Part 4/12:
Upon arriving, Lauren teams up with an astrobiologist named David and Colonel Emmerich. They learn that the disastrous explosion was caused by a meteorite, which mysteriously dissolved into the earth, releasing some unexplained toxic gas. While David remains unimpressed, Lauren's curiosity piqued when she discovers a peculiar red plant emerging from the crater—a detail she intentionally omits in her report.
Upon returning home, Lauren becomes increasingly drawn to the plant, discovering uncanny parallels with a past meteorite incident in Russia. An ominous story reveals that their meteorite accident similarly involved a seed that spawned lethal flora, leading to widespread devastation and governmental cover-up.