Chapter Text
Weston blinked against the bright fluorescent lights. “Hm?” He yawned, “What-?” He stopped when he saw a massive eyeball an inch from his face, “AAAAAAAA” he jumped away and nearly tripped over the two hoodie blankets that had covered him.
The little fish swam past the habitat window bonking gently against the glass with no thoughts in its little head. More eye than fish it looked like.
Weston looked around, Ryley must've brought him into the base while he slept… how long had he been out? Untangling himself from the hoodie blankets he ran up to the window. “Woah.”
Morning light shone through the water on the mushroom forest, from this angle it almost looked like the base was built onto the caps of one of the trees.
Looking around the base interior, he swallowed, where was Ryley?
He was about to go looking for him when he noticed his bed was messy, and the hoodie blankets were on the floor.
He really should find out where Ryley is, but his fingers itched to tidy up first. With a sigh he grabbed each hoodie blanket and folded it neatly, a hanger would be preferable but he didn't know where a fabricator was to make one. So he simply folded them neatly then set about making the bed.
When the room was all neat and tidy he grabbed the flippers he’d fabricated yesterday and clipped them on his belt like he’d seen Ryley done when on dry land. Tugging on his boots and putting his knife in its sheath, Weston felt ready to go find Ryley.
As an after thought he grabbed the oxygen tank and pack as well and slung them onto his back before heading out the door dividing his circular room from the rest of the base.
Stepping out of the room timidly, Weston poked through the corridors, had Ryley really carried him all this way?
Each room was more wild than the last, connected by tubes winding around the mushroom tree. Fish swam past the windows.
The first was a circular room with a bunch of lockers none labeled. Weston poked through them for a moment to find, to his dismay, that they were completely disorganized. He pulled himself away from the urge to organize them, these werent his things anyways.
The next room was huge! It had a large glowing tank in the center with strange fishlike creatures that Weston had never seen before.
The third room had two exits, circular like the storage and bedroom had been. This one held a jukebox and vending machine. There was also a counter with fabricator and coffee machine next to each other on the wall above it.
Ryley was asleep on the couch in this room, passed out in the bright lights with one arm over his eyes. Weston started to back out of the room, not wanting to wake him up. But when Weston passed near the coffee machine it sensed his movement and automatically buzzed, “Would you like some coffee?”
Ryley was on his feet in an instant.
Weston hissed at the coffee machine, “You traitor.”
Knife out, Ryley was looking for the threat. When he silently noticed it was just Weston standing there, dorkishly. He frowned.
Weston realized he was instinctively pressed against the wall in fear, he hadn't even noticed himself move when the knife came out. He relaxed slightly as Ryley lowered his knife.
Weston coughed, “Uh, morning.”
Ryley silently moved past Weston grabbing the coffee and then sitting back on the couch, alert but not saying a word.
With a jolt, Weston realized because Ryley had been alone so long, he was comfortable staying quiet.
Like a cat, Ryley silently watched Weston move towards the coffee machine and get a cup for himself. His wide eyes never left Weston, it was almost animalistic.
Weston sat quietly on the couch with his coffee, careful to give Ryley space. Speaking like he would to a frightened animal, Weston just started rambling. He didn't know why. Ryley wasnt exactly someone he knew very well, but despite that Weston found himself talking about nothing in particular.
Mostly just telling stories of small random instances and about his time in law school.
Sitting there wordlessly, Ryley listened. He didn't even drink his coffee, just kept his hands wrapped around it quietly and listened.
Weston saw Ryleys shoulders slowly begin to relax.
But the peace was soon interrupted as a shadow moved over the glass dome above. Westons face went pale.
Ryley just looked up at the large creature with a bored expression.
It had a mouth like a snapping turtles, with mandibles coming up from under its jaw. Antenna waved above four white piercing eyes.
It was HUGE, bigger than the entire base itself, much bigger than anything he’d ever seen.
A voice, slightly irritated, slipped in his mind, “Dad, Sphinx and Zero are playing with the seamoth again. They won't stop when I tell them to. Can you fix it?”
Ryley stood up immediately and set down his coffee on the counter. He was out of the hatch before Weston could even process.
Weston stared after him, “Dad?”
Scrambling out of the hatch after Ryley, Weston was glad he remembered to grab his oxygen tank. The rebreather allowed him room to breathe and talk so there was that at least.
Before he could say a word or even find Ryley a huge mass swam past him and nearly barreled him over.
Ryleys voice called out, “Zigzy! Watch where you swim!”
Weston managed to right himself somewhat and he turned to see another MASSIVE leviathan. His mind felt like it was breaking as it tried to comprehend the sheer scale of this creature.
It lowered its head towards him and one of its antenna brushed against his torso nearly accidentally flinging him through the water. “WooOooOAaAAh!!!!”
Weston tried to right himself again as the leviathans voice slipped into his mind, “Hey little guy! You look just like dad! Except you’re lighter! Are you an albino?”
Westons words failed him, then he finally managed to say, “No I’m just… I just have white skin.”
The alien chirped in his mind, “Cool! I’ve never seen another creature like dad before! He said they all died. But that I saved him.” She puffed out her chest proudly.
Another less feminine voice joined the younger girl’s, “No Zigzy, mom saved him. We just spit up the cure.”
Zigzy huffed, “How do you know it wasnt *my* spit up, Vex?”
Another massive leviathan swam up, a seamoth in its mouth, “I bet it was mine!”
A masculine voice joined the chorus as the leviathan tackled the one with the seamoth and tried to get the toy away from him, “No it was my vomit!”
“Not it was *my* vomit!”
