post_apocalypse_story/05 Eventful Evening (secret organization pt1).md

If you’re just here to read, scroll down past the outline.

Outline:

• Annie rides the metro to the station
• A shady figure in a black hoodie is there
  • Approaches Annie before she can even get off the train
  • tells her to stay on
  • Turns out it’s Lucas
• Lucas speaks to her quietly, asking if she’s interested in leaving the city while being mysterious about it
• They get off a couple stations later and go to a bar
  • Lucas gets some alcoholic drink
  • Annie, being kinda tired, gets a coffee or energy drink
• They go to a back room where ppl are waiting for them around a table
  • Amongst them is Karl
• secret organization discusses secret organization things
• Annie gets the keys to the library
  • Lucas can’t go himself because he needs to attend some important event
    • he gives her a description of where to find the relevant computer
    • he gives her some login credentials to use
  • other ppl have excuses
  • Karl would join but he’s unable to run in case they get caught
    • he gives Annie a list of useful computer commands and instructions on how to boot up the computer

Annie looks through the window in the door as the train enters the station. The platform is empty except for a shady figure in a hoodie leaning against the wall, observing the train from under his hood. She looks at the clock on the station: 10:34 PM - a bit late. As soon as he notices her, he steps away from the wall and walks up to the train. Is there a more elegant way to say that he stops leaning on the wall? The pressurized air for the doors hisses in the lines. Annie presses the button; the door opens.

"Hey, wait..."
The guy had made his way to the door and looks directly at her. It’s him from behind the library counter.
"We’re gonna take this one for a couple stations."
Annie steps aside and he gets on the train as well.
"My name is Lucas, nice to meet you."
He extends his hand as the doors close.
"Annie." He probably knew that already, right? "Sorry for being late."
The hum of the motors sets in and the train begins to move.
"Perfect timing, I’d say." He makes a short pause before continuing quietly:
"So about that interaction we had earlier today - I assume you want to leave the dome?"
"Not directly..."
"Okay then disregard my question and we have never met."
"Wait. You say there is a way out of the dome?"
"Well, there might be. Some friends of mine say there is."
Annie thinks about it for a moment. Before yesterday, she wasn’t even aware that there was a world outside the dome - and now she might find out about a way to go there?
"Tell me more." she replies.

They get off at a station near the city center - a place that is never asleep. In contrast to the empty stations everywhere else, the stations here are busy with people seeking entertainment, clubs, or the many bars. Lucas hurries down the stairs; Annie follows him.

The streets are alive with people, seeminly few of them purposefully moving in a specific direction; most of them are just meandering from bar to bar. The street they are walking down is illuminated by strings of lights hanging from the buildings and between street lights. The muffled bass of techno coming from one of the buildings is in the air. She enjoys the atmosphere, she hadn’t been here in a little while.

Lucas turns left and enters one of the bars, Annie still following him. They make their way through the crowded bar towards the counter. The air feels dense and depleted, and carries the smell of alcohol. Live musicians are playing Idk? Music genre? Need ideas on a small stage area in the corner.
"Hey Kate, I’ll take a some very alcoholic drink? "Braincell Rattler"? Idk and my uhh... friend here looks like she needs a coffee."
"Okay. Going to the back room?"
"Yeah."
Coffee sounds good... The back room? Annie raises an eyebrow. He opens a door next to the counter and gestures her to follow.

Lucas takes off his hoodie and hangs it on a hook on the wall. Annie does the same with her jacket. She looks into the room: A bunch of people sitting around a large, round table - to her surprise including her grandpa.
"Grandpa Karl?" Language intuition question: Is this how one would realistically refer to their grandpa?
"Hi Annie!" TODO: Fix this
Before she has time to voice her confusion, they get interrupted:
"Here you go, your drinks. Enjoy!"
Lucas walks up to the window that connects to behind the counter.
"Thank you!"
Annie takes a second to regain her composure. I don’t think this is a great way to say that, Idk.
"Thanks."

They sit down at the table. Karl starts introducing people and some introduce themselves. Then, he continues talking about the group’s mission:
"We are working on getting the city officials to change their stance on some things. When the city was built, it was seen as sort of a plan B for humanity in case things would get worse. It wasn’t built as a place where we could go and hide forever in isolation. Over time, knowledge of the outside world stopped being an imagination of a possible bright future, and instead it became something to be worried about. ‘What do you mean, you want to go there? Do you really want to go where the air you breathe is literal poison and die?’

My dad used to always say - and maybe this was naive hope on his part - that it would get better one day and that we could open up the airlocks and leave. That was many, many years ago. It’s been over a century now since the city was sealed - even if it was naive hope on his part, we should at least take a look outside and see for ourselves what it’s like."
Voices of agreement all around the table.

missing: more dialog to tie this together
Important information: The door Jack wants to open is of the same type as the doors used for the airlocks.
The whole Jack topic needs to be brought up in general. They could talk about how having someone outside might be useful.

"I mean we have that manual at the library." says Lucas.
"It’s just classified because they really don’t want anyone to open or use the air locks."
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key chain.
"If you want, you can try getting it - I can’t because I disappeared from a birthday party with an excuse and they are probably waiting for me to be back."
He places the keys in the center of the table.
Karl says "I would love to, but I’m afraid I can’t run if things go south."
A bunch of other excuses from other people. Finally, Annie takes the initiative:
"I could go. Anyone want to help me with this?"