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02 Unlikely Encounter: Heavily revise the entire chapter

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@ -33,9 +33,9 @@
</p>
<p>
The sound is clearer, it comes from down there. Annie walks down the
stairs and turns on the lights. She rarely goes to the basement, usually
just to add to the piles of archived paperwork on the rows of shelves,
but she had no idea there was anything other than the archive down here.
stairs and turns the lights on. She rarely goes to the basement, usually
just to add to the piles of paperwork on the rows of shelves, but she had
no idea there was anything other than the archive down here.
</p>
<p class="strong">
beep beep
@ -43,8 +43,8 @@
<p>
The room is dimly lit by a few light fixtures on the walls. Looking
through between the rows of binders, boxes, and loose stacks of paper,
she notices a small dark area in the back of the room. She begins to
walk towards it.
she notices a small dark area in the back of the room. She walks towards
it.
</p>
<p class="heavy">
beep beep
@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
the rest of the room, she finds what looks to be a small office. There
is a large wooden desk with a comfortable-looking though well-worn
leather chair in front of it. Next to the chair is a floor lamp that was
apparently placed there in the absence of a desk lamp. The desk itself is
apparently placed there in absence of a desk lamp. The desk itself is
a mess, apart from a neatly organized row of books towards the wall,
holding all sorts of cables and other things. Front and center is a
terminal...
@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ Type reply: &#9608;
BEEP BEEP
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
hello
Type reply: hello&#9608;
</pre>
<p>
Click,&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;
@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ hello
click,&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;
click.
The buttons click with a very satisfying feeling and sound. Unlike the
beeping noise which is ... now gone. It was kinda loud and getting
The buttons have a very satisfying feel and sound to them - unlike the
beeping noise which is ... now gone. It was unpleasantly loud and
annoying.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
@ -125,132 +125,107 @@ Thank you. Appreciate it.
That took a while to... type?... Is that the word? The rows of buttons
are arranged in a strange order... Annie looks around. Lots of cables,
a pile of paper, an empty cup, some pens and pencils, a screwdriver and
other tools, a rubber duck - what an odd place to find a rubber duck...
A phone! She picks it up - no signal. <span class="comment">Freizeichen?
</span> Weird. Maybe it&apos;s disconnected. She looks on the floor and,
sure enough, there is the plug - not for much longer as she finds a
phone socket and plugs it in. Strange electrical noises. She tries to
dial a number but nothing happens. A couple random characters appear on
the terminal. She drops the receiver back on the cradle and types into
the terminal again:
other tools, a rubber duck &ndash; what an odd place to find a rubber
duck... A phone! She picks it up &ndash; no signal. <span class="comment">
Freizeichen?</span> Weird. Maybe it&apos;s disconnected. She looks on
the floor and, sure enough, there is the plug &ndash; not for much
longer as she finds a phone socket and plugs it in. Strange electrical
noises. She tries to dial a number but nothing happens. A couple random
characters appear on the terminal. She drops the receiver back on the
cradle and types into the terminal again:
</p>
<p class="comment">
add the random characters
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
i cant call anyone the phone is only making weird noises
This modem is probably on the same line, I&apos;ll disconnect. I will dial
in again in a bit. Talk to you then.
This modem is probably on the same line. I can disconnect for a while and
dial in again in a bit.
okay
Talk to you then.
LINE DISCONNECTED -
Tue, 2106-06-01, 19:16
AgriWorks Login: &#9608;
</pre>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
This would be a good place for Annie to ask about what a modem is.
Could help to fix the terminal dialog.
</li>
<li class="comment">
Also an opportunity for Karl to get very interested in Jack&apos;s
situation.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Annie picks up the phone again - but who to call? Her coworkers would
probably make fun of her or be annoyed. Also, this place,
&quot;Cryo&nbsp;Facility&nbsp;53&quot;, she had never heard of it.
