The group's tension hadn't lifted yet. Albeit now a few people shorter, the remains of the team were still sitting together in silence, all brooding over their thoughts. Hongjoong was playing an idle game of kicking feet with San opposite of him, while Seungyoun was quietly sitting at Yohan's side and keeping him and Waddles company.

The minutes passed with no noise crossing them apart from the howling of the storm against the cliffs and Yohan or Waddles' little noises. Hongjoong was worried about their friends out there and was inwardly praying for their wellbeing as he nervously nibbled on his fingernails.

The air seemed thick enough to be cut with a knife. Nobody in the group knew whether talking or keeping their indestructible silence was the better way for them to go.

It was exhausting; doing nothing was exhausting. Hongjoong felt desperate to do something, but there was nothing for them to spend their time with. It was only waiting and worrying about their friends outside in the freezing cold.

Hongjoong tried not to think too hard about it. If he let his mind wander, it told him about how Jongho and Wooyoung would be dead before they even heard of an emergency, and how Seonghwa and Yeosang could get trapped somewhere with no way back out until somebody found them in the dangerous white arctic full of deep canyons.

Shivering, Hongjoong burrowed more into his hoodie. San had trailed off, too, and their feet laid still between the two of them.

San was the first one to break the silence, ripping himself out of his own worries just how Hongjoong constantly had to.

"I'm rechecking the comms. I can still receive messages from Seonghwa and Yeosang through our own systems, but the storm weakens them. It doesn't seem as if there is anything yet."

"Can you put them on speaker?" Hongjoong asked quietly and with his voice sounding fragile in the silent room.

San nodded wordlessly before tapping away at the computer on his wrist. Soon, the crackling and rushing of the storm could be heard.

"Seonghwa? Where are you now?"

"We have just arrived at Delta Island. I'm picking up confusing signals from the tower. It does not seem damaged, but it is not functioning either."

San exhaled before giving a slow nod. Tense, Hongjoong fiddled with his fingers. Seungyoun was staring at his feet.

"The satellite is all messed up. It keeps getting turning randomly, and I think it might have lost its connection to the one in outer space. The storm might confuse the signal." Jongho's voice was muffled and sounded from slightly farther away. A crackle made it hard to understand him.

"Do you think you can fix it?"

For a moment, nobody said anything, and it was just their harsh breaths and the storm.

"Maybe. The probability is high, but the storm might need to settle beforehand. We could also deploy a smaller group here to sit out the case and fix it then."

A short conversation between the few of them that was too clipped to understand well followed. Then, Seonghwa leaned towards his comm again.

"Yeosang, Jongho, and Mingi have offered themselves as tributes. We will do our best, and then I will return with Yunho and Wooyoung."

That was good news. Then, they had a goal; they would only have to wait.

Hongjoong let go of a breath. San threw him an empathetic smile. Seungyoun, too, allowed himself to show more hope on his face. He ruffled Yohan's fur, murmuring calming litanies to the three of them.

"Take care out there. We will wait here for you."

"Affirmative. In case of necessity, I will call you again. Update me when the signal from the tower gets back to you."

San agreed before cutting the line. As he sat back, Hongjoong only now noticed the throbbing headache in the back of his head. It was difficult to listen to the call with all of the crackling going on.

As he dropped back against the couch, his eyes met Seungyoun's. The fellow biologist smiled at Hongjoong brightly, and with as much conviction, he could muster. Tired, Hongjoong grinned back at him.

San sighed loudly, interrupting the moment. As he fell back against the headrest next to Hongjoong, the whole couch shook, and Hongjoong made a face when San pulled him close for cuddles.

"God, this is horrible. Maybe we should have set up our main base on the island, after all. It is far closer to the centre, anyway." San leaned his head against Hongjoong's shoulder, resting there. Hongjoong gently patted his leg.

"Also not as protected as this place, though. It's nothing to regret. The storm didn't exactly warn us that it would do this."

San giggled at the image of a storm politely knocking on their door to inform them about its plans to wreak havoc around their equipment. He relaxed a bit at the fun.

The silence they fell in after that was more comfortable. When San loosened his grip after a while to check some PDA, Hongjoong got up to make himself a coffee. He also made one for Seungyoun, with extra sweetness, that the man took from him with a thankful grin.

Hongjoong was sitting at the table and staring out into the raging snowstorm while lazily stirring his coffee. He was still nervous, but calmer now that he knew that the team was safe.

He started losing himself in his thoughts again as he waited for his coffee to cool down. He thought about Eden coming here and meeting Seungyoun, about what he would have to say.

They had managed to save Seonghwa last time, Hongjoong was positive that Eden would find a loophole this time, too. Maybe he would apologise to Seungyoun, and maybe he would even have an explanation of what had happened to the Degasi. Hongjoong wasn't sure about how much power Eden had within the organisation, but he surely was important enough to have access to the archives.

