Narrator M: It is extremely late at night. 

Narrator S: Or extremely early in the morning, who can say? Well, Felix probably could. 

M: The Ship is moving slow, and Merlin is on the control deck, poring over some continuous-feed paper spools by the dim light of a fold-safe lamp, drinking – you guessed it – coffee,

[Quiet mechanical whirring.]

Narrator X: tranquilly tinkering with some upgrades to Daggle’s teletheric-contraption-thing as he does so. Pretty much everyone else on the Ship is asleep. Shug Ruggles left his shift here in Control early since Merlin was hanging out anyway, and other than the silent companion of the Bocular Man, 

M: (Bocular Man) “Hello.”

X: Merlin has had the entire control deck to himself since then.

S: Just him, the Foldlight, and a great number of quietly puttering punch-discs and bocular calculators. 

M: It’s peaceful. 

S: The Ship is now far below and downcurrent from Ackute, and has for the last several days been descending slowly through a vast, ancient, slow-moving tearror storm here in the depths. 

M: Some riled-up Fold.

S: Rather than rerouting around it, which could add a week or more onto their journey, they’ve decided to just descend straight through it. Easy! 

M: Magic ship!

X: This is something that normal foldmersibles definitely can’t do without risking damage or destruction. 

S: Ask Micky sometime. Navigating in regular Fold is hard enough. 

X: So they are taking the opportunity to take some science measurements, as long as they’re descending here anyway. 

M: Lots of cool, weird data to collect, hence all of the spooling paper and ticking bocumeters. 

S: Inky darkness swirls outside the crystalline windows of the control deck as the Ship descends. Giant, swirling textures and different densities of Fold – ranging from the usual midnight fog to huge slow-flowing washes of black zero-gravity liquid not unlike the ferrofluid-type-stuff inside the Foldlight. 

M: It’s a huge, quiet, low-energy system, possibly thousands of years old, the remnants of some major inciting event that disturbed the Fold a long, long time ago.

X: Once upon a time, this storm was likely furious, ravenous, violently alive. But today, it is languid, slow, and strange. 

S: Distant soft lights occasionally flicker out there in the darkness. 

X: Distant bioluminescent creatures. Maybe some foolhardy ships. Maybe faraway islets. But for the most part, it is dark and peaceful.

M: Merlin drinks his coffee and watches through the window. This tearror seems to be predominantly textile-themed. Scraps of fabric flutter and waft in the current. 

S: Silk, lace, canvas, velvet, handkerchiefs. 

X: Occasionally, a more crafted-looking detail sticks out – a sleeve flying on the wind, a button, a pocket, embroidery, intricate tapestry weave, the corner of a fitted bedsheet.

M: But nothing fully coalesces into anything resembling a completely comprehensible item. 

S: Like a school of fish or a murmuration of starlings, the flock of fabric scraps billows beyond the Ship’s walls. 

X: Skeins of material perhaps miles, perhaps hundreds of miles, long. 

S: Sometimes they press close against the windows, flapping against the glass kind of like the scrubbers in a car wash. Merlin is halfway lost in a hypnotic trance watching this dance of fabric, when suddenly…

X: Felix doors in from the elevator, holding a small plate of cold cut snacks with crackers. 

S: He looks a bit startled and not entirely pleased to see Merlin there on the control deck. 

M: Merlin brightens up, though. (Merlin) “Oh, good! Just the person I needed to talk to. I was wondering, what time is it, Felix?” 

S: (Felix) “Well, my shift starts at three, so it’s three.” 

M: (Merlin) “Ah, oh. Okay.”

S: (Felix) “But, uh, you’re not scheduled, at least I didn’t think you were. What are you doing down here, Merlin?” 

M: (Merlin) “I couldn’t sleep. I felt like keeping busy instead. Shug was starting to get tired anyway, so I offered to help keep an eye on things. I’d been meaning to review the sync report for the spare bulb anyway, so… Just hanging out.”

