They were half way across the cave before they landed in a patch of red Europhids. The little red creatures broke their fall, but the sudden crushing of fifty or so Europhids put the wall of creeps on high alert. They streamed out by the hundreds, scurrying down the den pocked wall.

"Move!" Connelly shouted, but Willard and Robert were already on their feet and headed for the exit.

Connelly looked back over her shoulder. She saw the two aliens, looking very small now, reach up to the wall above the cave entrance. They latched on with their tendrils and pulled the stone down, collapsing the roof and sealing the chamber. There was no going back and only one way out.

The first wave of creeps hit, but they were thin and no match for the fast moving bulk of the three fleeing crewmates. They plowed through the creatures, flinging them to the sides and crushing them underfoot.

They came within ten yards of the exit, Connelly chanced a look up. She saw a creep army dislodge from the wall and fall toward the floor. It was obvious they couldn't pierce the suits, so they were going to crush them under the weight of their immense numbers.

She dove forward with all the momentum she could gather and tackled Willard and Robert into the cave. The cascade of creeps hit the cave floor and became a jumbled mass of writhing bodies, all squirming to enter the cave and continue the pursuit. The chaos gave the crew precious time to pick themselves up and move into the cave system.

Connelly led the way and in minutes they reached the cave where their adventure had started. The TES sphere was still there and appeared to be intact. They ran for it. "Get inside," Connelly said. "They're coming." Willard and Robert climbed inside while Connelly lingered on the outside.

Robert reached out and offered his hand to Connelly. She ignored it. "Willard, give me your spare air tank and the propulsion pack."

Willard had left both on the floor of the sphere before they departed. He looked down at the equipment. "Why?"

Robert's eyes grew wide. "Connelly…you can't."

"I'm not going to argue. Give me the equipment or I stand here and we all die." Connelly's voice was sharp. It was clear she was taking charge again. In fact, she never felt so confident, so in control. The Europhids had given her more than knowledge of how to escape. They had also removed her anxiety. She was seeing the world with a new clarity. Her actions were well thought out and perfectly timed. What she was about to attempt was insane, but she was coolly confident. The wound to Europa's body would be minor. More importantly, it would provide a distraction that would allow them to get out of the ocean and off the moon's surface. Once the red Europhids recovered from the break in their world-wide connectivity, the hunt would continue.