8th November 2012
17:12 GMT +3
"I wonder if my college has a rowing team?"
Sanderson and I are getting into a rhythm, our oars going into the water together…
Reasonably well. I've only had to stabilise myself with my ring once so far.
Alan leans a little towards him. "Shouldn't be too hard to find out."
"Wouldn't do you much good, though. Metahumans can't participate in official competitions.
"
"They can't? Why not?"
"What do you mean, 'they'?
"
"Mean-?" He blinks. "Oh. Oh yeah. I guess that's-. I mean, magic counts?"
"The rules are a little vague about exactly what they cover, but I imagine that they would stretch to a man who could transform himself into sand.
"
"That doesn't seem fair. It doesn't make me any stronger."
"Do you get tired when you're made of sand?
"
"I haven't really tested it out. Do you think I wouldn't?"
"Your sand body doesn't have any way to generate lactic acid, or… Any other chemical. Not that that necessarily means anything.
"
"Okay, I guess, but it's kind of obvious whether I'm made of sand or not."
"Sanderson,
I know that you're a good guy, but the rules have to be written on the assumption that a certain number of participants
won't be. Plenty of abilities don't have any obvious outward sign that they're in use.
"
The Demon slumps slightly in his seat. "None of you smoke, do you?"
"No.
" / "Not for sixty years." / "Aunt Dian wouldn't let me." /
"No.
"
"You do all realise that none of you can get cancer, yeah?"
Alan shrugs. "I guess we've all got enough purpose in our lives that we don't need things like that."
"I wouldn't tempt me if I were you. Demons with purpose aren't exactly human-friendly."
He's not wrong there.
Hm. Hard to tell exactly how long we've been doing this for. The mist has gone, and we're in a river bed that's deep enough that I can't see over the bank-.
"Doctor, what's on the other side of the river banks?
"
"Not a great deal. This is a travelling river. I imagine thet what surrounds us is the unformatted stuff of the Dream.
"
Alan frowns, straightening up slightly and peering to the left. "Is it safe?"
"It would not be wise to walk through it with your living body, but it will not hurt us here.
"
"If I did, what would happen?"
"It would be like being in a dream, except thet you would hev no external body to awaken into.
"
"Could someone get out?"
Dr. Balewa nods slowly.
"Perhaps. If they were unusually self-possessed, or had someone to help them. Mister Hawkins, do you feel anything about our destination?
"
"Doctor, I'm not really used to navigating by… By feel like this. I don't want to get everyone lost."
"Returning to the Gate of Horn and Ivory from a river like this is easy. Do not worry about getting us lost. As long as no one moves into the deep dream, I am confident thet I could guide our return journey myself. It is in navigating us
in thet you are helpful.
"
"Okay, then I think we're coming up on something. But I don't-"
We
all hear the rushing water, and I nod to myself.
"-know what-. Ah, that's bad, right?"
"I… Am not sure.
"
Dr. Balewa peers in the direction of our travel as the roar of water going over a waterfall gets louder.
"I do not
believe thet it will be a problem, but if the Lanterns could-
"
Lap bars, chain loops and
grab rails appear on our boat, and
life jackets materialise at our feet.
"-make certain-. Thank you.
"
The river bends, the bank blocking our view of the fall until-. Yes, there it is, the classical waterfall-from-nowhere. I swap my plate armour helmet for a diving helmet, and after a moment Alan does as well.
The Demon wraps ropes around each of his forearms. "Alright, Doctor. Anything we need to know?"
"It is probably too late to teach you how to swim.
"
The boat's picking up speed. We could probably reach the bank, but from what Dr. Balewa was saying there's nothing
there.
"About the
water."
"Despite the fact that it does not literally exist, I would not recommend breathing-
"
The boat goes over the fall.
"-it-.
"
I'm braced, but-. What? I-.
There's a moment of disorientation as we go
over, but then it's… Like we're sailing along a level river once more, the sky above us sort of
twisting so that the dull night sky that accompanied us since we left zombie territory is replaced by-.
I close my eyes in an attempt to get my brain to stop hurting. Okay, it looked like a Middle eastern market from a couple of centuries ago drawn by
Roger Penrose. Pathways link points that have no rational spatial relationship to one another, being at variance in place or orientation. People of various kinds walk freely at our plane, up walls and across ceilings. A few move at completely different angles, and some overpasses have people walking atop and beneath them.
"Ah, good. We hev arrived.
"
I open my eyes, and
don't punch Dr. Balewa in the face.
"Oarsmen, please take us to the jetty. We will need to transfer here.
"
Sanderson and I look at each other for a moment, then carefully resume our strokes. I glance back and see that our drop-in point has vanished. The jetty's not far away, but we're one of the smaller boats on the water and we're not good at delicate manoeuvring.
"Do you recognise where we are, Orange Lantern?
"
"Yes, Time Trapper mentioned it. Caliph Haroun al Raschid made a deal with Morpheus to preserve his realm forever. I assume that this is it.
"
"Yes. We will seek passage onwards from here, and gather supplies for our task. But be on your guard: not all things here are what they seem.
"
…
No. Really?
