Page 263 of Scars of Fate

Ghost translated.

“Controls are in the tower.”

“Can we reach them from inside?”

“No.”

“Manual release?”

She pointed toward the opposite wall.

A steel cabinet sat behind the server units.

“Hydraulic controls,” Ghost said.

“Can we open it?”

“She says it requires the colonel’s key card.”

The same card I had seen the false officer take from Demir before leaving.

Wynn looked toward the real colonel.

“He was signaling us.”

Ghost moved as close to Demir as his restraints allowed.

“What were you trying to say?”

The colonel answered in Turkish.

“He says the countdown is connected to the emergency generator.”

Hawk studied the heavy cables running from the units.

“If we disconnect the generator, the internal batteries could activate.”

“What happens then?” Adam asked.

“They may accelerate the warming cycle.”

Boone sighed.

“Why can’t anything be simple?”

Wynn moved closer to the first containment unit.

“What temperature are they trying to reach?”

Hawk examined the display without touching it.

“Thirty-seven degrees Celsius.”

“Body temperature,” Wynn whispered.

Ghost’s expression darkened.

“That suggests something biological.”