She could hear Robert and Willard shouting in her ear, but other than her name, it sounded like a mix of forgotten languages. Something struck her side and two long…things…like elephant trunks wrapped around her waist. She felt the ground slip away and suddenly, she was flying. Her view of the world blurred further.

Pain and confusion warped Connelly's mind so much that the following five minutes could never be recalled. When her thoughts began to clear, she slowly became aware of her new surroundings. She was leaning against a solid wall. The numbness on her backside told her she was sitting on a cold stone floor. Seeing was still a challenge. Tears had begun to solidify around her eyes becoming goopy clumps on her eyelashes. She blinked them away, wishing her hands could reach inside the space suit and wipe her eyes. As Connelly's vision unclouded her first impression was that the red world of the inner cavern had turned sunflower yellow.

The stillness in the new setting also caught her attention. They were no longer moving. She could hear breathing in her com, but it wasn't labored. They'd been stopped for a few minutes at least. She became embarrassed by her anxiety. She couldn't recall how they had got here or what she had said or done on the way.

At first, Connelly thought her vision was still screwed up, because everything around her appeared to be yellow. She looked to the left and saw Robert sitting next to her, staring at her with wary eyes. Her vision wasn't wrong, everything really was yellow. Even Robert.

"It's a fungus," Robert explained. "Well, as close to a fungus as an alien species might get. I really have no idea what it is, but that's my closest guess. It glows yellow…but you already knew that."

Connelly could sense his nervousness, but it wasn't for his safety, it was for her sanity. She knew the look. She'd seen it before. "I'm all right," she said.

"You're back?"

Connelly nodded. "How bad was I? I didn't hurt Willard, did I?"

"Hurt Willard?"

"He carried me here, didn't he?"

Robert shook his head and stretched back. He winced slightly as he moved. Connelly realized the truth. "You carried me?"

Robert gave a smile and a nod. "Nothing a few days with an ice pack and a hot pad won't fix. Can't let Willard do all the work, you know…besides…"

She took his hand. "I know." Connelly furrowed her eyebrows. She felt Robert's hand tighten on hers.

"What?" he asked.

"Willard…where is he?"

"Went for a little recon trip while I caught my breath. Don't worry, those little guys don't like these yellow caves much."

Connelly remembered her fears about Willard being controlled by the Europhids. It seemed strange that Willard would leave them. She quickly wrote off her paranoid thoughts. She didn't want to descend into a full blown anxiety attack again.

"Where are we?" she asked.