This is actually the second-to-last chapter for this story. I did always plan it to be short, however...

I hope you guys will enjoy this new chapter.


Chapter Four

Exploring the darkened corridors of the nuclear power plant, Lisa still couldn't believe how on earth she had managed to get into the facility so easily – until she remembered the other times herself and her family had managed to break in undetected. Security issues had obviously not improved since she'd gone into isolation. All Lisa had to do was sneak under the barrier to the car park, out of view of a security guard in the entrance booth (who was most likely sleeping on the job, considering how she wasn't immediately caught.)

Even though the Simpson wanted to finally relax and explore the plant after a very hectic journey, she couldn't – the likely threat of on-duty night-workers put her on the edge. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if they spotted her; or worse, if they somehow recognised her as the adult daughter of Homer Simpson. Feeling like some sort of covert spy, Lisa crept through the power plant slowly, taking in the poorly-maintained sights while being ever alert for the footsteps of a night-worker.

"Poorly-maintained", however, was probably an understatement regarding the condition of the plant. Even after all this time, Mr. Burns had still clearly not brought the facility up to standard – and from what Lisa saw, it seemed to have gotten worse. Radioactive waste was still leaking from drums and pipes, the walls looked even more dilapidated, and at one point, Lisa saw a luminous rat scurrying in front of her, diving into the darkness. The environmentalist was too horrified by the state of the plant to even begin to wonder what had happened here; but it didn't take her long to figure out why. Mr. Burns' miserliness and her father's incompetence were the obvious forces that had drove the plant down further.

Speaking of her father... Where was his workstation? Lisa deduced that he must still be working at the control room in Sector 7-G, because from what she had gathered from family discussions, even after all these years Homer still happened to be a Safety Inspector designated at that sector, with no promotions whatsoever. At that moment, Lisa had an urge to visit Sector 7-G, but she didn't know where she was currently in the plant. Asking for directions was not an option. As a consequence, she decided to forget about it for the time being.

Going deeper into the facility, Lisa was surprised that she hadn't run into any night-workers yet. Come to think of it, she hadn't really seen any other human beings (aside from the security guard) since her journey began. Or any other form of life, for that matter.

Expect for her – maybe...

Lisa shivered. She had not encountered the doppelgänger since the previous chase in the snow. In many ways, that was a good thing, but she was still petrified of meeting her again. Still taking caution, Lisa continued further into the plant, the corridors becoming much more darker.

Suddenly, she stopped walking. Under the blackness, a paranoid expression overtook her face.

She was watching her from behind.

Without even thinking to look back to confirm her fears, Lisa started to run again. She was now at grave risk of being caught by the night-workers, but she didn't care. In her state of mind, the doppelgänger had miraculously managed to track the Simpson down to a dark part of the nuclear power plant, and was still following her intently. Questions were rushing through Lisa's mind. Why is she stalking me?! she screamed mentally. Why me in particular? Why does it seem like I'm the only person left in this world? Am I really losing it... No! I saw her clearly multiple times before! Nothing makes sense anymore...

Tears began to fall from Lisa's eyes. What should have been a nighttime walk had turned into a journey coupled with a battle against insanity. At this point, Lisa was hoping that everything that had happened so far was just a part of a really long nightmare. In desperation, she tried to will herself awake, hoping to find herself in her bedroom again. But it didn't work. She was still running away from someone who most likely didn't exist, yet she could see as clear as the day. Lisa was now praying that she would crash into a night-worker - sure, she would be in huge trouble with the power plant staff and her parents (especially her father), but it would put an end to the madness a lot sooner.

After what seemed to be a long time of running, Lisa came across a passageway with a faint, blue light streaming from it. Stopping immediately and wiping her tears away, she became mesmerized by the light. Looking down the passage, she saw an even brighter blue light far away. Almost forgetting that a doppelgänger was stalking her, Lisa went down the passageway, curious as to what the blue light was.

When the Simpson reached the end of the passage, she quickly realized where the blue light was coming from – the nuclear reactor. Somehow, against all the odds, Lisa had managed to find her way to the heart of the power plant.

Still entranced by the light of the reactor, Lisa continued to stare. She knew she should definitely not be where she was now, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Besides, the night-workers she had feared since she'd arrived seemed to have disappeared, like almost everyone else in Springfield. Watching the reactor glow in earnest, the Simpson wanted to stand there forever; but that peace was interrupted when she spotted a hint of red in the corner of her eye.

She turned to her left. Oh God, no.

It was the doppelgänger.

And she was coming towards Lisa.


I'm pretty sure I took some artistic liberties regarding real life power plants in this chapter... XD

Like I said before, the next chapter will be the last one for this story – and it will reveal why the doppelgänger was following Lisa throughout. So stayed tuned, readers! ;D

As usual, read and review.