The ATV's headlights glared over the Europhid field, setting them ablaze with blood red shimmers. Choi had kept a careful vigil on the field, waiting for it to repeat its movement, hoping to observe the organisms' mode of locomotion. But nothing moved. Other the gentle sway of the Europhids, nothing budged.

Choi's impatience grew as she sat alone facing the field. She had yet to receive a check in from anyone. The fact that the entire TES crew and Harris had yet to check-in probably meant that something was interfering with the com signals. Most likely a solar storm being pulled through the system by Jupiter's gravity or increased radiation levels from Jupiter itself. Either way, she decided not to worry herself over it.

Throughout her career with the CDC, Choi hadn't been known for her patience. It was part of what made her such a lethal instrument when dealing with infectious diseases. She would persist, beating down every door until a solution was obtained. Sometimes each door opened would reveal part of the puzzle, a hint towards a solution. It was that same persistence—an overwhelming determination—that controlled her now.

She thought on the problems at hand and compartmentalized them in her mind.

First and foremost was her responsibility in handling the situation with Peterson. She was still unsure how the material injected into Peterson's system would affect him. She cursed herself again for leaving, but the truth was, she needed to be on the surface. She needed to understand the Europhids before she could determine their goal.

She knew the others would scoff at her assessment, that the Europhids had a goal, but it was a fact that every living thing, from humans to microbes, had goals. Some people longed to be painters. Elephants on the other hand, lived to eat. It is a simple rule of nature that she often faced when dealing with the microscopic world. The goal of a virus was to multiply and destroy.

Everything in nature acted towards goals. The question now was simple, yet a profound mystery; what do the Europhids want? How does injecting Peterson propel them towards their goal? And if the attack on Peterson was simply a case of mistaken identity, what else lived on the surface that required the Europhids to evolve stingers?

The muscles on the back of Choi's neck tingled and brought her attention back to the Europhids. Were they watching her? She turned around and saw nothing but the ice fields of Europa, covered with crags and spires. Nothing was there. She considered again that something else might dwell on the surface, something that the Europhids needed a defense against. Perhaps the stinger had a use after all?

All the speculation began to wear on Choi's nerves. Without testing, without evidence or new data, all the guesswork in the world wouldn't get her any closer to the answers she sought. She needed to take action.