After he ate, the boredom returned, and he became increasingly antsy. He hated being cooped up in this tiny space, unable to read, watch a movie, do anything. He couldn’t even talk to Rocky, for fear of being listened to. It was a tiny hell, and he was stuck in it. Time crawled by. Or maybe it flew by. There was no way to know without a clock. All he knew was that countless hours passed, and outside, the sky remained the same static blue, the clouds mocking him with their lazy indifference.
SOME INDETERMINATE time later, James felt the plane tilt down, and the seat belt sign above him clicked on. He sat up in his seat, and Rocky did the same. They made eye contact but didn’t say anything. James knew they were both thinking the same thing.
We’re here.
James leaned eagerly toward the window. After about ten minutes, they finally broke below the clouds, and James saw Nepal stretched out below him. The terrain was green and bumpy, and it took him a moment to realize those bumps were actually mountains and hills, rough blemishes that made the earth look like a pimple-faced teenager. But those weren’t the Himalayas. No, those would be to the north.
Ignoring the seat belt sign, James crossed the aisle and sat directly behind Rocky. He squinted out the window and saw... Yes, those must be them. Hundreds of white-capped peaks stretched into the horizon until they met the blue sky, some so tall they seemed to touch the clouds. Rivers cut through the valleys between them, winding like snakes through an endless maze of rock. Their sheer size made James feel tiny, even from this high above them. The Himalayas were a world of their own, endless and imposing. They were everything.
James always laughed when someone said something was breathtaking. It seemed like such an exaggeration. But this... well, this was truly breathtaking.
He stared out the window for the entire descent, admiring the landscape as they got closer to the ground. He couldn’t see Kathmandu yet; he figured it was somewhere in front of them.
After what felt like an endless flight, they had finally reached Nepal.
Chapter 15
James and Rocky sat side by side in yet another small, windowless room. They had been led there directly from the plane by two SIA agents. From what James could see as they crossed the tarmac, they weren’t at a public airport. Smaller jets were parked in front of multiple hangars, and they passed a line of military choppers. Was this some sort of military airport? Was it U.S., or were they working with the Nepalese military?
“You think they’ve got any more of those sandwiches?” Rocky asked as he and James stared at themselves in the clearly one-way mirror before them. Did they really think nobody knew they were being watched through those?
Before James could answer, the door opened. His favorite bald-headed government agent walked in.
“Have a good flight?” James asked before he could stop himself.
“Very,” Roche said with a thin smile. He sat in the chair across from James and Rocky and surveyed them with those disconcerting gray eyes. James felt like the man was seeing through him with that gaze. Like he could read his thoughts. “I’d like to welcome you two to Nepal.”
Rocky scanned the gray, windowless room. “It’s nice.”
“Now,” Roche said, ignoring the comment and clasping his hands on the table. “Let’s get down to business. You two are here, of course, to lead us to the Supers.”
“Why do you want them?” James said. “I mean, who cares if they want to hide away? They don’t work for you.”
Roche smiled, though his eyes remained cold. “Because the Supers are weapons. We saw that with the attack on our citizens. It’s all well and good when they’re being glorified cops, stopping the occasional robbery.” James thought he heard a hint of contempt in that voice. “But just because they have powers doesn’t mean they’re above the law. Innocent people died, and they must answer for it.”
James didn’t have a response. He honestly hadn’t thought much of the actual events leading up to the Supers’ disappearance; he had been so focused on Derek being gone. It was all so odd, so unlike the Supers. Innocent people had died in the attack, that was true. But Derek couldn’t have taken part. He would never have allowed that to happen, would he?
“So,” Roche continued, “you two are going to help us find them. You were instructed to come here, to Nepal. You must find out why and ultimately lead us to the Supers.”
“It’ll be hard to do that with Neo and the gang following us around everywhere,” Rocky said, his arms folded.
“Not to worry, Mr. Malik. We will give you the necessary freedom and resources to accomplish this. You shall be given quarters here and space within which to work. Of course, if you try to run, we will be forced to use excessive force.”
“Great,” James said.
Roche stood. “I have full confidence in your ability to complete this mission, and we appreciate your cooperation.” He strode to the door and opened it. Yet another nameless grunt stood on the other side. “This is Agent Banks. He’ll be your main point of contact. Anything you need, let him know.”
With that, he strode from the room, and the not-so-nameless Agent Banks stepped forward. He wore a dark suit but had forgone the clichéd sunglasses. He seemed young, maybe only a few years older than Derek.
“I’ll show you to your quarters, then,” he said with a thin smile, as if they were guests at a hotel, not prisoners.
Agent Banks led them out of the room and into another part of the building. James blinked as
