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Nope, we don't find anything like that.
Gabriel insists on searching all the rooms three times. Why? Because he's a stubborn, grumpy man who refuses to accept the inevitable. We are trapped in here, until we do whatever the Brain wants us to do. I get that he doesn't like being ordered to do the bidding of a supernatural computer, but I don't see that we have a choice. Gabriel finally gives up and sits down on the floor with his back to the wall.
I pace back and forth in front of him.
What if "cementing" our bond doesn't mean only having sex? There might be another component. Not sure what that would be. Sealing a bond sounds intimate, like something that would involve emotions and trust. I trust Gabriel, but maybe I haven't completely surrendered to the bond between us. Could it be that the Echo's Brain requires us to come to terms with our feelings for each other and accept them?
I met him yesterday. But I already feel closer to him than to anyone in Sanctuary. If I didn't have amnesia, maybe I would find that idea disturbing and slightly insane. But having a giant blank spot in my mind gives me a different perspective. I think. It makes sense, at least to me, that not knowing how I used to feel about anything could make me more open to the idea of bonding with a virtual stranger.
But I know some things about Gabriel. He told me he has no family because he was an orphan, and that he didn't have any real friends.
To bond means to share ourselves with each other. How can I share parts of me with him when I don't even know who I am? Instead of talking to myself about this in my head, I should discuss it with Gabriel.
He'll probably tell me I'm a moron.
But I do it anyway. I sit down beside him and say, "We need to talk about this bond thing."
"It's bullshit. There's nothing else to say."
"Stop that. We need to have a real conversation."
He sighs and leans his head against the wall. "Fine. But it was your idea, so you start the conversation."
"Okay." I resist the impulse to squirm and avoid looking at him. Instead, I turn partway toward him. "We sealed our sexual bond, but there's more to it than that. You saved me from the lightning before you even knew anything about me. You confided in me too. That means something."
"Like what?"
"That maybe we share a bond deeper than lust. You felt protective of me quickly, which makes no logical sense."
He glances at me sideways. "What are you suggesting?"
"That we need to accept our feelings for each other, even though they don't make sense. I think that's what the Brain wants. A real, emotional bond."
"I threatened to assault you on the beach."
"You didn't mean it. I know that. You were scared and doing what I've learned you always do when you're upset. You got grumpy and lashed out."
He grunts.
"And I've also learned that you grunt when you're embarrassed."
Gabriel shakes his head, though it's still leaning against the wall. "You are even more stubborn than I realized."
"And you are even sweeter than I realized."
"Sweet?" His lip curls. "You're insane."
"It's the truth. You are sweet, though you try to hide that fact."
He grunts again.
Well, Allison did tell me that most men don't like to be called "sweet." I'll move on to another topic. "We need to do this bond-sealing thing so we can take control of the Brain. Hopefully, that will give us the power to end the apocalypse. The worst of the devastation might be over, but the Echo keeps throwing things at us. We need to do something before both worlds go nuts."
"You assume they will."
"The Echo already did go nuts, for a while. Erin and Grant stopped it. But now the Brain apparently needs our help. I wonder if it was the Brain that sent the lightning and the Echo creature that kidnapped us."
He swivels his head to look at me. "You never mentioned that possibility before."
