Work Text:
Download wakes up to a cold metal floor against his face and pinching around his wrists. He opens his eyes and stands up to see where he is. He’s in a dark room with dozens of tiny lights blinking on one side on a wide series of control panels. The walls are littered with control boxes, hazard symbols, instructions printed on laminated sheets, and other industrial signage. Dim neon lights line the ceiling, bathing the room with weak light. On the wall with the control panels lay a massive window overlooking a pool of water. The pool is lit up with industrial lighting and massive metal rods are held suspended over the pool. Download looks at his wrists, bound with metal bracelets that connect to insulated wiring which leads into a box. The wire is quite long, giving him enough slack to walk around the room. He walks over to the box and tries to force it open to no avail. He tugs at the wires, hoping to rip them off but that also fails. Suddenly, a loud blaring fills the control room and red sirens light up on the walls. That’s when it hits Download, he’s in a nuclear reactor, and the reactor is beginning its startup sequence. He darts over to the control panel to read it in panic. Dozens of lights and switches lay on the panels with a screen in the middle specifically displaying daunting text.
0/500MW
Download immediately knows what this means due to his knowledge of electrical engineering, the reactor will soon start generating electricity, up to 500 megawatts. One question makes itself prominent in Download’s mind.
“What happens when it hits 500?”
Suddenly, it all connects. The metal wristbands, the insulated wires, and the electricity goal. He immediately enters a panicked frenzy, trying his best to mess with the control panel in order to slow and possibly stop the power from being generated and subsequently discharging into him. All of the labels on the switches and buttons have been removed, scratched out on the metal paneling. A loud mechanical shifting fills the complex as some of the mechanically suspended rods lower themselves into the pool. Download fiddles with buttons and switches all over the control panel, desperate to trigger a failsafe which would shut down the power generation. Metal drawers sit underneath the panels, some of which are unlocked. Download yanks them open, searching through them for anything of use. An instruction manual? A safety guide? A tool to break into the box or sever the wires? Nothing, only useless papers, pens, and other stationery.
The rods touch water and the mechanical shifting ceases. A short while afterwards, the water begins to boil and turn to steam. He returns to the control panel, rapidly pressing every button and flicking every switch, even though most of them are seized up and locked in place. He looks back at the central display after some button-mashing.
54/500MW
10 percent of the way to his death.
This drives him to go faster, messily pressing and flicking every switch he can in order to do something, anything. He presses a certain button which causes a nearby knob to unlock, its protective plastic casing springing free to allow for adjustment. He grabs a hold of the knob and slowly turns it clockwise to a certain tick line. Once the knob turns enough, it seizes up and more mechanical shifting happens over the boiling pool. More rods lower into the water, unknown whether control to slow the power generation, or fuel to accelerate the countdown to Download’s demise.
He watches the screen with fleeting hope, looking for an increase or decrease of the rate at which power is being generated via the steam turbines.
380/500MW
The generation rate spikes, generating even faster. Download’s eyes widen in terrified shock and his heart rate rises further than it already was in his state of panic. He turns to the panel, trying more and more to cease the power generation just before he dies. He hits a button which unlocks a large switch that he yanks on. After pulling the switch, a loud ding blasts from speakers above the panel and bright green text appears on the screen.
CONTROL RODS READY
He looks back to the knob he turned on, testing to see if it is no longer seized. As soon as he feels the freedom, he violently twists it in the opposite direction, as far counter-clockwise as the knob can go. The knob ceases movement once hitting its limit and more mechanical movement is audible from the pool. The fuel rods are extracted from the pool of water and in their place, control rods enter the water. These rods quickly halt the generation of power, removing any nuclear influence on the water. The steam quickly fades and the pool of irradiated water returns to a gently rippling basin.
“YES!” Download yells, pushing his fists into the air out of celebration for saving his life from an electrical death. The wires on his wrists shoot upwards and drape over him.
He looks to the control panel screen, observing the power reading.
472/500MW
A close call. Suddenly, new text appears on the screen.
POWER GENERATION STOPPED
Download breathes a sigh of relief at this news, which is immediately quelled a few seconds later.
INITIATING EXCESS POWER FLUSH
“Excess power flush? What does-”
BZZZZT
thump