The Life Below

by Alexandra Monir

  The question stops us all in our tracks.

  “How long has it been?” I ask. “She was just going to get a science instrument from the cargo bay, right?”

  “Half an hour, maybe more?” Beckett guesses. “Let’s just radio her to come back already.”

  Naomi glances down at her wrist monitor and taps the mini-screen until Minka’s name and photograph pop up.

  “Minka, it’s Naomi. We’re waiting for you at the habitat. Do you copy?” She waits a beat, and then repeats the message. Nothing. My stomach tightens.

  “Tera, do you copy? Have you or Kitt seen Minka by the lander?”

  “No,” Tera’s voice echoes through our headsets. The five of us exchange uneasy looks. And then Naomi claps a hand over her mouth.

  “L-look what just happened.”

  She holds up her wrist monitor for all to see. There on the Contacts screen, in bold red letters flashing across Minka’s face, are the words: DEVICE DISCONNECTED.

  “What?” My heart starts hammering in my chest. What could have happened to her?

  “We have to go find her,” Jian says, his face turning ghastly pale.

  “We should split up to cover more ground,” I tell him. “Maybe you and Sydney and Beckett can search the area around the lander, and Naomi and I will take the other side of the surface.”

  Jian nods, and Naomi and I break into a run, our pace marred by stumbles from the microgravity. It’s a few minutes before I realize where we’re running to—the forest of ice spikes. And then Naomi lets out a strangled scream, stopping dead in her tracks.

  “What? What is it?”

  She points downward with a shaking hand. And that’s when I see it: a glowing, crimson light moving underneath the red ridges—like a snake slithering through a tunnel.

  “Oh, God.”

  “Bioluminescence,” Naomi whispers into her headset, eyes widening with terror. “It’s life—we’ve just found life on Europa.”

  I choke back a scream of my own as the glowing red light skitters beneath our feet.

  “Get back,” I cry, pulling her behind me. “Go back to the Hab, where it’s safe. I’ll be there soon.”

  “No way—”

  I dart forward between the spikes, Naomi shouting my name behind me. But there’s no sign of Minka here; only the field of towering ice blades. And this time, as my shoulder brushes against the side of one of the blades, I feel another sharp, searing sting.

  “Minka.” I open my mouth to call her name, but I feel suddenly drowsy . . . like I don’t have the energy left to speak. My legs are sinking, I’m falling back against the ice—

  And then another body rushes in, one arm circling my waist, the other shouldering my weight.

  “Don’t touch anything,” Naomi says frantically as she helps me through the maze of penitentes. “Whatever you do, don’t touch the ice spikes.”

  We just barely make it back to the Hab, before I collapse onto the floor. Three fearful faces stare back at us.

  Minka’s gone.

  Twenty-Seven

  NAOMI

  “IT’S ALIVE.”

  I turn to my remaining crewmates, huddled on the floor of the half-empty Hab. They watch warily as Sydney examines Leo’s shoulder and he winces in pain, while Tera and Kitt stand guard, one AI posted at each airlock. The tense, terrified atmosphere couldn’t be further from the celebratory mood of just a few hours ago, and it’s hard to believe this is the same place—that we’re the same us.

  “That’s the phrase Suki kept repeating, in Mandarin, the night of her RRB reaction,” I continue. “And now I know what she meant. It wasn’t just the bacteria that was alive. It’s Europa.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sydney asks numbly.

  “The ice spikes, the red ridges—there’s life in all of it. Some of it might be microscopic, like whatever is living on the spikes that stung Leo, but it’s alive all the same. And what I saw, the flash of color moving under the ice . . .” My voice catches at the memory, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to will the image out of my mind.

  “As long as that . . . thing is alive,” Leo says quietly, “then we might not be much longer.”

  Beckett stands up suddenly.

  “The ice—we still have the drill running. We have to disable it.”

  Too little too late, buddy, I feel like retorting. But if there was ever a time for me to swallow my grudges, it’s now.

  “None of us are leaving the Hab until we better assess our risk,” Jian says firmly.

