<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> <End> </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><a href="index.html"><button class="back"><</button></a>
<h1> <End></h1>
<p>
The group sits around the pot with leftovers on the gas stove, enjoying
the view of the skyline from above. They had decided to wait on top of
one of the tallest sky scrapers the city had to offer to increase their
odds of seeing where Emily would land. The intense light of the setting
sun paints Nova Metropolis in vibrant hues of yellow and orange and the
moon is already visible in the sky. They are engaged in a conversation
about the mind-boggling vastness of space and all it contains.
</p>
<p class="strong">
bebebebeep bebebebeep bebebebeep bebebebeep
</p>
<p>
The alarm on Jack's watch interrupts them. He presses one of the
buttons and says:<br />
<span class="quote speech">It's time. Emily will be entering the
atmosphere right about now.</span><br />
They get up. James pulls a pair of binoculars out of his bag. Jack does
the same. Annie looks at both of them - her face clearly showing her
disappointment.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Don't worry, I gotchu.</span> says Jack
as he pulls a second pair out of his bag before they start walking
towards the edge.
</p>
<p>
Michelle and James are already leaning against the railing and looking
towards the sky. Jack and Annie join them. Jack takes a compass out of
his pocket and briefly looks at it. Then, he points in a direction in the
sky and says:<br />
<span class="quote speech">The shuttle should appear somewhere around
there.</span><br />
James hands his binoculars to Michelle for a moment.<br />
<span class="quote speech">I see it! There!</span> she exclaims before
handing them back to him.<br />
It looks like a tiny, red glowing dot in the sky, slowly growing in size.
For a few minutes, nothing seems to happen. The dot gets bigger and
bigger, turning into a black triangle as the glow dims and finally
disappears. The shuttle sheds its heat shield as it slowly comes closer.
</p>
<p>
Around the 15 minute mark, Jack notices that it has moved almost above
them.<br />
<span class="quote speech">That's a bit too close for comfort –
and way too fast.</span> he says.<br />
Parts appear to be breaking off from it. They watch the last couple
minutes of the fall realizing that something has gone seriously wrong.
It plummets into the city, taking multiple buildings down with it.
The ground shakes slightly. Nobody says anything for a while as they
watch the buildings around the impact crumble and the remaining parts
rain out of the sky in a mix of awe and shock.
</p>
<p>
Michelle interrupts the silence: <span class="quote speech">Guys, over
there!</span> She points into the sky behind them.
<span class="quote speech">A parachute...</span><br />
<span class="comment">reaction needed – something along the lines
of "Sie hat mehr Glück als Verstand"</span><br />
They watch as it disappears between the buildings.
</p>
<p>
Annie walks over to Jack's bag and, on a hunch, unpacks the radio
he had insisted on bringing.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Maybe, she can hear us from here...</span>
<br />
She hooks up the battery, flips the power switch, and turns the frequency
dial until the needle is in the position that Jack had marked.<br />
<span class="comment">Note to self: The battery is a car battery. Make
that clear at some point before this chapter. Maybe include the part where
Jack insists on bringing it.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Emily, can you hear us? Are you okay?</span>
<span class="comment">Might benefit from proper radio protocol</span>
<br />
They hear a slightly distorted but clearly happy response through the
noise:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Yes... Yes. I'm alive... I made it.</span>
<br />
</p>
<p class="comment">
This is the very end of the story. I originally didn't plan for
anything to happen after this though I have managed to somehow already
write about an event after this in <a href="./%3F%3F.txt">??.txt</a>.
</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>