Testing the Limits of Time

Chapter 18: The Fallout Begins

The night sky above Pripyat was a deep, spotless black until—the explosion shattered the stillness. The team had barely reached the edge of the town when the earth trembled beneath them, and the skyline lit up with a nauseating orange glow. For a few seconds, no one spoke. Then reality hit.
"That's it," Kody stuttered. "It's happening."
Skylar stared at the reactor in the distance with a heart that pounded like a million hammers knocking on a steel wall. Thick smoke began to rise from the plant, curling like a dark snake into the sky. But it wasn't just the fire she was worried about. It was the invisible radiation, spreading rapidly, deadly but unseen.
"Stay focused," she said, trying to steady her breath. "We have to regroup. Where's Tyler?"
Jamie scanned the area, spotting Tyler just a few meters away, hunched over his portable radiation monitor. His face was lit up by the glow of the explosion, and he looked gloomy.
"We've got to move," Tyler called out. "It's worse than I thought. The radiation levels are climbing fast."
Skylar nodded. They couldn't afford to freeze now, even though every instinct screamed at her to run far away from the impending disaster.
"We'll split up," Skylar suggested. "Kody and Tyler, you head back toward the reactor. See if you can warn the firefighters without drawing too much attention. Jamie and I will stay in Pripyat. We'll do what we can to keep people inside."
Jamie hesitated in a fit of panic. "Skylar, this... it's worse than anything we've faced. How can we stay here and not—"
"I know," Skylar cut in, "But we're here now, and we have to help. We just can't let anyone know what's really happening. Stick to the plan."
With a nod that resembled a shake, Jamie followed Skylar as they headed back into the town. Kody and Tyler sprinted toward the plant, taking closer steps to the epicenter of the disaster.
***
As Kody and Tyler approached the plant, they unwillingly witnessed chaos unfolding. Firefighters in outdated protective gear scrambled toward the burning reactor, hoses in hand. None of them seemed to realize the danger they were in was the deadly radiation already soaking into their bodies.
"We've got to do something," Kody muttered under his breath. "They have no idea what's happening."
Tyler nodded, glancing around to make sure no one was paying them too much attention. "We have to be careful. We can't tell them the truth. Just stick to what they might believe."
Kody spotted a firefighter nearby, a tall man with a serious expression, barking orders at his team. He and Tyler approached cautiously.
"Hey!" Kody called out. "You need to get your men back. It's not just the fire. It's radiation. You're in danger."
The firefighter turned to look at them, frowning. "What are you talking about? It's just a fire. We've got this under control."
Tyler stepped forward, his voice low and urgent. "No, you don't understand. That explosion...it's the reactor. It's leaking radiation. If you don't get out of here, you're going to die."
The firefighter's face hardened. "That's nonsense. We've been told it's under control. Now get out of here before you get yourselves in trouble."
Kody exchanged a frustrated glance with Tyler. They couldn't force the truth on these men, at least not without risking suspicion. But they had to keep trying.
"Just... be careful," Kody said finally. "If you notice anything strange, get out. Fast."
The firefighter waved them off, turning back to his team. Kody clenched his fists in frustration as they walked away.
"This is impossible," Kody muttered. "We know what's going to happen, and we can't do anything to stop it."
Tyler sighed, looking back at the plant, which was now hardly visible through the blinding smoke. "We're doing what we can, man. That's all we can do."
***
Back in Pripyat, Skylar and Jamie wandered the streets, carrying the weight of the knowledge of the forthcoming doom. Families were still asleep, unaware of the radiation creeping into their homes. Children continued with their shenanigans outside, running through the dust as if it were just another day. This oblivion juxtaposed with the looming catastrophe was too painful to bear.
"How do we warn them without giving it all away?" Jamie asked, her voice trembling.
"We can't tell them everything," Skylar replied. "But we can push them in the right direction."
They stopped near a small shop where a group of mothers stood chatting while their children played nearby. Skylar carefully approached them, trying to act as casually as possible.
"Excuse me," she said, trying to keep up her amiable demeanor. "I've heard that there's been some kind of accident at the plant. It might be a good idea to keep your kids inside for a while."
One of the women raised an eyebrow. "An accident? We haven't heard anything about that."
"Just a precaution," Jamie chimed in quickly. "You never know, right? Better safe than sorry."
The women looked at each other with an uncertain look before one of them nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Come on, kids, let's go inside for a bit."
As they led their children away, Skylar gave out a sigh of relief, not knowing how much it was needed until she released it. They hadn't achieved much but this was still something.
