The small nuclear power plant opened a couple weeks ago near the city. It was situated smack in the middle of an industrial zone close to some neighborhoods. The inhabitants of the area were against the construction of the plant, however their concerns did not do anything to impede its construction.
On this particular Tuesday, an operation crew member named David was about his day as usual, doing the most simple but dangerous occupation the power plant could provide. He had to monitor the power in the reactor systems, and if it went over a certain threshold he would push the big red button at his desk, evacuating everyone from the plant before it exploded.
To him however, the words on his monitor and the fact that everyone in this plant could die in a matter of minutes did not seem to faze him in the slightest, as even today he was slouched in his chair in the observation cockpit, his phone a few inches from his nose, video after video displayed on his screen. He laid his feet on the table like a king, resting his feet a few centimeters away from the button. He would occasionally take breaks in between his videos to grab a doughnut from a bright orange colored box on the table.
And it was at that moment that he decided to take a break from his scrolling of videos to take a bite of a caramel flavoured doughnut when the power percentage caught his eye. The screen flashed red with the power reading 587. If it increased over 600 he would have to press the button. He dropped his phone and threw his legs down to the floor as he stared down the red colored number. “Was this it?” he asked himself as his hand hovered over the red button. It had to be now, right? His finger twitched with anticipation as he struggled to keep his eyes from blinking, and maintaining them pressed to the screen.
Suddenly, the number surged up to 607. He swung his hand onto the button, compressing it under his big, sweaty hands. He waited for an alarm to blare into his ears, but nothing happened. He pushed it again, but nothing happened. He reclined slowly into his chair, staring at the screen as the number kept on surging, slowly surrendering himself to his fate.