In the best case, Seungyoun could still teach them all something. He could become an essential member of the branch that was busy with 4546B, maybe even a leader. If he got into such a high position in Alterra, he might be able to change things and optimise their work. In the end, Seungyoun could prove that there were good people in Alterra by becoming one of them.

Hongjoong quite liked that image.

He chuckled to himself as he continued staring out of the window, not thinking about anything. He only waited and prayed that everything would be alright.

Soon enough, though, that peace was interrupted again.

They all looked up from their current activities when suddenly a loud peeping sound came from an adjoining room. Hongjoong glanced around between his two companions, unsure. Seungyoun looked like a scared rabbit with exceptionally innocent eyes while San had merely lifted a brow at the interruption. Both had turned to look around, also, and Waddles had awoken from his nap to screech demandingly.

"Are they back already?" A bit belated and still tired, Hongjoong tried to locate the source of the peeping but couldn't find anything until San finally rose. The man dusted his behind off before he hurried over to the centre of noise. He hurried over to his and Wooyoung's room and left the door open. Seungyoung and Hongjoong exchanged a confused glance when San's footsteps halted.

For a second, he was gone, then the peeping abruptly stopped. When he came back, he cradled one of their tablets in his hands, and surprise was written all over his face. Wordlessly, he tapped away at the glass screen for a second before he focused on the other two again. Neither said anything.

"It says that the Phi Excavation site is reaching extreme levels of kinetic energies. I don't know what- We didn't do something weird last time we were there. All machines are supposed to be off, so I don't have a clue what it could be."

Clueless, he scratched the back of his head. He continued searching for information on the tablet's screen but came up mostly empty.

"It just keeps warning me of extreme pressure on the ice and the risk of a hydraulic explosion... I suppose our equipment is in danger at the moment. Fuck."

At that news, Seungyoun and Hongjoong exchanged a wide-eyed glance. Hongjoong didn't dare share his innermost and fearful thoughts on the matter, but he suspected that Seungyoun might have been thinking the same. The naked horror in both of their eyes was the same.

It was unlikely that it was the storm applying pressure on the ice this far inside the cave. A little terrified voice inside Hongjoong whispered that it might be something else. Something that was already inside.

"Impossible," Seungyoun whispered breathlessly, still frozen in shock. Hongjoong felt none the better, but he tried to keep his mask of indifference intact so nobody would see his face slip. The panic that made his stomach twist made him nearly sick.

San gave both of them warning gazes. His fingers were tight around the sides of the tablet, and his eyes seemed like molten metal in the pale light. He looked calmer than the two of them, but not less worried about the news.

"Somebody has to go. I know that it's a bad idea around the storm, but this is our most important project. Damn, I can't- I have to stay here and see when communications come on again."

San was looking at Hongjoong.

The human frantically shook his head as he sprung up from his seat. He backtracked a step, then remembered that San was not an enemy. Just a friend with a horrible request.

"N-no, I- That place-"

It was horror, pure horror.

San put the tablet down on the table, grabbing onto Hongjoong's shoulders. Hongjoong mindlessly pushed against his elbows, not focusing at all. He didn't want to go, not there, not alone. Not when the damn thing was breaking out.

San shook him gently, trying to get him to look at him.

"I know. You hate it, but it's necessary."

Hongjoong pushed him off, his blood boiling with fear. He felt sick, the same kind of sick with terror like he had been with the Ice Worm. Every cell inside of him cringed at the idea of going there currently, screaming at him to stay far away.

"Come with me! Check on the way!"

"I can't, Hongjoong! The signal gets directed here, and I won't put the other team in danger too!"

They stared at each other, one more worried than the other. Hongjoong didn't want to leave, but he also understood why he would have to go. He just couldn't wrap his heart around it and make it calm enough for him to form an articulate thought.

"I'll come. No worries, we can watch each other's backs. I have little plan of what I'm doing, but... An emergency should be about obvious to solve."

San looked visibly relieved, his shoulders drooping. He took the tablet and ran over to Seungyoun, quickly explaining what he could do. Hongjoong was left to stand with trembling fists and clenched teeth in the middle of the room. His fear was disregarded when the two of them hissed at each other all while Seungyoun scrambled to get into his suit.

Hongjoong followed him slowly and as if on autopilot. He knew of his duties, and his mind easily followed them while he barely thought about it. He put on his suit mechanically and fixed his tools before waiting for Seungyoun near the pool. He would take the Snow Fox if not for the blizzard outside.

Seungyoun joined him with hurried steps. His smile was bright and calming as he handed Hongjoong his helmet.

"Here, let's go. Yohan will take care of San, and we will be back faster than you think. I'll take care of you."

Hongjoong forced himself to a little smile. He could do this. His help was needed, and if anybody else could risk their lives outside here, he could do that, too. And then come back to Seonghwa with the comms back on.

He promised himself that this would take only a moment and that with the storm settling, their problems would disappear, too.