Robert was about to launch into the history of the science versus religion debate and didn't even register Connelly's voice. "Now, if you recall—"

"Robert." Connelly's voice was firm this time and captured Robert's attention.

Looking at Connelly, Robert could see her muscles were tense, even through the PMS suit. Her hands held firm grips on the sides of the control panel.

"What is it?" Robert asked as he bumbled toward the panel.

Willard looked over Connelly's shoulder. "Something's coming through."

Robert stopped next to Connelly and looked at the display screen. Numbers were scrolling across the screen as the system analyzed the new information.

"What's it doing?" Willard asked.

"Receiving data," Connelly replied.

"Did it find something?"

Robert looked over at Willard with nervous eyes. "That, or it malfunctioned and is reporting the problem."

All three pairs of eyes were glued to the screen. The text began to transform into words. It displayed one line at a time.

EVENT REPORT

DESCENT CEASED

DEPTH — 01.534 MILES

CAUSE — NEW SURFACE LOCATED

ANALYZING...

ANALYZING...

ANALYZING...

ANALYZING...

TEMPERATURE – 55 DEGREES FARENHEIT

CONFIRMATION – LIQUID WATER DETECTED

*   *   *   *   *

"Do you realize what this is?" Peterson said, as he bent down at the edge of their earth-shattering discovery. The view before him was one hundred percent alien to Earth, yet Peterson, Choi and a few other GEC employees had seen cell samples taken from a meteorite that crashed in the arctic and killed Benson. He hadn't seen them at full size, but the red coloration and maroon soil was identical.

Choi looked at Peterson, her eyes wide. "Is this..."

Peterson nodded. "This is it. From the meteorite. This is it."

He stood to his feet and took in the unbelievable view for the second time. Spread out before him was a field, an endless field of red, gelatinous cucumber-like plants. Bunched in small groups of three to seven, they stood erect like tight clusters of crimson bowling pins. As though pushed by a nonexistent wind, they slowly danced from side to side, shimmering in the light cast by the distant sun.

Turning his head from side to side, Peterson realized that the entire expanse, which was miles long and hundreds of yards across was covered with the red organisms. They weren't just surviving on the surface of a frozen, radiation-doused moon that had the thinnest imaginable atmosphere, they were thriving!

Peterson hopped to the ATV's trailer and opened a hatch on the back.

"What are you doing?" Choi asked, crossing her arms.

"Getting samples."

"I don't have to remind you what a small amount of this material did to your crew member."

"Benson ingested it; took it into his body. I have no intention of repeating his mistake or allowing anyone else to do the same. You built the fail-safes in the lab yourself." Peterson took a small shovel and a glass canister out of the trailer and headed back to the red field. "This is what we came here for, Choi. It's why you're here."