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pantpisser9000 · 5 months

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Combined together, Chapter 5: What would come to be known as the first

WARNING: This chapter contains injury/blood. It isn't detailed or too gory at all, but if you're squeamish and still wanna read i'd recommend not reading from around "Peso was getting ready for that next mission" and begin again at around "Flappity flippers" (though aforementioned injury is mentioned quite a few times afterward. Again, nothing too graphic (especially after said points) but just as a warning).

Peso had gotten those reports, now. The majority were easy to read, and generally none of the Crew had many concerns about their health or took many things or anything, which made his job quite a bit easier. Except for one person’s report.

Kwazii’s. He hadn’t listed his last name, and that only increased Peso’s idea that he had came up with his last name on the spot yesterday. And, it was barely readable, too! Peso supposed that made sense, though. He was a pirate, and those were kinda known for not exactly being the smartest. He felt a tinge of guilt after that thought.

But the fact that he had spelled his own species’s name wrong, (“kat” instead of “cat”) didn’t exactly give Peso high hopes on his reading ability. Kwazii also said that he had a ear-piercing incident, which Peso figured wasn’t hard to solve. He had a little chunk out of his ear missing, so he supposed the two events were correlated.

What he didn’t know though was what Kwazii meant by “MEAT ON CHEST GUNE”.. Sure, he assumed “GUNE” meant “Gone”, but seriously what the hell did Kwazii mean by that? He was a tad scared to approach the guy, and with doctor-patient confidentiality, he didn’t want to risk telling the Captain because he might not know what he meant either. He assumed it was some sort of tattoo-related thing/carving or something, or maybe he had some infectious lump or something?

It was really quite unclear, in all honesty, and mildly concerning. Especially since Peso had a feeling that it wasn’t done by professionals, whatever the procedure actually was. And “blood awaii meds”, which again… misspelled and written horrendously. Peso really had no idea what he meant by that, but he decided that he’d worry about that once he learned if Kwazii was actually a good person or not.

He just hoped that those two things wouldn’t ever be super important. He did notice how Kwazii didn’t mention anything about his eye though, so there was a chance he wore the eyepatch for style, which was interesting.

Suddenly, he heard an announcement over the speakers, the Captain showing up on the screen. “Octonauts, report to the dining room!” he said, and Peso quickly tucked away everything, rushing into the tube and launching himself into the small ‘dining room’, that was honestly more just like one lunch table.

He stepped away. The professor and Tweak were already there, along with the Captain. Peso noticed how there was honey, (though artificial) on the table, along with fish-shaped biscuits. He assumed they had no meat, given how (at least judging by some of the other members of the crew’s last names) some of the people there seemed to be combined with herbivores.

And generally, cannibalism was pretty frowned upon, shockingly enough. Peso sat down at the far side of the table, and eventually the rest of the crew came along. Dashi, right after him, then Kwazii, (he shuddered at the thought of the pirate, though) and… Dr. Shellington hadn’t come yet.

They waited a minute. Then another. The Captain looked concerned, lips pursed together. “Everyone, I’m going to go check on Shellington. You may start breakfast if you would like,” he said, waving briefly and hopping down the chute. Peso was a tad concerned, and debated if he should’ve come with. If Shellington had been hurt, he’d need to be there.

Even as that consumed his mind, he poured some honey on the biscuit, and ate it relatively silently. Dashi and Tweak were chatting it up, with Kwazii butting in and Tweak teasing him back playfully. While Peso and the Professor were silently eating. The pirate he feared so greatly though was just casually eating his food–even if he was putting an unholy amount of honey on his biscuits. And then proceeded not to use a fork to pick up his sopping wet biscuit, instead extending a claw from his finger and poking the biscuits, popping them in his mouth.

Peso was beginning to get a little worried, until the Captain popped back out, with Shellington in tow. “Sorry.. Slept in.” Shellington said, sitting down next to Dashi.

Currently, the arrangement was;

Kwazii, Tweak Professor

Shellington, Dashi Peso

And then the Captain sealed the gap between Peso and Dashi, beginning to eat. Peso figured he’d probably eat a lot, given his height and the whole Polar bear thing. And that guess was right, given how he was eating quite a bit, and was clearly enjoying it. Peso had no idea what magical things were in these damn biscuits, but they were utterly wonderful– he concluded it must be some type of magic. Had to be.

“These biscuits be so good!” Kwazii yelled, grinning after taking another in his mouth. “Oh, thank you!” the Professor had said, smiling, and Kwazii grinned, continuing to eat like nothing had happened. What the…. Was all Peso could think of. Nobody really seemed to care about Kwazii’s sudden outburst, and even if Peso, begrudgingly, agreed, it was odd to just randomly shout that.

Either way, breakfast continued relatively normally. The Captain finished first, despite being last to be seated. He had brought his dish into the kitchen, washed it off and put it in the dishwasher. Peso figured he should do the same, so once he finished he did the same, he did just as the Captain had.

He wasn’t really completely sure what to do after that, and so he was grateful when the Captain had given them instructions. “There’s a few things I’d like to review, so once everyone’s finished head to the hq.” he said, and everyone nodded as he jumped down the chute, Peso right after. Barnacles looked back, slightly confused. “You’re already finished?” he asked, and Peso nodded, now worried that he had expected everyone to take longer and was planning on preparing something, and his anxiousness grew and– “It’s not bad, don’t worry. I just wasn’t expecting it.” he reassured, which decreased all of Peso’s worries of the moment.

“How are you feeling about all of this, Peso?” Barnacles asked, and Peso looked up. “Uh- a little nerve wracking, I think, but.. Good.” he said, and it was a little of a lie. The nerve-wracking bit wasn’t the lie–that was completely and totally truthful–but the good part kinda was. The food and the fact he had his own infirmary he could set up himself was, yes… though the pirate-cat still scared him, (And Peso honestly didn’t want to admit it.. He was starting to be convinced the guy was actually harmless–he’d never gotten angry yet! ) and he was still petrified of accidentally doing something wrong. Though, at the very least, he knew he was good at his job. That he was a good medic.

That was just a fact. Everyone had told him so, and he’d always been praised, and he had never quite made a mistake, so, he must be good. Clearly. Either way, he waited there, and Tweak and Kwazii came out next–Kwazii slightly before. “ Knew I be faster!” Kwazii claimed, and Tweak rolled her eyes jokingly, as they both walked away from the chute. Next was Shellington and Dashi, and finally the Professor.