S: Felix continues over to his little timekeeping station here in the corner of Control and takes a seat. (Felix) “Mmmkay. I’m kind of used to having this time for myself, but, uh, I can adjust.” 

M: (Merlin) “Please, don’t change your behavior on my account,”

X: says Merlin, yearning for Felix to change his behavior.

M: (Merlin) “Do you need any help with what you’re doing?”

S: (Felix) “Help?”

X: Felix boggles at him. 

S: (Felix) “With time? That’s a good one.” 

M: (Merlin) “Isn’t there a whole guild of Timekeepers? You all work together in some capacity.”

S: (Felix) “Yeah, and the training to become a Timekeeper is incredibly rigorous and specialized. No offense, man, but you’d only slow me down. And if there’s one thing you don’t want, it’s a slow Timekeeper.”

X: Hmm. This is nice. Uh, seems clear that neither of them is really going to enjoy each other’s company, unless they do something about it. 

M: Merlin is passing the uncomfortable silence, watching the long skeins of fabric tumble and surge outside of the windows. (Merlin) “You know, I’m… I’m feeling a little on edge. Would you care for some alterbud, Felix? I brought a whole crown down.”

S: Felix turns in his chair slowly, raising his eyebrows in surprise. (Felix) “Ohhh. I heard you were an alter boy. Sure, why not.”

X: The Bocular Man steps in to proffer the piece. 

S: Is he programmed when he hears the word ‘alterbud?’ Apparently so.

X: And Merlin lights up the purple broccoli-like substance within, takes a smoky puff, and hands it off to Felix, who does the same. 

M: (Merlin) “So, Felix, if I may, why did you even take this job? You don’t seem to be exactly enjoying the experience.”

S: Felix is tinkering with his primary timepiece, listening critically to its ticking. (Felix) “What gives you that impression?”

M: (Merlin) “Your attitude.”

S: (Felix) “My attitude is fine. I’m thrilled to be here. I’m pissed I wasn’t first in line. I only got this posting because the Primary Chamberlain is expecting and the Secondary Chamberlain is being investigated for time theft.”

M: (Merlin) “What is time theft–”

S: (Felix) “Don’t ask. You do not wanna know. Anyway, I was next in line, so here I am. This is huge for my career. If the voyage really takes us past the last timehouse, I could discover a new month. Implementing a new month is a whole ‘nother problem, but… One step at a time.”

X: He looks at Merlin expectantly. 

S: (Felix) “That was a little time humor.”

M: (Merlin) “I see. So, have you ever accompanied the time buoy?”

S: Felix puts his watch down, leans back in his chair, and stretches a little bit. (Felix) “Yeah, I’ve done buoy duty once… upon a time.”

M: (Merlin) “So you are quite well-traveled, in a sense.”

S: (Felix) “Along one particular axis, I suppose you could say.” Felix holds out his hand for the alterbud and takes another hit. “I hope to do it again someday. All this blasting up and down between the extremes of the cosmos is exhausting, but drifting downcurrent along the Mediun? That’s the way to travel. It’s very peaceful. A whole traversal spent floating along next to the buoy, just watching the cosmos go by.”

X: Suddenly he seems embarrassed for waxing sentimental, and he changes the subject.

S: (Felix) [coughs] “So are you all, uh, recovered from whatever happened to you up there at the Firmament?”

M: Merlin takes another hit as well. (Merlin) “It wasn’t really the Firmament. And the Firmament is just a theory anyway.”

S: (Felix) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, okay. If you don’t wanna talk about it, then don’t talk about it.”

M: Merlin stews in contemplation for a minute. What the rest of the crew is aware of is simply that some huge celestial leviathan– 

X: which no one got a clear look at– 

M: prompted their quick retreat from the Un, 

S: and that the stress of that experience left Merlin, Cleo, Dot, and even Artifice unconscious. 