  “Since when did you become the authority here?” Beckett snaps. “Did you forget who Takumi and Sokolov left in charge?”

  “If you think any of that matters now, you’re deluded,” Jian shoots back, and I resist the urge to applaud. But Beckett stares him down without flinching.

  “It matters plenty. Considering I’m the only one who has any clue how to obliterate the monsters.”

  Now he has everyone’s full attention.

  “What are you saying?” I ask, my heart beginning to race. “Does this have to do with your so-called 3D-printing lab?”

  “I drew the sword,” he says, looking away. “Now I have to wield it.”

  For a second I think he’s just trying to be annoying, talking in riddles. But then I remember the book gifted to him by his powerful family at our livestreaming videoconference: He Who Drew the Sword. What if that book, that title, actually meant something—something he’s trying to tell us now?

  “Is this a literal or figurative sword we’re talking about here?” I press.

  “What I’m saying is that I was chosen.” Beckett meets my eyes. “To lead the group—and to kill whatever threat we might find here. So unless you want our mission to end in complete failure, you’ll listen and follow my lead.”

  There’s a long pause, and I know the four of us are wondering the same thing. Is he for real?

  “And what are you planning to kill these aliens with?” Sydney challenges him. “I haven’t seen a single weapon come out of the cargo bay since we landed, so I’m thinking you must be full of it.”

  Even at a moment this dire, Beckett can’t resist a smirk.

  “That’s because you didn’t know where to look. None of you did.”

  His tone raises the hair on the back of my neck.

  “You’ve seen the mini-submersibles a dozen times in the cargo bay, haven’t you? And yet you passed right by them, without even realizing what they are.” Beckett leans forward, and I can tell from his expression that he’s been waiting a long time to reveal this secret.

  “What if I told you that, hidden within the subs, are underwater drones—armed with a toxic blend of Earth chemicals—that could wipe out an entire ecosystem?”

  My mouth falls open. I hear Jian swear under his breath.

  “You’d better be kidding,” Sydney says shakily. “What kind of masochist would bring toxic waste onto a space mission that’s already the riskiest of its kind? Did we really need to add more life-and-death stakes here?”

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” Beckett rolls his eyes at her. “The drones can’t even detonate until they’re fully submerged in water. So unless you plan on hanging out with the ETs below the ice, you’re safe.” He lifts his chin proudly. “The first prototype came in from General Sokolov and Roscosmos right before our launch, and then I used the 3D lab to print replicas—so now we have an arsenal.”

  “This is—it’s madness,” I sputter. “If what you’re saying is true, then you’re talking about chemical warfare and exterminating an entire population! You do realize that’s the definition of evil, right?”

  “Is it? Because I’m following orders from people who know a hell of a lot more than you,” Beckett says evenly. “And after what happened to Minka—”

  “We don’t know what happened to her,” Sydney interrupts. “She could still be out there.”

  “And we’re wasting time,” Jian says, gritting his teeth in frustration. “Beckett, forget about
your drones, at least for now. I’m asking Tera to take over and disable the drill, and also continue the search for Minka. She’s trained in what to do, and if the worst should happen, I think we would all rather not lose another crew member.”

  I exchange a worried glance with Leo, the two of us knowing exactly what this means. If anything does happen, this will be the last time we see Tera. And with Kitt set to deactivate any day now when his memory and battery run their course—that would leave us without any artificial intelligence. Something no space mission has had to contend with since the twentieth century.

  Minutes later, as Tera unseals the airlock and disappears outside, Beckett stands up and starts to pace, turning his disgruntled gaze on me.

  “Shouldn’t you at least finish setting up our internet and radio comm system? It’s crazy that no one back home has a clue what’s going on here.”

  “We’re lucky to have any power at all,” I answer sharply. “We were still only halfway through the solar panel setup when Minka went missing. Until it’s safe to go outside, we can’t risk it.”

  “So you’d have us just trapped in this glorified tent indefinitely?” Beckett exclaims.

