“Looks like all systems are normal in the pond chamber,” he said as Sophie approached. “In fact, all systems are performing at one hundred percent in the Biosphere.”
“Good news. I’m glad NTC left us with a fully functional system.”
“Hopefully they also left us a system without video cameras in every room,” Emanuel laughed.
An image of Alexia appeared in front of the team. “I don’t mean to correct you, but there are multiple cameras in every room.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Of course there are.”
“So much for trust,” Emanuel replied, frowning.
“Dr. Hoffman likes to know what is going on at all times,” said Alexia. “It is not that he distrusts us. He just—”
“Wants to see us all naked?” Timothy chuckled.
Sophie shot Timothy a glare. “What exactly do you mean by us, Alexia?” Sophie asked, spinning to face the AI’s hologram.
“Our team, Doctor,” Alexia replied in a calm voice.
Sophie struggled to come to grips with Alexia’s presence. She was technically in charge, but Alexia controlled the central mainframe. If something went wrong, Alexia, and not Sophie, would be tasked with making an executive decision, one that could mean the life or death of her team.
Sophie sighed, too tired to argue. “Time for dinner, everyone. Let’s see if NTC left us with a fully functional kitchen, shall we?”
The team laughed, but their anxiety was almost palpable in the filtered air. It wasn’t even the end of the first day in the facility, and Sophie was beginning to suspect NTC had a stronger grip on the operation than she had first imagined.
“This way,” Saafi said, pointing toward a white door at the far end of the mess hall.
“Have you already checked it out?” Holly asked, holding the door for the others.
“A month of packaged food, just enough time for Farmer Emanuel to grow us something worth eating,” Timothy said. “If he’s actually capable of it.”
“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more annoying, you prove me wrong. For the record, it might take less time than that. These seeds grow faster than any I have ever studied,” Emanuel said, grabbing a vacuum-sealed meal from the stainless-steel cabinet.
The team carried their trays back to the mess hall in silence. Sophie grabbed the open seat next to Emanuel.
“What did you get?” she asked.
“That’s a really good question. I can’t tell,” Emanuel said, laughing.
Sophie smiled. His sense of humor always had a way of making her feel better, but the hushed whispering from the other table quickly reminded her that the mission hadn’t started off as planned. She leisurely picked at her meal, trying to ignore her staff’s conversation while replaying the day’s events in her mind.
Should she have accepted the contract so hastily? Or had her own dreams of going to Mars clouded her vision? There was also the lingering question of why Dr. Hoffman had seemed so rushed at the briefing. Was he hiding something?