"Let's get a move on," Connelly said, trying to put up a tough front. She might crack again, but she'd be damned before she let Robert and Willard see it happen.

They headed down the steep path, which dropped three hundred feet to the floor. The low gravity made the descent easier on the knees, but Connelly found it difficult not to overcompensate with ever step. A normal step forward meant drifting for several long moments as gravity pulled her slowly back to the steep path. She only made the mistake once and nearly spilled over the edge when the path reversed directions. If not for Willard's quick grab at her boot, she would have toppled over the side and fallen all the way to the bottom.

After reaching the bottom of the cave, Connelly could see the tall stones clearly. They were fifteen feet in height, each and every one of them. They reminded her of the statues erected on Easter Island, standing tall and noble, like eternal watchers. It was then that she realized it was more than the stones watching her.

With a quick turn, she was facing the stone wall that they had just descended. Standing flat against the wall was a massive creature. Connelly's voice caught in her throat, keeping her verbal warning locked inside her throbbing ribcage. But the creature did not move. It simply watched. Robert and Willard stepped forward, leaving her a few feet behind. They had no idea the creature was there.

The creature stood on two, three toed feet. Each toe was spread wide, displacing the creature's weight and increasing its gripping surface area. Its legs were built like tree trunks, but single jointed like a humans. That's were the physical similarities ended. The upper torso was hunched slightly, pulled forward by the creature's large, domed head. Its eyes looked like blue teacups. Its translucent skin gave an eerie peek into the inner workings of the creature's internal organs. Connelly didn't recognize any portion of the creature's exposed physiology. The strangest aspect of the creature was its two arms, if that's what they were. The appendages were built like a squid's two longer tentacles. The tips looked like soft diamond shaped spear heads. Rising up from behind the creatures head, they hovered in the air, wavering back and forth as though moved by a slight breeze. Connelly was more than twenty feet away but felt the creature could easily lurch out and snag her if it desired.

Before Connelly could will herself to react, the creature appeared to grow wet, as though liquid were being excreted from hidden glands. As the moisture spread, the creature's body absorbed the darkness of the cavern. Within seconds, the entire alien had vanished, save for its cobalt eyes, which stared at Connelly with an intensity she had never felt before.