|  |  |  | @ -3,8 +3,8 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <h1> First Steps Outside</h1> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   The station is is much larger than any of the metro stations inside the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   dome. It has many platforms. Portions of the tall roof that is supported | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   by large stone pillars and rusty steel beams have caved in and what's | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   dome. It has many platforms. Portions of the tall roof, supported by | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   large stone pillars and rusty steel beams, have caved in and what's | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   still standing has holes. Rays of light poke through holes in the walls | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   and the roof. All of that is visually stunning but what really catches | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Annie's eyes are the plants everywhere. Parts of the platforms are | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -20,23 +20,31 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   tracks before coming to a halt next to a staircase in the center of the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   platform.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Exit to the right</span>, Jack says in unison | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   with the automated voice while turning the switch for the doors and | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   gesturing towards the passenger area.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   with the automated voice while turning the switch for the doors. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   He gestures towards the passenger area.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">After you.</span> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | </p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Annie walks over to the closest door and pushes the button. Pressurized | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   air hisses and the right half opens very slowly. They step out onto the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   platform. Annie breathes the warm air. It smells of the run-over plants. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Insects are buzzing about, and the wind rustles through the leaves. She | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   crouches down and touches the carpet of green fuzziness.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Grass. It grows pretty much everywhere, | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   air hisses and one half of it opens very slowly.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">This door has probably seen better | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   days.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Everything out here has seen better days | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   – except for the plants. They're thriving.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">There are so many of them.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   They step out onto the platform. Annie  breathes the warm air. It smells | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   of the run-over plants. Insects are buzzing around, and the wind rustles | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   through the leaves. She crouches down and touches the carpet of green | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   fuzziness.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Grass. It grows pretty much everywhere – | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   usually much taller than this though.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   She looks up at him.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">I knew there would be more plants out here... I | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   didn't expect that many of them.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Welcome to the outside world. Wanna take a | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   quick look around?</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="comment">fix this</span> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">I'm surprised that anything grows in | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   here.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Pretty much every building out here is | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   overgrown. By the way: Welcome to the outside world. Wanna take a quick | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   look around?</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   She gets up.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Sure.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Jack uses a key to close the door and they get going. | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -48,7 +56,7 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   From there, they step outside through a side entrance. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | </p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Annie is hit by the light and warmth of the setting sun. She closes her | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Annie is hit by the light and warmth of the evening sun. She closes her | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   eyes and faces it for a moment.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">This is nice.</span> She turns to Jack. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">And this light is just always up there?</span> | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -66,10 +74,10 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Why not?</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   She steps back.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Watch.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   He pushes against it. Loud cracking follows, and the ringing of metal. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   A roughly two meter wide section of the railing breaks loose and falls. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Annie takes a bigger step back. The railing crashes into the ground | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   below with a loud ringing bang.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   He pushes against it. Loud cracking follows, and the ringing sound of | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   metal breaking. A roughly two meter wide section of the railing begins | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   to fall. Annie takes a bigger step back. The railing crashes into the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   ground below with a loud ringing bang.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">How did you know?</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">I made the same mistake over there.</span> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <br /> | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -79,12 +87,13 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | </p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Cautiously stepping back to the edge, Annie looks down. Bushes overgrow | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   everything, covering the hillside below the tall sandstone wall holding | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   everything, covering the hillside below the tall sandstone wall of | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   the embankment with the station. The walls of small ruins and half | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   fallen-in fences stick out here and there, and the bushes are interrupted | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   by what remains of roads and staircases. Small rivers cut through the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   landscape. Annie looks up. The ruins further down the valley are larger | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   the closer they are to the center of the urban area below.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   by what remains of roads, paths, and staircases. Small rivers cut | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   through the landscape. Annie looks up, into the distance: The ruins | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   further down the valley are larger the closer they are to the center | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   of the urban area below.<br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">It's much bigger than <dome | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   city>.</span><br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="quote speech">Many things are bigger than <dome city>. | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -101,10 +110,10 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   After pointing out some other notable landmarks, Jack decides it is time | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   to get going. He starts to lead the way, walking towards the side of the | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   station that they arrived from. The balcony-like walkway connects to | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   a wide staircase down from the end of the embankment where the mountain | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   extends over the tunnels and the back wall of the station. It leads to a | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   collapsed bridge next to a large waterfall. Annie marvels at the sheer | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   amount of water flowing by, something that she had never before seen. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   a wide staircase down from the end of the embankment where the rear part | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   of the station extends into the mountain. It leads to a collapsed bridge | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   next to a large waterfall. Annie marvels at the sheer amount of water | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   flowing by, something that she had never before seen. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | </p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   Jack goes ahead, climbing down the wall where the bridge used to begin | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					|  |  |  | @ -115,6 +124,6 @@ | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <span class="comment">Something interesting needs to happen here.</span> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   <br /> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   They make their way across the fast-flowing river by stepping on large | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   stones in the water, and continue through the bushes towards Outpost 53. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  |   stones in the water, and continue through the bushes towards Facility 53. | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | </p> | 
		
	
		
			
				|  |  |  |  | <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> | 
		
	
	
		
			
				
					| 
							
							
							
						 |  |  | 
 |