107 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
107 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> Nova Metropolis </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><div class="back"><a href="index.html"><</a></div>
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<h1>Nova Metropolis</h1>
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<p>
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Michelle continues driving the bus for a couple hours without further
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incidents. They pass a bunch of smaller towns, some reduced to
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basically piles of wood and rubble while others have buildings still
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standing. James had gone to sleep and Annie is enjoying the view,
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making occasional conversation with Michelle about landmarks or anything
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remarkable.
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</p>
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<p>
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Michelle gets her attention: <span class="quote speech">Look, almost
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there!</span><br />
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She getures to the left. Annie leans out of her seat and back to see what
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Michelle is pointing to. An undefined shape is visible in the far
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distance. Michelle takes an exit onto another highway in that direction.
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After not too long, the undefined shape turns into the unmistakable
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skyline of a large city.
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</p>
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<p>
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They pass a huge sign with completely washed-out colors that still
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faintly reads <span class="quote non-speech">Welcome to
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Nova Metropolis</span>. Quickly, they find themselves the city
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outskirts. Many of the single family homes in the area are still
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standing, some of them even in remarkably good condition. The city
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center ahead of them is made up of skyscrapers that mostly look like
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the day they were abandoned.
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</p>
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<p>
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The highway ends and transitions into a large road. Michelle decelerates
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the bus.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Why are you going so slow?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Im going exactly speed limit - 50 km/h.</span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">50? That's faster than the speed limit in
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Sunside Cove yet this feels so slow...</span><br />
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Michelle chuckles.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">This is what it feels like coming off the
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highway. Jack was right about the wind. Under normal circumstances,
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a bus like this one would struggle to reach 100, we were doing 120.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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The buildings around them get taller and taller. The mix of smaller and
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medium-sized houses turns into blocks of five-story buildings which in
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turn turn into blocks of even taller buildings until the sides are lined
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with sky scrapers with facades of glass, concrete, and steel towering
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over over the road. Annie points them out:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Looks like this was all abandoned just
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recently. Not even a smashed window.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Over there.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Okay, one smashed window.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">I mean you're right. Barely any
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damage – and surprisingly little sand, I thought we'd
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find a bunch of half-buried ruins.</span><br />
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Michelle pulls up at a bus stop and parks the bus.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Time to wake up the guys.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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Over a small meal, they decide to explore the time capsule that
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is Nova Metropolis. Well, all of them but Jack.<br />
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Michelle says: <span class="quote speech">I thought sleep was for
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the weak?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">I'm just gonna own that one today.</span><br />
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He throws himself onto his bed, not even making an effort to lay down in
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a comfortable position. His words are muffled through the mattres:
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<span class="quote speech">Good night.</span>
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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missing section (and maybe a missing chapter of Jack getting the radio)
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</p>
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<p>
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<span class="quote speech">Jack is gone</span>, Annie notices while
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entering the bus. She looks around.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">There's a note on the table: "Will
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be back at 6:30"</span><br />
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Michelle looks at her watch. <span class="quote speech">It <i>is</i>
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6:30.</span><br />
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James chimes in: <span class="quote speech">I guess there's nothing
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to do but wait. He'll show up soon enough.</span><br />
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Michelle says: <span class="quote speech">I sure hope so.</span><br />
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They place their bags full of found goodies on the floor and sit down
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around the table.
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</p>
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<p>
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After a while, they hear a fast car approaching. Looking outside, they
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see an oldtimer <span class="comment">zoom</span> by. Michelle says:
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<span class="quote speech">That's him.</span> A moment later, the
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car returns, braking so hard it leaves tire marks on the road. Jack gets
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out and waves at them. He turns off the engine and walks to the front of
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the bus. Annie opens the door.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Where have you been?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">I went on my own little adventure and may or
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may not have procured some radio equipment.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Didn't you want to sleep?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Well yeah... And then I had a dream that
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inspired me to go looking for stuff.</span> He points to the car he
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arrived in. <span class="quote speech">It's in the trunk.</span><br />
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<span class="comment">said dream is him running a radio station and Emily
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calling in as a guest</span><br />
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Michelle facepalms. Annie and James look at both of them in confusion.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Is it one of these radios?</span> Michelle
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makes a gesture showing a big box.<br />
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<span class="comment">Yes, it is. Make this clear when Jack picks it
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up.</span>
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</p>
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<p class="copyright">Copyright © 2023-2025 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++) {if (lines[j].length >= 80) result = result + spans[j%2] + lines[j] + "</span>\n"; else 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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