"All right guys." Bruce smiled as all the scientists were seated in the control room. "We're ready to roll!"
Sterns rolled his eyes. "Yes. Let's run the test." he commented then glanced over his shoulder at the corner where one sergeant Emil Blonsky was standing straight the hands behind his back and looking at them all with a cold gaze.
"Just ignore him." Bruce encouraged. "He wont bother us if we don't bother him."
"Clearly." Sterns commented, even had to admit that Sergeant Bronsky was very good at playing a statue.
"Sergeant if you want a cup of coffee or something. We would be happy to oblige." Bruce then offered.
Only to get a glare from Blonsky. "No thank you. I am working." was his short cold reply.
Topolov smirked amused. "He would fit right in, in mother Russia."
Sterns rolled his eyes. "Starting count down." he started to flip switches. "Ten minutes till burst release, gamma reactor is starting to warm up."
Bruce nodded his eyes on the screens. "Steady rising, building up." he said.
"183 degrees Fahrenheit." Tolokov said. "185… 188. Ease up, ziz must not warm to quick."
Bruce flipped some switches. "Radiation level, normal." he said.
"202 degrees." Tolokov mumbled.
"Make ready the shudders." Sterns said. "Four minutes."
Bruce felt the sweat on his brow.
They had to reach 951 degrees Fahrenheit without speeding it up. It was all going fine, the minutes vanished.
"871." Tolokov said. "880."
Bruce bit his lip. It was going perfectly.
"940!" Tolokov gasped.
"951." Sterns finished. "Let go and release!"
And at ones all were in position, a burst. And all their measure meters beeped and measured, keeping the numbers safe.
The energy released, the heat, everything.
Bruce beamed. "We did it!" he grinned turning to the others then he halted.
Tolokov was looking at the control panel and his eyes were wide.
"Yuri?" Bruce asked.
Tolokov swallowed. "970 degrees fahrenheit." he said.
And Bruce shot up. "WHAT?!"
"1003 Fahrenheit." Tolokov looked up. "It's still heating up! It's not cooling down!"
"That's impossible!" Sterns shouted. "Just shut it off."
"It's not responding!" Another scientist called from the other panel.
"1021." Tolokov exclaimed.
"Not possible, this was safe! Flawless!" Sterns shouted.
Bruce how-ever was at the other panel. "Oh no, if this overheats much more it'll explode!" he shouted then ran for the microphone. "Red alert! RED ALERT!" he shouted. "Everyone head to led secured safe rooms immediately!" he shouted as he hit the big red button making sirens blast through the halls. Then he stood up. "Keep trying to cool it!" he shouted. "Open the water facets!"
"NO!" Sterns stood up. "You'll destroy the reactor!"
"If this continues it'll explode!" Bruce reminded him in a shout.
"But that's impossible! My calculations were right!" Sterns shouted. "This is my reactor and my project! Haven't you already stolen enough?"
Wide-eyed Bruce looked at Sterns. Then he hissed. "This is not the time Samuel!" he stated. "Sit your ass down and try to figure out how to cool the core! CLOSE THE SHUDDERS!" he shouted and slowly the led shudders started to lower.
As Bruce looked at the security footage seeing all the people running for the nearest safe bunker like instructed, that was… All but one.
In one lonely hallway, what looked like a teen. At most he was just twenty, was dancing around while using a mop to clean the floors. Bruce gaped then grabbed the microphone. "HEY!" he shouted. "Hey kid! This isn't safe! You need to get to safety!"
It didn't help though and Tolokov looked over Bruce's shoulder.
"Those are noise cancelling headphones." Tolokov gasped. "He's probably hearing loud music with those, he can't hear you."
"SHIT!" Bruce shouted as he ran for the door.
"BRUCE!" Tolokov shouted.
"I'll get the kid, just try to cool the reactor!" Bruce shouted as he dug under the closing shudder and ran out, just as the shudder hit the floor and closed tight closing all of the scientist inside behind led to protecting them and Bruce was outside.
"Oh no." Tolokov gasped and then he returned to the panels while swearing in Russian.
Bruce was running at full speed, the sirens blaring all around him in high screeching noises, down the hallways and through the rooms until finally he ran into the teenager, dancing around among all the sirens.
"KID!" Bruce shouted as he grabbed the kid who wide-eyed turned around screaming in shock. "Kid!" Bruce shook him. "We need to get out of here!"
Finally the kid managed to remove his noise cancelling head phones only for his eyes to widen. "What… What is that sound?" he exclaimed.
"The reactor is about to explode! We must get to the safe rooms. COME ON!" Bruce grabbed the kids hand and pulled him with him to the nearest entrance.
How-ever as Bruce came to the entrance, it was shut tight by the emergency procedures. Bruce gasped. "Oh no!"
"Bruce!" Tolokovs voice was heard over the intercom. "It's still heating. All the doors has been locked. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do! It's going to explode!"
Bruce gasped.
The kid stood behind Bruce his eyes wide. "Explode?" he asked. "Are we…. Going to die?"
Bruce turned to the kid who looked wide-eyed at him and swallowed then he grabbed his hand again and pulled him in another direction.
"Sir!" The kid shouted. "Where are we going."
"Led… Led is the only thing that can protect someone against the gamma blast." Bruce said as he pulled the kid into his office which had all the roses at the wall. But that was not important. At the other wall was a big safe which Bruce opened and immediately pulled out all the items inside, throw them away. Beakers, wallet, the watch he had inheriated from his father. All landed on the floor to make room and he grabbed the kid and just shovelled him into the safe which had just enough room for one.
Wide-eyed the kid looked out. "Sir…" he gasped.
Bruce swallowed. "Do not leave that Safe until someone came to get you. Okay?" he asked. "Don't worry about air, the safe can be opened from the inside. You wont be stuck in there. Still, I have to ask you to stay inside of it!"
"But." The kid tried only for Bruce to close the safe shut. Then he turned around, leaning his back against the safe as if to protect it.
Bruce swallowed as he looked at the green roses on the wall he had grown. Then he closed his eyes. "Betty…" he gasped. "I'm so sorry."
And in the next moment, a brilliant green light erupted, it tore through the building. Ripped apart walls, blew off parts of the roof.
A big massive blast, and then everything became silent.