Every person developed fear—in fact, scientists long before Overland's fall determined humans held five basic fears, in which all the rest fell into a category:

Extinction
Mutilation
Loss of Autonomy
Separation
Ego-Death

For Ryker, his fear of heights fell into the first two categories. If he fell from a great distance, he'd either die on impact, or severely injure, if not potentially break several bones. Worst case, he could fit that fear into loss of autonomy as well, should he lose a limb.

None were pleasant options, with Ryker praying the whole way to the upper level that the newly repaired lift wouldn't malfunction and send him plummeting to his demise.

As he squeezed his eyes shut during the ascent, a tiny hand tugged on his.

Ryker cracked one eye open to see Linnea watching him with round, blue eyes.

"Mister, are you okay?"

"I don't like heights," he confessed quietly while clutching his stomach.

"It's not so bad," she assured him confidently. "Kanden let me ride piggy back when we climbed the ladder. I like this better."

Her innocent admission made Ryker smile. "That was nice of him."

"He said he'll be my big brother. Does that make you my brother, too?"

Ryker's heart swelled at his husband's compassion. "I suppose it does. We'll get him back before you know it."

She responded by hugging him around the waist.

The ride to the top floor lasted only a moment longer, and Linnea took Ryker's hand as the lift doors groaned open.

"I don't like this next part," she complained. "The machine makes me stick my finger."

DNA analysis to access the AI? Ryker couldn't help feeling this had been a massive design flaw in the event all required people died.

"I'll be right here with you," he promised as they stepped into the lit corridor.

Most of the lights worked, with only one or two bulbs dark. The luminescence wasn't overwhelming, nor was it too dim to make anything out.

A central node sat in the center of the asymmetrically square room, with electronic screens and gadgets lining two walls and parallel doors on the others.

"What is this place?" he asked in awe, grazing his fingers over the warm equipment buzzing with electric energy.

Bastion joined him and pressed a button on a central module in the center of the room, opening a sliding compartment with three fresh needles. "This is the control panel for the AI. Here, we make the decision to leave the bunker or stay."

Until now, Rhonin had been silent as he rode the lift with his present company. Now, he stood on Linnea's side and picked up a needle. "This whole computer intelligence thing gives me the heebie jeebies. I'm almost surprised we didn't drive ourselves to near extinction sooner; humans can't seem to do anything for ourselves except fight or hand our existences over to machines."

Technological advances pre-apocalypse was beyond Ryker, but he couldn't argue with the logic. Humans could preach about love and peace all they wanted, but the species just couldn't seem to move past war or deadly curiosity. No one could leave well enough alone.

"Do you think we'll ever get it right?" he asked, unsure if the question was rhetorical.

Rhonin shrugged. "Who knows? I guess we'll find out when we're all dead."

He pricked his finger and set it in the tray before passing the remaining sticks to Bastion and Ryker. Then he nodded to Linnea. "For her."

Bastion followed suit while Ryker kneeled to be on Linnea's level. He took her hand in his and said, "It will only hurt a moment. In the books I read, doctors used to give children treats. Sweet candies to make them feel better afterward."

Wide, blue eyes greeted him. "I think the best treat would be having a family where people aren't hurting each other."

Ryker ruffled her hair and grinned. "If Kanden promised you a family, then we'll be a family. Everyone deserves to feel safe and accepted."

She held out her hand for him and allowed him to effect the needle into her finger. She flinched but otherwise didn't cry.

Once the pins were all back in the tray, the machine whirred to life and an androgynous hologram appeared in front of them. Expressionless, The non-binary figure spread its arms in greeting. "Welcome, Founding Families. Please state your command."

Ryker glanced at Rhonin, as if to say, "All yours."

With Linnea shying away from the hologram and Rhonin the only Founding Family member left from the original group, he stepped forward. "Hello, HOL•I. We are seeking answers regarding our last excursion into Overland. But first, can you grant access to Ryker? He is Kanden Calvorite's husband, and we have already lost people to the surface."

HOL•I's eyes flashed white as it scanned the room's occupants and landed on Ryker. "Are you the subject in question?"

Taken aback by the monotone voice, Ryker retreated a step. "Y-yes. My name is Ryker Shadowburn."

HOL•I turned to the others in clinical askance. "Linnea Helix, Family Calvorite, are you in agreement with Rhonin Garasone?"

Bastion's lip curled—whether in disgust or fear, Ryker couldn't say—while Linnea squeezed Ryker's arm.

She spoke first. "Yes. He's my big brother, like Kanden."

Everyone faced Bastion, who continued to stare in silence. After a moment, he finally said, "Yes. Ryker is my son." His nose crinkled on the last word, but his calm voice persisted above his obvious distaste.

"Very well. Administrative access granted to Ryker Shadowburn, husband of Kanden Calvorite. Please submit a DNA sample."

A new panel opened from the module with a fresh needle.

With a sigh, Ryker took it and pricked his finger. Then he wordlessly placed the injector back into the tray.

"DNA sample accepted. Welcome, Ryker Shadowburn. What is your inquiry?"

Ryker stared at the others and shrugged helplessly. "I-I don't know what to ask or how to articulate what I need. How do I get my husband back?"

