<br/><br/>The heated adrenaline rush from seeing the orb fly out in front of Albrecht wore off almost instantly, quickly replaced by disbelief and cold fear.  Katherine’s mind was reeling from what just happened, and she fought for every ounce of control over her anxiety and racing thoughts. Clearly, that thing was watching their every move, but was it directing them to the right location, or steering them into a trap?  Both scenarios seemed equally likely.  Knowing the Captain was right and the only way forward was to forge their own path through the thick brush, she took a series of deep breaths and followed, noting the others looked cautious and alert. At least the soldiers and their commanding officer had the benefit of experience in situations like this.  Nothing in her past could have prepared her for it; certainly not her years tucked away in the safety of academia and definitely not her time at the impenetrable NORAD base.  Pushing aside the doubts about her decision to come along with renewed determination to succeed, she realized that a large part of her unwillingness to falter was due to Captain Hunter.  Exactly when or why she felt the need to earn his respect eluded her, but she couldn’t deny it.  In truth, it was perplexing and yet, from the first moment they met, there was something intriguing and compelling about him that went beyond his handsome appearance, and now, seeing his leadership skills in the heat of danger, bringing out the best in everyone, she was impressed.  It was a heady combination, but she couldn’t let those thoughts linger, and focused instead on getting to their next destination, carefully scanning around for anything usual.<br/><br/>Everyone watched and waited for the orb’s return, but it remained hidden and they trudged onward, dodging the bushes and trees as best they could in the growing darkness.  Cold from the rain and shivering, when they finally stopped so Albrecht could check the signal again, Katherine rubbed her arms for warmth.  Moving closer to the others, she stood next to Spence and could tell by the Captain’s expression that he saw something as he scanned with his binoculars.  He quickly explained what it was, and they now knew they were dealing with some kind of ship. They had a definitive target, and everyone seemed revitalized by that fact, picking up the pace considerably.<br/><br/>As they approached the derelict ship, it loomed above them and seemed completely devoid of life.  Lightning cast eerie shadows on the broken and twisted hull, illuminating the deep charred scars of what Katherine guessed were from some kind of blast but it was impossible from their position to see what might have caused it to crash.  It also appeared weathered and beaten in a way that only several decades of exposure to the harsh elements could accomplish.  Not nearly as big as their ship, it was nonetheless large enough that there could have been dozens of people on board, and when she and the others followed the Captain’s troubled gaze, they too noticed the footprints on the ground.  Bending down to get a closer look, the prints indeed appeared to be from several different people and likely recent since any recent rainfall would have washed them away.  When the Captain asked for her opinion, she startled, and her gaze flew to his.  A moment later, she said, “Well I’m confident we can all agree it appears there are humans who have been here recently, but I also think he ship crashed a long time ago, which means if there were survivors, there are likely descendants as well.  It’s also possible that the orb we saw belongs to these people, but what bothers me is if they know we’re here and want our help, why haven’t they come to seek us out?” Gesturing to the ship and surrounding area, she added, “Clearly, there are more questions than answers and we have a lot of ground to cover, but we’re so short on time, is it possible to split up?” She asked, not convinced it was a good idea, but unable to see how they could possibly accomplish what they needed to in less than an hour otherwise.  Communicating her concern and desire to hear his opinion with a glance, she said, “It’s your call though Captain.”<br/>