post_apocalypse_story/qc-ther_floor_is_water.html

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<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> The Floor Is Water </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><div class="back"><a href="index.html">&lt;</a></div>
<h1>The Floor Is Water</h1>
<p>
Jack goes ahead, walking across to the staircase tower. He reaches the
first platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Clear.</span><br />
Michelle follows him as he starts walking downstairs. She reaches the
platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Clear.</span>
<br />
James follows them and also says <span class="quote speech">clear</span>
as he reaches the platform. Annie hesitates.<br />
Jack looks up to her from the next platform down and says:
<span class="quote speech">Come on Annie, you got this, it&apos;s gonna
hold.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">I&apos;m scared.</span><br />
James turns around and stomps on the walkway. It makes a dull ringing
sound and rust and debris rain down into the depths.<br />
He says: <span class="quote speech">Nah this thing&apos;s fiiiine.
You can come over.</span><br />
He goes back to the top of the tower and Annie cautiously walks
across.<br />
Jack continues downwards and the others follow, making sure to never
be on the same staircase with each other and passing warnings back:<br />
<span class="quote speech">Careful, missing steps here.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">James, missing steps.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Annie, missing steps.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
The staircase tower stands on top of a large, slightly elevated concrete
platform roughly taking up a third of the ravine's width. One side is
connected to the rock face, the other side ends in a vertical edge that
goes down to where the outflow of the power plant flows past. A very
rusty railing <span class="comment">begrenzt</span> that side, though
it looks like it might fall apart if you look at it wrong.
The entire platform is flooded by water rushing out of a broken door in
the rock face. It spreads out over the platform, and flows off the edge.
<br />
Michelle says to Jack: <span class="quote speech">I don&apos;t think
we&apos;ll get in this way.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Got another idea?</span><br />
They walk down the last staircase and onto the platform.<br />
<span class="quote speech">No, but you&apos;re gonna get swept
away.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">We just need to get past the door, the water
inside will be moving a lot slower.</span><br />
Michelle and Annie decide to stay back, Jack and James approach the door
from the side. The two pick up a large rock and throw it right in
front of the door. It starts rolling immediately and, within seconds,
tumbles off the edge.<br />
Jack calls out to the girls:
<span class="quote speech">You were right.</span><br />
</p>
<p class="comment">this is in the middle of the chapter after they went
downstairs and tried to explore the turbine hall, back up in the tunnel
</p>
<p>
Jack turns the key and the gate starts to move up, scrathcing and
squeeking as it does, revealing a bunch of crates. About half-way
up, it gets stuck, making a buzzing noise. He lets go of the key and
the buzzing stops. They duck under the gate and find themselves in
a warehouse much larger than the gate and windows in the tunnel
would lead to assume.<br />
Jack says: <span class="quote speech">Now that, ladies and gentlemen,
is what I call an adequate stockpile of spare parts.</span><br />
He walks up to a huge crate and wipes the dust off the label:
<span class="quote non-speech">Turbine C, replacement 2</span>.
</p>
<p class="comment">
exploring the warehouse, they find a forklift and a railroad in the back
</p>
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