Treasure for All

4. The Professor

Mingi steadied the ship as in touched and glided onto the North Sea's waves, riding into the River Thames. Switching from air to water was always a little bumpy, but the pilot had trained himself to steady his position when steering the HALA during that transition. A course was set for a seaport near Big Ben, and from there the crew would head to Dr. Steinbeck's lab on foot.

"How much longer?" Taeran asked from behind him.

"About another half hour," he replied, not taking his eyes off of the water. "How come?"

Taeran shrugged. "Something about this whole thing seems fishy to me."

"Baby," Mingi sighed, as he met her eyes for a brief second,"I love you, but you need to stop assuming that everyone we meet has ill intentions."

"You know I can't help it," she argued. "But I really do feel that something is off about this whole thing this time. I don't care if Hongjoong's father knew the man or not. Why wouldn't he say what he has and why he wants us to see whatever he has?"

"Maybe he has good reason."

"Name one." She crossed her arms.

Mingi didn't answer. He never knew what to say whenever his girlfriend made remarks like that. It was her way of saying, "I'm right, so don't even argue."

Gently back hugging him, her cheek meeting into the middle of his back, she sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I just don't want any of us to get hurt."

Mingi took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Have instincts isn't something to be sorry for."

Taeran let go of him and pecked his cheek before giving him a soft smile.

Thunder boomed loudly in the distance.

"Okay," Dinah's voice sounded over their earpieces, "I know I'm not the only one who heard that madness, so I'm not gonna ask if y'all did. Dress warmly, bring umbrellas if you have them, and wear your rain gear. We don't need anyone catching a cold."

...

After braiding her blonde locks, Phoebe sat on her bed and gazed upon the picture of her and her grandparents. She missed them dearly, but she knew traveling was going to help her grandfather heal. Her cousin had texted her that morning saying that he was slowly getting better, but it wasn't much progress. It gave her some hope, but she still worried.

Phoebe felt tears sting the edges of her eyes, but inhaled sharply to hold them back. Yeosang didn't like seeing her cry, and she wasn't about to now.

"Are you alright?" he asked from behind her.

Yeosang stood at the doorway of her room, two black raincoats in his arms.

"Yeah," Phoebe nodded. "Just worried about Pops."

"Any progress?"

Phoebe stood up, placed the picture back on her nightstand, and walked towards Yeosang. "He's a little bit better, but not much progress. He's still ill."

"Better than none at all," he smiled as he held Phoebe's coat open for her to slide her arms into the sleeves. She zipped up her coat as her boyfriend threw his on.

Yeosang had only met Phoebe's grandparents once when they were still at college. It was a family day, and both families had been introduced to each other. He had learned that the only family his girlfriend had was her grandparents and twin cousins, both being five years older than her and one of them having cerebral palsy. Phoebe was very caring towards her family and loved them to pieces, but Yeosang wasn't expecting her to join him when he decided to leave school to start his own path despite his family's protests.

"I want to help my family, and I want to be with you," she had said.

He had tried to talk her out of it, promising up and down that he'd come back to her; but she had put her foot down and joined him. Quite frankly, he wouldn't want it any other way.

"What do you think London is like?" she asked.

"I've only been once," he replied as he put his hat on. "But it was just as rainy."

"So not much has probably changed."

"I don't think so."

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped loudly shortly after. Rain was pattering rapidly against the window. It seemed to match Phoebe's mood. She wanted to be excited for an extra day in a city, but couldn't help but feel down. She wanted to smile, but her facial muscles were refusing the action.

Yeosang's lips kissed her cheek as his arms wrapped around her. Their foreheads touched.

"We're going to have a good day," he promised.

"If you say so," Phoebe sighed.

"I know so."

...

The HALA pulled into an open dock. Yunho hopped over the ship's railing, which was about an eight-foot drop from the dock, and tied one end of the secure rope to one of the cleats tightly. A low-whirring noise came from the ship and a door on the side of the opened. Each of the crewmembers, all covered in dark raincoats and ponchos, emerged from the ship. All of the men wore black hats and masks as the women wore dark coats and held umbrellas to protect themselves from the pouring rain.

Hongjoong was the first to step out. He turned back towards the door and held out his hand to help Celestia out of the boat, San following closely behind her. The rest of the crew had no trouble stepping onto the docks. Jongho was the last one to exit after punching in the code to close the door.

Pulling his mask down from his face, Hongjoong turned towards his crew.

"The professor's lab is a short walk," he talked over the pounding of raindrops on the wooden dock,"so we'll be there in no time. Just stay together at all times as we go."

Dahae rushed to his side, an umbrella in her right hand and her left arm linking with his. Their eyes met as he pushed his mask back in face, but he still smiled at his fiancée; she returned it.

The city almost seemed gloomy, given the grey atmosphere. Citizens were bustling about, covering themselves with coats and umbrellas to try to stay dry. Shops were filled with people coming in and out, and the crew could smell the aroma of pastries from the various café's lining the streets they walked on. Different vehicles drove by, some regular cars and some trucks carrying farm equipment.

A few pedestrians did give the group odd looks as if they were up to something, but Hongjoong had told them to not pay them any mind. The last thing they needed was trouble.

After a few minutes of walking, the group finally reached an open area between two other large buildings. The front lawn was neatly cut, a water fountain with a lion statue was centered in the middle, and a cobblestone path circled from the sidewalk to the bronze double doors. The building itself looked like a Victorian-era mansion with a large balcony just above the front entrance. Four white pillars stood as if they were holding up the roof, and two potted plants sat on each side of the doors.

"Is this a lab or someone's castle?" Grace-Anne asked once they all approached the door.

"His house," the captain replied. "He told us to come here. His personal lab is where he told us to come to."

"So, we walk through it?"

"Yes."

Hongjoong used the knocker to alert their presence. One of the doors almost immediately opened, and a tall, young woman with caramel skin and shoulder-length hair was standing on the other side. She was wearing a plain grey shirt, dark jeans, and white tennis shoes; and her smile was warm when she greeted them.

"You must be Hongjoong and the crew of the HALA," she said, stepping out of their path. "Come on in. The professor's been expecting you."