The Magnus

Thunder cracked outside my office window. The magnetic storms are getting worse, from the moment we fired up the Magnus reactor I knew this would happen and yet I did nothing. At that moment sirens blared throughout the complex. We should have listened. Lightning flashed outside, a mag storm for the ages Doctor Jacobs told me over 15 years ago. I laughed in his face; I was young, stupid and arrogant, a terrible combination. We wanted to save the planet, not destroy it. I keyed through the index looking for something that may be of use, knowing full well the collapse was inevitable. I found a sick comfort knowing the end was coming, I could do without these god-awful sirens though. The meter read 90% if the reactor reaches 100% it goes into meltdown and there is nothing I can do to stop the collapse. I rifled through my desk drawer, “there you are”, I caught myself saying out loud as I pulled out a glass and a bottle of liquor out of the drawer. One long swallow later the meter reached 99% and I wondered if this is where most people prayed for forgiveness. I will not atone for my sins, I started this and I will go into the night taking full responsibility for what I have done. The meter ticked over to 100%, the reactor is going critical, I can hear the building warping around me and my wrist watch stops. I walked over to the blast shutter, I figured I may as well witness first hand what will kill me. The massive shutter lurched open, and that is when I saw it, a somewhat purple substance draining from a large crack in the hull of the reactor. “Well that's peculiar isn't it?” I though to myself. The adjoining room filled with electrical discharge and what followed I will never forget. The reactor cracked open and a massive purple portal appeared, through that portal came what appeared to be a team of figures shouting orders in a language I did not understand. Something about these figures were familiar, as I stared I came to a sudden sickening realization, Earthans. With no other options I realized what I had to do. I put my hand over the self destruct button, flipped on the comm and spoke two words I knew they could understand, “Mars aeternum.”