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8 Commits

Author SHA1 Message Date
BodgeMaster 3ae1210412 index: add missing closing p tag 2023-11-08 20:50:53 +01:00
BodgeMaster 6aaa4b9df9 notes/setting: Change what caused the apocalypse
The previous scenario never felt right and was too "preachy" for a fun story.
Politics don’t belong here.
2023-11-08 20:24:16 +01:00
BodgeMaster 66e433419c notes/products and brands: minor details 2023-11-08 20:11:16 +01:00
BodgeMaster 07e28a6bfa 04 Return Null: Add a crucial bit of information to the outline - the cause of the apocalypse 2023-11-08 08:44:00 +01:00
BodgeMaster e4e592dc13 03 A SImple Errand: remove redundant outline, wording, nit-pick in a comment 2023-11-08 08:27:43 +01:00
BodgeMaster 68a2cbc42d 02 Unlikely Encounter: Attempt to fix some of the problems that arise from this not being the first chapter anymore 2023-11-08 08:06:18 +01:00
BodgeMaster 91fddc2b46 'qa' Overdue Maintenance: reordering some events 2023-11-07 07:50:00 +01:00
BodgeMaster 0ab52a0390 01 Wakr up: extensive revision, remove obsolete outline 2023-11-07 07:36:36 +01:00
8 changed files with 175 additions and 261 deletions

