The stopwatch in Lin Mei’s hand clicked with a sharp metallic snap.
“One point zero seconds,” Lin Mei counted aloud. “Tape speed is fifteen inches per second. The parasitic signal has cleared the first roller.”
Julian Vance did not move his hand. His palm stayed hovered two inches above the red mushroom button.
“Julian!” Elena shouted over the rising whine of the transmitter blowers.
“Hit the button! Hit it now!”
“Not yet,” Julian said. His voice was steady, flat as a carpenter’s rule.
“It’s moving across the loop,” Clara called from the console desk. “The red letters are passing roller number two.”
On the studio monitor speaker, the cold voice from upstairs continued to whisper.
