Robin stood in amazement. Jordan had just ripped the schematics from in front of Pierce. Her eyebrows were drawn tightly together and her face was flushed a scarlet hue. Her anger was palpable.

"You need to listen to us!" she screamed. Farmer tried to pull her back, but she wrenched away. "Listen to us! Jinho's bird is dead!"

Everyone turned to look at Jinho. He held Aurum in his cupped hands but stared at the apex of the dome. "They're gassing us."

All eyes turned up. The vents were closed and a light cloud was swirling like a writhing ghost trying to escape through the glass. It was growing larger and heavier and dispersing over their heads.

"Everyone inside!" roared Pierce. "Go to the conference room! Now!"

Chaos erupted. Everyone ran for the doors. Robin moved to round up the scientists who started back toward their labs. Mandy was with them and waved her away. "There are masks in the labs! We'll bring them to the conference rooms!"

She turned to help Andrew but found Pierce had already thrown him over his shoulder and was running after Evan for the inner building. He set Andrew on his feet and held the door while the others filed inside.

Someone was running to the kitchen. "Marybeth! The kitchen is open to the dome. You need to go to the conference room!"

Marybeth veered and ran to the glass of the dome. She waved her badge at the door begging for it to respond. When it didn't, she pounded on it. Pierce started to run after her but Robin waved him off and ran to get her.

Panic made Marybeth blind and she fought against Robin. Rearing back, Robin slapped her in the face. The stinging blow sent her reeling but Robin caught her arm. The wildness went out of her eyes. Robin took her hand and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Come with me, Marybeth. We need to go to the conference room. We all need to stay together."

Marybeth nodded.

Pierce slammed the door shut behind them as they joined the running feet headed to the conference room. Michael was coming down the hall from the opposite direction with an armful of flashlights. They veered out of the darkened hallway and entered the crowded room together. It was lit by the sunlight shining through the thick pane of glass overlooking the dome.

Michael dropped the lights he was carrying onto the table. He pushed buttons on the conference phone and shook his head at Pierce. "Nothing."

"Where's Jinho? Where's Jinho?" Minjun was shaking Jordan. Farmer pushed through the cluster of bodies.

"I–I don't know!" she stuttered. "He was right behind me."

Pierce gently removed Minjun's hands from Jordan and nodded at Robin, who protectively put her arms around Minjun's shoulders. "Don't let him leave. Jordan, tell me about the shaft. How big is it? Can we all fit?"

"I think so. It's in the vegetable cooler under the kitchen."

"You need to take me there to see it. Can you do that?"

Farmer pulled her roughly from Pierce. "No! My daughter is not going anywhere. She's staying here with me until her mother gets back."

"She's the only one who knows where it is," Pierce reasoned. "We need to get everyone out of the dome and we need to do it quickly."

Farmer was shaking his head. "Not until her mother gets here. Then we can all go at the same time."

"I need to find Jinho," Minjun moaned.

Robin hugged him. "We'll find him. I promise you. We won't leave without him. We won't leave anyone behind."

Mandy pushed through the room. She was wearing a gas mask and set a large box filled with more of them on the conference room table. Two more boxes joined it and she passed them into the outstretched hands around her.

Jinho burst into the room and pushed his way through to his father who crushed him in a tight hug.

"Where were you?" Jordan exclaimed as she moved away from Pierce and confronted Jinho.

"The infirmary. For oxygen. For Aurum." The canary hopped on Jinho's shoulder. It cocked its head and stared with its beady black eyes at Jordan.

Jordan lightly stroked his belly with her fingertip. "You gave Aurum oxygen? How did–"

Pierce stepped up behind Jordan. "We don't have time for that now. Everyone quiet! We need to get to the shaft. Farmer?"

Farmer nodded from behind a gas mask and passed one to Pierce.

Pierce addressed the group loudly, "Jordan and Jinho are going to lead us to a shaft that's in the vegetable cooler under the kitchen. We need to all move quickly without pushing and shoving. Help each other out and move as a group. We're all getting out of here. Okay, Jordan, show us."

Jordan squeezed Jinho's hand. She didn't let go when they were given space to pass through the crowded room.