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@ -2,18 +2,18 @@
<h1> Wake Up! </h1>
<p>
<span class="quote speech">Ahh fuck!</span> Jack exclaims in pain as he
<span class="quote speech">Awh fuck!</span> Jack exclaims in pain as he
wakes up. He has a terrible headache. While moving his hands up to hold
his head, he realizes that his entire body hurts.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Owwowwowwowwoww... Ouch!</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Emergency defrost complete. Entering low power
mode.</span> announces an automated voice. <br />
He thinks: <span class="quote non-speech">Get it together, Jack!
his head, he realizes that his entire body hurts.
<span class="quote speech">Owowowww... Ouch!</span><br />
An automated voice announces: <span class="quote speech">Emergency
defrost complete. Entering low power mode.</span><br />
Jack thinks: <span class="quote non-speech">Get it together, Jack!
You knew this was gonna happen. You have trained for this. Where are the
meds again? ...</span>
</p>
<p>
Waiting for the painkillers to kick in, Jack stays in his preservation
Waiting for the painkillers to kick in, he stays in his preservation
chamber until he is fully awake. As he stands there, looking out of the
small window in the door, he notices something off. The bunker looks
different from yesterday - not yesterday! That was years ago, probably
@ -24,30 +24,31 @@
<p>
The pressurized air hisses in the lines as the door of the preservation
chamber swings aside. Jack steps out into the bunker, breathes the musty
air, and looks around. The light shining out of his chamber reveals the
dirty floor. The table and chairs in front of him, as well as the kitchen
across the room, are covered in dust and all exposed bits of metal have
air, and looks around. The light shining out of his chamber reveals a
dirty floor. The table and chairs in front of him as well as the kitchen
across the room are covered in dust and all exposed bits of metal have
rust. The red night lights on the ceiling are dimly illuminating the rest
of the bunker. He looks to the left: The wall is lined with other
preservation chambers, all but one of them being powered down.
In the corner is a minicomputer in a half-height rack and next to it a
teleprinter. Along the rear wall are desks holding a radio, a terminal,
and some boxes &ndash; and above them a phone on the wall &ndash; nothing
out of the ordinary here. He looks to the right: More preservation
chambers. Instead of a wall, there&apos;s the bunker door &ndash; door is
a bit of an understatement, it&apos;s a massive gate. A small slither of
light passes under it. <span class="quote speech">These fucking idiots...
They didn&apos;t reseal it properly.</span>
In the corner is the minicomputer controlling the bunker, a half-height
rack filled to the brim with devices, and next to it a teleprinter, a
computer-controlled typewriter. Along the rear wall are desks holding a
radio and a terminal, a device with a keyboard and a screen, and above
them a phone on the wall &ndash; nothing out of the ordinary here.
He looks to the right: More preservation chambers. Instead of a wall,
there&apos;s the bunker door &ndash; door is a bit of an understatement,
it&apos;s a massive gate. A small slither of light passes under it.
<span class="quote speech">These fucking idiots... They didn&apos;t
reseal it properly.</span>
</p>
<p>
He walks over to the door&apos;s control panel. The paint is flaking off
revealing the rust underneath. Jack attempts to press a couple buttons
but they get stuck and nothing happens.
<span class="quote speech">Fuck.</span>
He turns back to the inside of the bunker looking for tools,
contemplating the tradeoff between waking up a couple years too soon and
getting slowly poisoned by the air, and being locked inside a bunker due
to a bunch of apparent troglodytes who are unable to close a door
but they get stuck and nothing happens. A couple expletives and banging
on the panel later, he turns back to the inside of the bunker looking
for tools, contemplating the tradeoff between waking up a couple years
too soon and getting slowly poisoned by the air, and being locked inside
a bunker due to a bunch of apparent troglodytes unable to close a door
properly... Doesn&apos;t matter, too late now.
</p>
<p>
@ -63,7 +64,8 @@
He continues past the remaining empty chambers to the back of the bunker.
</p>
<p class="comment">
Jack opens the boxes on the desks looking for tools. He also rummages
Jack notices the toolbox is missing.
Jack opens the drawers on the desks looking for tools. He also rummages
through the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen area.
After finding some object that he could use as a screwdriver, he returns
to the door, taking off the control panel. He realizes that he has no
@ -72,25 +74,25 @@
</p>
<p>
Jack returns to the desk with the terminal. He flips the switch on the
desk lamp. It flickers for a moment and turns off again. He leans over
the terminal and pushes the power switch &ndash; Bonk! At least this
seems to work. While waiting for the picture tube to warm up, he walks
over to the rack and sits down on the floor in front of it. He inspects
the status lights on the various devices thinking aloud:
<span class="quote speech">CPU is idle, serials are idle, cryogenics
control unit sees one active chamber, primary hard drive is powered up
&ndash; all good. Secondary hard drive is powered down, let&apos;s
change that...</span>
He pushes the power button and hears the spindle spinning up. The power
button blinks. There is some intermittent rattling from the drive,
probably a shot bearing. He hears the platters inside accelerate for an
unusually long time. Impatiently sitting there, Jack waits for the drive
to be ready. Clicking from the mechanism unlocking the heads followed by
a ringing scratching noise. <span class="quote speech">Of course.</span>
He quickly presses the power button again. The scratching stops and the
desk lamp. The lamp flickers for a moment and turns off again. He flips
the switch back and leans over the terminal to turn it on &ndash;
Bonk! At least this seems to work. While waiting for the picture tube to
warm up, he walks over to the rack and sits down on the floor in front
of it. He inspects the status lights on the various devices, thinking
aloud: <span class="quote speech">CPU is idle, serials are idle,
cryogenics control unit sees one active chamber, primary hard drive is
powered up &ndash; all good. Secondary hard drive is powered down,
let&apos;s change that...</span> He pushes the power button and hears
the spindle motor kick on. The power button blinks. There is some
intermittent rattling from the drive, probably a shot bearing.
He hears the platters inside accelerate for an unusually long time.
Impatiently sitting there, Jack waits for the drive to be ready.
Clicking from the mechanism unlocking the heads followed by a ringing
scratching noise. <span class="quote speech">Of course.</span> He
quickly presses the power button again. The scratching stops and the
spindle motor turns off, followed by the platters slowly decelerating.
<span class="quote speech">That&apos;s gonna be an ugly head
crash.</span>
<span class="quote speech">That&apos;s gonna be an ugly head crash.
No manuals for me, I guess...</span>
</p>
<p>
He gets up and walks over to the phone. Maybe, the lines to
@ -101,8 +103,9 @@
<span class="quote speech">Welp, that&apos;s that.</span> He puts it
back on the wall.
</p>
<p class="comment">
TODO: tie this together
<p>
In an attempt to find anything useful, he sits down at the terminal and
logs on.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
Tue, 2106-06-01, 18:01
@ -115,41 +118,9 @@ Welcome to INUX!
$ &#9608;
</pre>
<p>
<span class="quote thought">Over a hundred years, hm...</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">So it&apos;s been over a hundred years,
hm...</span> He starts going through the files, hoping he misremembered
where the manuals were stored, but to no avail, they are gone.
</p>
<p class="comment">
Outline of missing section(s):
</p>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
Jack checks on the food and clothes and that the kitchen and bathroom
are in working order and that he really has no tools and manuals
<ul>
<li class="comment">
he could find things that he could turn into tools but that ofc
doesn&apos;t solve his problem if he doesn&apos;t have a manual
for fixing the door
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="comment">
Jack tries to dial into a bunch of known modems, finally succeeding
when reaching AgriWorks
<ul>
<li class="comment">
&quot;They changed the host name... I wonder if this is still the
same computer. Lemme try my login... Yup, it is.&quot;
</li>
<li class="comment">
Neotek Dynamics, and more specifically Jack himself, was somehow
involved in setting that up
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="comment">
Annie conversation setup (duh)
</li>
</ul>
<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>