They continued down the street, reiterating the same advice to anyone who would listen. Some people seemed to take their warning seriously, while others shrugged them off, unconvinced that anything was wrong.
Jamie's steps slowed as they passed by a small apartment building. In one of the windows, she saw a young family: parents with a toddler playing on the floor. The children giggled, living every moment to the fullest, the moments devoid of knowledge.
Feeling a sharp pain in her chest, Jamie stopped in her tracks. "Skylar... I don't know if I can do this."
Turning to her, Skylar asked her what Jamie meant by that statement.
"It's too much," Jamie broke down. "Knowing what's going to happen... seeing these people... that family... It's like I'm watching them die in slow motion."
Skylar placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I know it's hard. But we're doing what we can. We can't save everyone, but every life we save matters."
Jamie wiped at her eyes, trying to pull herself together. "I just... I can't stop thinking about my family. What if it were them?"
Skylar squeezed her shoulder. "I get it. But right now, we have to focus. These people need us."
***
Meanwhile, Kody and Tyler had managed to gather some iodine tablets from the plant's medical supplies and were discreetly distributing them to anyone who would listen. They knew it wasn't enough to save everyone, but it might help reduce the damage for a few.
But as they worked, Kody felt a pang of guilt slicing through his conscience. "We could've stopped this, you know," he sighed.
Tyler turned and looked at him, "What do you mean?"
"If we'd let Sokolov do his thing, none of this would've happened. No radiation, no disaster. People wouldn't have to die."
Tyler sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, maybe. But we don't know what else would've changed. Maybe it would've been worse."
Kody kicked at a loose piece of gravel on the ground. "Feels like a lose-lose situation."
Tyler gave him a half-smile. "Welcome to time travel. No easy answers."
***
As the night wore on, the team reconvened in a secluded corner of Pripyat. The radiation was spreading faster than they had anticipated, and they knew there was little more they could do without blowing their cover.
"We've done what we can," Skylar said tiredly. "We can't interfere any more than this."
Kody stared at the ground, his eyes fixed on nothing specific. Perhaps he was trying to hide the guilt written all over his face. "I...I don't know, man. It just doesn't feel like enough."
"It never does," Skylar replied softly. "But we have to trust that this is the way things are meant to be."
Suddenly, a piercing alarm cut through the night air, which echoed across the town. The evacuation orders had finally been given.
The streets erupted into chaos as people scattered to leave immediately. Families packed into cars, clutching their children and belongings as they fled. Skylar and the others stood back, watching helplessly.
"We need to get out of here," Tyler advised, the tension of his surroundings consuming him. "The radiation's only going to get worse."
Skylar nodded. "We've done our part. Let's go."
Blending into the stampede of citizens stuck in flight mode, they made their way toward the outskirts of town.
Skylar turned and looked at Pripyat one last time. They had succeeded in their mission. But the price of protecting the timeline had never felt so unaffordable.
As the team traversed through the devastated streets of Pripyat, a nagging feeling settled in Skylar's mind. Something didn't seem right. The reactor explosion was bad, but it wasn't just the fallout that was troubling her.
Small inconsistencies started to pile up: the odd behavior of certain individuals, equipment that didn't quite belong in 1986, and people who seemed to know too much, too soon.
Skylar signaled the team to gather in a secluded alley. "Anyone else noticing things that don't add up?"
Kody, who had been observing the firefighters earlier, nodded. "Some of the gear they're using is not standard. And a couple of them were giving orders that felt off like they weren't worried about the radiation at all."
Jamie frowned. "I thought it was just me, but when we were talking to the locals, one guy seemed... too prepared. He practically had a bunker set up. How would he know to do that?"
Tyler, who had been tinkering with his portable computer system the entire time, suddenly spoke up, "I've been running some checks on the plant's network. It's a mess right now with the explosion, but I found something weird—files and data logs that shouldn't exist, not in this time period. Someone's been tampering with the system."
Skylar raised an eyebrow. "You're saying there's more Revisionist activity than just Sokolov?"
Tyler nodded grimly. "It looks like someone's been using the plant's systems to manipulate the disaster. And from what I can tell, they've been planning this for a while. Sokolov wasn't acting alone."
Skylar took a deep breath, processing the information. "We need to find out who else is involved and stop them before they do more damage."
***
The team split up again, knowing that something much larger was at play. Tyler stayed behind to hack deeper into the plant's computer system, hoping to find out exactly what the Revisionists were up to.
