Episode 5 - Chapter 62

 “Oh my,” Fiona breathes, taking the spectacle in, “It's wonderful!”

“Be cautious, m'lady,” Strauss says behind her. “We do not know what or where we are.”

“We are at an actual ball,” she marvels, “I've dreamt about coming to one of these since I was a little girl. Never thought I'd actually be at one.”

“You are at a ball in the Weave, not everything is as it seems. And even if it were, you are a fugitive from one of the lords, one with considerable influence.”

“I'm fully aware that I'm on the run,” Fiona replies, “That's why I'm going to hide,” she points to the vortex of dancers, “in there.” She turns to her hulking companion. “Do you dance, Mister Bear?”

Episode 5 - Chapter 61

 Fiona looks out across the vast, sumptuous ball room. She's stood at the top of a long, semi-circular staircase which leads with a thick red carpet to an enormous dance floor. There are hundreds of couples, maybe thousands, all turning and twirling, becoming a giant whirlpool of colours. All the ladies wear stunning gowns, while some men wear military honours, others a more traditional black tie. Around the dance floor, a moat of tables covered with plates and glasses. Most of the seats are empty. Beyond that, the walls are decked with red or gold drapes, the occasional portrait interspersed among them, all beneath numerous grand diamond chandeliers.

Episode 5 - Chapter 60

 We didn't speak for a while, just sat there while the freezer droned away to itself. Then it stopped, without warning. When we were still using it, it would sputter to a stop, but this time it just went silent. I told Oak as much, and his eyebrows arched.

“What?” I asked him.

“Something happens for no reason,” he replied, “Then it stops. I find there is very rarely an effect without cause. The question then is what made it happen?”

“It wouldn't just happen on its own?” Edward asked. “With us being so close to the Weave 'n' all?”

“It could happen, yes. But it would be unlikely to stop on its own.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 59

 “Reddor, reddor,” Robert mumbles as he crawls along the corridor. “Reddor, reddor.”

He's not sure what it means, only that is used to mean something, something important. But he knows that doesn't matter now, he can't go on, there is no more life in than can sit and rest and die.

He closes his eyes, folds his hands in his lap, and waits for an end to come.

“Good lord,” says a voice, “You've got yourself in a pickle.”

“Whu...?” Robert is surprised when he opens his eyes to find he is sat in front of a red door.

“It seems even a wake walker loses themselves in the corridors of the subconscious,” says the voice. “Never mind, it'll all come back to you when you walk through that door. Be warned though, you're going to find it a little bit odd in there. Just find yourself a place to sit and wait for me, and try not to engage with the environment.”

  

Episode 5 - Chapter 58

 “Red d-door” Robert stutters as he staggers on, “R-red door.”

His feet have been painful for a while now, they've developed callouses, making it difficult to walk properly, or at an even pace. Each step sends a dull ache up through his calves to echo in his knees. His back is bent and sore, his shoulders rounded, he can no longer stand up straight. Yet still he keeps going, his faith in the red door the incentive that keeps him going. One day he'll find the red door, he knows he will, and all of this, this life-long journey, will have been worth it and he will die a happy man.

Episode 5 - Chapter 57

 “Red door,” Robert whispers to himself, “Red door.”

His hand moves to scratch his chin, which has suddenly become very itchy. But rather than touch his chin, his hand encounters a huge growth of hair. Robert brings both hands to his face in alarm, realising that he's grown a beard. It's thick and bushy, and hangs almost halfway down his chest. He looks down to get a better look at it, only to discover the state of his clothing, which has become tattered and threadbare with age. The beard he sees is flecked with grey, his hands gnarled with age. His walk, he is suddenly aware, has become more of a hobble.

“How long have I been in this damnable corridor?” he cries.

Episode 5 - Chapter 56

 “Red door, red door,” Robert intones under his breath as he walks. He wonders about the significance of the colour red, and its relationship with the purpose of the door. As he has no idea what's going to be behind the door, other than some nebulous notion of safety, he's at a bit of a loss. Surely red signifies danger, alarm, a warning of some kind. Maybe he'll be safe there because the red will warn others to stay away. But then shouldn't he be warned by the red as well, shouldn't he stay away as well? Red is also passionate, so maybe what's behind the door is love. Maybe the door takes him to his wife, they go home, that's where he's safe.