A twinge of guilt wrenched her chest into a tight knot. She may have inadvertently destroyed Europa's entire ecosystem. Already, thousands of organisms had been killed by her single act, and for what, to save her own skin? Even if the Europhids were evil, did saving her own life justify wiping them out completely? As Choi watched the Europhid-covered ice pass by below, she doubted she'd even succeeded in saving herself.

A warmth, like a giant hot compress, squeezed her body. In an instant, she knew she hadn't come close to saving her own life. If anything, she'd be better off back in the ice tunnel with the Europhids. Cruising across the lower atmosphere, far from the ATV, Lander and TES left her out in the open, unprotected from Jupiter's deadly radiation. Six minutes…that's all she had. If she didn't crash to the ice and snap her neck in the next six minutes, she would be cooked alive inside her space suit.

The warmth turned uncomfortably hot and her muscles began to ache. Her insides began to revolt, twisting within her like a dying snake.

She knew the first step to surviving the next six minutes was to get back to the surface. If she could find another ice cave or thick overhang, she might be able to wait until the others found her…if Peterson didn't get them first. Choi had forgotten all about Peterson and the charged particles. Her feeling of hopelessness spread like a plague. It took all her mental focus to push her thoughts beyond the worsening circumstances and physical pain she was enduring.

One step at a time.

Choi extended her arms, fighting the urge to curl into a fetal position. Simultaneously, she spun both her arms in a counterclockwise motion, putting her body into a spin. She needed to be facing away from the surface, but there was no way to stop spinning once she had started. Her vision became a confusing swirl of the gently glowing Europhid field, the horizon, Jupiter's blackness, the horizon, the Europhids, Jupiter…over and over again.

A spew of vomit exploded from Choi's mouth, brought on by the spinning and the radiation poisoning her system. With her facemask covered in bile, she couldn't see which direction she was facing. Held in place by centrifugal force, the vomit didn't budge from the face mask. Choi was blind.

Precious seconds were passing by as Choi panicked. Her plan was to release a burst of the compressed oxygen from her spare tank attached to her belt, but if she had it pointed in the wrong direction she might launch herself into space. Left with little choice, Choi reached down, felt for her spare tank and detached it.