Weston stared.
Then suddenly Ryleys voice cut through all the chaos, Weston could hear it over the comms. “What did I say? No roughhousing near the base. Take it to the dunes.”
“Sorry dad!”
Zigzy, Vex and the two roughhousing leviathans as well as another even larger one swam off obediently.
A sixth one settled beside Ryley who swam up to Weston.
Westons eyes were wide as dinner plates, “What-...” his voice was shaky, “...the hell was that?!”
Ryley shrugged, “Those were my kids.” He gestured at the one who was still here, “This is the oldest and the one who interrupted our breakfast earlier, Nyx.”
Nyxs voice slipped back in, much more smooth now that her siblings weren't irritating her, “Actually we are all technically twins. I am considered the oldest because I am the most responsible.”
Ryley nodded, “Yes, and I am very grateful, Nyx. But you still need to take time to be a kid yourself. You can't always be an adult. Thats not healthy.”
“Oh and let Nox or you parent? Nox would lead them into the void by accident. And you're working yourself to an early grave trying to keep us alive. If I need to take time for myself, so do you. Thats why we take turns with the kids.”
Rykey ran a hand down his face and sighed, “Your right Nyx. But I still don't like that you have to repress yourself so often. Promise me that when I’m watching the kids you’ll let yourself just *be* for a bit?”
Weston coughed, “Not that I don't love the therapy talk, but who are these… creatures?”
“I told you, they are my kids.”
Weston stared, “No, thats not an explanation. Humans don't just birth aliens! And if they have a mother why not she care for them?”
Bluntly, Ryley said, “Their mother is *dead,* Weston. The ones before us trapped her and she was dying slowly. She asked me to hatch her kids and take them to the shallows. And so I have.”
Westons mouth went dry, “Oh… oh I see… is there a grave where I could pay my respects?” He didn't know the alien mother, but it was the polite thing to offer.
“Maybe someday,” said Ryley, “But you do not have the gear to go that deep yet.”
Swallowing, Weston asked, “How deep?”
“Over a kilometer,” said Ryley nonchalantly, “In the heart of the volcano.”
“Vol- Volcano?!” Weston yelped.
“Thats where we are. On top of a huge volcanic crater right now.”
“Oh… so if we went out of the crater there would be land?” Weston guessed.
“No the volcano is raised up enough that even its crater is far far higher than the rest of the ocean. It close enough to the surface that it can support life. Out there? … we call it The Void.” Ryley gestured vaguely, “We don't… venture out into the void. Not even I know whats out there.”
(Yes that was me quoting tadc 🤣)
Weston blinked, “Ah… okay. I… see.” He looked rather faint.
“Don't faint. I already have to deal with six children, I don't need a seventh.” Ryley snarked.
Scowling, Weston grumbled, “I’m not a kid.”
“Sure, Wilfrud.”
“Weston!”
Ryley ignored him, “Now come on, I let you take the bed last night, but not tonight. Tonight you sleep in your own bed!”
“If there was already another bed then why dod you put me in yours?”
“There isnt another bed,” said Ryley with a smirk, “You’ll make your own.”
He gestured for Weston to follow him inside. When they got back to the commons Ryley gestured at the fabricator. “Look at that for the materials you’ll need to make your supplies. You need a seaglide for moving around outside of base, a habitat builder to build your room and bed, a scanner and pda so you can learn what everything is. And a flashlight for when we go out at night.”
Weston blinked for a moment then nodded, “Okay.” He looked at the ingredients, “computer chip? Where the hell am I getting a PC?!”
Ryley rolled his eyes, of course Weston focused on the pda first, “Look at the ingredients for the computer chip.”
Weston frowned, “So I have to get the fabricator to make the computer chip… then get it to make the PDA with the computer chip that it fabricated.”
“Yes.”
“Why can't I just bring it the raw materials and it make the whole thing itself? Why do I need steps?”
“Do you expect me to understand why fabricators work the way they do?” Ryley raised an eyebrow at Weston, “Before crashing here in a lifepod I’d only ever used a fabricator to make new cleaning supplies.”
“You were a Janitor?!”
“What did you think I was? A fancy aristocrat?” Before Weston could respond, Ryley interrupted, “Look at what it says you need.”
Weston peered at it, “... uh… a circular red thing, gold lump and… is that copper wire?! … which is made with two copper lumps. Thats for the computer chip. And two spikey white rocks for the glass.”
Ryley gave Weston a deadpan stare but didn't bother correcting his guesses. “Good, now go get them.”
Weston blinked, “I can't use your storage?”
“You can use my storage once you learn to provide your own materials for yourself.”
“This is capitalism.” Muttered Weston
“No. Capitalism is if I asked you to pay me back for the oxygen tank on your back. *This* is self sufficiency.” He pointed, “Go, try not to die, Whistle.”
“You're scraping the bottom of the barrel with these nicknames.” muttered Weston.
“Get going Wyatt or you’ll be searching in the dark! And take my Jabberwalky, my stalker, with you. He needs a walk anyways.”
Weston looked like he was about to fire back when his eyes lit up, “You’ve read alice in wonderland?!”
“...” Ryley felt mildly surprised, “I mean, I found these dvds on the aurora wreck. One of them was Alice in wonderland…” he trailed off, unsure why this was important.
Weston gasped in excitement, “We have the movie?!” He bounced up and down in excitement, “When I get back, we’re doing a movie night!”
“A what now?” Ryley watched Weston rush for the hatch, “What is happening?”
Weston didn't answer and had already left the habitat
Ryley stared after him then asked the empty room, “A what?”
No one answered.