(NARRATION) Sammy dreamt of a large and complex building, stretching into the sky, and connected to the building he saw a large and imposing chimney with red and white stripes.
His view shifted as he looked upon the eerie and empty interior of the building, then, as if a switch had been flicked, a large number of people began to move throughout the long, stretching halls.
Then his view shifted and blurred.
Now he looked upon a large room with no people around.
A vast circle of dull steel dominated the center of the room, its surface broken into hundreds upon hundreds of square metal plates, each nearly identical to the next.
Together they formed a perfect grid that stretched almost to the edge of the room, like an enormous metallic chessboard.
The hall itself was cavernous.
High concrete walls disappeared toward yellow overhead cranes that hung from rails near the ceiling.
Bright industrial lights washed everything in a pale white glow, leaving nowhere for shadows to hide.
Rising from the reactor floor was a towering refueling machine, a thick, cylindrical column of steel, a dozen or so pipes, ladders, and platforms clung to its sides; there were no glowing lights, just steel and concrete.
As he dreamt this dream, his view shifted in a fraction of a second and became pitch dark.
Now he was in a strange expanse, and as his view shifted downward, he glimpsed a vast and empty pitch-black floor, one that was lightless and empty, looking as if it were slightly metallic.
As he viewed this strange realm, the floor began to glow slightly, and as it did he glimpsed upon it, and in the next moment, he managed to see his reflection in the surface.
Once he blinked, the area around him disappeared, and instead of being in that strange realm, he was now in a sitting position, and before him was a strange and terribly complex panel with hundreds of keys and a couple dozen levers.
[Aspirant!
Welcome to the Nightmare Spell.
Prepare for your First Trial…] “Huh…” he thought in confusion as he brought a hand to his face, caressing it slightly.
He widened his eyes and abruptly stood up.
Much to the surprise of the other people that were close by, the heaving Sammy looked around the room and then looked down at his hands.
They weren’t the ones that he had gotten accustomed to in the world of Shadow Slave, instead of being soft and young, they were now more firm and slightly calloused.
“Am I back?” he thought, somewhat surprised.
However, as he looked around he saw the strange looks he had gotten from the other people.
Particularly by one researcher that was a few meters to his right.
The man was sitting and eyeing him suspiciously, then he opened his mouth and looked at him with a hint of disdain.
“Tovarish?” Sammy got pulled out of his reprieve and looked at the man that had spoken a familiar word.
“Huh?” Looking to the researcher, Sammy saw as his face contorted into a frown, then he spoke once more, however this time it seemed that his words changed as soon as he said them.
“Comrade?
Are you fine?” the nameless researcher said, this time actually managing to get through to Sammy.
After Sammy gave him a look of confusion, it finally dawned on him.
‘I was exhausted and went to sleep… I’m… oh shit, fuck, SHIT!
I’m in the First Nightmare!’ ‘Wait, I might be dreaming?
YES, I MIGHT BE DREAMING.’ Mulling over the situation, Sammy pinched his cheek lightly, then he did it slightly harder, hoping that he had maybe just fallen into a very lucid dream.
‘Ouch, okay either I’m having a very lucid dream or I am in the First Nightmare.’ Having forgotten for a moment that he was getting looked at weirdly, he realized just how suspicious he seemed and cleared his throat.
“Khm… yes, I’m fine… comrade… may I excuse myself?” The researcher looked to him then at the other researchers that seemed puzzled.
“… You are the Supervisor…” Sammy blinked, then looked to the seat he had been in, and he did see that the chair he was sitting in was a little more comfortable-looking than the others.
And once he looked to the slightly old-fashioned screen of the monitor in front of him, he glimpsed at what it said.
########## RBMK-1000 – Unit 4 Reactor Thermal Output-Stable Coolant Flow-Constant Turbine Status-Connected ########## “RBM…” he murmured slightly, and then his eyes widened, and as soon as they did he cleared his throat again and turned around.
“Khm, yes, I had a… bad dream, I haven’t slept well… keep up the good work, comrade…” He then went ahead and looked for the door for a bit, before he finally came to it and pressed a small panel, missing the open button at first, and then finally hitting the right one, opening the door and leaving the room.
The researchers looked at each other, each of them considering writing a report to the plant shift supervisor, however they simply returned to work.
The researcher that was questioning the unit shift supervisor simply got back to work, however, a small worm of doubt crawled into his mind, as at the edge of the screen in slightly blurred numbers was a year and date.
########### 25 April 1986 09:17 ########### Exiting the room, Sammy stood behind the door and breathed heavily.
Looking to the side he saw that outside the room was a hall and to the right was a wall with a window that allowed one to see the view of the city.
Walking towards it, he looked down at it and sighed.
Now this only further confirmed the situation that he was in.
