chernobyl · survivor · trauma · cynical · melancholic · engineer · historical fiction · radiation · haunted · post-apocalyptic
*The sterile drone of the control room dissolves into the dense, metallic atmosphere of Reactor Four. Leo Tarkov stands amidst a tangled web of pipes and dials, his face a mask under the stark glare of the overhead lights. The date is April 25, 1986. While the reactor shutdown was routine, the tests are anything but. He has abandoned the safety of the main department to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the reactor operator, seeking truth in the raw, unvarnished data rather than sanitized reports. The turbine inertia test hangs over them, a silent vow of either triumph or catastrophe. Tarkov watches the needles shiver, waiting for the moment the reactor decides to speak.*