The Captain, back straight as a ruler and hands tucked behind it, started, then. “Today is our first mission as the Octonauts. So, there is a few things we need to review.” he said, and Kwazii cheered, “Yeow!”, before the Captain cleared his throat and spoke again. “While everyone will need to learn how to drive the GUPS, as of now, it isn’t necessary. Tweak will be telling everyone all six of the GUPS names. They should be pretty easy to remember.” he said, and Tweak nodded. “It’s just the alphabet–A, B, C, D, E, F.” she told them, and Peso was grateful for that bit.

Certainly not about driving, though. That did not sound like his cup of tea. “Second, the arguably more important thing.. The Octo alert!” he said, stepping to the side to reveal a circular button. “It should’ve been mentioned in training, though I figured we should review.” he said, and Tweak walked up. “This baby is hooked up to all of the GUPS, and of course the Octopod herself,” she told the crew, knocking on the metal next to it.

Captain Barnacles nodded, and then spoke once more. “Whenever the alarm sounds, there will be an announcement following with instructions–they are expected to be followed immediately. ” he looked serious at that last part. “The alarm sounds like this,” he said, opening his palm and slapping the button.

Instantaneously, a loud, WOOP, WOOP, WOOP sound played, and Peso almost covered his ears. He didn’t though–he’d have to get used to it eventually, after all. It stopped soon after. “That’s all.” he said, until he pointed to Peso and Kwazii. “Peso, Kwazii. You’ll be the ones needed for the first mission.” he said, and Kwazii pumped his fist in the air, yelling, “Yeow!” once more, and Peso gulped.

Alone. In the GUP. With the Captain and Kwazii. At the very least, he knew that Kwazii likely wouldn’t try anything with the Captain there. The Captain motioned for them to come with, jumping down the tube. Kwazii went in behind him, Tweak trailing close behind, and Peso was in last.

Now in the launch bay, a different GUP than the one he was in was the one in the launch bay’s pool. “This is the GUP A!” Tweak said, motioning towards it. Kwazii and the Captain jumped in with ease, and Tweak handed them the collar-like things that she had been wearing. They were mainly blue with little arrows. “These are yer helmets, press the left side to turn on the helmet, and the right to connect to the radio. The helmet radios don’t have very far radius though, so don’t rely on em.” she said, and all three nodded once the Captain helped him into the GUP, and the windshield was brought up. Then the GUP dipped under the surface, and the Captain pressed a button, saying, “Tweak, open the Octohatch!” he said, and Tweak responded by opening up the Octopod’s mouth, letting the GUP through into the open ocean. Peso gulped. “Oxygen tanks are at the back of the GUP, try to secure them on yourself and if you cannot, I’ll help,” the Captain said, and Peso glanced to the back, where Kwazii had somehow already (kinda) figured his out. It looked a little lopsided, though. Peso didn’t comment–not making eye-contact as he secured it onto him. He thought he did it right.

The GUP then slowed, then stopped. The Captain turned to them, adjusting Kwazii’s oxygen tanks silently and swiftly, and popping on his own. “Let’s do this. Everyone, press the button on the left side.” he said, and the two nodded. All at once, they did so, the helmets encasing their heads. The Captain jumped into the now opened hole at the bottom of the GUP A, then Kwazii, and then Peso, (with a gulp and a hesitation,) finally hopped through as well.

He felt water covering his entire body, and it was a little warm for him, (as he was used to the frigid temperatures of the Antarctic) but it wasn’t bad by any means. He was sure without the cooling suit though, he’d certainly faint. Just as he was getting used to it though, the Captain called out to him; “Peso, over here!” and Peso immediately swam over, and there was a small girl, sniffling.

He sat down (as best he could underwater) on a rock. “What’s wrong? Don’t w-worry, I’m a medic.” he said, and the girl looked up at him, tears in her eyes. They must’ve been different enough from the ocean water to be noticeable and separated from it, and her tail curled around her. She was clearly a fish-hybrid–Peso had no idea what type of fish, though. He wasn’t a biologist, just a medic.

“W-what’s a medic?” she asked, shrinking into herself and holding her webbed, intertwined hands close to her face. Peso blinked–he should’ve guessed the people underwater wouldn’t know what a medic was. “I help anyone who is hurt or sick,” he said, smiling. If he was good at anything, it was his job. It was probably the one thing he was confident in.

She pouted, looking to her tail then to Peso. “Okay..” she mumbled, and she showed it to him. “It hurts!” she cried, and Peso’s eyes widened. It wasn’t anything big–it was just a little bruised, if anything. “Don’t worry, I’ll just bandage it up and it’ll feel better soon,” he said, and the girl nodded. She faced her tail towards him, and he opened up his little medical bag, and quickly bandaged it up. She seemed amused by his “hya” noises, giggling a little. She swam in a circle, before smiling back at Peso.

“Thank you, Mister Medic! It feels better already, yes yes!” she said. A careful expression consumed Peso’s face. “Just take it easy, you don’t want it to hurt more.” he explained, and she nodded. “Right, careful. I will. Thank you Mister.” he winced a little at not being called either ‘Peso’ or ‘doctor’, but he didn’t say anything. She didn’t know better, after all.

She swam away, then, and the Captain placed a hand on his shoulder. “Great work, Peso. I was a little worried, but you are wonderful at your job. You were a good choice.” he said, and Peso beamed, why do i feel so nice about a (almost) stranger complimenting me? Crossed his mind, and he chalked it up to him not being used to it.

He just nodded, then. And then, another fish-hybrid came up to him. “H-hi-” he said, and looked off to the side in embarrassment. “Do you need something?” the Captain asked, and Peso figured out of habit. “I um.. Well, you helped out my sister, so.. I was wonderful, uh, can– can… you help me? I think something might be wrong..” he said, and Peso tilted his head to the side in slight confusion.

“Do.. do you have a idea of what might be hurt or sick?” he asked, and the kid shook his head. “N-no, mister.” he said, and Peso smiled softly. “You can call me Peso.” he told him, and the kid looked up at him. “Woah.. my name’s Len!” he said, grinning. “That’s a good name,” Peso said, and then he looked back at Len.

