 Steve Dorn and his partner are forced to abandon their getaway car after a robbery and murder. Desperate to escape in any way possible, they take refuge in the boiler room of a hospital and learn that the room also controls the hospital s electricity and other critical systems. Dorn threatens to destroy the building and its occupants by tying down the boiler s safety valve if he and his partner are not permitted to go free. Dan Mathews knows that Dorn will carry out his threat and that he has very little time to prevent the catastrophe. He orders Sergeant Williams to penetrate the boiler room from a little-used tunnel in order to give Officer Larrabee an opportunity to shoot Dorn from long range with a rifle.