|
Radiation: 09/16/2030, 09:44 Alright, the people have spoken, and their opinions on the new characters are as follows: code: ♪ BGM: Psychological Warfare ♫ Kazami grimly put her PDA away. The rest of the group, full of panic, all began speaking at the same time.  Did he just say... nine hours...!? That's way too long! Why will it take that much time!? And the reactor causing all of this is only a hand's reach away...!Staying in an environment like that for nine hours... It was an insane idea to all of them. And it didn't look like they could expect the reinforcements that Kazami had been counting on. Not any time soon, that is. Watase then spoke with a cracked voice.   ...Yes? What the hell's this 'radiation leakage prevention system'...!? That didn't seem like a question that would cause a reaction like that. In fact, that's a question that he probably really should have been expecting. It's because of that thing that we're stuck here... Why did something like that activate where there's still people down here? And what the hell's a meltdown anyway!? Tell me! I'm the only one here who doesn't know just how bad it is!Ukita hesitantly looked around at everyone else, then sighed.   ... I'll warn you that this will be quite a simplified explanation, though. Is that all right? Yeah... please tell us.With those words as a signal, Ukita began to quietly explain. I remember somebody saying they were enjoying this more as a firefighter procedure drama than a survival story. Well, we won't be having that here, but now it's time for the game to go all physics lesson on us again. In short-- a meltdown is a phenomenon where a nuclear reactor's core rises to exceptionally high temperatures, then proceeds to melt. Normally, the nuclear fuel burning in the reactor is constantly cooled to prevent something like this from happening... But when it's not cooled adequately, the heat becomes far too much for the reactor's heat-resistant properties to handle, and thus damages the reactor itself. And then the scorching hot fuel is released into the outside. Is that what's causing that 'large fire' in Area N right now? Yes. It's most likely that the immensely hot fuel set fire to nearby flammable objects. The melted fuel is around 3000 degrees Celsius, so it'll burn anything it touches. And the fact that it's still burning means that it'll cause catastrophic damage, won't it? I believe that your assumption is correct. And with the automatic sprinkler system destroyed, it's possible that it's also causing explosions. What's more, it'll cause a steam explosion if it comes in contact with any water. Area N is now turning into a literal hell on Earth.A stiff smile rose to Ukita's face as he said all this. ...And though it goes without saying, nuclear fuel is radioactive. Which means that it scatters radiation all around it after escaping from the reactor. To give an example-- I know, are you familiar with the 'Chernobyl nuclear disaster'? No...The name didn't ring any bells to him. Ukita sighed and continued. It was one of the greatest nuclear crises in human history. It happened about half a century ago in Ukraine. A nuclear power plant's reactor melted down, causing a steam explosion. Up to 10 tons of radioactive material leaked out of the reactor chamber. It was the equivalent of 500 of the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima, causing enormous casualties. 3000 power plant workers and firefighters who tried to contain the accident died, and the casualties only kept on piling up afterwards. Even to this day we don't know exactly how many died-- but the number is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Hundreds of thousands!? How did so many people die....!? Because of the radioactive material. From the explosions and fires came what we call 'atomic dust', which proceeded to float up into the sky, then fall back down to the earth with rain. Do you understand where I'm going with this? Because this is the truly terrifying part. Think of what will happen when the radiation bottled up in this place spreads to the surrounding regions...! ...So what you're saying is that atomic dust stuff will leak out of here and contaminate the area outside the facility? Precisely. The area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has become uninhabitable to humans and will remain that way for the next 900 years. Therefore, modern emergency procedures for dealing with a meltdown are the result of people applying the lessons they learned from past nuclear disasters all around the world-- Thus strengthening the trend to make preventing the spread of radioactive material their first priority. That's why all the bulkheads automatically locked down when a meltdown happened in this facility. In other words, 'Case N' is a code to notify people that they're performing a forced lockdown with the bulkheads. ...So that's it...!It was true that if the nuclear reactor was shielded by the unparalleled strength of composite steel plates, then it'd be able to easily handle a meltdown in the rare case of one. If the facility had been made of, say, normal reinforced concrete instead, then it would've most likely collapsed completely in the event of a steam explosion. So perhaps they'd made the facility into what was essentially one giant heavy metal box so that all they'd have to do in times of emergency was simply close the lid, sealing everything inside into an airtight container. Though he could understand the logic behind that-- ...But what're the people trapped inside supposed to do?I really want the response to this to just be ''They're supposed to die, Watase.'' He's right! Is there no way out!? Like through the air ducts... The fact that we can still breathe means that air is passing through them somewhere, doesn't it? No, the air ducts have radioactive material filters set up all over in them. They block all potential