“There you have it, guys. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket. And there’s no way I’m going to risk my neck to see for myself. Besides, think of it this way—if the world has ended, we basically won the lottery. We’re in one of the most advanced self-sustainable shelters ever built,” Timothy said.

Emanuel unfolded his arms. “I’m not going to argue with you about that, but this shelter was only built to be viable for six months. Sure, we could make it last longer, but, there will come a time when we need to go outside. That’s what I vote for.”

“Me too,” Saafi said, changing his mind and raising his hand.

“I don’t believe what I’m hearing!” Timothy shouted. “We’ve only been in the Biosphere for a week. Not even that. And you guys want to scrap everything and go outside?”

“Haven’t you been listening to what’s going on?” Sophie snarled. “I’ve noted your opinion, Timothy, now pipe down.” She turned away from him and took a deep breath. “What about you, Holly? Where do you stand?”

Holly pulled a strand of long blond hair from her face and tucked it behind an ear. Her large eyes slowly found their way to Sophie’s. “I vote to stay here. Where it’s safe. We don’t know what’s happened outside,” she said, looking back down at the floor sheepishly.

“That’s okay, Holly. I understand,” Sophie said.

“That makes it two votes for and two votes against,” Timothy piped up.

“I can count,” Sophie replied. “You all know this mission has been my dream for a number of years, and as much as I hate to abandon it, I see no other choice. We can survive in here for a while, but without a solid line of communication or a way to replenish our supplies, we’ve got a year in here, maybe two—tops. We have to try and make contact with NTC. The only way to do that is to venture beyond the safety of the Biosphere. My vote is to go outside.”

Timothy stood and laughed hysterically. “I’m not going out there!”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to force you or anyone else to go. Emanuel, Saafi, and I will journey out on our own and report back. Holly, you make sure Timothy stays out of trouble while we’re gone,” Sophie said with a stern look. “Alexia, I’m going to need your assistance. Not only will you be tasked with opening the doors, but I will also need you to tell us where the NTC gear room is. I’m sure they have some sort of armory.”

“That is correct. There is an armory stocked with weapons and hazard suits near the blast doors through which you entered the facility. The train will take you there. I will unlock the doors once you get to the building,” Alexia replied.

“I’m also going to need some way to communicate with you from the outside. Do we have any headsets and video cams?”