The Sandman
By David Lucero
Political Thriller—Count down to Nuclear Meltdown
Suspenseful New Book
Captures Seeming Possibility of Nuclear
Facility Sabotage in Iran
The technicians were sitting at their posts in front of the numerous control panels that operated the main computer when they heard it. Deep in the underground facility, three powerful explosions rocked the foundation throughout the complex. The resulting tremor lasted thirty seconds, but it seemed a lifetime to those experiencing it. The technicians grabbed hold of anything they could to keep their balance, but were tossed violently against their desks and to the floor. A moment later, the alarms sounded and the high-pitched, piercing noise was so terrific that no one could understand what anyone was saying.
“Shut it off,” Dr. Kashir Balim shouted as he ran into the room.
A technician standing by one of the computer consoles typed something on his keyboard and the alarm fell silent. No one uttered a word as they tried to understand what happened. They were all in a daze, their eyes wide from the surprise of the event.
The printer suddenly switched on and sheets of paper spewed out an incredible rate. A technician ran to the printer and grabbed the papers.
“What do they read?” Dr. Balim asked. There was a hint of desperation in his tone.
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“It reads, ‘All systems down. The main cooling system has been…’” The technician’s voice trailed off as he continued reading in silence. Then he slowly raised his eyes to meet Dr. Balim.
“Well?” Dr. Balim asked impatiently. He could not hide the nervous feeling running through him or the beads of perspiration rolling down his forehead.
The technician swallowed the growing lump in his throat before finding the strength to speak. “The Emergency Core-Coolant System has shut down!”
The sudden gasp from those in the control room was deafening.
“What is going on here?” Colonel Kharum Benghazi asked, as he burst through the doors to the control room. Benghazi was the senior-ranking officer assigned to the nuclear facility and was directly responsible for its safety. No one aside from Dr. Balim had more to lose than he did if anything went wrong.
“My God, it’s him,” said Captain Mourak. The captain was standing before one of the computer consoles reading the status of the fuel core and sounded as though he was referring to a premonition.
“Who do you mean?” asked Colonel Benghazi.
“Him,” said Captain Mourak.
“Can you be more specific?” The colonel was losing patience.
“It’s the saboteur, you fool!”
Thanks David for the exciting preview - John wolf
