This chapter turned a lot longer than I thought it would. But I like it. Enjoy:
Tracking down Icicle proved to be quite the challenge, but we were up to it. The four of us spent our days searching the internet for mentions of her, and brainstorming places she may live. It was tough work. And five days after my jail visit, I was starting to worry.
"What if we don't find her in time?" I ask frantically as the four of us huddle around Kimiko's computers.
"If we don't find her…we don't find her." Clay says. "We can always try another plan."
"I am most confident we will find her. We are smart monks!" Ever-cheerful Omi adds his two cents. Kimiko sighs, loudly and angrily.
"Is there a problem?"
"Yeah there's a problem! All this research keeps leading to is risqué websites that are loaded with viruses! My laptop may never work right again!" Kimiko exclaims loudly.
"Well at least you'll get to live." I say firmly. Her sharp expression softens.
"Well that puts things in perspective…"
"Did you find Icicle anywhere?" I ask hopefully.
"No, just mentions here and there of some crimes she may or may not have done. I've found a few blogs that mention seeing someone that looks like her, but no one out right knows anything. She's covered her tracks well." Kimiko reports, turning back to the computer. Her game face is on. "But, get this; all the mentions of her come from people in North America; mostly the United States. I don't think she travels very much. So our best bet,"
"Would be to look in America." I finish for her.
"Exactly."
"Okay, so North America." Clay repeats. "That narrows it down to one continent. Anything else we can think of to help narrow it down more?"
"Well, Ember's cache was in Texas, and if we're sure she's in North America then Icicle is probably in the United States somewhere." I tell them. "So she's probably in the US. That narrows it down."
"Not necessarily," Kimiko cuts in. "Don't forget Canada. I've got a list here of some crimes she's committed in Canada."
"This is hard…" I sigh. I'm not really complaining, though. Just noting a fact. "Hold on, think of her name: Icicle. I think she's somewhere cold. Like, really cold. I think we should look somewhere cold. What are the cold states? Clay, you live there, what are they?"
"Antarctica!" Omi exclaims loudly. I wince. He isn't very good at geography. "Antarctica is very cold!"
"Um, Omi," Kimiko's says trying to sound sweet and nice, "Antarctica is a little to cold to live in, if you what I mean. And also, it isn't in North America…it isn't even in the northern hemisphere. But, good guess! You're thinking, you're helping." She encourages.
"What about…what about Alaska?" I ask tentatively.
"Alaska?" They repeat as a group.
"Yeah…It's cold. It's in America, and it's close to Canada. I think it works." I tell them.
"That just might work…hold on." Kimiko turns back to the computer and cross references "Alaska" and "Icicle". A bunch of results come up.
"Uh…maybe you should try other keywords." Clay instructs. Kim then tries adding 'thief' and 'safe house' to the mix. Less results, but still too many. We keep at it for another minute before Kimiko gasps loudly.
"Found her!"
"Where?" Me and my fellow boys ask and lean in towards the computer. Kimiko brings up a webpage and we start reading aloud.
"It's a long page, save your breathe." Kimio says, shushing us. "But the gist of it is that she lived in northern Alaska a few years ago, that much is fact. I don't know if she still there, but it's worth looking. I've got exact coordinates."
"Exact coordinates?" I ask. "Doesn't that sound…suspicious?"
"A little, yes…"
"Well, we have to start somewhere don't we? This is a good chance, we shouldn't waste this opportunity." Clay states. "I think we should go for it."
"But my friend, what if it is a trap?" Omi asks him.
"I think, we can handle anything. We are Xiaolin Monks after all." Clay says and they turn to me. Waiting for my final decision.
"We leave tomorrow morning." I say firmly.
--
The next morning we're off to Alaska. We don't bother with plane tickets; Dojo is taking us. We've made all arrangements with Master Fung. He isn't happy with out decisions, but says that he has to let us lead our own lives. We're all welcome at the temple, including Ember. He also gives us a list of names; friends. People to contact in case we run into trouble. He waited at the temple gate, wishing us well as we departed.
It was a long flight. I'm not sure how long, but at least several hours. We're going fast. Dojo is flying as fast as he can. It's a breezy day. As we pass over the Atlantic we take turns holding up a blanket for each other, so we can change into warmer clothes. Kimiko had spent the entire night shopping for us. We all needed warmer clothes and she volunteered to get them. I had to admit, the girl had style; she'd picked out a huge winter coat for each of us. They were well insulated, comfortable, functional, and stylish. Everything we could ask for in the harsh environment.
--
A few hours later and we've landed. We've been exploring. Kimiko's leading us with her GPS. She says we're close, but she's worried that it will die any minute from the cold.
And believe me, it is cold. We're all shivering , our teeth are chattering, and every few seconds we pull our coats closer to out body. Clay suggests we walk closer to each other so we can sort of huddle. The combined body heat isn't much, but we do so anyway.
"This should be it." Kimiko yells over the wind. The wind has picked up and it's snowing. A snowstorm, pretty much. Note to self; never visit Alaska in January.
"I don't see anything!" Clay roars.
"I can't see anything!" Omi complains about the lack of visibility. I look around. It's like being at the beach but instead of sand dunes, there's snow dunes. And instead of the crashing waves there's snow. Lots and lots of snow. The scenery actually reminds me a lot of the Himalayan Mountains. When Ember was on the run we had tracked her down to the mountains. And it was just as snowy and cold and deserted as this was.
Of course, it wasn't all deserted in Alaska. We had passed several towns and stores. Little communities. But we were now in the uninhibited parts. Which made this the perfect place for Icicle.
It was interesting, I thought, how the two girls preferred being around their elements. I was sure that Icicle was here the moment we landed. It was icy and cold; perfect for her. Ember too flocked to hot places. She had told me once she wanted to live in a Volcano, just because she could withstand the heat. She said she hadn't gone through with the plan because all her money would burn up.
As I'm reflecting, Omi suddenly shouts that he's seen something. We all huddle closer.
"What is it?" I yell.
"I don't know!" We get closer again. I see a small silver object. It' very tiny and very shiny, and that's all I know about it.
"It looks like a canister of some sort!" Dojo shouts, popping his head out of Clay's hat, his hiding place.
Wait a canister…in the middle of no where…I look around. A see something quickly dart behind a mound of snow. I turn back, Omi starts moving to poke the canister.
"OMI NO!" Too late. The canister opens and a dark gas spews out, filling the air. We all start coughing and choking.
I bring a cloth up to my face, trying to block the fumes, but I've already inhaled too much. I can feel reality slipping away. I look in the distance. I see the figure again. Dashing around wildly. I think it's human, but it's very fast. Almost to fast…the figure comes closer to us…slowly…not to fast…normal speed…my eyes start to close. I feel myself fall.
My eyes snap open. Why am I on the ground? Why are my hands bound? We're still in the same place…I can see the figure now. Hovering over my face. It's a ski mask…just a black ski mask…just…darkness.
Oh boy! Suspense! Can't wait to see what happens next, can you? Well, Review please now! I've noticed that a couple of people stopped reviewing after the first chapter, and that bothers me because they're still reading it…