+ They walk onto the balcony and take a look around: The walkway to the + left goes to a freestanding staircase tower that goes down to the bottom + of the ravine and is just as rusty as the walkway itself. The walkway + to the right connects to the top of a concrete dam blocking the ravine. + A couple bushes, flowers, and a small tree grow there, partially hiding + rusty cranks and levers, and the dam is green from moss and small ferns + growing all over its side. Water flows over the spillway, falling into + the depths below. To the right of the dam, inset into the same rock face + as the tunnel exit, is a wall with a window front.
- They walk onto it and take a look around: The walkway to the left
- goes to a freestanding staircase tower that leads down and is just
- as rusty as the walkway itself. The walkway to the right connects
- to the top of a concrete dam blocking the ravine. A couple bushes,
- flowers, and a small tree grow there, partially hiding rusty cranks
- and levers, and the dam is green from moss and small ferns growing
- all over its side. Water flows over the spillway, falling into the
- depths below. To the right of the dam and walkway, inset into
- the same side of the ravine as the tunnel exit, is a wall with
- a front of windows.
Annie, check this out!
Jack gestures for her to come to the railing. She hesitates.
That railing is gonna hold, yeah?
@@ -41,8 +42,8 @@
and "jump" onto the beam holding it, leaving the
section of floor barely hanging on.
Michelle asks: You okay?
- Yeah – less so the floor...
-
+ Yeah – can't say the same for
+ the floor...
The two walk the rest of the way across, meanwhile Annie and Jack stay
on the balcony.
Jack and Annie are waiting in the tunnel next to a door. - The handle moves down and they hear the deadbold retracting with - a click. The door creaks as it gets pulled inward, revealing a hallway. - Michelle is on the other side, leading the way. James is standing in - a door to the left, holding it open. They go through and enter the - control room, a somewhat large room packed with equipment. Across the - room is the wall with the window front, allowing a view of the spillway - and the top of the dam. In front of it is a random collection of - electronics and furniture, mostly desks and chairs and terminals, - zusammengeschoben? piled up? for storage. - In the center is a large - console with more buttons, switches, and gauges that is facing the - windows and an opening in the floor behind it, covered with a thick - glass pane. - The wall to the left is lined with metal cabinets with buttons, - switches, large gauges and levers on them. - The wall to the right is taken up by storage - cabinets? the drawer thingies... - and an assortment of large devices and contraptions. -
-TODO: They take a brief look at the control room -and then climb outside onto the dam, returning to the control room -afterwards. -
- This needs to be tied together again as the
- beginning of the chapter has been rewritten.
- They roam around the room for a while. Annie looks outside, admiring
- the flowering lilypads floating in the water held back by the dam.
- Meanwhile, Michelle looks at an old calendar.
- Jack, what's the status on that dome
- city you're building? You guys only have two years to finish that
- project.
- Oh no, I guess we're gonna have to slack
- less while waiting for bureaucracy to take its course.
- The power lines are gonna get hooked up
- to the battery bank in a couple days. Aren't you excited for
- progress?
- Not my department but I sure hope we're
- no longer gonna need these portable batteries down there. Having a
- working power grid is gonna be so nice.
- They are laughing. The calendar shows October 1991 with a few entries
- and crossed-off days.
+ The handle moves down and they hear the deadbolt retracting with
+ a click. The door creaks as Michelle pulls it inward, revealing
+ a hallway. She leads the way. James is standing in a door to the left,
+ holding it open. They go through and enter the control room, a somewhat
+ large room packed with equipment. Across from them are the windows,
+ allowing a view of the spillway and the top of the dam, with a random
+ assortment of office furniture and a few electronic devices
+ zusammengeschoben? piled up?
+ in front of them. The wall to the left is lined with metal cabinets
+ with a few buttons, switches, large gauges and levers on them. The wall
+ to the right is taken up by storage cabinets?
+ the drawer thingies... and an assortment of large devices and
+ contraptions. A bit towards them from the center of the room is
+ a large console facing the window front with many buttons, switches,
+ gauges, and two telephones on it. Annie walks past it and looks out
+ the windows, admiring the flowering lilypads floating behind the dam.
- Jack looks at a clipboard that was placed on the control panel on the
- center console.
- The next maintenence expedition is scheduled
- for 2011... I don't think anyone ever stepped foot in here after
- Sunside Cove was sealed off.
- Annie turns around and leans against the center console.
+ Jack picks up a clipboard and pencil that lay on the center console.
+
+ Maintenance checklist for October 2011 –
+ I don't think anyone has stepped foot in here since Sunside Cove was
+ sealed off.
+ Annie turns around and leans on the console.
