В погоне за Ивонной Дижоной.
It was November 8, 2001. Engineer Grigoriy and Technician Grigoriy have successfully completed the final upgrades to their high-tech vehicle. The cloaking system is now fully stabilized, and the cold-gas thrusters are operational. With both systems functioning as intended, the "Nuclear" button is now ready for use if necessary.
"What exactly does the Nuclear button do?" Medic Grigoriy asked.
"It activates the nuclear-powered battery, allowing us to accelerate to 160 km/h and extend our travel time to 100 km," Technician Grigoriy explained.
"THAT'S DANGEROUS! WHAT IF WE'RE ABOUT TO CRASH INTO SOMETHING?!" Medic Grigoriy exclaimed in alarm.
"Relax! The AI powered cold-gas thrusters will automatically activate and steer us to safety. They're also powerful enough to launch the vehicle up to six meters into the air if needed!" Technician Grigoriy added confidently.
Medic Grigoriy stared at him in disbelief, struggling to process what he had just heard.
The clan convened to name the vehicle. In less than a minute, they had reached a unanimous decision: Атомная мышь (Atomic Mouse-1).
Commander Grigoriy recruited Technician Grigoriy and Medic Grigoriy to join him on his “Deep Puna” mission, pursuing what he believed to be their strongest lead in the search for Ms. Ivonna Dijona.
They rolled out of Hilo in the gray light before sunrise, their cloak shimmering as they glided past sleeping storefronts and a lone early-morning jogger, who looked straight at them and saw nothing but empty pavement.
Technician Grigoriy put the Nuclear button to the test. In a thunderous burst of acceleration, they blasted through the 8-kilometer stretch from Hilo to Keaʻau in just three minutes. The AI-controlled cold-gas thrusters kept the vehicle perfectly level, ensuring that not a single pothole disturbed their ride.
The Nuclear button’s glow faded to a soft amber as Atomic Mouse-1 settled into a cruising pace outside Keaʻau. The rainforest closed in on both sides, filled with ferns and ohia trees.
“Eight kilometers in three minutes,” Technician Grigoriy said, grinning at the dashboard. “I told you.”
“You told me we might die,” Medic Grigoriy replied, still gripping his seat. “Several times.”
“Only in the hypothetical sense.”
Commander Grigoriy said nothing. He sat in the front passenger seat with a battered map spread across his knees, tracing a line toward the Puna district with one finger. Every few minutes, he glanced at a lead that would hopefully bring them one step closer to locating Ms. Ivonna Dijona, a popular folktale among Russia's mice.
“The lead came from a fisherman in Hilo,” he said. “He saw a woman matching her description heading down a service road near the old lava flow. Said she looked like she knew exactly where she was going.”
“That’s what worries me,” Medic Grigoriy muttered.
The pavement ended without warning. Ahead, the road became a rough track of black volcanic rock, twisted and glittering where the morning light caught it.
“Cloak’s holding steady,” Technician Grigoriy reported. “Thrusters are standing by. Honestly, this terrain is a perfect test.”
The vehicle crept forward. The cold-gas thrusters hissed softly, adjusting the ride over ridges and fissures as the AI read the ground a hundred times a second. Then the lava field opened up ahead, and all three of them went quiet.
In the middle of the black rock, perhaps two hundred meters away, stood a small weathered tent. Parked next to it was an old rusty sport utility vehicle.
“Someone’s here,” Commander Grigoriy whispered.
“Someone recent,” Technician Grigoriy added.
Medic Grigoriy leaned forward. “Do we approach?”
Then, without warning, the onboard system sounded an alarm.
NUCLEAR BATTERY OFFLINE.
INVERTER POWER MODULE DAMAGE DETECTED.
EMERGENCY PROPULSION RESTRICTION ACTIVATED.
AVAILABLE PROPULSION POWER: 10%.
MAXIMUM ACCELERATION UNAVAILABLE.
The sudden loss of power brought the excitement to an abrupt end.
"Do we need to evaluate the vehicle?" the Commander asked.
"Negative, Commander. The inverter power module has sustained damage, but the cloaking system and emergency mode remain operational. I recommend finding a secure location where I can inspect the vehicle and determine the extent of the damage."
"Agreed. Find somewhere safe and keep the vehicle operational."
The Commander switched to the communications channel.
"Commander to Radio Operator Grigoriy. Come in."
"Standing by, Commander."
"We've sustained damage to the inverter power module. We've lost ninety percent of our propulsion power, although emergency mode remains functional. We're proceeding to a secure location to inspect the vehicle. Have Engineer Grigoriy standing by for immediate deployment. We may need replacement parts."
"Understood, Commander. I'll have the engineer ready."
The Commander glanced at the propulsion diagnostics.
Ten percent power.
The vehicle was still moving, but their options had just become considerably more limited.
They brought the vehicle to a small patch of shrubs off the road. A pair of Hawaiian Hawks glided through the air.
The Commander issued "War Mode."
Medic Grigoriy was the first to grab his weapon.
Technician Grigoriy's investigation revealed that the loss of propulsion power had originated from a damaged high-voltage cable connecting the nuclear-powered battery and regular battery to the traction inverter. The safety capacitor prevented the inverter power module from being permanently damaged.
"Technician Grigoriy to Radio Operator Grigoriy. Requesting a communications patch to Engineer Grigoriy."
"Standing by, T.G. Connecting you now."
"Engineer Grigoriy, I've identified damage to the high-voltage power distribution circuit. The primary HV cable and its associated safety capacitor have sustained thermal damage. We'll need to source a compatible replacement cable from one of the abandoned vehicles nearby. However, ambient temperatures are still too high to safely perform the recovery and installation. We'll postpone the operation until sunset, when the components and surrounding equipment have cooled."
"Understood. Disable rapid-acceleration mode and impose a hard limit of twenty-five percent on nuclear reactor output. Route the reduced-voltage supply through the secondary safety capacitor. Its regulation circuit is designed to maintain stable power delivery under reduced-load conditions."
"Copy. Rapid acceleration disabled. Nuclear output limited to twenty-five percent. Secondary capacitor regulation engaged."
"Monitor capacitor temperature, bus voltage, and inverter load throughout operation. If any parameter exceeds its operating threshold, initiate an automatic power isolation sequence."
"Roger that. All parameters will be monitored continuously. Technician Grigoriy, standing by. Over."
Застрял на ничейной земле.