It took them a few minutes to reach the barrier door, a heavy steel monstrosity that looked distinctly out of place in the aged basement, having been built about a century and a half after the rest of the place.
“Hope we can get this thing open,” Jo said, with a touch of trepidation in her voice.
“Got to, can’t come this far and go back empty-handed.”
“Yeah, that’d be bad,” she agreed, and got the package of anti-rad tablets from her pocket. She inspected the package carefully; it was slightly discolored from the rain little bit of rain that had managed to leak through the fastenings, but the pills were perfectly preserved. She popped one in her mouth and handed the other to Mike; they had to dry-swallow, but they both managed to choke them down.
Mike wordlessly set himself to the side of the door. It was smooth steel, dulled with age. Mike visibly fought to focus himself as he dug through his pockets for a heavy key, which he fit to the lock with some difficulty. He set his weight against the door, which swung open with surprising ease and quiet, given its age.
The space beyond was lit with an eerie blue light that sent chills down Jo’s spine, and made her cast an uneasy glance at the package the anti-rad tabs had come from. They’d been briefed to expect radiation, but not so much that the area was lit as bright as day.