Meanwhile, Skylar, Kody, and Jamie began investigating the area around the plant.
Tyler's fingers struck across his keyboard as he dived further into the corrupted data. Once again, he discovered the  Revisionists' plot to amplify the disaster's effects. Once again, they weren't just trying to prevent the Chernobyl disaster from being contained but planning to make it much worse than it originally was.
The more he uncovered schematics for advanced equipment—radiation collectors, advanced cooling systems, things that didn't belong in the 1980s, the more surprised he got. They were using the chaos to steal radioactive material for some unknown future use.
"Guys, you're not going to believe this!"
Setting the tab to full-screen mode and turning the screen toward his friends, Tyler explained, "There's a hidden base near the plant. An abandoned building. I'm sending you the coordinates now. That's where the Revisionists are operating from."
Skylar acknowledged the message, "We're on it. Keep digging, Tyler. Let us know if you find anything else."
***
Skylar, Kody, and Jamie made their way to the location Tyler had pinpointed. It was a decrepit building, half-hidden by overgrown trees and brush. From the outside, it looked like any other abandoned structure, but something about it felt shady.
Kody peered through a cracked window. "This place looks dead. Are we sure the Revisionists are in here? I mean, they are always everywhere, but are they here?"
Jamie shrugged. "If Tyler says there's a base here, I believe him. Let's check it out."
They slipped into the building quietly, moving through dark, dusty corridors until they reached a basement door. Skylar opened it carefully, revealing a flight of stairs leading down into a brightly lit room that was completely out of place in the run-down building.
The walls were lined with high-tech equipment such as computers, strange devices, and what looked like containers for radioactive material.
Skylar exchanged a look with Kody and Jamie. "This is it. This is where they're running their operation."
As they moved further into the room, Skylar noticed blueprints laid out on a table. One of them detailed a plan to intercept radioactive material after the explosion. Another showed designs for what appeared to be portable radiation devices, technology far beyond anything that should have existed in 1986.
"They're planning to steal the material," Jamie said in a low voice. "They're going to take advantage of the chaos after the explosion."
Skylar narrowed her eyes upon the realization. "We can't let them get away with this. Let's see if we can find out how they're moving this stuff."
Before they could go any further, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Skylar signaled her team to hide, and they quickly ducked behind some large equipment.
A group of Revisionists entered the room, led by a man Skylar immediately recognized.
"Dr. Sokolov," she exclaimed, though her voice was barely a whisper.
The group began checking the equipment, oblivious to the team's presence. Sokolov was talking to one of his associates, gesturing toward the schematics.
"This is the only way," Sokolov was saying. "Once we have the material, we'll ensure that no one can stop the collapse of nuclear power. And once that happens, we can rewrite the future."
Skylar's heart raced. Sokolov wasn't just trying to prevent the Chernobyl disaster; he was trying to use it to destroy nuclear energy altogether, likely ensuring a future dependent on even more dangerous and unsustainable energy sources. The fallout, both literally and figuratively, could be catastrophic.
She looked at Kody and Jamie, who nodded in understanding. They had to stop Sokolov and his team from stealing the radioactive material.
Just as Skylar was about to move, Sokolov turned sharply and yelled in a loud voice, "I know you're here. You can come out now."
Skylar froze, and so did the others. Had they been spotted?
Sokolov looked directly at their hiding spot. "You can't hide forever."
Realizing there was no use hiding anymore, Skylar stepped out first with her hands raised slightly. "Sokolov. We're not going to let you do this."
The rest of the team followed her out of their hiding spot. Sokolov smirked. "Ah, the time travelers. I was wondering when you'd show up."
A direct confrontation wasn't ideal, but they couldn't let the Revisionists leave with the material. "You think you can change the future for the better by stealing radioactive material?" she asked, trying to stall for time.
"Better for whom?" Sokolov shot back. "For decades, Chernobyl's legacy has been used as an argument against nuclear power. What if it hadn't happened? What if we controlled that narrative instead? We could reshape the future, create a world free from the dangers of climate change by pushing nuclear energy forward without this disaster haunting its legacy."
Kody spoke up in their defense. "You think you're saving the future, but you don't know what your actions will cost. You could be creating a world even worse than the one you're trying to prevent."
Sokolov shook his head. "You time travelers are all the same—obsessed with preserving the timeline as it is, terrified of change. But change is necessary."
At that moment, alarms began blaring throughout the plant. The safety test that had started earlier had accelerated the reactor's destabilization, and now the facility was on the verge of a full-scale meltdown.