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@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
beep beep
</p>
<p>
That came from the hallway. She steps outside her office to locate the
That came from the hallway. She steps outside her office to find the
source of this noise. Everyone else had already gone home and she was
about to leave as well so this is weird.
</p>
@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
beep beep
</p>
<p>
It sounds clearer, it comes from down there. Annie walks down the
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.
@ -56,34 +56,33 @@
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
a mess, apart from a neatly organized row of books towards the wall,
holding all sorts of tools and cables. Front and center is a terminal...
holding all sorts of cables and other things. Front and center is a
terminal...
</p>
<p class="heavy">
BEEP BEEP
</p>
<p>
... and apparently it is the source of the beep sound. The terminal is
a device that looks like kind of a weird TV. It has a screen to display
text, a couple adjustment knobs, and a flat section with rows of buttons
with letters and symbols on them. The reception desk has one of these
things; they always use it to order new office supplies and for other
important-sounding work...
... and apparently it is the source of the beep sound. She had never
used one before but taking a quick look can&apos;t hurt &ndash; and
besides, this beeping is slowly getting annoying. She walks up to it and
begins to inspect it... <span class="comment">wording!!</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
might want an image of a dumb terminal somewhere
</li>
<li class="comment">
might need to drive the point home even harder that the flat part of
the terminal is a keyboard - Annie may or may not know this
</li>
</ul>
<p class="heavy">
BEEP BEEP
</p>
<p>
The text on the terminal blinks. She had never used one before but
taking a quick look can&apos;t hurt...
... ugh. That&apos;s kinda loud. The terminal looks like kind of a weird
TV. It has a screen to display text, a couple adjustment knobs, and a
flat section with rows of buttons with letters and symbols on them. The
reception desk has one of these things; they always use it to order new
office supplies and for other important-sounding work...
</p>
<p class="heavy">
BEEP BEEP
</p>
<p>
The text on-screen flickers.
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
Hello, anyone there?
@ -124,11 +123,10 @@ Thank you. Appreciate it.
</pre>
<p>
That took a while to... type?... Is that the word? The rows of buttons
are arranged in a strange order... Annie looks around. A pile of papers,
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">Signal might be the wrong
word in an age where everyone has a radio transceiver in their pocket
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
@ -136,7 +134,6 @@ Thank you. Appreciate it.
the terminal. She drops the receiver back on the cradle and types into
the terminal again:
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
i cant call anyone the phone is only making weird noises
@ -193,17 +190,13 @@ AgriWorks Login: &#9608;
<span class="quote speech">That&apos;s a bit of a tricky question...
These cryogenics facilities are outside the dome.</span>
</p>
<p class="comment">
Missing dialog here:
</p>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
needs to explain to the reader that the city is inside a large concrete
dome under a mountain
needs to imply that the dome is under a mountain / underground
</li>
<li class="comment">
his dad had mentioned it in passing when talking about the old world
and attempts to overcome the impending doom of humanity
hint at the fact that the city was built with the
intention that ppl would return outside when it is safe again
</li>
<li class="comment">
explanation of what &quot;cryogenic sleep&quot; is
@ -214,9 +207,8 @@ AgriWorks Login: &#9608;
</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 was real? A whole
world, much bigger than the city, that she had never heard anything but
rumors about? She looks at the terminal but nothing had changed.
Jack? What could she do for him? And the outside world - people could
survive there? She looks at the terminal but nothing had changed.
</p>
<p>
Annie ponders over what she had just learned for a moment, then she gets
@ -251,39 +243,23 @@ Hm. Okay...
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
Let me think for a moment.
......
..............
...
......
</pre>
<p>
More dots followed. A lot more. Then this:
</p>
<pre class="terminal">
................................
Sorry for taking up your time.
I think I might be able to improvise some tools down here. If I had a
repair manual for the door, I think, I could get out. Do you think you can
get your hands on one?
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?
i dont know where would i find it
</pre>
<p class="comment"> service manual </p>
<pre class="terminal">
You are in the city under the mountain, right? The dome city?
</pre>
<p class="comment">reword this</p>
<pre class="terminal">
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 repair manual for a Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker
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

