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Generic location illustration for Airlock
location

Airlock

The silo’s cleaning airlock uses argon and fire to isolate the outside; its latest cycle traps Juliette and a cleaner inside.

Story so far

Situated beyond the Sheriff's Office, opposite the cafeteria, the airlock is where cleaners are fitted for departure. Holston watched Allison through its porthole before her cleaning. Pressurized argon fills the chamber, and the outer doors open only partway to limit incoming toxins; a narrow concrete ramp leads to the surface. Sacrificial plastic coverings burn during the cleansing cycle.

Juliette previously waited inside while argon tightened the coverings around its pipes, having been warned to leave before the fires followed. During the latest opening, argon again rushes out, but the chamber seals Juliette and the cleaner inside as its fire nozzles ignite. The door opens again only after the flames stop.

Appearance

A yellow steel entrance with triple-paned viewing glass leads to a chamber containing a single steel fitting bench and brightly colored pipes beneath plastic shrouds.

Role

It separates the inhabited silo from the toxic outside and subjects the chamber to a destructive cleansing cycle.

Relationships

Juliette — Juliette is trapped inside with a cleaner during the latest fire cycle.
Sources — 20 recorded facts, by chapter
Chapter 1
  • The silo’s airlock is on the other side of Holston’s office from the cafeteria.
Chapter 4
  • The airlock has a single steel bench used while fitting cleaners with their suits.
  • The airlock has a small porthole through which Holston watched Allison prepare for cleaning.
Chapter 5
  • The airlock has a large yellow door at the end of the hall past the holding cell.
  • Argon is loaded into flushing chambers during preparations for Allison’s cleaning.
Chapter 6
  • The airlock is filled with pressurized argon before its outside doors open.
  • Sacrificial plastic curtains line the airlock and are incinerated during a cleaning.
  • The outer airlock doors open only partway to minimize incoming air.
  • Cleansing fires burn inside the airlock after its outer doors close behind Holston.
  • A narrow concrete ramp leads upward from the airlock to the surface.
Chapter 18
  • The airlock contains brightly colored pipes protruding from the walls and ceiling under plastic shrouds.
  • Argon is pumped into the airlock while Juliette waits inside.
  • Increasing pressure tightens the airlock’s plastic coverings against the pipes.
Chapter 19
  • The airlock has a yellow steel entrance and triple-paned viewing glass.
Chapter 29
  • The IT technician warns Juliette that fires will follow the argon blast and she must leave quickly.
  • Pumping argon into the airlock creates pressure that temporarily keeps outside toxins at bay.
Chapter 34
  • The airlock doors open only partway to keep toxins back while forcing argon outward.
Chapter 80
  • The airlock releases argon when silo eighteen’s outer doors open.
  • The airlock seals Juliette and the cleaner inside as the fire nozzles ignite.
  • The airlock door opens again after the flames stop.
Character portrait