Sui Generis – 19

 

Brand's smile fell away when Mag remained silent.

Do I care for him? I think so. Am I the man he needs? How can I answer that?

::You ask him." Antton's voice in his head had Brand turning in shock to look at him. "Yes, I can mind-speak with you. It's part of what we can do. Before you get upset, I didn't read your mind, although I could have. I saw the worry you're feeling in your face and body language.:: There was laughter in Antton's next words. ::I don't expect you to declare your feelings for him with me standing here. But you might want to try later.::

Brand nodded. "Maybe," he said softly.

"Maybe what?" Mag asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"Maybe we should come up with a plan to trap Fedor," Brand quickly improvised.

"That would be the next step," Antton agreed. "Do either of you have any bright ideas?"

Brand shook his head. "We've tried searching for him while we were out where he could find me. I've seen him once and he saw me but was interrupted before he could do anything. Presuming, of course, he planned to and that it wasn't just the first move in his game."

"Hard to tell. What bothers me is why it took close to two months for him to start looking for you."

"Perhaps he had other problems to deal with?" Mag said.

"I can't think of anything that would be more important than finding me." Brand smiled slightly. "Not that I'm egotistical or anything, but still."

"Hold on. Mag might have a point there. After you got away, Fedor might have felt it would be a good idea to move somewhere else. He might not have trusted you couldn't break the block and remember where you ran from, once you were free. He knew he was changing you, although apparently he wasn't aware into what. The fact you managed to escape couldn't have made him happy on several levels."

Brand sighed. "So even if I did remember, it wouldn't do us any good."

"No, but…" Antton tapped his lips. "It would still give us a starting place. Perhaps with help we could track him from there to wherever he's landed now."

"If he has moved on."

Antton grinned wickedly. "And if he hasn't, we're in luck."

"You're sure it was a house?" Mag asked Brand.

"From what parts of it they let me see, yes. I couldn't tell you how big it was. They only took me into a couple of rooms for my 'exercise', but I do know it wasn't a business, a warehouse, or what have you."

"Okay. You said you ended up in an abandoned building. What kind?"

"An old motel, half falling down. I don't think anyone's been there except squatters in forever, from the look of it." Brand grimaced. "And rats and stray dogs. It was off four-seventy I discovered, once I got up the nerve to leave. Seemed like I walked for miles until I got to a convenience store and found out where I was." 

"Do you have a computer?" Antton asked.

Mag chuckled. "We're students. Of course we do." He went upstairs, returning with his laptop, handing it to Antton.

After bringing up a map program, Antton homed in on four-seventy in 'satellite' mode before asking Brand where the convenience store was. Brand studied the map as Antton scrolled it, then pointed. "That looks like it." Antton zoomed in, and Brand nodded. "That's it." A bit more scrolling and they found the motel.

Antton turned to look up at Brand. "You escaped in the early morning, you said. Where was the sun in relationship to how you were running?"

Brand snorted. "All over the place. I was zigging and zagging, going from one safe looking spot to another. I probably made more turns than I ran straight. So if you're trying to figure out which way to search from the motel, I have no clue."

"Did you cross the highway to get to it?"

"Well… no."

"So we have a semi-circle area to search, not a full one. Still a lot of space but not daunting."

"Says you," Mag muttered. "Especially since we're searching for a house in an area full of them, from the look of it."

"A house that, unless I miss my guess, is somewhat off by itself. He wouldn't want to be close to other people who might either come knocking on the door asking to borrow a cup of sugar, or who would wonder why they never saw anyone around, coming and going to work or the store."

"Who borrows sugar these days?" Brand said, chuckling.

"You know what I mean," Antton grumbled. "How long did you run?"

"It seemed like forever but…" Brand closed his eyes momentarily. "It was still morning when I found the motel. I'd guess maybe nine or ten because the shadows were long, but not real long, if you get what I'm saying."

"I do." Antton glanced at the time on the laptop, bookmarked the map site and closed it down. "I suggest we all get some sleep and tomorrow morning, we'll go hunting."