The programmer rolled his eyes but managed a nod. Dr. Hoffman quickly paced over to the next team member.

“Next we have Saafi Yool, the team’s engineer. Mr. Yool was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering. I understand you are a refugee from Somalia,” Dr Hoffman said, looking down at the slender man whose long legs sprawled all the way underneath the chair in front of him.

“That is correct, Dr. Hoffman,” he said with a warm smile.

“Welcome, Mr. Yool,” he said, moving on to Emanuel. “Here we have Dr. Emanuel Rodriguez. As the team’s biologist, you may be the most important member,” he said with a quick wink.

Emanuel took another sip of coffee and continued to stare forward, unmoved by Dr. Hoffman’s antics.

“And last, but certainly not least, is the team lead, Dr. Sophie Winston. Graduated from Princeton with a PhD in particle physics, and now one of the world’s leading experts in solar weather. I am told that if it weren’t for her work during the 2055 solar storms, the results would have been much more severe.”

“I’m not sure about that—” Sophie began to object before Dr. Hoffman cut her off.

“Thank you for being here, Dr. Winston,” he said, locking eyes with her for several seconds before moving back to the center of the room.

“Thank you for the opportunity,” Sophie replied, trying to conceal any disdain in her voice.

“With the formalities out of the way, I’ll cut right to the chase. Those of you who know me already know I am not big on small talk. We are all here to achieve the same goal—to test the Biosphere for future space flight. This mission is one of the most important in human history, and I thank you for being part of it. With that said, there are several rules you all need to know before you are sealed in tomorrow morning. Projector, Alexia.”

The lights dimmed, and a holographic image appeared over the console in front of Dr. Hoffman. Several circular shapes floated in the air. Studying them briefly, he plucked one of the spinning circles out of the group and said, “This is the Biosphere.” He enlarged it with a swipe of his index finger, and the layers of the rest of the facility faded.

“As you can see, the Biosphere consists of four individual biomes that operate with the most advanced technology NTC has to offer,” he said. “Dr. Winston will be in command of the facility, and each biome will be assigned a team leader. This is Biome 1.” He held out the individual sphere and let it hover above his hand. “One could argue it is the most important. It’s where you will be growing your food and testing the habitat. There are more than one hundred different plant species that will eventually be introduced to the environment. Why so many, you ask? Good question. Traditionally we used a smaller number, but in case of habitat failure or bug infestations, we want to ensure the survival of several species. The seeds are all genetically altered hybrids, hand-selected by our best botanists, and designed to grow in the harshest of conditions, so rest assured—they will be resilient in any situation short of a nuclear meltdown.” He paused to look at Emanuel, who watched the presentation with interest.