I've got my own take on it. One of my originals, Jonny Carbella was an interstellar smuggler during his astronaut career and was paid quite handsomely to retrieve the "mind control" plant. He didn't know it was government operatives who wanted it for their own mind control experiments of SimCitizens.
Jonny decided to join the scientist career once his space travels were done, but he was never given clearance to many parts of the lab.....
He was at work that fateful day when everyone made a run for it. It wasn't something that came from outside that caused the crater.....It was something WITHIN that caused it. It was chaos! Sirens going, everyone running and even breaking down the fences to get out.
Several levels just caved.....as if something had altered the terrain. He has his suspicions, but can never, ever, share it. hush money is BIG money.
