116 lines
6.3 KiB
HTML
116 lines
6.3 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> First Steps Outside </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> 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 large stone pillars and rusty steel beams have caved in and what's
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still standing has holes. Rays of light poke through holes in the walls
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and the roof. All of that is visually stunning but what really catches
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Annie's eyes are the plants everywhere. Parts of the platforms are
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densely covered in the thin, green blades of some plant giving them a
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fuzzy look. Vines cling to the walls and pillars, crawl along gaps and
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edges, and hang from the rusty beams and the fringes of the caved in roof
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sections. Moss grows on the rusted benches and trash cans.
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</p>
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<p>
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Jack turns off the generator and applies the brakes. Clanging from under
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the floor followed by the squeaking of the brakes. The train runs over a
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bunch of bushes and tall flowers that have taken root on the tracks
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before coming to a halt next to a staircase in the center of the
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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 while turning the switch for the doors and gesturing
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towards the passenger area.<br />
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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 right half opens very slowly. They step out onto the
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platform. Annie breathes the warm air. It smells of the run-over plants.
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Insects are buzzing about, and the wind rustles through the leaves. She
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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> 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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Jack chuckles. <span class="speech">Well... No. Only during the
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day.</span><br />
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Annie looks around. They are standing on a balcony-like platform
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overlooking a city in a valley. She walks over to the rusted railing and
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goes to lean 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 that Annie
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hadn't noticed before.
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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="comment">Would make sense for her to do that before the
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whole "don't lean on that" thing...</span><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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This is the smaller of two sister cities.</span><br />
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He points towards another urban center in the distance.<br />
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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 class="comment">
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At this point, the documents are still in the driver's cabin and the
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keys are still in the train. They need to come back for them before
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leaving for the bunker.
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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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