04 Return Null: Start writing (or continue, depending on how you look at it)

03-A_Simple_Errand-Annie_library.html

@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
 <h1> A Simple Errand</h1>
 <p>
   <span class="quote speech">Next stop: Central Square</span><br />
-  Annie looks up. That&apos;s the station she has to get off at. She only
+  Annie looks up. That&apos;s where she has to get off. She only needs to
-  needs to be at work in the afternoon so she decided to get that manual
+  be at work in the afternoon so she decided to get that manual for Jack.
-  for Jack.
 </p>
 <p>
   The train comes to a halt in the station. Annie steps out onto the
@@ -31,16 +30,15 @@
 <p>
   Annie makes her way up the stairs and enters through the large wooden
   doors. She walks up to the counter. <br />
-  <span class="quote speech">Hello, how may I help you today?</span><br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Hello, how may I help you today?</span> The guy
-  The guy behind the counter smiles.<br />
+  behind the counter smiles. <span class="quote speech">Borrowing the next
-  <span class="quote speech">Borrowing the next stack of fantasy
+  stack of fantasy books?</span>, he asks. <br />
-  books?</span>, he asks. <br />
   <span class="quote speech">Uhm... Actually, no</span>, Annie replies as
   she takes her library card and a piece of paper out of her bag.<br />
   <span class="quote speech">I have a quite unusual request. I am looking
   for</span> &ndash; she glances at the piece of paper &ndash;
-  <span class="quote speech">a manual for a B three three F Y dash A F
+  <span class="quote speech">a manual for a Neotek B three three F Y dash
-  bunker door.</span><br />
+  A F bunker door.</span><br />
   The guy types into his terminal for a moment. Annie places her library
   card on the counter. With a worried look, he turns back to her: <br />
   <span class="quote speech">I&apos;m afraid, that it has recently been

04-Return_Null.html

@@ -38,6 +38,28 @@
     Annie needs to go to meet the library guy
   </li>
 </ul>
+<p>
+  Pulling the secondary drive out of the rack takes an unusual amount of
+  force. The crunchy bearings scratch on the rails as they get dragged
+  forward. After struggling for a bit, Jack finally reaches the point
+  where the top cover and the empty compartment for a removable platter
+  are fully exposed. He undoes the thumb screws holding them in place,
+  then he slides the assembly forward and takes it out, revealing the
+  circuit boards, motor, and spindle with fixed platters beneath. A fine
+  silver line along the edge in the otherwise brown coating of the top-most
+  platter shows where its upper
+  head had crashed &ndash; a deep scratch but, with a bit of luck, this
+  might still be recoverable. He undoes two more
+  thumb screws on the inside and the face plate of the drive comes off.
+  Using a small flashlight that he had found in one of the desk cabinets,
+  he inspects the three platters: The one on top turns out to be the
+  outlier, its underside and both of the other platters have thick
+  silver-y white stripes lining their edges.
+  <span class="quote speech">Well, there goes that pipe dream.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+  Jack puts the drive back together
+</p>
 <p class="comment">
   This has been moved here from chapter 1 &quot;Wake Up&quot;. It should
   be integrated into this chapter instead.