“Captain, it’s maxed out!” the flight engineer shouted. “What’s maxed out?” “The DP-3. The needle’s stuck.” “Then switch to a higher range,” Volodin said, and turned to check the dial himself. But the radiometer was already calibrated to its most extreme setting. The needle was glued to the far end of the range, at 500 roentgen per hour. And Volodin knew that the device took its readings from a receiver in the back of his seat. It seemed impossible: the level of radiation inside the cockpit had risen beyond the worst expected in a nuclear war.
