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FLASH. A medium to short pause followed. CRACK.
A thunderstorm was approaching. Fast.
Ant glanced down at the Jorange, frowning. Jeffrey smiled at him, prompting Ant to shake his head, 'No, Jeffrey, that's bad—You know that!' He said, sighing with a smile when Jeffrey only replied with a spin.
Ant watched the nearing storm for a few more moments before looking at Jeffrey again. 'We should tell Mum, shouldn't we?' He decided to ask, only getting a blown bubble in response.
'We really should; it's growing closer by the second.' He added. Jeffrey blinked.
'Okay, that's it, you're right, we needa tell her.' He stated, before making his way back inside the Aronnax, toward the Bridge.
* * *
He arrived on the Bridge and set the Jorange on the main tank on the Bridge that connected to the rest of the Aronnax.
'Mum! There's a-' Ant started.
'What is it, Ant? I'm trying to finally take a break and eat.' Kaiko asked, glaring as she looked up from her lunch.
'Storm. Big one! Like, this big!' He said, trying to stretch his arms wider than possible.
Kaiko stared. 'Well, other than bringing the Aronnax underwater, there's not really any need for concern. Thank you, Ant; for keeping us safe and interrupting my lunch' She smiled, fond but annoyed.
'You're welcome, Mum!' Ant said proudly.
Kaiko spun her chair around and put her food on the top of the control panel, before instructing Ant to sit down and buckle up.
Ant obliged and watched as Kaiko did the same.
SNAP.
An ear piercing, high pitched snap filled the air, and it seemed to be more than a sound, since the Aronnax moved and tipped backwards.
Just as the Aronnax was straightening itself out, it stopped, and the lights went out, too.
'Uhhhh, that's not good, is it?' Ant asked, looking around.
'No. No, it is not.' Kaiko answered, standing up and slamming the control panel, which made Ant notice it, too, had gone out.
'Wait, was that the power?' He wondered aloud as he got up.
Kaiko nodded as she glared at the dead screens in front of her. 'Yeah… It was like an EMP. Whatever 'it' was.'
Ant opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Will rushing in.
'What happened!?' Will asked, looking around with a concerned expression.
Kaiko sighed. 'We have no clue—One moment me and Ant were talking, the next, something seemed to hit the Aronnax and kill the power.' She spoke, before opening a compartment and grabbing four flashlights out of it.
'You think it had something to do with the storm?' Ant said quickly, accepting the flashlight that was shoved into his hands.
'Didn't we just deal with a dangerous, power-cutting storm?' Fontaine huffed as she entered, carrying her own flashlight. Kaiko put the extra one back away.
'And we're nowhere near it, anymore.' Kaiko needlessly answered, 'I'm going to the Engine Room to see if I can restart the power.' She finished speaking as she made it to the doorway.
'Sooooooo, magic storm?' Ant asked, earning a groan from Fontaine.
'Nope!' She announced as she splayed her hands, proceeding to leave.
'Haaah, she's just not as excited as me over magic storm.' Ant whispered, receiving a laugh from Will.
'Yeeaah I don't think that's quite it.' He said, before looking out the main window.
Will frowned, slightly squinting at the currently visible bottom of the glass—Ant followed his gaze, getting on his tiptoes and tilting his head up.
Ant's eyebrows raised as he noticed what appeared to be ice on the glass.
'Is that ice?' He asked, rushing to the window as Will walked over.
'I think so…' Will said slowly, crouching down and inspecting the glass. Ant stepped closer.
'That's… weird. Isn't it?' He asked as Will traced a finger along the glass.
'Yeah, very.' Will answered, rubbing his thumb and index together.
'It must be on the outside..' He continued, standing up and looking around outside.
'I-' Will started, but was interrupted by his communicator going off, and Kaiko's voice coming through it,
'I got the power back on. Will, Ant, get out here right now—We have a problem.' Will and Ant shared a look.
'Should I take Jeffrey?' Ant asked through Will's communicator.
'Yes! Now hurry up!' Fontaine's voice interjected.
Ant nodded once before speaking, 'I'll be right back!' He said before rushing out.
'Should I take a Knight?' Will asked, beginning to walk toward the Moon Pool Room.
'Take the Rover. Actually, take the Mag Knight, get Ant in the Rover.' Kaiko responded.
'Uhhhh, is letting Ant drive the Rover really a good idea?' Fontaine asked, earning a chuckle from Will.
'No other option.' Kaiko replied after a moment, sounding like she was focused on something else.
'Wait, can't he take the Shadow Knight?' Will asked as he arrived in the Moon Pool Room, walking over to the panel and bringing the Mag Knight out of it's usual spot.
'Nope.' Kaiko answered, still sounding distracted.
'Hmm, okay.' Will said, before switching to contacting just Ant, 'Use the Rover.' He instructed as he climbed into the Mag Knight.
'Oh! Alright! Sweet!' Ant exclaimed, just as Will jumped into the water and exited the Aronnax.
* * *
'So, what's the-' Will started, before noticing the amount of ice on the front of the hull.
'That… doesn't look good.' He said, noticing how Fontaine and Kaiko were trying to melt it with the lasers in their Knights.
'No, no it does not.' Kaiko agreed, switching spots and getting a bit closer.
Will joined them, the group spreading out evenly across the three of them.
After a few more moments, Ant came out in the Rover.
He overshot it a bit and had to carefully back up and turn around.
Just as he began moving back over to them..
SNAP.
What appeared to be light blue lightning hit the Rover from behind, ice appearing and proceeding to quickly crawl along the Rover and cover it.