"I do not understand," HOL•I stated toneslessly. "I am designed to learn and interact with humans while assisting in Project Soteria's original goal of evacuating Bunker 004's residents to the surface."

Dropping Ryker's hand to step forward, Linnea reached to touch the hologram, watching it flicker. "Can we go outside again to find Kanden and Arlo?"

Her request, so simple, drew the AI's attention, who dipped its head and stared down at the child. "Hello, Linnea Helix. The assailants who took Kanden Calvorite and Arlo Terrathorn, and their numbers, are currently unknown to me. I would not recommend returning to the surface until we have more information."

"We don't have that option," Rhonin interjected. "Their chances of survival and recovery would be greatly reduced the longer we wait, am I correct?"

HOL•I's opaque eyes flashed white while they maintained a monotone voice. "Yes, the first twenty-four hours are the most crucial in recovery efforts, but without established parameters of who these people are or their motives, I cannot give an accurate prediction to a likely outcome."

"That's a chance we'll have to take," Ryker said determinedly. "If, as you said, the objective is to reach the surface anyway, then we'll have to go outside sooner or later. There's always going to be a risk associated with the unknown."

HOL•I's eyes flashed white as they landed on Ryker. "Yes, perhaps," they conceded. "But you lack vaccines, survival skills, and other necessary equipment. My external sensors detect safe levels of radiation; however, there is more data to be collected, like water and soil samples. Surveillance images of the outer perimeters, and an ongoing trend of weather patterns."

Rhonin groaned. "Can we at least see the outside from the catwalk in the next room? Surely, there's no harm in that."

"I see you are growing impatient," HOL•I remarked.

"No shit!" Rhonin rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. "Now shut up and let us see the observatory. That's an order."

HOL•I dipped their head in acquiescence. "As you wish, Rhonin Garasone."

"Rhonin," he snapped. "Drop the last name. It's creepy and unnecessary."

"As you wish, Rhonin."

The doors to the next room hissed open on hydraulic hinges.

Rhonin took the lead, with Linnea following close behind while tugging Ryker's arm. Bastion hesitantly took the rear.

Ahead stretched a long, raised platform with windows carved on each side of the rock facing. Bright, blinding light spilled through, and on the other side, a landscape of brown mountains dotted with light grass and tall trees with off-colored red bark greeted them. Leaves in yellow and orange splashed the branches, reminding Ryker of a rare canvas painting he'd once seen in the vault of ancient things.

Water sparkled in the distance as waves lapped over a rocky, gray shore. Thin, yellow grass grew high in the sand on the cliff sides, and old, wooden structures lay crumbled and buried in the ground.

Ryker tentatively touched the railing and drank in the picturesque terrain. "Woah... I never knew how beautiful the Overland is. Where are we?"

HOL•I appeared on the window to Ryker's right, closest to the door he came from but not in the way of the view. The glass behind tinted automatically to show the AI. "Bunker 004 is located in the mountains of what was formerly Northern California. This facility was built with oceanic erosion in mind as the climate changed and the coasts flooded inland."

Aside from reading old books, Ryker didn't know anything about California. Only that it had been a popular destination once.

"Can you explain the purpose of Project Soteria?" Ryker asked, still gazing at the expansive landscape. "Are we meant to live on the surface, or go to the stars like our ancestors?"

"It is impossible to speculate whether any other facilities are still functioning," HOL•I replied. "According to Arlo Terrathorn's calculations—"

"Just Arlo," Rhonin corrected. "We use first names unless we specify otherwise."

"Very well. According to Arlo's calculations he input before he went to the surface, two hundred and four years have passed since your people entered the bunker. Any equipment designed to fly into space would have degraded significantly by now and would need repairs. Though state-of-the-art facilities were designed to withstand nature, everything diminishes with time, due to elements and lack of use. For now, the primary objective is to study our surroundings and eventually relocate humanity to the surface. From there, the outlined plans are to rebuild, survive, thrive, and seek other alternatives, should Earth not be habitable."

A million thoughts flew through Ryker's head, and he forced himself to focus on the more immediate problems at hand. "Okay, barring the Overlanders who took Kanden and Arlo, how do we get the samples you need? We don't have the ability to create vaccines with our current conditions and resources. However, I do agree we need to gather information, but the only way to do that is to go to the surface."

HOL•I tilted their head. "I see the logic in your words. Going to the surface is inevitable, but I still can't not calculate the risks without more data. The surface dwellers are unknown to me; when your people went underground, the earth was uninhabitable due to climate change, overpopulation, and pollution, including radiation levels. There was a projected three percent survival rate; where you are located, there was none. There was no access to clean water or food, and through wars among countries, much of the environment had been destroyed. Disease and illness eradicated ninety-eight percent of the United States population. Those who survived either went into space to search for another sustainable planet or were forced into shelters."

Ryker dug his palms into his eyes. Conversing with this AI was exhausting. "But that doesn't negate the need to leave the vault, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then the solution is clear," Ryker stated, sharing a nod with Rhonin. Even if not for Kanden's and Arlo's sakes, then for the survival of those still in the bunker. "We need to go to the Overland."