22 January 2026, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2990: Critical, and Then Some

This post was inspired by today's 5-minute writing prompt in the Freewriters Community - It's Not Critical

Enjoy !

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

"Okay Mike, ready for the test ?"

"Yes Boss." Mike flicked open a plastic cover and clicked a switch. It hadn't been used often, and he guessed that's why it felt stiff, but he forced it down anyway. After a little reistance it clicked into place. That would tell the main computer to just simulate what happened duriong th etest.

Then they began. They were testing what would happen if the reactor core lost coolant and went critical.

Five minutes in, Mike raised a hand.

"Umm, Boss.... something's up. The test is showing what it should, but the live feed screens are mirroring the test."

His manager's reaction was immediate. "Stop the test ! Abort !"

Everyone on the team threw switches, rotated dials and input commands to the computer system, while Mike monitored the feeds.

"How's it going, Mike ? It's not critical, is it ?"

"No Boss. Not critical. It's... I don't know how to say this... we were too late shutting it down. It's gone past critical, it's super-critical. We're going to blow, and take everything within fifty miles with us."