.The Eraser.

quinze

                                                            -15-

The past two days were definitely eventful. The Erasers still did not know if janitor Billy was the legitimate culprit of the engine mystery and to increase the stress of it all; the ZED were somewhere in the world with the captured mayor. 

Atara looked down at the leather straps around her left wrist. Her father had entrusted her with his self-made device: the speed dial. She had tried to refuse taking such a big responsibility but Richard insisted that among her, Jean, Louisse and Copper she was the one who he trusted to use it well. 

Since capable Erasers were on other missions elsewhere, Jean and the three females were the ones sited among other passengers; in the small plane as they made their way to the country of Niger. Jean got Intel from a friend who apparently said that they had an idea on the location of the ZED's headquarters.  

For some reason Atara felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach as they soared through the orange sky, flying over the Sahara. On one hand she was unsure about going after the ZED at their hideout; it didn't seem like a good idea.  

On the other hand they had the slight element of surprise because the terror group would not see them coming. At least that thought would put her mind at ease. 

It was just yesterday night that the terrorists crashed the foundation ball of Walton's college and kidnapped the mayor at Eastern Belle hotel. The Erasers quickly made their way out of the hotel through the back kitchen as they tried to avoid the police officers who had finally made their way in through the lobby. The puzzling mystery of last night was; which route had the terrorists taken to escape untraced?  

The hours were ticking by quickly as time was running out for the kidnapped mayor.  

''Everybody fasten your seat belts please.'' The pilot spoke through the overheard speakers as the 12 passengers begun to sit upright and buckle up. ''We are about to start our descent." 

The small plane gradually began to lower itself in the dusky sky and Atara who had sat next to her mother looked out the small window and could see that they were slowly approaching the tar runway surrounded by sand. 

''Welcome to Bilma'' the pilot announced cheerfully as the plane finally came to a complete stop on the ground and the passengers removed their seatbelts. 

Bilma is a small town in the Ténéré desert region of Niger, located in the south central Sahara. It is quite the remote place, with its high temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius of scorching heat and no rain; a perfect place to hide a mayor. 

''Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?'' Louisse asked her daughter for a third time as they made their way outside the plane and towards the unimpressive structure of an airport that looked like an open warehouse. 

''No I haven't", Atara responded in monotone. 

''Wait, I think I forgot my passport on the seat", Copper said and turned back half way and ran towards the plane. Everyone just shook their heads and proceeded inside without her. 

''May I see your passport?'' the immigration officer asked sternly. 

Atara handed him her passport and he snatched it from her vey roughly. After stamping the document, he practically threw the delicate material at her. She managed to catch it before it hit the ground and the man did not even apologize for his action. 

'How rude.' Atara thought as she swung her back pack over her shoulder and proceeded to where Jean and Louisse were standing waiting for their host.