It wouldn't surprise me. Many people are
legitimately scared of the outside world.
I mean they're probably right, the
outside world is pretty dangerous. Watch your step, by the way...
- Whoa!
- She stumbles backwards. Without noticing it, she had walked onto the
- glass pane. It allows a view down into a hall filled with machinery.
+ She looks down and ... Whoa!
+ Without noticing, she had walked onto a thick glass pane covering
+ a large opening in the floor. It allows a view into a hall filled with
+ machinery. The floor is flooded by water rushing out of a burst pipe and
+ spraying out from the flanges of many other pipe sections.
+
+ Jack says: It's a miracle that there is
+ still power being generated here. Michelle, James, have a look down
+ there.
+ Michelle responds: Yeah, we saw on the way in.
+ This place is overbuilt to take it.
+ He walks around the console and tries to get a better look.
+ Looks like it might not tale it for much
+ longer. All four turbines have water, but only three are spinning.
- They gather around it and look down. The floor is flooded by water
- rushing out of a burst pipe and spraying out from the flanges of many
- other pipe sections.
- It's a miracle this place is still
- running.
-
- missing section
+ After a short time discussing with Michelle and flipping through
+ the paper on the clipboard, they come up with a plan and Jack sits down
+ at the console. He picks up a telephone and dials a number.
+ While wedging the receiver between his shoulder and ear, he pulls a few
+ pages from the clipboard and lays them out in front of him.
+ Good afternoon, this is Jack, I am calling
+ from the Ivydale hydro power station. Am I talking to infrastructure
+ control?
+ Short pause while he listens.
+ Yes, I am.
+ Another pause.
+ Sir, I don't care. We have an emergency.
+ Am I talking to infrastructure control?
+ –
+ I'm not here to answer questions.
+ I am calling to inform you of an imminent power outage. Follow procedure
+ thirty-nine. Switch the battery banks to autonomous and disconnect the
+ transformers.
+ –
+ Follow emergency procedure thirty-nine.
+
+ –
+ As I said, I will not answer your
+ questions.
+ –
+ Follow the procedure. You have fifteen
+ minutes.
+ –
+ Will you do your fucking job already?
+ You need to get the city running on backup power right now.
+ Questions can be answered later.
+ –
+ If the grid goes down with the power station,
+ that's on you. Follow emergency procedure thirty-nine. You can call
+ me back on the two five five two. Have a good day.
+ Jack puts the receiver back down and shakes his head.
+ TODO: James is probably unfamiliar with
+ telephones.
- 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. He lets go of the key and 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.
- Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call
- an adequate stockpile of spare parts.
- Jack walks up to a huge crate and wipes the dust off the label:
- Turbine C, replacement 2.
+ In the meantime, Michelle has gone around and flipped some switches on
+ the control panel cabinets to the left. The gauges are lit up and their
+ needles no longer sit at their resting points. Jack flips a switch on
+ the center console and it lights up like a christmas tree. He gives it
+ a once-over, then he presses some buttons on his watch and gets up.
- exploring the warehouse, they find a forklift and a railroad in the back +
+ The four climb back outside onto the dam. Jack and James attempt to
+ man-handle? the mechanism to lower the
+ spillway gate. To their surprise, it actually moves and the water flow
+ increases.
+ ToDo: something missing here, Idk
+
+ A bell starts ringing in the control room. They climb through the window
+ again and Michelle sits down at the center console. She hits a button
+ and the ringing stops.
+ Power draw is dropping. Looks like
+ they're doing their part.
+ Jack looks at his watch.
+ Sixteen minutes. About time...
+ A few minutes later, the bell goes off again. The needles on most of the
+ gauges suddenly swing to zero. The phone rings. Jack answers:
+ Ivydale hydro power station, this is
+ Jack.
+ –
+ Affirmative, you are disconnected.
+
+ He looks up and holds the receiver away from his mouth.
+ Annie, can you flip that big switch?
+
+ This one?
+ It moves down with a satisfying ka-chonk. Michelle turns
+ some what do you call this style of switch?
+ on the console and slowly pulls back one of four levers. The console
+ buzzes at her and some status lights start blinking.
+ She tries the other three levers, only the third one moves without
+ buzzing.
+ Jack speaks into the phone again: We'll
+ need to manually shut down three of the turbines. In the meantime,
+ is it in your power to gather volunteers?
+ –
+ As many as we can get. We need people to
+ dismantle and rebuild large machinery and plumbing.
+ –
+ I don't know? Talk to the news or
+ something.
+ –
+ Thanks.
Copyright © 2023 Jan Danielzick (aka. BodgeMaster) – All rights reserved.