Chapter Thirteen: Thirty-Six Hours in the Dark
On the day the first heat wave of summer arrived, Nangang lost power.
It wasn't an ordinary trip. The whole old industrial district went dark, not even the streetlights were on. Andy ran to the power distribution room and found the main switch had been pried open, the fuse burned into a black lump.
"Someone did this on purpose," Ajie cursed.
Andy said nothing. He returned to the workshop and saw Lili crouching by Tank No. 3, her hand pressed against the tank wall, her forehead covered in sweat.
"The tank is heating up," she said. "No circulation, the temperature keeps rising. If this goes on, it'll be ruined by tomorrow morning."
Tank No. 3 was where Lili came from. Although she no longer needed to soak in the tank liquid every day, once the tank died, the bit of tank-heart inside her would wither with it.
Andy dragged out the old diesel generator from the warehouse and pulled the cord three times; the machine coughed and sputtered to life. Ajie went to find ice blocks, Azhen went to borrow fans from the neighbors. People from the whole street came—some carrying buckets, some holding flashlights, some simply hauling their home batteries over.
The power was only enough to keep the circulation pump and one thermometer running. Andy kept watch by the tank, recording the temperature every ten minutes. Lili leaned against his shoulder, her voice growing softer and softer.
"Andy," she said, "let me go in for a bit."
"No."
"I'm not going back." Lili lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm going to talk to her."
The "her" she meant was Ayin.
Before Andy could stop her, Lili had already climbed over the tank rim and stepped into the tank liquid. Silvery-white light rose from the bottom of the water, stretching her shadow long.
At the bottom of the tank, another shadow was waiting for her.