Pierce made a move to pick up Andrew, but he backed away and lifted the hem of his sweat-soaked shirt. Blood had welled up through his bandages. Robin gave Jinho's hand a squeeze and hurried to Andrew's side while Dr. Galen peeled the bandage back. He peeked behind it then pressed the tape back in place, spun him around, and repeated the measure on his backside. "You're good. I think the joggling you got forced some blood out between the stitches, but I don't see anything torn. Got any more teabags?"

"You've seen Episode‒"

Andrew cut Evan off and patted his bag. "Never go hiking without 'em."

Pierce brushed past the doctor to help again, but Andrew held his hand up. "You're kidding, right? I'm good. I'll walk."

When the group got to the cafeteria, Robin stopped Marybeth and asked if there were water bottles available. Marybeth nodded and led her to the kitchen. They filled several bags and passed them out to the others once they got to the cooler.

Robin pushed her way through the crowd of whispers and mumbling where Pierce was looking into the shaft.

"That's going to be a snug fit," she murmured to him.

He scratched his head and glanced at Michael. "Not just for me. Cross your fingers."

Jordan slipped the flashlight from under her shirt and held it out to Marybeth.

Michael snatched the flashlight. "Is that one of my flashlights?"

"You can have it back. I hope I never need it again." She nudged him toward the vent. "Why don't you go first? Marybeth doesn't like snakes."

Michael's eyes grew large and a blush spread across his cheeks. "But I–"

Pierce pulled his arm toward the vent. "Go."

Michael bent down and shined the flashlight into the shaft.

"Don't look at me. I'm a child," Evan said when Michael spun around. One of the scientists pushed them aside and crawled in.

Robin helped Andrew into the shaft next. "Keep everyone together on the other side. Don't let anyone walk away on their own. Snakes aren't the only dangers in those mountains."

Andrew nodded and ducked in.

Pierce frowned at Jordan in confusion. "I saw you on the other side of the mountain. Video shows you coming and going at the gate. Michael showed me that footage just after you moved in and asked what should be done about it. I told him it was just a couple of kids blowing off steam."

"We come in that way. To beat the clock," Jordan said.

"To beat the clock?"

"On days when we know there will be a seal. When we hear the alarm, we try to beat the clock and be inside before everything is locked up. If we get caught outside, then we hike around and come back through the shaft."

Minjun stood off to the side as people squatted and crawled into the vent. A flashlight lit the blueprints spread between his hands and made his face glow softly. His eyes bounced back and forth between the hole in the wall and the paper unrolled before him.

Robin interrupted his mutterings. "What is it, Minjun?"

"This cannot be correct. The incinerator is not here."

"No, it's in the gardens," Pierce answered.

"The incinerator is in the gardens because this was not a safe location for installation." Sudden realization dawned in his eyes. "They moved the incinerator and left the hole. Carl told me they didn't drill this hole. No wonder I could never get a seal."

"Do you think you could now?" Pierce asked him.

Minjun rolled the diagrams with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What are you thinking?" Mandy asked Pierce. She stood clutching Farmer's hand on one side and Jordan's on the other.

"Blow it up."

"Is that possible?" Robin asked. The last of the scientists were in the shaft and Farmer was herding Jordan toward it.

"Maybe." Minjun nodded slowly, still thinking. "The glass of the dome is very strong. Safety glass. It is constructed to hold up to all kinds of storms or even falling rocks. If we can elevate the pressure inside, we may be able to blow the top off."

"What have you got in mind?" Farmer asked.

"The pressure needed to blow up the dome would burst our eardrums so everyone needs to be out of here before any explosion," Pierce explained. "And far enough away to be shielded from the glass and rock that will fly. And we'll need one more thing...a catalyst for the explosion."

"It needs to burn," Mandy lingered at the lip of the vent with Farmer and Jordan. "It all needs to be destroyed. All of it. Research, plants, everything. They're poison. But, worse than that, they can be used to make more. Central can't ever be able to recover any viable seeds afterward."

Minjun nodded. "I understand."

Pierce reached out to Robin and pulled her into a hug. "You need to get everyone out of here and as far away as possible. Let Jordan and Jinho lead. They'll know the safest route to go. Minjun, I have an idea. Will you stay and help?"

Minjun looked at Jinho. Jinho stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his father. "Abba, salangheyo."

"I love you, my son. I will see you on the other side of the mountain."

Pierce shook Farmer's hand. "Keep everyone safe. It's going to be one hell of a bang."