heard the pylons groan, grind themselves together. Abreon ever so gently swung the lift and it was enough. The steel struts twisted off from themselves at the base, the cab, the superstructure the boom and from the earth. The remaining segment of the pylon collapsed, causing the cab to lurch downward, Abreon perched headfirst dangling a hundred meters above the many Xelon Dru below. Most of them running as Abreon grabbed his harness, the cab impacting the edge of the rock terrace, splitting from the rest of the picker, crumbling rock everywhere, all of it racing down the wall of the strip mine, hitting the floor of the mine below, crushed and broken bodies everywhere, most dead some wounded. Abreon breathing the gel into his lungs, the fluid taking him, as he went unconscious, fading away as the pain twisted through them. He took another breath and then drifted away...
The advisory board was there before them. Abreon felt the sensation this had happened before only now he was not alone. He, Marcy, Drean and Pertho sat behind the first long table. Abreon and the other two prisoners were wearing new uniforms. Pertho was wearing the Xelon Dru’s customary gray uniform with his insignias that showed his rank upon his sleeves. The advisory board sat before them and consisted of three higher-ranking soldiers. One of the advisory board spoke, his badge had the name Honsesi, “Abreon, ID number 452-7873A of barrack 18C it has been proven that you have indeed acted with great courage while working for the Xelon Dru. It is for this bravery that you have been given a level W3 clearance, which will entitle you to work in the mining and ore processing facility.”
Abreon smiled, the pain of the fall wracking his joints and muscles. The rest of the advisory board nodding to him in approval, Abreon’s smile quickly vanishing, his hand under the table squeezing the thigh of Marcy. Honsesi continuing, “Marcy ID number 452- 7823C, of Barrack 13A, it has been proven that you have indeed acted in great courage while working for the Xelon Dru. Because of this you have been given a level W4 clearance, which will entitle you to work in the mining and ore processing facility.” Marcy looked at Abreon and then him at her. Marcy then looked at Drean, who was next. Again, Drean was promoted and given a higher clearance level. Finally, Honsesi addressed Pertho, “Pertho, Captain rank B2 you have shown extemporary courage and bravery for your act of reporting the cowardly undermining of that picker. Of course, it is regrettable that it was not reported in time, but for your aid, you shall be promoted to B1 Captain of hundreds.”
Outside the barracks, Abreon hugged Marcy, Marcy kissing him: “We have clearance now!”
Abreon smiled, “Yes, yes we do.”
Pertho as Abreon and Marcy began to walk together under the protection of Pertho’s rank, for men and women were not allowed to be seen together as prisoners: “Now, that I am a rank of B1, I can help YOU better. I will rise to the top and stop this machine before all society pays.”
Abreon holding Marcy’s hand, “Yes.”
Pertho to Abreon, in a dark comer of worker barracks D2, beside one of the beds. He looked around then removed a weapon from a small pack: “This is a new device.”
Abreon looking at it. It was a small white and plastic hand held pistol, with a flaring cone extending out from the muzzle: “So, it plasma?”
Pertho taking out its power cell from the pack, “It is plasma.” holding it; “It is a new type of plasma weapon, instead of a short powerful burst of plasma, it produces a field of plasma, an expanding mass of plasma, which is effective up to five to ten meters.”
Abreon surprised, “Only ten meters?”
“Well, in open combat situations it is ineffective, but in dose combat, it is highly effective, which is what you are likely to expect along the bulkheads of the facility.”
“What are its effects?”
Pertho: “A blast from the gun produces second to third degree bums, where the plasma comes in contact with flesh. It will not kill them, but disable them.” Pertho taking the power pack and sliding it into the butt of the weapon, “It’s not powerful, it will not give you many shots, but it will save your life and Its small enough to hide on yourself at the facility. It’s not metal so it will pass through scanners.”
Abreon understanding, “If it was more powerful it would have to contain metal and so I would not be able to take it with me anyway.”
“Exactly.”
The plan was then set.
