3:00 PM - Thursday, September 5, 1985
Elliot saw no guards or cameras in the room. Valerie Kirby exhaled with relief as he approached and set to work on the lock securing the manacle around her ankle. "Oh, thank God you've come," she whispered. "You've no idea how glad I am to see you. And Mrs. Soames is here too? I knew UNIT would send someone to find me, but the waiting was agony. We've got to get out of here quickly. I must report what I've learned to UNIT." The nutcracker pick broke off in the lock with a loud snap. The end of the pick was jammed inside the lock, making further attempts to pick it (or even unlock it with a key) impossible. She noticed him examining the bed. The other manacle was around the post between the mattress and the wooden top supporting the canopy, and the post was fairly thick. "I spent hours trying to break it myself, but I'm not very strong. If we work together, we might be able to pull it off."
Elliot heard a door opening out in the hall. From the direction, it sounded like the one at the end of the hall. Soft footsteps entered the corridor.