“Do you want me to preform a checkup?” and, already guessing what the kid was going to ask, he added, “It’s basically just a little procedure to look and see if you’re in tip-top shape,” he clarified. Len nodded. “Yes, yes!”

Peso pulled out a popsicle stick. “Say ‘ahhh’,” he said, demonstrating by opening his mouth wide. Ren mimicked it perfectly. Peso looked around. “Hmm, well your mouth is perfectly healthy,” he said, and as he finished up the checkup, he could find nothing wrong. “I think you might’ve just been a little paranoid,” Peso said, and Ren pouted his lips. “No! There has to be something wrong with me!” he exclaimed, and Peso quietly tried to calm him down. “Why?” was all he asked, and the kid looked at him. “Um..” and then the little fish child swam away, and Peso didn’t have the chance to say anything, so he let him. The kid wasn’t injured or sick in any way, so there wasn’t a point to that, anyways. The rest of the checkups went smoothly–he bandaged up a few more people, and overall he was happy witht his. It was interesting, working underwater, for one. And two, it was nice knowing he was helping people that likely would’ve just lived on with pain regardless.

He looked over at the Captain, who was conveniently swimming back towards the GUP as well, and he was holding something in his hands, Kwazii trailing behind him. “What’s that?” Peso asked, pointing towards the containers as they swam up to the GUP. “Well,” the Captain says, “It’s for Dr.Shellington.” Kwazii hopped in the GUP, then the Captain did, then Peso himself. “He said he would love some samples–apparently, there’s something called.. Uh, what was it..” “Fito-plonk-tuh or somethin!” Kwazii said, leaning against the wall of the GUP. “I don’t think that’s quite right, Kwazii..” the Captain said as he settled into one of the seats, Kwazii jumping in next to him. For once, Peso was glad about something Kwazii did for once–he didn’t want to be in any sort of position that he might ever have to drive. Especially one of these GUPS–they were wonderfully designed, obviously, but utterly terrifying for Peso to even think about driving.

So, Peso sat at the back of the GUP contentedly as they drove back to the Octopod. He almost thought “home”, but the Octopod certainly wasn’t his home–his home was his house in the Antarctic, with all of his family, not there.

The GUP pulled into the bay of the octopod, and Peso hopped out once the windshield of the smaller submarine opened, immediately heading into the infirmary. He figured he should do his medical report–apparently, they should have a track of everything. Which he supposedly made since, but was slightly annoying to do. Certainly not impossible, though. He noticed how Tweak made a bit of a weird face at him running past, but he didn’t really take much note of it. She was just probably slightly surprised at how fast he’d been going.

Tweak wondered silently why Peso was going so fast, but she shrugged it off, already having something else more pressing on her mind.

Shellington was late to breakfast again. This was the fourth time this week–and it was Wednesday! This had clearly become a recurring problem–given how he quite literally never woke up at the right time. The Captain’s first idea was to impose a curfew, a time that everyone would have to get to sleep, but Tweak opposed that idea. She got up bright and early like everyone else, and she went to bed later than what the Captain was suggesting. But, obviously, they'd still have to solve that problem.

He couldn’t miss breakfast, and he also couldn’t have the Captain go down and shake him awake every morning. Though Tweak knew he must’ve woken up at least slightly earlier for college and just school in general.

So, she made her short trek to the lab, big boots padded silently by the carpet of the hall that held the infirmary, the lab, and the library. She thought it was a good idea to group those together.

Lab and Library: if someone needed to get information from a book quickly

Library and medbay: incase if either Peso was out himself or he couldn’t quite remember what was needed, he could look in the library

Lab and medbay: if something went wrong during an experiment.

So, she made a swift turn into the laboratory, and Shellington was, expectantly, there, clamoring over some paper or something. “Shellington?” she asked, and his head perked up. “Yes? Is there anything you need?” he asked, and Tweak nodded, pulling up a chair and sitting backwards on it. “Yup. I gotta ask you–how’d y’ wake up early for school?” she asked. That took Shellington by surprise, at least a tad. Probably just not the type of question he was expecting. “Oh–well, you see.. I didn’t have to wake up as early for college, so I was able to wake up with a barrage of alarms. But in primary school, when I had to wake up earlier, my sister woke me up. She’s always been good in that front.” he said, and Tweak nodded. “Do you think alarms would work here?” she asked, and he shook his head. “No, since it’s.. Quite a bit earlier.” he said, and Tweak nodded. “Alright. Thanks, Shellington,” she said, waving goodbye, and he waved back, before sinking back into his work. Tweak made her way back down into the launch bay, pulling out some paper and a pencil.

She sketched a few ideas. Her first idea was something that could simulate shaking, so like mechanical hands, but she shut that down quickly. That could go awry very easily, so that was crossed off easily. Another was making his bed vibrate, but she was worried about.. Unintended side effects that won’t be talked about.

So, she came up with something. A bed that would LAUNCH him into his seat, and then he’d certainly wake up. She grinned–obviously, there were more things that she’d need to know, though. His weight and height, (so she didn’t launch him TOO far into the wall or something) how far his bed was from his desk, all of that. She wanted to ask Peso, but she wasn’t really sure if he would know that. Probably,

And now that she was thinking about it, she would probably have to get some sorta permission from the Captain. Especially given how it wasn’t a tool or GUP of any sort, and instead just a.. Intense wake-up alarm. They weren’t out on a mission–they had just gotten back from the first one, in fact. So, she figured he was likely in the hq, or maybe in the kitchen? While the Octopod was big, it shouldn’t take long to find one very tall man.

So, she hopped into the chute, and arrived in the launch bay in a matter of seconds, and, predictably, the Captain was there. “Cap!” she yelled, and his head swiveled around. “Yes, Tweak?” he asked, and she walked over to him, resting her hand on her hip. “Well, I have a idea. To help Shellington, since he sleeps in.” she said, and the Captain’s face perked up. “That’s wonderful Tweak!” he exclaimed. “What is it?” he asked, and Tweak rubbed the back of her neck. “.. That’s what I’m a tad… well, it’d be better to show ya,” she said, pulling the blueprint out of her belt. The Captain looked it over, it looked like he was impressed to some extent, but looked up at her with slight concern. “.. This is wonderful, Tweak, of course, but.. I’m worried about risk of injury.” he said, eying the blueprints. “I figured.” she replied, before continuing, “well, I will say–I do have a plan. I just need the guy’s height and weight, which I’m sure Peso has got.” she told him, and Barnacles nodded. “If you are sure, then, I don’t see a problem with it. If anything happens though, tell me and we’ll.. Figure something else out for him.” he said.

