Somewhere in the West…
"Daddy, can we watch TV? Please?" young Emily pleaded, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Her father smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Have you finished your homework?"
Emily hesitated, then sheepishly admitted, "Uh… no."
"Well, then—no TV for you. Homework comes first," he said in a firm but gentle tone.
"Come on, sweetheart, let her watch for a little while," Mom chimed in, casting a sympathetic glance at Emily.
Dad sighed. "You know how she is, honey. Once she gets hooked on TV, her homework will never get done."
As Emily pouted, Dad plopped onto the couch, grabbing the remote. "How about this? I'll watch the news while she does her homework."
Emily crossed her arms and huffed, trudging toward her study desk.
The television flickered on.
"Good morning, dear viewers, and a happy Sunday to all!" the news anchor, Dan, greeted with enthusiasm.
His co-anchor, Rye, smiled. "Yes, Dan, now that we've settled down after a week of New Year celebrations, it's time to bring you the latest headlines."
"Our first story—actor Tile Ray is set to star in a new action film alongside lead actress Jean Cloud."
"Ooh, this year is starting off with a bang, huh, Rye?" Dan chuckled.
"Absolutely, Dan. Looks like we're in for some thrilling entertainment."
As Rye prepared to read the next headline, she suddenly paused. A voice crackled in her earpiece.
A slight frown crossed her face. "Wait—"
"What?" Dan asked, his smile fading slightly.
"…Excuse me… What did you just say?" Rye's expression darkened, her voice growing tense.
A sudden shift in the atmosphere—the lighthearted energy evaporated, replaced by a chilling seriousness that gripped both the studio and the viewers watching at home.
Dan's brows furrowed. "Rye…?"
A beat of silence. Then, Rye took a deep breath and faced the camera.
"Dear viewers… We are receiving an urgent breaking news report."
Dan straightened in his seat, the air thick with an unspoken dread.
"The Eastern City Shuttle has just experienced a major nuclear catastrophe."
Silence.
Dan's face went pale. "A… what?"
At home, millions of viewers sat frozen, a creeping sense of horror washing over them.
The world had just changed in an instant.
Rye swallowed hard and continued.
A deafening silence followed Rye's announcement. The weight of her words seemed to linger in the air, pressing down on the studio.
Dan swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper. "Rye… are you sure?"
Rye nodded stiffly, placing a trembling hand on her earpiece. She listened intently for a few seconds before turning back to the camera, her face grim.
"We are still gathering details, but initial reports confirm a catastrophic nuclear event in the Eastern City Shuttle District. Authorities have declared a state of emergency, and rescue teams are being deployed as we speak."
The screen behind them flickered, displaying a live aerial view of the disaster. A towering column of smoke spiraled into the sky, blotting out the sun. Fires raged in the distance, casting an eerie orange glow over the ruins of what had once been a bustling city.
Dan exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "This… this can't be happening."
Rye's voice wavered. "We don't yet know the cause. But officials are urging all citizens in neighboring areas to remain indoors and avoid exposure to the air outside. We repeat—do not go outside.
_________________________________________________________
Somewhere in a small living room…
The remote slipped from Dad's grip, clattering onto the wooden floor. Emily flinched at the sudden noise, her small fingers tightening around the edges of her notebook.
"Mom…?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Mom stood frozen, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes remained glued to the screen. The flickering glow of the TV reflected in her widened pupils, mirroring the horror unfolding before them.
Dad finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "That's… only a few cities away."
Emily didn't understand everything, but she could feel it—the way the room had changed, how the air had suddenly become heavier. She looked between her parents, searching for reassurance, but found none.
The news continued.
"Emergency response teams are evacuating survivors," Rye reported, regaining some composure. "Hospitals in nearby districts are preparing for incoming casualties. We have yet to confirm the number of lives lost, but…" She hesitated.
Dan shifted uncomfortably. "Rye…?"
She exhaled shakily. "We're getting reports that… there are no signs of life in the immediate blast zone."
Silence.
Emily watched as her mother shut her eyes, whispering something under her breath. A prayer? A plea?
Dad finally stood up. "We should start packing."
Mom turned to him, eyes filled with disbelief. "You think it'll come here?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. The sky remained clear—blue and peaceful, as if unaware of the tragedy unfolding miles away.
But something in his gut told him the worst was yet to come.
"We need to be ready," he murmured.
Emily hugged her notebook to her chest, her innocent world crumbling around her.
Outside, the birds still chirped. The world still turned.
But something had changed.
And deep down, everyone knew—this was only the beginning.
_________________________________________________________
Within the National Council..
On that fateful day, within the National Council, the air was thick with tension. Members debated relentlessly, their voices overlapping in a chaotic symphony of outrage and fear. A catastrophe of unimaginable scale had struck the nation, and they demanded answers.
Furious voices echoed through the grand chamber as speakers directed their wrath toward the President and the Head of the Defense Department.
"How could this happen?" one member shouted.
"Who is responsible for this disaster?" another demanded.
"This is another Chernobyl! We need the truth!"
The President, weary of the clamor but determined to restore order, finally rose from his seat. A heavy silence settled over the room as all eyes turned to him. His expression was grim, his voice unwavering.
"What we have witnessed today is neither a mere military accident nor an attack by a foreign power. This may sound absurd to you all, but the catastrophe was not caused by an external force. The explosion originated from within the city itself."
Murmurs spread like wildfire through the council. Disbelief and anger surged once more.
"Inside the city?" one member scoffed.
"Mr. President, do you expect us to believe that? A small district like Shuttle could never house a nuclear facility large enough for such devastation!"
The President exhaled, his gaze steely. "No one is foolish enough to build such a facility in Shuttle. And yet, we cannot ignore the satellite reports—they confirm, without a doubt, that the explosion's epicenter was within the city's boundaries."
The Head of Defense, his face etched with concern, stepped forward. "To uncover the truth behind this disaster, we are deploying an elite investigation team. Their mission: to find the cause of this catastrophe, no matter where the answers may lead."
And so, under the command of Captain Asher Collins, the investigation team was dispatched. As they ventured into the ruined city, none of them could predict the horrors they were about to unearth—the abyss of mysteries that, once revealed, might become their deepest regret.