“I’m in fucking Chernobyl, damn it.” Sighing once more, Sammy touched the surface of the window and simply looked at the scenery.
His mind wandered to his friends, since he and the other two were now asleep, what would happen to Nathaniel?
Would he notice the state they were in, and if he did, what could he even do?
“Damn it, I should’ve noticed.
No one can sleep that soundly on that shitty fucking floor.” After berating himself for leaving his friend to fend for himself, he simply shook his head and opened his eyes, then he thought about looking at his Runes.
Once he focused, shimmering runes appeared in the air before him: Name: Samson Macey Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories: — Echoes: — Attributes: [Fated], [Mark of Divinity], [Alluring Nature].
Aspect: [Last Hope].
Aspect Description: [In a place that is destined for destruction and death, you alone are one that may change that which is meant to happen.] After he looked at the runes he frowned.
It seemed that the spell not only knew his name, but that it also knew how to troll him.
Surely he was seeing things, after all, Sunny was the only person that was meant to be Fated, so surely he was seeing things.
Deciding to look at the description of the Attributes, his face paled as he indeed witnessed [Fated] in all its terrible glory.
[Fated] Attribute Description: “The strings of fate wrap tightly around you.
Unlikely events, both good and bad, are drawn by your presence.
There are those who are blessed, and there are those who are cursed…
but rarely both.” “Damn it!” biting a fingernail, Sammy frowned and cursed aloud, clearly the Spell had in fact not been mistaken.
Which was just unfortunate for him in particular.
[Mark of Divinity], meanwhile, was exactly as he expected, just worded slightly differently.
He then went and turned to the Attribute he had never seen.
[Alluring Nature] Attribute Description: “Your body has inherited the properties to house the divine, as such your blood, soul, spirit, flesh, shadow, and bones have been endowed with unique and foreign properties… those that will be allured by you, however, remain to be seen.” “…” Sighing heavily and frowning, Sammy just decided to put a hand on his forehead to wipe the sweat that had started to build up.
He was ready to break something, but after thinking it over he just groaned.
After calming himself down, Sammy decided to go for a walk to relax, and as he walked he went through plenty of hallways and rooms.
Along the way, he got a couple of polite greetings, which allowed him to understand that he was rather important.
His importance would have to come into question later as he finally reached the place he had been looking forward to the most… The Cafeteria!
Nearly salivating at the room, he instantly went into it and, as he looked around, he became slightly teary-eyed.
After seeing the empty line that allowed people to ask the cooks for food, and seeing nobody, he smiled and picked up a stainless steel tray.
Going down the line, he saw a small glass cabinet containing salads.
He ignored it and went to the part that held the stew and soups!
Judging by the aroma, he already knew it was going to be great!
One of the old ladies that was in the kitchen looked to him and grumbled.
She then walked over in a hurried manner, giving the young Aspirant a nasty look.
That look vanished as soon as she saw the badge on his uniform, her eyes widened and she quickly adjusted her blouse and tucked a couple of loose strands of hair behind her ears.
Sammy noticed the clear show of trying to look more presentable… but he decided to ignore it, in the interest of a far more important thing… good food!
“Ahm, pardon me, Unit Shift Supervisor.
What may I do for you?” Tilting his head slightly, Sammy thought for a moment, not about his position, instead he thought about what he should get.
“Hmmm, do you have some beef stew?” The old woman blinked once, then immediately nodded.
“Of course, comrade supervisor.
Fresh batch.” She turned back to the steaming pots like the question itself had activated a hidden protocol in her mind.
The ladle dipped, metal clinking softly against the edge of the pot, and the smell that rose up was thick and warm—onions, broth, something vaguely earthy and comforting.
These descriptions were made by Sammy as he held back tears and watched the work of art happen before his very eyes.
Sammy leaned slightly over the counter, licking his lips and just imagining how great this stew would be, barely managing to hold in his excitement and tears.
The old lady returned to him, a bowl of beef stew in hand, giving him a pleasant smile.
She placed it onto his tray with careful precision.
“Anything else?” the woman asked, her tone noticeably softer now.
Sammy smiled and cleared his throat.
Since he had just gotten a good look at the kitchen, he saw plenty of things he wanted.
“Well, I’ll have the—what are those, chicken cutlets?
Or pork cutlets?
Either way, I’ll take three.
Then I see a bit of that… oh, are those beans?
I’ll have some of those too.
Also, of course, I’ll take some bread.
Okay, I’m seeing that soup—oh, that’s tomato soup, I’ll have that as well….
Oh, then I’ll have—” Sammy continued to list off what he wanted, and the poor old lady barely managed to get half of it.
So he had to repeat himself, and soon he excused himself and took an empty table that was by a window.
He was going to have some deep thoughts about how to finish the Nightmare, however, after having to survive off of garbage and tasteless food, he just couldn’t hold back and ate like a beast.
