The End of MindCrack

Chapter 13: Kidnapped!

 Blame hadn't been part of the convention crew. Consequently, Xavier had never seen him before in person, though he had seen pictures and a few panel livestreams. So he was slightly taken aback at the realization that even Blame, one of the shortest of the MindCrackers, was a few inches taller than he was.

 "Blame?"

 The look Xavier earned was guarded, suspicious and Xavier was reminded that this man, of all the group, was not one to mess with.

 "My name is Xavier Alves. I'm the one you're meeting about the job."

 It was the code they had agreed on. The wary light left Blame's eyes and he nodded.

 "I see. He's left?"

 Xavier bobbed his head once. Blame hailed a taxi, the pair climbed in, and Xavier gave their driver directions to the park he and Etho had found on a borrowed map.

 The park was a fair drive away, about fifteen minutes from the airport, and Blame took the opportunity to appraise himself of his new partner.

 "Tyler picked you?" he asked. When Etho had suggested asking Blame, Xavier knew that he had explained the entire story. Still, he understood the other man's hesitance. More and more Xavier was forced to remember that he was the outsider meddling in affairs not his own.

 "Yes. I was there and, I suppose, the convenient choice for someone unknown."

 Blame stared out the window at the passing buildings. "It was convenient," he agreed.

 Xavier smiled at the older man. "As convenient as it was, I know Etho was grateful you agreed to help us. He trusts you like he doesn't trust me." He gave a small, strangled laugh. "Not that I blame him at all."

 "he wouldn't be here like this if he didn't trust you," Blame replied. "He wouldn't have even come this far if he didn't. We just have to make sure we don't let him down." The flippant tone of voice was belied by the worried crinkle in Blame's forehead, the nervous darting eyes moving from Xavier's face to the window. But Xavier found himself heartened by Blame's use of the word 'we'.

 Xavier wanted to say they wouldn't. He wanted to reassure the ex-military man that the daring plan would work fine, that Etho would be fine, that they could save Vechs and Kurt and Jordan into the bargain. But how could he reassure someone else when he wasn't certain himself?

~~~

 Xavier felt a relief he hadn't expected when the taxi let them out at the park and he caught sight of a familiar shock of red hair. Until that moment, he oculdn't have said he was nervous, even scared of what they might find at the park. Nor, for that matter, could he have said he was more worried about what they might not find.

 Blame chose the bench, a metal fixture in the shade of a tree almost sky tall and thick enough that three or four men together couldn't  have circled it. Xavier took a seat, his eye fastened on Etho until Blame joggled Xavier's arm and held out a section of the newspaper he had brought with him.

 Xavier took it, berating himself for not thinking of it. Without looking up from the printed page, he asked  Blame, "What did you do before youtubing anyway?"

 The Texan caught a glimpse of the mischievous smile out of the corner of his eye and knew what answer he was going to get.

 "I'd love to tell you," Blame said, "but then I'd have to kill you."

 Forcing back a wry grin, Xavier returned his attention to the paper. His one glimpse of Etho had told him a lot, little of it good. The Canadian's face had looked as tightly drawn as Xavier's nerves. For all that, Etho had sat very still, not moving so much as a finger that he didn't have to. No nervous twitching. A book lay forgotten on his knees, long fingers resting on the open pages.

 Blame had seemed sure that Etho trusted them. But what if Etho didn't trust himself not to give the game away?

 This time it was Xavier's turn to elbow Blame. They had been waiting for about an hour when the blond woman walked through the park gate and over to the duck pond. Blame glanced up and turned back to his paper with a frown. A woman feeding ducks was hardly his idea of a threat. Xavier knew better. She was the same lady he had seen watching Etho in an airport in Canada.

 "Blame," Xavier whispered. "She's the one. She's here for him."

 Blame's frown deepened, he glanced up over his paper again, and then back down. "What makes you think that?"

 "I've seen her before."

 "You're sure?" The question wasn't accusing, didn't suggest that Blame didn't believe him. It was a question of confirmation only.

 "I'm sure," Xavier replied. "I saw her in the airport when I went home with Etho. She's following him. And I'm sure it's the same lady."

 Blame nodded and Xavier noticed that if he did go back to reading his paper, he never seemed to get past the top right hand corner of the page. After a few minutes, the woman hesitantly approached Etho and asked him a question. Slowly, Etho closed his book and seemed to consider the question. Then he nodded and pointed. The woman looked embarrassed, but gave some protest.

 Etho gave her a smile that looked fake to Xavier, but he thought he could be imagining things. He stood and seemed to be offering to show her something. She smiled back at him, thanked him, and they walked towards the park gate. To his credit, Etho never so much as twitched in the direction of his two friends on the bench.

 Outside the gate, Etho and the strange woman started to walk past a parked car on the side of the road. Without warning, the woman reached in front of Etho, grabbed the door handle of the car. She yanked it open and gave Etho a shove that knocked him off balance. Someone reached out from the car, gripped Etho's arms and pulled him inside. The woman jumped in after and pulled the door shut.

 Before Blame and Xavier could do anything, the car revved to life and pulled away from the curb.

 Xavier was stunned, but Blame didn't waste a moment. He pulled Xavier to his feet and dragged him to the taxi.

 "Come on! We can't lose him!" The words revealed a desperation Xavier could only wish he didn't share.