416 lines
14 KiB
HTML
416 lines
14 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> Unlikely Encounter </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> Unlikely Encounter </h1>
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<p class="light">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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What was that? Annie turns around.
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</p>
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<p class="light">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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That came from the hallway. She steps outside her office to see where
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this noise is coming from. Everyone else had already gone home and she
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was about to leave as well so this is weird.
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</p>
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<p class="light">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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Following the sound, she walks down the hallway. She stops to listen.
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</p>
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<p class="strong">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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Behind that door to the left... Opening it reveals the staircase down
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to the basement.
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</p>
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<p class="strong">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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The sound is clearer, it comes from down there. Annie walks down the
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stairs and turns on the lights. She rarely goes to the basement, usually
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just to add to the piles of archived paperwork on the rows of shelves,
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but she had no idea there was anything other than the archive down here.
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</p>
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<p class="strong">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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The room is dimly lit by a few light fixtures on the walls. Looking
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through between the rows of binders, boxes, and loose stacks of paper,
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she notices a small dark area in the back of the room. She starts
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walking towards it.
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</p>
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<p class="heavy">
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beep beep
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</p>
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<p>
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The noise is now very close. Behind the last shelf, sectioned off from
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the rest of the room, she finds a corner that looks like a small office.
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There is a large desk with a comfortable-looking though well-worn leather
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chair in front of it. Next to the chair is a floor lamp that was
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apparently placed there in the absence of a desk lamp. The desk itself is
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a mess (apart from a neatly organized row of books at the back of the
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desk). Front and center is a terminal...
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</p>
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<p class="heavy">
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BEEP BEEP
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</p>
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<p>
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... and apparently it is the source of the beep sound. The terminal is
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a device that looks like kind of a weird TV. It has a screen to display
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text, a couple adjustment knobs, and a flat section with rows of buttons
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with letters and symbols on them. The reception desk has one of these
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things; they always use it to order new office supplies and for other
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important-sounding work...
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li class="comment">
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might want an image of a dumb terminal somewhere
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</li>
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<li class="comment">
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might need to drive the point home even harder that the flat part of
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the terminal is a keyboard - Annie may or may not know this
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p class="heavy">
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BEEP BEEP
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</p>
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<p>
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The text on the terminal blinks. She had never used one before but
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taking a quick look can't hurt...
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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Hello, anyone there?
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This is Jack from Cryo Facility 53. I got woken up from cryogenic sleep
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and am stuck down here. Please respond or send help.
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Type reply: █
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</pre>
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<p class="heavy">
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BEEP BEEP
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</p>
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<p>
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She sits down on the chair in front of it and switches the lamp on.
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Her eyes fall on the rows of buttons with letters - should be easy
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enough. Annie starts looking for the right letters...
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</p>
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<p class="heavy">
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BEEP BEEP
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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hello
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</pre>
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<p>
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Click,   
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click,    
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click,
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click,   
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click.
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The buttons click with a very satisfying feeling and sound. Unlike the
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beeping noise which is ... now gone. It was kinda loud and getting
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annoying.
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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i am going to get help
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Thank you. Appreciate it.
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</pre>
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<p>
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That took a while to... type?... Is that the word? The rows of buttons
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are arranged in a strange order... Annie looks around. A pile of papers,
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an empty cup, some pens and pencils, a screwdriver and other tools, a
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rubber duck - what an odd place to find a rubber duck... A phone! She
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picks it up - no signal. <span class="comment">Signal might be the wrong
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word in an age where everyone has a radio transceiver in their pocket
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</span> Weird. Maybe it's disconnected. She looks on the floor and,
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sure enough, there is the plug - not for much longer as she finds a
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phone socket and plugs it in. Strange electrical noises. She tries to
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dial a number but nothing happens. A couple random characters appear on
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the terminal. She drops the receiver back on the cradle and types into
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the terminal again:
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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i cant call anyone the phone is only making weird noises
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This modem is probably on the same line, I'll disconnect. I will dial
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in again in a bit. Talk to you then.