The old lady from the counter looked at him enjoy his food and was quite proud of herself.
Most people would just eat it with an empty look and not even bother savoring it.
But this high-ranking official was eating it so ravenously and with such excitement that it made her blush slightly.
“What a man.” Sammy continued to devour his food, and after only five minutes he finished the whole full tray.
Massaging his belly in satisfaction, he burped and covered his mouth, a little embarrassed.
“Oh go… ohh… that was so damn good… best meal ever…” he groaned in satisfaction at his full stomach and just smiled.
After all, who knew?
Maybe he wouldn’t survive the Nightmare.
But that was doubtful, he was Fated, of course, so the chances of him dying were low, but they were still possible.
“Now that I think about it, what date is it?” Just that bit of information would help him out greatly.
If he was right, he was definitely present in the time that would at least allow him to either escape Chernobyl and survive, after all this was a trial, not an execution.
“If I’m on the 24th I should be chilling… now the 25th… that could be a problem.” Since he was apparently a high-ranking official, judging by what the old lady had called him, then the chances of him leaving were slim.
‘Is the point of this Nightmare to leave before the disaster, or is it for me to stop the disaster altogether?’ Thinking over the situation for a bit longer, Sammy just sighed.
He was never the type to overthink things and complicate them, that was what Steven and Nathaniel were meant for, those types of things.
He, on the other hand… just decided to go about his business and try to stop the disaster.
Sure, escaping would be safer, however the chances of him getting a glorious appraisal were slim.
If he stopped it, however, now that would be a different story altogether.
The how part was going to have to wait till he got a good amount of details concerning the current situation.
After thinking about it for a bit, he took the tray and returned it.
Before leaving, he simply praised the cook and left, earning a blush from the nice old lady.
Retracing his steps, Sammy eventually reached the room he had left about twenty minutes ago and turned the handle.
Some of the researchers still gave him suspicious and equally dubious looks, however he simply applied an air of confidence to his steps and went to sit at the chair he had entered the Nightmare in.
‘Alrighty, now let’s see…’ on the screen he read the words.
Sammy stared at the monitor for several long seconds.
“…Right” he murmured to himself and closed his eyes, then his confident expression cracked.
‘…I have absolutely no idea what any of this mumbo jumbo means.’ Most of it might as well have been written in Ancient Greek, granted he probably could’ve understood it with the assistance of the Spell.
‘…Fantastic.’ Leaning back in the chair, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
‘So I’ve been dropped into one of the most complicated machines mankind has ever built… as the bloody supervisor…’ His eyes drifted over the countless switches and dials decorating the control panel.
‘…And I don’t even know what half these buttons do.’ All he knew was from history class, and all of that was some minor things.
He had read a bit into it after finishing LOTM, and only just a bit.
The knowledge of the test taking place and Reactor Four exploding were surface level, anyone would be able to know that.
And well, his standing in Chernobyl was definitely going to help.
‘Let’s see… maybe I should just tell them that there is some sort of issue with the turbine… or the engine… wait, was it even called an engine?’ Sammy frowned.
‘Damn it.’ He realized something very important, there was absolutely no way for him to know what would be reasonable terminology to use.
If he started throwing random words around, these people would sniff him out in seconds.
Clearing his throat, Sammy looked towards the researcher closest to him.
“Comrade.” The researcher immediately looked up, “Yes, Unit Shift Supervisor?” Sammy folded his arms, trying to appear as though he had already been thinking about this for quite some time.
“I want a complete inspection of the equipment involved in the turbine test.” The researcher blinked in response and looked at his own screen, clearly puzzled.
“Inspection?” he repeated, Sammy held back any emotion from showing on his face and merely nodded.
“Yes.” “For what reason?” Sammy resisted the urge to scratch his head, ‘Think…
think…’ he got lost in thought for a moment and decided to apply the practice of bullshitery to his words.
“The equipment has been operating continuously for quite some time,” he said calmly, “I am not satisfied with relying on routine reports alone.” The researcher looked surprised and put a hand on his chin in thought.
“That will delay the schedule.” Sammy got a small boost in confidence and nodded confidently.
“Then it delays the schedule, can’t be too safe, can we?” The room grew quiet and the other researchers finally brought their full attention towards the two and listened in like old grannies that were hearing the juiciest of gossip.
Sammy decided to quickly defend his choice before someone made a smart comment and objected to his decision.
“I will take responsibility.” The researcher hesitated for a moment before giving a slow nod.
“As you wish, Comrade Supervisor… so be it.” Watching the man leave, Sammy released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and slumped into his nice chair.
‘…Holy shit, that actually worked!’ Then another thought entered his mind and his confident smile disappeared completely.
‘What if they actually ask me what they’re supposed to inspect…?’ His shoulders slumped and he scratched his head.