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@ -1,47 +1,6 @@
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> A Simple Errand </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><a href="index.html"><button class="back">&lt;</button></a>
<h1> A Simple Errand</h1>
<p class="comment">
If you are here for reading, skip past the outline.
</p>
<ul>
<li class="comment">
Next day, Annie only has to be at work in the afternoon so she goes to
the library.
</li>
<li class="comment">
Arrival at the library
</li>
<li class="comment">
Ask for the manual
<ul>
<li class="comment">
it&apos;s recently been classified due to a bunch of ppl trying to
leave the dome
</li>
<li class="comment">
Librarian behind the counter says something like &quot;I have to
write down your details, let me get the list rq&quot; while
scribbling a note on her library card, then he winks at her and
nods to the door
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="comment">
Annie leaves
</li>
<li class="comment">
Outside, she hears the Librarian say &quot;Dorothy, she took her
library card and ran, what do I do?&quot;
</li>
<li class="comment">
Annie hurries back to the station and gets on the next train
</li>
<li class="comment">
she reads the note on her library card: Meet at xyz metro station,
10:30 PM
</li>
</ul>
<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
@ -62,11 +21,12 @@
Annie walks down the stairs and steps onto the square. It is brightly
illuminated by a large glowing sphere made of yellow and brown glass
tiles, suspended on steel cables that hang from four office complexes
towering over the rest of the buildings. To the right is the library,
a large building with a facade of sandstone blocks. The front features
large pillars and a staircase spanning the entire width of the building
giving it the look of an ancient temple. The wall behind the pillars has
multiple rows of windows.
towering over the rest of the buildings. <span class="comment">Add a more
detailed description of the general area.</span> To the right is the
library, a large building with a facade of sandstone blocks. The front
features large pillars and a staircase spanning the entire width of the
building giving it the look of an ancient temple. The wall behind the
pillars has multiple rows of windows.
</p>
<p>
Annie makes her way up the stairs and enters through the large wooden
@ -86,8 +46,8 @@
<span class="quote speech">I&apos;m afraid, that it has recently been
classified. There is a note about terrorism in here.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">So there is no way to get it?</span><br />
He musters her for a second, then he takes the card and scribbles
something on it before putting it back. <br />
He musters her for a second, then he takes the card, quickly scribbles
something on it, and puts it back. <br />
<span class="quote speech">I can check you against a list of people with
security clearance. One moment, I&apos;ll get it.</span><br />
He gestures towards the exit. Then, he turns around and walks towards a

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@ -23,6 +23,14 @@
</li>
<li class="comment">
the outside world (what happened, assumptions about what is)
<ul>
<li class="comment">
what happened: They came up with an alternative to asbestos.
Turns out that a precursor to the new material is even more
dangerous. A massive industrial accident happens.
At least, the material breaks down over time.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>

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@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
There is also a <a href="./notes/">collection of notes</a> that, while not
particularly well-maintained, might be interesting (in case you missed
the link: <a href="./notes/">here</a>).
</p>
<p>
Table of Contents:
</p>

