Dinner for the crew started out very quietly.  Everyone had their own lines of thinking, their own trains of thought.  While similar in nature, everyone had their own silent concerns.

Jim took down a bowl of mush that resembled creamy wheat in texture, though he couldn't help but notice savory notes to it.  His mind wouldn't stop thinking of the dark mass they all noticed, just standing there.  He tried to think back on it, but the memory was already fading.  He was trying to remember anything he could about it.  Was it standing? did he actually see legs and feet standing upright?  It didn't really seem to have any noticeable characteristics about it, at least, not that he could remember.  It was just a dark mass, there was no visible movement.  Obviously it had to have moved because multiple sensors from different cameras picked it up, which means that it had to have moved.  One thing couldn't possibly be in two places at once.  It would be impossible.  He didn't know, He continued eating, lost in thought.

Veronica had her own bowl of mush.  She craved something sweet for dinner, so she opted for a maple, brown sugar bowl reminiscent of oatmeal.  Her own mind wandered with thought of what they'd all seen.  Although she replayed the events in her mind, she was more curious as to how her fellow crew had interpreted what they saw.  She and Jim had a very similar way of thinking which is one thing that attracted her to him.  As far as she was concerned, great minds think alike.

Lydia opted for a leafy green salad for dinner.  Her appetite wasn't particularly strong at the moment.  Generally she had a strong stomach for things, she had to as a practitioner of medicine.  The thought of whatever that thing was out there, she feared, was well beyond her medical expertise.  Even if they did manage to figure out what it was, and it turned out to be some mutated humanoid, there was no reversing something like that.  Technology certainly hadn't advanced to the point of rebuilding genetic code from the cellular level.  Considering how radiation attacked the body from the inside out, not only is survival next to impossible, there were no known cases of curing and or reversing advanced radiation sickness or cellular mutation.  She could only imagine what this creature looked like in a clear view.  She shuddered at the thought.  As a medical professional she would have liked to believe she was capable of being impartial or without judgement, but there are just some sights in that field that no one can prepare themselves for.

Connor, he wasn't hungry at all.  This was completely out of character for him.  He always had an appetite.  But not now, not with what he had just witnessed.  Connor didn't usually feel any significant amount of fear, but that's precisely what he felt in this moment.  Fear.  His survival instincts were on high alert.  His fight or flight instincts could go either way in this moment.  He felt like a coward with all of the fear in his mind, seeping in a bleeding into every pore of his body.  On the upside, feeling this sense of fear put his mind into protection mode.  Not just for himself, but for all of those around him.  He was a protector, and he knew that he would defend his friends or die trying.  The thought of the creature managing to find a way to infiltrate this shelter had him feeling sick.  He didn't know what this creature was, or what it was capable of, but he would fight it in any way he could if it posed a threat.  Connor just sat there staring at the table, deep in thought.

"I think we should all turn in a bit early tonight." Simon announced.  "Too much excitement for one day.  By the way, Connor.  That was still a very impressive home run earlier in your baseball sport, dare I say you resembled Babe Ruth with that one."

This broke Connor's train of thought and everyone else looked over at Simon as well.

"How can you be so calm and nonchalant about what we just witnessed?" asked Connor in a mental distant disbelief. "How can you witness something that you have no idea what is, and proceed as though nothing happened?"  Connor stared straight at Simon desperately seeking an answer with his trademark bullheaded demeanor.

"Well, Connor, it's because in situations like these, I have to try and remain as impartial and analytical as I can." Simon waved his hands to include everyone.  "It is blatantly obvious to anyone with half a brain, that you are all still processing things, half of you are scared, the other half in disbelief.  Each one of you, however, is asking the exact same thing to yourselves.  What is it? Should we be worried?"

Everyone had a reserved look of confirmation on their faces.

"To answer your first burning question, I'll be honest.  No, I don't know what it is.  I couldn't begin to form any sort of concrete answer on what that thing was out there, can I formulate theories as to what based purely on logic? Sure.  I'm sure Lydia has already covered that train of thought." Simon looked over at Lydia. "You're thinking there are only two possibilities, both of which involve mutation of some kind.  Animal, Human, other, whatever other means."

Lydia silently nodded her head.

"I am also sure the medical side of you is wondering if there's anything that we could do to help the creature.  Perhaps in doing so, gather some intel on the outside world as it currently stands.  Perhaps gather some tissue samples to extrapolate just how deeply affected, or far along the radiation mutation has progressed."

Lydia hadn't thought that far ahead yet, but it was an obvious scientific curiosity after he said it.

"I'll spare you the suspense or your thought quandary.  This brings me to Connor." Simon then looked over at Connor.  "I know where your train of thought is, and you're very correct in your concern about our safety.  We don't know what it is, and we don't know what kind of security risk it would be.  Could it be harmless aside from the radiation it must be emanating? Sure.  Could it also have mutated into something based purely on survival and mutated muscles giving it ridiculous levels of strength? Perhaps lowered or non-existent pain receptors thereby making it unreactive to anything we did to try and defend ourselves in the event that its primitive animalistic instincts take over out of fear for its own safety and survival? Absolutely a possibility."

