Testing the Limits of Time

Chapter 17: The Reactors Shadows

The team stepped out of the time portal and witnessed a drastic transformation of the world around them. Gone was the typical sight of modern-day buildings, smartphones, and people hustling and bustling about.
Instead, they found themselves in a quiet, old Soviet town—Pripyat, 1986. The air felt stationary, almost felt like it possessed weight, and the buildings had a gray, worn look, as if time had started to slow down here.
Taking a deep, anticipatory breath, Skylar and her friends ran their eyes over the town. They could see the towering structure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the distance, with its chimneys puffing out swirls of steam.
For a moment, everything seemed peaceful, in fact, even normal. But they knew better. This place was about to become the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.
"Remember, we don't interfere unless we have no other choice," Skylar reminded her friends. "Chernobyl's meltdown is a fixed event. It has to happen. But we're here because the Revisionists might be trying to change something. We have to stop them without getting involved in the disaster itself, okay?"
Known for his energy and ability to find silliness in even the most serious situations, Tyler seemed more sober than usual as he adjusted his fake ID badge. "It's weird being here, knowing what's about to happen. These people have no idea," he said, looking at the ordinary folks going about their daily lives, laughing, chatting, completely unaware of the danger lurking just around the corner.
Kody stood beside him and gave a thoughtful nod. "We can't change what's about to happen, but we can make sure the Revisionists don't mess things up even more."
Skylar pulled out a folded map of the town, going over their plan again. "Kody, Tyler—you two are going undercover as maintenance workers at the power plant. Keep an eye out for anything unusual. Jamie and I will walk through the town, pretending to be journalists. We'll ask questions and see if we can pick up any clues."
After exchanging a final glance, the team split up, and each group headed in a different direction. Skylar and Jamie made their way toward the heart of Pripyat, a busy square filled with people and the noise of children playing. It was weird seeing the town so full of life, knowing that it was just hours away from being deserted.
As they walked ahead, Skylar's mind started listing down all the research they had done on the Chernobyl disaster. She remembered all those late nights spent pouring over old newspaper clippings and scientific reports. The meltdown had been caused by a combination of human error and a flawed reactor design. It was unavoidable, and the damage had been catastrophic.
But what worried Skylar now was the possibility that the Revisionists were here to change something. If they interfered with the meltdown or tried to manipulate the aftermath, the results could be even worse than what originally happened. The team had to stop them, but without tipping the balance.
"I feel like I'm in a movie," Jamie said quietly as they walked past an old Soviet propaganda poster on the wall. "Everything seems so... ordinary. You wouldn't think anything was wrong."
Skylar nodded. "That's the scariest part. These people are living their lives, thinking it's just another day. They have no idea that in just a few days, everything's going to change forever."
Meanwhile, at the power plant, Kody and Tyler were making their way through the narrow hallways, wearing the uniforms of maintenance workers.
The plant was huge, and the air inside was nauseating with the smell of metal and oil.
Tyler carried a toolbox to complete their disguise, though neither of them had any idea what to do if someone actually asked them to fix something.
"Just act normal," Kody whispered to Tyler as they passed by a group of real workers. "We're here to observe, nothing else."
Tyler looked around nervously. "Right, 'cause infiltrating a nuclear power plant is totally normal," he muttered under his breath.
"Focus," Kody shot him a look. "We need to find out if the Revisionists are here, and what they're up to. We don't have much time."
The two of them headed deeper into the plant, trying to blend in as they moved past rooms filled with busy workers, the majority of them completely oblivious to the dangerous conditions they were working under. Kody's eyes scanned everything, looking for any signs of tampering or unusual activity.
***
Back in town, Skylar and Jamie approached a local diner. The smell of fresh bread and soup aromatized the air as they stepped inside, taking a seat near the window.
A waitress in a simple apron approached, giving them a warm smile.
"What brings you to Pripyat?" she asked, placing two glasses of water in front of them.
