<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> First Steps Outside </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><a href="index.php"><button class="back"><</button></a>
<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 long pillars 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 densely covered in the
thin, green blades of some plant giving them a fuzzy look. Vines cling to
the walls and pillars, crawl along gaps and edges, and hang from rusty
beams and the fringes of the caved in roof sections. Moss grows on the
rusted benches and trash cans.
</p>
<p>
After running over a bunch of bushes and tall flowers that have taken
root on the tracks, Jack brings the train to a stop next to a staircase
in the center of the platform.<br />
<span class="speech">Exit to the right</span>, he says in unison with the
automated voice before turning the switch for the doors and gesturing
towards the passenger area.<br /> <span class="comment">br here?</span>
<span class="speech">After you.</span>
</p>
<p>
Annie walks over to the closest door and pushes the button. Pressurized
air hisses and the left half opens with a squeeking noise. 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="speech">Grass. It grows pretty much everywhere, usually much
taller than this though.</span><br />
She looks up at him.<br />
<span class="speech">I knew there would be more plants out here... I
didn't expect that many of them.</span><br />
<span class="speech">Welcome to the outside world. Wanna take a quick
look around?</span><br />
She gets up.<br />
<span class="speech">Sure.</span>
</p>
<p>
They walk down a flight of stairs taking them to a tunnel under the
platforms. The floor is covered in water so they follow a ledge on the
side. Jack leads Annie up the stairs to the last platform. 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
eyes and faces it for a moment.<br />
<span class="speech">This is nice.</span> Then, she turns to Jack.
<span class="speech">And this light is just always up there?</span><br />
<span class="comment">Jack chuckles</span>
<span class="speech">Well... No. Only during the day.</span><br />
She looks around. They are standing on a balcony-like platform overlooking
a city in a valley. She walks over to the rusted railing and goes to lean
against it.<br />
<span class="speech">Don't lean on that.</span><br />
<span class="speech">Why not?</span> She steps back.<br />
<span class="speech">Watch.</span><br />
He kicks 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 />
<span class="speech">How did you know?</span><br />
<span class="speech">Be careful around old buildings. I made the same
mistake over there.</span><br />
He points to another missing section in the railing.
</p>
<p>
Cautiously stepping back to the edge, Annie looks down. Bushes cover the
hillside below the tall embankment wall that holds the station,
overgrowing everything. 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 />
<span class="speech">Wooow</span>, she utters in astonishment.<br />
<span class="speech">Ivydale - or at least what remains of it.</span>
<br />
<span class="speech">It's much bigger than <dome city>.</span>
<br />
<span class="speech">Many things are bigger than <dome city>.
It's <span class="comment">This is</span> the smaller of two sister
cities.</span> He points towards another urban center in the distance.
<span class="speech">That over there is Sentinel Shores, the place I
used to call home.</span>
</p>
<p>
After showing her some notable landmarks, Jack leads Annie to the end of
the station that they entered it from. The balcony-like walkway turns
into a wide staircase where the mountain extends over the tunnels and the
back wall of the station. It leads down to a collapsed bridge next to a
large waterfall. Annie marvels at the sheer amount of water flowing by,
something that she's never seen before.
</p>
<p>
Jack goes ahead, climbing down the wall where the bridge used to begin
by grabbing onto the edges of the large sandstone blocks. Annie struggles
to follow. After what feels like an eternity, she manages to get half-way
down the wall.<br />
<span class="speech">You can jump from there.</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.
</p>
<script>let spans = ["<span class=\"paper_green\">", "<span>"];let paper_sections = document.getElementsByClassName("paper");for (let i = 0; i < paper_sections.length; i++) {let lines = paper_sections[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";}paper_sections[i].innerHTML = result;}</script></body></html>