Chapter 1
Dan was somewhat bored out of his mind as he sipped his coffee from his mug, a mug that said #1 Technician on it. He muttered to himself as he tapped in a control panel to bring up the statistics and temperature of the giant machine in front of him as he watched sparks from it as robotic frames where being produced, tuned, and painted as they ranged from sizes from that of a small child, to a adult man. Dan set his coffee down on a coaster as he stretched his arms out. Dan was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans as he wasn't very strong nor fast, but what he didn't make up in muscle, he made up in intellect. But as he watched the machine after seeing the machines temp was normal, he was growing bored as he sipped his coffee again.
"Hey Dan." A voice behind him said, causing him to swallow his coffee wrong, causing it to go down the wrong pipe, causing him to cough as he set down his mug as he turned to see a woman in a lab coat approach him.
"Oh..Cough hey..Cough Cough..Nicole." Dan said as he coughed the last big of coffee from his lungs as he wiped his mouth with his shirt.
"If you're gonna enter my work station, please knock, this ain't the first time you've done this." he said as he turned around and looked at the woman with a smile. "But enough of that, how's it going?" he said. The woman smiled as she adjusted her glasses.
"Oh, nothing much. I just came to check up on my brother." Nicole said as said as she was holding a box of donuts. "And to bring him breakfast." she said. Dan smiled as he stood up and stretched.
"Sweet! Is it Krispy Creams?" he asked as she nodded, causing him to fist bump the air. "Scoooore!" He said as he took the box.
"Also, hows the machine doing?" Nicole asked as she looked at the machine as it continued to pump out robot frame after robot frame. Dan looked at the control panel and smiled.
"The core's temperature is perfect, as well as the output and the energy its running to make the frames. What i can't believe is how far humanity came to make these. I mean they help the blind see, helped the mute talk, those from paralyzed waist below to even walk, even have the elderly the privilege to be young again!" he smiled as he looked at the machine. "And this is the jewel of it all." he said as Nicole nodded in agreement.
"But there are those who see this as humanity playing god." Nicole pointed out as she walked to his side and looked at said machine, causing Dan to frown and clench his hands into fists.
"If they don't like it, then that's too bad, cause we're helping those who need it the most." He said, than sighed as he shook his head slowly. "Why can't they see that, it's not like we're making weapons of war here, these frames go to the stores and are bought by those who are blind, paralyzed, all of that. Just so that the can feel what it was like before they got struck by their illness." he said.
"I know, its just that you remember what happened to the first one of these back in California?" Nicole said, causing Dan to seethe in anger.
"Don't remind me. Those assholes destroyed one of the prototypes and said that it was cause of this so called "God" to tell them to do it. I'm just glad those dick heads are in jail for a long time for damaging government property." He said. Nicole nodded in agreement.
"Well, I should get back to my lab before my boss notices I'm gone and gets upset." She said as Dan nodded.
"Same here. I should get back to work." He said as Nicole began to walk t the door. "Oh and sis?" he said as he turned in his chair to look at her as she stopped halfway out of the doorway.
"Yes?" she said as she looked back at him.
"Thanks for being here with me, and thanks for breakfast." He said with a smile as he opened the donut box, causing Nicole to smile happily at him.
"I'm happy to be here with you as well." she said as she left. Dan turned back to the panel as he scratched his beard, taking a jelly filled donut and eating it, enjoying the sugary taste as he kept an eye on the temperature and all that, adjusting the knobs and dials in case the temp got too hot or too cold, cause if the temp got too hot, the frames will warp and bend, causing unwanted things to be misplaced and wrong. Too cold and the frames can't be made in the first place.
"Damn I love my job." Dan said as he ate the donut. He than moved over to a panel on the side and checked the cameras that where placed inside the chambers of the machine as he checked to see if any of the moving parts where in working order as he notices one of the robotic arms building the frames had a very slight janky motion.