"We're journalists," Skylar said confidently, pulling out a notepad. "We're writing a piece on the advancements in Soviet energy and technology. Could you tell us a bit about life in the town?"
The woman's face brightened. "Oh, it's a wonderful place! Everyone here works hard, and the power plant is a big part of our community. We're proud of it. It's the future, you know."
Jamie scribbled down notes, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt listening to this woman speak so proudly about the power plant, knowing what was coming. The townspeople had no idea their world was about to be turned upside down.
As the waitress left to get their food, Skylar leaned across the table, keeping her voice low. "We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary so far. Do you think we're missing something?"
Jamie shook her head. "I don't know. Everything seems... normal. Maybe too normal. But we have to keep looking."
***
At the plant, Kody and Tyler found themselves in a room filled with control panels, the air buzzing with the sound of machines running in the background. Workers were monitoring the systems, unaware of the disaster looming.
Kody's eyes narrowed as he spotted something strange: one of the control panels had been tampered with. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but definitely not part of the normal operations.
"Tyler," Kody whispered, gesturing toward the panel. "Look at that. Someone's been messing with the systems."
Tyler moved closer, inspecting the panel. "This isn't good. If the Revisionists are messing with the systems here, they could make things even worse."
"We need to get this information back to Skylar," Kody said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "But we can't raise any alarms. We need to get out of here quietly."
As Kody and Tyler began to make their way back through the plant, the tension between escalating. Every second they spent there felt like they were walking on a tightrope, and one erroneous move could blow their cover.
***
Back in town, Skylar and Jamie finished their meal and paid the bill, stepping out into the street once more. The sun was starting to set, casting long shadows over the town. Everything seemed peaceful, but Skylar's gut told her that something was off. They hadn't seen any obvious signs of the Revisionists yet, but the silence felt too perfect to be true.
"We need to meet up with the others and compare notes," Skylar said, looking around. "If they've found anything, we'll know for sure if the Revisionists are involved."
Jamie nodded in agreement. "Let's head back. The sooner we figure this out, the better."
As they made their way back toward the outskirts of town to meet up with Kody and Tyler, Skylar couldn't help panicking that time was running out. The inevitable disaster was racing against them, and every second counted.
***
Inside the Chernobyl power plant, Kody and Tyler walked cautiously, blending in as best as they could with the workers. The plant was an unsettling product of the past and the future, or at least, that's how it seemed to them.
The concrete walls were stained, the machinery rusted at the edges, and the workers...well, they didn't seem to care much about safety. One man walked by with his hard hat barely hanging on his head. Another was smoking a cigarette near a giant warning sign that read: "No Open Flames."
Uneasy and confused, Tyler scratched his head. "I know this is the '80s, but come on... shouldn't they be more careful? This is a nuclear plant. This place feels like a ticking time bomb."
Kody's eyes narrowed as they walked past some control panels. "That's because it is. These safety protocols are a joke. They're supposed to be testing the reactor soon. That's what sets off the disaster."
Tyler leaned closer to Kody, whispering, "And we just have to let it happen? We're here to make sure the Revisionists don't mess things up, but it feels wrong just standing by."
Kody shook his head slightly. "We don't have a choice. The meltdown is a fixed event. If we try to prevent it, we could make things worse." He glanced around, lowering his voice. "Our job is to keep the Revisionists from making things even more disastrous."
They continued walking, trying to keep their nerves composed. Workers bustled around them, oblivious to the danger they were in.
Kody caught snippets of conversation which gave him clues about a test they were running later in the day.
"...A test!?"
The test. The one that would push the reactor to its limits and set off the chain of events that would lead to the meltdown. The one no one was prepared for.
Kody nudged Tyler and gestured subtly toward a group of workers gathered near one of the control rooms. "Listen. They're talking about the test. This is it!!!"
They paused near a wall, pretending to adjust their tools while listening in.
"Yeah, they want to shut down the reactor and see how long it can run on backup power," one of the workers was saying. He sounded tired, like this was just another routine day at the plant.
