The soft hum of nuclear turbines reverberated through the cavernous chamber, a sound that Kael Atrius had come to associate with life and death. He stood on the catwalk suspended above the reactor pool, its radiant blue glow casting long, ghostly shadows on the walls. Kael was a tall man with an angular jaw, his wavy black hair streaked with premature grey—a testament to too many years spent chasing ghosts of accidents past. He wore a fitted navy jumpsuit, accented with silver insignia of his station as Chief Investigator of the Eastern Federation Nuclear Core Commission. The suit was clean, precise, much like Kael himself, though its wear at the seams suggested a man who spent more time in the field than behind a desk.
To his left on the catwalk stood Kera Valen, the Federation physicist assigned to assist with the investigation. She was smaller in stature but carried herself with a sharpness that rivaled Kael’s own. Her deep brown skin glowed faintly in the blue light, and her amber eyes flickered with an intensity Kael found both intriguing and unsettling. She wore a jumpsuit similar to his, but hers carried no marks of wear, her rank indicated only by a modest pin on her collar. A scholar, not a soldier.
“Reactor One’s core functions seem normal,” Kera said, her voice clipped, professional. She tapped at a sleek tablet in her hands, its holographic display casting a green hue in contrast to the reactor’s eerie blue. “But this glow... it’s brighter than standard Cherenkov radiation. Almost… alive.”
Kael frowned, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as he leaned forward on the rail. He could feel the heat from the reactor rising in faint waves, despite the buffer of supercooled water. “Brighter is one thing,” he murmured, his voice low, “but alive? Let’s stick to science, Doctor Valen.”
“Science doesn’t preclude observation,” she retorted sharply, not looking up from her tablet. “This intensity isn’t just a physical anomaly. It feels like—I don’t know—like it’s aware of us watching.”
Kael stiffened. Superstition wasn’t something he had patience for, but he had to admit, the glow seemed to hum at the edges of his vision as if tugging at thoughts he couldn’t put into words.
The Incident
Three weeks earlier, Eastern Federation nuclear regulators had flagged the site for irregular energy fluctuations. Workers had reported hallucinations when near the reactor pool—shadows in their periphery, whispers that dissolved into static. On the fifth day, a radiation technician named Oris had disappeared, his dosimeter left on the catwalk, its readings burned out of range. These events, paired with the heightened glow, had prompted an immediate shutdown and Kael’s arrival. Dealing with human error and irrational fears was his territory; explaining the inexplicable was not.
“We’ve checked for energy leaks, yes?” Kael asked, his voice cutting through the oppressive quiet of the room.
Kera nodded. “I’ve scanned for neutrino leakage, isotopic decay irregularities, and even exotic particles. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Kael rubbed his jaw, his glove squeaking faintly against the stubble. The glow rippled suddenly, almost imperceptibly, but they both saw it. A shudder passed through Kera, though she quickly masked it. “You saw that?” he asked grimly.
“Saw it,” she confirmed, swallowing hard. “The light... it moved.”
“No, it flickered,” Kael corrected, though he felt far from certain. “Could be a thermal pocket causing refraction. Adjust the coolant levels and keep monitoring.”
Kera hesitated. “Don’t you think we should evacuate? The glow—there’s something wrong.”
“We follow protocol.” His voice was firm, but the words felt hollow as they left his lips. Below them, the light glowed brighter, its azure tendrils licking the edges of shadow like grasping hands.
The Revelation
The following night, Kael found himself next to the reactor again, this time alone. Sleep had eluded him, and when rest wouldn’t come, work was his only refuge. The glow enveloped the chamber entirely now, casting everything into an otherworldly surrealism. It was then that he heard it—a soft melody, something between static and a lullaby, emanating from the pool.
Kael’s pulse quickened as he leaned forward, his face reflected in the glassy surface of the water. He noticed his reflection ripple. Then it smiled at him. Kael recoiled, eyes wide, stepping back, but the pull of the glow was magnetic. As he tried to comprehend what was happening, he felt the air shift behind him.
“You shouldn’t be here alone.” Kera’s voice broke the spell, and when Kael blinked, the reflections—his smile—were gone. She stood at the threshold of the catwalk, arms crossed, her expression tight and wary. “What did you see?”
Kael hesitated, unwilling to acknowledge the impossible. “Nothing. Just the light playing tricks.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do,” she said, stepping closer. “This reactor… it doesn’t just generate power. It’s drawing us in, feeding on our attention, our presence.”
“That sounds insane,” Kael snapped, though even as he said it, the words felt false.
Kera stepped to the edge of the catwalk, staring into the reactor as if daring it to respond. “Insanity might be the only rational explanation here.”
The Escape
By the time the alarms sounded, Kael and Kera were already sprinting down the hallways of the facility. The glow had breached the reactor pool—a spherical mass of light now hovering above the water, pulsing with unnatural energy. "If this thing expands, it could cause a chain reaction!” Kera shouted, her voice barely audible over the klaxons. “It’s not just radiation—it’s something else entirely!”
“We need to shut it down!” Kael growled, gripping the emergency release lever for the containment rods. “Get to the evacuation pods, now!”
“I’m not leaving you!” she shot back, grabbing his arm. “You’ll die if you stay behind!”
Kael turned to her, his sharp features softened by a rare glimmer of vulnerability. The glow was reaching toward them now, like arms stretching through the thick air. “If this thing gets out of the facility, it won’t matter if I live. Go, Kera!”
She hesitated for only a moment before nodding, her amber eyes locking with his in silent understanding. “Don’t get yourself killed,” she whispered, before running down the corridor.
Kael turned back to the lever, gripping it so tightly his gloves creaked. With one final glance at the ominous, living light, he pulled.
The Source...check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: When Matter Exceeds Light Speed… THIS Happens
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