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LINE DISCONNECTED -
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Tue, 2106-06-01, 19:16
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AgriWorks Login: █
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</pre>
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<ul>
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<li class="comment">
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This would be a good place for Annie to ask about what a modem is.
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Could help to fix the terminal dialog.
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</li>
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<li class="comment">
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Also an opportunity for Karl to get very interested in Jack's
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situation.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Annie picks up the phone again - but who to call? Her coworkers would
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probably make fun of her or be annoyed. Also, this place,
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"Cryo Facility 53", she had never heard of it.
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The only one who might know more about that place is her grandpa, as he
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had thoroughly studied the plans of the city in his spare time back in
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the day. So she dials his number...
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</p>
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<p>
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She is greeted by the friendly voice of an old man. <br />
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<span class="quote speech">What's on your mind that you call
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now?</span>
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<span class="comment"> Note to self: Improve this, it doesn't sound
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right to me </span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Uhhh...</span><br />
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She makes a short pause. <br />
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<span class="quote speech">This might be a little bit weird but someone
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contacted me from a location called
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"Cryo Facility 53". I wondered if you happen to know
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where that is. <span class="comment">or anything about it</span></span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Cryo Facility? Haven't heard anyone
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talk about these in a while... Are you sure?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Yes, it says here: Cryo Facility 53.</span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">What does he want?</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie relays what Jack had told her about his situation and asks who
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would be the right person to help him.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">That's a bit of a tricky question...
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These cryogenics facilities are outside the dome.</span>
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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Missing dialog here:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li class="comment">
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needs to explain to the reader that the city is inside a large concrete
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dome under a mountain
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</li>
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<li class="comment">
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his dad had mentioned it in passing when talking about the old world
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and attempts to overcome the impending doom of humanity
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</li>
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<li class="comment">
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explanation of what "cryogenic sleep" is
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</li>
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<li class="comment">
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his dad had thought that it was a ridiculous idea that could never work
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Slowly, she sets the receiver back on the cradle. What would she tell
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Jack? What could she do for him? And the outside world was real? A whole
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world, much bigger than the city, that she had never heard anything but
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rumors about? She looks at the terminal but nothing had changed.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie ponders over what she had just learned for a moment, then she gets
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up to grab some snacks. A cup of juice and a cookie later, she returns,
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holding two additional cookies. She leans against the wall while nibbling
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at one of them. The second cookie is almost gone when she hears it again:
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</p>
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<p class="heavy">
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BEEP BEEP
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie looks up and walks over to the terminal.
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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Hello again.
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</pre>
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<p>
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Again, she sits down in the chair.
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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hello i am really sorry but we cannot help you we cant get to
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outpost 53 its outside
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Hm. Okay...
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</pre>
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<p>
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Annie doesn't know what to say. She feels bad for Jack, but there
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really is nothing she could do about it.
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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is there anything else i could do for you
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Let me think for a moment.
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......
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..............
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...
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......
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</pre>
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<p>
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More dots followed. A lot more. Then this:
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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................................
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Sorry for taking up your time.
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I think I might be able to improvise some tools down here. If I had a
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repair manual for the door, I think, I could get out. Do you think you can
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get your hands on one?
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i dont know where would i find it
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</pre>
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<p class="comment"> service manual </p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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You are in the city under the mountain, right? The dome city?
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</pre>
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<p class="comment">reword this</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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yes <name of city>
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If memory serves right, there is a library in the city center. They should
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have it. I need the repair manual for a Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker
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Door.
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yes but how would i get a book to you
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They should have a digital version of it... You are not very familiar with
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computers, are you?
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no
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Are there any computer people you could ask to send me one?
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not sure they would do that my grandpa might but he doesnt work here
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Any computer hooked up to a modem and a phone line should do. If he knows
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his way around computers - and has access to one - he will be able to do
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this.