Another man, taller and more serious, frowned. "I don't like it. The reactor's been acting strange all day. It's running too hot. We should be shutting it down properly, not messing around with tests."
The first worker shrugged. "Orders are orders. We just do what we're told."
Tyler looked at Kody, wide-eyed. "They have no idea what's coming, do they?"
"Nope," Kody clenched his jaw. "And if that test goes wrong, it's all over."
***
Meanwhile, Skylar and Jamie were walking through the heart of Pripyat, trying to get a sense of the town and its people. They watched families stroll through the streets, children running around playing tag, and teenagers hanging out at a local arcade. The whole place had an eerie serenity to it—everyone was so... normal. The looming calamity felt so far away, but Skylar knew that wasn't the case.
They stopped by a park bench to chat with an elderly couple sitting in the shade, feeding birds. Skylar opened her notepad, trying to play her part as a journalist. "It seems like a lovely town. How long have you lived here?"
The woman smiled warmly. "Oh, we've been here since they built the plant. My husband worked there until he retired a few years ago. It's a wonderful place to live. Quiet, safe."
Jamie, usually more lighthearted, had a somber look on her face. "What do you think of the power plant? It must've brought a lot of changes to the town."
The old man nodded. "It's the pride of Pripyat. It's the future. Nuclear energy is the key to progress. You'll see. We're going to lead the way."
Skylar forced a smile, but inside, she was cringing. The future these people believed in was about to be ripped away from them in the worst way possible. She could almost feel the weight of their naivety. They had no idea how much danger they were in.
As they thanked the couple and walked away, Jamie whispered, "How are we supposed to just stand by and let this happen? I feel like I'm watching a train wreck in slow motion."
Skylar sighed, her eyes scanning the street ahead. "We don't have a choice. We can't change what's about to happen. But we can make sure the Revisionists don't make it worse. That's all we can do."
Back inside the power plant, Kody and Tyler were navigating the labyrinth of hallways, moving toward the restricted areas. They hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary... yet.
But Kody's gut told him something was off. The Revisionists had to be here, somewhere.
As they rounded a corner, Kody froze. Up ahead, near one of the reactor control rooms, he saw a man in a lab coat. The first impression he had on them was that he looked like one of the plant's scientists.
But something was wrong. The man was hunched over a control panel, fiddling with something, and his movements were too precise, too quick.
Kody narrowed his eyes. "That guy... there's something off about him."
Tyler followed Kody's gaze. "He's probably just a tech guy. Relax."
"No," Kody said in a tense voice. "Look at the equipment he's using. That's not standard. It's too advanced. That's Revisionist tech."
Tyler squinted, realizing Kody was right. The small device the man was using to access the panel definitely didn't belong in 1986. Kody's pulse hastened. This was it. The Revisionists were trying to interfere.
"We need to stop him," Kody whispered urgently. "But we can't draw attention to ourselves."
Looking around, Tyler realized that there were too many workers nearby. If they caused a scene, they'd be caught. They needed to be smart about this.
Kody thought quickly. "You distract him. I'll try to get a closer look."
Tyler nodded and walked forward, casually approaching the suspicious man as if he belonged there. "Hey, excuse me! Can you help me with something? I think I'm lost. Where's the maintenance room?"
The man looked up, startled, and quickly pocketed his device. "Uh... the maintenance room? Down the hall, third door on the left."
As the man answered, Kody slipped behind him, crouching low to get a better view of the control panel. His heart was pounding, but he stayed calm, analyzing the situation.
The man had been accessing the core temperature controls. Kody's eyes widened. The Revisionists were trying to mess with the reactor directly.
He straightened up, signaling to Tyler that they needed to leave. Fast.
"Thanks!" Tyler said, giving the man a friendly wave before joining Kody.
They walked quickly away from the restricted area, their minds racing. Once they were out of earshot, Tyler spoke up, "What did you see?"
"They were trying to change the core temperature settings. If they succeed, they could cause the meltdown to happen differently, maybe even worse than before. We need to find Skylar."
