There are some places in the world where no human being should ever be, and as Cody stirred back to consciousness, he knew he was in the heart of one of those places. He had never actually been inside the radiation chamber before but he immediately recognized its glossy interior walls. Through the thick window of the radiation chamber, as he struggled to stand, he could see a pair of men in combat fatigues in the office. They were downloading the contents of Dr. Johansen's computer into a small laptop. He turned and stared at the four tall glass cylinders that sat on the raised pedestal in the centre of the octagonal room. Though the clear liquid contained in each flask could have been water, Cody knew it was more potent than the highest grade of plutonium. He could feel the waves of radiation washing over him, making his skin tingle the way a sunburn does when exposed to strong sunlight.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in here when he woke up but he knew it really didn't matter now. The amount of radiation he'd been exposed to far exceeded any safety limits. The damage to his genetic structure was evident in the pasty white colour of his skin. Blood vessels near the surface stood out in sharp contrast. His red hair was starting to fall out and he felt nauseous. However, he was surprised by the fact that there were no radiation burns appearing anywhere.

Suddenly one of the large robotic arms used to manipulate materials in the chamber came to life and moved quickly toward him. Cody tried to scramble away, but a wave of dizziness almost paralyzed him. The cold metal claw closed around his right arm and forced him back against the wall. Cody looked at the man at the control panel and pleaded to be let out, though he was well aware that his cries never penetrated beyond the chamber. The second arm came to life and retrieved a package from the compartment used to transfer samples in and out of the chamber. Cody was pretty sure that it was a bomb and struggled to free himself. The bomb was placed in the centre of the cylinders, with the timer facing away from him.

Moments flew past as Cody's mind raced. He was about to die and that scared him. He pried at the metal claw that held him and with adrenaline-enhanced strength made enough room to slip free. He stumbled toward the bomb, knocking over one of the cylinders. As he turned the electronic timer display toward him, he gasped and closed his eyes tight, counting the last two seconds of his life silently.

The explosion was not what he expected. Cody was thrown back against the wall as the room was engulfed in a seething ball of radioactive flame. Cody felt the flame, felt the heat but also realized he was still alive. The fire seemed to penetrate right through him. Then the flame was gone. The explosion hadn't ruptured the radiation chamber and the fire had exhausted the supply of oxygen. Cody gasped for breath and slammed his hand hard against the secured hatch, which could not be opened from the inside.

In the lab outside the chamber, two more explosive devices went off in sequence. The second blast toppled the radiation chamber off its moorings. Cody stood stiffly in the midst of the burning lab looking for a way of escape. He located the emergency door through the smoke and started in that direction. Burning debris fell from the ceiling and he jumped to dodge it. Moments later he slammed into the ceiling almost twenty feet above. He panicked and started to fall but managed to get his feet under him and landed safely. The emergency door was only steps away and Cody pushed out through it, collapsing onto the grass outside. As he gasped for breath, he looked at his hands for burns and was stunned by the sight of his normal skin. The last thing he remembered was someone running toward him as he collapsed in shock.