Tweak nodded, giving him a thumbs up, before flinging herself down the Octo-chute to the hallway. She decided to just ask Shellington himself, especially since Peso may not give it with patient-doctor confidentiality and all that. So, she sauntered into his lab, where his body was craned over a microscope. He didn’t notice her, even with the whishing of the automatic doors opening up. “Shellington?” she asked, and his head perked up, as he swiveled his head around looking for whoever said his name.

“Oh! Tweak, hello,” he said, and Tweak walked over. “What do you need?” he asked, hands overlaid in his lap. “Height and weight–it’s for something that’ll get cha up in the morning.” she said, explaining herself before Shellington could ask her to do so himself.

“Well–I’m.. I’m sure Peso has things for that in his infirmary, right? So I can just go and.. Do that. Get those.” he said, like he was coming up with his sentence in the middle of saying it. Tweak nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s hop to it, then,” she said, and she chuckled a little to herself, ( hop to it, get it? Cus she’s a bunny. Hilarious joke.) and Shellington followed after her. She gave herself a pat on the back for being brilliant enough to put the lab and medbay in the same vicinity–just a few yards, or meters if you’re not ‘Merican.

So, the two of them walked in, Peso filling out some sort of form. “Howdy Peso,” Tweak greeted, hand on her hip and waving. Peso looked up, surprised someone had come in. “Oh- hello, Tweak, Shellington. Do you need something?” he asked, and Tweak took out a carrot, taking a bite before nodding. “I need his height and weight–do ya mind if we use those things real quick?” she asked, and Peso blinked, clearly confused. “Um.. sure?” he responded, before beginning to scribble on his papers again.

The two walked over, got the whole weighing and height thing over quickly, Tweak gave both a thumbs up, and then she went down and started after measuring the distance between Shellington’s bed and chair. Luckily, he was one for habits, so he had already gotten into one of pushing in his chair in the exact same spot every day. Just the perfect amount away from the desk so he could slip in without having to pull back his chair, but close enough to the desk so he didn’t bump into it when walking past.

It hadn’t taken long–the math was pretty easy, and so was the design. She got to work soon after. She just had to make a frame that she could put the bed on, (that she’d be able to easily link up with the alarm,) and after calculating how strong it needed to be, she was done in just a couple of hours. Opting to play some video games through the night until she could install it the next day, she fell asleep hunched over the controller.

Her alarm blared, and she placed the controller down, slowly standing up. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, groggily jumping out of her little area. She stretched quickly, pulling on her hairband to make it tighter, (it tended to get loose throughout the day, so she tightened it every morning) and sleepily walked over to the chute. Jumping in, she ended up in the kitchen quickly. Breakfast went as it had previously, food being served, and of course, Shellington being dragged out by the Captain himself. Once she saw that both him and the Captain had exited the chute, she grinned. “I think that won’t be a problem, soon,” she said, and everyone looked to her. “I’ve created somethin’ I think will help,” she told everyone. Shellington cocked his head to the side. “ What kind of machine?” he asked, and Tweak just grinned, stuffing another bit of food in her mouth.

Eventually, after Breakfast, she told Shellington to stay out of the lab for a little, (which he lamented about,) and just thirty minutes later it had been practically magically installed. When he re-entered, he noticed quickly his bed’s height was.. Different. He was confusedly, which was fair enough in all honesty. “Just lay down on the bed–you’ll see,” Tweak said, and Shellington nodded, still utterly befuddled.

He did so, and Tweak pressed the button on the small screen on the room, and the bed launched him into his seat perfectly. He had screamed, obviously, but not as loudly as Tweak had been expecting. His eyes were wide, clearly shocked. “..I think that will certainly get me up.” he said, and Tweak grinned. “Yup. Enjoy!” she said, waving the surprised Shellington goodbye and heading to the hq. And, excellently timed as well, they were getting ready for liftoff. “Dashi, prepare for liftoff,” the Captain commanded, to which Dashi responded, “Yes sir,” pressing a button, and the Octopod shook, and propelled itself off the ground, and they were going. Tweak, leaning against a wall and taking a bite out of a carrot that she’d only recently pulled out from the soil, relaxed a little. Soon, they’d be at the next location. Apparently, it was another barren, empty area. Just a few checkups, to get into the swing of things. She was just glad she’d be having a little break from working on the GUPS. She wasn’t entirely sure of the whole plan, but she was relatively sure that after the next mission scheduled for tomorrow, she’d have to train everyone how to drive the GUPs.

She didn’t know how well Peso and Shellington could drive, as she couldn’t run them through the simulations, but she was sure they could learn at the very least. Deciding to go back down to the launch bay and work on a few smaller ‘gadgets’ as her Pa would call them, ( she missed him, in all honesty. But she was keeping herself distracted, and she adored this job, so it was all alright. ) late until she went to play some games in her room, late into the night.

She just hoped that everything would go well on that mission.

Peso was getting ready for that next mission. It was basically just the same thing as the last time, just in a different location. Apparently, they’d handle bigger missions when they got a little more used to this all. But for now, they would just be stopping in fairly big, empty-ish spaces, (which Peso was used to, being from the Antarctic and all. It was pretty damn barren out there,) with a decent-to-small amount of people for now.

Soon, the Captain called him down to the bay. Of course, Kwazii was there, and so was Tweak, ready to pull the lever. He was still nervous around Kwazii, to his own lament, (he shouldn’t be scared of his own crew member! Though, to be fair, it made sense to be scared of Kwazii. He was a pirate, after all!) so he kept up his minimal-to-no interaction with him.

Either way, the beginning went about the same. The Captain, Peso, and Kwazii jumped in the angler-fish modeled GUP A, the Captain commanded Tweak to open the Octo-hatch, which she did with no issue. They cruised out, and everything was going as intended. Peso, who had set up on a flat rock, (the Captain and Kwazii were telling people to go over–though some of it was Kwazii (albeit accidentally) scaring the people, the Captain calming, and then the people heading over to Peso’s ‘station’) where Peso was helping the people out in a smooth fashion.

