.......-~^ ^~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- -.........
........-~ ~-........
.......-~^ ^~-.......
......-~^% TRAIN DREAM %^~-......
.....-~^%@ ######....-~--..##################### @%^~-.....
....-~^%@§ ^^^ §@%^~-....
...-~^%@§# ~ #§@%^~-...
..-~^%@§## ~ ##§@%^~-..
.-~^%@§### ###§@%^~-.
..-~^%@§## (SITUATION) ##§@%^~-..
...-~^%@§# #§@%^~-...
....-~^%@§ YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A RIFT - A §@%^~-....
.....-~^%@ CLEARING, NARROW BUT IMMEASURABLY LONG. @%^~-.....
......-~^% TO YOUR SIDES ARE WALLS MADE OF TREES, %^~-......
.......-~^ THICK AND READY TO SWALLOW YOU. THE SUN ^~-.......
........-~ IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN, BUT NONTHELESS ~-........
.........- IT IS VERY BRIGHT - THE AIR FEELS LIGHT -.........
........-~ BLUE, ALMOST WHITE. ~-........
.......-~^ ^~-.......
......-~^% ALONG THE SPAN OF THE CLEARING LAY TWO %^~-......
.....-~^%@ PARALLEL SILVERY LINES, DARK HARD @%^~-.....
....-~^%@§ METAL. SOMEHOW YOU CAN SEE HOW HEAVY §@%^~-....
...-~^%@§# THEY ARE. #§@%^~-...
..-~^%@§## ##§@%^~-..
.-~^%@§### THEY EMIT A HIGH PITCHED WHINE... ###§@%^~-.
..-~^%@§## ##§@%^~-..
...-~^%@§# ~ #§@%^~-...
....-~^%@§ ..%.. §@%^~-....
.....-~^%@ ~ @%^~-.....
......-~^% %^~-......
.......-~^ (SITUATION) ^~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- YOURE AT THE TRAIN STATION, ON A -.........
........-~ CATWALK ABOVE THE RAILS. YOUR TRAIN IS ~-........
.......-~^ LATE, OR YOU ARE LATE TO THE TRAIN. ^~-.......
......-~^% IT'S A SUMMER AFTERNOON AND THE STATION %^~-......
.....-~^%@ IS BUSY, FULL OF RELAXED CONFIDENCE. @%^~-.....
....-~^%@§ §@%^~-....
...-~^%@§# YOU'RE IN HIGH SPIRITS, ALTHOUGH A BIT #§@%^~-...
..-~^%@§## STRESSED ABOUT THE TIME, WHILE MOVING ##§@%^~-..
.-~^%@§### UP THE STAIRS TO YOUR PLATFORM. THE ###§@%^~-.
..-~^%@§## STATION IS IN SEVERAL LEVELS, ALL ##§@%^~-..
...-~^%@§# PLACED WITHIN EACHOTHER BY SOME #§@%^~-...
....-~^%@§ INTELLIGENT DESIGNER, AND FULL OF §@%^~-....
.....-~^%@ STAIRS, ELEVATORS, SHORTCUTS, @%^~-.....
......-~^% BAZAARS... YOU SIGHT YOUR TRAIN THROUGH %^~-......
.......-~^ SOME GLASS WINDOWS. IT'S... NOT WHERE ^~-.......
........-~ IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE? ~-........
.........- -.........
........-~ ~ ~-........
.......-~^ --@-- ^~-.......
......-~^% ~ %^~-......
.....-~^%@ @%^~-.....
....-~^%@§ (SITUATION) §@%^~-....
...-~^%@§# #§@%^~-...
..-~^%@§## YOU'RE FINALLY ENTERING THE CITY. WHILE ##§@%^~-..
.-~^%@§### IT IS INDEED A VERY HIGH SPEED TRAIN ###§@%^~-.
..-~^%@§## YOU'RE TRAVELING IN, THE JOURNEY HAS ##§@%^~-..
...-~^%@§# BEEN LONG. BUT IT'S ABOUT TO END! #§@%^~-...
....-~^%@§ §@%^~-....
.....-~^%@ SOCIETY IS GROWING DENSER AROUND YOU, @%^~-.....
......-~^% THROUGH THE WINDOWS YOU SEE FIRST SMALL %^~-......
.......-~^ SHACKS, BUILT OF METAL AND STONE, THEN ^~-.......
........-~ PROPER HOUSES WITH MORTAR TO KEEP THEM ~-........
.........- TOGETHER... WHO IN TURN MAKE WAY FOR -.........
........-~ THE INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS, THE URBAN ~-........
.......-~^ MAZE, PROTECTIVE WALLS, JUNGLE ^~-.......
......-~^% NETWORK... %^~-......
.....-~^%@ @%^~-.....
....-~^%@§ THE TRACKS LEAVE THE GROUND, WHICH IS §@%^~-....
...-~^%@§# NEEDED FOR OTHER PURPOSES. YOU ARE #§@%^~-...
..-~^%@§## CARRIED GENTLY, CURVING UPWARDS UNTIL ##§@%^~-..
.-~^%@§### YOU'RE MOVING UPWARD ALONG THE WALL OF ###§@%^~-.
..-~^%@§## A BUILDING. IT'S MADE OF SLABBY STONE, ##§@%^~-..
...-~^%@§# WITH GREAT GLASSLESS WINDOW HOLES #§@%^~-...
....-~^%@§ LOOKING OUT THE WAY YOU CAME. IT IS §@%^~-....
.....-~^%@ PITCH BLACK INSIDE. @%^~-.....
......-~^% %^~-......
.......-~^ ^~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- -.........
........-~ ~-........