"...What the devil?"
He'd done it. Dr. Bulgrave had successfully added the new dimension to his sifter, and transported himself there with a hundred different ideas in his head for what could await him. He'd expected someplace run-down and slummy. A place Gust could blend in.
Which is why he was left dumbfounded when confronted with a green, well-kept suburban block that looked like it fell out of a picture-perfect fifties sitcom. Immediately Dr. Bulgrave was aware of two things: First, he was roughly a five zillion on the Scale of Conspicuousness, and secondly Gust would be just as much of a sore thumb.
"The poor boy's likely gotten himself arrested..." Bulgrave mused, strolling down the sidewalk and trying to keep his steam billowing to a minimum. "I'd better find the police."
-2 HOURS LATER-
"The very nerve of that man! Yes, I know it's not Halloween, you whelp! Hmmmmph!"
You could almost see the mask scowl as Bulgrave grumbled to himself on a bench. He glowered at the world around him. Yes, it looked pretty, and clean, and well-mannered, but something was off here. Something wasn't right. And not just the hundreds of weird stares he'd gotten from the citizens of this world. It almost felt like the whole thing was an act, and if just a few things were tampered with the whole of the society here would collapse.
Identical houses with white picket fences. Hard-working suitcase-toting fathers coming home to greet their kitchen-bound always-smiling housewife and their 2.5 kids and their dog. It was... what was the word? Stifling? Maybe that one, yes.
He was so busy moping he almost didn't hear the motorcycle. Well, it was more like a moped. Whatever you'd call it, it was a no-nonsense, bulky, and decidedly non-extreme motorbike, and the only non-station wagon Bulgrave had seen on the road since he first got here. The man riding it looked unfamiliar, but then again Bulgrave had never seen Gust without his helmet. An attache suitcase was hooked to the front of the scooter, and the nice suit the man was wearing indicated that he, like all the others, had a well-paying office job and was probably going home to a family. The eternally grinning foodmaker and their perfect little tousle-haired kids. And of course a dog, or maybe a dog and a cat.
The man turned his head to look at Bulgrave and his eyes just about popped out of his head. To be fair, this was the reaction the doctor had been getting all day. But when the man made a turn to get off the main road and drove up to near Bulgrave's bench...
"...Bulgrave?" The man murmured. "The heck are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you, Gust."
"I'm not Gust. Not anymore. I go by Lawrence now."
"Lawrence? My god... *psssh* You've really integrated yourself into this society. To what end?"
"To what end? Don't you remember what I talked about in the past? I'm sick of the nonsense that revolves around those other worlds. I wanted a normal life. And during that last fight, you know what happened? I ran into the guy who gave me that arm. And he said he could make all that junk go away. I trusted him, and I was right to do so."
"So you're happy here? But it's so sterile and dull-"
"Safe, Doc. It's safe. I've had enough adventure to last a lifetime, and almost got killed twice. I'm done. So please, vrop on outta here before you lure some kind of death virus mantis robot kobber thing into my hometown."
"..."
"Gotta go, Chas is waiting for me."
"Wh-! She's here too?!"
"She's here too, and you can't meet her. Unlike me, she doesn't remember a thing about our little adventure. And I think that's just fine." Gust got onto his bike. "Goodbye, Doc. Don't worry about us. We're happy now."
Gust started up his moped, gave a simple nod to Dr. Bulgrave, and turned back onto the main road, puttering away.
The doctor watched him go, remaining silent for a while before finally moving to a secluded area. When he was certain nobody else was around, he warped away.
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