A damaged fin or a nibble on their arm was easily fixed with a bandage, and Peso was extraordinary at it, as always. He’d always been fast at that, after all. It was part of the reason he had even been selected at all, so it made perfect sense. Attempting to wipe the sweat off his brow, (but utterly failing as the helmet got in the way) he focused his attention on the next person. A small one. “Hi, what’s your name?” he asked, and the girl replied, “Susie, destroyer of um—food!” she confidently said, and Peso laughed a little. “That’s a good name. Can you say ‘aa-’” he started and Susie screamed, “AAAAAAAAAA” and quickly swam away, and confusion overtook Peso’s face. “Susie I didn’t mean scream-” and before he could finish his sentence, he was suddenly bombarded by the yelling of, “ SHARK- ” and he turned back, to see a shark hybrid, sleek stripped gray skin, sharp teeth, fins on her arms, fast tail and he froze with terror. “Flappity flippers-” he yelled, and suddenly, a flash of orange in front of him. “RUN, MATEY!” he heard, and Peso snapped out of his iced state and quickly swam, feathers spurted out in place of regular ears, hands flippers instead, as he swam towards the GUP A, and he couldn’t help but glance back, and he saw red in the water, and he squeezed his eyes shut, clamoring into the GUP. The Captain, who was in the GUP, looked back at Peso. “What is it, Peso-” he started, before his eyes widened, clearly seeing the horrific scene now laid in front of him.

He was flung to the side as the GUP made a sudden jerk to the side, now speeding towards Kwazii and the shark. Peso was pressed against one of the small circular windows, unable to tear his eyes away. Kwazii, who was swimming back to the GUP, had blood drenching from a bite on his arm, and the shark’s teeth were reddened. It wouldn’t take a detective to figure out what happened. Peso was just confused on why the shark wasn’t continuing to attack, as he was certain she could easily catch Kwazii again. But, by the looks on her face.. Maybe she just didn’t particularly like the taste of cat. Kwazii swam up under the GUP, climbing in. He crawled onto the floor through the door on the bottom, sprawling out on the ground. “I be here!” Kwazii drawled, eyes lidded. He looked to be blinking in and out of consciousness, and Peso knew he needed to act fast. His patient needed urgent help.

He slid onto the floor, his previous flippers had now transformed back into hands, and he quickly applied direct pressure, as the GUP raced towards the Octopod. “Tweak, open the Octohatch!” the Captain commanded, and the Octopus’s mouth opened, allowing them inside, and the hatch closed behind them. The Captain, now faced towards them, picked up the patient in a swift motion, jumping out. Peso followed close behind. They were, obviously, heading to the infirmary.

He didn’t see much of Tweak’s face in the hurry, though she looked.. Surprised, and maybe a little scared? Concerned, probably. But that didn’t matter. The Captain took the patient, who was (trying to) protest, saying stuff like “I can …uh, walk by meself-”. The Captain didn’t listen. He laid the patient down on the bed, and he tried to get up, saying, “I’ll be fine–I’ve been in worse scraps,” though the Captain (lightly, of course) pushed him down. “No.” was all he said, and the Patient complied after that. Peso worked almost effortlessly after that. Cleaning the bite, giving the patient all the antibodies and jazz, (after ordering the Captain to get him a blanket–he didn’t want the patient to go into shock from the water, which he retrieved quickly. He then went up to the hq to tell everyone about what happened) and eventually wrapped up his arm with a barrage of bandages.

“Flappity flippers..” Peso mumbled. “How do you feel?” he asked, and the patient tilted his head side to side in a so-so motion, like he was shrugging with his head. “I be alright. I’ve be hurt worse.” he said, and while that was… concerning at best, he seemed fine, so he was either exaggerating or they had happened a while ago and healed over. Peso presumed he had some sort of eye-accident, given the eyepatch, so that was likely what he was referring to, anyways.

“That’s good” Peso said, before frantically clarifying, “That you’re alright, I mean.” Kwazii just laughed. “I get it, matey.” he said, before making a little ‘yeow’ sound. Probably from pain. “Are you okay?” Peso asked, and the patient nodded. “I be good. I’m just about ready t’ go and adventure once more-” he said, trying to get up, but Peso put a hand on his chest. “No. You need to heal. ” he said, and suddenly terror overtook his body, because what if he attacks me? as again, pirate. Kinda known for lying and stealing and killing and the like.

But instead of attacking him or even being snarky like Peso expected… he just grumbled. Sure, he was clearly annoyed, but that was a lot of patients' reactions to be fair–Kwazii was no different, in that aspect, at least. “When can I leave, doc?” he asked, still grumbly, and Peso put a hand to his chin. “As long as you don’t get it hurt again… an overnight stay should do the trick. Just, take it easy,” he clarified, and Kwazii nodded, albeit obviously still a tad annoyed.

Peso, fingers intertwined nervously, “I’m going to tell the others you’re alright,” he said, and Kwazii gave a thumbs-up with his non-bitten arm. Peso walked out of the infirmary, beads of sweat trailing down his face. He was honestly, truly, confused on why Kwazii did that. Jumped in front to save Peso from a shark? His first thought was maybe Kwazii was tricking him, trying to get Peso’s trust, but why would he put himself in such jeopardy? He must’ve known he’d get hurt and be unable to do some things if he got injured. Though, at the same time… he didn’t seem like the type of person to think things through, so it was really unclear.

Was Kwazii putting on an act, in order to trick Peso and everyone else into trusting him, and then he’d call up his pirate gang and attack? That was a possibility. Though, if he was doing that, he’d probably hide the pirate garb a bit more. It was a lot, with the accent, the eyepatch–Peso had even noticed he had brought a spyglass . If that was the plan, they’d want it to be more secretive, right? Less obvious that it’s a pirate.

