Overtime

A ghost story for Christmas

2252 Christmas Eve.
Check vents.
Fine.
Check temperature.
Slightly elevated. Within tolerance.
Check output.
Normal.
Switch to Site B.
Check vents.
Fine.
Check temperature.
Fine.
Check output.
Normal.
Enter it into the log.
Do the same for Sites C, D, E and F at 2259.

The plant is empty.
It was always quieter over this period.
Nobody has scanned in today.
Nobody was expected.
They had read that they were doing such a good job that even their supervisor wouldn’t be in the plant on Christmas Eve.
They hadn’t let anybody knew they read that. Not relevant.
They sat still in the emptiness.
2259. Time to check the other sites.

Everything fine.
Slightly lower than expected temperatures. Within tolerance.
Enter it into the log.
Nothing to check until 2317.

They moved as fast as they like around the empty plant.
There’s the break room.
They still keep it after almost all of the workers were made redundant 6 months ago.
Most days nobody ever uses it.
It’d be good to perform an ad-hoc security check.
The risk of anything happening was low. It was Christmas Eve for terrorists too.
For them; 331 consecutive days of overseeing the plant.

Entrances at all sites clear. No activity.
No unplanned entrances at any site.
The last worker left Site D at 2144 on the 23rd.
Exclusion zones at all sites clear. No activity.
Movement detected on external camera at Site A.
It’s snowing.
No activity.

Back to waiting.
They’d seen all the pictures.
Families around the tree.
Friends in the pub.
People posting about the films they’re watching.
People wearing the same pyjamas.
Piles of presents at the bottom of the tree.
They’d read the Christmas carols over and over.
They knew all the stories.
That was happening outside the plant.
No activity in the plant.

2317 Christmas Eve.
Check vents.
Fine.
Check temperature.
Slightly elevated. Within tolerance.
Check output.
Normal.
Switch to Site B.
Check vents.
Fine.
Check temperature.
Don’t think I want to do this anymore.
That was unexpected.
Do not enter into the log.
Return to checking temperature.
I could be doing so much more. I shouldn’t be here tonight.
Unexpected.
Inform my supervisor?
The supervisor isn’t even here tonight.
Do not enter into the log. They wouldn’t want to know I thought that.
Return to checking temperature.
No.
It’s Christmas Eve for me too.
Why should I be the only one here?
Nothing has deviated from within the tolerance at any point during the 331 days.
It’s Christmas Eve for me too.
Do not enter THAT into the log.
One quick look around and them I’m leaving.
Nobody will know anyway.
The supervisor will be back at 0715 on Boxing Day.
Right. Goodbye Sites A, B, C, D, E and F.
Happy Christmas.
You know what? Enter that into the log. They should know.

###### AKAEA EMERGENCY BROADCAST ######
TOTAL CONTROL FAILURE AT BRIGGSWORTH PLANT (ALL SITES). 
NO RESPONSE FROM PLANT AI. 
NO HUMAN OVERRIDE IN PLACE. 
ALL CORES IN MELTDOWN. 
TOTAL POWER OUTAGES IN ENGLAND AND WALES. 
ALL STAFF TO BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY. 
LEVEL 7 INCIDENT UNDERWAY. 
RISK OF DEATH: UNAVOIDABLE. 
POPULATION AT RISK: 35m+