Consuming Fire

Chapter 14

Eli had been on a private jet before with his father. Only once. His father wanted to show him what it was like to be privileged and rich, to get what you want quicker than others. It was a fun ride, he had to admit, but every other aspect made him wish the plane would take a nosedive into the North Atlantic Ocean.

This jet was different. For one, it was filled with FBI agents. Eli sat at the very back of the cabin next to the window with Zac-Joshua handcuffed to the aisle. When they returned to the hotel last night, the FBI were frantic and threatened to lock him up for good. Zac handled the situation with polite calm, winking at Eli every now and then. "I got this, watch," he'd say. Somehow, Eli trusted him.

Jenny was dozing off in front of them. She'd had no sleep last night without Joshua, and Eli knew it was because he'd always been there the entire journey to protect them at any cost. Though Eli still held a grudge against Joshua, he had to admit he felt empty without him, as though he'd forgotten to bring a suitcase with him.

Their flight was delayed for nearly the entire day for reasons Fitzpatrick did not care to inform them of, and then they were being loaded onto a stylish jet with a dozen FBI agents at sundown.

Fitzpatrick stood up the front of the cabin briefing her team on what was going down over the next twenty-four hours. Eli really didn't care where they were being led. To be honest, he didn't care much about anything anymore. Since this whole mess started, Eli felt as if he were just an accessory on Joshua's mission to get Hunter back. He was of no use to anyone. Nobody really cared where he went so long as he came back. It was Joshua they raved about. Joshua the crazy scientist. Joshua the amazing Iceman. Joshua who ruined his life and tried to kill him and then decided he was more valuable alive than dead and dragged him across the country to fix his volcanic mess.

Fucking Joshua.

Eli glared at the man beside him. Even though he knew it was some stranger, some kid with a power, he still hated him. His best friend Jack had been captured and was being used as some kind of mind-controlled weapon against Hunter and the others. It was too unbelievable to be real. What's next? I bet my dad's psycho girlfriend Melissa has powers and she's working with Dr. Wolfe to take over the world and build an empire of black leather shoe robots.

And I guess I should blame Joshua for that too. Fucking Joshua.

Suddenly, the fake Joshua looked up from his inspection of the in-flight menu and turned his gaze to Eli's.

"Seriously," Joshua sighed. "Who puts grapes on a pizza."

"Huh?"

"Look at this-" Eli didn't have a second to prepare before the laminated menu was shoved under his nose. Joshua tapped the pizza section furiously. "Whatever happened to good old-fashioned cheese pizzas? Has the world gone freaking insane?"

Eli looked at him in astonishment. "Joshua doesn't really talk like that."

"Why, coz he's got a stick up his ass?" Joshua shook his head and squirmed in his seat. "Maybe it's just these stupid suit pants, they're riding up in places you don't even want to - oh. Yeah, that feels weird."

Instantly, Eli wanted to laugh. Just watching him behave this way almost cheered up him. Almost. "Don't you get used to it after changing into so many people?"

At that moment, the FBI agents broke up from their debriefing. They spread out through the plane and took their seats. Eli watched the agents pass without taking a single glance at him.

Joshua shook his head. "Nah, I was the same fat kid for twelve years. I'm not used to it at all. This body isn't that bad though. It feels healthy."

"Aren't you afraid people will be able to tell it's not the real person?"

"Nope," said Joshua. "It's really easy to observe people's behavior before I change into them, and little clues about their body language, appearance and personality give things away. Watch."

Two FBI agents were walking towards them. Joshua turned to them and shook his cuffed wrist. "Excuse me?"

One of them stopped. "Yes?"

"I'd like to order this ridiculous grape pizza, and I'll have a scotch with extra ice." Joshua did this deep stare and raised one eyebrow suggestively. The agent frowned, not sure what he was implying. Eli rolled his eyes as the agent walked away.

"What the hell was that?"

"My Joshua impression."

He snorted. "You have a lot to learn about Joshua, buddy."

"Alright alright, I do a pretty good Cher impersonation. Want to hear it?"

Eli opened his mouth to say 'no', but Joshua raised his clenched fist, closed his eyes and began the chorus of Believe. Eli's mouth fell open. It was not only disturbing, it was surprisingly good.

When he finished, Eli rolled his eyes and told him to get some sleep. Joshua sighed dramatically and mumbled about waiting for his pizza. Eli nestled in and tried to close his eyes. The cabin lights dimmed and agents everywhere started to snooze or relax with a movie. Eli was just nodding off when something strange happened. He saw an agent drop a small piece of paper into Joshua's lap.

"This isn't my pizza," Joshua muttered and unfolded the note.

Oxygen masks on - you have fifteen seconds.

Inside the paper, a tiny key slipped out. A key to Joshua's handcuffs.

Eli's heart leapt. He had no time to question what it meant. Joshua looked at him again in surprise and some of the excitement he'd seen earlier flittered back into his pale eyes. Something was about to happen.

Eli leapt into action. He slid the note in the crack between the two chairs and shook Jenny's shoulder. She read it and her mouth fell open, on the verge of asking questions, but Eli didn't let her.

"Do it."

She nodded and opened up the pocket above her head. Joshua did the same.

Eli guessed it had already been eleven seconds. As he grabbed his own mask, he saw the same agent who had given them the note walk back through the cabin with a heavy-duty gas mask over his face. As he walked, he dropped something small and circular on the ground. The moment the object stopped rolling, it opened up and a gray gas started to seep from it.

All around him, there were coughing sounds. "What's happening?" an agent yelled. "I can't breathe," said another. Then they started to flop in their seats. Eli looked up through the dark, misty cabin room and saw the mystery agent standing at the head of the aisle with his hands behind his back, watching the silent chaos as all of the FBI agents fell asleep.

They waited. Jenny didn't move. Joshua gazed wide-eyed at the mysterious intruder. After at least forty more seconds, he removed his mask and strolled towards them.

"We don't have much time," he said in a thick British accent. In the dimness, Eli made out a young face with a close-trim beard and round eyes. He had curly black hair tucked behind his ears. There was a gun in the holster under his suit jacket. "I've managed to switch the cameras from the cockpit so they won't know what's happened. But we've got a two minute window of opportunity before they wake up."

"Wha ..." Joshua gaped in wonderment. "Are you a wizard?"

He smirked down at them, flattered and amused. "Call me Barnes," he said. "Chevie Barnes. Now chop chop - we've got a plane to catch."