“Oh really? What do you suggest I do, put my legs up and crack open a cold one?”

“I suggest you shut your mouth,” Sophie said, snapping her fingers at him. “If you want a shot at that trip to Mars, then you better shape up or I’m pulling you from the team. There are a hundred other programmers who would love your seat.”

Timothy took a deep breath and sat back down, crossing his arms. “Whatever.”

“I don’t understand. Wouldn’t we have known about the solar storms ahead of time?” Holly asked.

Emanuel rested his coffee mug on the table. “Yes. Someone would have seen them coming—someone would have warned the world.”

“Do you remember the first day in the Biosphere, right before we went into the cleaning chambers?” Sophie asked.

Emanuel nodded. “Of course.”

“Dr. Hoffman’s instructions seemed rushed. Like he had somewhere more important to be,” said Sophie. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but what if he knew?”

Holly shook her head. “We don’t know what really caused the animals’ deaths, do we? You said it could have been a trick NTC used to test us.”

Emanuel ran his hand through his thick, unkempt hair, destroying the last remnants of his part. “At this point I think it’s probably not a test. We should ask Alexia what she thinks.”

He glanced at Sophie, who shrugged.

“Emanuel’s theory is plausible. After searching my database, I did find thousands of situations where animals behaved similarly as a result of the solar storms of 2055. However, we have no conclusive evidence anything has happened on the outside,” Alexia said, her image appearing over a console in the center of the room.

“Conclusive evidence? A dead communication line and a biome full of dead animals isn’t conclusive enough for you? I’m pretty sure that’s enough to convince me,” Timothy said.

“Enough already, Timothy,” Holly said.

“I hate saying it, but he’s right,” Saafi said. “I don’t know how else to explain what’s happened. Emanuel’s theory sounds like the only plausible explanation.”

Alexia’s image faded and disappeared, her voice transferring to the loud speakers. “NTC rules have prevented us from contacting the outside, but there is one way to figure out what’s going on—one thing you will have access to on a space flight.”

“What’s that?” Sophie asked curiously.

“Radiation detectors,” Alexia replied.

Emanuel smiled. “Brilliant.”

Her holographic image reappeared in front of the team. “Preliminary scans show radiation levels outside the facility are abnormal.”

“Fuck. There you have it. Game over for us!” Timothy yelled.

“This isn’t a video game,” Sophie said. “This is real life.”

“Are we sure that’s what it means? Couldn’t the radiation have come from another source?” Holly insisted.

“Just face it! We’re screwed. We might as well roll over now and get it over with,” Timothy said, bitterness creeping into his voice.

Sophie bowed her head. She still couldn’t believe what was happening. The entire goal of the mission had been to test a new Noah’s Ark, one that would transplant humans to Mars so they could start a new life. But now everything had changed. Depending on how bad the solar storms were, it was possible the mission was over—it was possible there wasn’t anyone left to save.