Nobody had the chance to do anything before the ice fully encased the Rover, and some parts began sticking out from it, forming like spikes.
The ice got thicker and thicker until the Rover couldn't even be seen, and it's shape was quickly disappearing, as well.
Will backed up, and watched Fontaine be dragged back by Kaiko when she didn't move.
Fontaine tried to contact Ant, 'Ant!? Ant!? Ant, answer me! Ant, if you don't-'
Will let out a 'Woah!' as he dodged a spike of ice that shot out from the Rover, faster and longer than the others, nearly hitting him.
Another one shot out at Kaiko and Fontaine, but—since Fontaine was slightly closer—it almost seemed to aim at her.
Kaiko tried to pull her back again, but was too late, and backed away when it spread even quicker than it had on the Rover.
Kaiko rushed back into the Aronnax as fast as she could.
Will tried to decide whether or not to follow, and if he should bring-
'Come back inside, Will; I'm using the claw to grab the kids.' Kaiko explained through the comms.
Will replied with an acknowledgement as he headed back into the Aronnax, being a bit confused that Kaiko didn't close the Moon Pool.
Will put the Mag Knight back and was surprised to see the Aronnax move up and forward, until the Rover and Swamp Knight were in line with the Moon Pool.
He watched as Kaiko collected Ant and Fontaine with the claw—The ice transferred onto it, as well as scraped the edges of the Moon Pool, filling the Moon Pool Room disturbingly quick.
Will backed up, glancing around and deciding going for the door would be too risky. He rushed back over to and climbed into the Mag Knight.
He backed up, trying to give himself more time as the ice neared.
Will tried to remain calm and steady his voice as he contacted Kaiko, 'I think I'm about to join the kids. Good luck, Kaiko-' The ice enveloped him just as he finished.
Kaiko's eyes widened as she heard the ice interfere with the radio, slamming the console a few times and grinding her teeth.
She took a deep breath before opening the maps and trying to work out what to do.
Kaiko scanned through the nearby locations, looking for a source of decently hot heat.
She decided the best way to deal with so much ice was to find a large, heated area and bring the Aronnax near it.
She frustratedly hummed and tapped her foot on the floor as she looked through as fast as she could.
'Aha!' Kaiko exclaimed as she scrolled back once and saw a nearby field of geysers that was only a bit more than ten thousand feet away.
She quickly readied the Aronnax—as well as closed the Moon Poo as much as possible, what with the icel—before beginning to pilot it towards the geysers.
The Aronnax seemed like it wasn't functioning properly, which was probably from the ice still spreading across the hull.
Kaiko went as fast as she could while still being cautious, anxiously glancing between the screens and front window.
The window eventually got covered by the ice and Kaiko had to rely only on the monitors and instruments.
Kaiko luckily managed to make it to the geysers, even as the thrusters became blocked on the way.
She tried to work out how to-
SNAP.
The middle-top of the Aronnax was hit with that strange lightning again, and—What with the ice blocking some of it's exterior systems—the Aronnax didn't stabilise itself out.
Kaiko ground her teeth again, contemplating how exactly to go about melting all of the ice.
And then she came up with a plan.
Kaiko rushed to the Moon Pool Room, and—after frowning at the window in the door, what with all the ice—turned her back to it and took a sharp deep breath.
Kaiko began walking to the Cargo Bay, opening all doors in the way.
She then put her mask on and opened the Cargo Bay, before heading back to the Moon Pool Room and readying herself.
Kaiko braced herself, before pressing the button to open the Moon Pool Room's door.
It didn't open properly, but eventually it opened enough, and she began running back to the Cargo Bay, the ice following behind with ease.
She eventually made it there, but forgot the door was closed, since she didn't want to flood half the Aronnax.
Kaiko quickly opened the door. And it was just in time, too.
She swam out as fast as possible, being quite relieved that the water was only uncomfortably warm, rather than painfully hot.
She neared the geysers, and gasped with relief as she spun around to see the ice melting, and her plan working.
Kaiko smiled as the heat melted the entirety of the ice, rather than just some of it.
She followed the ice back into the Aronnax, closing and draining the Cargo Bay before removing her mask and walking back to the Moon Pool Room, happy to see the ice basically gone.
'Welcome back.' Kaiko said as Ant, Will, and Fontaine were freed, causing them to notice both her and each other.
'Did I seriously get trapped in ice?' Ant groaned, before checking Jeffrey, who was sitting in the Jorange in one of the front seats.
'Yes, yes you did.' Fontaine said with a glare, earning a chuckle from Will.
'That sure was something.' He said, walking over to Kaiko.
'I take it you saved us?' Will asked, smiling. Kaiko smiled back.
'Yep!' She replied, putting her hands on her hips.
'We gonna talk about magic storm.. orrrrrrrr?' Ant asked, holding the Jorange and walking over to Will as Kaiko began putting the Knights and Rover back.
Fontaine groaned again. 'That's it, I'm done. Don't find me if you need me.' She said as she left, giving the peace sign.
Will laughed as Ant huffed and Kaiko grinned.
'Don't bother your sister, Ant.' Kaiko said, just before finishing with the panel.
'Also; If I find out anything about whatever that was, I'll let you know. I better go tell the World Oceans Authority about this.' She added as she, too, left.
Will chuckled again as Ant perked up.
'Awesome!' He exclaimed as he rushed out, nearly crashing into Kaiko on the way.
Will shook his head with a warm smile as he followed them.
Everything was fine now.
But… what exactly caused all this?
Would it happen again?
All they could do was hope not.