Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 30: Why I hacked the ink lab

Warning: Contains topics of ableism

"Is there room for one more?"

"Of course!"

Hachi folded her arms as she watched the quartet of squidlings hug. Such intimacy... physical affection... it felt so foreign to her. Many octolings didn't have the time to dedicate to such displays, and nobody ever did it for her. She gripped the railing behind her with both hands. Was this really even so different from back home? She felt so alone up here, she'd still feel just as alone when she got back...

"'Ey! Limpy!" Hissed an all too familiar voice, which shook her from her thoughts.

She spun around, looking down off the ramp to see someone below her. He was wearing octoling armor, with the only change from the protocol being an inkling helmet slammed onto his head. It was Oz alright. One of his long, all too octoling tentacles slipped out just enough to gesture her to jump down, and then held up a containment tank to hide her in.

She hesitated, for much longer than she'd ever admit, before climbing over the railing and jumping down toward Oz, who lifted the tank toward her. She transformed, then slipped into the tank, clinging to the sides as Oz plunged the containment tank into his main tank and started moving. She watched the world pass by through the purple-tinted light, and sighed. What had she been thinking? The surface wasn't that good, was it? Why had she hesitated? There was nothing for her up here. Besides, this place was filled with the people who'd wanted to kill all octolings. Her brow wrinkled slightly. Before she'd gotten stuck up here... would she have called Squidlings 'people'? She wasn't sure. She squeaked as Oz began to remove her tank, and transformed as soon as he tipped her out into a dank alley.

"Hah, 's'bout time I came up an got ya." Oz said, removing his helmet.

"What even took you so long?" Hachi scoffed, standing up and brushing off her legs. "And what was the deal with you abandoning me anyway!? I had my mask on! You could have told me the plan!"

Oz frowned, his tentacles beginning to coil in anger. "Tha was Orion's call, 'e didn't tell me tha plan meant leavin' ya.-" He started to walk past her, toward the kettle that they both knew was hidden here. "-If 'e'd told me, I'da told 'im ta leave me, an take ya."

"As if." She scoffed. "You'd never do that."

Oz paused, one foot on the kettle's grating. "... Olympiah... This ain't even a real mission, an ya think I wouldn't give somehin' up fer ya? Do ya even know me at all? Or are ya jus jealous tha I got ta be an elite instead a ya?"

"... This... They didn't even send you officially to come get me?" She growled. "They really were going to leave me?"

"Ya are a defect, jus in case ya ain't forgotten. Those rambunctious tentacles ya got? If ya can't control 'em ya migh strangle someone someday! Tha allergy ya 'ave? It costs people a lota time, an tha taste thin ya got? Yah can't eat 'alf tha food they give ya! An tha ain't even gettin' ta tha part where sometimes ya jus freeze up an go all quiet." He replied, turning to face her. "If it was my call, I'da come back for ya righ away, but the 'igher ups, includin' Orion, 'ave different priorities. Now are ya comin' 'ome or not?"

She grimaced, then looked away. "Fine... Let's go already."

He nodded briefly, then transformed and slipped into the kettle, which hissed and popped before sending him away. She stared after him for a moment before following suit.

Olypmiah shook off her tentacles as she popped out of the other end of the kettle, and then took a deep breath of the dank air. It was missing something compared to the world she'd just left, but it was familiar, and welcoming. She opened her eyes, then flinched and took a step back as she was met with a wall of troops, in the dead center of which was Orion.