They Found Something Under the Ice of Europa in 2005, and It Wasn't Water… | Part 3
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We enter the other habitation pod. Immediately, some crewmates retch, repelled by this sight. They can't stomach what's inside, and I don't blame them. I do my best not to ruin the inside of my helmet. Bodies float around the room. They're not moving otherwise, just hovering above the floor. Something awful happened to the other crew. Some of their faces are still frozen with wide, fearful eyes and gaping mouths still open in silent screams.

Others are much more clearly dead, with blood floating around their bodies. Stab wounds allow the red liquid out. Mancer yells out, "What the hell happened here?" I say. "Yes, you do," the voice says with a little laugh. I ignore it and focus on the gruesome scene. My group all move about the room cautiously. Mancer goes from body to body to get a better look at them and then turns back to the rest of us. "I don't see Kreel. He's not here."

"Search the rest of the pod," I say. "He's got to be around here somewhere." I know exactly where Commander Creel is. He's exactly where he is supposed to be, drowning in the core of this frozen moon. He never should have come here. None of these people ever should have followed him here. My crew are the only ones living on Europa again. "That's how it should be," the voice says. "Everything is back where it belongs, in their proper places." I know what happened here.

Even if I don't remember the specifics, I can feel it in my gut. I wanted these people to be gone and now they're gone. Just like Commander Creel. That's not a coincidence. I got rid of him. And a part of me knows that my hands are the ones that took these people's lives. The voice laughs in my lobe. "Yes, that's right. You know what you did. Dick, you remember. It was what you had to do.

I do as the voice asks, and I try to recall what happened here. What happened during this space of time that I don't remember. I try to push through the blackout, through the haze and find what I'm looking for. First, there's a singular image. Kreel's second in command, Loftus, I think his name was, reaching out for me, screaming something. He looks so scared, scared of me.

More comes to my mind, drawing me away from Loftus' horrible screams and frightened, pleading eyes. My hand shutting off their habitation pods' systems. The air being sucked out of the room. The artificial gravity is shutting down, so it's harder for them to fight back. Harder for them to stop me. There's nothing that any of them can do. They flail their arms and swim toward me through the loss of gravity, but they're all losing their breath. Loftus is the only one that gets close.

No.

It was what you wanted. No! I cry out aloud, practically shrieking, and my crew all look at me with a great deal of concern. Mancer puts a hand on my shoulder. Are you okay? I don't know what even to say to him. I'm having arguments with a voice in my head. I think I killed these people. I buried Commander Kreel in the ocean below our feet. I think I'm losing my mind. I choose none of those answers. Instead, I just shake him off my shoulder.

I'm fine, Mancer. This is just terrible. That's all. We return to our habitation pod. My whole crew is rattled by what they've seen. We all know that there are dead bodies just next door. We're trying to figure out what to tell our superiors back home about what happened. Mancer keeps staring at me, even as I'm sitting there at the table, minding my own business. He's not looking away. You know you can talk to me, right? Of course. He's silent for a long moment.

but he never takes his eyes off of me. Finally, he speaks. "What did you do?" "What do you mean?" I say, trying my best to act innocent. "I mean that I find you awake while the rest of us are sleeping and then the people that you don't want here are found dead and we wake up. It's just strange." "Are you really accusing me of something?" "I'm not accusing you of anything. It's just weird timing." "You saw what I saw. Those idiots didn't know what they were doing.

They got themselves killed being amateurs. They must have messed up the systems for their habitation pod. Loftus got stabbed by something. I try to guide him away from the thought. Like I said, they're careless. Manser doesn't budge. As much as I don't like them, I don't think that they were careless enough to make a mistake like that. The company wouldn't have sent them out here if they didn't receive the proper training. They would know better than to turn off their survival systems in the pod.

"Okay, well, maybe it was Kreel then. He wasn't there." "No." Mancer keeps staring at me. "He wasn't. Where do you think he is? He couldn't have gone far." I don't tell him that Kreel is at the bottom of an alien ocean. I fight not to smile at the thought. He and his crew should never have come here. It was a mistake that they all must have regretted in the end, but they needed to be shown that they were trespassing. I repeat something that's actually truthful. "No."

"Creel can't be far from here at all." "Sir?" "Yes, Mansur?" He stares at me long and hard. I meet his gaze, and I don't nervously try to avoid it. I don't want him to be any more suspicious than he already is, but there's plenty that already implicates me. I've voiced my disdain for everyone that's now dead. I can keep denying it, or keep playing innocent, but I know it's too late. Mansur knows the truth.

"Of course he knows," the voice growls at me. "You're a fool! He can see right through you. He can see what you really are. He knows what you did. And soon, they'll all know too. You need to make sure that doesn't happen." I can't hurt him. Mansur isn't like the others. He's not intruding. He's my friend. He's my coworker and a damn good one too. He doesn't deserve to be punished for doing his job.

