the.com/fuel rod
a metal straw of caged starlight that stays lethal long after its shift ends
slim buildpencil-thin tubes stacked into bundles taller than people
long fusestays radioactive for tens of thousands of years
underwater glowspent ones bask in blue Cherenkov-lit pools
zirconium skinclad in metal that resists corrosion at extreme heat
slow burnpowers a reactor for years before being swapped