111 lines
6.2 KiB
HTML
111 lines
6.2 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> Overdue Maintenence </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><a href="index.html"><button class="back"><</button></a>
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<h1> Overdue Maintenance </h1>
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<p>
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Jack parks the truck just before the exit of a tunnel and they get out.
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Roaring water echoes from somewhere deep below. Annie grabs her bag and
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goes ahead. The tunnel wall to the right features doors, large gates,
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and windows that allow a peek into abandoned offices, storage spaces, and
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control rooms. The end of the tunnel connects to a balcony with rusted
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metal walkways going to either side, extending into a narrow ravine.
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She steps onto it, making sure to keep her distance to the rusty railing,
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and looks around. The walkway to the right connects to the top of a dam
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blocking the ravine. A couple bushes, flowers, and a small tree grow
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there, partially concealing the rusty <span class="comment">armatures?
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</span> and the wall is green from moss and small ferns. Water flows
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over the spillway, falling into the depths below where it joins a
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torrent of water rushing out of two big pipes at the bottom of the
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ravine. The other walkway leads to a freestanding staircase going all
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the way down.
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</p>
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<p>
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Jack walks up next to her, grabbing hold of the railing, trying to
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shake it but it doesn't budge.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Looks like it's gonna hold.</span><br />
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He turns to the right and steps onto the walkway before having an idea.
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He turns to Annie and Michelle:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Ladies first.</span><br />
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While Annie is still thinking about a response, Michelle's response
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is immediate:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Thanks but you can go ahead.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">You two are lighter though.</span>
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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They walk to the dam, look into the windows
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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Some events have changed, this needs to be tied together again.
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</p>
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<p>
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<span class="quote speech">Annie?</span> Michelle calls
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<span class="comment">?</span> her. They are standing by one of the doors
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in the tunnel wall. Jack pulls a wire through the latch and opens it.
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Inside is the main control room. The wall to the right is lined with
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metal cabinets that have levers, buttons, switches, and large gauges on
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them. The wall to the left features a front of windows, allowing a view
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of the spillway and the top of the dam. Some of the windows have cracks
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but somehow none are broken. In front of the windows is a collection of
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random furniture, mostly desks and chairs. The center of the room is
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taken up by a large console with more buttons, switches, and gauges that
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is facing the windows and an opening in the floor covered by a thick
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glass pane. They roam around the room for a moment. Annie looks outside,
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admiring the flowering lilypads floating in the water that is held back
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by the dam.
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</p>
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<p>
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Michelle asks: <span class="quote speech">Jack, what's the status
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on that dome city you're building? You guys only have two years to
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finish that project.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Oh no, I guess we're gonna have to slack
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less while waiting for bureaucracy to take its course.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Look, the power lines are gonna get hooked up
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to the battery bank in a couple days. Aren't you excited for
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that?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Not my department but I sure hope we're
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no longer gonna need these portable batteries down there. Having a working
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power grid is gonna be so nice.</span><br />
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They are looking at a calendar on the wall and laughing. It shows October
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1991 with a few entries and crossed-off days.
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</p>
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<p>
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Jack looks at a clipboard that was placed on the control panel on the
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center console.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">The next maintenence expedition is scheduled
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for 2011... I don't think anyone ever stepped foot in here after
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<dome city> was closed off.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">It wouldn't surprise me.</span> Annie
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turns around and leans against the center console.
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<span class="quote speech">Apart from a small group, the entire city is
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legitimately scared of the outside world.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">I mean they're probably right, the
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outside world is dangerous. Look down, by the way.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Whoa!</span><br />
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She stumbles backwards. Without noticing it, she had walked onto the
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glass pane. It allows a view down into a hall filled with machinery.
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</p>
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<p>
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They gather around it and look down. The floor is flooded by water
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rushing out of a burst pipe and spraying out from the flanges of many
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other pipe sections.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">It's a miracle this place is still
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running.</span>
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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missing section
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</p>
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<p>
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Jack turns the key and the gate starts to move up, scrathcing and
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squeeking as it does, revealing a bunch of crates. About half-way
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up, it gets stuck, making a buzzing noise. Jack lets go of the key, it
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stops. They duck under the gate and look around. They find themselves in
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a warehouse much larger than the gate and windows facing the tunnel would
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lead to assume.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call
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an adequate stockpile of spare parts.</span><br />
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Jack walks up to a huge crate and wipes the dust off the label:
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<span class="quote non-speech">Turbine C, replacement 2</span>.
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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exploring the warehouse, they find a forklift and a railroad in the back
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</p>
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<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>
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