“Thank God,” Sophie responded. “We’re heading to the med ward now.”

“Roger that. Bouma, how’s it coming with getting those lights back on?” Overton asked.

“I found the source of the power outage. A few severed wires. I should have it back on in . . .”

A warm glow illuminated the room, and the sound of Alexia’s robotic voice repeated over the intercom system:

“Code Red. Please head to the medical ward. Code Red. Please head to the medical ward.”

Relief washed through Overton’s system. Two objectives down. And despite the loss of Mr. Yool, things weren’t as bad as he thought.

He slipped off his helmet and peered at the cryo chamber Holly and Owen had been hiding in.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked.

“What about me, man? You about broke my freaking knee,” Timothy complained.

The sound of the man’s voice made Overton cringe. With one swift move he stood, spun, and swung at Timothy. His fist connected with the man’s jaw, and the unmistakable sound of bone shattering echoed off the walls.

He turned to face Holly again before Timothy’s body had a chance to hit the floor. “That should shut him up for a while.”

A hint of a smile streaked across Holly’s face.

“Thank you for saving us, Mr. Soldier,” Owen said from inside the cracked lid of the cryo chamber.

Overton looked down at the boy and paused. He didn’t know what to say. It was the first time he could remember a child ever thanking him for anything.

“Any time, little guy,” he finally managed.

Bouma hunched over the main desk in the control room, studying a holographic blueprint of the facility. Miles of tunnels twisted and snaked across the map, leaving him perplexed. The age of the structure, combined with the fact it had been completely retrofitted from the NORAD days, added to the complexity of the blueprints.

Overton had ordered him to find all possible entry points into the Biosphere, but as his mind digested the drawings, he realized it was going to be almost impossible. The main problem was that the Organics had already penetrated the facility, which meant they already knew of the team’s presence.

Neither of the Marines claimed to be experts on enemy tactics, but they were both smart enough to know the Biosphere had been compromised.

A strong pat on his back distracted him, and he looked up to see Overton’s exhausted face.

“Report,” he said, stuffing the last half of a granola bar into his mouth.

“Sir, there are so many possible entries it will be almost impossible to secure the facility. Besides, they already know we’re here.”

“Bouma, I’m not asking for your opinion on the Organics. I’m asking if you can secure the Biosphere. Can you do that?”