This excerpt comes from science fiction story about an experimental site working to replicate Earth’s environment for extraterrestrial colonization. Things start to go horribly wrong and the heroine is forced to fight for her survival.
Claudia tripped the last manual override before limping to the exit hatch. She strained with all her might, but the release wheel wouldn’t budge. As she slumped against the hatch’s window, she could just make out a face through the condensation clinging to the glass. It was Van Owen. Claudia snatched the phone off the receiver. As soon as she heard the other side connect, she begged “You have to get me out of here!”
“I’m sorry, Claudia, but we can’t risk compromising the experiment by opening it up to outside factors.” Van Owen sounded as calm as if he was describing the weather. “The company has simply invested too much money in the project to end it now. If it’s any consolation, the off-site team thinks they’ve solved the gas exchange problem for the next round of testing. We’ll be sure to honor your contributions.” With that, the man hung up the receiver and walked away.
Claudia smashed the phone against the cradle before sinking to the ground, sobbing. She was already starting to feel lightheaded from hypoxia. Sobbing gave way to manic giggles as she realized something Van Owen couldn’t know: