“Have you figured it out yet?” Caine demanded. “Have you got it, Jack?”

Jack hesitated. If he said yes, then the next round of this nightmare would begin.

If he said no, they would sit here and sit here and sit here until they all starved.

He didn’t want to say yes. He knew now what Caine planned. He didn’t want to say yes.

“I can do it,” Jack said.

“You can do it now?”

“I can withdraw a single-fuel rod from the pile,” Jack said.

Caine stared at him. Almost as if this wasn’t the answer he wanted.

“Okay,” Caine said softly.

“But I have to start by lowering the control rods all the way. This will stop the reaction, which means it turns off all electricity.”

Hunger, Chapter 35