X: That alone is plenty of knowledge to grapple with.

M: Merlin regards the smoldering purple floret in the piece. (Merlin) “But yes, I… I do feel back to my old self.”

S: And it’s true. It seems that whatever evaporated out of him has left no lasting damage, as far as he can tell. 

X: But this descent, now, into the lightless depths, doesn’t exactly have him feeling normal, either. For different reasons. 

S: (Felix) “That’s super duper to hear. Wouldn’t do to have our Chief Cosmologist indisposed for most of the voyage. Though I guess the, uh, Un part is basically over. You’re not really a Fold guy, right?”

M: Merlin sort of glares at that. (Merlin) “What are you implying?”

S: (Felix) “Your area of expertise. It’s mostly to do with mica and the higher altitudes and stuff. Right?”

M: (Merlin) “Well, yes. Most of my professional career has been focused there, but… I am here, you know. In the Fold. Learning. Trying to answer questions like, how long do tearror systems like these persist after the initial light exposure that incited them? How dramatically do they mutate from their original characteristics? Is there a reliable way to calculate a tearror’s exact age?” Merlin gazes out the windows at the swirling textiles. He even has to admit to himself that, beyond his academic understanding of light-fold interactivity, he honestly has no clue how this kind of thing happens. 

S: He sees some beautiful quiltwork outside in the storm that looks for all the world as though it could have been crafted with human intentionality. The Fold is full of such wonders. 

M: (Merlin) “The Fold is full of such wonders,”

S: Merlin remarks.

M: (Merlin) “I just hope that I can understand what it is we see.”

X: The two coworkers fall into a moment of semi-uncompanionable silence. Merlin sighs and turns to the Bocular Man. 

M: (Merlin) “Bocular Man.” (Bocular Man) “Hmm?” (Merlin) “Did you go through all of the inscribed discs with the spare bulb like I showed you?” (Bocular Man) “Yes, Merlin.” (Merlin) “I might need you to run them again. We’re not seeing the sync reflected in these…”

[A knocking sound.]

X: He trails off. 

M: (Bocular Man) “Yes, Merlin.” [The knocking repeats.] Merlin’s gaze is clapped on the stormy darkness outside the Ship, his eyes widening. 

[Peacefully psychedelic synth music.]

X: There is a guy outside of the Ship tapping on the glass and waving enthusiastically, clearly glad to have caught Merlin’s attention.

M: (Merlin) “Who the fuck is that?!” (Bocular Man) “I don’t have a response for that inquiry.”  

S: Yeah, uh, there’s a guy. He’s gliding along beside the Ship, slung casually under a sorta handmade-lookin’ unpowered hang glider parasail thing composed of eclectic quiltwork and embroidery, dangling with little lanterns and satchels of supplies.

X: There’s a smiling baby strapped to his chest, contentedly blowing raspberries. The guy waves again, and then gently grasps and waves the hand of the baby as well. 

S: He calls something that they can’t hear, but it’s not hard to lip read. 

X: He is saying hello. 

M: (Merlin) “Uh, I, should we, uh, let…”

X: Whoa! 

M: (Merlin) “Do you know this guy?”

S: (Felix) “Do I– Do I– What the–??”

[Laughter.]

X: This is interesting. The alterbud is also really starting to kick in. Huh. Ooh! Whoa. 

S: (Felix) “What. What, uh. What, uh, strain is this, Merlin?” 

M: (Merlin) “It shouldn’t– we’ve had barely any!” 

S: (Felix) “We’re both seeing this, right?”

X: The guy is flying along in his glider. He waves again, he taps. He looks at Merlin, he looks at Felix. He points to himself, he points to them. 

M: (Merlin) “Uh…”

 S: (Felix) “Uh…”

M: Merlin swaps a couple of punched discs into the Foldlight’s main insertion bay, and extrudes a dark mica speaking tube outside the Ship, and motions for the guy to speak into it.

