Hawkins National Laboratory Flashlight Novels & Stories

He was too focused, forehead creased as he rechecked the final circuit board. “The sealant’s drying wrong,” he muttered. “Humidity’s killing it.” “Everything’s killing it,” Ave said. “We should’ve left twenty minutes ago.” “I just need to tighten this relay port—” “Monroe, please, the power’s been flickering for an hour.” As if summoned, the lights overhead blinked once. Twice. Then died. Complete darkness. Ave froze. “Tell me you brought a flashlight.” “Nope,” Blake said cheerfully. “But I brought mints.”

The distant roar of Mack’s diversion echoed through the trees – a series of concussive *thumps* followed by the sharp crackle of spreading fire, painting the southern sky an angry orange. *Right on cue.* **“Now, Reynolds,”** Harlan whispered into his comms. The exterior lights on the lab truck died instantly, plunging the immediate area into near-total darkness. The guards spun towards the distant inferno, rifles snapping up. **<< Lights down. Security doors unlocked. Interior cameras looped. Environmental controls primed – say the word, and I flood the main chamber with concentrated nitric acid vapor. Highly corrosive. Highly messy. >>** Reynolds’s voice was calm in their earpieces. **<< Th

A tactical flashlight. It shines on us. Harlan is standing there, holding the light. His lab coat is singed. He looks at the wreckage of his lab. He looks at us, still tangled together on the table. "Jesus Christ," he whispers, lowering the light. "What did you do?" "We broke the machine," Alex says, his voice rough. "You broke everything," Harlan says. He sounds... impressed. He turns the light away, pointing it toward the exit. "The magnetic locks are dead," he says quietly. "The blast doors will be open. If you run now... my team is too blind to stop you."

Quill muttered. Hawk crossed the room, rummaging through a storage bin until he found what he was looking for. He returned holding a large construction spotlight, flipping it on, and setting it near the window. The beam lit the floor in a sharp, brilliant glow. He grabbed a white tarp from the corner and spread it beneath the light.

Jack commanded, his voice calm, yet carrying a new weight of authority that made even Marcus turn his head slightly. "On it," she replied, her fingers a blur across her wrist-mounted console. A series of high-intensity LED floodlights, previously positioned to illuminate the incubation pods, swiveled with silent, servo-driven whirs. Beams of pure white light sliced through the gloom, converging on the tunnel entrance.

If she could have that moment back, she would’ve kissed her husband and told him how beautiful her gift was. After Olivia removed the foldable flashlight from her belt and turned it on, it relieved her to see light swallowing fragments of darkness in front of her. The flashlight helped Olivia see the glistening steel door on the leveler in the distance. Lukas felt a calmness come over his body after watching Olivia turn on the flashlight. The light helped the little boy see the creepy vastness of the space station. “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” Olivia asked Lukas. She wanted to bring a smile back on Lukas’ face when she saw nervousness rising in the little boy’s eyes.

He pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button he had programmed during his recovery. A series of industrial-grade halon fire extinguishers in the ceiling detonated, flooding the hallway with a thick, white chemical fog. The lasers vanished, scattered by the particles. The mercenaries shouted, their night-vision goggles becoming useless flares of blinding white light as the fog reflected the infrared back into their eyes.

Trisha's eyes danced around for a few seconds and when she didn't see any other place to seat, she plopped down next to Harold with an airy exhale. “What about preparing? You don't think we'll go down there empty handed, do you?” “Definitely not,” Wilkes put in after successfully strapping his watch to his left wrist. “We have three flashlights—for each of us, a couple of snacks, too. We don't know how long we'll be down there and we'll likely get hungry, and an extra piece of clothing for us; just in case.” Trisha nodded in approval. The two had thought well. “What about Professor Ericson? He might be in —”

security guy one scoffed. I glanced down at my leggings and cursed, heart thudding as I heard the shuffling of their footsteps just right out the door, the door handle suddenly wiggled and I knew I was going to be caught, stepping behind the door, pulling my bag closer, it opened and a man walked in. The lights being off was my only cover, as his frame blocked the door way. The light from the hallway streaming in, “nothing here Larry, check in the left hallway," security guy two boomed.

No intention to reveal Rebecca's whereabouts. "Beyond funds," Gavin's voice deepened into an alpha's growl, claws retracting as he slid forward another document, "I'll donate cutting-edge spectral analyzers—perfect for tracking lunar energy fluctuations." The director's eyes flashed with primal interest at the mention of forbidden-pack technology. After a silence stretching like frozen tundra, he finally spoke: "The Swiss lab...nestled where blizzards bite through wolf pelts. Even with frost-winged aircraft booked, preparation takes—"