Skylar's heart dropped. They were out of time.
"We're not letting you leave with that material," she said, stepping forward.
Sokolov's smirk vanished. "And what will you do to stop us?"
In a flash, the room turned to chaos. Skylar and the team charged forward, trying to disable Sokolov's equipment while dodging blows from the Revisionists. Kody wrestled one of them to the ground while Jamie used her quick reflexes to outmaneuver another.
Sokolov, meanwhile, was frantically trying to trigger his equipment, a device designed to teleport the radioactive material to a secure location in the future. Skylar saw the device start to glow with energy, and without hesitation, she lunged at him, knocking the controls out of his hands.
"You're not doing this," Skylar said through gritted teeth.
Sokolov glared at her. "You can't stop progress."
As they struggled, Tyler's voice crackled over the comms. "Skylar, the reactor's about to blow. We need to get out of here—now."
Skylar glanced at the clock. They had only minutes before the full meltdown. She turned to Jamie and Kody. "We've got to go. Now!"
They scrambled out of the building, leaving the disabled Revisionist equipment behind. As they sprinted toward safety, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The explosion was inevitable now.
Just before they reached the edge of the plant, Skylar looked back at Sokolov and his team, still trapped inside the building. There was no way they'd make it out before the reactor blew. It was over.
The explosion rocked the ground, sending a plume of smoke and radioactive material into the sky. The team could only watch as the disaster unfolded before their eyes.
As the explosion's shockwave settled, the team stumbled out of the danger zone. Their faces were covered in ash, and their bodies ached from the scramble.
Skylar's mind was spinning, not just from the physical exhaustion but from everything that they had just experienced.
Kody, however, was struggling more than the others. He slumped against a nearby wall, his skin pale and sweat dripping down his face. Skylar noticed first. "Kody, are you okay?"
Kody waved her off weakly, but the strain was clear. "I'm fine, just... tired."
Tyler wasn't convinced. He pulled out a small device from his gear: a radiation detector. The readings spiked the second he pointed it at Kody. His eyes widened in horror.
"Kody's been exposed. Badly."
Jamie's face drained of color. "How bad?"
Tyler showed them the reading. "If we don't do something soon, it's going to get worse. We're talking lethal levels."
Skylar's stomach churned. "How did this happen?"
Kody leaned back, "I... I had to disable some of the Revisionist tech to stop them from getting that radioactive material. I didn't realize it was leaking radiation until it was too late."
A long silence followed. They had foiled the Revisionist plot, but it had come at a price—Kody's life was now in serious danger.
"We need to get him medical help," Jamie said. "We can't just let him die."
Skylar clenched her fists. "But where? Soviet-era medicine won't be able to treat this level of radiation poisoning."
Tyler, still holding the radiation detector, hesitated before speaking. "There might be another way."
The team looked at him expectantly.
Tyler continued, "We captured some of the Revisionist technology. It's advanced enough to treat radiation poisoning—far more advanced than anything in this era. We could use it to stabilize Kody."
"But..." Jamie trailed off, knowing the implication. "If we use it, we're leaving traces of future tech behind. The timeline could be altered."
Skylar could feel anxiety getting the best of her. This was the kind of decision that could unravel everything they had worked so hard to protect. But Kody—he was their friend, their teammate.
"I won't make it," Kody said softly, his voice strained. "Don't risk the timeline just for me."
Skylar turned to him, her face hard. "We don't leave anyone behind, Kody."
Kody winced. "But if we mess up the timeline—"
"It's not just about the timeline," Jamie interrupted, her eyes glistening with emotion. "You've been with us since the start. We can't lose you."
Skylar felt the weight of the moment pressing down on her. Every second they delayed, Kody's condition worsened. They couldn't afford to debate much longer.
Tyler took a deep breath. "If we're careful, we can use the technology without leaving too many traces. I'll make sure it's wiped afterward. We won't let it affect history."
Skylar nodded, making the decision. "Do it."
The team quickly fashioned a medical station in a hidden corner of the town, away from snooping eyes. Tyler pulled out the Revisionist device, which hummed to life as Tyler calibrated it, careful not to activate anything that could be traced later.
Kody lay on the ground, his breathing shallow, his skin pale and clammy. Skylar knelt beside him, her hand gripping his. "Hold on, Kody. We've got you."
