Connelly heard the conversation as it played out but she'd been distracted by the voice in her head. It was growing louder, simply more insistent.

"Amazing how the human immune system can adapt."

Connelly couldn't recall who made the comment, but it started a chain reaction of thoughts within her mind that ended with a one word expletive that alerted the entire crew to her concerns. "Huh."

Robert was at her side in an instant. "What is it?"

Connelly turned to the others. They stood around her, wounded and beat up, looking defenseless…weak…fragile. They were sitting ducks. "We need to get off the ice. We need to leave now."

As Connelly's final word slipped from her flush lips a gentle vibration shook her feet and slowly moved up her body, increasing in violence.

With a jolt, the vibration became a powerful shaking. Something was breaking through the ice. Harris was already moving to the exit. "Strap Peterson down and buckle up!" He was out the door and headed for the control center. Choi was at his heels.

"Take care of him, guys," Connelly said before rushing out the door after Harris and Choi. She felt slightly guilty for leaving the guys like that, but she had to see it. She had to see what the Europhids were sending to finish them off.

*   *   *   *   *

Connelly sat down to the right of Harris and buckled herself in, pulling the strap as snug as she could manage. The outer hull of the command center was still clear and she had a clear view of the swath of ice laid out before Surveyor. It was a jumble of crags, nooks, towers and humps, far from smooth. A chill shook Connelly's body. This was their airstrip.

"Thrusters to maximum," Harris said as he worked the controls, prepping the ship for lift off, something it was not designed to do…especially not in a rush.

"Thrusters at maximum," Choi replied. She was a model of cool efficiency, as usual.

The shaking grew worse. Connelly could feel her teeth clattering together. She clenched her jaw tight and kept an eye on the view. A slight distortion in the ice crust caught her attention. She watched, waiting for it to repeat.

Then it did. The ice rose subtlety as something from below pushed up. A thick crack began to spread towards them. "It's coming!" Connelly shouted. "Get us in the air!"

Harris slapped a few more buttons and switched on the internal com system. "Emergency lift off in ten seconds. Robert, Willard, buckle up or hold on. Five…four…three…two…one…" Harris activated the engines and then slammed the rear thrusters to full speed. They shot forward, sliding across the ice.

The shaking produced by Surveyor's balloon coated hull sliding over the tumultuous ice concealed the tremor created by whatever was coming up through the ice. But Connelly could see the ice rising and splitting directly in front of them. Their path was being blocked.