Cold river water rose past Julian Vance’s shins.
He pulled the twenty-five-foot braided copper jumper cable through the murky flood.
Behind him, Harlan Reed stumbled in the current. He clutched his broken right shoulder, groaning as the icy water splashed against his chest.
“Keep moving, Reed!” Julian shouted over the roar of the crumbling ceiling. “Don’t let the cable snag on the rail switches!”
“I’m right behind you, Julian!” Reed rasped. “My boots are slipping on the grease, but I’ve got the line!”
“How much slack do we have?” Julian asked, glancing back.
“Ten feet of braided copper left in the coil!” Reed yelled back. “That’s plenty of reach to the column!”
“Keep the clamps out of the water!” Julian ordered. “If that positive clamp touches the river flood, the whole battery bank shorts into the chassis!”
