would have no issue in hurting an innocent passerby who tried to help him, and also that G.R.I.N club policy stated that they should try and reduce any possible connections between worlds as much as possible. He decided to bide his time and overpower them somehow.
He looked around, they appeared to have turned off into a residential area. Flats loomed either side of a narrow, stubby cul de sac.
“Where are we going?” he asked again. He had already asked this question twelve times during the short walk, but he considered perseverance to be an admirable trait.
Pall poked him hard in the back and snarled, “Shut up.”
The angular man was walking more slowly now, his head darting left then right, staring at the buildings on either side. He was muttering to himself and flicking through a small black leather notebook he had pulled from his jacket pocket. He seemed to be deciding something.
“There!” he suddenly shouted, pointing to an entrance the other side of the street from them.
The three of them walked up to the grubby glass door. The thin man scanned the small names covered in peeling plastic which ran vertical along the door, next to each one a buzzer.
The man ran a thin finger along the names, coming to rest against the second last one which read ‘Stroud’.
He pressed the buzzer. There was a moment's silence before a ghostly crackle proceeded a woman’s voice emanating from the speaker.
“Hello?”
“Hello madam, I am here to tell you that you have won a prize. If you would just come down, we can go through the details.”
“Bugger off," came the reply instantly, before falling silent again.
The man’s eyes narrowed and Colin saw the knuckles whiten on the hand that was now squeezing the notebook tightly. Someone suddenly came running down the stairs behind the door in front of them and burst through it. A man wearing luminous cycling shorts, a white basketball vest and enormous headphones jogged past them nodding curtly.
The angular man quickly darted behind him and caught the door before it slammed shut. He turned to Pall.
“Go and get her, I'll stay with this idiot.”
He stepped behind Colin who felt the tip of a blade press against his lower back. Pall hurried off up the stairs. Just five minutes passed with nothing other than the low rumble of traffic from the main road and the odd burst of birdsong from the trees which lined the cul de sac, before Pall returned pushing a clearly terrified woman in front of him.
10
Queen Lisa
––––––––
S pencer looked into the eyes of Spangler and waited for an answer. The old man slumped further over, his head bowed.
“What I have to pass to you, is the weight which has kept me so broken all these years. A great shame to me, a great shame."
His voice cracked with the last few words.
“Just tell me."
Spangler sighed deeply, he drew himself up slightly.
“Many years ago, I had a partner. I will not shirk my responsibility for what happened, but it is true to say that my partner drove us to our disastrous end. At the time, I thought it was all a wonderful adventure." His face moved into a sad smile. “Things were different then. We had such dreams... well... I did." His eyes moved from misty eyed reflection to something darker, there was a pain there. Spencer could see it hovering just below the surface.
“My partner was a very... single minded man. I didn't fully realise...“ He drifted off and stared at the floor once more.
“Go on," Spencer encouraged.
“Ever since I had hypothesised that there were multiple universes I had set my mind to finding a way across. I had searched for years using various methods, until finally one day I created my Vibrobbler."
Spencer spluttered suddenly. “Vibrobbler?!”
“Yes, yes, I realise it was a somewhat unfortunate name, but that's what I used to call it."
Spencer tried to relax his eyes from something other than saucers.
“It was an unknown area, we didn't realise the
He looked around, they appeared to have turned off into a residential area. Flats loomed either side of a narrow, stubby cul de sac.
“Where are we going?” he asked again. He had already asked this question twelve times during the short walk, but he considered perseverance to be an admirable trait.
Pall poked him hard in the back and snarled, “Shut up.”
The angular man was walking more slowly now, his head darting left then right, staring at the buildings on either side. He was muttering to himself and flicking through a small black leather notebook he had pulled from his jacket pocket. He seemed to be deciding something.
“There!” he suddenly shouted, pointing to an entrance the other side of the street from them.
The three of them walked up to the grubby glass door. The thin man scanned the small names covered in peeling plastic which ran vertical along the door, next to each one a buzzer.
The man ran a thin finger along the names, coming to rest against the second last one which read ‘Stroud’.
He pressed the buzzer. There was a moment's silence before a ghostly crackle proceeded a woman’s voice emanating from the speaker.
“Hello?”
“Hello madam, I am here to tell you that you have won a prize. If you would just come down, we can go through the details.”
“Bugger off," came the reply instantly, before falling silent again.
The man’s eyes narrowed and Colin saw the knuckles whiten on the hand that was now squeezing the notebook tightly. Someone suddenly came running down the stairs behind the door in front of them and burst through it. A man wearing luminous cycling shorts, a white basketball vest and enormous headphones jogged past them nodding curtly.
The angular man quickly darted behind him and caught the door before it slammed shut. He turned to Pall.
“Go and get her, I'll stay with this idiot.”
He stepped behind Colin who felt the tip of a blade press against his lower back. Pall hurried off up the stairs. Just five minutes passed with nothing other than the low rumble of traffic from the main road and the odd burst of birdsong from the trees which lined the cul de sac, before Pall returned pushing a clearly terrified woman in front of him.
10
Queen Lisa
––––––––
S pencer looked into the eyes of Spangler and waited for an answer. The old man slumped further over, his head bowed.
“What I have to pass to you, is the weight which has kept me so broken all these years. A great shame to me, a great shame."
His voice cracked with the last few words.
“Just tell me."
Spangler sighed deeply, he drew himself up slightly.
“Many years ago, I had a partner. I will not shirk my responsibility for what happened, but it is true to say that my partner drove us to our disastrous end. At the time, I thought it was all a wonderful adventure." His face moved into a sad smile. “Things were different then. We had such dreams... well... I did." His eyes moved from misty eyed reflection to something darker, there was a pain there. Spencer could see it hovering just below the surface.
“My partner was a very... single minded man. I didn't fully realise...“ He drifted off and stared at the floor once more.
“Go on," Spencer encouraged.
“Ever since I had hypothesised that there were multiple universes I had set my mind to finding a way across. I had searched for years using various methods, until finally one day I created my Vibrobbler."
Spencer spluttered suddenly. “Vibrobbler?!”
“Yes, yes, I realise it was a somewhat unfortunate name, but that's what I used to call it."
Spencer tried to relax his eyes from something other than saucers.
“It was an unknown area, we didn't realise the
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