  “That’s it.” Jian steps between us. “We’re all on edge, and aside from the obvious reasons, we also haven’t slept in, what, thirty hours? I know it seems impossible, but we should try to get some rest. We need to be alert for—for whatever comes next.”

  “But what about Minka and Tera?” Sydney asks. “Shouldn’t we wait for them?”

  I catch Jian’s eye, and I know he’s thinking the same thing as me.

  “If either of them is coming back,” he says, “they’ll know how to access the outer airlock.”

  Beckett stalks away, grumbling about how he’ll be busy formulating a plan while the rest of us “softies” sleep, and I reach out my hand to help a still-weakened Leo to his feet. I can’t imagine getting a wink of sleep with the horrors just outside our door, but I know Jian is right. We have to at least try—especially Leo.

  We make our way to the row of inflated temporary bunks, one word echoing in my head with every step.

  If. If Tera is alive. If Minka is, somehow, alive.

  And if we will be, after tonight.

  The airlock bursts open. I jolt awake at the clanging sound, panic turning to relief as I realize what this means. Tera succeeded, we have our AI back—

  “Minka!”

  My hand flies to my mouth at the sound of Sydney’s cry. That’s a whole other miracle I hadn’t predicted.

  I leap out of bed, nearly colliding with Leo on the way. We seize hands and race to the airlock, not stopping for breath until we see the pale blond figure in front of the hatch, surrounded by Sydney and Jian. And then I’m running again, throwing my arms around Minka.

  “You’re alive!” I babble, giddy with relief. “You’re really ali—”

  I stop midsentence, a shudder running through me. Her body is so cold against mine. Cold enough to sting.

  “Thank God you’re okay,” Leo breathes, staring at her. “What—what happened?”

  But Minka doesn’t answer. She just stares straight ahead. I exchange a worried look with the others.

  “Did you hurt your head or something?” I ask.

  She blinks at the sound of my voice, but still no reply. I look closer at Minka. There’s something different about her, something . . . robotic. Her blue eyes are vacant. And I am more afraid than ever.

  “You’re back!”

  Beckett comes running behind me, the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen on his face. Before I can warn him, he’s pulling her in for a bear hug, and I watch as her face registers no emotion in response.

  “What’s—what happened?” he asks, looking down at her uncertainly.

  Minka makes a move toward the airlock door . . . and gestures for us to follow.

  “Um. That’s not a good idea,” Jian speaks up. “You only just came back, and we still have Tera out there, trying to assess the risk outside—”

  But Minka keeps moving, and Beckett rushes behind her.

  “She’s trying to tell us something, or show us something. Let’s go.”

  “No, we—”

  But it’s too late. Beckett is already pulling his EVA suit down from the wall and throwing on his helmet. I hear Leo swear in Italian before doing the same.

  “No,” I whisper before turning to Sydney and Jian. “You two, stay here. Whatever you do, just keep yourselves safe.”

  I hear them calling for me to stay, but I can’t; I can’t let them go out there alone, without a scientist. I force one foot in front of the other, fear churning like a virus through me as I step into my EVA suit and snap my helmet over my face. And then I’m following the three of them through the airlock, into the unknown.

  Minka leads us north, walking so swiftly and easily through the low gravity that the three of us have to jog to keep up. My eyes dart across the monotonous rocky ice landscape, nerves coiling my stomach in knots as I brace for whatever is coming. Minka’s still not talking, her only response to our questions is a quickening of her footsteps, and soon the only sound in my headset is of Jian’s or Sydney’s voice, urging us to come back. But we’re too far gone now. And when Minka finally slows her pace and I realize where we are, my heart stops.

  It’s the drill site—where the ice has already begun to thaw, quicker than expected. Tera didn’t make it in time, and now it’s too late. We’ve just opened the lid to a box that was supposed to remain locked.

  I grab Leo’s arm, pulling him back.

  “We shouldn’t be here,” I say through gritted teeth. “This isn’t Minka, not really—something’s happened to her, changed her.”

