Water in Shaft 37

“Give me two minutes,” he said. “Two minutes?” Marcus snapped. “You either trust me or you go fight for water.” Marcus stared at him for half a beat and then said, “Move.” Lin crouched at the control box. The metal edge burned his fingers. He forced himself to stay calm and think in the coldest possible sequence. Remote lock, manual bypass, old valve. He used the penlight to find the inside label, finally spotting a piece of tape with a code: B-14. That was the backup valve number. He reached to switch it when the whole pump room jolted. Not an earthquake. A hard impact from outside. Then a shout slammed through the door: “State Emergency Coordination Unit! Open for inspection!” Lena’s face changed at once. “They found us.”