Connor sat there in stunned silence after Simon's accurate assessment of his thoughts, also making him realize possibilities beyond his own thoughts.

"This also answers the thought process of Jim here." Simon now looked at Jim.  "We don't know anything about it, we haven't gotten even remotely a good look at whatever it is.  I'm guessing the 'unknown' reading we got was due to there being quite literally no discerning features about it.  So yes, we should be worried about it, at least enough to not want to make any significant contact with it.  It's far too dangerous and an unnecessary risk."  Simon paused.  "I know this isn't what anyone wanted.  I know that you are all desperate to get out there and explore.  After all, it's human nature to want to gather answers to the unknown.  It's why we can't help but to go outside in the eye of a hurricane to see what damage has already occurred, how different the landscape is, all while knowing the storm is only half over, and more damage is sure to come.  It's the fascination of having before and after photos.  This desire is mostly rooted in basic curiosity.  As powerful as this curiosity is, it doesn't make the journey any less dangerous and potentially life threatening.  Imagine being in the eye of a storm, to survey the damage, disregarding the winds that are beginning to pick up again.  A sudden gust appears out of nowhere, and a piece of debris strikes you in the head, now you're blind.  It's this very concept that has kept me alive.  It's this very concept that will keep us alive.  It's why I built this shelter.  To guarantee a preservation of human life.  If we were to try and study that thing out there before we knew anything more about it.  We would be risking that very preservation that we have all committed to.  I for one am not prepared to take that risk.  I can't in good conscience recommend any of you to take that risk either.  I can only hope you see my train of thought, and agree enough to allow further studying of this creature from afar, from the safety of the shelter.  Information gathering may be slow, but we'll be fully protected in doing so."

Now everyone sat, in stunned silence.  Simon had read them all like a book.  He knew what everyone was thinking.  Simon always seemed to have the answers.  He always seemed to be a few steps ahead of everyone else with the current situation.  Either Simon was smarter than Einstein, or there was more to the story here, which only further supported everyone's unknown mystery of Simon.

"You've clearly thought of everything, Simon." Jim said. "The question I have is simple.  Did you know there was something out there?"

Simon showed no real emotional change.

"That isn't a question I can give a straightforward answer to." Simon spoke with sincerity.

Jim matched his energy with the same low emotion expression.

"Explain, please, because I think we are all incapable of really knowing what to think, and you are completely confident in knowing exactly what to think.  What do you know that no one else at this table knows?"

"I understand your perspective on this, I can understand how all of you must be thinking there's something i'm not telling you, but I can assure you all that my take on all of this spurs from simple odds and statistics.  I'm exceptionally good with numbers, and I've simply used basic math to conclude that there must have always been something out there.  Just like the theory that it's statistically impossible for all of us earthlings to be the only form of intelligent life in the known and unknown universe.  Based on that same logic, it always was, regardless of low odds, entirely possible that something survived, in one form or another.  You all asked me a similar question not very long ago about actual human survivors to which I replied the same way, yes it's possible, but unlikely.  So when you question how I already know what all of you are thinking, I've already considered there to be life of some kind out there, and I've already considered what it could be, and I've already considered the implications, and I've already considered the dangers of studying such a being.  My job and your jobs are simple.  Maintain this shelter and preserve human life.  If a risk is deemed to be not worth it because there are too many unknown variables that jeopardize our job, our mission, I have to decline the study of anything without ensuring all of our safety.  So, no, I'm not hiding anything.  I'm simply thinking about things differently than all of you.  Objective and multiple perspectives are the only way we will all come to more complete conclusions."

It was as sound an answer as any of them could have hoped for.  Simon's logic was sound.  If Simon was hiding anything, he did it very well.  He showed no sign of deception.

"Fair enough." Jim lamented.  "To your original observation, I believe you are very correct, we've all had enough excitement for one evening." Jim turned to the rest of the table.  "I think we should all call it a day a little early, what do you think?"

Everyone nodded their heads in exhausted defeat.  Dinner was cleaned and everyone started heading back to the top level to retreat to their rooms.

As always, Simon was the first to bid a goodnight and went inside his living area.  The door closed behind him and Jim, exhausted, gave Connor and Lydia a hug.  Veronica did the same. 

"Try and get some rest, huh?" Jim said to Connor and Lydia.

Connor and Lydia both nodded in agreement and they both went inside Connor's living area, hand in hand. The door closed behind them.

"Your place or mine?" Jim asked Veronica, exhausted yet smiling.

"Definitely yours.  I just don't like the feeling of being right next to Simon's room, sharing a wall.  I don't want to risk him hearing anything." Veronica was right.

Jim took Veronica by the hand and once more, led the both of them into his room.  There was so much to talk about, but neither of them knew if they had the energy to talk about it.  Maybe just a hot shower and a movie cuddled up on the couch with a cold beverage was exactly what they both needed.  The door closed behind them, but they both knew that somewhere outside the shelter, there was still the unknown, but it was different now, because now the unknown was real cause to be fearful.