S: The guy examines the sudden new protrusion with an expression of calm bemusement. 

M: (Merlin) “Can– can you hear us?”

S: Felix is half-crouching behind his chair in stoned awe. 

X: (The guy) “Helloooo!” 

S: the guy says. 

X: (The guy) “Nice to meeting you and also these ship. My name is Zoron, and this…”

S: He pats the baby, who coos and blows bubbles. 

X: (Zoron) “…is my little one, but they have not named themselves yet.”

M: Merlin is seized with a fierce scientific excitement. On the other side of this dark mica is a genuine denizen of the Deep Fold. (Merlin) “Felix, who knows what incredible knowledge he might have to share of this region?” 

S: Who knows what incredible knowledge Merlin may be able to impart in turn? A great meeting of the minds!

M: (Merlin) “Greetings, Zoron! This is the Ship of the Cosmological Consortium. I am Chief Cosmologist Merlin Vot. Ours is a mission of peace and discovery. I would love to have a conversation with you, if you’re amenable.” 

X: (Zoron) “We are having a conversation, Merlin.” Oh, yeah, so they are. 

S: Whoa, dude. 

M: (Merlin) “Yes, o-of course, but where are my manners? Would you… like to come in?”

X: (Zoron) “Yes, that would be wonderful. The current has brought us together.”

S: (Felix) “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You are not about to let that guy on board, are you, Merlin?”

X: (Zoron) “No worries either way, I’m good out here. I just saw you over here as I was flying and thought I would come to say hi.” 

S: (Felix) “He could be a pirate.”

M: (Merlin) “Really, Felix? He has a baby.” 

S: (Felix) “Where do you think pirates come from?”

X: Hmm, decision time! Zoron doesn’t really seem like a threat, does he?

S: Is he an illusion? Some kind of manifestation of the tearror, or of the alterbud? 

M: (Merlin) “Felix, this is science. I am not going to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass us by. I’ll take responsibility for him.”

S: (Felix) “Uhhh, I don’t know, man, I don’t know…”

M: (Merlin) “Please, Zoron, come in.”

X: Merlin pulls a few levers, punches a few discs, and extrudes a dark mica airlock out of the side of Control, and Zoron lands neatly within. 

S: The parasail deflates and crumples, and Zoron quickly and expertly rolls it under one arm, neatly folding it and slinging a net full of supplies over his other shoulder.

X: He grins and nods to Merlin, to Felix.

S: They exchange a look, Merlin nodding enthusiastically while Felix desperately shakes his head, 

M: and then Merlin airlock doors Zoron the rest of the way inside.

[Baby laughter.]

X: (Zoron) “Thank you very much, Merlin Vot. Hello!” Zoron nods, smiles to Felix. 

S: Felix gulps.

X: And Zoron puts his things down on the ground. He pats the baby attached to his chest, and takes a seat directly in the middle of the floor, and begins to crack open some little leather bags of nuts and bottles of some kind of a drink. 

S: Baby formula? Who can say.

M: (Merlin) “Uh, th– excuse me again. This is Felix. Felix Hustleworth.

S: (Felix) “Heyyy.”

M: (Merlin) “Uh–”

X: (Zoron) “Hello, Felix.”

S: (Felix) “What, um. Who ARE you?”

X: (Zoron) “My name is Zoron and this is my little one, but they have not yet named–”

S: (Felix) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, got it, got it, got it, but like, um, where are you…where did you come from?”

X: Zoron gestures out the window to the Fold. 

S: (Felix) “Oh, you’re a jokester.”

M: (Merlin) “Oh– How did you come to BE here?”

X: Zoron pats his glider folded on the floor beside him.

S: (Felix) “Do you… need help? Are you lost? Are you a pirate??”

X: (Zoron) “I’m just here riding along the Fold that comes my way.” 

S: (Felix) “How many of you are there?”

