Having recently been told that Haku's hobby tied directly in to the mission that Satotz had intended for the pair to assist in, Killua was especially alert upon entering the "lab". His ears were perked and his eyes scanning the instruments surrounding him for intricate details. Such was quite a feat since the room was no exception to the tight layout present throughout the rest of the household, and it appeared almost unfathomably cluttered with papers, computers and other similar electronics and apparatuses.
Misaki, on the other hand, was simply relieved that Haku was so willing to oblige her even after more than a handful of years since he'd required her services and the contract between them had reached its official point of closure. Under the circumstances, the location of his residence and the nature of his pastime were dually convenient to her as far as fabricating a task for the boys to partake in.
Perhaps with a decent lie folding itself neatly on her side, she would be capable of focusing more specifically on her own job. She had taken immediate note of Gon's compliance toward Haku, even knowing nothing about him as a person. This was slightly alarming, and she supposed it was only a matter of time before such a personality trait would thrust him in to harm's way; probably along with Killua…
However the two had not yet encountered anyone terribly dangerous, other than herself perhaps. The bandits could have been considered an enemy, though not life-threatening. Haku (while hiding a dark secret behind his "intellectually great, socially awkward, but sweet" demeanor), was not particularly a threat to them personally.
A voice snatched the woman roughly from her musings.
"These measure earthquakes?" Killua asked quietly, squatting down to level his eyes with the dials on one of the many machines crammed in to the space.
"Well, yes and no," Haku responded. "Some of these devices are built to measure the seismic waves of an earthquake. Take this one for example…"
The group shimmied awkwardly about, nearly shoulder to shoulder, in order to accommodate the man as he advanced toward a machine in the far corner next to a dust-covered computer monitor.
"The vibrations from the earthquake- the seismic waves- cause this needle to move, and it draws lines like this on the surface," he explained, pointing to many wildly scribbled lines. "This tells me the intensity of the quake by how close together or far apart the lines are to each other. Then I use the Richter scale to compare the lines to determine what the magnitude was."
Killua parted his lips to pose a question, but Gon spoke first, so he held his tongue momentarily.
"The Richter scale?"
"Oh, the Richter scale is a numbered system to mark the intensity of the earthquake. The higher the number, the more serious the earthquake is. For example, a two might be felt by select few people, but won't actually cause damage, while a seven would probably cause building collapses."
"If your machine runs on vibrations, how would it know the difference between a real earthquake and something like a large truck going by?" Killua finally asked with his arms crossed.
Haku smiled.
"Clever boy!" he praised, clapping his hands together once. "You're right, the scale does need to be embedded in the rock away from false readings like that to receive an accurate result… and in fact, mine are."
The boys glanced around the room at the many devices and then stared back at their host, confused.
"You see, that is my nen ability," he whispered, and a small black contraption appeared in his open palm. "When this gadget is attached to a location, I can create a connection to my machines so as soon as the earthquakes happen, the information transfers in real time directly to the seismograph that corresponds to it."
"In that case, why do you need so many of these?" Killua questioned. "Couldn't you get the same results using just one?"
"That's my limitation, I suppose," the man replied as the little collection of conjured wires vanished. "For each spot I mark, I need a separate machine. I admit it's a bit of a squeeze to fit them all, but it's all worth it for the greater good!"
Killua could hardly understand the logic behind the statement, although Gon seemed genuinely interested. The dark haired boy gently grasped a section of a long trail of parchment hanging from one of the mechanisms and studied it curiously.
"These lines are really close together," the boy announced, pointing at the spot he had been referring to. "So that means this was a pretty bad earthquake, right?"
Haku sighed, not even bothering to inspect the scroll.
"Yes, that is what has me stumped these days," he said with a frown. "The earthquakes in that reading are from an area that used to have constant quakes over a hundred years ago, but they stopped around the time the volcano there became inactive."
"So are you saying that the volcano is active again?" Killua guessed.
"Well, that alone wouldn't be much proof, but during the last eleven months there have been three similar situations to this one. Finally some government hired officials went out to determine whether or not these volcanoes were active again, and the result was negative. However, recently I've found readings like this from two more locations. If it's honestly a coincidence, it's a big one."
"Are any of these volcanoes here on the islands?" Killua asked firmly.
"One of them is," Haku answered.
"Take us there," Misaki commanded, and her sudden reunion to the conversation drew everyone's eyes to her as though they'd only just remembered her presence there.
"Right now?" the man asked in disbelief, using his index finger to push his glasses back up in front of his eyes.
"Right now," she repeated.
"There are dangers…" he began, and then halted abruptly. He cleared his throat, and then added, "The quakes are becoming more regular and there's a chance that approaching the source could have devastating effects!"
"Meaning…?" Killua questioned in a bored tone.
"He means that there's a possibility we could die if one starts up while we're climbing the volcano," Misaki clarified rather indifferently as she hiked up her left boot to tighten the bright laces. She turned to face Haku again before asking, "I'm assuming that if those volcanoes are active again, there will be consequences other than just earthquakes?"
"Well, yes," Haku agreed cautiously, "but we can only assume what they are. On these islands at least, there have been increased signs of possible mass eruptions from the volcanoes that were already active."
"That's reason enough to investigate," she insisted, strutting toward the door. She raised an eyebrow to Killua. "Are you game?"
The ex assassin turned to Gon, who nodded dutifully back to him.
"We're game," Killua replied.
"Do try not to get yourselves killed," Misaki warned them casually.
Trying his hardest to conceal his anger, the blue eyed boy scoffed, "Don't worry about us, old lady. Just try not to break a nail!"
The girl raised her chin ever so slightly, an amused pout playing on her lips.
With that, the group filed out in a less than orderly fashion, Haku in the lead, as they headed toward the recently active volcano in the east.
A/N: I seriously hope that the earthquake discussion wasn't boring you to death, but it will have its purpose! From here the adventure begins! (Sorry it took 9 chapters to do so...). Also, thanks to Ria D'Arcy for reviewing, and also to everyone folllowing! :D I hope I can meet your expectations!