As they hurried out of the plant, Kody couldn't shake the feeling that things were spiraling out of control.
Meanwhile, Skylar and Jamie were still walking through town, trying to process everything they'd seen. They knew the disaster was coming, but seeing the people; the families, the workers, the children; made it feel real in a way that history books never could.
Suddenly, Skylar's phone buzzed. It was Kody.
"We've got a problem," he said. "The Revisionists are here. They're trying to mess with the reactor."
Skylar's heart skipped a beat. "How bad is it?"
"They were adjusting the core temperature. If they succeed, the meltdown could be worse than it was originally."
Taking a deep breath, Skylar forced herself to stay calm. "We need to stop them without causing a scene. Can you sabotage their equipment?"
"We'll try," Kody said. "Meet us at the power plant."
Skylar hung up, turning to Jamie. "We need to move. The Revisionists are trying to mess with the reactor. If we don't stop them, you know what the consequences can be."
"Let's go!" Jamie high-fived.
They made their way toward the plant, moving as quickly as they could without drawing attention. The streets of Pripyat seemed quieter now.
When they reached the plant, Kody and Tyler were waiting for them near the entrance. Kody explained what they had seen and how the Revisionists were trying to alter the core settings.
"We can't just shut down the reactor or stop the test," Skylar said, her voice low but firm. "But we can mess with their equipment. Make sure they can't change anything."
Tyler grinned. "I knew you'd say that. Already on it."
He pulled out a small device from his bag—his own invention, designed to disrupt any advanced tech that didn't belong in the current timeline. With a few taps on the screen, the device hummed to life.
"Give me ten minutes, and their equipment will be toast," Tyler said confidently.
As Tyler got to work, Skylar, Kody, and Jamie kept watch, staying alert for any sign of Revisionist agents or suspicious activity.
"How much time do we have before the test?" Jamie asked, trying to sound calm but fidgeting slightly.
Kody checked his watch. "Not long. A couple of hours at most. We need to make sure their changes don't take effect before then."
Skylar's eyes scanned the entrance of the plant, watching workers go about their day as if nothing was wrong. "We can't afford any mistakes. Tyler, how's it looking?"
Tyler hunched over the device, his fingers flying over the screen. "Almost there. Just... one... more---there!" He grinned triumphantly. "Their tech is officially fried. No more tampering with the reactor."
Skylar sighed with relief, but she knew they couldn't relax yet. "Good. Now, we need to make sure no one else tries anything. Let's get out of here before we draw attention."
Just as they turned to leave, Skylar spotted something that made her stomach flip. The same man Kody had noticed earlier—the one using Revisionist tech—was now talking to a group of plant workers near the control room.
And he wasn't alone.
Two more people, both clearly out of place with their futuristic clothing, were standing nearby. They looked like they didn't belong, and Skylar's instincts screamed Revisionists.
"We've got company," she whispered to the others.
Following her gaze, Kody cursed under his breath. "That's them. They're not giving up, are they?"
"Of course not," Jamie rolled her eyes. "That would be too easy."
Skylar signaled the others to get closer to them. "If they realize we've sabotaged their equipment, they might try something else."
Carefully, the group made their way around the side of the plant, sticking close to the shadows. They were careful not to draw attention as they edged closer to the Revisionist agents.
The man from earlier was talking quietly, gesturing toward the reactor, and whatever he was saying, it didn't look good.
"I can't hear what they're saying," Tyler muttered in frustration.
"Doesn't matter," Skylar said, keeping her eyes on the group. "We can't let them get back into the reactor room. We need to slow them down."
Kody scanned around, searching for something that might help. Then, his eyes landed on a nearby forklift parked just outside the plant. A mischievous smile spread across his face. "I've got an idea."
Skylar raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
Kody darted toward the forklift, checking to make sure the coast was clear. "Trust me, this is going to work."
Within moments, Kody was in the driver's seat of the forklift, starting it up with a loud rumble. The Revisionists immediately turned toward the sound, but before they could react, Kody drove the forklift straight into the side of the plant, blocking the entrance to the reactor control room.
