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story.”
    Not the full story, thought Mei. She and her friends had left out the part about Alex’s homicidal breakdown. “What’s your point, Zoe?”
    “Why would you want to come back here? Why go through all the political hoops? I know it wasn’t easy for you to convince your boss.” She beamed a knowing smile at Mei. “You could have given them the idea and stepped aside. Why’d you ask to come here?”
    Mei briefly considered admitting the truth. It would be so easy. I’m here to find out what happened to Terry. I need answers. But she couldn’t risk it. If anyone reported her true motives, they might shut the project down. The board had already indicated their concern over whether or not Mei could remain impartial due to her experiences on the surface. Ultimately, they allowed it, but only because it was her project, and she knew more about this place than anyone. If they discovered what she was really after, they’d call her objectivity into question. Maybe they’d assign someone new to oversee the team. Zoe and the others might be allowed to stay. But not Mei. She’d be recalled immediately, made to work a meager lab job until some undisclosed time had passed. She couldn’t bear the thought. “Honestly? You really want to know?”
    Zoe’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, of course.”
    Mei leaned towards her. “I don’t trust anyone else.”
    “Huh?”
    Mei grinned. “The work’s too important to let some idiot handle it. This is the place where Variant came from, right? And it was brought here because of a machine. We shut it down, but all it did was thin the gas, not get rid of it. If we can find more information about how they built the portal, we might be able to find a way to clean the rest of the air.” It was the same pitch she’d originally given her superiors before including the part about the coils. It was a good lie, the kind with a sliver of truth in it.
    “So you’re here because you don’t trust anyone else?” asked Zoe.
    “Precisely,” nodded Mei. “People are stupid. They would’ve turned this mission into a salvage operation just like the board’s trying to do now with the coil. None of them have their priorities right.”
    “You might have a point with people being idiots,” said Zoe. “I get what you’re saying.”
    “Good,” said Mei and was thankful for it. No one needed to know what she was really doing here. Not the board or her team…not even John. There was no reason to tell any of them. “I believe in what we’re doing here. If I didn’t, I never would’ve come.”
    “I’m glad to be here, too,” said Zoe.
    “I couldn’t ask for a better team,” she said, smiling, and it really was the truth.
     
    ******
    Unknown
    April 16, 2350
    Terry spent the bulk of his morning exploring the orchard he’d previously discovered in the woods. Afterwards, once he’d collected more than enough fruit to last him the week, he returned to the glade. From there, he set off to scout the eastern woods, taking note of the position of the suns. It was slightly before noon, which gave him plenty of time to explore.
    After an hour or so of hiking, he came upon a small pond. The water was so thick with mud and grime, it was difficult to see more than a few centimeters. Clumps of blue weeds littered the surface, occasionally moving when a small breeze blew through the trees. There might be one of those animals in there , suggested Janice. She was of course referencing the Mudsnakes, annoying vermin Terry had taken to avoiding. The last thing he needed was an infestation migrating into his new camp. He’d better find out now in case he had to get rid of them.
    He snagged some rocks and tossed one into the pond.
    Plop .
    He circled to the other side, throwing the rest, one at a time.
    Plop. Plop. Plop.
    Half a dozen ripples grew until they merged with the surrounding earth. A small knot of weeds rustled in the water, shaking generously. From between the stalks, a thin set of blue