Chapter 15: End of Day 6 — The Power of Hope
Interior – Deep Bunker Corridor – Night
After the prank and laughter had lightened their spirits in the trap-filled corridor, the three teachers—Sid, Shiva, and Akash—continued their tense journey through the maze-like structure of the island's military bunker. Only one emergency torch flickered in the darkness, lighting the dust-ridden path and the steel walls around them.
Hours passed. Each hallway looked like the last. Each door was jammed or rusted shut. But at last, they reached a sealed room with a red indicator light — now dark. A rusty sign hung loosely over the steel door:
> "Main Power Core – Authorized Access Only"
Sid gave the others a look. With some effort, they forced the door open and stepped inside.
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Interior – Power Core Room – Night – End of Day 6
As they entered, their eyes widened.
The room was massive — metal floors, thick insulated walls, and at the center, a contained nuclear reactor unit. Dead monitors, dusty panels, warning signs in faded paint. Everything looked ancient but powerful.
Akash's jaw dropped. "Is… is that a generator?"
Shiva squinted. "No way… I've never seen anything like this."
Sid stared silently, his mind racing. Then softly, he muttered:
> "It's… a nuclear micro-reactor. Not a generator. This was powering the entire island."
Shiva and Akash turned to Sid in disbelief.
> "How do you know?" Akash asked.
Sid replied, "I studied reactor schematics in my physics post-grad. But this… this one is much more advanced."
They all stood there in silence.
They were teachers. Brilliant, determined, resourceful. But this wasn't a classroom, and this wasn't a school lab.
This was a classified nuclear facility designed by military scientists.
The weight of it hit them hard. All their efforts to reach the power system… only to discover something far beyond their skills.
For a moment, defeat filled the room.
> "We can't fix this," Shiva muttered.
> "No way," Akash said, sitting down with a heavy thud.
But then — fate turned its hand.
As Akash and Shiva began rummaging through old cupboards and rusted drawers, hoping for any manuals or tools, Sid noticed something odd.
A dusty sheet of thick paper sticking out from under a file rack.
He pulled it out. At first, it looked like trash — yellowed from time. But when he turned it over, his eyes lit up.
It was a printed schematic. A diagram he had seen before in his college days — but this one was detailed, labeled, and marked with military-grade notations.
Sid quickly knelt and began removing the protective paper beneath the files. What they had been using to line the bottom of file cupboards, like a throwaway mat, was in fact…
> The full original catalog and diagnostic manual for the power reactor.
Perfectly preserved.
His hands trembled as he opened it. Every page was there. Step-by-step layouts. Error codes. Troubleshooting flowcharts.
They had found the master key to understanding the reactor — by sheer accident.
Akash looked over Sid's shoulder. "Are you serious? Is that what I think it is?"
Sid nodded. "This… this is our only chance. If we follow this right — we might actually be able to fix it."
Shiva smiled faintly. "Guess the old habits of this nation still have a few miracles."
They looked at each other, the hopelessness now burning into determination.
The clock was ticking. Five days left.
They had a mission. They had the manual. And they had no other choice.
> The battle for the mainland would begin with a repaired reactor — and the three teachers refusing to give up.