Patchwork Universe

Dr James Kirby · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 2:43 pm Post subject: Strange Visitor

A large, long, thin balloon emerged from the mist to the east of the patch. It progressed some way across the sky, losing height, then dropped a cable and anchor.

Inside the balloon, Von Damme sat at a workbench, tinkering with the goggles he had taken from Kirby. Occasionally, he would put the goggles to his eyes, as if testing some new adjustment, and making either a positive or negative noise each time. Finally, he was satisfied with his work. He donned the goggles, and climbed up to the observation platform on top of the balloon in order to survey, now that he could see again.

He stood, staring in wonder and perplexity at the vast rose garden growing beneath him. By his calculations, he ought to be somewhere over the west side of Empire City's suburbs, but there was nowhere near Empire that looked anything like this. And the mists - from this vantage point, he could see the crisp orthangonal lines they cut across the landscape. This was something new.

"Could the Quiet Zone Projector have done this?" he wondered to himself. He cursed his lack of understanding of the field, a sentiment that quickly turned around to hatred of Kirby, and his incompetant meddling with the Quiet Zone. Von Damme grinned savagely, as he recalled Kirby's fate.