Willard's mind began making mental leaps, plotting how the discovery would alter his future. Of course, they'd name the lights after him, Willard's Display or Ethan's Lights. He laughed. That would never happen.

He remembered the digital image recorder kept with the TES equipment. He decided to run back, grab it, shoot a few minutes of video and then be ready to receive Connelly's check in.

Willard turned back to TES and squinted as his eyes adjusted from the pitch black above to the glaring light. All at once, Willard's muscles tensed like a twisting rope. He stared straight ahead, watching to see if what he thought he saw—the TES cables moving downward—happened again.

All at once, a spew of worse case scenarios filled Willard's imagination. The TES cables were dangling! Cut loose! The weight of the sphere was no longer pulling the cable down, allowing it to sway back and forth freely. Willard leapt forward, moving too damn slow in the low gravity. Too damn slow!

Willard's mind wrestled with the possibilities.

The sphere could have been knocked loose and sunk to the bottom.

It could have sprung a leak and imploded under the pressure.

Something could have eaten them!

As he approached the border of the closest TES panel, the most likely scenario rammed into Willard's consciousness. "Damn it, Connelly."

Willard activated his com. "Connelly, come in."

Thirty seconds past. No response.

Willard reached the control panel and took in the screen, which was now alive with blinking messages. It confirmed his fear that the sphere had detached.

"Connelly, if you are reading me, respond now."

With a tightly clenched jaw, Willard began to pace. He knew Connelly had voluntarily separated the sphere. He wondered if she might try a stunt like this and had warned her not to try it without him present. She swore she wouldn't. Typically, she was honest with him. So what made her detach?

Must be important, he thought. But no matter what it was they had found down there, Connelly was still getting a lecture, if only to make him feel better for all this waiting.

Willard raised the volume on his com and heard a loud hiss. After ten more minutes of waiting, he swore to God he would spare Connelly the lecture if they'd just check in. He walked to the hole TES melted in the ice and looked down. The water was black below, hidden from TES's lights. He was cut off and helpless to help.

Willard tightened his fingers until they hurt. "Dammit, Connelly…What have you gotten yourself into?"

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