bell studied it. ‘Mr Rohan here is going to take the skull to the lab in China, where it was originally headed,' he explained. ‘There they can test its authenticity. This time we're going to arrange armed transport.'

Mr Bell showed the scientists and the Yeti experts to a guarded truck, then returned to Jack and the others. He congratulated them on a ‘job well done'. As a treat, he offered to take them to the capital city, Kathmandu.

Jack had never been to Kathmandu before, and since the Magic Map could take you home one minute after you'd left, he was in no hurry to return to England. He, Scarlet, Storm and Digger boarded another helicopter. Within minutes it had taken off.

As they went down the mountain, things grew a lot less scrubby and became more lush. Jack saw green rice terraces, white rapids and rivers, and houses stacked on the hillside. Then he spotted ancient red and brown temples. The valleys around Kathmandu were very different from the place where Jack had grown up. He thought they were really beautiful.

After a journey of two hours the team landed and transferred to a car. As they drove into the city of Kathmandu, Jack was surprised by how busy and colorful it was. There were shops selling everything from robes and scarves to cameras and rugs.

Ahead was Durbar Square, the site of no less than twelve ancient temples. Mr Bell opened the car door, and Jack, Storm, Scarlet and Digger jumped out. Wandering over to one of the temples, Jack spun one of the prayer wheels and thanked the gods for their help. He also asked for the safe return of his brother, Max.

Heading into the streets, they soon found a local restaurant. They ate traditional dumplings and tried a local meat curry. It was spicy, but Jack really loved it. They chased the food down with some chiya (the local spiced tea), and toasted the success of their mission.

After finishing their meal, they said goodbye to Mr Bell and each other. One by one, they disappeared into the streets of Kathmandu. After all, they needed to get home.

Storm lost himself in a temple. Digger blended into the café on the corner. Scarlet hid herself amongst the scarves in the market. Jack found himself in front of a local school. He pulled some pencils out of his trouser pocket and gave them to the children who were milling around, looking at him hopefully. Walking down the side alley, he found what he was looking for – the perfect spot to vanish without being noticed.

Pulling his Portable Map out of his Book Bag, Jack laid it on the ground. The map was like the one on his wall at home, only it was compact enough to fit in his Book Bag. Pulling out a tiny flag of England, Jack stuck it on top of that country.

When a small light appeared, he said, ‘Off to England!' There was a burst of light which swallowed up Jack and the map. The next thing Jack knew, he was in his room at home.

Jack put his Book Bag under his bed and pulled up the GPF secure website on his computer. A news bulletin had recently been posted.