"Deep in the cave system. Very deep."

"And the creatures?"

Robert motioned with his head toward one end of the tunnel. "Around the corner. They stopped at the yellow growth like old men at a stop sign. They're not moving."

Connelly looked to where Robert had motioned. She couldn't imagine that just around the bend was a wall of monstrous creatures just waiting for her to show herself. And then what? Would they slice through her mask and peel off the space suit? Would they crush her to death under their collective mass? Connelly felt her chest tighten as her line of anxious thinking continued.

Thankfully, Robert could still read her thoughts. "We're safe here," he said. "Willard will be back any minute, and he'll have a way back to the surface."

"I'm back now," Willard said as he entered the tunnel. "But I'm afraid we're not quite safe, and I have no idea how to get back to the surface."

Connelly's throat began to seal off.

"But," Willard said with emphasis, "The tunnels ahead are large and move at an upward angle. If we can find one that goes up and around that giant den, we might be able to backtrack to the sphere. Our air is limited, so we're going to have to move fast. No more rests." Willard looked into Connelly's eyes. "No more panic attacks."

Connelly turned her eyes to the floor.

"Sorry, boss," Willard said, "I don't mean to be harsh. But if Robert hadn't turned into the incredible hulk back there, we wouldn't have made it."

For a moment, Connelly wished she could see Robert in action, but decided it was better to have no memory of the event. "No more panic attacks. Got it…. Let's get the fuck out of here."

This brought a smile to Willard's face. He patted Connelly's shoulder and chuckled. "You're almost as crazy as I am, boss."

Connelly grinned, remembering the last time he'd used that phrase, the day all this insanity began in Antarctica. "Crazier."

Willard turned and began walking down the tunnel, moving at a quick pace. Before taking three steps, he stopped and turned around. "I almost forgot. The tunnels up ahead are populated."

Robert stumbled. "Pop—populated?"

"By what?" Connelly asked, feeling her grip on reality tighten.

"Can't say for sure…but they're big."

"How big?"

"Ever seen a rhino up close?" Willard asked.

Connelly didn't want to answer, but did. "Yes."

Willard sighed. "Bigger."

*   *   *   *   *

The temperature inside Connelly's space suit seemed to be climbing. Sweat dripped down her forehead like rain off a windshield. Of course, the perspiration had nothing to do with heat and everything to do with her emotional state. Even if her body had begun to overheat, the finely tuned body temperature system in the PMS would have cooled her before she registered feeling hot.