Stolen Powers: Rise of the NGZ

Chapter Sixteen: No Rest for the Weary

Viacha would be a nice town to live in if you weren't threatened by an organization trying to kill you. Besides the fact that hardly anyone here spoke any English, the town was clean and the people seemed pretty ordinary.

I looked up at the sky, and I guessed that it was around eight or so in the morning. Not a lot of businesses would be open at this time, but the first things we desperately needed was food, water, and rest.

We walked beside the road until we stumbled across an inn that rested along the highway. It would take us north to one of the country's capitals, La Paz.

"Should we try this place?" I asked. "They should have some breakfast for us."

Beside the front door, a sign told us that we had to be residents in order to eat the buffet. Of course, this wouldn't be a problem for us. Once inside, a nice-looking lady greeted us in a thick Spanish accent.

"Hello!" she greeted us in Spanish. Thanks, Jamie, for the translations again. "Are you here to stay the night? You all look rather exhausted."

Jamie glanced behind her to Bailey and gave her a quick nod before she spoke. "Yes, but I believe we already have. We visited last night and said that we'd be exploring the town today, remember?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? I don't remember you guys checking in. Let me check the logs real quick..."

Bailey stepped in at that point. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her eyes flash for a quick second. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we checked in last night and paid you the money. We'll be staying for the day and leaving in the morning." 

The woman paused for a few seconds before gripping the sides of her head. "Agh...excuse me. I don't know what came over me." 

Bailey glanced at me with a small grin. "It's okay, ma'am. Take your time." 

We convinced her that we were certainly temporary residents of the inn, and we made our way to the buffet. Our stomachs couldn't wait any longer. 

"I smell pancakes," Jamie mumbled. "I haven't had fresh pancakes in forever." 

"The bacon," Quentin muttered, drool becoming visible from the corner of his mouth. "It looks so good..."

"That's a big blueberry muffin..." I heard Landon say. 

It was pretty obvious that we were starving, so we didn't hesitate to grab our plates and dig right in. I stacked my plate with the fresh pancakes that Jamie was drooling over, a few scrambled eggs, three strips of bacon, two pieces of wheat toast, and a big glass of water to top it all off. As if following my lead, the rest of the Powerclan didn't hesitate to do something similar. 

Right after we took our seat, a nearby TV was on, with a female Spanish reporter at the scene of last night's plane crash. My mood shifted a bit as my attention got dragged into it. There were firefighters at the wreckage, trying their best to douse the remaining flames. Most of what was left of it were mostly smoke and white sheets covering the bodies. However, something caught my eye as the camera showed more details of the plane. 

"Wait, who is that in the back?" I asked the group, trying to keep my voice down. I saw Donovan lean forward to try to make out who it could be. The man wore a military camo outfit, but something about his demeanor stood out to me.  Then, he turned to face the person who he was talking to and everything hit me. I stifled a gasp. 

"It's Lin," I said just above a whisper. "He's in Viacha." 

"Why isn't he in Cochabamba?" Donovan asked. "Where Simon said he'd be?"