X: (Zoron) “There are very many of us all over the Fold, and we have been doing as I am doing now for many generations. We find our way to many places on many journeys.”

S: Felix’s defensive tension is starting to slump, starting to relax, into just kind of a confused stupor.

M: Merlin is into it, though. (Merlin) “We are also on a journey! This is our ship. It is a construction of dark mica–”

S: (Felix) “Careful, Merlin.”

M: (Merlin) “It’s nothing more than what anyone could read in the press. Have you heard of the Cosmological Consortium?”

X: (Zoron) “I have never heard of the Comological Consortium.” Zoron begins to feed some kind of honey-colored liquid to the baby, who babbles joyously. 

M: Super well-behaved child. 

X: Zoron doesn’t seem particularly interested in any of the incredible devices puttering and jangling around him. He’s more just kinda stretching his legs, twisting his spine a little bit, and kinda playing with his baby here. He’s eating a little bit of, uh, his food stash. 

S: To him, this marvel of a control deck is nothing more than a convenient place to sit down and stretch out the kinks in his back for a moment. 

X: (Zoron) “Where has your journey been taking you?”

M: (Merlin) “We’ve been to the highest attempted altitudes of the cosmos, reaching nearly–” 

X: Zoron shakes his head. (Zoron) “No, no, no, Merlin. Where has your JOURNEY been taking you?”

S: (Felix) “He’s being philosophical, Merlin. He wants us to talk about our feelings.”

M: (Merlin) “I see. I…” Merlin doesn’t quite know how to be with this guy that they just let in from the storm.

X: (Zoron) “How far do you want to go?” 

M: (Merlin) “Our aim is to get as deep into the depths as we are able, and then continue on our journey to the end of the cosmos, to the Delta and beyond.”

X: Zoron looks at Felix.

S: Felix, unfortunately, understands what Zoron is getting at. (Felix) “No, Merlin. He’s talking about, like…” 

X/S: (Zoron and Felix in unison) “How FAR do you want to GO?”

[Baby laughter.]

X: Zoron, man.

S: (Felix) “Look man, I, I get what you’re saying, but to be honest I am a little bit altered right now, and… I’m just confused. Where– where did you COME from? Like, how long have you been OUT there? Where are you GOING?” 

X: (Zoron) “I am going wherever the Fold wants to take–” 

S: (Felix) “–Fold wants to take you, yeah, yeah, I think I’m starting to get it.”

X: (Zoron) “What do you want to find?”

S: (Felix) “How OLD are you?”

X: Zoron shrugs.

S: Felix is getting riled up again. (Felix) “Well – like – how do you tell time? You know – time??” He gestures at his desk covered in arcane timepieces. 

X: Zoron peers at the desk with disinterest. The baby is crawling across the floor, puttering around underneath a navigation desk here. Zoron comfortably and casually crawls after it. 

S: Felix looks at Merlin helplessly. 

M: Merlin is quickly realizing that he hates Zoron. He does not seem notably impressed by the Ship, nor moved by its historical and scientific significance. He has NO books. He never studied at ANY schools. He is ONLY curious about feelings, not facts! 

S: Felix feels similarly. The flagrant disregard for the value of timekeeping – and what is this guy so HAPPY about all the time, anyway? It’s more than he can stomach. 

X: Zoron does not seem to care about any of the things that either of these two men have carefully and painstakingly built their entire lives, professions, and livelihoods upon. He is now underneath the navigation desk with his baby, playing with his young one, like, deeply not even really aware of the Ship or of them. Listen, they’ve brought people aboard for tours before, and usually they find the Ship somewhat intriguing. Zoron does not even notice. 

S: (Felix) “Hey, uh, what are you doing under there? Please be careful, don’t touch anything, that’s extremely delicate equipment you’re playing under.”

M: Rather than answering any of Zoron’s questions, Merlin just starts asking questions of his own. (Merlin) “What do you DO out there?” 

