Chapter 70: Underwater?

"Yeah," Frost replied, opening it.

Ava looked him over, her gaze moving from his shoulders to his boots before returning to his face.

"Good. Come with me."

He followed her into the corridor, trying not to appear quite as eager as he felt.

He had spent so long imagining the moment he would finally leave the base that simply walking towards it felt unusual.

Part of him was excited, while another part kept reminding him that the world outside had nearly killed him once already.

They found the others waiting in a room near the training halls.

There were four of them, two young women and two young men, all wearing suits identical to his.

The same grey material, the same dark padding, and the same practical lack of decoration. Seeing them together made Frost glance down at himself again.

It seemed having his suit made specially for him meant getting one that fitted properly rather than receiving anything unique.

What he had noticed in passing, however, was that most of the people in this Zero Dawn base were almost entirely all human. There were a few non-human races, but those were in the minority.

"This is Frost," Ava said as they entered. "He’ll be working with you today."

The young man nearest the door stepped forward. He was a little taller than Frost, with a broad chest, thick arms, and short sandy-brown hair that stood up slightly at the front. His square face broke into an easy smile as he offered a hand.

"Corin. Good to have you."

"Frost," he replied, shaking it, only to realize Ava had already covered that part. "Though you probably caught that."

Corin’s smile widened, but he was kind enough not to comment.

"Nessa," said the young woman beside him.

She was tall and lean, with a straight back and a firm, athletic build.

Her auburn hair was gathered into a thick braid that fell over one shoulder, and a few freckles stood out across her nose.

She gave him a brief smile, looking him over with curiosity.

"I’ve seen you in Orven’s sessions."

"Usually getting hit," Frost said.

"That does happen quite a lot in his sessions."

The other young woman stepped closer, folding her hands loosely in front of her.

"I’m Lyne."

She was the shortest of the four, with straight black hair cut just above her shoulders and a round face framed by blunt bangs.

Her build was compact and sturdy, with broad hips and strong-looking legs beneath the fitted trousers.

Unlike Nessa, she seemed a little hesitant, though her brown eyes met his as she gave him a small nod.

"Nice to meet you," Frost replied.

"Jarek," the last young man added, raising a hand from where he stood beside the wall.

He was tall and narrow through the shoulders, with long limbs that made the plain suit look almost loose despite its fitted cut.

Pale blond hair reached the base of his neck, the front tucked behind his ears, and his sharp features gave him a rather serious appearance. That impression weakened slightly when he looked towards Corin.

"If he offers to carry anything for you, check that he isn’t adding it to your share later."

Corin sighed. "That happened once."

"It was a memorable experience."

Frost glanced between them. At least they seemed comfortable enough with one another, which was a considerably better start than standing among strangers who had nothing to say.

Before the conversation could go any further, Ava stepped towards the door.

"You’ll have time to talk on the way. Stay together, and listen when I give an instruction. I’ll be overseeing your group today."

The others nodded, and Frost did the same before joining them as they filed into the corridor.

They passed the dining area, where the smell of breakfast still permeated the air, then continued beyond the rooms Frost usually visited.

He recognized the turn towards the infirmary and the corridor leading to Goldwyn’s workshop, though Ava took neither.

Instead, she led them through a broad door that Frost had never been allowed to approach.

He looked around with interest as it closed behind them.

This section of the base was quieter. The walls were thicker, broken at intervals by metal supports, and wide pipes ran along the ceiling before disappearing into sealed compartments.

Narrow strips of light illuminated the floor, their pale glow reflecting off the smooth surfaces.

Somewhere beyond the walls, machinery hummed so softly that he could feel a faint vibration through the soles of his boots whenever they paused.

They passed a recessed maintenance area where two people were working on an open panel.

One had both arms inside the exposed machinery, while the other studied a set of readings and occasionally called something out. Neither paid the recruits much attention.

Farther along, the corridor sloped downwards.

He had assumed leaving the base would involve climbing towards the surface, perhaps through a concealed passage or a door hidden somewhere among the rocks.

He had been told that they were supposed to be underground, after all.

Yet they seemed to be heading deeper, and there were still no windows, daylight, or any change in the air to suggest they were approaching an opening.

A low metallic groan sounded somewhere overhead.

Frost glanced up, but no one else reacted, so he kept walking.

The passage eventually opened into a wide chamber with several people moving between a row of storage compartments and a raised circular platform.

Heavy cases had been stacked along one wall, and a pair of uniformed men stood beside a narrow control pedestal near the platform’s edge.

Frost slowed as he saw the inscriptions worked into its surface.

He knew what that was.

The design differed from the one he remembered, but the arrangement was familiar enough to bring back the day Syrn had taken them through a teleportation platform. He looked from it to Ava, then around the chamber again.

There was no obvious exit here either.

"Up," Ava instructed, gesturing towards the platform.

Corin went first, followed by Nessa and Lyne. Frost stepped up after them, turning slightly to watch Jarek climb on before Ava joined them.

She exchanged a few quiet words with the man at the pedestal, who checked something before nodding.

Frost looked down at the lines beneath his boots.

He had only used one of these things before, but that didn’t stop the nervous anticipation from returning.

There was something deeply unsettling about standing in one place and trusting a collection of glowing markings to put him somewhere else without losing any important pieces along the way.

"First time?" Corin asked, noticing his expression.

"Second." Perhaps more, considering he had been brought here in an unconscious state.

"Then you already know what to expect."

"That doesn’t help as much as you might think."

Corin chuckled, but before he could reply, the inscriptions beneath them began to shine.

A large triagram unfolded above the platform, its lines spreading through the air as the markings under their feet brightened in response.

Frost instinctively looked up, trying to follow the familiar sections before the growing light made it difficult to keep his eyes open.

The hum around them deepened.

Ava stood calmly near the edge, looking unconcerned, while Lyne drew her arms closer to her sides.

Then the light washed over everything.

Frost shut his eyes.

The floor seemed to slip away beneath him, leaving his stomach somewhere behind. He clenched his hands without meaning to, waiting for the sensation to pass.

A moment later, warmth touched his face, followed by a breeze that stirred his hair and carried a sharp, salty smell.

The steady hum of machinery was gone, replaced by a broad rushing sound that rose, broke, and faded before beginning again.

Frost opened his eyes.

They were standing on another platform, this one set into the ground beneath the open sky.

For a moment, he simply stared.

A clearing surrounded them, bordered by tall trees with pale trunks and broad, blue-green fronds.

Thick roots curled over dark stones at the clearing’s edge, while clusters of translucent growths clung to the shaded bark, catching the daylight in faint shades of violet.

Beyond the trees, sunlight glittered so brightly that Frost had to narrow his eyes. He saw the sand.

A stretch of pale beach lay only a short distance away, its smooth surface broken by scattered shells and long strips of dark seaweed.

Waves rolled in beyond it, spreading white foam across the shore before retreating into water that shifted from clear turquoise to a deep, rich blue farther out.

Huge stone formations rose from the sea, their curved shapes draped in greenery. Farther along the coast, one formed a great arch above the water, with white-winged creatures circling its upper edge.

Frost turned towards the sound of another breaking wave, breathing in the unfamiliar freshness of the sea.

A beach.

They had come out on a beach.

He looked down at the platform, then towards the water again.

The thick walls, the sealed corridors, the pipes, the constant machinery, and the complete absence of any ordinary way outside suddenly arranged themselves into a rather alarming possibility.

’Wait... Is the base underwater!?’