Pertho was to disable the security fields, A2-A, RS-E, C4-D and C4-E and C4-EA, E8, and EC, ED and EF. This would allow easy clearance for Abreon. Drean would enter through security field A2-A, disabling main power conduit A3.478. Disabling the power conduit would shut power to all none essential services in area C. Security and emergency systems would not be effected. Security and emergency systems drew power directly from the two nuclear plants under the facility, more than two kilometers in length, and one in depth. Marcy would pose as Drean, as a maintenance staff. This would allow Drean to sever control lines from the nuclear command center to their primary systems.
Abreon strolled down the corridors of the coal ore processing and steel facility in sector C. He had only to wait, as unsuspecting men and women, all wearing different Jump suits for different meanings strolled by him. Abreon was wearing a blue jumpsuit, which indicated that he was a technician, a jumpsuit he was not assigned to wear. As Abreon walked about, toward his intended destination, he began to pass on his right steel grated platforms, which rose every few meters. They expanded above his head and angled their way higher up. He could hear his boots on the metal for he was upon one as it sloped up toward where he needed to execute his plan. Toward Abreon’s left were great cooling tanks that were needed to cool the nuclear reactors. Abreon waited for his signal.
Then the lights flickered and died, emergency lamps kicked on provided spotty illumination. Abreon held his breath and then exhaled deeply. He now had two minutes of time remaining to complete his task, as he hurried down the shadowy halls. Some men were rushing around and working to determine the problem at hand, others were looking about worried, some leaving the facility and below him, others yelling out the settings on their instrumentation.
One minute
No one knew that he would carry out the final act of this facility, a home to four thousand workers. As he rushed downward, the hall began to widen again, as he flanked the leftmost bulkhead, the crowds of workers dwindling in the dark.
Thirty seconds
Many meters down he neared, the water conduits cooling the nuclear containment units, those conduits dark red, ten of them, each one meter in diameter and rising from the bulkheads below.
Ten seconds
As Abreon watched a few employees beneath him on a lower platform, as he craned his neck upwards, the conduits, ascending high above him. He looked about stopping at the first conduit, a control box, jutting from the unit about a half-meter in width and a meter deep. A computer panel angling out from it and a display.
Zero seconds
Security was breached at the control boxes with the power out. He now had five minutes to key in the control codes, disable the coolant flow and exit the facility. Abreon keyed in the first series of codes shutting the current of coolant water from the conduit. He keyed a second series of codes. No one noticing his actions. Abreon keyed in the third series of codes and the fourth in the series. Employees began to look over to see what Abreon was doing. As he keyed in the fifth series of codes, workers pointed to him and yelled, then during the sixth in the series, they began to run over to him. Quickly Abreon put in the seventh and eight as he removed his pistol. He turned, removed the pistol from his jumpsuit and shot at them. The blast burned two employees as they fell back. Another worker charged at Abreon as he keyed in the ninth code, Abreon ducking as he threw a punch. Abreon shot him burning him severely. His coworker fell to his knees crying. Others seeing this became afraid and began to run. Finally, Abreon coded in the tenth in the series and he began to run, shooting a path through those employees remaining who stood in his way.
Four
Abreon yelled out to those stil
l in the facility, “Run, we’re all going to die!”
An employee hearing him, “He’s shut the coolant down, everyone run! Everyone run!”
Abreon running as well, some beginning to run, near, above and below him.
Another, “The cores will melt down! Run!”
Abreon shooting a worker, burning him bright red, as he kicked him and pushed him down, stepping over him, most screaming dropping equipment, work, fleeing, some because they did not want to die, some because they did not know the nature of Abreon’s weapon. Abreon burned another, “I have a weapon. Flee, save your life!”
Others now shooting laser rifles at him, one blast missing Abreon’s head as he burned his way up the steps to a second platform, another laser shot missing him again but burning a hole in the metalwork next to him.
Three
As he burned another worker, a second worker charged him with a laser rifle. Abreon fired, burning him as well. Abreon grabbed the laser rifle and shot around him, killing some, others running, others staying, as he ran climbing another set of steps. Abreon shot some with the laser, burning others with the pistol as he screamed, the laser blasts glancing everywhere. Abreon pushed one worker shooting him with a laser blast, running and yelling, as the barrage red laser was shot after him. Abreon