The first and last night at the complex.

After a headcount to make sure all of the workers were accounted for, the NASA leadership bid the crew a good night. "We'll see everyone here at the entrance tomorrow at oh eight hundred sharp for the official launch of the project," Director Baumann announced.

"Thank you, sir," Jonathan said, saluting the directors.

The crew waved at the cars and trucks as they left the fenced compound before they began to anxiously walk towards the freight elevator.

"Wait," Jonathan said, stopping the girls in their tracks. "Let's take a look at the stars. I bet most of you have never seen the sky full of stars due to the light pollution of the city." He led the fifteen women outside of the first blast door and then around the circular bunker to avoid the light spilling out. The night air was chilly so the girls, not prepared to be outside with any jackets, cuddled against each other for warmth as they walked up to the solar panels. After their eyes adjusted to the near pitch darkness (except for the half moon) they could see the constellation of stars and galaxies twinkling above them. The girls gasped and giggled at the beauty of the universe above them.

"I wish we could sleep out here under the stars tonight," Eva sighed.

"Like camping?" Natalie wondered.

"Yes, like camping," Eva replied, "minus the sleeping bags and tents."

"Are there wolves out here?" Leah asked naively, looking out towards the fence.

"I think they've only found one in the last twenty years," Jonathan answered. "I think you should be more worried about coyotes, black widow and brown recluse spiders, and poisonous snakes like copperheads and rattlesnakes."

"What? I thought we're in farm country!" Allison gasped.

"Did you sleep outside a lot when you were in Afghanistan?" Natalie asked innocently, not noticing Cindy shaking her head at her.

"More than I wanted to," Jonathan whispered with a shrug.

"But you want to be up there, Jon?" Cindy said, trying to change the subject by pointing up at the starry sky.

"Yeah, one day..." he sighed, looking up at the half-moon but then turned to her with a smile. "Okay, let's go back inside, girls. You must be freezing!"

Most of the women wanted to stay outside longer to enjoy the fresh air of their last night but the cold (and talk of poisonous animals) dashed that thought. They all took one last deep breath of the cool night air before the blast doors closed behind them.

"I still can't believe we're going to be stuck underground for the next two years," Zoe sighed as the elevator doors closed.

Lauren pressed the button for the third floor. "Everyone except Jon will be going to the medical bay."

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked, trying to confirm his suspicions.

"It's... just a female medical matter," Cindy replied, glancing over at Lauren, Hane, and Jennifer, trying to explain the best she could without revealing the specific details of their talk with the directors earlier.

"I'm a medical doctor too, remember?" Jonathan stated.

"But I'm their OB-GYN," Cindy retorted as the elevator doors opened to the third floor. "Good night, Jon."

The women, most confused as to why Jonathan had to stay behind in the elevator, walked out to the waiting room. "Good night, Jon!" they said in unison, waving bye to him.

He waved back as the elevator doors closed.

"So what's with the 'female medical matter'?" Allison asked.

"Birth control," Lauren replied bluntly.

"We have a two year supply of condoms?" Allison said and most of the other girls laughed.

Lauren waited a moment to allow the women to settle down before continuing. "The directors wanted us to make all of the female crew have a contraceptive implant."

"What's that?" Natalie asked.

"Contraceptive implants are also called long-acting reversible contraception, or LARC," Cindy explained. "The implant is a flexible plastic rod about the size of a matchstick that is placed under the skin of the upper arm. The implant releases a low, steady dose of the hormone progestin, which prevents pregnancy by pausing ovulation and thickens the mucus of the cervix. The implant lasts for up to five years, much better than stocking up on the pill, and it can be easily removed."

"Why do they want us to take birth control?" Leah wondered. "Does NASA expect us to have sex with Jon?"

"Maybe some of us do!" Allison blurted out loud what a lot of women were thinking, not noticing Cindy's glare at her.

"NASA is neither condoning nor condemning what we do in the privacy our bedrooms," Hane explained. "It's just a preventive measure. The last thing they want when the doors open two years from now to discover that one of us is pregnant."

"Or all fifteen of us..." Crystal whispered to her sisters.

"Have a seat, ladies," Lauren announced. "Jen and Cindy will be inserting the implants."

"Will it hurt?" Zoe asked.

"It'll be just under your skin of your upper arm," Jennifer answered with a comforting smile. "You'll just feel a little prick."

"I rather feel a big, fat one..." Kaylee muttered, which caused the girls around her to giggle and nod.