The Curious Case of the Two Dirk Gentlys

45: Svald Cjelli, Solo Speeder

Svald had to give some amount of credit to his son's agency, they sure did know how to make a getaway. It took him half an hour of walking to see a single car, a full hour before seeing a petrol station, and two whole hours to find a town. Farah must have hidden away some secret map filled with forgotten roads that only criminals and Blackwing projects could ever possibly need.

There wasn't exactly a plan upon rejoining civilisation. He had no American money, no ID, and no connections for several states. He would say he'd been more lost with less of a plan but deep, deep down he knew it was all a lie. For all the misadventures and cases he'd been thrown into he'd always had some form of a clue as to what was going on. The thread was always thin but at it was there for him to follow. Now he was in a complete daze. Never before had an unfinished case been snatched out of his hands. The universe wasn't comfortable and neither was he. The two were at odds, one middle aged man against an all encompassing entity, both refusing to give up on their vague, confused understanding of reality.

He sat down on a wooden bench near the middle of town. It was located in a park which, while beautiful and peaceful, offered no help; unless of course the answer was dogs, old ladies, and exhausted young mothers. He searched desperately around the horizon for something with any small amount of value. There was a fast food place, that could be helpful in the short term. It was extremely hard to focus after not eating for well over 24 hours. Unfortunately, there came the money issue. Perhaps he could use his gypsy fortune teller trick again, that always made a buck or two. There was a shopping centre, maybe he could steal a tent and some gas and spend the rest of his life as a happy little camper.

"That isn't going to work is it?" He sighed. He got no reply, just a weird look from a nearby father. "I have to finish the case don't I?" Again, no reply, but there came a cool sense of levity that he'd learned to read before he could even talk. He grumbled. How to close a case like this? Robert, Richard, and the agency would be miles away even if they were following the speed limit (which they most certainly weren't). At the rate they were going they were already far out of his reach.

Comfort began to return as the universe tentatively edged its way back over to his side. A pull in his chest, that perfect thin thread, began to tug him to the path that would lead him to Blackwing. Now how to get there? His eyes lamded on a second hand car dealership. He smiled, time to steal a car.

He headed to the dealership with his head held high. The warm air that twirled around the lot didn't bother him one bit, he was as cool as ice. A suited man with a fake plastic smile extended his arm. Svald exchanged pleasantries as fast as he could. Every minute wasted was another mile lost.

"How can I help you today, Sir?" The man smiled falsely.

"I need a car." Svald announced, failing to even briefly make eye contact as his sight dashed wildly around the space.

"Of course, Sir. What sort of car did you have in mind?"

"A fast car, as fast as you've got."

"Right." The man nodded. "And what sort of budget are we working with?"

"Price isn't an issue." Svald dismissed.

"Ah, a man of class I see." Replied the salesman. Svald ignored the empty compliment. Nobody saw any class in him, he looked like a mess and he was rocking it. He strode over to a shining red Ferrari. Perfect. It was relatively small, fast, and easy to work through traffic (providing he ever found any).

"This looks good. I could work with this." Svald uttered to himself.

"Excellent choice, Sir."

"I'd like to test drive it if you don't mind."

"Absolutely." The salesman dropped the keys into Svald's palm. Svald smiled and made his move. Before the salesman could even register what was going on Svald had jumped into the driver's seat and locked the doors behind him.

"Um, Sir." The salesman laughed nervously as he tugged on the door. "Sir, you need a sales representative with you to test drive."

"I'd love it if you did come, really, but I assure you that you wouldn't enjoy it one bit. Now excuse me, I have to help my son destroy a government agency in order to protect a mutant child."

"...what?"

"I'll explain later. Don't wait up." Svald shouted back as he slammed his foot on the accelerator and speed out of the lot.