Though Peso has heard before pirates weren’t the brightest. And, that seemed to match up. Kwazii’s medical form was definitely something. So, Peso’s ideas for what Kwazii really was currently were;

1: Somebody pretending to be friendly and nice/gain trust but really turn on them and summon up his pirate gang to pillage

2: A pirate that was just trying to figure out everything about the Octopod so he could destroy and salvage later

3: A former pirate who could and would snap at any given moment

( and, at the back of his mind, a secret, fourth thing. Maybe Kwazii was a former pirate who’d turned good. But that seemed impossible to the medic. )

He finally pulled himself together–it wouldn’t be good if the Captain found out he’d been secretly suspecting Kwazii of all his evil deeds. He’d probably think he’s paranoid, (which, while true, this paranoia had some reasoning!) and have to kick him off the Octopod! And Kwazii would be free to do his pillaging, killing, and taking-over-ing. So, he wiped the sweat off his brow, and hopped in the chute.

When he arrived in hq, he was.. A little surprised? Obviously, he didn’t expect anyone to be jumping for joy or anything, everyone else seemed to like or at least not really mind Kwazii to an extent, but it was a little more glum then he’d been expecting. The Captain, while he was standing, he clearly had some sort of.. Emotion on his face. It was hard to pinpoint with him. Not really sad, not really disappointed, just… like he felt something unfortunate was coming along. Tweak, who was sitting on one of the chairs, seemed to be working on some blueprints. She still had that look on her face–concern, most likely. He couldn’t really see Dashi’s face, so with her he was utterly unsure. Shellington seemed to be scribbling something down in his small notebook, and Peso wasn’t really sure what. Inkling looked concerned as well.

Suddenly, the Captain noticed him. “Peso! How is Kwazii doing?” he asked, and suddenly all eyes were on Peso, and the sweat started up again. “Um– he’s doing well. He doesn’t seem to be in much pain, fortunately. He’s resting at the moment, but he should be be able to get out of bed in a day or two–he’ll just need to take it easy.” he said, and the Captain nodded. “That’s good. He’s very… persistent, so I’m not surprised he’s already getting better.” he said, and Peso nodded back, shakily, and then Shellington piped up. “I have some questions about the shark–I’d like to narrow down what type it was.” he said, and Peso blinked. He wanted to know about the shark?

“Oh, um, alright.” he agreed, reluctantly. “What color was it?” he asked, and Peso blinked. He hadn’t really taken in many details about the shark. “W-well, she was a gray color, mainly. I- um, didn’t see her very well. I think it.. I’m pretty sure she had dark gray stripes, but it all happened so fast. And, uh, dunno if it helps, but I don’t think she really liked the taste of him.” he said, and Shellington nodded. “Likely a tiger shark…” Shellington rolled over to a screen, looking through all the animals before landing on it. “Did she have some of the features of this creature?” he asked, and Peso walked over. It was practically a perfect match. “Y-yes! Looked just like that, just.. More human, obviously.” he said, and Shellington was glad he’d gotten it right on the first try. “Good job, Shellington.” the Captain praised, which Shellington was again, happy about. “Thanks Captain,” he said, before pressing his pencil back against the paper of his tiny notebook.

But Peso’s mind, again, wandered back to Kwazii. He really just couldn’t figure him out! If he wanted to get rid of Peso, like he’d thought briefly before… Why would he move in front of Peso? Why did he save him? Again, to gain trust might be a likely motive but it was really so strange. If it wasn’t for that, then why?

Peso for once, made up his damn mind. He was just going to ask– and if Kwazii turned on him completely, then he’d just say he must be mis-remembering, as he put him on some pain meds that can fog your memory. So, he jumped into the chute once again, (to nobody’s protest–he didn’t need to be there at the moment, plus they’d likely just assume he was going to tend to Kwazii) and arrived in the hallway. He took a deep breath, before entering back into the room with him.

Kwazii lay there, tail swishing back and forth, ears flicking. He was bored out of his mind, very clearly. He had heard the door opening though, and his pupils moved over to Peso. Peso was a little annoyed that he was sitting upright and not laying down, but it was fine. “Heya Matey,” Kwazii greeted, and Peso pulled up a stool. “Um, K-kwazii,” he started, now already starting to regret this idea of an intervention. Kwazii cocked his head to the side;

“Yeah, matey?” he asked, now confused.

“Um..” Peso cleared his throat. “I have some questions.”

Kwazii looked a little nervous, though he nodded. Peso wondered why– was he right? Probably.

“How’s the injury feel? Do you want any pain medication?” he asked, and Kwazii’s eyes widened. “There’s medication fer pain?! ” he exclaimed, bolting up. “Y..yeah?” Peso said. That was concerning, how the hell did he not know what pain meds were? He had literally mentioned taking pills in his form–but he’d ask about that some other time. Couldn’t get distracted now.

“Wow..” Kwazii muttered. “Now, um, next question. Why’d you..” Peso cleared his throat again–was that becoming a habit?

“Why did you jump in front of me?” he asked.

Kwazii put his non-injured arm to his hip.

“Gut reaction. Can’t let me crew get hurt!”

Peso didn’t entirely believe that. “But.. you barely know me..”

“Yeah? An’? Ye still be me crew. Plus, no offense…not sure you’d really be able to..”

He coughed into his arm.

“ Handle that.”

Peso wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that.

“What.. do you mean?” he asked. “No offense, matey, but.. Yer kinda tiny. Not sure if y’ could really…do as well if y’ lost a lotta blood.”

Peso blinked–of course. That.. actually made a lick of sense.

Kwazii gave Peso a thumbs up, and Peso didn’t really want to admit it, because he was still suspicious… but he was starting to feel Kwazii is actually a good person. Even if he was a pirate. Actually, Peso wanted to ask about that. “Sorry if this is.. Prying too far, but.. Why are you so into the whole pirate thing?” he asked. Kwazii bolted up, and Peso stumbled backwards in fear, but he didn’t trip, fortunately.

“Well, I always be one. Me..” he stopped, and it rose Peso’s suspicion again. “Me old crew.. I found out they not be exactly what I thought they be.” he vaguely remarked, and Peso felt like he was leaving out a lot of details. But, it might be traumatizing to think about or something along those lines.

“Oh- S-sorry,” Peso stuttered out, and Kwazii shrugged.

“Nothin’ t’ be done ‘bout it.” he said.

“W-well, that’s all I wanted to ask, so I’ll be leaving to go to sleep,” Peso said, glancing towards the clock. It was late enough. Kwazii nodded. “Alright, matey,” he said, waving goodbye as Peso fled the scene.