The only one who might know more about that place is her grandpa, as he
had thoroughly studied the plans of the city in his spare time back in
the day. So she dials his number...
<span class="quote non-speech">What&apos;s a modem?</span> she wonders
for a second but then disregards the thought as she picks up the phone
again. Who to call though? Her coworkers would probably make fun of her
or be annoyed. Also, this place,
<span class="quote non-speech">Cryo&nbsp;Facility&nbsp;53</span>, she had
never heard of it. The only one who might know more about it is her
grandpa, as he used to work for the power company and still spends a lot
of his time studying the plans of the city. So she dials his number...
</p>
<p>
She is greeted by the friendly voice of an old man. <br />
<span class="quote speech">What&apos;s on your mind that you call
now?</span>
<span class="comment"> Note to self: Improve this, it doesn&apos;t sound
right to me </span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Uhhh...</span><br />
She makes a short pause. <br />
<span class="quote speech">This might be a little bit weird but someone
contacted me from a location called
&quot;Cryo&nbsp;Facility&nbsp;53&quot;. I wondered if you happen to know
where that is. <span class="comment">or anything about it</span></span>
Annie is greeted by the friendly voice of an old man. After
<span class="comment">a short exchange of &quot;Hello, how are
you?&quot;</span>, she begins explain the situation. He interrupts her
while relaying what Jack had written:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Cryo&nbsp;Facility? Are you sure?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Yes, it says here: Cryo Facility 53.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Well that makes it very interesting.
Unfortunately, we can&apos;t get there. These cryogenic facilities are
outside the dome.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">So there is no way we can help him?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Well not directly. Facility 53 does happen to
be on the mountain above &lt;dome city&gt; but it isn&apos;t connected to
the dome.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">How did he get there then?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">He ... didn&apos;t. He&apos;s been there from
the start.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">How?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Cryogenic sleep - it&apos;s a way to preserve
people for a log time. It was thought to be impossible for a long time
but they somehow made it work just before the apocalypse happened.</span>
<br />
<span class="quote speech">Cryo&nbsp;Facility? Haven&apos;t heard anyone
talk about these in a while... Are you sure?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Yes, it says here: Cryo Facility 53.</span>
<br />
<span class="quote speech">What does he want?</span>
</p>
<p>
Annie relays what Jack had told her about his situation and asks who
would be the right person to help him.<br />
<span class="quote speech">That&apos;s a bit of a tricky question...
These cryogenics facilities are outside the dome.</span>
<span class="quote speech">He&apos;s one from the old world? Doesn&apos;t
that mean that he&apos;s way over a hundred years old?</span><br />
</p>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
needs to imply that the dome is under a mountain / underground
the dialog also needs to say that Karl wants to get in touch with Jack
</li>
<li class="comment">
hint at the fact that the city was built with the
intention that ppl would return outside when it is safe again
hint at the possibility to go outside?
</li>
<li class="comment">
explanation of what &quot;cryogenic sleep&quot; is
</li>
<li class="comment">
his dad had thought that it was a ridiculous idea that could never work
ensuing Annie Jack conversation needs to be modified taking into
consideration that Karl wants to contact Jack (also notes/story and
everything else)
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Slowly, she sets the receiver back on the cradle. What would she tell
Jack? What could she do for him? And the outside world - people could
survive there? She looks at the terminal but nothing had changed.
Slowly, she sets the receiver back on the cradle, pondering over what she
had just learned. The call had left her with more questions than she had
before. And what would she tell Jack? She looks at the terminal but
nothing had changed so she gets up to grab some snacks.
</p>
<p>
Annie ponders over what she had just learned for a moment, then she gets
up to grab some snacks. A cup of juice and a cookie later, she returns,
holding two additional cookies. She leans against the wall while nibbling
at one of them. The second cookie is almost gone when she hears it again:
</p>
<p class="heavy">
BEEP BEEP
</p>
<p>
Annie looks up and walks over to the terminal.
