323 PsyLo: Part 3

SILO, with its postwar generations of survivors of Yesterwar, continued successfully, now going on 300 years. Yet, its people longed to rejoin planet Earth. How long? they wondered.

They were held captive by a toxic number and a red screen which would one day become zero and green.

The reading of the "ionizing events" per second, the monitor for safety outside SILO, was a yearly tradition. One day, everyone knew, it would deem the outside world safe for exposure. That's when the Curator would signal the release of the sealant explosive locks and their living space would become continuous with the rest of the world. And with what had become of Mankind.

Re-entrance.

This Curator, however, as prudent steward of the people, wondered why the counter's external receiver hadn't been destroyed as were the other liaisons with the outside world. With no extramural cameras, radio capability, or hard wiring left, they were survivors in a cell constantly being directed to stay put by one remaining Cyclopic oracle—an ancient Geiger counter.

The Curator ruminated. He fretted over the possibilities:

All of the devices that peaked into the outside world had been disabled or destroyed. Yet the one that kept them where they hunkered down had been allowed its continuous functioning.

Why? Could such a thing not be incidental, but strategic?

If the outsiders living safely in a world whose postwar radiation had long since decayed away had wanted to keep those of SILO away—interred—what better way than to show nothing of their safe world and then double down with reports of an unsafe world? It wouldn't be hard—just place a dirty emitter next to SILO's external Geiger sensor.

He was troubled.

His was an all-or-none decision. Either the world was safe or it wasn't. The Physics subcurator had felt 300 years was plenty enough time to detox the world. In fact, they weren't speaking because of it. Was the decision to keep SILO sealed depriving their whole culture of their planetary birthright?

Perhaps, come what may, it was time to find out. His premonitions were probably ridiculous. For what reason would those outside want to keep us away?

Come what may...the three most disastrous words ever spoken.

________

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

For Monday, November 18, Day 323 of the 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge.

366 WORDS (without A/N)

43 DAYS TO GO! THE SILO SURVIVES ON IN THIS VOCAL CHALLENGE, 366 CURIES A DAY.

There are currently three Vocal survivalist writers in this 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge:

• L.C. (Underground) Schäfer

• Rachel (Overground) Deeming

• Gerard (Ground and Minced) DiLeo