routes to the surface and other areas. So naturally, people can't get past them. Therefore, it's impossible to escape through the air ducts. They were that thorough!? Indeed. All nuclear-related facilities are extremely careful when it comes to safety. Right now, LABO's basement floors have been completely cut off from the outside world. All to ensure that not a single speck of ash sneaks out. So just like your boss said earlier, our only option is to keep administering AD as we wait for the lockdown to lif--But before Ukita could finish his sentence, Jun cut in. Hold on, Mr. Ukita... It doesn't look like we'll be able to just sit around and take it easy. Wh-why's that?Jun responded by taking her Procyon out of her breast pocket. Take a look at the reading on this Procyon.. it's now up to '1605 mSv'. But it was only around '100 mSv' right after the lockdown started. And though the reading's been varying from place to place... it's still slowly but surely increasing. What!?Now that he thought about it, she was right. The reading he'd seen when he'd first looked at a Procyon was about 1100 mSv. The reading really had increased in the short amount of time that'd passed since then. Wh-what's going on, Mr. Ukita!? Why's the reading getting bigger!? Even if the place is set up so that radioactive material doesn't spread out of the facility, isn't there something -in- the place that can counter it!? ...N-no, you see... ...I don't know either...! Are you serious!? The security gates between each area are supposed to be effective at preventing the spread of radioactive material like the bulkheads are... But maybe the gates and inner walls have been damaged in certain spots due to those explosions and fires... Or perhaps the filters in the air ducts are broken... Wh-what the hell!? Then what was all that crap about being 'careful with safety'!?Ena's eyebrows raised sharply as she accosted Ukita. What kind of place locks down their bulkheads when there's still people inside and can't even open them up!?A place that doesn't want radioactive material getting out, you loving nitwit.  Another blue path...  ...which means we get to put down our Senses for Ena and Ukita. And while you didn't trust Ukita, you trusted Ena even less. Of course you did. Face it, this so-called 'radiation leakage prevention system' is full of holes!I mean, she's kind of right, but still, the primary objective is to not have anything get out. And so far, it's been doing that just fine - it's just the inside that's hosed. M-mmm... I-I admit that our safety had a lot of shortcomings... But the system going haywire and the explosions were all factors beyond our expectations-- Isn't that whole 'being careful about safety' stuff supposed to keep those unexpected factors from happening!?Also, I feel really bad for Ukita here. I mean, the entire god drat place just blew up. Some poo poo got absolutely royally hosed at LABO, and there's no way you can account for something like that. Besides, he's just a researcher. Level 4, sure, but that means there's still a fair share of people above him. And he's just expected to know everything about the facility and is taking the heat for all of LABO's shortcomings. Let off the guy, for crying out loud - he stayed behind to help people evacuate, and this is the thanks he gets. H-hold on, calm down, Teach! Calm down!? How the hell am I supposed to calm down!? I wish it'd been just me instead of me -and- my students who got trapped down here! Once again, a blue decision point...  ...and this time, we get to set our Senses for the three students still unaccounted for beyond some security camera footage. And they indeed scored quite high - they tied for the top of the list! Ena, of course, stays at the bottom. Taken aback, Watase glanced at the monitors again.  With no one having come to their aid and pursued by the fires and fear of the radiation around them, they were no doubt still running around, trying to find a way out. At the very least, we need to give them some AD as soon as possible...!Ena sounded on the verge of tears. She may have looked harsh on the surface-- but when it came down to it, she really was a teacher. She couldn't help but be worried about her students. (But that's...!) My apologies, Ms. Tsubakiyama... but there's still a problem regarding that. Huh...? Even if we find them and take them with us, we'll need nine AD per hour to keep us all alive. But right now-- we only have five left. Forget just getting it to them, not even all six of us will be able to survive the next hour if the situation doesn't improve...!Everyone gasped. F-five... that's all you have!? My sincerest apologies... this is all because we didn't expect to get caught in a situation like this. How can you be so unprepared!? Aren't you guys supposed to be a rescue squad!? ...I truly... am sorry. (Could this situation possibly get any worse...!?)Well, the security station could blow up and kill like half of you. Never ask if the situation could get worse, because it always could. They needed 6 AD per hour to keep the entire group safe from radiation exposure. And they would need one more for each survivor that they rescued. It hadn't felt like they'd been so low on AD right after they'd saved Yuuri-- (But with Teach and Mr. Ukita with us now... we've finally come up short!)He didn't know how the situation had gotten so bad nor did he have time to think about it. But their next course of action was clear. So basically, we'll have to find enough AD for everyone-- As we're looking for the other three survivors, won't we...!? Correct, and as soon as possible too.Kazami looked back at the monitors. Before their 'cumulative exposure' exceeds fatal levels...! Cumulative exposure? You thought we were done with radiation talk? Kazami quickly answered Watase's question. The radiation you're exposed to builds up in your body. That