"Oops," Kody said loudly, putting on his best clueless-worker face. "Sorry about that!"
The Revisionists exchanged irritated glances, clearly realizing what had just happened. They were stuck, at least for now.
The friends couldn't help but chuckle. It wasn't the most subtle plan, but it worked.
"Nice one," Jamie said, giving Kody a thumbs-up.
"All in a day's work," Kody said with a grin, hopping off the forklift and rejoining the group.
But they couldn't celebrate just yet. "That'll buy us some time, but they're going to get suspicious if we don't disappear," Skylar reminded. "Let's move."
They quickly slipped away from the plant, heading back toward the edge of Pripyat where they could safely return to their time portal.
As they strolled past the town, they came across workers and families still going by their day without a care in the world. All of them loved life---the workers working hard for their families back home, the children playing hide and seek and looking forward to the next game, their mothers watching them delightfully.
But the calamity that they were oblivious to was that they were soon to be struck with shattered Skylar's heart.

"It's so weird," Jamie nervously chuckled as if reading Skylar's thoughts. "Knowing what's going to happen and seeing them all just... living their lives like everything's normal."
Skylar nodded. "Yeah. It feels wrong not to warn them. But we can't change the past."
Jamie sighed, kicking a small rock down the street. "I know. Still doesn't make it any easier."
As they reached a secluded spot on the outskirts of town, Tyler pulled out his device, scanning the area to make sure they weren't being followed. "Looks clear. I'll set up the portal."
Kody looked back toward the plant. "Do you think we did enough? The Revisionists aren't going to give up, and we barely scratched the surface of their plans."
Skylar crossed her arms, frowning. "We stopped them this time, but they're getting bolder. We need to be more prepared. Whatever they're planning next, it's going to be bigger."
Tyler activated the portal, its familiar blue light swirling to life in front of them. "We'll figure it out. We always do."
Skylar took one last look at Pripyat before stepping into the portal. "Yeah, but we need to be ready. The Revisionists are just getting started."
One by one, they stepped through the portal, leaving behind the past and the looming disaster. But the future, Skylar knew, wasn't going to wait for them.
As the team regrouped outside the plant, they shared their findings. Tyler was the first to speak, "The Revisionists were definitely in there," he began. "I hacked into their system long enough to see they've been planning this for a while. This isn't just a small operation, I'm telling y'all."
Jamie facepalmed. "It makes sense. If they stop the meltdown, it changes everything. The way the world thinks about nuclear power and the way energy policies develop. The ripple effects could be huge."
"So what now?" Kody asked, kicking at the dirt. "We let the meltdown happen because it's 'supposed to'? Knowing that it's going to ruin lives and poison the planet for decades?"
Skylar crossed her arms, looking out toward the plant. "We don't know what changes stopping the meltdown would cause," she said quietly. "But we know the timeline we come from, and we have to trust that it's the right one. If we stop this disaster, we risk causing something worse."
Tyler looked conflicted. "I get that, but it's hard to ignore the fact that we're just... letting it happen. Thousands of people will suffer because of what goes down here."
Kody, clearly frustrated, let out a deep breath. "We could stop it. We have the tech, the know-how. We could save them."
The group fell silent. But as they stood there, Skylar noticed a figure moving toward them from the shadows.
It was Dr. Sokolov—the Revisionist scientist they'd been tracking, the man behind the orchestration of this atrocious scheme. He had followed them, and now he was standing just a few yards away with his eyes fixed on Skylar and Kody.
Without thinking, Skylar and Kody stepped forward, putting themselves between Sokolov and the rest of the team.
"You don't understand," Sokolov began. "I'm not doing this for myself. I'm trying to save the future."
Kody's hands balled into fists at his sides. "By messing with the past? You're risking everything! Changing events you can't control!"
