It took another round or two, back and forth, before the bars were brittle enough that Nolan thought he could break them. They were black with soot and looked like they were cracking already. He cooled them once more for good measure. He rubbed his hand, building up a thin layer of ice. The bars might well still be hot, and he didn't need any more injuries.<br/><br/>He pulled back and hit as hard as he could. One of the bars cracked, with a sound like a gunshot. Nolan jumped back; he hadn't expected it to be that loud. More importantly, the sound was going to attract the attention of anyone near enough to hear it. There was only one bar broken, and even that one was still in place. They'd have to try harder if they wanted to get out.<br/><br/>"You give it a shot this time. Maybe you can hit a little harder. I don't know why, but even after I froze them, those bars are still really hot." As proof, he held up the ice on his hand, which had melted partially where it touched the bar.<br/><br/>He stepped back, getting away into the corner, and taking the ice with him.<br/><br/>"And watch out. If there's anyone around here, they definitely heard the sound of that thing breaking."