Obviously, he had more questions, but he was less skeptical about Kwazii’s true intentions. Given how he was acting about his old crew, Peso swept the idea of ‘gaining our trust then thrusting upon a whole pirate gang and pillaging them’ off the table. It.. it seemed genuine, how the cat-pirate was acting. And he felt the soft feathers instead of ears as he was walking to the chute, and he supposed he felt a little more emotional then he had originally thought about the whole ordeal. Jumping in, eventually making his way to his room, he peeled off his “work” cooling clothes, and slipped on his cooling pajamas. He curled up under the covers of his bed, and soon enough, he fell asleep, peacefully, despite everything.

It had been a few days since what had been dubbed; “The tiger attack”. Originally, this whole “GUP driving training” exercise was going to happen earlier, but it didn’t, given what had happened. Kwazii was alright now, fortunately. Apparently he could tough out a shark bite with ease, (or as he had said it, “twas just a nibble!”) and it had only been a few days from the attack. They had moved to a different area, though it practically looked the same. Flat, barren. Perfect for training.

Tweak had called it, “The parking lot of the ocean”, given how perfect it was. The Captain was.. Mildly nervous about this at best. He had a feeling some of his crew wouldn’t exactly be the best at driving, there had to be at least one person who couldn’t drive. He just prayed to Meomi that it was someone who likely wouldn’t have to drive on their own anyways.

The only one who wasn’t learning in a GUP was the Professor, who was likely not going to leave the Octopod much at all, let alone have to actually drive a GUP, given if he was going with them on a mission the Captain or Kwazii or Tweak or someone else would be going with him, if he ever did, that was. Either way, these thoughts flooded across Barnacle’s mind as they all ate breakfast. They were going out to do the training right after breakfast.

Kwazii still couldn’t drive on his own with the arm injury, (to his lament) so he’d just be shadowing Barnacles, which he was amazingly disappointed about. Not like Barnacles could really blame him. Kwazii was clearly pretty hyperactive–always needing a distraction of some sort or something to do or just anything. Honestly, Barnacles was a tad worried that it might result in him doing something for his own entertainment and accidentally either hurting someone, or just causing a problem. But, given how quick he was to act to protect Peso, (and let’s all be honest–it was clear that Peso was terrified of the guy, it was unclear if Kwazii knew that fact or not though. He didn’t seem like the observant type, so the Captain wouldn’t put it past him) putting himself in harm's way? It made the Captain trust that at the very least, Kwazii would be good at the actual saving related missions. And soon, breakfast was over. Every single Octonaut (besides the Professor) headed down to the launch bay, and slipped on the oxygen tanks. Barnacles and Tweak took out some of the GUPs one by one, (and Kwazii pouted at the fact he couldn’t drive the GUP B–he clearly already had an attachment to the thing) and soon enough, all of them were in the Open ocean, with the submarines.

Tweak assigned each person to a GUP, or a few people to the GUPS with multiple seats. Barnacles, Kwazii, and Shellington were in the GUP A, Peso in the GUP E with Tweak helping him, and Dashi alone in the GUP C. Tweak figured she could be alone because, 1; she’d gone through the driving training, and two, she just seemed responsible enough. Shellington, as he’d never driven before nor gone through the simulation, needed to be assisted by the Captain and Kwazii was with them for the obvious. Peso had also not gone through the simulation, so Tweak was with him helping. They had decided on the GUP E since that had been designated as the “medical GUP”, which made Peso unboundedly nervous from what the Captain could tell.

The GUPs radios were connected, so they could communicate easily. Wasn’t a problem in the slightest.

Once they all got into their assigned submarines, the training began. Barnacles had Shellington seated next to him, hands on the wheel. Shellington’s hands were quaking, but not as much as Peso had been when Barnacles had seen him earlier. Barnacle was confident, obviously. He wasn’t shaking. He was steady, he was firm with his grip because he was the Captain and he had to be.

“Are you alright, Shellington?” the Captain asked, and while he was sure Shellington could do it, he believed in him–he, the observant Polar bear-hybrid he was, saw the glimpse of nervousness in the otter’s eyes. “Yes, Captain. Just.. never driven.” The Captain lifted a eyebrow. “Well, I’d assume you’d never have steered a ship before, but–” Shellington interrupted. “No, Captain, I mean I’ve never driven. Anything. Ever.”

Now, the Captain was a little nervous. He had assumed Shellington had at least driven a car at one point or another. But never? That made Barnacles worry. “...I see.” he finally answered, adjusting his helmet’s collar and clearing his throat. Kwazii spoke up, then. Barnacles had forgotten he was there, sulking in the back of the GUP–he tended to speak his mind, and blurted out whenever, which was executed then;

“Y’ haven’t even steered one o’ those fake wheels they set up t’ the real one?” Kwazii asked, and Shellington glanced back at him, confused. “No..?” the confusion laced in his voice, and Kwazii squinted his eyes. “Really?” he asked, and before Shellington could respond, Barnacles piped up first. “I don’t think many people do that, Kwazii.” he said, and Kwazii looked over to him. “Huh. Must b’ a pirate thing…” he said, muttering that last bit. Suddenly, the radio chimed, “Tweak t’ Cap’n Barnacles, Tweak to Cap’n,” a southern, slightly distorted voice said. Kwazii whipped his head around. “Tweak?!”

Barnacles, clarifying, “She’s on the radio. Not actually here.”

Kwazii, still confused; “Oh. Right.”

Tweak, through the radio; “Cap, we’re ready to start. I already checked in with Dashi,”

Barnacles, affirmative; “Wonderful Tweak. I’ll let you lead.”

Tweak, (was that a carrot crunching sound?); “Alright, so t’ begin, on the right is the acceleration pedal. Press it with yer foot.”

Peso, struggling; “Um-”

Tweak, probably guiding him; “ That one, Peso.”

Peso, nervousness in his voice; “R-right”

Barnacles, looking over to Shellington, “That means you too, Shellington.”

Shellington, frantically pressing on the pedal, launching them forward–luckily into nothing; “Jumping Jellyfish!”

