Chapter 188: Nuclear Power Plant - II

The automated unit stopped.

Several lights across its frontal plating changed while the speaker above the approach remained active.

"Local personnel override acknowledged."

"Withdrawal advisory suspended."

"Maintain current position."

Matilda lowered the hand she had raised toward Specter Squad.

The machine remained several meters ahead of them. Its weapon assembly stayed elevated, although the barrel no longer followed every movement as closely as before.

The woman returned through the speaker.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"Oh thank goodness. It’s been a while since I’ve seen... humans like you around."

The rest of the DASFs exchanged glances. Specter spoke through his communicator.

"Something’s not right here, Fairy. Be careful."

"Excuse my rashness. May I know who am I speaking to?"

"Callsign Fairy. I’m leading the group outside your gate."

"Code names, huh? Haven’t heard that for a while. I’m Overseer Kordula Weissenberg."

Matilda steadied herself and stepped closer to the camera.

"You sound like you’re in great shock. Are you the only human inside the facility now?"

"No, no. I’m not the only one. There is still some of us. No, there were more. I can’t talk about it right now."

"Why not?"

"Look, we’re trapped here for months now, and we want to... wait a minute. Give me a second."

The speaker cut out.

Matilda looked toward Specter.

"I noticed."

The automated unit in front of them suddenly froze. Its lenses stopped halfway through another scan, several lights across its frontal plating turned yellow, then disappeared. The weapon assembly lowered slightly before locking in place.

The cameras above the wall stopped moving as well.

Bar looked toward the nearest one.

"That’s something new. Did she hack it?"

"Do not touch anything."

A few seconds later, the speaker crackled again. Kordula’s voice returned, much quieter this time.

"Can you still hear me?"

"Yes."

"Good. I don’t have long, so please listen carefully."

Matilda glanced at the inactive machine.

"What did you do?"

"Local maintenance isolation. Less than a minute before the security node reconnects."

"There are still people inside?"

"Yes. We’ve been trapped here since the beginning. The automated security system kept us alive, but it also locked us in."

Matilda understood enough.

"You want us to disable it."

"Part of it, yes. If you intend to enter this plant anyway, you’re going to have to deal with the security system sooner or later."

"And you know how?"

"I can help you reach what needs to be shut down. I can’t do it from here."

Matilda looked toward Specter.

"Can she get us inside?"

"I can get you in with limited clearance," Kordula answered before he could. "It’s a short window. I should be able to guide you through the first sections."

"Why not a full clearance?"

"The security system will notice. And a lot of things have happened here."

Bar looked toward the inactive machine. "Now we’re talking."

Matilda ignored him. "We’ll help you. But if you’re leading us into something, say it now."

"I’m not. I swear to the old gods that I do not. I just need you to get us out."

A warning light returned on the machine. Kordula’s voice quickened.

"The shutdown has two layers. I can handle one from here. The other requires physical access somewhere else in the facility."

"Why did you not go there yourself?"

"I told you it locked us in. I can’t explain everything right now. I—Oh no. It’s reconnecting."

Another light came back online. Matilda checked the gate.

"Where do we go?"

"To a control section I can’t reach from here. We’ll do this subtly. Follow the route that I will give you and don’t leave it unless I tell you to. Just trust me for a little while. Please."

The cameras above them twitched. The machine’s lenses came back online.

"Local maintenance interval terminated."

"Security node synchronization restored."

The security unit’s lights settled back into their normal pattern. A second mechanical lock disengaged inside the vehicle portal.

"Temporary access authorization received."

"Recorded under Overseer Weissenberg."

"Eight external personnel cleared for restricted escort."

"Please remain within designated route."

The gate rose another meter. Matilda opened the command channel.

"Golden Eagle, we’ve secured passage into the facility."

"Received. What’s the current situation?"

"Not looking good. We have facility personnel trapped inside by its security system."

"So what’s the next step?"

"We’ll follow the plan of one of their surviving overseers. The details are confidential for now. Eyes and ears everywhere."

"Copy. Do what needs to be done. And remain cautious. Golden Eagle, out."

The support force remained near the bridge.

Matilda moved first.

Bar, Saint, and Vesper followed her through the opening, while Specter Squad maintained several meters of separation behind them. The automated unit turned and entered ahead of the group instead of blocking the way.

A row of white lights appeared along the floor.

"Follow designated route."

Bar looked at them.

"Very welcoming robot."

"Keep moving."

The passage beyond the outer wall was wider than Echo One’s encounter had suggested. What looked like a simple vehicle portal from outside opened into a covered inspection area large enough for trucks, maintenance vehicles, and emergency equipment to pass through without entering the main plant immediately.

