"Give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as anything you've seen.
Get a life with this dreamer's dream." - Peter Gabriel, 'Steam'.
Reggie and Mike were unaware of the events transpiring far above their heads. Even if they had known of it, they wouldn't have cared. They were too busy fighting for their lives against the Tall Man's Dwarves, and a swarm of sentinels he had summones from somewhere. Reggie had given Mike a revolver, and they had both made a good account of themselves, but he was afraid it was a losing battle. There were simply too many of the enemy, more every second, and nowhere to flee to. Reggie knew they were doomed to lose, but knowing what the Tall Man had planned for Mike, he was not going to let that bastard take him again. He was saving two shells in his vest pocket, the second last for Mike, and the very last for himself.
Suddenly the humming from the sphere, which had continued without any change throughout the entire battle stopped without warning. The sudden quiet was ominous, like unexpectedly being dropped into the eye of a hurricane. Even the dwarves ceased their attack to see what was going to happen. The Tall Man turned his attention to the suddenly silent golden globe, when the entire world was shaken by a huge earthquake!! The hideous dwarves suddenly turned from their attack on Reggie and Mike and fled in sudden panic. They did not get far before they fell to the ground as if they had been switched off. At the same time, the menacing sentinels fell out of the air like a flock of dead birds and rolled wildly over the shaking surface.
Mike watched this with amazement. "What the hell did you do, Reggie?"
Reggie shrugged. "Don't look at me. Even the Regman does not put on a show this far out."
The earthquake increased in intensity, and a sudden wind, increasing rapidly into hurricane intensity began blowing sand and dead spheres past Mike, Reggie, and the Tall Man, who had watched the events of the past few minutes with increasing panic and rage. What the hell was that thrice damned Or'b up to now?! The Red clouds, which had always been silent, if very ugly, rumbled and flashed, and began pouring rain upon the arid sand. The powdery red dust drank up the offering of water for the first time in the history of the world. Reggie watched it swirl into thick mud, and miraculously, grass began to sprout, growing inches in mere seconds, as though he were watching it in a time-lapse film. The Tall Man watched it as well. What was going on. It had to be the boy's fault. Everything was always the fault of him, and his friend with the shotgun. Well, if his dwarves snd sentinels were gone, he would just take care of them himself!!
"What have you done, Boooyy!" The Tall Man raged. He strode across the muddy sand and grass, but before he could reach the two men (who were too astounded to notice him), he was knocked off his feet by the most violent earthquake of all.