The Time from Before

Downtime

Allen felt his legs burn as he finally reached the Square. He had barely any energy left in his body, but that wasn't much of a surprise.

Making sure to avoid debris in the dark, Allen scanned the area, looking for any signs of life. He saw a group of twelve Arctos ACUs, standing guard in a circle, armed to the teeth. In the center of the circle, he saw two ACUs holding down a figure on the ground. The figure was the 'Target' that had wounded Harper.

That 'Target' was an Octoling. An Octoling wearing something he's never seen before. They were on their knees, their hands behind their back. Two rifles were pointed at their head, making sure they didn't move.

As Allen got closer, he squinted against the almost blinding lights attached to their shells. The two ACUs closest to him saluted in unison.

"Target acquired." One reported.

"Hostility average. Caution is advised." Another cautioned.

Allen nodded and stopped short of the Octoling. He took a moment to examine them.

She's an interesting one.

He noticed her tentacles – purple at the top, fading to pink, then a sea green at the tips. They reminded him of Marina, actually. The tentacles were let down, covering her ears and neck. Her skin was light, and her eyes were a beautiful gold. They seemed to sparkle in the dark.

She wore a simple cape that wrapped around her entire body; the edges of which brushed against the ground. He'll have to take a closer look at the cape later.

He knelt down and pulled out his PDA. He locked eyes with the Octoling and spoke in a stern voice.

"Who are you?" He asked. No, demanded.

The Octoling didn't answer. She just stared at him, with a mix of confusion and defiance.

"I'll ask again." He raised his voice. "Who are you?"

The Octoling tilted her head slightly, as if she didn't understand him.

Does she know what he was saying?

...

Do Octarians have a separate native language? Hmm...

"Well." Allen sighed, glancing down at the PDA. Tapping a few buttons, he stowed the device and met her gaze again.

"Can you speak?" He asked, making a gesture with his hand. He moved his fingers to his mouth and then pointed at her.

Fully aware she couldn't understand him verbally, he hoped the gestures would convey his message. But she remained unresponsive, staring blankly at him.

He tried a few more gestures, but nothing worked. She didn't seem to comprehend anything he was doing. He sighed again, and stood up. He grabbed his PDA again.

"PDA, contact Marina for me. Or Agent 8, either will do." He ordered.

"Order confirmed. Please stand by."

...

"Contact established."

The screen flickered, and suddenly, Marina and Agent 8's faces appeared. They both looked equally confused.

"Hey, quick question. Do Octolings have a separate language from the Inkling one?" Allen asked.

"Uh, yeah. Octarian." Marina replied.

"I had a hard time learning Inkling, too. It's so different." Agent 8 said.

"Mm, me too. I figured it out with Pearl though." Marina added.