106 lines
5.8 KiB
HTML
106 lines
5.8 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> First Steps Outside </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body>
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<h1> First Steps Outside</h1>
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<p>
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The station is is much larger than any of the metro stations inside the
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dome. It has many platforms. Portions of the tall roof that is supported
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by long pillars have caved in and what's still standing has holes.
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Rays of light poke through holes in the walls and the roof. All of that
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is visually stunning but what really catches Annie's eyes are the
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plants everywhere. Parts of the platforms are densely covered in the
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thin, green blades of some plant giving them a fuzzy look. Vines cling to
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the walls and pillars, crawl along gaps and edges, and hang from rusty
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beams and the fringes of the caved in roof sections. Moss grows on the
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rusted benches and trash cans.
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</p>
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<p>
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After running over a bunch of bushes and tall flowers that have taken
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root on the tracks, Jack brings the train to a stop next to a staircase
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in the center of the platform.<br />
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<span class="speech">Exit to the right</span>, he says in unison with the
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automated voice before turning the switch for the doors and gesturing
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towards the passenger area.<br /> <span class="comment">br here?</span>
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<span class="speech">After you.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie walks over to the closest door and pushes the button. Pressurized
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air hisses and the left half opens with a squeeking noise. They step out
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onto the platform. Annie breathes the warm air. It smells of the run-over
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plants. Insects are buzzing about, and the wind rustles through the
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leaves. She crouches down and touches the carpet of green fuzziness.<br />
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<span class="speech">Grass. It grows pretty much everywhere, usually much
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taller than this though.</span><br />
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She looks up at him.<br />
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<span class="speech">I knew there would be more plants out here... I
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didn't expect that many of them.</span><br />
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<span class="speech">Welcome to the outside world. Wanna take a quick
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look around?</span><br />
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She gets up.<br />
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<span class="speech">Sure.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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They walk down a flight of stairs taking them to a tunnel under the
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platforms. The floor is covered in water so they follow a ledge on the
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side. Jack leads Annie up the stairs to the last platform. From there,
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they step outside through a side entrance.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie is hit by the light and warmth of the setting sun. She closes her
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eyes and faces it for a moment.<br />
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<span class="speech">This is nice.</span> Then, she turns to Jack.
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<span class="speech">And this light is just always up there?</span><br />
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<span class="comment">Jack chuckles</span>
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<span class="speech">Well... No. Only during the day.</span><br />
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She looks around. They are standing on a balcony-like platform overlooking
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a city in a valley. She walks over to the rusted railing and goes to lean
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against it.<br />
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<span class="speech">Don't lean on that.</span><br />
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<span class="speech">Why not?</span> She steps back.<br />
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<span class="speech">Watch.</span><br />
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He kicks it. Loud cracking follows, and the ringing of metal. A roughly
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two meter wide section of the railing breaks loose and falls. Annie takes
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a bigger step back. The railing crashes into the ground below with a loud
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ringing bang.<br />
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<span class="speech">How did you know?</span><br />
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<span class="speech">Be careful around old buildings. I made the same
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mistake over there.</span><br />
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He points to another missing section in the railing.
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</p>
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<p>
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Cautiously stepping back to the edge, Annie looks down. Bushes cover the
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hillside below the tall embankment wall that holds the station,
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overgrowing everything. The walls of small ruins and half fallen-in
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fences stick out here and there, and the bushes are interrupted by what
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remains of roads and staircases. Small rivers cut through the landscape.
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Annie looks up. The ruins further down the valley are larger the closer
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they are to the center of the urban area below.<br />
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<span class="speech">Wooow</span>, she utters in astonishment.<br />
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<span class="speech">Ivydale - or at least what remains of it.</span>
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<br />
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<span class="speech">It's much bigger than <dome city>.</span>
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<br />
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<span class="speech">Many things are bigger than <dome city>.
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It's <span class="comment">This is</span> the smaller of two sister
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cities.</span> He points towards another urban center in the distance.
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<span class="speech">That over there is Sentinel Shores, the place I
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used to call home.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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After showing her some notable landmarks, Jack leads Annie to the end of
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the station that they entered it from. The balcony-like walkway turns
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into a wide staircase where the mountain extends over the tunnels and the
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back wall of the station. It leads down to a collapsed bridge next to a
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large waterfall. Annie marvels at the sheer amount of water flowing by,
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something that she's never seen before.
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</p>
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<p>
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Jack goes ahead, climbing down the wall where the bridge used to begin
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by grabbing onto the edges of the large sandstone blocks. Annie struggles
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to follow. After what feels like an eternity, she manages to get half-way
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down the wall.<br />
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<span class="speech">You can jump from there.</span><br />
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They make their way across the fast-flowing river by stepping on large
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stones in the water, and continue through the bushes towards Outpost 53.
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</p>
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