BBF and Company made it inside the HQ, where Updyke's project is nearing completion. They all looked around to see the hallways empty of soldiers and weapons, which they weren't used to seeing. Tabi, in particular, thought soldiers would rush through the hallways and attempt to gun everyone down. Especially Whitty, who's held a grudge against Hank for a long time since the Bubble Era began. They all looked around the hallways in puzzlement.
"Huh. Hank's soldiers should've been here trying to gun us down." BF commented on the empty hallways as he and Co. walked.
"Hehe. Hank must've realized they stand no chance and backed down." Whitty chuckled confidently.
"Either way, we don't wanna drop our guard from whatever threat charges at us..." Tabi replied.
GF noticed a metal hatch while everyone wasn't watching. GF walked over to the hatch before BF and Company saw her about to open the hatch. But before BF could warn about possible danger from opening a metal hatch, she immediately opened it, surprising her to see heated water inside. Everyone walked over beside GF as they looked at the water concealed by the hatch.
"Woah... That's not what I was expecting..." GF commented.
"They're using heated water? But what for?" Ayana asked.
"Hank and Tankman must've realized Antarctica is a place barely having heat produced. So they had workers create super-advanced water heaters to use the water as power for the building and cool off overheating weapons. Like that cannon that shot at us outside." AGOTI deduces.
"That's pretty smart of everyone involved there to do," Dalia replied.
Carol looked to the right side of the hallways, which Whitty took notice of.
"How's everything on the other side?" Whitty asked her.
"Damn it... They blocked the right side of the hallways. Blasting through the metal gate will only bring us unnecessary attention." Carol sighed in mild annoyance.
"Don't tell me..." Sunday looked back at the heated water.
"That's right. We'll have to swim through whatever pathway that metal hatch is concealing..." Tabi nodded her head.
"Let me check the water to see how hot it is, though." Whitty crouched down to the heated water and put his hand in it.
Whitty took a moment before putting his hand out of the water.
"Good news. The water isn't too hot to swim without your Soul Powers. Think of it like swimming in a heated pool." Whitty replied to everyone.
"Good job, Whitty. Now, who wants to go first?" BF asked anyone.
"I'll go first... My muscles ache like hell whenever I use that animalistic fighting style..." AGOTI replied, diving into the water.
"AGOTI, do you think there might be multiple pathways in there? If there is, that would be bad since we can only hold our breath for so long." Carol asked him.
"That is possible. But since there can only be so many hatches here in a place like this, who's to say there are multiple pathways?" AGOTI replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Everyone nodded in agreement before BF was the next to slide into the heated water. Next, GF, Tabi, Whitty, Ayana, Dalia, Carol, and Sunday slide slowly into the heated water. Once everyone got used to the 110 F water, AGOTI would look underwater for a moment.
"Well, guys. You know what to do." AGOTI told everyone to hold their breath.
Everyone understood what he meant and nodded in unison. AGOTI was the first to swim underwater, while BF and the others followed suit.
Everyone swam through the heated waters slowly and methodically. Because of their superhuman physiology, their lungs allowed them to hold their breath for 12 hours straight at minimum. And this ability, and other biological factors to their superhuman physiology, would continue to evolve further and become stronger with age. They'd be swimming in the underwater pathway for only three hours. BF and Company haven't had any complications regarding their lung capacity.
However, some of BF's crew isn't quite lucky in some departments.
Because Sunday is the least active out of everyone else, her physical stamina wasn't up to exposure to intense heat for extreme periods, let alone in a heated underwater pathway. Thankfully, her lung capacity isn't affected by this, but her overall body is. Carol sees Sunday giving out from exhaustion and catches her floating body. Whitty swam over to them worriedly, but Sunday reassured him by opening her eyes smoothly and gesturing Whitty and Carol to move forward.
They both nodded to her and swam to catch up with the others.
Dalia would feel a different drawback catching up to her as she gets caught up by the sensation of the hot water brushing past her whole skin. She would have trouble keeping her eyes open as she got off from the soothing sensation the heated water felt. Ayana noticed this when Dalia stopped swimming and closed her eyes. Ayana grabbed her hand and carried her while Tabi grabbed Dalia's other hand.
Time lost all meaning to Dalia as she drifted off while still holding her breath.
Six hours had passed since they swam from the first hatch, and most of BF and Company weren't slowing their progress on swimming out of the underwater pathway. As AGOTI was leading everyone down this one-way trip, he saw a dead end. He would've panicked if he hadn't seen a hatch above him, resulting in him gesturing everyone to stop before grabbing the valve and turning it with ease. After several turns, the hatch opens, leading BF and Company to the surface.
With everyone gasping with air, everyone crawled up to the solid metal floor and slumped down beside the walls due to constant exposure to heated water for six hours straight. Sunday and Dalia regained their senses, with Sunday especially regaining her physical stamina and endurance back.
"Damn... this is what it feels like when you stay in a hot tub for too long... Let alone swimming in a heated underwater pathway." Tabi pants his throat out.
"Thankfully, none of our lungs got contracted..." Whitty wheezed.
"You swam from that hatch and all the way here? You guys and gals are ballsy as fuck!"
Everyone turned their heads, and to their surprise, Ruv, Sarvente, Selever, and Rasazy appeared in front of them, having welcoming smiles on their faces.