She began to collect samples and record data, her heart racing with excitement. She had found it. Definitive proof of alien life.

Jackie knew she had only minutes. She could not repair the breach, and the automated ascent system was dead. She had to act fast.

She set the timer, strapped herself into the pilot's seat, and braced for impact. The explosion rocked the submarine, sending a shockwave through the water. For a moment, everything went black.

She prepared the Abyssus , a specialized submarine designed to melt through miles of ice and explore the dark ocean below. The descent was nerve-wracking. The ice groaned and shifted around the probe as it melted its way down. Communication with Earth became increasingly difficult, then ceased altogether. Jackie was truly alone.

Thinking quickly, Jackie calculated the energy required to initiate a controlled explosion of the sub's secondary battery. It was a risky maneuver that could destroy the craft, but it was her only hope of breaking free from the rock and gaining enough buoyancy to reach the ice layer above.

At a depth of five miles, the sensors detected something extraordinary. It was a hydrothermal vent, spewing warm, mineral-rich water into the freezing ocean. And clustered around the vent were life forms unlike anything ever seen on Earth.