flashback — three days before the mission departs
It was the morning of day 197 in the communication room. professor Kastner had just started his shift. For the past five days, all he had done was sit quiet, listening to the beeps of silence coming from the transponder.
Breaking the silence, was Monica Kastner, his daughter, entering the room.
"I want to ask you something," She said, before taking the chair next to him.
"I missed you too." Kastner replied. "Ask."
"I wanna go on the mission."
"We already picked our representative."
"I know. But I still want to go."
"Marc is more experienced than you. He's more than enough for this mission,"
"I'm not doubting Mark's abilities—"
"Then why do you want to go?" he cut her.
"To see the outside world one last time, before we close for good"
"I hate when you lie to me," he said quietly.
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Your mom is dead," he said solemnly. "you have to let go."
"We don't know that, she might have survived."
"The safe room didn't have enough food to last six months. They must have left it, and there's no way they survived out there."
"Other people survived those conditions, why wouldn't she?"
"We lost contact with them too. Whatever made us lock ourselves in here probably got them as well. We can't take risks in times like this."
"If we stay in here, it won't be long before we kill each other."
"And if we go out there, we die on the spot. This is the right choice." He said firmly.
"I would rather go out and die than sit here waiting for it" Monica declared.
"Monica. You are not leaving," he said, raising his voice into a command.
Monica didn't say anything back. She just stood and stormed out.