Willard glanced at the TES cable, hoping to see it taut with the weight of an attached sphere. But it gently ebbed back and forth in the water, signifying that the sphere was still water bound. "Your signal is weak, say again?"

"…old on…bert is boosting…OK, how's this? Can you hear me?" Connelly's voice came through loud and clear.

"Boss, where the hell are you two?"

"In a cave system…we're safe for now."

Willard could hear the nervousness in Connelly's voice. He had learned to recognize it, because it didn't show that often and when it did…. Willard took a deep breath. "Tell me the bad news."

There was a pause on the other end. "Listen. We were…something chased us into the cave. We didn't have any other option."

The vice on Willard's back screwed tighter. "And?"

"And we're stuck."

Willard knew he had his worst case scenario. Two crew members were stuck in a cave at the bottom of an alien ocean hidden by miles of ice. And he hadn't missed the part about being chased into the cave. "What can you tell me about the something that chased you?"

"It was gargantuan!" Robert's voice came onto the line. "It dwarfed any and all Earthly creatures, prehistoric or current. Bigger than the blue whale and not nearly as docile."

Willard slowly rotated his head on his shoulders. He was beginning to run through a mental checklist of everything he needed to do before taking action. "OK…anything else you want to tell me?"

"Yeah," Connelly said, her voice grim and cold, "We're running out of air."

Willard ran through his mental checklist.

Ice…water…high pressure…cold…giant killer predators…low air…and they're stuck…in a cave. Willard ran to the supplies he'd gathered and realized he'd need just about all of it. Great. "Connelly, activate your tracking beacon."

"Why?" The question was laced with suspicion.

"Just do it."

"You're not coming down here." It wasn't a question.

"The hell I'm not."

"I'm telling you, you're not."

"Look Connelly, you know as well as I do, when there is an emergency situation, I outrank you. I'm the boss. I'm in charge. You do what I say, dammit, and I say turn on the fucking beacon!" Willard felt some of the tension release from his back.

Dead silence followed.

Willard ignored the silence and began collecting the gear and attaching it to his suit. He felt thankful for Europa's low gravity. He could never carry all this gear back on Earth. And once he entered the water, he'd be weightless.

"Tracking beacon activated," Connelly finally said.

Willard didn't respond. He walked to the edge of the TES hole and looked at the placid water below.

Connelly's voice returned. "Ethan…be careful."

"I always am," Willard replied. He then leapt over the edge and into the alien waters.

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