Like a pillar of the Parthenon, Robert stood solidly still for what seemed to be ages, but in reality was closer to three seconds. Craning his head up and around, Robert looked at the cavern. It was three times the size of any sports arena Robert had ever seen. The colossal cavity's highest point, smack dab in the center of the cavern, stood at least five hundred feet above their heads.

But it wasn't the size or scope of the cavern that captured Robert's unyielding attention. Upon entering the cave, Robert's first observation had been that it was bathed in bright red light. As his eyes adjusted to the radiance, he saw the chamber with a new clarity. Covering the floor, walls and ceiling of the cavern were thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of blood red Europhids. But unlike the Europhids on the surface, these glowed with the brightness of fifteen watt bulbs—each and every one of them. The radiant, scarlet light filling the cavern made Robert feel as though he were standing inside an oven.

The Europhids on the floor of the cavern were spread out in patches of various sizes and shapes, creating a maze of paths leading from one side of the cave to the other. Scanning from left to right, Robert could see several black specks along the perimeter of the cave, which he assumed were more tunnels into more caverns.

His mind wandered and he began to imagine that the entire moon, surface and subterranean realms, were ruled by the Europhids. The number of individual Europhids could very well outnumber the total quantity of humans on Earth. They were a spectacular organism, completely adapted to their inhospitable environment. A sense of awe and respect crept into Robert's thoughts. He jumped and nearly loosed his bladder when a hand clapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Robert," Willard said, leaning in close. "This really would be a good time to turn back."

"Huh?" Robert looked at Willard with a confused expression. He hadn't heard a word.

Willard sighed, made an adjustment to his com system and spoke again. "Don't respond, don't react, don't do anything to hint at what I'm about to tell you."

Robert's face scrunched into a mush of befuddlement.

"I'm transmitting to you only," Willard said. "Kathy can't hear me. Don't respond verbally to anything I say. Just nod your head inside your mask without moving your body…. You're going to have to trust me."

Robert gave a slight nod.

Willard continued. "I'm pretty sure we're not safe here, but if I point out why, Kathy's only going to continue deeper into the cave system. I know this is amazing stuff, really, but we're going to die down here if we keep making poor choices. Understand?"