The operator offered to restart before the medic had finished checking her pulse. She said it quietly this time, with her eyes on the shift leader rather than the dark controls.
“Low stage. Just until they connect.”
The leader shook her head. “The cutoff stays engaged until we know why it tripped.”
“I know the first stages.”
“That isn’t in doubt.”
Outside the door the faction representative repeated his objection to a worker who had not asked for it. Every additional person who heard about the interruption seemed to make the operator sit a little straighter. She was trying to look as though she had not been frightened.
The medic asked whether she felt dizzy. The operator said no, then admitted her hands were cold. The medic moved the lamp so she could see her face without making her stare into it. The shift leader brought water and left the restart key in the custody box, where another operator could see it had not changed hands.
The representative stepped closer to the entrance. “Your own volunteer says she can continue.”