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whats a modem
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A modem is typically a small device that allows a computer to connect to
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the telephone network so that two computers that are far away from each
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other can be connected - like the computers we are using right now.
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i think he has one
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</pre>
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<p class="comment">
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Note to self: This makes little sense given her unfamiliarity with
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computers. She knows that her grandpa is reasonably familiar with
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computers and that he has one, but that's about it.
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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Great! Could you please ask him if he can establish a connection to
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<phone number> at 300 baud?
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i think he would love to do that its his sort of thing but it will take a
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few days
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Thank you - I never asked your name...
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annie
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Thank you, Annie!
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I can hold out down here for quite a while, don't worry about a couple
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days. I'll check back on Friday evening if I don't hear from you
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or your grandpa before then. Is that okay?
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are you safe down there
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Yes, the bunker seems to be holding up well and I have plenty of food for
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now. I just wish I could get out of that damned door and see the light of
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day.
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ok thats good
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</pre>
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<p>
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<span class="quote thought">The light of day</span>, Annie thinks to
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herself, <span class="quote thought">what does it look like?</span>
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<span class="comment"> reword this </span>
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</p>
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<pre class="terminal">
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I have to go now, the bunker's daily phone usage quota is running out.
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Thank you again and looking forward to talk to you and your grandpa.
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The manual I need is for the Neotek Dynamics B33FY-AF Bunker Door, this
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modem can be reached under <phone number> at 300 baud.
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I will connect back to this terminal on Friday if we haven't
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established contact before then, okay?
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can we talk tomorrow i have questions
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We can tal
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LINE DISCONNECTED -
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Tue, 2106-06-01, 20:12
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AgriWorks Login:
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</pre>
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<p>
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<span class="quote thought">Is that a yes or a no?</span>, Annie wonders,
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still slightly puzzled by the whole situation. She starts reading all
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that's still on the screen.
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<span class="quote speech">The light of day</span>, she quietly says to
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herself.
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</p>
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<p>
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As she reads the section with the bunker door and the phone number, she
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reaches for a pen and some paper and writes them down - whoever works
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here hopefully won't mind. As Annie continues reading, she hears a
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quiet clicking noise and the terminal turns off. The screen flashes and
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quickly turns to black. A tiny red light on the side comes on to
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illuminate the letters "RDY".
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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This still needs a satisfying conclusion of how she gets up, grabs her
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stuff, and leaves.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie closes the door behind herself and locks it. As she takes a breath
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of the slightly humid air, she takes a step back onto the sidewalk to
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look at the clock above the entrance... 8:35 PM - the realization of how
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much time had passed hits: Normally she'd be home by now. She starts
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walking towards the metro station at the corner. The buildings here are
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similar to the ones in other parts of the city - three to four story
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houses painted in different colors - but they are lacking balconies and,
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instead of being homes, they mostly house offices. On the other side of
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the street is an embankment that holds the rails for the metro and beyond
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that is the outer wall of the dome. The street lights illuminating the
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area had already switched to their low-brightness mode for the night.
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She had only seen it like this a couple of times, it made the area look
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eerie.
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</p>
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<p>
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Annie reaches the corner. She looks left and right before crossing the
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street but not a single car is in sight. As she enters the station and
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walks up the stairs, she glances at the display - 21 minutes until the
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next train arrives, that's a long wait... The station is completely
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devoid of life, nobody else is out here this late. Annie walks up to the
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vending machine at the upper end of the staircase -
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"OUT OF ORDER"... Hrm. Mildly frustrated, she sits
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down on one of the benches and and starts rummaging in her bag. She finds
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her headphones and puts them on. At the end of the cable is her walkman.
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She presses play and starts listening.
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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 paper_sections = document.getElementsByClassName("paper");for (let i = 0; i < paper_sections.length; i++) {let lines = paper_sections[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";}paper_sections[i].innerHTML = result;}</script></body></html>
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