A cup of juice and two cookies later, she hears the telephone ring in the
basement. She grabs another cookie and hurries back down the stairs. She
makes it to the desk just in time for the phone to stop ringing. The
text on the terminal begins to move. She sits down, reads what just
appeared on screen, and starts typing:
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
Hello again.
</pre>
<p>
Again, she sits down in the chair.
</p>
hello i am really sorry but we cannot get to facility 53 its outside
<pre class="terminal">
hello i am really sorry but we cannot help you we cant get to
outpost 53 its outside
Hm. Okay. Sucks to be me, I guess...
Hm. Okay...
</pre>
is there anything else i can do for you
<p>
Annie doesn&apos;t know what to say. She feels bad for Jack, but there
really is nothing she could do about it.
</p>
<p class="comment">
TODO: Fix this
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
is there anything else i could do for you
Yes. I might be able to force the door open if I had a service manual for
it. Do you think you can get me a copy?
Yes. I might be able to fix up the door if I had a service manual for it.
Do you think you can get me a copy?
i dont know where would i find it
@ -258,9 +233,8 @@ You are in the city under the mountain, right?
yes &lt;name of city&gt;
If memory serves right, there is a library in the city center. They should
have it. I need the service manual for a Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker
Door.
The library should have it.
I need the service manual for a Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker Door.
yes but how would i get a book to you
@ -268,43 +242,46 @@ They should have a digital version of it... You are not very familiar with
computers, are you?
no
Are there any computer people you could ask to send me one?
</pre>
<p>
Annie looks up from the terminal. She finds a piece of paper and a pen
&ndash; whoever works here hopefully won&apos;t mind &ndash; and writes
down <span class="quote non-speech">B33FY-AF door</span>.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
Are there any computer people you could ask for help?
not sure they would do that my grandpa might but he doesnt work here
Any computer hooked up to a modem and a phone line should do. If he knows
his way around computers - and has access to one - he will be able to do
As long as he has access to a computer and modem, he should be able to do
this.
whats a modem
A modem is typically a small device that allows a computer to connect to
the telephone network so that two computers that are far away from each
other can be connected - like the computers we are using right now.
It allows you to connect computers over the telephone network.
i think he has one
</pre>
<p class="comment">
Note to self: This makes little sense given her unfamiliarity with
computers. She knows that her grandpa is reasonably familiar with
computers and that he has one, but that&apos;s about it.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
Great! Could you please ask him if he can establish a connection to
&lt;phone number&gt; at 300 baud?
not sure he has one but i can ask
i think he would love to do that its his sort of thing but it will take a
few days
Thank you - I never asked your name...
Thank you.
Btw, I never asked your name...
annie
Thank you, Annie!
In case he does, he can reach this modem under &lt;phone number&gt; at
300 baud.
</pre>
<p>
She picks up the pen again and adds the phone number and
<span class="quote non-speech">300 baud</span> &ndash; whatever that
means.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
okay but it might take a couple days
I can hold out down here for quite a while, don&apos;t worry about a couple
days. I&apos;ll check back on Friday evening if I don&apos;t hear from you
or your grandpa before then. Is that okay?
days. I&apos;ll be back on this terminal on Friday evening if I don&apos;t
hear from you or your grandpa before then. Is that okay?
are you safe down there
@ -314,22 +291,20 @@ day.
ok thats good
</pre>
<p>
<span class="quote thought">The light of day</span>, Annie thinks to
herself, <span class="quote thought">what does it look like?</span>
<span class="comment"> reword this </span>
<span class="quote non-speech">The light of day</span>, Annie thinks to
herself, <span class="quote non-speech">what is it like?</span>
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
I have to go now, the bunker&apos;s daily phone usage quota is running out.
Thank you again and looking forward to talk to you and your grandpa.
The manual I need is for the Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker Door, this
modem can be reached under &lt;phone number&gt; at 300 baud.
