Chapter 16: Inside the Power Core Chamber
The cold walls of the nuclear power chamber echoed with the sounds of pages flipping and metal clinks as Sid, Shiva, and Akash split the work to decode the nuclear power station's operations.
Sid sat cross-legged with the catalog in hand, eyes scanning every diagram like a field general planning a rescue. Shiva examined the control interface, his fingers tracing burnt-out circuits. Akash fumbled through disconnected panels, coughing through dust and cobwebs.
> "This is no school lab experiment…" Sid murmured.
They were exhausted — hungry, bruised, running on little sleep — but they didn't stop. The power station was the only key to activating the island's defense grid.
An hour passed.
Then Shiva pointed at something in the catalog, his eyes wide.
> "Sid… look at this. The power levels are flatlined. The reactor didn't fail… it ran out of fuel."
Sid's jaw clenched. Nuclear fuel was not something they could just find lying around. That was a death sentence.
Akash slumped against the wall.
> "Awesome. So all we need is some nuclear fuel. Should be right next to the canned beans."
They all went silent for a moment.
Then Sid's eyes sharpened — as if a piece of a forgotten memory had suddenly clicked.
> "Wait… my father once told me… the Black Site isn't just a monitoring post. It's a last-resort defense point."
> "He said… if the enemy ever reaches the mainland, this island has the firepower to stop them — including tactical nuclear weapons stored in deep bunkers."
Shiva's eyes lit up.
> "If we can find those weapons… extract a small quantity of nuclear fuel…"
Akash blinked.
> "Are we seriously talking about opening a nuclear warhead like it's a tin of sardines?"
Sid nodded, determined.
> "We're not disarming them. We're powering the defense grid with the fuel. If we don't, that destroyer will reach the coast in hours."
Akash groaned.
> "Why is it always us? Teachers, for god's sake. Physics, social science, and chemistry! What's next, baking a bomb with baking soda?"
Despite the fear, all three chuckled.
But the task was real.
> Find the weapons bunker.
Extract the fuel safely.
Power up the defense system.
Time was running out — and the war clock was ticking.
As they prepared to leave the power chamber, Akash glanced at the others, rubbing his stomach.
> "Before we go hunting for nukes… can we maybe hunt for food? All our snacks are almost gone."
He said it with a grin, but the hunger on his face was no joke.
The others exchanged a look — a mix of amusement and sympathy — then nodded.
Sid let out a dry chuckle, shouldering his pack.
> "Even the national hero's still human," he said with a smile.
And with that, the three walked off — in the search of fuel… and food.