'zb' <reaching Nova Metropolis>: revision, fill in some gaps

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BodgeMaster 2025-03-06 20:35:24 +01:00
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<p>
<span class="quote speech">Good morning, Annie! Pancakes are ready.</span>
<br />
Jack takes his hand off her shoulder. She <span class="comment">st&uuml;tzt
sich hoch</span> and looks around in confusion. James is driving the bus
on a surprisingly very intact highway though a seemingly endless desert.
<span class="comment">might benefit from a description of said desert
</span> Yesterday&apos;s mountains are still visible in the far distance
behind them. Jack goes to wake up Michelle, then he tells James who pulls
over onto the side of the highway and stops the bus. The engine goes
quiet.
Jack takes his hand off her shoulder. She pushes herself up from her bed
and looks around in confusion. James is driving the bus on a surprisingly
very intact highway through a seemingly endless landscape of sand and
sparse vegetation. The sun is already high up in the sky and
yesterday&apos;s mountains are in the distance far behind them. Jack goes
to wake up Michelle, then he tells James who stops the bus and turns off
the engine.
</p>
<p>
<span class="comment">Annie gets up, they sit down around a table
and start to eat. Also, a mention of what the dog is up to...</span>
Annie swings her legs out of bed to sit up straight. She stretches,
gets up, and walks <span class="comment">shuffles?</span> over to the
table. Jack puts a large plate with a pile of pancakes in the center and
grabs plates for everyone. He also places a few jars on the table:
Honey, Chocco <span class="comment">TODO: Add an advert for Chocco
somewhere earlier in the story. It&apos;s the in-universe equivalent
of Nutella.</span>, and cinnamon with sugar <span class="comment">Is that
combination as ubiquitous worldwide as it is in Germany? If so, does it
have a proper name?</span>. James gets up from the driver's seat and Dora
follows him, wagging her tail. They all sit down around the table,
including Dora who sits on the floor and <span class="comment">macht
gro&szlig;e augen</span>.<br />
<span class="comment">What is the English command for a dog to lay
down?</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="quote speech">So when are we gonna reach the &lt;mining
company&gt; pit?</span>, Michelle asks.<br />
Michelle asks: <span class="quote speech">So when are we gonna reach
the &lt;mining company&gt; pit?</span><br />
Jack looks at James. James tilts his head slightly and shrugs.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Like two hours ago?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Like five hours ago?</span><br />
<!-- Jack's shift until midnight, James' shift until 6AM, plan was for
Michelle's shift to start at the pit, it is now 9AM. -->
<span class="quote speech">You&apos;re kidding.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Didn&apos;t wanna wake you up.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Uhh...</span> Michelle is at a loss for words.
<br />
James grins.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Don&apos;t worry, I won&apos;t drive from
here.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Can&apos;t even be mad... Wait, doesn&apos;t
that mean that we&apos;re way ahead of time?</span><br />
James shrugs again, this time holding up his hands. She turns to Jack:
<br />
<span class="quote speech">How much ahead are we?</span><br />
He glances at his watch.<br />
<span class="quote speech">About three hours - but if you&apos;re as
lucky as James, we&apos;ll be even more ahead by the time we arrive. The
wind has favored us so far.</span><br />
Annie chimes in: <span class="quote speech">You didn&apos;t sleep, did
you?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Sleep is overrated anyway - but, if you allow
it, I&apos;ll be going to sleep very soon.</span>
</p>
<p class="comment">
missing section?
She says: <span class="quote speech">Can&apos;t even be mad... But
doesn&apos;t that mean that we&apos;re way ahead of time?</span><br />
James shrugs again.<br />
Jack glances at his watch and says: <span class="quote speech">About
two and a half hours give or take. With a bit of luck, we&apos;ll be
even more ahead when we arrive. We&apos;ve had some quite favorable
winds.</span><br />
</p>
<p>
The four do quick work of the dishes. Annie washes them, Jack rinses them
off in a bowl of clean water, James dries them, and Michelle puts them
away. Jack goes to the back of the bus to sleep. The others go to the
front.
The four finish their meal and James feeds Dora. Afterwards, they do
quick work of the dishes. Annie washes them, Jack rinses them off in
a bowl of clean water, James dries them, and Michelle puts them away.
Jack goes to the back of the bus to sleep. The others go to the front.
</p>
<p>
Michelle sits down in the driver&apos;s seat.<br />
James yawns. <span class="quote speech">Now that I&apos;m thinking about
it, taking a nap sounds very entising... <span class="comment">Is that
how you spell that?</span></span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Well, you&apos;ve ...</span> Michelle goes to
turn the key but nothing happens. She stops mid-sentence.<br />
James says: <span class="quote speech"> Oh, that&apos;s been a problem.
Can you open the door for a sec?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Sure</span>, she replies with a tone of
bewilderment in her voice.<br />
James grabs a jumper cable and heads outside. They hear him opening some
panel in the back of the bus followed by arcing noises. The engine begins
to turn over. Michelle turns the key again. Finally, the engine starts
running. James slams the panel shut and returns.<br />
<span class="quote speech">As I was about to say: You&apos;ve definitely
earned that nap. Thanks for driving part of my
<span class="comment">shift</span>.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Still considering it...</span><br />
The engine roars as Michelle sets the bus in motion again.
<span class="comment">Something is missing here. Idk.</span>
Michelle sits down in the driver&apos;s seat and attempts to start
the engine. Nothing happens.<br />
James says: <span class="quote speech">Oh yeah, that&apos;s been an
issue.</span><br />
He grabs a wrench and a jumper cable. Michelle lets him out and he heads
to the back. They hear him opening a panel followed by arcing noises
and the engine starts cranking. Michelle turns the key and it fires up.
</p>
<p>
James returns inside and yawns.<br />
<span class="quote speech">The idea of a nap is very entising
<span class="comment">spelling?</span> right about now...</span><br />
Michelle says: <span class="quote speech">Well, you&apos;ve earned
it.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Thinking about it but not yet...</span><br />
He sits down behind Michelle and leans forward. <span class="comment">
Mention at some point before this that there is no wall between the
driver&apos;s seat and the passenger seats behind it. Maybe they removed
it for some reason, maybe it wasn&apos;t there to begin with,</span>
The engine roars as she accelerates the bus and they continue their way.
</p>
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