Newsam held a bottle of water in each hand. I know youve both done this before, but were going to treat it like the first time, that way theres no mistakes. These men behind me are going to inspect your suits for you, and then theyre going to help you put them on. These are Level A hazmat suits, and theyre solid vinyl. Its going to get hot inside of them, and that means youre going to sweat. So before we begin, I need you to start drinking these bottles of water. You will be glad you did.

Has anyone been down there before us? Luke said.

Two guards went down after the security breach was discovered. The lights are knocked out. Swann has tried to bring them back on, but no luck. So its dark down there. The guards had flashlights, but when they found the vault open and canisters and drums strewn around, they backed out in a hurry.

They get any exposure?

Newsam smiled. A little. My daughters are going to use them as nightlights for a few days. They didnt have suits on, but they were only there for a minute. Youre going to be down there longer.

Will you be able to see what we see?

Your hoods have mounted videocams and LED lights. Ill see what youre seeing, and Ill be recording it.

It took twenty minutes to get dressed. Luke was frustrated. It was hard to move inside the suit. He was covered head to toe in vinyl, and it was already getting hot inside. His face plate kept fogging up. It seemed like time was flying past them. The thieves were far out ahead.

He and Don rode the freight elevator together. It creaked slowly downward. Don carried the Geiger counter. It looked like a small car battery with a carry handle.

You guys hear me okay? Newsam said. It sounded like he was inside Lukes head. The hoods had built-in speakers and microphones.

Yeah, Luke said.

I hear you, Don said.

Good. I hear you both loud and clear. Were on a closed frequency. The only people on here are you guys, me, and Swann up in the video control booth. Swann has access to a digital map of the facility and those suits are outfitted with tracking devices. Swann can see you on his map, and hes going to direct you from the elevator to the vault. You with me, Swann?

Im here, Swann said.

The elevator lurched to a stop.

When the doors open, step out and turn left.

The two men moved awkwardly down a wide hallway, guided by Swanns voce. Their helmet lights played against the walls, throwing shadows in the dark. It reminded Luke of shipwreck scuba dives he had done in years past.

Within a few seconds, the Geiger counter started to click. The clicks came spaced apart at first, like a slow heartbeat.

We have radiation, Don said.