Choi turned her attention to the field, which was as innocent looking as ever. She scoured the area with her eyes, making sure she didn't miss anything, any kind of clue to what really happened here. She continually reached the same conclusion. The new Europhids didn't spontaneously grow to replace the ones she had removed.

It was much worse than that.

When darkness had enveloped the area and blinded Choi to her surroundings, the field—the entire field of Europhids—had inched toward her.

*   *   *   *   *

An attack never came.

Connelly had expected a violent reaction from the creature. She had no idea why, but the twenty-five foot creature just hung in the water, staring at them through its two charcoal eyes. Connelly wasn't sure who was more curious, this creature or her? It certainly seemed to be watching them.

The beast was the approximate shape of a blue whale, wide and tall at the head and tapering back toward the rear. In place of flippers this creature had undulating "wings" like that of a manta ray, only these ran from the head all the way to the tail. Its black eyes were placed one each side, much like a terrestrial mammal. Its gaping jaw opened vertically, like elevator doors. The creature's gargantuan mouth opened and closed causing its body to expand and shrink—breathing water.

Beyond all of the outstanding features on the behemoth was the single attribute that garnered Connelly and Robert's attention in the first place. Its skin was clear, like a pane of glass and its organs and veins glowed with vibrant colors. A beating blue heart rested at the center of the creature's body, partially obscured by various innards, but it could be seen inside, thumping away.

Connelly thanked God they thought to install cameras on the outside of TES. This was footage she would want to see over and over again.

A deep cry exploded from the creature's mouth, causing a rainbow of colors to ripple across its exterior, from front to back. It was a light show the likes of which Connelly had never seen, not even on the most dazzling of Earth's bioluminescent denizens.

Robert fell to his knees, his hands shaking. "Holy…"

Then the response came.

From behind.

Connelly whipped around. Swimming past, no more than twenty feet away was an entire pod of the creatures. They had snuck up in silence while she and Robert were captivated by the smaller one outside the sphere. Connelly realized the creature they'd had the staring match with was the smallest of the group, perhaps just a baby.

Connelly kneeled next to Robert. They looked like two praying saints, but neither could speak a word. The only sound that escaped their mouths was the occasional gasp as they were simultaneously gripped by awe and fear.