Frozen Sea

10. The Seatruck

Hearing somebody knock on a base four hundred meters down in the ocean surrounded by leviathans was super scary, but thankfully the crew expected San. The man had lined up the truck with their door so that they could move right in, but despite the warning, Seungyoun still jumped when the man arrived.

As soon as they let him in the seabase, he strutted inside, some keys swinging around his fingers. He had probably already collected Yunho and Mingi on his way. As he crossed the corridor with curious eyes, Seungyoun had to keep himself from hiding away behind Yohan visibly. His hand was still cramped into his companion's fur worriedly.

San joined them in the living room and gave a mocking salute to Hongjoong before throwing the keys to Seonghwa. Only then did he halt to scrutinise their tall new friend. Seungyoun was effortlessly taller than Seonghwa but build just as slenderly.

"So, you are the new guy. I'm San, another android. I'll get you back on the surface."

"I'm Seungyoun." He seemed open for new people, but awkwardly shy at meeting them. As a person without any human contact in eleven years should be. Hongjoong wanted to put a guiding hand on his lower back to help with confidence but held himself back. He shouldn't get too close.

"My pleasure. I picked up some critical signals on the way here. Guess you didn't want to try swimming with the Snow Puppy, huh?"

"Right. Come on, let's get in, and we will explain the rest on our way back. Seungyoun has a lot to tell."

Hongjoong motioned them to get moving, so they could leave this centre of chaos behind. When Seungyoun passed him, his head was lowered as an adorable blush dusted his cheeks. Hongjoong was glad to see him smile for once, instead of frowning.

"Thanks, but I- I actually don't. I've only been stuck here and can tell you tales about my walls."

Hongjoong glanced at the Reaper skull in passing. Again, goosebumps erupted on his arms.

"And I'm sure even those will be fascinating. Here, please bring Yohan in the next module."

Seungyoun did, looking around the truck with big eyes. Hongjoong, too, had never been inside here, but he was less impressed since he was familiar with Alterra tech. It was like the cyclops, only sleeker and able to connect to as many modules they needed.

Hongjoong left it to the androids to figure out their safest escape route and joined Seungyoun further in the back. Yohan was sitting on the ground like a curious pet pretending that he didn't take up nearly the whole floor of the module. Stepping over him was a risky task.

Seungyoun nervously fiddled with his thumbs next to the creature. Obviously, he had no idea what to do with himself, and his anxious face made Hongjoong ache to protect him.

"I'll inform them first, okay? Just so there are no weird surprises. San, could you maybe explain their situation to him? It seems as if he stayed mostly clear of the bacterium by not being outside much."

The android nodded where he stood in the joining part of the two modules. He was watching the newcomer with polite curiosity.

"Will do. Maybe the fishes here are more resilient, too. We'll know soon."

Hongjoong hummed before stepping away. The automatic doors led him to the aquarium module that features a narrow passway in the middle while the rest was made out of one large water tank that connected at the ceiling. Yunho and Mingi were idly lying stomach down on the sturdy glass, their tentacles swishing and playing with each other in the right part of the tank. Hongjoong sat down and leaned back so he could comfortably look up at them.