  “We can’t just leave her here,” Leo whispers back.

  “I know, but—”

  I break off as Minka suddenly stops and crouches down in front of the crevasse of thawed ice. We follow her gaze, and I yelp as she pulls off her glove.

  “What are you do—” Beckett cries while Leo lunges forward to stop her. But no one is as fast as she is in this moment. With just one step, she’s out of their reach, running her bare hand across the ice. And suddenly, the crimson light I’d seen moving in the ground before reappears—slithering in tandem with her hand. If a shadow could glow, this would be it—only it’s bigger than any shadow I’ve ever seen.

  It doesn’t end.

  “Oh my God, oh my God,” Beckett whispers, his face a mask of fear. And then, as the crimson bioluminescence lights the ice nearest my feet, I notice something new.

  Burrowed into the ice at the edge of the crevasse is a swarm of thick, razor-sharp tentacles, protruding from spongy round sacs—as if a flock of Earth’s sea anemones had morphed with jellyfish, creating a disfigured new breed. My breath leaves me at the sight.

  “L-Leo. Look—”

  Minka abruptly stands and reaches for her helmet with one hand, the other hand unfastening the latch. Leo and I scream her name, Beckett rushes to stop her, but she’s already lifted it from her head, exposing herself to the punishing elements.

  I fight the urge to vomit as I wait for the nightmare that I know is coming. In seconds, her skin will freeze as cold as Europa’s surface, while her saliva and tears begin to boil. Blood will froth around her nose and mouth while the oxygen rushes from her lungs, cutting off all consciousness. She’ll be dead in less than a minute, and there’s nothing I can do.

  But a minute goes by, and she is still standing there—unchanged except for her ghastly pale color. And that’s when it hits me: the unthinkable answer that’s been staring me in the face, ever since she reappeared in the Hab.

  “She’s been dead this entire time.” I look at Leo in terror. “What if—what if when we die on Europa, after the RRB we’ve been taking, you become . . . one of them?”

  Leo and Beckett stare at me in shock. And then, like a horror movie playing in slow motion, Minka unfastens her space suit and steps up to the edge of the crevasse. I hold my br
eath, gripping Leo’s glove in mine. And then she steps off the brink, slipping into the frozen water, as Beckett runs up behind her and shouts her name.

  The anemones’ tentacles unfurl as soon as her body lands, while the surrounding cracked ice sheet begins to move. In one sickening moment, I realize just what that movement is: the massive bioluminescent creature pushing up against the ice, threatening to break through. The winding red glow below the ice is growing larger by the second—just like the shape-shifting bacteria from the Pontus.

  Before I can formulate a single coherent thought, the anemones’ tentacles find Beckett at the edge of the crevasse and close around him with stunning strength. The bioluminescence moves and twists toward him as the anemones pull him under, and that’s when I realize—they are connected. Somehow, this larger-than-life creature glowing below the ice is controlling the alien anemones. And the level of intelligence implied by that means we don’t stand a chance.

  Leo and I stand frozen, paralyzed with shock by what we’re seeing. And then, without warning, he springs into action, diving into the water after Beckett.

  I can’t move, can’t breathe. All I know is that Leo can’t die for him—he can’t.

  I lean over the edge of the ice, my eyes searching the crevasse for the two of them. That’s when something bumps against my space suit, and I scramble backward in horror.

  It’s the body of Minka. Cold, blue, dead.

  My scream turns into a sob just as I spot Leo rising to the surface, a barely conscious Beckett under his arm. But now an even bigger throng of alien anemones starts circling the two of them, like vultures with newfound prey. Leo will be gone in seconds, and I can’t, can’t let it happen.

  Mind, don’t fail me now. Think—think—think.

  Snippets of conversations flash through my mind: Leo, telling me how he caught Dr. Wagner analyzing his DNA with musical code; Beckett revealing the truth about the DNA component of the scouting and selection process. The revelation that life might have originated on Europa, spreading to Earth via panspermia—and that a certain fraction of the human population still shares seeds of DNA with Europan life.