DR. NEWTON WOKE UP WITH A START. HE HAD BEEN dreaming, and he sat up on the edge of the cot trying to recall the details, but they faded away quickly. It was something to do with being locked away in a deserted … He looked around. It was not a dream. It was reality.

He had completely lost track of how many days he’d been locked away here. A week? Two weeks? He desperately needed a shower. Something had gone horribly wrong with the plan. If he had been missing for so long, someone should have been looking for him.

Of course, he had no idea where he was. For all he knew, he could have been put on a plane and flown to another country. He doubted it, but it was a possibility. Still, this heat felt like Florida. There was the familiar tackiness of the humidity, so thick it made you feel like water was literally hanging in the air and would stick to your skin whenever you moved. Florida: The only state where you could sweat while taking a shower.

He stood and stalked about the cell. His handcuffed wrist and the chain attached to it allowed him to reach the water cooler, toilet, and box of food, but not the door. No matter how he stretched, it was just out of reach. Whoever locked him in here took no chance on him finding a way to pick or break the lock.

As he paced, he suddenly realized the handcuff was looser on his wrist. Days of captivity had caused him to lose some weight. Twisting his arm slightly, he found the manacle had a bit more give than before. Perhaps there was enough space now to work his hand free! Glancing up at the camera — knowing it was watching his every move — he lay back down on the cot and threw his arm over his eyes, as he if he were attempting to sleep. Tossing and turning, he finally flipped over on one side, with his back to the camera.

Very slowly, he worked the handcuff over his hand. There was a trick to freeing oneself from handcuffs this way. The method was to use your shoulder and arm muscles to manipulate your wrist. Twisting your hand and wrist muscles just caused the tissues to swell, making it more difficult to get free.

It was a painful trick. The cuff scraped and dug at his skin until it bled. It took enormous concentration to keep the rest of his body still, while he slowly maneuvered his shoulder and arm. Thankfully, whatever sleepy drugs were in the water helped dull the pain.

Finally, the cuff slipped from Dr. Newton’s hand.

He was free! He showed no reaction. Hoping whoever was monitoring him would believe he was sleeping restlessly.

He pushed the ratcheted point of the cuff through the loop, until the pointed end stuck out the other side. Using it as a lever, he pried at the chain, pulling one of the links far enough apart that he was able to work the handcuff completely free from the chain.

Now he had to pause and think. There was no question that he was being watched. If he tried to pick the lock on the door, or pry his way out, someone could arrive and stop him before he escaped. But if he waited until dark, he might have a better chance. It was unlikely he was being observed around the clock.

The hours went by slowly, and the wait was excruciating, but eventually the interior of the warehouse grew dimmer. Still he waited.

Finally, it was as dark as it was going to get.

He stood up and hurried to the door. With his hands, he felt around the latch and lock, looking for any weak spot where he might be able to pry it loose. Finding nothing, he used the thick handcuff as a bludgeon and pounded away. Again and again he struck at it, his frustration growing with every blow. It took a long time and he had to stop and rest his arm several times.

On his next swing he heard a crack.

The housing had separated ever so slightly from the metal door. His arm was nearly worn out, but he reached through the bars and struck the lock several more times, until there was enough room to work the pointed end of the handcuff into the crack. He wiggled and worked with his primitive tool, prying the lock completely loose. Finally, with a resounding pop, the lock came free and the door swung open.

Dr. Newton gathered up some protein bars from the box of food and stuffed them in his pockets. He walked through the cell door, half expecting alarms to sound, but was met only with silence.

He scurried across the floor of the warehouse to the exterior door. To his joy, he found it unlocked. This was good and bad news. Whoever had taken him never expected him to escape. But it also told him he was someplace very remote, with very little chance of being accidentally discovered. There was most likely a long, arduous hike ahead of him to reach civilization.

Dr. Newton didn’t care. He was free.

He opened the door and ran off into the night.

A small black box was built into the wall near the door, on the front of which glowed a small green light.

As Dr. Newton passed through the door, the light changed from green to blinking red.