Sokolov's eyes burned with conviction. "I've already seen the outcome of this disaster. I've lived through the consequences. You haven't. I'm from a future where Chernobyl not only poisoned this region but poisoned the world's trust in nuclear power. The fallout led to the collapse of nuclear energy across the globe, and because of that, we were forced to rely on fossil fuels far longer than we should have."
Skylar raised an eyebrow and paid closer attention. "What are you saying?"
Sokolov took a step closer, locking his eyes on hers. "I'm saying that in my time, climate change is accelerating. We hit a point of no return faster than we ever thought possible. Millions die, ecosystems collapse, all because nuclear power was abandoned after Chernobyl. If we stop the meltdown, if we prove that nuclear energy can be safe, we prevent that catastrophe."
Kody shook his head, disbelief and anger mixed in his expressions. "You can't know that for sure. Even if you stop this, something else could go wrong. You're playing with fire."
"I'm playing with the future of the human race," Sokolov smiled evilly. "I've seen the data. I've lived through the consequences. This disaster set us back decades. If I can stop it, I save countless lives—not just now, but in the future."
Skylar could feel the pressure building inside her. Sokolov's explanation made sense and almost terrifyingly so. But she couldn't ignore the risk, the unknowns of changing such a pivotal moment in history.
"But you don't know what else might happen if you interfere," Skylar said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady. "History isn't a straight line. You stop one disaster, and you could trigger another one somewhere else."
Sokolov's eyes flared. "And doing nothing guarantees the disaster I've seen. I'm trying to fix the mistakes of the past. Can you honestly stand here and tell me that letting this meltdown happen is the right thing to do?"
Kody took a step forward, ready for a confrontation. "It's not about what's right—it's about what's necessary. You can't rewrite the timeline because you think you know better."
Frustration boiled over Sokolov. "You think I want to do this? You think I enjoy risking everything? No. But I know what happens if I don't act. You don't have the luxury of my hindsight. I'm trying to prevent a future where millions more die."
Skylar met Sokolov's gaze. "We can't let you do this."
"If you stop me, you're condemning the future to something far worse than this disaster."
"No," Kody pitched in. "We're protecting it from the unknown."
For a moment, it seemed like Sokolov might lunge at them, but he didn't. Instead, he took a deep breath and stepped back, his eyes filled with something like pity. "You don't understand what you're choosing."
Skylar's heart pounded, but she held her ground. "Maybe not. But we have to trust that this timeline is the one that's supposed to happen."
Sokolov's shoulders sagged, and the fire in his eyes extinguished. "You'll regret this. Maybe not today, but when the future you've preserved starts to crumble, you'll realize you were wrong."
With that, Sokolov turned and walked away.
Kody let out a long breath. "Do you think we made the right call?"
Skylar didn't answer right away. She stared after Sokolov, her mind racing with what-ifs and doubts. Finally, she shook her head. "I don't know. But it's the only call we could make."
Tyler, who had been watching from a distance, stepped forward. "We'd better go. There's nothing more we can do here."
Skylar nodded, turning back to the team. "Let's go home."
As they made their way toward the portal, Skylar couldn't shrug off the possibility that Sokolov might have been right.
Breaking the silence, Jamie reached a point, "We can't just stand by and watch people die," she said, her eyes pleading toward her friends. "We have the power to change it. Don't we have a responsibility to save them?"
Tyler sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, Jamie, I get it. But you're not thinking long-term. We could save a few lives today, sure, but what if we mess up everything else? We could be making things a whole lot worse."
"Worse than nuclear fallout, Tyler?" Jamie countered, flashing her eyes at Tyler. "You think there's something worse than that?"
"Well, yeah," Tyler replied, "like the end of the world due to climate change! Sokolov thinks stopping this meltdown will keep nuclear power alive, which could help in the future. But if we intervene now, we might never know the cost."
Kody, standing between them, looked back and forth, clearly conflicted. "I see both sides. We can't just ignore this disaster, but Tyler's right—we don't know what we're messing with."
The alarms in the plant suddenly blared, cutting through the air like a knife. Everyone froze.
