Alarms Blared as smoke curled through the cracked ceiling tiles, as Ravi stumbled over fallen chairs and scattered papers. The lab was chaos – monitors flashed red, beakers shattered, liquid hissing as it met the floor. Someone screamed, but it was downed by the shrill vail of the evacuation alert. Ravi’s hand shook as he fumbled with the override panel – 3 minutes before full system breakdown. Sparks flew from the main monitor. Behind him, a cabinet burst into flames. His earpiece crackled with static. ” abort !!! get out!!!” shouted a distance voice, but he could not leave, not without stopping the reaction. Sweat dripped into his eyes. One wrong wire and everything would be over. He took a breath, swallowed his fear, and dove into the tangle of circuits.
His fingers moved by instincts now, dancing over wires and fuses, the way a pianist finds notes in chaos. The heat was unbearable – his lab coat clung to his back, his breath shallow in the smoky air. A pipe hissed above and then burst, sending a jet of steam inches away from his head. He didn’t flinch. One last connection. One final code. The panel blinked, hesitated, then turned green. The alarms silenced. He had done it – barely.
Sukrant Monga 
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