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<!DOCTYPE html> < html > < head > < title > Overdue Maintenence < / title > < link rel = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" href = "html_resources/style.css" > < / head > < body > < a href = "index.html" > < button class = "back" > < < / button > < / a >
< h1 > Overdue Maintenance < / h1 >
< p >
Jack parks the truck just before the exit of a tunnel and they get out.
Roaring water echoes from somewhere deep below. Annie grabs her bag and
goes ahead. The tunnel wall to the right features doors, large gates,
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and windows that allow a peek into abandoned offices, storage spaces, and
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control rooms. The end of the tunnel connects to a balcony with rusty
walkways connecting to either side, extending into a narrow ravine.
She steps onto it, making sure to keep her distance to the railing, and
looks around. The walkway to the right connects to the top of a dam
blocking the ravine. A couple bushes, purple flowers, and a small tree
grow on top of it and the wall is partially green from moss. Water flows
over the spillway, falling into the depths below where it joins a torrent
of water coming from two big pipes at the bottom of the ravine.
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< / p >
< p >
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She turns around to see Jack getting a toolbox from the truck bed and
James and Michelle waiting next to a door, holding a large box full of
random spare parts. She hurries over to them and opens it by pulling a
loop of wire through the latch.
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< / p >
< p >
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Inside is the main control room. The wall to the right is lined with
metal cabinets that have levers, buttons, dials, and large gauges on
them. The wall to the left features a front of windows, allowing a view
of the spillway and the top of the dam, below which is a random
collection of furniture, primarily desks and chairs. Some of the windows
have cracks but, by some miracle, none are broken. The center of the room
is taken up by a large console with more buttons, switches, and gauges
that is facing the windows and an opening in the floor covered by a thick
glass pane.
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< / p >
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< p >
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They set down their things and roam around the room. Out of nowhere,
Michelle asks:< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Jack, what' s the status on that dome city
you' re building? You guys only have two years to finish that
project.< / span > < br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Oh no, I guess we' re gonna have to slack
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less while waiting for bureaucracy to take its course.< / span > < br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > Look, the power lines are gonna get hooked up
to the battery bank in a couple days. Aren' t you excited for
that?< / span > < br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Not my department but I sure hope we' re
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no longer gonna need these portable batteries down there. Having a working
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power grid is gonna be so nice.< / span > < br / >
They are looking at a calendar on the wall and laughing. It shows October
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1991 with a few entries and crossed-off days.
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< / p >
< p >
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Jack looks at a clipboard that was placed on the control panel on the
center console.< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > The next maintenence expedition is scheduled
for 2011 – I don' t think anyone ever stepped foot in here
after < dome city> was closed off.< / span > < br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > It wouldn' t surprise me.< / span > Annie
leans against the center console. < span class = "quote speech" > Apart from a
small group, the entire city is legitimately scared of the outside
world.< / span > < br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > I mean they' re probably right, the
outside world is dangerous. Look down, by the way.< / span > < br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Whoa!< / span > < br / >
She stumbles backwards. Without noticing it, she had walked onto the
glass pane. It allows a view down into a hall filled with machinery.
< / p >
< p >
They look down into it. Water is pouring out of a burst pipe and from
the flanges between pipes.< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > It' s a miracle this place is still
running.< / span >
< / p >
< p class = "comment" >
missing section
< / p >
< p >
Jack walks up to the rusty railing, grabbing it and trying to shake it
as hard as he can but it doesn' t even rattle.< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Quality engineering.< / span > < br / >
Using the walkway to the right, they get on top of the dam.
< span class = "comment" > And now what?< / span >
< / p >
< p >
The other walkway connects to a freestanding staircase leading all the
way down.
< / p >
< p >
Jack turns the key and the gate starts to move up, scrathcing and
squeeking as it does, revealing a bunch of crates. About half-way
up, it gets stuck, making a buzzing noise. Jack lets go of the key, it
stops. They duck under the gate and look around. They find themselves in
a warehouse much larger than the gate and windows facing the tunnel would
lead to assume.< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call
an adequate stockpile of spare parts.< / span > < br / >
Jack walks up to a huge crate and wipes the dust off the label:
< span class = "quote non-speech" > Turbine C, replacement 2< / span > .
< / p >
< p class = "comment" >
exploring the warehouse, they find a forklift and a railroad in the back
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< / p >
< p class = "copyright" > Copyright © 2023 Jan Danielzick (aka. BodgeMaster) – All rights reserved.< / p > < script > let spans = [ "<span class=\"paper green\">" , "<span>" ] ; let pre _texts = document . getElementsByTagName ( "pre" ) ; for ( let i = 0 ; i < pre _texts . length ; i ++ ) { if ( pre _texts [ i ] . className != "paper" ) continue ; let lines = pre _texts [ i ] . innerHTML . split ( "\n" ) ; let result = "" ; for ( let j = 0 ; j < lines . length ; j ++ ) { result = result + spans [ j % 2 ] + lines [ j ] + " " . repeat ( 80 - lines [ j ] . length ) + "</span>\n" ; } pre _texts [ i ] . innerHTML = result ; } < / script > < / body > < / html >
