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<!DOCTYPE html> < html > < head > < title > < End> < / title > < link rel = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" href = "html_resources/style.css" > < / head > < body > < a href = "index.html" > < button class = "back" > < < / button > < / a >
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< h1 > < End> < / h1 >
< p >
The group sits around the pot with leftovers on the gas stove, enjoying
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the view of the skyline from above. To increase their odds of seeing
where Emily would land, they had decided to wait on top of one of the
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tallest sky scrapers the city had to offer. The intense light of the
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setting sun paints Nova Metropolis in vibrant hues of yellow and orange
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while the moon is already coming over the horizon. They are engaged in
a conversation about the mind-boggling vastness of space and all it
contains.
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< / p >
< p class = "strong" >
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bebebebeep bebebebeep bebebebeep
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< / p >
< p >
The alarm on Jack' s watch interrupts them. He presses one of the
buttons and says:< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > It' s time. Emily will be entering the
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atmosphere right about now.< / span > < br / >
They get up. James pulls a pair of binoculars out of his bag. Jack does
the same. Annie looks at both of them - her face clearly showing her
disappointment.< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > Don' t worry, I got ya.< / span > says Jack
as he pulls a second pair out of his bag and hands it to her with a grin.
< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > Oh, thank you!< / span > She takes it and they
start walking towards the edge.
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< / p >
< p >
Michelle and James are already leaning against the railing and looking
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towards the sky. Annie and Jack join them. Jack takes a compass out of
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his pocket and briefly looks at it. Then, he points in a direction in the
sky and says:< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > The shuttle should appear somewhere around
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there.< / span > < br / >
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James hands his binoculars to Michelle for a moment.< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > I see it! There!< / span > she exclaims before
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handing them back to him.< br / >
It looks like a tiny, red glowing dot in the sky, slowly growing in size.
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For a few minutes, not much seems to happen. The dot gets bigger and
bigger, turning into a black triangle as the glow fades and finally
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disappears. The shuttle sheds its heat shield as it slowly comes closer.
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< / p >
< p >
Around the 15 minute mark, Jack notices that it has moved almost above
them.< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > That' s a bit too close for comfort
– and way too fast.< / span > < br / >
Looking at Annie, who seems visibly scared, he adds:< br / >
< span class = "quote speech" > It' s not gonna hit us, the odds of that
are pretty slim, but something' s not right.< / span > < br / >
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As if on cue, the rear end of the shuttle breaks apart, turning into a
cloud of fragments. The rest plummets into the city moments later, taking
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multiple buildings down with it. The ground shakes slightly. Nobody says
anything for a while as they watch the buildings around the impact
crumble and the remaining parts of the shuttle rain out of the sky in a
mix of shock and awe.
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< / p >
< p >
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Michelle interrupts the silence: < span class = "quote speech" > Guys, over
there!< / span > She points into the sky behind them.
< span class = "quote speech" > A parachute...< / span > < br / >
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< span class = "comment" > Jack: She has more luck than sense.< / span > < br / >
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< span class = "comment" > reaction needed – something along the lines
of " Sie hat mehr Glü ck als Verstand" < / span > < br / >
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They watch as it disappears between the buildings.
< / p >
< p >
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Annie walks over to their bags and, on a hunch, unpacks the radio
Jack had insisted on bringing.< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > Maybe, she can hear us from here...< / span >
< br / >
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She hooks up the battery, flips the power switch, and turns the frequency
dial until the needle is in the position that Jack had marked.< br / >
< span class = "comment" > Note to self: The battery is a car battery. Make
that clear at some point before this chapter. Maybe include the part where
Jack insists on bringing it.< / span > < br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > Emily, can you hear us? Are you okay?< / span >
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< br / >
They hear a slightly distorted but clearly happy response through the
noise:< br / >
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< span class = "quote speech" > Yes... Yes. I' m alive... I made it.< / span >
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< br / >
< / p >
< p class = "comment" >
This is the very end of the story. I originally didn' t plan for
anything to happen after this though I have managed to somehow already
write about an event after this in < a href = "./%3F%3F.txt" > ??.txt< / a > .
< / p >
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< 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 >
