Prologue (4)

Author's note: The story begins in chapter 1. You can skip ahead if you want, but as an author I highly recommend you read the prologue chapters first as it introduces the MC and a small fraction of his background.

***

While I was trying to figure out Gareth and my fellow employees' whereabouts, the investigation team was inspecting the whole place. It took me a good ten minutes of thinking it through. After realizing where Gareth's whereabouts, I called the investigators to execute a plan I've made in my mind.

"Everyone, I will divide into two teams. Team A is Rick, Wedge, Ron, and Bock. You guys will guard here and contact the chief while I'm going into the depths of the reactor."

"Roger."

"Team B will be the rest. You guys, on me!"

"Roger wilco."

After that, I led team B into the staircase heading all the way to the core area, where the reactor core and the cooling systems were. We eventually reached a catwalk that led us right into a lift that would take us all the way down to the core chamber.

"Lift is inoperable"

So said the minicomputer in red light. Dammit. I knew it wouldn't work. There was no other choice. We took the emergency stairs that coils all the way down in squares. It was a long way down. Every step we made caused the staircase to rattle. It wasn't nice at all. It could fall anytime. We were bothered by it, but we just straight up ignored it.

After some time, we finally reached the bottom. The whole area was glimmering blue in hue from the active core underwater. Suddenly, I received a call through my handy talky.

"We are from the detoxification team, we are ready and awaiting instructions, over."

"Detox team?" I replied. Their presence could only mean one thing, "Was there a possible meltdown somewhere?"

"Affirmative. reactor B was discovered to be full of radiation from a meltdown. Some of our boys are doing their best to prevent the radiation from spreading into society. We recommend your team to exfil as soon as possible, over."

"Affirmative. Give us ten mikes. If we don't come back, you will enter and clean the area, over."

As I said those parting-like-words, my detective boys went frozen and so did the detox team. Soon, the latter responded, "…Copy. May God be with you. Over and out."

"Mr. Zal… I think we should retreat now."

"This is too dangerous."

"Y-Yeah…"

"I'd say we best get going and return to surface as soon as possible, sir."

I looked at them in the eyes, "We're just a step away from discovering what's going on here. Are you going to just let it all go?!"

One of them came to me. His face was wrinkling from anxiety, "It's not worth it, Mr. Zal! We have a family to feed. I'm not willing to die here, sir."

I understood their concern. Obviously, none of us wanted to die being exposed to radiation. I lived by myself and had nothing to lose. Meanwhile, my fellow detectives had families they cherished. Hearing their plea, I decided to allow them to go back, until I suddenly received a contact from my handy talky.

"Hello, hello?"

"Sir Zal! Thank God we're finally connected!"

That voice… it was from team A. "Sir Zal! We've found the employees, sir! They're locked inside a hidden room in the office. They were all in weak condition, but all of them are okay."

"Heck, I never know there would be hidden rooms in this building, sir."

That… was a relief to hear. I reflectively asked them, "Is there a guy named Gareth among them?"

A short silence happened. It appeared that they were looking for him first. Finally, they returned and told me, "Negative, sir. There's no one with the name Gareth, over."

"Tsk. Very well, then. Perform evacuation at once."

"Sir, it is high time we leave. We just received info from Chief that the mission is aborted. The whole area is clouded with radiation. You must go back, sir!"

I looked back to my restless team who were with me. I then said to team A, "Yeah. We will go back now. Make sure the doors are not locked so we can get through. Over and out."

*click*

My team turned bright with a big smile. They did not want to stay any longer in here. I understood their feelings. I gave them a faked smile and told them, "Evacuate now. I will remain here to continue the investigation."

One of them shouted at me, "Are you insane!? Come back with us!" to which I replied staring at them softly, "Heh, I wanted to go back, but there was something I must see first. Sorry, but you gotta go back without me. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"Sir, you heard the hazmat boys. It's too dangerous to stay here! Get your brain together and let's leave!"

These guys… They were unable to leave their fellow detective friend, moreover a senior one, on his own. I couldn't blame 'em. Despite me not from the force, they were loyal friends. But still…

"Don't worry about me. You guys have a family to protect, to feed, to make happy, right? Go on. I won't be mad if you boys leave me behind and—"

One of them grabbed me by the collar, "Sir, just get your f**king mind together and let's GO!"

"Go," I said softly. "Just go." 

At that time, my mind was a mess. My brain was trying to process everything that had stormed all at once and tried to puzzle things together to make the situation sounded logical. But there were too many absurd things happening. Overwhelmed, my brain succumbed to a terrible headache. And as a result, I was unable to think things straightly.

Poor guys my fellow coworkers were, for as a reply of their caring towards me, I shouted at them.