B33FY-AF Bunker Door
&lt;phone number&gt;
300 baud
I will connect back to this terminal on Friday if we haven&apos;t
established contact before then, okay?
established contact before then.
can we talk tomorrow i have questions
@ -339,41 +314,44 @@ LINE DISCONNECTED -
Tue, 2106-06-01, 20:12
AgriWorks Login:
AgriWorks Login: &#9608;
</pre>
<p>
<span class="quote thought">Is that a yes or a no?</span>, Annie wonders,
still slightly puzzled by the whole situation. She starts reading all
that&apos;s still on the screen.
<span class="quote speech">The light of day</span>, she quietly says to
herself.
<span class="quote non-speech">Is that a yes or a no?</span>, Annie
wonders, still not quite sure what to make of the whole situation.
She starts re-reading all that&apos;s still on the screen.
<span class="quote speech">The light of day</span>, she quietly mumbles
to herself.
</p>
<p>
As she reads the section with the bunker door and the phone number, she
reaches for a pen and some paper and writes them down - whoever works
here hopefully won&apos;t mind. As Annie continues reading, she hears a
quiet clicking noise and the terminal turns off. The screen flashes and
quickly turns to black. A tiny red light on the side comes on to
illuminate the letters &quot;RDY&quot;.
double-checks what she had written down. She continues to read. After a
moment, the terminal makes a quiet click and turns off. The screen
flashes and quickly turns to black before a tiny red light under the
adjustment knobs comes on to illuminate the letters &quot;RDY&quot;.
</p>
<p class="comment">
This still needs a satisfying conclusion of how she gets up, grabs her
stuff, and leaves.
<p>
Annie collects the crumbs of the third cookie that had magically
disappeared and eats them. Then, she gets up, takes the piece of paper,
and walks back to the stairs. Still thinking about the phrase
<span class="quote non-speech">the light of day</span>, she returns to
her office. Now, she wants to see it too &ndash; out of curiosity.
She collects her things and leaves for the day.
</p>
<p>
Annie closes the door behind herself and locks it. As she takes a breath
of the slightly humid air, she takes a step back onto the sidewalk to
look at the clock above the entrance... 8:35 PM - the realization of how
much time had passed hits: Normally she&apos;d be home by now. She starts
of the slightly humid air, she steps back onto the sidewalk to look at
the clock above the entrance... 8:25 PM - the realization of how much
time had passed hits: Normally she&apos;d be at home already. She starts
walking towards the metro station at the corner. The buildings here are
similar to the ones in other parts of the city - three to four story
houses painted in different colors - but they are lacking balconies and,
instead of being homes, they mostly house offices. On the other side of
the street is an embankment that holds the rails for the metro and beyond
that is the outer wall of the dome. The street lights illuminating the
area had already switched to their low-brightness mode for the night.
She had only seen it like this a couple of times, it made the area look
eerie.
area had already switched to the lower brightness for the night giving
the area an eerie look. Only a couple times had she seen it like this
while staying late for company events.
</p>
<p>
Annie reaches the corner. She looks left and right before crossing the
@ -382,10 +360,10 @@ AgriWorks Login:
next train arrives, that&apos;s a long wait... The station is completely
devoid of life, nobody else is out here this late. Annie walks up to the
vending machine at the upper end of the staircase -
&quot;OUT&nbsp;OF&nbsp;ORDER&quot;... Hrm. Mildly frustrated, she sits
down on one of the benches and and starts rummaging in her bag. She finds
her headphones and puts them on. At the end of the cable is her walkman.
She presses play and starts listening.
<span class="quote non-speech">OUT&nbsp;OF&nbsp;ORDER</span>... Hrm.
Mildly frustrated, she sits down on one of the benches and and starts
rummaging in her bag. She finds her headphones and puts them on. At the
end of the cable is her walkman. She presses play and starts listening.
</p>
<p class="copyright">Copyright &#169; 2023 Jan Danielzick (aka. BodgeMaster) &ndash; 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>