Most of it still worked.

Overhead lights remained active. Cameras rotated from recessed housings, and several sealed doors displayed green or yellow status indicators beside their frames. A pair of maintenance arms rested folded against one wall, while another security unit remained inactive inside a charging recess.

The place did not resemble something abandoned for months.

Specter glanced around as they continued.

"Power’s stable."

"So are the doors," Vesper added.

Matilda checked the synchronized map.

The northern Radar Facility already gave them the main shape of the surrounding structures, but the internal doors and access states changed as Kordula opened the route ahead. Several passages remained closed while one corridor toward the interior turned green on Matilda’s display.

The speaker came alive again.

"Go through the second door on your left."

Matilda followed the instruction.

"Do not use the larger corridor ahead. There’s a security checkpoint that way."

Bar looked toward the wider passage.

"Isn’t this entire place a security checkpoint?"

"Bar."

"Right."

The first door opened before Matilda reached it.

"Temporary route extension approved."

The automated unit followed them through.

They entered a narrower maintenance corridor running parallel to the main vehicle access. The walls were plain concrete and metal paneling, interrupted by utility cabinets, emergency equipment, and sealed service doors.

No one was waiting for them.

Matilda could still see the neutral concentrations deeper inside the station through the shared Radar picture. Most remained far from their current route.

Kordula spoke again.

"You’re doing just fine. Keep following the lights."

"Where are you sending us?"

"A maintenance section below the main service level."

"How far?"

"Several buildings inward."

The speaker remained quiet for a few seconds.

"Fairy?"

"Yes?"

"If you don’t mind me asking, how is the outside world?"

"Devastated by the meteor strike."

"Is that so?" Her voice became timid. "Are there many people left?"

"Not many, from what we’ve gathered."

"That’s..." A sigh echoed on the speakers.

Specter checked his weapon without slowing.

"The robot is still escorting us."

"I know." Kordula lowered her voice. "Just ignore them for now."

Matilda looked toward the machine walking ahead of them.

"Will it interfere?"

"Not while your temporary clearance remains valid."

The next door opened.

They crossed into another service passage, this one descending gradually beneath a section of the plant. The lighting changed to a dimmer emergency setting, though every fixture they passed still functioned.

Saint looked toward one of the sealed side doors.

"We got movement."

Matilda checked the map. Several neutral markers occupied the rooms beyond it.

"Leave it."

The two squads continued downward.

The corridor bent beneath another section of the plant before opening into a wider service junction. Three passages branched from it, each marked by old maintenance signs and access panels that remained powered.

Kordula returned through the speaker.

"Right side. Keep going until you reach the yellow door."

Matilda followed the instruction without answering.

The automated unit remained ahead of them while the white route lights continued appearing along the floor. Two more cameras tracked the group from the ceiling, their lenses shifting between Matilda’s squad and Specter’s.

The synchronized Radar map showed several contacts beyond the sealed rooms around them, but none entered the corridor.

A few minutes later, the yellow door came into view. It opened before Matilda reached it.

"Temporary maintenance access confirmed."

The security unit stepped through first.

Matilda followed. Beyond the door, the facility changed.

The corridor became narrower and more technical, with exposed piping, cable trays, electrical cabinets, and maintenance terminals occupying the walls. Most carried power. Several small indicators still blinked beside systems that had probably not been touched by a human in months.

Specter glanced toward one of the panels.

"Surprisingly still running."

Matilda nodded, though Kordula did not comment.

"Continue straight."

Another junction appeared farther ahead.

"Left."

The DASFs turned. Kordula seemed to notice the change as well. Her instructions became shorter.

"Second door."

"Down the stairs."

"Ignore the service lift."

"Keep moving."

The automated unit followed every change without complaint.

Matilda kept her attention on the shared map and the machine ahead. The fixed Radar coverage gave them the general structure around the route and some of the shallower sections under the plant, although the internal security boundaries meant far more to them at the moment than the building layout itself.

Another group of neutral markers appeared behind a sealed branch to the east. Saint looked at it briefly and noticed small patches of blood on the floor and the walls. His brows furrowed but gave no further reaction.

Kordula had already asked them to trust the route. There was no reason to start opening doors she had deliberately avoided.

A moment later, they descended another level.

The lighting here was weaker. Several fixtures had failed completely, leaving gaps between the remaining emergency lamps. Water stains covered one wall near the ceiling, though the floor itself remained dry.

The machine ahead stopped near another checkpoint. Its lenses rotated toward the access panel.

"Verifying escort route."