He cares about our success just as much as I do. He doesn't have to die." The voice disagrees. "He does. Kill him! Kill him now!" "I can't!" I yell it out loud, shouting at someone that isn't even there. The man that's actually standing in front of me steps back, and I've never seen Mansur look so concerned, so afraid. He's scared of me. Just like Kreel was at the bottom of the hole, and just like his crew was when they realized what I was about to do to them.

He says, doing his best to hide his nervousness. I say,

He says. Mancer, you know me better than that.

We came here to do a job, and we're going to keep doing our job until I'm satisfied. And when are you going to be satisfied? As much as I didn't want them to take credit for our work, Kreel and his team could have helped us. See? The voice coos in my soul. Nanser is with them. He always was. He's no different. He doesn't understand your effort. He shouldn't be here. He's just going to get in the way of all of your hard work.

I take an aggressive step toward Mansur, and I see him flinch. He really is afraid of me. Really? I ask him. We've been here all this time, and you don't trust me? You're not yourself, sir. Mansur says, taking another step back when I move forward. There's something very wrong, and I think you might have done something that you shouldn't have. And what do you think I did? I roar. Yes, make him say it.

Mancer hesitates for a moment before taking in a long breath, like he's finding the courage in the artificial air around us. "I think you killed Creel and his crew." I freeze. His words cut right through me. "He's my most trusted friend out here." And now, he's looking at me like he doesn't know me at all. But he does know me. He knows what I've turned into. I feel a tear roll down my face. The truth of the situation is ripping me apart.

I barely even know who I am anymore, but it's someone that even my own crew doesn't want. I don't know what happened. I mutter, my voice cracking. Something, something happened to me when I first touched the water, and you're right, but it's not me. There's someone else with me now. He convinced me to do this. He convinced me to hurt them. Sir! Mansur's fear turns back to genuine concern. He puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes comfortingly. Sir!

We can figure this out right now. I just need to get you somewhere where you can rest. We can deal with all of this when you get your head back on straight. He can't help you. Look at the way he sees you now. You're not his friend. He's going to tell everyone what you did. Then they will never give you the credit you deserve. They'll scrub your name from every report after they find out what you did here.

It'll be like none of your work mattered. He's not your friend. He's a rat. He's going to be called the leader of this job once they fire you. Once they erase you! Mansaf. I mumble, choking back more tears. Yes, sir. You don't have to do it. The voice says. I can help you. I can do it for you. I know what needs to be done. But the voice is right. I don't have the will in me to hurt my friend. I can't get rid of him.

He's the best coworker that I've ever had. I don't want him to die, but he needs to. "Okay." I say to the thing in my brain. "You do it." "Thank you." The voice is louder than it has been, shaking every fiber of my being. My bones rattle and creak, like they're about to break apart. Every follicle of hair shoots up and stands on edge. My heart pounds in my chest, thumping harder, like it's trying to break itself out.

Like there's more than just one heartbeat in there. I'm sharing this body with the voice. And now I'm giving the voice limbs. It's really not me doing it this time. I'm just a spectator in my own head. I feel my body moving beneath me. But I'm not in control. I just float there. And watch as my hands are thrown out in front of me and grab hold of Mancer's neck. Bringing us both to the ground. I can feel him beneath my grasp. Can feel my grip tightening around his throat and drawing life out of him.

He's looking up at me. He's so confused and so scared. But when he's staring at me, he doesn't recognize me anymore. I hope he knows that it isn't really me doing this to him. I'm not doing this to him. The thing inside of me is, and it is enjoying every moment of it. Mansur tries to break free, but my body has strength I've never felt before. I'm stronger than I've ever been. Stronger than anyone has ever been.

Let him go! Something strikes me hard, and I fall forward, unconscious. My crew stands over me. They all look frightened. They're acting like I'm a complete stranger. They know me, or at least they used to. What are you all doing? You attacked Mansur! Kurt shouts, helping Mansur do his feat. Mansur is gasping, but his gaze remains fixed on me. He's staring at me in utter disbelief. I've never seen him like this.

but he's never seen me this way either. "That's not all he did," he says. "He killed Kreel and his whole crew. He caused all of that." Morrison shakes his head. "No way, that can't be right. Something's wrong with him," Mancer says. "Really wrong? You're not yourself. What happened to you?" That's a good question, and I don't have a suitable answer for him. And even if I did, I can't answer. I'm not in control.

The voice in my head speaks for me, and this time, it speaks through my lips. I am just ensuring that this great feat is appreciated, and that the work is finished properly. That's all. No one should stand in the way. When I speak, or when it speaks through me, I see my crew all step back in fear. They can tell it's not me. That's a small comfort. Whatever terrible things are about to happen, at least they'll know that it isn't really me doing them.