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@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ apocalypse happened or during the time underground. They could show up in
advertisments or recounts of the situation - or even day-to-day use.
- Algae Coffee
- Slogan: So good it tastes almost natural
- Slogan: So good it almost tastes natural
- Actually works as a coffee replacement
- DIY Shelter
- would have supplied things like
@ -11,7 +11,11 @@ advertisments or recounts of the situation - or even day-to-day use.
- pressurized air tanks, compressors, chemical air filters, etc
- hazmat suits
- Neotek Dynamics' products
- bunker doors and security systems
- cryogenic preservation chambers
- all sorts of bunker equipment and services including the following
- bunker doors
- security systems
- cryogenic preservation chambers
- large scale air conditioning and treatment systems
- water and waste treatment systems
- DIY snowman
- Just add snow and a carrot

View File

@ -6,30 +6,17 @@ to reflect the current setting when I have real information to fill in.
- relatively slow, gradual downfall of civilization - not a fast
wipe out event
- ppl had time to prepare
- humanity discovers a new way to generate nuclear power some time in
the 80s
- upsides:
- moar powar
- less waste
- comparatively straight-forward to get going
- downsides:
- absolutely needs to be maintained well
- horrible accidents
- huge explosions
- scatter toxic globs of radioactive chemical sludge
- areas where this stuff lands turn into wasteland for centuries
or millennia
- release some toxic gas that decays slowly over time
- power plants of this kind are built everywhere
- as accidents happen, ppl cry for alternatives but nobody does anything
about it bc it's not economically viable
- a bunch of wars happen and a few of the power plants blow up
- conventional wars, no MAD scenario
- areas are abandoned causing civil wars in other locations due to
refugee crisis
- in the chaos, more power plants blow up making it difficult to survive
at the surface due to contaminated atmosphere
- the rest of civilization has to wind down and disappears
- humanity discovers a new, safe alternative to asbestos in the 1970s
- problem with it: one of the precursor chemicals is way worse than
asbestos itself but its fibers decay within a couple years
- an industrial accident in the late 80s causes an ongoing unstoppable
reaction producing this material
- attempts to contain it fail and the atmosphere gets contaminated
- the reaction continues producing the material for at least a decade,
possibly even into the early 2000s
- most places are completely unsafe to inhabit by 1995
- Earth's surface is uninhabitable for decades to come due to the sheer
amount of fibers that got released into the atmosphere
- story takes place roughly 110 years after the apocalypse
- story starts on Tue, 2106-06-01
- just enough time for no living memory of the "old world" to survive
@ -37,7 +24,6 @@ to reflect the current setting when I have real information to fill in.
- for the most part, technology is stuck in the 80s or 90s, but there
are some key differences
- the underground city has only electric cars
- aforementioned nuclear power plants
- successful cryogenic preservation
- computing is different
- home computers are rare - they are similar to early to mid 90s