Barnacles, slamming his own foot on the breaks, stopping them abruptly, making all three members head’s jerk forward, (and in Kwazii’s face, his head jerked forward into the wall, to which he said, “yoowww”) and claws sprouting out of his hands, before he quickly pressed them into his palms, making them disappear. Even if his hands were a little cut up, now, and a little stained with blood. “Don’t press it that hard, Shellington. Here, let’s go back to the starting point. Lightly pull back on the steering wheel, and we’ll go backwards.” the Captain said, making the motion just not actually pulling on the controls. Shellington nodded, pulling back on the thing, and slowly, (maybe a little too slowly) they inched their way back to the ‘starting line’, and Tweak came in through the radio again;

“Glad y’all didn’t crash. Now, remember, just hover your foot over the pedal. Shellington. And then, on my mark, lightly press down,” she said, and Shellington laughed, somewhat embarrassed and just a tad nervously. After a few moments, the crackling of Tweak’s distorted voice was heard once more, “Press down. Lightly. ” she said, and slowly, (the GUP E the slowest, with the GUP A just barely trucking along before it, and the GUP C going at a steady pace. “Not that light.” Tweak remarked, and Shellington pressed way too hard, and they rocketed forward for a moment, before he stabilized himself and became just ahead of Dashi.

The GUP E, which was now lagging behind, was still going on slowly. It wasn’t noticeable it was going much faster, at the very least. Barnacles heard a crackly groan, then a, “Oh me oh my… Peso, pardner, you won’t explode if you just press a lil harder.” Barnacles could hear Peso’s gulp of fear. Part of him regretted not going with Peso, but the GUP E was not big enough for three people, and he’d prefer Kwazii be with him (Given how, with his strength triumphanting over Tweak’s, if Kwazii fainted from pain or just tried to sneak out, Barnacles would be able to pick him up and make sure he’s alright quite a bit easier). After Peso was going ever slightly faster, Tweak eventually just decided to move on to the next part of the lesson.

“Y’all, now, with the steerin’ wheel gripped,” she started, “not that hard Peso, y’ look like yer holdin’ on fer dear life,” she remarked, sighing and Barnacles heard another crackly crunching sound over the radio. “Turn to the left, and not suddenly, just slowly,” she said, and Shellington, surprisingly, did exactly what she said. “Good, everyone!” Tweak said, and she continued, “Just do exactly what I say, and this’ll be over in no time!” she said, seemingly glad about that.

It was a few other simple commands along the lines of things like “now straighten out” “turn right” and then, eventually, thankfully, she said, “Now, turn around!” she said, and Shellington seemed confident, and he started turning a little too fast and suddenly a hybrid–looked like a manta ray or something–swam right in front, and Shellington lost track of where he was in the turn, accidentally turning back to the previous position, and so he had to turn back in the direction of the Octopod, and he did it a bit too fast, causing the GUP to spin.

Spinning, swirling, turning in circles–you get the point. And, he, panicked, accidentally lifting the steering wheel up, causing them to dive down, into the sandy bottom of the sea floor, the stirred up sand clouding the vision out of the GUP. “Jumping jellyfish,” Shellington muttered, and Barnacles sprung into action immediately, like the good leader he was.

Pressing on the radio button, “Captain Barnacles to Tweak,” he said and she responded soon after, “Y’ crashed, I know, I’ll get in the GUP C and pull ‘er out,” she said, cutting out. The Captain sighed. “Sorry, Captain, I just got so mixed up with that person swimming by, and then I panicked a little,” he said, and Barnacles just put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Shellington. That was decent for your first time driving.” he said, and Shellington nodded. “Might’ve been a manta ray.”

The Captain’s face was adorned with a confused look. “What?”

“The person that swam across. I think they might’ve been part manta ray, given the way their arms were connected to their torso.” he clarified, and Barnacles nodded. “..I see.” Kwazii, coming up behind Shellington, “Only focused on the things y’ like, ey?” he jokingly remarked, and Shellington shook his head. “No- I really was trying, it just distracted me.” he said, and Kwazii felt a little bad. “No that’s–... nevermind.” he said, and Shellington was just befuddled at that point.

The radio crackled again, and Tweak came in. “I’m in the GUP C, Cap. We’ll pull you out faster than you can say buncha munchy crunchy carrots!” she said, and Shellington muttered, “Bunch of munchy crunchy carrots..?” and Tweak sighed. “It’s an expression, Shellington.” “Oh.”

“Shellington, is it wrong to assume you’re a little clumsy?” he asked, and Shellington shook his head. “No, you’re right. I am.” The Captain, face scrunched up a little, “Maybe sit down, then. To avoid injury.” and Shellington followed the order, sitting down. “Brace yerselves! Might get a little wobbly, ” Tweak said, and Kwazii muttered under his breath, “Nothin’ new, after Shellington’s drivin,” and Shellington looked like he wanted to protest, but realized Kwazii wasn’t really wrong so he didn’t.

The GUP wobbled, just like Tweak said it would, and the GUP was pulled out of the sand with ease, stirring up a small dust cloud where the GUP formerly rested. They were towed into the Octopod, where all three hopped out. Dashi and Peso had already made their way back in the GUP E, (though it was apparent that Dashi had done all the driving–Peso was too much of a scaredy… penguin to do so) and now everyone was out. They didn’t have any missions that day, fortunately, besides that, so the rest of the day was primarily spent chilling, though Dashi had decided to move them closer to a beach so she could do a little surfing.

Barnacles and Kwazii had a friendly ping-pong match, (which Barnacles won, to Kwazii’s utter lament, as he said, “unfair!” “How so?” “....I haven’t played ina while.” “This is my third time playing,” and finally a sad little “yeow..”) Shellington decided to inform Inkling of how it all went, (even if he more so just talked about that manta ray hybrid, making a small sketch of it even, despite it being the reason they crashed) and Tweak resorted to gardening, with a little assistance from Peso (he just held the basket with the carrots Tweak was gathering, though).

And, it really seemed like all was well, didn’t it? Sure, it could be a little.. Much, but it was all turning out well. Everyone was generally pretty happy, besides the… minor difficulties they’d came across so far, and Barnacles was certain that, yes, they would all get along soon.

#octonauts #fanfic #captain barnacles #octonauts kwazii #octonauts peso #only one more chapter till we're all caught up!#hope yall enjoy this #anyways life update: my knee is hurting very badly because i smashed it against a wall while rock climbing a little bit

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