171 lines
9.7 KiB
HTML
171 lines
9.7 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> Library At Night </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><div class="back"><a href="index.html"><</a></div>
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<h1> Library At Night</h1>
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<p>
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11:30 PM – Isabelle and Annie find themselves at the side entrance
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to the library. They try a couple keys before finding the right one and
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the door swings open with a quiet squeaking noise. The air inside is warm
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and dry. They close the door behind themselves and turn on their
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flashlights.
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</p>
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<p>
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Following the description Lucas had given, the two find their way down to
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the basement and into a small room. They close the door behind themselves
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and look around. To the left is a desk holding a terminal and a bunch of
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small devices. Across from the door is a row of five racks almost as tall
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as the room itself, filled with computer equipment. A thick trunk of
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cables comes out of a hole in the ceiling and leads to the center rack
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where it splits up and the cables connect to a few panels in the top.
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To the right is a shelf holding various boxes, stacks of flat, round
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cases, and other random things.
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</p>
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<p>
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<span class="quote speech">I guess this is it. Let's take a look at
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Karl's notes</span>, Isabelle says in a hushed voice.<br />
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Annie pulls it out of her bag.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">It says to find a terminal connected to the
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computer first. I guess this one will do... By the way, Lucas said
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something about taking a new <span class="quote non-speech"><i>floppy
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disk</i></span> from the shelf, he described it as an eight inch square
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thing. Can you search for that?</span><br />
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Annie goes over to the terminal; Isabelle turns to the boxes. Annie puts
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the keys on the desk and inspects the terminal for cables.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">There's a box with cookies back
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here.</span><br />
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She pulls it out from behind the terminal. <br />
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Isabelle says: <span class="quote speech">I want one.</span><br />
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They giggle. Both end up taking a cookie before stashing the box behind
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the terminal again.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie reaches around the side and flips the power switch. The terminal
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makes a <span class="quote non-speech">bonk</span> sound and a crackling
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noise. She feels the hairs on her arm stand up as she inadvertently
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moves it in front of the screen.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Whoa!</span><br />
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The screen begins to light up.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">... I guess this is supposed to happen.</span>
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<br />
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Annie looks back at the notes.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Computer main power switch to RST...</span>,
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she mumbles to herself.<br />
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She looks at the racks. They are mostly filled with what looks like
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large drawers with buttons on them. The one in the center is different.
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It has a bunch of panels with all sorts of cables plugged into them, most
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of which are part of the trunk from the ceiling. Below that are a couple
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panels with buttons and lights, and a few other devices.
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</p>
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<p>
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<span class="quote speech">I found you a floppy disk.</span> Isabelle
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interrupts her.<br />
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She pulls a large, square, floppy thing, half-wrapped in a paper sleeve,
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out of one of the boxes. She removes the sleeve. Turns out, it's
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another sleeve made of thin plastic with openings that were previously
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covered by the paper. The openings reveal something black and shiny.
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<br />
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Annie notices: <span class="quote speech">Someone has written om the
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sleeve, I guess this one has been used.</span><br />
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Isabelle puts it back and grabs an identical box that's still
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shrink-wrapped. She opens it and takes a disk out.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">There we go.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Lucas said to put it in the computer and push
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a lever down.</span><br />
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They look back and forth between the floppy disk and the computer until
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Isabelle points to a device in the center rack with a large, flat slot.
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Could fit in there.</span><br />
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She walks up to it and pushes the disk into it. It fits perfectly. Then,
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she pushes on the mechanism in the center of the slot. It latches in
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place.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">What's next?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">The notes say to flip the
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<span class="quote non-speech">main power switch</span> to
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<span class="quote non-speech">RST</span></span> –
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Annie repeats while inspecting one of the panels with buttons –
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<span class="quote speech">Maybe this one?</span>
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She points at a key switch with multiple positions.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Only one way to find out.</span><br />
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Isabelle grabs the keys and hands them to her. One of them fits and
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turns.
