“They killed themselves trying to escape from their cages,” he finished.

Holly gasped. “Do you mean they committed suicide?” She didn’t like to use the word, especially in her field, but there was no other way to describe it.

Emanuel nodded, shifting his glasses further up his nose. “Precisely.”

“That’s insane,” Saafi said. “Why would they do that? Something in the habitat had to have killed them.”

Timothy shook his head. “No, Emanuel is correct. These birds killed themselves. They died of massive brain trauma after trying to peck their way out of their cages.”

“Emanuel, you must have some idea why they did this. Start talking,” Sophie ordered.

“I have a theory, but you may want to sit down to hear it.”

The team all found metal chairs and promptly sat, waiting anxiously for the news. Sophie crossed her arms, trying to hide the fact her hands were shaking again, this time not out of fear for her own life, but out of fear for the fate of the mission. It was only the second day, and if the Biosphere had been compromised, then their mission would be over before it had really begun.

“Animals are much more connected to the world than we realize,” Emanuel explained. “Their behavior before natural disasters indicates they may be able to sense a change in their environment before an event takes place. They may not know what’s going to happen, but many scientists argue they can still sense it.”

“What are you saying, Emanuel?” Holly said, her voice shaking. “What could have happened? What could the animals know that we don’t?” Her breathing started to get faster as she spoke, the color in her face draining with every word.

Emanuel paused and glanced over at Sophie. “Something catastrophic. That’s the only thing I can come up with. We’ve ruled everything else out: the video footage showed nothing, the habitats all report normal levels, and the chickens were healthy.”

“Catastrophic?” Saafi said gravely. His deep voice faded to a level just above a whisper. “Guys, I don’t like this. I’ve never, ever seen animals act like this before. Something’s terribly wrong.”

Sophie stood. “We don’t know anything for sure. Let’s just remain calm.” She knew she had to diffuse the situation before her team began to panic. She was going to have to do something she had hoped to avoid; she didn’t see any other choice. Without hesitating she turned to Emanuel. “Have you asked Alexia her opinion?”

A cooling unit clicked on and a breeze rushed through the ductwork, washing some of the tension in the room away.

Without looking at her, Emanuel shook his head. “No, of course not. I thought you’d want us to consult you first.”

“I’m glad you did, but as much as I hate to say it, we need to ask her what she knows,” Sophie said. “Alexia, will you join us?”

The blue holographic image of the AI instantly appeared over the console in the middle of the room. “How may I assist you, Dr. Winston?”