Tyler worked quickly, placing the device over Kody's chest. The machine emitted a faint glow, scanning his body and identifying the damaged cells. Advanced beams of energy worked to neutralize the radiation in his system, a process that would have been unthinkable for the technology of the mid-1980s.
Minutes felt like hours as the device did its work. Jamie paced nervously nearby while Skylar kept her focus on Kody's face, watching for any signs of improvement.
Finally, Tyler stepped back. "That should stabilize him for now. We'll need to monitor him, but he should be okay."
Skylar let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."
But even in the relief, there was no telling what kind of butterfly effect this could have.
***
The evacuation from Pripyat had begun, but it was slow and disorganized. Families were loading whatever they could into cars or walking with suitcases down the road, many not yet aware of the full danger they faced.
The team stood at a distance, watching the heartbreaking scenes unfold. Children played in the street, oblivious to the radioactive dust around them. Elderly couples packed up the lives they had built, leaving behind homes they would never return to.
Jamie wiped a tear from her eye. "I hate this. I hate that we can't do more."
"We've done what we could," Skylar said, though her voice was strained with the same guilt that crushed all of them.
Kody, still weak but now able to stand, shook his head. "We saved lives today, even if it doesn't feel like it."
Tyler spoke up, "We have to trust that history will balance itself out. We can't change everything, but we can make small differences that matter."
Skylar nodded. "Let's help them where we can without leaving any marks. We can't change the big picture, but maybe we can make things a little easier for some of them."
Over the next few hours, the team worked discreetly and diligently. They subtly encouraged families to pack faster, handed out iodine tablets to those who hadn't received them, and steered people away from the most contaminated areas without being detected. Each act was small, but it was their way of easing the suffering they couldn't fully prevent.
As the evacuation buses finally pulled away, Skylar and the team stood at the edge of the town, watching the people they had helped disappear into the distance.
Kody, still gaunt but recovering, leaned on Jamie for support. "Do you think we did the right thing?"
Jamie looked at him with a softened expression. "We saved you. That's enough for me."
Looking at the horizon ahead of them, Skylar smiled, for they had done what they had to do. Now, they just had to make sure it didn't come back to bite them.
Tyler powered down the Revisionist device and carefully dismantled it, leaving no room for it to cause them any harm. "It's done. No one will ever know we were here."
But even as they walked back toward the time portal, a sense of uncertainty hung heavy in the air. They had saved Kody, they had foiled the Revisionist plot, but the question remained...
What kind of mark had they left on the timeline?
But as they started walking toward the time portal, ready to return to their own world, an unsaid uncertainty lingered. They had stopped the Revisionists, yes, but the disaster had still happened.
The people of Pripyat would never come back to their homes. Children would grow up without knowing the place they once lived, and families would have to rebuild their lives far away.
"Do you think Chernobyl will ever be the same?" Kody asked, turning back to look at the smoke rising in the distance.
Skylar shook her head. "It won't. The disaster will leave a mark on history—on the people, the land, and the future. It's something no one can undo."
"But what if the Revisionists aren't just trying to change one event?" Tyler said suddenly, looking up from his equipment. "What if Chernobyl is part of something bigger? A larger plan to rewrite history?"
Everyone paused. The thought hadn't occurred to them before, but it made sense. The Revisionists wouldn't focus on just one disaster. They would be working across different moments in time, shifting key events to suit their agenda.
Jamie raised her eyebrows. "You're right, Tyler. What if this is just the beginning? There could be more disasters they're trying to change. We'll have to be ready."
Skylar nodded. "We've faced them before, and we'll face them again. But we need to be smarter and more careful. Every decision we make has consequences."
"We changed things here, didn't we?" Kody said. "Even if we didn't mean to."
Skylar didn't answer immediately. She knew Kody was right. Even though they had tried to keep history intact, their actions had left small ripples in time.
Maybe the Chernobyl they were leaving behind wasn't quite the same as the one written in history books. Maybe some things had changed in ways they couldn't fully understand.
"We did what we thought was right," she said gently. "And we'll keep doing that, no matter what. But we have to remember that every choice we make matters. The past, the future... it's all connected."
As the team stepped through the time portal, the world of 1986 blurred behind them. Pripyat, Chernobyl, the people they had helped, the lives they had touched—it was all left behind in a history they could no longer control.
When they emerged back in their own time, everything felt different. Tyler looked at his teammates, "We're not done yet. The Revisionists won't stop, but neither will we."
Skylar smiled at him, though the seriousness of their journey was still clear in her expression. "No, we won't. Whatever they throw at us, we'll be ready."