View File

@ -5,38 +5,56 @@
Roaring water echoes from somewhere deep below. Annie grabs her bag and
goes ahead. The tunnel wall to the right features doors, large gates,
and windows that allow a peek into abandoned offices, storage spaces, and
control rooms. The end of the tunnel connects to a balcony with rusty
walkways connecting to either side, extending into a narrow ravine.
She steps onto it, making sure to keep her distance to the railing, and
looks around. The walkway to the right connects to the top of a dam
blocking the ravine. A couple bushes, purple flowers, and a small tree
grow on top of it and the wall is partially green from moss. Water flows
over the spillway, falling into the depths below where it joins a torrent
of water coming from two big pipes at the bottom of the ravine.
control rooms. The end of the tunnel connects to a balcony with rusted
metal walkways going to either side, extending into a narrow ravine.
She steps onto it, making sure to keep her distance to the rusty railing,
and looks around. The walkway to the right connects to the top of a dam
blocking the ravine. A couple bushes, flowers, and a small tree grow
there, partially concealing the rusty <span class="comment">armatures?
</span> and the wall is green from moss and small ferns. Water flows
over the spillway, falling into the depths below where it joins a
torrent of water rushing out of two big pipes at the bottom of the
ravine. The other walkway leads to a freestanding staircase going all
the way down.
</p>
<p>
She turns around to see Jack getting a toolbox from the truck bed and
James and Michelle waiting next to a door, holding a large box full of
random spare parts. She hurries over to them and opens it by pulling a
loop of wire through the latch.
Jack walks up next to her, grabbing hold of the railing, trying to
shake it but it doesn't budge.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Looks like it&apos;s gonna hold.</span><br />
He turns to the right and steps onto the walkway before having an idea.
He turns to Annie and Michelle:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Ladies first.</span><br />
While Annie is still thinking about a response, Michelle&apos;s response
is immediate:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Thanks but you can go ahead.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">You two are lighter though.</span>
</p>
<p class="comment">
They walk to the dam, look into the windows
</p>
<p class="comment">
Some events have changed, this needs to be tied together again.
</p>
<p>
<span class="quote speech">Annie?</span> Michelle calls
<span class="comment">?</span> her. They are standing by one of the doors
in the tunnel wall. Jack pulls a wire through the latch and opens it.
Inside is the main control room. The wall to the right is lined with
metal cabinets that have levers, buttons, dials, and large gauges on
metal cabinets that have levers, buttons, switches, and large gauges on
them. The wall to the left features a front of windows, allowing a view
of the spillway and the top of the dam, below which is a random
collection of furniture, primarily desks and chairs. Some of the windows
have cracks but, by some miracle, none are broken. The center of the room
is taken up by a large console with more buttons, switches, and gauges
that is facing the windows and an opening in the floor covered by a thick
glass pane.
of the spillway and the top of the dam. Some of the windows have cracks
but somehow none are broken. In front of the windows is a collection of
random furniture, mostly desks and chairs. The center of the room is
taken up by a large console with more buttons, switches, and gauges that
is facing the windows and an opening in the floor covered by a thick
glass pane. They roam around the room for a moment. Annie looks outside,
admiring the flowering lilypads floating in the water that is held back
by the dam.
</p>
<p>
They set down their things and roam around the room. Out of nowhere,
Michelle asks:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Jack, what&apos;s the status on that dome city
you&apos;re building? You guys only have two years to finish that
project.</span><br />
Michelle asks: <span class="quote speech">Jack, what&apos;s the status
on that dome city you&apos;re building? You guys only have two years to
finish that project.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Oh no, I guess we&apos;re gonna have to slack
less while waiting for bureaucracy to take its course.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Look, the power lines are gonna get hooked up
@ -52,12 +70,12 @@
Jack looks at a clipboard that was placed on the control panel on the
center console.<br />
<span class="quote speech">The next maintenence expedition is scheduled
for 2011 &ndash; I don&apos;t think anyone ever stepped foot in here
after &lt;dome city&gt; was closed off.</span><br />
for 2011... I don&apos;t think anyone ever stepped foot in here after
&lt;dome city&gt; was closed off.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">It wouldn&apos;t surprise me.</span> Annie
leans against the center console. <span class="quote speech">Apart from a
small group, the entire city is legitimately scared of the outside
world.</span><br />
turns around and leans against the center console.
<span class="quote speech">Apart from a small group, the entire city is
legitimately scared of the outside world.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">I mean they&apos;re probably right, the
outside world is dangerous. Look down, by the way.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Whoa!</span><br />
@ -65,25 +83,15 @@
glass pane. It allows a view down into a hall filled with machinery.
</p>
<p>
They look down into it. Water is pouring out of a burst pipe and from
the flanges between pipes.<br />
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.<br />
<span class="quote speech">It&apos;s a miracle this place is still
running.</span>
</p>
<p class="comment">
missing section
</p>
<p>
Jack walks up to the rusty railing, grabbing it and trying to shake it
as hard as he can but it doesn&apos;t even rattle.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Quality engineering.</span><br />
Using the walkway to the right, they get on top of the dam.
<span class="comment">And now what?</span>
</p>
<p>
The other walkway connects to a freestanding staircase leading all the
way down.
</p>
<p>
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