S: (Felix) “Yeah, yeah. Like what do you do for a living?”

M: (Merlin) “Do you read?”

S: (Felix) “How do you pass the time when you’re hanging from that sail…thing?” 

X: Zoron climbs out from underneath the navigation desk, holding and gesturing to his baby.

M: (Merlin) “So you don’t…read or anything?”

X: (Zoron) “No,” Zoron says. “Why would I do that?”

S: (Felix) “Well, you know, Merlin here is an accomplished author.”

X: (Zoron) “It is wonderful that your journey has taken you in that way, Merlin.” 

M: (Merlin) “How did you come to be doing this?”

X: (Zoron) “It found me the same way that I found it.”

S: (Felix) “Did your parents teach you? Is there like a school for…whatever that you do is?”

X: Zoron gestures to the baby and leans down to pick up some of his snacks which he now offers to Felix and Merlin – some fermented things, a kind of a sort of a sun tea, un tea, fold tea, kombucha sort of a thing, kind of a sourdough, some pickles, some kind of a cheese. 

S: Everything is kind of fermented in one way or another. 

X: (Zoron) “May I?” Zoron indicating the snack tray brought down by Felix, the crackers. 

S: (Felix) “Yeah, sure. Do you… Are you, like, good for food? Do you need anything else brought down to you?”

M: (Merlin) “Are, are you… lost?”

X: Mother Artifice’s head descends upside down out of the ceiling. It’s not severed or disembodied, he’s just up there looking down. He sticks an arm through, he waves. (Mother Artifice) “HELLO, MERLIN. I JUST WANTED TO POP IN AND ASK A QUICK QUESTION. I HOPE I’M NOT INTERRUPTING.”

S: Merlin jolts as though he’s been caught doing something that is definitely not allowed. 

M: He looks blearily up at Mother Artifice. (Merlin) “Ah… No, of course, go ahead.”

X: (Mother Artifice) “THE SHIP’S POOL IS VERY COLD. COULD YOU PLEASE USE THE APPROPRIATE DISC TO MAKE IT HOT? I FANCY A SWIM.” 

M: (Merlin) “Ah, yes, yes, certainly, Mother Artifice. I’d be happy to.”

X: (Mother Artifice) “THANK YOU, THAT IS ALL. SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING.”

S: Mother Artifice inclines his head at Zoron in polite greeting. 

X: (Mother Artifice) “HELLO.” 

S: And he disappears back through the ceiling. 

X: Zoron appears to be packing his things. He’s regathering his glider, reattaching the baby to its harness on his chest. 

M: (Merlin) “Can we offer you any supplies? Do you need food or anything? Are you trying to get somewhere that we can help bring you?”

X: (Zoron) “No,” Zoron says happily, smiling. The baby giggles. “And it’s time for me to be on my way. Thank you for letting me visit with you for a moment. Thank you for letting me try these foods, Felix. And thank you for talking. I hope that your journey takes you to somewhere that is… where you need to be.”

S: He makes a gesture with his hand that, in this cosmos, is understood to mean “surf’s up.”

X: (Zoron) “It is time for me to scoot.” With his glider and his baby, Zoron steps into the airlock. 

S: Merlin activates it for him. 

X: The interior door shuts, the exterior door opens. And the parasail, with a woomph, opens, the lines snapping tight, and with a wave and a smile, Zoron and his baby soar straight up into the storm and vanish into the dark.

[Echoing baby laughter.]

M: Merlin and Felix stare after him, 

S: slack-jawed, in Felix’s case, 

M: watching him disappear into the cosmic curtains. 

S: (Felix) “Oookayyy, so. Not a pirate, but not a guy I wanna spend…” 

X: Felix looks slowly to Merlin. 

S: (Felix) “…a lot of TIME with, either.”

M: Merlin casts a side eye to Felix. (Merlin) “You know, Felix, you’re not so bad.”