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</p>
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<p>
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Fans come on; they hear the loud noise of air rushing through the
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computer. Some of the lights and buttons light up. Annie looks at the
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notes again: <br />
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<span class="quote speech"><span class="quote non-speech">Spin up boot
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drive</span>... Lucas has also written here:
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<span class="quote non-speech">HDD number two</span></span><br />
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The two look back at the racks.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">These drawer thingies here have numbers on
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them, maybe that's what they mean?</span><br />
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Isabelle presses the power button on number two. It lights up, some more
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fans come on, and the button next to it starts blinking. She presses it.
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The device makes a loud <span class="quote non-speech">clonk</span>
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noise followed by a motor accelerating inside. Clicking and more
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mechanical noises. The button stops blinking and stays lit up.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">The last step in the notes says
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<span class="quote non-speech">hold LOAD, main power switch to RUN</span>
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and to enter something into the terminal. And then there's a list
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of hints and commands that might help us, and
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<span class="quote non-speech">Good luck!</span>...</span><br />
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Isabelle pushes the buttons and they walk over to the terminal.
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</p>
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<p>
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After a lot of typing into the terminal and figuring things out the hard
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way – and maybe a couple more cookies disappearing – they
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manage to find the manual on one of the hard drives and somehow get it
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onto the floppy disk. They follow the instructions to turn the computer
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off and Annie takes the disk out of the computer.
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</p>
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<p>
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<span class="quote speech">Shhh.</span><br />
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Isabelle gestures for Annie to be quiet. She whispers:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Do you hear that?</span><br />
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Footsteps. Annie nods. Someone is in the building – and probably
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heard them. Quickly, she puts the disk into her bag.
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</p>
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<p>
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Opening and closing the door as quietly as possible, they sneak out of
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the room and back towards the stairs. The footsteps are coming closer.
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Shit</span>, Isabelle whispers.<br />
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They turn around and sneak to the other end of the hallway. It opens up
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into a room filled with crates that has a small window near the ceiling.
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The footsteps are making their way down the stairs. Annie reaches for
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the window and opens it as quietly as possible while Isabelle
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pushes one of the crates under it - not quite as quietly. The person on
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the stairs starts running. Isabelle jumps onto the crate and quickly
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climbs through the window. Annie, trying to follow her example,
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struggles for a moment to get onto the crate. After she finally manages
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to get up, Isabelle pulls her through the window - not a moment too soon.
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">You, stop!</span>, <span class="comment">
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rephrase!!</span> a man yells at them from inside,
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<span class="quote speech">Stay where you are!</span><br />
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They start running. <br />
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<span class="quote speech">I'm gonna catch you.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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Isabelle runs ahead, leading Annie into a dark alley. She climbs onto a
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ledge on the side of a building, helping Annie up after herself. They
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continue running on the ledge until reaching a wall at the end of the
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alley. Isabelle jumps, grabs hold of the railing at the top, pulls
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herself up, and climbs over it. <br />
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<span class="quote speech">Wait here.</span> She disappears. <br />
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Annie looks around nervously. What if she was caught now? <br />
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A moment later, Isabelle returns with a ladder. Annie climbs up and
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pulls it up after herself. Isabelle takes it and stashes it on the other
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side of the embankment. They find themselves on the metro tracks.
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Annie looks around nervously.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">We need to get off of here.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">It's fine, we'll hear any approaching
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train long before we see it.</span> Isabelle points towards a close by
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station and says <span class="quote speech">Central Square</span>.<br />
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They run towards it along the tracks. Just as they make their way onto
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the platform, the rails start ringing.<br />
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Isabelle says with a smirk on her face:
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<span class="quote speech">I don't think he expects us to have a
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getaway vehicle...</span>
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</p>
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<p class="copyright">Copyright © 2023-2025 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++) {if (lines[j].length >= 80) result = result + spans[j%2] + lines[j] + "</span>\n"; else 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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