must be near a coast line.
“ Why is this fog so thick?” I ask him.
“ It’s not entirely fog,” Jered says, looking over at me like he thought I would already know what we’re standing in.
“ Then, what is it?”
“ Camouflage mostly,” he says. “Each cloud city is hidden from the down-worlder’s view by an artificially produced cloud mass.”
“ I wasn’t aware of that,” I admit.
I did know Dublin was centered beneath the cloud city of Stratus, but had no idea the cities below were encased in such an annoyingly heavy amount of murkiness.
“ How is it made?” I ask.
“ The water vapor given off by the propulsion system beneath the cloud cities produces it. From a distance, it looks like a large pillar of clouds stretching from the ground to the underside of the cities. It helps perpetuate the illusion that the cloud cities are completely surrounded by clouds. When you live in one, you’re prevented from seeing the poverty below you. But, this fog is unusually thick. Mostly because it’s early in the morning and the natural mist rolling in from the ocean is accentuating the affect. In a little while, it’ll dissipate somewhat, at least enough to see through. The city normally just looks like it’s surrounded by a thin haze.”
“ Where is Desmond’s place?”
Jered turns around, and I see that we’re actually standing in front of some brick steps leading up to somewhere beyond the white mass around us.
“ Why don’t you use the EMP before we go in?” Jered suggests.
I pull the disk from its box and depress the little black button.
“I didn’t feel anything,” I say. “How will we know it worked?”
Jered shrugs. “I guess we won’t until you kiss someone again. Come on, let’s go see if Desmond is up yet.”
I follow Jered up the few steps which lead to a rather nondescript blue painted door with a small peep window near the top. Jered raps his knuckles against its center to announce to the occupant inside that he has visitors. We wait a minute but no one readily comes to the door. Jered knocks again.
“ Hold onto your horses,” I hear a man with a distinct Irish brogue grumble from the interior. “I’m comin’!”
The door is quickly yanked inward, and I see Desmond again for only the second time in my life.
He’s handsome with shoulder length , wavy brown hair and a day’s growth of a beard on his face. I assume we just woke him up because he’s only wearing a thin, blue cotton bathrobe cinched in at the waist and a pair of black pajama pants. His initial irritation is soon replaced with surprise. When his gaze settles on me, the surprise transforms into unexpected joy.
“ Well,” he says, running a hand through his hair, “I definitely didn’t expect to see the two of you on my doorstep this morning.”
Desmond continues to look at me, and I can see his elation falter somewhat after his own words sink in.
“ What’s wrong?” He asks, coming to the conclusion on his own that we wouldn’t be there unless something wasn’t right.
“ As astute as ever, I see,” Jered teases. “May we come in, Desmond?”
Desmond opens th e door wider. “Of course. Sorry. Finding the two of you here has knocked me for a bit of a loop.”
Jered and I walk into Desmond’s home, and he closes and locks the door behind us.
Desmond’s residence isn’t exactly small but neither is it large in proportion. The interior is narrow with a small, sparsely furnished sitting area to the right of the foyer and a set of black painted stairs which go up one level but also down one level.
“ Why don’t we go to the kitchen,” Desmond suggests. “You can tell me what’s going on while I make some coffee. I’m completely useless until I’ve had at least one cup to wake me up this early in the morning.”
Jered turns to me. “When was the last time you ate?”
“ Last night at supper,” I tell him as my memories quickly backtrack through the events of the night
“ Why is this fog so thick?” I ask him.
“ It’s not entirely fog,” Jered says, looking over at me like he thought I would already know what we’re standing in.
“ Then, what is it?”
“ Camouflage mostly,” he says. “Each cloud city is hidden from the down-worlder’s view by an artificially produced cloud mass.”
“ I wasn’t aware of that,” I admit.
I did know Dublin was centered beneath the cloud city of Stratus, but had no idea the cities below were encased in such an annoyingly heavy amount of murkiness.
“ How is it made?” I ask.
“ The water vapor given off by the propulsion system beneath the cloud cities produces it. From a distance, it looks like a large pillar of clouds stretching from the ground to the underside of the cities. It helps perpetuate the illusion that the cloud cities are completely surrounded by clouds. When you live in one, you’re prevented from seeing the poverty below you. But, this fog is unusually thick. Mostly because it’s early in the morning and the natural mist rolling in from the ocean is accentuating the affect. In a little while, it’ll dissipate somewhat, at least enough to see through. The city normally just looks like it’s surrounded by a thin haze.”
“ Where is Desmond’s place?”
Jered turns around, and I see that we’re actually standing in front of some brick steps leading up to somewhere beyond the white mass around us.
“ Why don’t you use the EMP before we go in?” Jered suggests.
I pull the disk from its box and depress the little black button.
“I didn’t feel anything,” I say. “How will we know it worked?”
Jered shrugs. “I guess we won’t until you kiss someone again. Come on, let’s go see if Desmond is up yet.”
I follow Jered up the few steps which lead to a rather nondescript blue painted door with a small peep window near the top. Jered raps his knuckles against its center to announce to the occupant inside that he has visitors. We wait a minute but no one readily comes to the door. Jered knocks again.
“ Hold onto your horses,” I hear a man with a distinct Irish brogue grumble from the interior. “I’m comin’!”
The door is quickly yanked inward, and I see Desmond again for only the second time in my life.
He’s handsome with shoulder length , wavy brown hair and a day’s growth of a beard on his face. I assume we just woke him up because he’s only wearing a thin, blue cotton bathrobe cinched in at the waist and a pair of black pajama pants. His initial irritation is soon replaced with surprise. When his gaze settles on me, the surprise transforms into unexpected joy.
“ Well,” he says, running a hand through his hair, “I definitely didn’t expect to see the two of you on my doorstep this morning.”
Desmond continues to look at me, and I can see his elation falter somewhat after his own words sink in.
“ What’s wrong?” He asks, coming to the conclusion on his own that we wouldn’t be there unless something wasn’t right.
“ As astute as ever, I see,” Jered teases. “May we come in, Desmond?”
Desmond opens th e door wider. “Of course. Sorry. Finding the two of you here has knocked me for a bit of a loop.”
Jered and I walk into Desmond’s home, and he closes and locks the door behind us.
Desmond’s residence isn’t exactly small but neither is it large in proportion. The interior is narrow with a small, sparsely furnished sitting area to the right of the foyer and a set of black painted stairs which go up one level but also down one level.
“ Why don’t we go to the kitchen,” Desmond suggests. “You can tell me what’s going on while I make some coffee. I’m completely useless until I’ve had at least one cup to wake me up this early in the morning.”
Jered turns to me. “When was the last time you ate?”
“ Last night at supper,” I tell him as my memories quickly backtrack through the events of the night
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