Water in Shaft 37

Harper looked at him without changing expression. “If the bridge fails, west-side pressure drops again. While you argue here, ambulances are already stopping outside.” He turned, tapped the tablet twice, and a side door in the machine room rolled open, revealing a narrow maintenance passage leading toward an equipment shaft. “If you want to live, go forward,” he said. “What’s forward?” Erin asked. “The lower bridge deck,” Harper answered softly. “If you can reach it, maybe you can cut a portion of the heat-zone load manually. Maybe save a few lines.” “Maybe?” Lena laughed once, sharp and bitter. “That’s the best word available today.”