"GO! I SAID! GO! Don't make me repeat myself! JUST GO! I said I will return alive, right?"

After that inelegant shriek, they gave their prayers to me, too, just like the detox team.

"Tsk. Dammit, Mr. Zal… you'd better return alive."

"May God be with you, Sir Zal! We'll be waiting for you upstairs!"

And with that, the detectives and policemen left me on my own and headed upstairs again. I waited several minutes until I could not hear their footsteps anymore. Just like that, I was going to continue solo.

I pondered as I trudged through the passage. I could not go back with them boys, as I was the head scientist of this sector. This part of the research facility was my responsibility. Every single employee working here knew who I was. If there was any trouble, I would know instantly and worked together with them to solve the problem. This place was my second home, where daily tasks were like chores at home. 

I enjoyed here. I cherished it. I could hardly bear it if anyone would dare soil all I've hardly built.

As I proceeded further, it felt lonely down here. Dark chamber with only blue lights coming from below. The sounds of the cooling water basin beneath these metal platforms… I could smell the stench of running machines, pumping energy to the reactor. I imagined about the guys working during the night shift. It must've been rough. Even though I had worked here for over 15 years, hearing the active giant turbine sent shivers all over my bones.

I had to go to the core control panel. While walking in slowly, I shouted my friend's name repeatedly.

"Gareth! GARETH! Where are you, man? Come out! I know you're in there somewhere. GARETH!"

But alas, all my shouts amounted to nothing, for there was no response from him. Heck, I didn't even know whether he's still here or not. My mind was a mess. I could barely think reasonably.

I finally reached the control panel. All lights showed to be in green, just exactly as Mr. Gareth had said back in the phone. I inspected the metrics that was shown in the computer, only to find out that nothing was out of the ordinary. In fact, everything was just fine as it was. My fears waned immediately. The reactor was not in jeopardy.

My mind began to calm down and I could think normally again.

But knowing the situation in sector B, I planned to shut down the core and leave at once. I would return here to turn it on again once the outbreak was taken care of. Suddenly I realized…

The control sticks were immovable. They were stuck in place.

"What the f**k? What jammed them?"

I looked around the control panel to see if there was anything blocking the controls from moving. I used a flashlight from my phone, but it seemed that there was nothing hampering the controls at all. 

My mind began to haze again, "There's nothing blocking the controls… I-It just felt like I'm trying to move an implanted stick."

I glanced over the core structure, and suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a flashing light that looked like the ones I had seen two times.

"Grr… I had enough of this bullshit. Seriously, just what the hell is that?!" I asked myself as I ran to the core, trying to pursue the source of that flashing light.

There was a large hole for a deep-water basin to cooldown the core's heat. The tiny flashing light was gone. I couldn't fathom how crazy the situation was. I tried to think what kind of thing that would produce flashing lights and could move freely around the wide chamber. But it just felt illogical. 

No way. There's no way it could be possible.

Just when things got out of hand, I found him. My fellow scientist friend… Gareth Albrecht!

He was unconscious, lying on the cold steel floor. I tried waking him up, but he's completely knocked out. I reached my phone and my handy talky to try and contact my boys to get evac for Gareth. When the phone beeped, my eyes caught a glimpse of a flashing light. It was just like before!

I immediately gazed to the source of that flash.

"Errgh! Enough of this weird magical shit! Whatever you are, show yourself, dammit!"

My eyes could not believe what I saw. A ball of purple light… no, perhaps a glimmering spherical object was growing sizably. It had streaks of black-colored lightning. It made buzzing electricity noises. At that exact moment, I thought to myself.

"Hah-hah… Hahaha… This must be a dream… a really bad dream…"

My mind had given up trying to figure out what's going on.

I knew my life was in danger. I opted to run away from that strange orb of light before it swallowed us all. I suddenly got a power boost from panicking and grabbed my unconscious friend on my shoulders. I quickly ran away from those wild growing sparkles of unexplainable black thunder. 

Alas…

…I was too close to it.

That light suddenly burst off like a huge explosion just when I was about ten feet away. The pressure it released was extremely powerful it sent fragments of metals piercing into me and Gareth. I was flung away and nearly fell to the cooling system while Gareth… 

…I couldn't see him.

I was incapacitated, unable to move my arms and legs nor can I lift my body. My voice couldn't come out. I could only see as everything crumbled down before my eyes. Fire ensued from the explosion and quickly spread around. The temperature increased drastically; my skin wouldn't be able to withstand it should I not wear a long sleeve today. There were relentless quakes and shockwaves from more and more explosion.

Before long, my eyes had lost vision.

I surrendered myself to the darkness that welcomed me and my dying mind, body, and soul.