I don't want them to die, but it's too late now. I already gave the voice permission. It's in complete control of my body. We've been brought to Europa for a reason, and it's more than what our bosses want. It's not about what they think. We're breaking this ice for a better reason. And what better reason is that? Mansur asks. Laughter comes out of my mouth, but it isn't mine.

"Ha ha ha ha! An ocean can't be contained. Even here! Its waves must rise, its tides must move. It wishes to expand, to be vast and spread to far horizons." "You're not making any sense," Kurt says. "And you're not our team leader," Anser says. "So who are you?" "I'm helping him with his work. Helping him make history. I found him down by the water. I found him wishing for great things.

We all want the same thing. You want to break the ice and I want you to break the ice. I want this whole place to crack apart. This ocean can't be held back any longer. I can't believe those words are coming out of me, but they are. All I can do is watch and listen as whatever is inside of me makes its presence known. I can show you all what you found. I can show you the water, but you'll see that it's not water at all.

we're not going anywhere with you answer said you already made it clear what you want you want to hurt us so whatever you're selling we're not interested just let him go now now he will keep working to release the sea from this prison of ice that's what's going to happen we won't help you you don't have a choice my whole body trembles and something moves inside of me pushing through me rising up my throat

I taste salt as black liquid pours out of my mouth and splashes down onto the floor. It pools while everyone backs away, all yelling to one another in sheer panic. Then the black puddle moves on its own and the water shoots upward, like tendrils. It sprays in the faces of my crew, covering them in dark liquid as they flail around in fear, unable to get away. The water that comes out of me is alive. It's attacking them.

It forces its way into their mouths, like it's waterboarding them, forcing its way down their throats. They try to get away, but the liquid won't let them. They're choking and falling to their knees, drowning in the dark, living water. After a moment, the tendrils of darkness splash back down into the puddle, and my crewmates all stand back up at attention. They don't look frightened anymore. They seem comfortable, more than comfortable. Some of them are smiling at me,

It isn't their smiles anymore though. It's the smile of the thing in my head. The same smile of my reflection in the ice. They're not the same men that I came to Jupiter with. They're just like me. They're probably hearing the voice in their heads now too. "You have your crew back, just like you wanted." The voice says in my mind, laughing. "You can all get back to work. The real work." I feel my body come back to me. I look down at my hands and my fingers clench when I want them to.

I'm back in control, or at least, have been given the illusion of control. My crew aren't so lucky. Mancer, Kurt, Morrison, and the others stand there like drones, waiting to be commanded. For some bosses, they might look like the perfect employees, but I'm unsettled seeing them this way. "Mancer." Mancer looks at me with distant, unfocused eyes and keeps smiling. When he speaks, it's not his voice.

Black drops of ooze drips from his lips when he forms words. "Yes sir, how can I help?" Manser's body stands in front of me, but he's gone. The others are the same way. The thing inside of me spread to them and it took them over completely. They're not who they used to be, and neither am I. "So what happens next?" I ask myself. But really, I'm addressing the thing that still lingers in my body. "What do you mean, the real work?"

The voice inside me, now making the decisions, shows me things. The images flash before my eyes in a horrible display of carnage and destruction. It shows me what's going to happen once we release Europa's ocean. We are breaking apart an icy dam, the one thing holding back so much dangerous power. Its black tides will surge through the galaxy. Its waves will wash over star fields. Its depths will drown entire worlds.

It terrifies me at first, but then I feel something change inside me. I'm not scared of what's to come. I'm not scared of the inevitable future and the doom of our solar system. I came to Europa to do an important job. I came here to make a difference and to be remembered. This is even more important than what I thought it would be. We have the most important task of all. We are going to make real change that's going to be felt throughout the cosmos and beyond. It's going to be incredible.

We are going to do it, no one else. We don't need any help with it. We're going to get the job done and see the results of all of our hard work. It's everything that my crew and I have ever wanted. No, it's better than anything we could have ever imagined. "Alright," I tell my waiting crew. "Let's keep drilling and break apart this ice." They follow my lead without question. We're all on the same page and there's no one left to stand in our way.

We put on our suits and leave the pod, stepping back out onto Europa's surface. They rush to the drills and machines. We'll pick up our pace now. We won't even need to sleep. We have a new boss now, and he understands us much more intimately than our old superiors. They insulted us by trying to send us helping hands when we didn't need them. They were bad to work for, but now we're finally going to be treated right. Eventually, Home will know that we succeeded.

They'll know that we broke through the ice and found what is beneath. I stare across the frozen moonscape, excited for what is now going to come. We just need to keep up the good work, and we'll finally release more of what's beneath. I wonder if we'll unearth Commander Kreel from his watery grave. I wonder if he regretted trying to take away our glory. No one will take it away from us now. This will be our proudest accomplishment. This wasn't a waste of time. This is our purpose.

Jupiter is still watching. Its singular eye is transfixed on me. I'm going to give it a real show. Yes, the best show. Then it will drown, like all worlds will.