Romana struggles internally between her analytical rigor and emotional urgency as she races to stabilize the failing tachyon device, leading to oscillating states of scientific optimism, dread, and panic.

Romana and Hardin carefully ramp up the tachyon device’s power, believing they have achieved stabilization. Romana urges gradual increases while monitoring the liquid column’s rise, but the apparatus remains unresponsive. …

Romana and Hardin’s painstaking calibration of the tachyon rejuvenation apparatus collapses into disaster when an unattended power increase triggers a violent green pulse and concussive blast. The sudden failure vaporizes …