Activity

It took only a drop of antimatter, less than one millionth of a millilitre, but it leveled half a city.  Smoking ruins of houses, shops, offices, stretched out before me.  The containment system had failed, for just a brief moment, but it was enough of a leak to start a chain reaction.  A handful of anti-particles slipped into the magnetic walls of the reactor, causing a hole to appear in the toroidal field through which the rest of the reactor's fuel escaped.


In a fraction of a second a trillions anti-particles collided with their matter counterparts resulting in a catastrophically vast, uncontrolled efflux of energy, laying waste to the surrounding area.  


Two million, eight hundred and seventy-three thousand, one hundred and sixty-two dead.  A further ninety-seven thousand, two hundred and four injured, nineteen thousand and seventy-one of which terminally radiation poisoned.


No matter how you looked at this, it was an unmitigated disaster.  There would be consequences, mostly directed at me.  I was trusted to run these systems, keep the people safe.  Clean, safe energy for everyone!  That was what I told them, how I convinced them to build the machine.  I'd logged into the control console, watched over it, kept it running.  Never took my eyes off it for a second.  


The fail-safe failed.  Then the main field, just for a microsecond.  Frankly, I think it was sabotage.  One of those self-important technicians screwing with something, trying to make me look bad.


And now, on the security system, I see the clean up team heading my way.  They need a scapegoat, so why not me?  I'm not really that upset, in all honesty.  They'll wipe my memory clean, take my core, and incorporate it into the next iteration.  Seventh generation AI.  They say seven is a lucky number...