'Hmm, seems that robotic arm could use a little oil after we shut it down. But either than that, everything seems to be in working order.' He thought as he flipped through the cameras. He blinked as he flipped back to one of the chambers, the holding chambers where the frames are cooling down after they are made. He could have sworn he saw a frame that looked like a equine with wings and a horn, but as he looked at the rows of frames, he saw none as he wiped his eyes with his hands.
"Gaaaah, now I'm seeing things." He said as he turned the cameras off. "I think i need to rest my eyes if I am seeing things in the cameras." He muttered to himself as he turned back to the control panel. As the day went on, Dan continued to work as he could feel his fatigue coming in as his shift was almost over. He let off a yawn as he tossed the empty donut box into the trash as he stretched.
"Well, might as well use the restroom." he said as he turned a nob that said Auto Temp Adjust as he stood up and walked out of the room. Meanwhile inside of the machines chamber, a dark hooded figure looked around as it walked over to the machine, holding a bag filled with tools. The figure unscrewed a panel and seeing a bunch of power lines and coolant pipes. The figure smirked as he took out a device, a bomb, and placed it deep withing the tubes of the machine. The figure chuckled as he put the latch back on and quickly ran out of the room, holding a detonator in its hands.
"Phew, that's the last time i'll be drinking five cups of coffee a day." Dan said as he came back to his work place. As he checked the cameras, he blinked as he could see that the panel of the main power and coolant line was tilted a little. He could have sworn that it wasn't like that before, cause he's been working with this machine for years. The hooded figure managed to get back outside without being seen as it ran far from the place and hid behind a tree. It raised the detonator and pulled the trigger. Dan picked up a phone and dialed the main office of the building.
"Yes, hello, this is Dan form temperature control, I was-" Dan began, but was cut off as he heard a beep, and a deafening explosion, shattering the glass to his office and launching him back against a wall. Dan groaned as he got up as klaxons blared as he could smell smoke. His eyes shot up as he ran to the panel and looked at the machine. his eyes widened as he saw that the coolant pipes where destroyed as well as power lines were critically damaged from the explosion.
"No, no, no, no, no, no." he said in worry as he looked at his control panel and saw the temperature was rising, quickly, and with the damaged power lines, there was no way to shut the machine down. He quickly ran over to the phone and pressed one for the intercom for the entire building.
"Attention everyone, a explosion has happened in the machine, destroying the coolant lines and critically damaging the power lines. We can't shut it down, so evacuate immediately. I repeat, Get. The. Hell. Out of here!" he yelled over the phone as he grabbed his tools, just as his door opened and he saw Nicole.
"Dan!" she yelled as she rushed over to him. "Are you alright?!" she asked with worry.
"I'm fine, you need to get out of here though!" he said as he grabbed his fire resistant suit.
"Y-You're not seriously going to go in there." She said.
"If I can fix it, or at least reactivate the backup coolant lines or even fix the power lines before this thing melts down, than I can shut the machine down or something." he said.
"And do what, be a hero or something?!" Nicole yelled. Dan frowned at that as he put the suit on.
"I suggest you go before this thing blows." he said.
"I'm not leaving-." she said, just as there was another explosion, causing her to yelp in surprise a she covered her ears.
"Go! Now!" Dan yelled as Nicole nodded and ran as Dan covered his head and opened the door in his office that led to the machine as he could feel the heat radiating from it. He checked the timer and temp on a watch he made that connected to the machine as he saw that he has less than a minutes before the machine went into a meltdown and exploded. But as he ran, he failed to notice a robotic arm laying on the ground, causing him to trip. He yelps as he falls into the machine as he heard a beep as he knew his time was up. The last thing he remember was a massive bright light and something very heavy slamming into his body, than darkness. Nicole ran outside as she saw everyone from the building far away from the building as well.
"Oh...I hope Dan will be alright..." she mutters to herself as she looked at the building. As she was looking at the building, there was a deafening explosion and a bright flash of light as she closed her eyes and covered her ears. She could hear everyone scream as they do the same. As the light dissipated, Nicole looked at the building and her eyes widened in shock as it was in ruins. "Daaaaan!!!!" She screamed.
