Lens Industries

* Present
* 1950s/1960s

Lens Industries is the nuclear research division of the Velocity International multinational conglomerate.

## History

### 1940s

#### 1942

The Amidium fuel compound has been discovered by Dr. Mason Daniels in an abandoned mining shaft in San Arduinos, New Mexico. Lens Industries has been founded as "Arduinos Nuclear Corporation".

#### 1943

Dr. Mason Daniels has been placed as the CEO/founder of ANC/Lens.

#### 1945

As World War II ends, Lens Industries begins operating in Europe. Lens starts operating in countries like Norway, Finland and Sweden. Construction begins for the "Las Armanias Daniels Experimental Station".

#### 1947

L.A.D.E.S is fully constructed as a small experimental nuclear fission station that generates power for nearby countries like Cuba.

#### 1948

The Stationary Amidium Fission Reactor, also known as the Sapphire reactor, has been installed in L.A.D.E.S. The reactor is successfully started for the first time and generates around 7GW of power in the first few hours of being online.

#### 1949

Lens Nuclear Laboratories' director, Dr. Daniels, purchases the abandoned mining shaft in San Arduinos, New Mexico, where the Amidium compound was founded. Dr. Daniels orders that construction on a new research facility in the mining shaft begins. He dubs this facility as "San Arduinos Enrichment Center".

### 1950s

#### 1951

The San Arduinos Enrichment Center's first sublevels are constructed and research begins in SAEC.

#### 1952

The first prototype of the Quasar Combustion Reactor's predecessor, the Quasar Enrichment Combustion System is completed.

#### 1954

The QECS is started for the first time. Due to an operator error, not enough liquid lithium reached the central combustion chamber, causing the reactor to overheat. The QECS caught fire and fire-extinguishing foam was dropped on the superstructure. The foam corroded the reactor in the process and the reactor was deemed unusable. The Administration Council decides to keep the incident hidden.

#### 1956

The old QECS superstructure is removed from its chamber for a replacement.

#### 1957

A stress test is scheduled for the SAFR in Las Armanias.

#### 1958

Replacement of the QECS superstructure nears completion in San Arduinos.

##### October 8th, 1958

On October 8th, 1958, the SAFR is started during an experimental stress test at 7:16AM. The instruments at that time were calibrated and the fuel rods were inserted into the combustion chamber. At 8:30AM, the reaction in the SAFR began. The temperature reached 1,500°K at 1:45PM and the reactor was stable on a pressure of 3,000 PSI. During the late afternoon of October 8th, the operators tried to shut down the reactor as it hit 3,000°K, but the shutdown systems were unresponsive. Eventually, the reactor hit 3,500°K. At that time, it was confirmed that an anomaly had formed within the SAFR's combustion chamber. At 4:20PM, the temperature and pressure skyrocketed. The reactor hit 8,500°K and the pressure reached 20,000 PSI within 4:24PM. At 4:25PM, the reactor's conditions led to a steam explosion, destroying most of the chamber and vaporizing the combustion chamber. The facility has entered an emergency state. The reactor's remains continued to destabilize. On the evening of October 8th, at 7:10PM, the reactor's fuel rods disintegrated, leading to a nuclear explosion, which destroyed the L.A.D.E.S facility.

#### 1959

The QECS superstructure is replaced and the QECS is ignited once more. All systems were operational and was successfully connected to the New Mexico power grid.

### 1960s

#### 1961

The San Arduinos Atomic Energy Commission (SAAEC) deems the facilities and practices of Lens dangerous. Lens was sent a warning to improve working conditions in the division, or Velocity would be forced to shut down Lens for good. Lens ignored the warnings and continued operating anyways.

#### 1966

Lens was sent a final warning from the San Arduinos Atomic Energy Commission (SAAEC). Lens releases a statement to SAAEC that they will refuse to improve working conditions, as "it would slow down their progress". SAAEC takes action and orders Velocity to shut down Lens Industries.

#### 1967

Instead of shutting down Lens, Velocity orders Dr. Daniels to make it seem like Lens had been shut down. And so, Dr. Daniels seals off the test shafts of San Arduinos Enrichment Center, and sends out a faked document stating that Lens has stopped operating as a corporate entity. Test Shafts 1-10 have been condemned and sealed off.

### 1970s

#### 1971

Lens Nuclear Laboratories continues operating in SAEC (San Arduinos Enrichment Center) and opens the test shafts once again, after leaving them condemned for 4 years.