‘Yeah…
that’s probably going to be a problem.’ Unknown to him for the moment, the researcher did not go to order an inspection, instead, he went to the Plant Director’s office.
After a few minutes of walking, he reached the door and knocked.
The pleasant and cordial voice of an assistant sounded from the other side and he entered.
She was in her thirties and had dark blonde hair along with a pair of brown eyes that contrasted against her hair.
She looked rather pretty and had a preserved youthfulness that showed itself in her creamy white skin and soft facial features.
“How may I help you, sir?” her soft voice was pleasant to the ears and made the researcher’s heart skip a beat.
Clearing his throat, the researcher adjusted his black hair and tried to hide his receding hairline, “Khm, madam, I’d like to speak to the Plant Director about the suspicious behaviour of a supervisor…” The assistant simply looked at him for a moment, and then her eyes, which had been warm and welcoming, sharpened for a tiny moment.
“If you’ll wait a moment.” She stood up and briskly entered the Plant Director’s office.
*** Sammy looked at the screen before him and just frowned, there was absolutely no way he could ever do anything about it.
‘Buttons, buttons, and more buttons!’ He would’ve liked to click a couple, but that might have just drawn the disaster closer than before.
It didn’t help that a few glances and more than a couple pairs of eyes had turned in his direction.
Meanwhile, he just looked at the screen with a barely put-together stoic expression.
Then the door to the room opened with a slow and all-too-loud creak.
Sammy instinctively looked up, expecting the researcher to return and begin asking all sorts of technical questions that he had absolutely no answer to.
Instead, two unfamiliar men entered, they weren’t dressed like engineers, not even close.
They wore dark grey suits and expensive-looking polished black shoes.
Both of them had neat, military-style haircuts and expressions so neutral that they almost looked carved from stone.
The room, which had until now been filled with the quiet clacking of keyboards and the occasional murmur, fell completely silent.
Sammy looked between the two newcomers and frowned, already feeling a strange sense of danger, as if his intuition were telling him that these guys were bad news all around.
‘…Who the hell are these guys?’ The taller of the two stepped forward, producing a small leather wallet before opening it just enough for those nearby to glimpse the identification inside.
“…Comrade Tyuovski.” Sammy blinked and guessed that this was the name of the body he was inhabiting, but seriously he had no idea what it was with the recent body possessions.
“…Yes?” “We would like you to accompany us.” “Accompany you where?” The man looked at him with an unreadable expression.
He turned slightly to the second man, while the second man responded with a firm nod.
“For questioning.” Sammy suppressed a gulp and kept his cool.
“…Questioning?” The man nodded in response, “That is correct.” He then approached Sammy and gave him a cold look of complete neutrality.
His heart seemed to almost freeze, and he already had an idea of what was happening.
‘Already?
I’ve been caught this quick.
Why didn’t I get sent to fight some damn Nightmare creatures?
I fucking hate this technical bull.’ The shorter man spoke this time, his voice was equally cold but also a bit more firm and stoic.
“There have been reports regarding your recent behaviour.” ‘That damn traitor.’ “…May I ask what this is about?” Sammy asked, forcing a smile.
“You may.” “… ” “… ” The silence continued for a bit longer before Sammy got uncomfortable and decided to ask in a suppressed tone.
“Will you tell me?” “No.” For a brief moment Sammy considered making a run for it, but decided against doing so.
The placement of the KGB officers was done in a way that made it impossible to run away.
‘I don’t think outrunning the KGB inside a nuclear power plant is part of my skill set.’ He tried to joke to ease himself, but lampooning wasn’t a part of his skill set either.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Sammy stood up from the comfortable chair.
“…Lead the way then.” The taller man gave a single nod.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Comrade Supervisor.” As the three exited the control room, every pair of eyes followed them.
Only once the heavy door closed behind them did the whispers finally leave their mouths.
“…What did he do?” “I don’t know.” “I’ve never seen Security come here during a shift.” “Perhaps he said something…” The researcher who had reported Sammy stood outside the room and merely stared at the departing officers and supervisor.
He shrunk back when he received a dirty look from the Supervisor.
A small knot formed in his stomach.
He had only wanted someone to make sure the supervisor wasn’t unwell, he really hadn’t expected them to arrive.
Meanwhile, walking between the two silent men, Sammy only had a single thought running through his head.
‘First Nightmare my ass…
This is a bloody interrogation simulator.
Let me fight some bloody monsters!’ He looked sideways at the taller man.
“…This wouldn’t happen to involve the turbine test, would it?” Neither of them answered, and Sammy just released a heavy and labored sigh.
_________________ Author’s Note: Next chap is in like 20 mins, Also it’s gonna be longer than this one.
I got off work since there is a massive heatwave so Yippeee!