Murder in Containment

Chris Sievers closed the personnel hatch and turned the oversized wheel until a small green light nearby illuminated. Lindy Andrews, who was standing next to Sievers, felt the pressure change on her ear drums. An airtight seal had been achieved. Sievers and Lindy were inside a small enclosed tubular space with large round hatches at each end, one leading to the Auxiliary Building which they had just left, and the other leading to the Containment Building of the West Aisles Nuclear Power Plant. The compartment was bathed in a green overcast from the indicator light and it overpowered the dim white light coming from the one light bulb that hung from the ceiling. The quiet roar of mechanical equipment could be heard beyond the containment hatch. “One step closer to getting out of here”, Lindy thought to herself, and turned to see Sievers start to crank the opposite hatch wheel that lead to the containment building. Open steel grating served as the floor and it snagged her rubber boots when she lifted her feet to face Sievers. She felt herself getting woozy, and a feeling of claustrophobia in the pit of her stomach began to build. Locked confined spaces gave her that uneasy, out of control feeling. Rather than let the feeling overwhelm here, Lindy concentrated on the actions she would take once the containment hatch was opened and this steadied her. Lindy wanted to get this job done as quickly as possible so she wouldn’t have to be with Chris Sievers any longer than necessary. It had been an uncomfortable situation to be the one escorting him for this containment entry. Sievers had moved out of her house two weeks ago after they decided to end their relationship and go their separate ways. She missed Sievers and was now finding it hard to work with him knowing that this was as close as they would get from now on. When Lindy heard that she was assigned to the job of escorting Sievers into containment, she had considered stomping into Al Jensen’s office and complaining about the unfair treatment. Obviously, someone in the Radiation Protection Office had thought it would be funny to have Sievers and her working together after their breakup. Providing an escort for a power entry was not part of her normal job---she was a radiological engineer and worked on projects. She didn’t do grunt work. But after some thought, Lindy realized that storming into Jensen’s office was exactly what the radiation protection technicians wanted her to do. Getting her goat was their goal. Knowing this, she decided to play it as if she didn’t mind. Earlier Lindy noted that Fred and Thumper were loitering near Jensen’s office, hoping to catch her tantrum. She had enjoyed their look of disappointment when she casually walked by Jensen’s office without stopping and headed to the dress out room to get ready for the entry. Sievers continued to crank the wheel---many turns were required to open the hatch. In the dim light Lindy could hardly see Sievers’ face through the plastic face cover of his protective gear. Workers making containment entries while the nuclear plant was producing power were not routine at the West Aisles Power Plant, and because of the environment, required full respiratory and safety gear. No verbal communication was possible. Earlier Lindy and Sievers had spent an hour sealing themselves in sturdy outerwear to prevent contact with the containment environment they were soon to enter. Sievers made one more turn, and again there was a slight popping sensation on the ear drum and the inner hatch opened. The sound of electrical equipment instantly filled the entry compartment---deafening but energizing at the same time. The moisture and temperature increase was immediately apparent, even through the protective tyvek suits. Lindy looked at her radiation meter for any indication, and seeing none, stepped over the hatch lip onto the containment building honeycombed steel grading. Containment entries reminded Lindy of what it would be like to be under the hood of an automobile with the engine running. Foggy gray mists hung in the open spaces, making the nuclear steam supply components located only a few yards away appear hazy and distant. Lindy felt energized in the building, possibly because, Lindy considered, the electrical power running the pumps and other equipment was immense, enough to power a small city by themselves. Conversely, the power the entire plant generated powered the entire south area of the state. Through the haze Lindy squinted to see the needed walkway located near the curved outer wall of containment. Lindy led the way as required since she carried the safety equipment, that is, the radiation meter. Sievers carefully followed her past the multitude of piping and equipment to a stairwell that led down to the minus 10 foot level of the containment building. At the bottom of the stairs there was more piping and equipment which they gingerly walked around also to avoid contact with their tyveks. Contamination on their suits would complicate their exit at the step off pad later. They walked for several minutes, and then reached their destination: the northeast sump. Chris Sievers, a reactor operator, had been sent to inspect this sump because there had been a small but measurable amount of liquid accumulating over the last several days in the sump. On this level the floor was concrete. The sump was a five foot square pit in the concrete floor and had a sensor situated at the bottom of the pit. The floors were sloped so that any stray liquids would collect in the pit. The sensor would report to the control room the liquid level that was present in the pit. The source of this liquid had baffled the plant engineers. For the past five years of plant operations this sump had remained dry. Plant systems that used water had no indication of loss of volume, although gallons per minute leak rates were more the concern than the small quantity that had been detected. The leak rate clearly did not exceed operating limits, but a closer look was needed to ensure it wasn’t an indication of something worse to come. Lindy kept an eye on the radiation levels which were reading higher as expected for the area, while Sievers used his flashlight to look for the cause of the liquid. Sievers saw liquid trickling into the sump coming from a source on the far left side, behind an electrical panel and he proceeded for a closer look. Lindy followed while watching the meter face---this area could have a radiation hot spot since they were approaching the reactor vessel that was located just beyond the concrete shield a couple of feet ahead of them. Suddenly Sievers stopped, causing Lindy to bump into him. Lindy looked over his shoulder and saw what looked like the white tyvek material of their protective suits, tucked behind the electrical equipment. It appeared to be the source of the liquid. Lindy wished she could speak to Sievers and ask him why a tyvek suit would be stuffed in a corner, but all she could do was watch as Sievers crouched down and pulled on the tyvek material. He dislodged a large lump. A decomposing human head protruded from the collar of the tyvek suit. Lindy, caught by surprise, stepped back and turned away, pulling off her respirator and face mask before she vomited. With the mask off, the smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming and made her more nauseated. Why hadn’t she kept her mask on?