The removed cable looked dead enough on the table. Its split insulation lay open under the lamp, exposing the flattened conductor. The operator watched from the medic’s stool as the engineers connected it to an isolated regulator that carried none of the live anchor’s load.
Her shift leader asked whether she wanted to remain for the test. She said yes. The answer came without the hesitation that had marked her offers to restart.
The independent observer checked the test circuit, then looked toward the dungeon engineer. They had reproduced the damaged section’s bend against a piece of scrap metal. The human technician worked the low control while the engineer moved the housing within the small range measured at the breach.
The first pass produced nothing. The regulator held steady.
The operator’s shoulders rose. From the doorway the faction representative asked whether the crew was ready to admit there might be a design failure. Juno, listening below, told the technician to continue the agreed test rather than answer him while her hand was on the control.
At the next movement the split edges shifted. The regulator jumped and its isolated cutoff snapped open.
The observer called the reading. It matched the shape of the recorded spike closely enough to warrant a repeat. They disconnected, checked that the test housing had not acquired a new fault and ran the movement again. The surge returned at the same point.
