Below the clear shield, they saw green, and dark figures moving in and out of the green. Perhaps the dark figures were only shadows caused by the rustling of leaves caused by an unseen wind. Only a closer inspection would reveal their truer nature. At the center of the slightly domed glass roof, there appeared to be a horizontal door and a glass tunnel leading to the ground and a rather large airlock. This tunnel was lined with dark rings at even intervals as well. However, it did not look like a place that they would be able to enter.
Luckily, a rather large service pipe existed on the roof which led down to into an airlock inside the building itself. Max and Mark left the rope where the grapple had fixed itself to one of these dark bars holding part of the glass roof in place. The service tube had a built in ladder, so they did not need the rope anyway, and rather than risk losing it, Max opted to leave it behind for now.
After a downward climb they stood in the airlock, anxiously waiting for the pressure to normalize.
Chapter Ten
A lush green valley dominated the monolithic structure. From the service airlock to the far walls grew an assortment of living food producing plants in orderly rows, with worn stone paths between them. At least they appeared to be rough weathered stone. There were rows of almost every kind of fruit tree imaginable, oranges, apples, cherry, pear, peach, and many others that Max and Mark could not identify. There were also many rows of vines on which melons and other odd things grew, and many bountiful bushes and shrubs.
Max and Mark cautiously stepped out of the airlock, and removed their helmets. The air has a strong earthy odor to it, but was fresh, and did not smell like the air in the rest of planet moon. This air was recycled the natural way, using the plants to clean the air and make it breathable again. A faint, barely audible humming sound was coming from somewhere near a wall, where the trees grew to high and blocked the view of it.
“What an amazing place,” said Mark. “A functioning biodome.”
“Now we know where the food is coming from,” replied Max. “Let’s take a look around. I think I hear some sort of machinery over there behind those trees.”
Further investigation behind the trees revealed a large machine apparently built into the wall. Boxes would periodically roll out from one opening of the machine and travel down a conveyor to a pile of other boxes. An access panel and meters were to either side of the machine’s apparent mouth. The panel could not be opened, and the meters meant nothing to either Mark nor Max.