total amount is known as the 'cumulative exposure'. What the Procyon actually shows is 'how much radiation you'll be exposed to per hour in your current location'. In other words, that means we'll be exposed to '1605 mSv per hour' in our present environment. The fatality rate for having a cumulative exposure of 2000 mSv is approximately 5%. At 4000 mSv, it's approximately 50%. And if it goes up to 8000 mSv, that's a 99% chance of death right there. In other words, the more your cumulative exposure increases, the higher and quicker the risk of dying gets. And it takes a long time for any radiation you've accumulated to go away.Which meant that if they didn't give themselves any AD in this environment-- Their cumulative exposure would reach 4000 mSv in two and a half hours, and 8000 mSv in five hours. (If we don't find more AD, we'll all be dead before the lockdown can be lifted...!)Ukita then spoke up as this thought crossed Watase's mind.  And it's still very useful in keeping you alive longer than you normally would even in environments of up to 8000 mSv. Our cumulative exposure won't rise so long as we keep administering AD. Are you positive about that? I'd really appreciate it if you could back that up with proof-- It may be hard to believe, but please trust me completely on this matter. AD is our lab's greatest masterpiece. It protects the entire body from radiation exposure through stable iodine agents, chelating agents, nine types of Prussian Blue anti-radiation medicine, and medical nanomachines-- All of these circulate throughout the body through the vein it's injected into, protecting your cells, blood, nerves, and genes. It spreads through your gastric and respiratory mucosa in just three minutes, completely cutting off all intake of radioactive material. Furthermore, it detoxifies all radioactive materials and chemical compounds, which are excreted from the body through sweat and urine. The reason I'm so calm is because I'm aware of just how incredibly effective AD is. Trust me, I'd be panicking if it wasn't.You had me at 'nanomachines'. I... I see!That is the sound of a man not seeing at all. Ukita's voice and expression both seemed totally honest. So basically, they could survive so long as they kept administering AD. But their bodies would get closer and closer to death with each passing moment once its effects wore off. Then we can't just keep standing around here and complain all day, right!? We have to get all the AD we can find lying around this place and get them to Natsuhiko and the others! Hey, Mr. Ukita! Can't we use the surveillance cameras to look for survivors!? He's right! Or even use the PA to call for them! Unfortunately... the PA's not working anymore, and almost all of the cameras are broken. How'd that happen? Probably due to the effects of the fires and explosions... even most of the surveillance footage is vanishing. Though from what I can surmise from the minuscule amounts of footage I could recover, they were apparently heading towards 'Area 6'... Area 6!Meaning they'd been heading to an area much further ahead than this one. But just knowing that was enough. Actually, that's perfect... I mean, it's possible that there's more survivors than just those three. So we'll need to comb through all the areas from top to bottom anyway in order to rescue them all. Yes. And we've already finished searching Areas 1 and 2. Which means that we'll have searched all the areas if we press on while searching everywhere from Areas 3 to 6. Dojima and Hiyama should also be there. Not only do they both have their own AD too, but they're the best in the squad next to the captain. Meaning we'll have nothing to fear if we regroup with them! All right! Tachibana, Moribe, let's get a move on right away!Ena then turned to them with a firm voice. I... I'm coming too! M-Me too. It'd be more effective to keep progressing onwards while we're all searching. Another branch.  This time around, we only set Yuuri's Senses from 8 to 6, but that shouldn't really do anything different. Is this really the time to be saying that!? Indeed. And besides, I'm very familiar with LABO and its structure. I can probably be of at least a little use. I'll go too... I might not be able to do anything, but I'll try my best.Even Ukita and Yuuri were siding with Ena. Tachibana, can't you see...? Even Yuuri of all people is up for this!When Watase took LABO's size into consideration, he realized that it'd be better to have all the help they could get with the searching. And he didn't want Yuuri's feelings to go to waste. Not after she'd mustered up her courage like that. He's right, Lieutenant. Let's put reality before the rules right now. ...You're right, we don't have much choice...!Kazami nodded after a moment's hesitation. --And thus six wills became one to accomplish the same goal: ''To survive''. And also ''To rescue the survivors''. They had to act as soon as possible in order to fulfill these tasks. Then let's hurry. How exactly do we plan on searching? We only have two Procyons and security cards, so let's split into two groups and search. Who'll be on what team? Roger! O... okay. All right. I have no objections myself. Then our team will sweep the inner ring, so I'd like for Moribe's team to handle the outer ring. There are four things we need to look for-~ 'The survivors' and 'AD'. And if possible, see if you can locate an 'escape route' or a 'Level 5 security card' so we can get into Area 5. The AD are being stored in iron 'medical boxes'. Some might be lying around in a passageway or somewhere like that, so check them carefully. We're pressed for time, so hurry...! But do -not- rush this, and please put your own safety above all else! All right then, let's get started! YEAH!And so, with Kazami's words having sparked a fire in them all, the group ran out of the surveillance room.
|
|
| ← # ? Oct 18, 2016 19:18 |
|