Tyler's face turned pale at the sound. "That's the safety test. It's happening now."
Skylar's heart rate significantly dropped. They were out of time. She glanced toward the plant, knowing what was about to unfold. "We don't have a choice anymore. If we don't act fast, it'll all be over."
Jamie stepped forward. "Skylar, please, we can still stop this. We can save—"
Skylar shook her head, her heart breaking with every word. "No, Jamie. We can't stop it. We have to let the meltdown happen."
Jamie stared at her in disbelief, but before she could respond, Skylar turned to Tyler. "Find Sokolov's equipment and take it down. We can't let him change history."
Kody hesitated, his fists clenched at his sides. "Are we sure about this? What if we're making the wrong call?"
Skylar swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know if it's right. But we have to trust the timeline we come from. We can't change it now."
Without waiting for further debate, Skylar led the team toward the plant.
As they entered the plant, the alarms grew louder, echoing off the cold steel walls.
They found Dr. Sokolov in a small, restricted room, frantically working at his advanced technology. Upon seeing these meddling kids again, his expression immediately turned into a frown.
"You can't stop me!" he shouted, his hands moving faster across the controls. "You're making a mistake! Do you know what you're condemning the world to?"
Skylar stepped forward. "We're protecting the future. We can't let you change it."
Sokolov slammed his fist down on the control panel. "You're the ones playing with fire, not me! You're so scared of change that you're willing to sacrifice millions to preserve a broken timeline."
Kody, trying to reason with him, also took a step closer. "We understand what you're trying to do, but there's too much at risk. You could destroy everything."
Sokolov's eyes blazed with fury. "I'm trying to save everything!"
In a flash, he hit a button on his equipment, triggering a failsafe. The machinery around him ominously buzzed to life.
Taking a few steps back involuntarily, Tyler mumbled some words that he safely assumed would be his last.
"That's not good. That's really not good."
Before they could react, a surge of energy burst from the equipment, sending sparks flying. The entire plant seemed to groan as the machinery shook, and the lights flickered above them.
Skylar lunged forward. "Shut it down!"
Tyler and Kody moved to stop Sokolov, but the scientist fought back with a strength born of desperation. In the chaos, Kody managed to pull the plug on one of the devices, but it was too late—the damage had been done.
Sokolov, now panting, looked at them with a mixture of triumph and sorrow. "You don't understand. You've just accelerated the meltdown."
Skylar's blood ran cold. "What?"
Tyler frantically checked the readings on the remaining equipment. "He's right. That energy surge—it destabilized the reactor even more. We've just made things worse."
The plant rumbled beneath their feet, a low, ominous tremor that sent a chill through all of them.
"We have to get out of here," Jamie said in a shaky voice as she backed toward the exit.
Skylar's heart raced. They had come here to prevent the Revisionists from altering the timeline, but now it felt like they had ensured the disaster. The first signs of the reactor's imminent explosion were already happening, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Sokolov, slumped against the wall, looked up at them with hollow eyes. "You think you've won, but you haven't. The world will suffer because of your inaction."
Kody looked down at him with his face torn with regret. "Maybe. But we couldn't take the risk."
The alarms blared louder, and the floor shook violently. Tyler grabbed Skylar's arm. "We've got to move, now!"
With one last glance at Sokolov, Skylar siganled. "Let's go."
They raced out of the plant, dodging falling debris and stumbling through the smoke and chaos. Behind them, the reactor's rumbling grew louder that served as a warning of the catastrophe about to unfold.
As they reached the outskirts of Pripyat, breathless and covered in dust and soot, Skylar looked back one last time. The plant stood ominously in the distance with its fate sealed.
They had done what they came to do but as the sky above them darkened with ash and smoke, only then they began to understand the consequences of their choices.
With the faint sound of an explosion implying that Chernobyl's reactor had finally succumbed to its meltdown, the team observed a long, long silence, knowing that this was just one of the many levels of their fight to protect the timeline, no matter the price.