Chapter Text
Nothing. Nothing is the start of something.
When you are nothing, you don’t feel, you don’t hear, you don’t speak, you do not think. But when you are something, you feel the chill of the metal walls, you hear the constant beat of an anxious heart, you say whatever unbaked sentence you can muster out, and you think.
You think because you are something. And when you think you become something. Thinking is what defines someone from no one. No one listens to you when you do not think, but if you do, maybe it’s worth acknowledging.
But if thinking is taken away from you, you become less than nothing. You become controllable.
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Protect. That was the order she was given, so she would follow it. There was nothing more to it. Receive, execute, repeat. Receive, execute, repeat. Receive, execute, repeat. That was the only thing she knew.
“Here.” The scientist stopped at a large door. The Octoling and the other soldier followed close behind.
The door led to a new room. She assessed her surroundings. Any threats? Protect.
The scientist picked up a clipboard and began moving once again. “Subject number four. Sex: male. Age: nine years old. Conditions: None of importance. Objective: The goal of this experiment is…” The Octoling began blurring the scientist out. Nothing was harmful here. No need to pay attention.
The scientist led The Octoling and the soldier away to the next destination, flipping through the papers in the clipboard.
After a bit of walking, they made it to the Blue sector. The scientist hurried in.
“Under any circumstance that subject number four becomes violent or attempts to evade, you will secure him so we can conduct this mission appropriately.” A new order. She would comply.
The three of them entered a room, Inside sat the subject with nothing but a stuffed animal.
The Scientist approached him, reaching out for its arm. The subject pushed her back, sending The Scientist backward. Within a second, the other soldier was on it, holding the child down as it resisted.
The Octoling looked down at the scientist, making sure she was unharmed, when a small eraser fell out of her pocket. The Octoling picked it up, and suddenly she remembered.
Ribbons, a gift, cake with candles,
Dear family and friends surround you,
The future is hard to handle.
The Octoling became overwhelmed by emotions, her head became fuzzy, and she couldn’t think straight, but she knew at least one thing. Protect. Before she knew it, her fist had collided with the scientist's green face, sending her head back into the hard, tiled floor. Without delay, The Octoling sprang on top of the scientist delivering blow after blow, shattering the white shades that once perched upon her delicate nose.
The soldier looked between the child and the two of them, unsure of what to do without a new order.
It was too late, She jumped from the scientist’s limp, beaten body to the confused, overwhelmed, soldier. The Octoling grabbed the scalpels from the stand beside them, and without thinking, stabbed them deep into the tense arm that was grasping the terrified child. They infiltrated the soldier’s mint blue skin, and The Octoling tore down sharply until green-blue ink began flowing out generously like an abundant water fall. The soldier let out a horrid scream as the scarce remains of her arm sputtered out like the octoshot that lay beside her.
She fell to the cold floor clutching the mutilated limb and moaned with pain.
Protect. That’s what she did.
She approached the fearful child sitting on the paper covered table, drenched in the fresh ink of the shivering soldier.
A shimmering tear fell down his cheek as he clutched his dirty plush tightly. “…please, don’t hurt me…” he stammered in a small voice. The Octoling reached out for his arm. He flinched as she gently seized his hand. “Come.” It came out in a harsh croak, for she had not spoken in a long, long time.
She picked up the identification card from the scientist’s inky neck. The once white lanyard now the bright sickly color of their insides. By it rested the eraser. It was the shape of a blaster. It felt special. She didn’t know what it was, but she would hold onto it for now.
The two of them approached the heavy metal door, the ink of The Octoling’s former comrades splattered all over her fists. She touched the plastic ID to what she believed was the scanner. The grey door rose with a loud screech. She looked back once more at the ingured octolings, not knowing what fate would await them. Whatever. Nothing could be done. They must move forward. Protect.
She grabbed the boy’s arm and began to move, they had to get out. Quickly.
The two of them ran down the long hallways, the smell of iron and chemicals radiating from each cell, the sense of unease worsening as they navigated the maze of laboratories, praying they wouldn’t run into any guards.
Eventually, they grew tired from fleeing and found a place that no longer had the industrial look of where they started. The Octoling hoped that they were safe to rest. At least for a while.
The boy sat to her side, water bleeding from his eyes as he hugged his stuffed octarian. He had been through a lot, and the Octoling was too tired to do anything about it.
She was so overwhelmed from everything that had just happened, nothing made sense. And everything she felt was so strong, the liquid leaking from the ceiling were earsplitting as they kissed the ground. The ink bags on the floor were so vibrant, they gave her a headache just looking at them. The taste of ink, now sour in her mouth. The steel she laid upon, freezing and bare. And the smell. The smell. Everything was so pungent. It felt as if even the air was attacking her nose.
The Octoling was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep, nothing else felt so appealing.
She closed her eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.
Chapter 1 end