Redrick’s Passage Through the Zone

This flow follows Redrick Schuhart from a wary institute assistant to a desperate seeker forced to confront what he wants from the world.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Stalker’s Bargain

A Stalker’s Bargain Work Beside the Zone Redrick Schuhart works at the International Institute for Extraterrestrial Cultures but still knows the dangerous trade of a Stalker. He is neither a committed scientist nor a reformed criminal: both identities remain available to him. Opportunity and Risk When he offers to help Kirill Panov find a filled Empty, Redrick knows the discovery could advance research and earn him money. He also knows that institute rules and police attention make the trip personally dangerous.

The Garage Expedition

The Garage Expedition Entering the Zone Redrick leads Kirill Panov and Tender through the Zone, reading the terrain where maps and scientific labels cannot protect them. He uses bolts to test a dangerous gravity distortion and refuses a direct route when his instincts warn him away. Recovering the Empty Inside the garage, Redrick spots a Silver web but fails to warn Kirill before he brushes against it. The party carries out the filled Empty, apparently unharmed, but the moment leaves Redrick with a fear he cannot dismiss.

The Road to the Ball

The Road to the Ball A New Expedition Years later, Redrick enters the Zone with Arthur Burbridge to reach the legendary Golden Ball. He brings hard-won practical knowledge, but the expedition also exposes how little control he has over his own motives. The Final Demand Arthur dies before the artifact, leaving Redrick alone with a chance to ask for anything. Redrick has to do more than survive the route: he must find words for a desire that has never been easy for him to name.

At the opening of the first section

The following morning

At age thirty-one, near the final section