94 lines
5.9 KiB
HTML
94 lines
5.9 KiB
HTML
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<h1> <End></h1>
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<!-- perspective: Jack -->
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<p>
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The group sits around the pot with leftovers on the gas stove, enjoying
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the view of the skyline from above. To increase their odds of seeing
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where Emily would land, they had decided to wait on top of one of the
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tallest sky scrapers the city had to offer. The intense light of the
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setting sun paints Nova Metropolis in vibrant hues of yellow and orange
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while the moon is already coming over the horizon. They are engaged in
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a conversation about the mind-boggling vastness of space and all it
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contains.
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</p>
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<p class="strong">
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bebebebeep bebebebeep bebebebeep
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</p>
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<p>
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The alarm on Jack's watch interrupts them. He presses one of the
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buttons and says:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">It's time. Emily will be entering the
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atmosphere right about now.</span><br />
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They get up. James pulls a pair of binoculars out of his bag. Jack does
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the same. Annie looks at both of them - her face clearly showing her
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disappointment.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Don't worry, I got ya.</span> says Jack
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as he pulls a second pair out of his bag and hands it to her with a grin.
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Oh, thank you!</span> She takes it and they
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start walking towards the edge.
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</p>
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<p>
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Michelle and James are already leaning against the railing and looking
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towards the sky. Annie and Jack join them. Jack takes a compass out of
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his pocket and briefly looks at it. Then, he points in a direction in the
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sky and says:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">The shuttle should appear somewhere around
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there.</span><br />
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James hands his binoculars to Michelle for a moment.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">I see it! There!</span> she exclaims before
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handing them back to him.<br />
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It looks like a tiny, red glowing dot in the sky, slowly growing in size.
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For a few minutes, not much seems to happen. The dot gets bigger and
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bigger, turning into a black triangle as the glow fades and finally
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disappears. The shuttle sheds its heat shield as it slowly comes closer.
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</p>
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<p>
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Around the 15 minute mark, Jack notices that it has moved almost above
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them.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">That's a bit too close for comfort
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– and way too fast.</span><br />
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Looking at Annie, who seems visibly scared, he adds:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">It's not gonna hit us, the odds of that
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are pretty slim, but something's not right.</span><br />
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As if on cue, the rear end of the shuttle breaks apart, turning into a
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cloud of fragments. The rest plummets into the city moments later, taking
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multiple buildings down with it. The ground shakes slightly. Nobody says
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anything for a while as they watch the buildings around the impact
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crumble and the remaining parts of the shuttle rain out of the sky in a
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mix of shock and awe.
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</p>
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<p>
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Michelle interrupts the silence: <span class="quote speech">Guys, over
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there!</span> She points into the sky behind them.
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<span class="quote speech">A parachute...</span><br />
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Jack says: <span class="quote speech">This girl has more luck than
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sense.</span><br />
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They watch as it disappears between the buildings.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie walks over to their bags and, on a hunch, unpacks the radio
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Jack had insisted on bringing.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Maybe, she can hear us from here...</span>
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<br />
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She hooks up the battery, flips the power switch, and nudges the frequency
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dial until the needle is in the position Jack had marked.<br />
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<span class="comment">Note to self: The battery is a car battery. Make
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that clear at some point before this chapter. Maybe include the part where
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Jack insists on bringing it.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Emily, can you hear us? Are you okay?</span>
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<br />
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They hear a slightly distorted but audibly relieved response through the
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noise:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Yes... Yes. I'm alive... I made it.</span>
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<br />
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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This is the very end of the story. I originally didn't plan for
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anything to happen after this though I have managed to somehow already
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write about an event after this in <a href="./%3F%3F.txt">??.txt</a>.
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</p>
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