They had left the old lead-acid battery behind the plaster.

“If that battery still has a charge, it’s keeping the loop closed,” I said.

“How do we break it from down here?” Marcus asked.

*00:19.*

*00:18.*

Another crash shook the door, and the iron pipe bent further.

A man’s hand appeared through the splintered gap in the wood, reaching for the bar.

Daniel struck the hand with the butt of his flashlight.

There was a sharp cry of pain, and the hand vanished.

“Marcus, the diagnostic port,” I said, pointing to a small circular socket near the base of the timer.

“I don’t have the key for that, Adrian,” he said.

“Use the copper lead from your light,” I said.

Marcus didn’t hesitate.

He unscrewed the cap of his tactical light and pulled the thin copper spring from the base.

He straightened the metal with his teeth.

“If this touches the casing, we’re done,” Marcus said.

“Do it,” I said.

*00:11.*

*00:10.*

Caleb leaned his head back against the stone wall and closed his eyes.

Marcus slid the copper wire into the center pin of the diagnostic port.