A/N: I'm so glad I got this done before May ended! Anyway, if it isn't obvious this is based on the information and theories on the Octo Expansion. Here is a story I put together about it.
Update: 6/18/18 - Hello. I'm from the future. This came out before the Octo Expansion so watch out for inconsistencies. I'm still gonna leave this up for anyone who's interested in reading it.
A secret facility. It was common for the domes to have these kinds of things. The Octarian territory still maintained its military, setting up several bases around the domes for defense. They hung from the tops, laying a ray of protection for the Octarian citizens.
Yet, some facilities were a secret for a reason…
"And for what?"
An Octoling had an Octo-shot held to a fellow Octoling's head, with him pinned to the wall with the help of the others. They stood outside the back of the base. The screens hanging over their fake sky showed the stars.
"This is wrong, Tenaca!" the pinned Octoling said. He squirmed, but the grip of the guards were far too strong. "We shouldn't be doing this! It goes against every step of peace we've worked towards with the Inklings."
"This isn't about peace!" Tenaca said, her green eyes, widening with anger and staring into his yellow ones. "This is about what our grandparents have been fighting for: To take back what's ours! For revenge! So, snap out of it! The Inklings will never accept us as their equals!"
"Tenaca, please!" the Octoling yelled. "This isn't you!" The Octarian was pleading for his life, but Tenaca was not going to have any of it.
"Yes… it… is!" Tenaca said, sternly. But her glare softened for second. "And I thought it was you, too…"
"I…"
"Lock him up," Tenaca said, turning away from the traitor. "Report this to the general. Let him decide."
After things settled down and the traitor was now behind glass, Tenaca went back to the lab to continue her work. The investigation into this traitor business too longer than she had expected. She was just glad it was over. So she went back to the lab.
The leader had started on a new… "project". Soon they would have more troops to add to their numbers. Most of these traitors were sparked after this began. Tenaca wondered why. Most of them said they "realized" that what they were doing was wrong.
Growing up in the fight for the Octarians' new rising, Tenaca learned something about war. There was no right thing or wrong things to do. There was only what felt what was best for them.
Tenaca made her way back to her office. She took off her helmet, letting her long red tentacle hair down and pulling on her lab coat. She then wandered out, clipboard and tape recorder in her hands.
She walked into a dimly lit room. The floors were made of metal along with the walls. Her boots made an echoing clunk noise as she stepped. Tables and counters were neatly set up with equipment. Beside that, were the many giant test tubes near by, emitting a green glow. Tenaca walked up to one of them and pressed a gloved hand against the glass, hoping to get a closer look. She could make out the shape of something. Several of the other test tubes had the same results.
Tenaca grabbed her tape recorder and pressed the record button.
"Research Supervisor, Tenaca Pygma," she said. "It's been nine months since our new project issued to us has began." She began to examine the other test tubes, continuing to take notes. "The experiments appear to be developing properly. A few have even began forming early. I would like to consider this a good thing, but I would also like to conduct further study on this to make sure."
Suddenly, she heard the ringing on her phone. Her shift had ended, making her grunt in frustration. She had spent the past few days trying to find this mystery traitor and she just wanted to get back on the project. She did admit to herself she was tired and decided to lock up the lab for the night.
Before she left, she walked up to the first test tube she examined earlier. For years she believed this could only be possible in those books she's read, but now she was living it. She couldn't wait to continue her research tomorrow.
In the middle of the night, an alarm went off. Tenaca awoke in her quarters, knowing what it meant, but it didn't hit home, until a loud explosion knocked her off the bed. Her phone started ringing off the hook.
"H-Hello?" Tenaca said, as she scrambled to her closet.
"Commander! You must get down to the main facility immediately!"
Tenaca sat up, using the closet to stand as shots were heard.
"What's going on?!" she said.
"Hurry! Get down here before-" There was a loud explosion before she lost the line.
"Hello? Hello?! Carp!"
Once she was dressed in her uniform, Tenaca charged out of her quarters. An Octo-shot and a charger were her arsenal.
The moment she made it to the facility, she found it under heavy fire. Octo-shot and Octo-charger at the ready, she joined her brothers and sisters in arms.
"Commander, you're here!" an Octo Trooper said, as they took cover in the lobby behind a shelf.
"What's the situation?" said Tenaca. She rose up for a second to return fire, striking down a turncoat with the charger.
"Officer Kelpson, the traitor you caught, had a beacon on him," said the Octo Trooper. "He called more of his people here."
"Of course," Tenaca grumbled, rolled her eyes. She grabbed her ear piece from her pocket and placed it in her ear. "This is Commander Pygma. All units advance towards the science facility and secure the area."
Tenaca, along with the Octo Trooper made their way back into the facility, meeting up with more allies.
Once they were close they saw Officer Kelpson running out of the lab. Once he saw her, he tried to run, only to be struck on the head with a Burst Bomb. While disoriented, she tripped him, pinning him down.
"Secure the area!" Tenaca yelled to the troops. And they scattered to do just that.
"You're too late!" Kelpson spat. "Your plans are about to blow up in your face."
"What?" said Tenaca. She looked back at the door to the lab at the sound of that ringing. "NO!" she screamed. There was sound of thunder, and an explosion of ink and metal.
Tenaca awoke on the floor, ringing apparent in her ears, and her vision blurred. Her body ached all over and her skin stung with enemy ink. She saw her Octo-shot, but Kelpson grabbed it first.
"What have you done?!" Tenaca yelled.
"It was wrong, Tenaca!" Kelpson yelled back. "You can't build an army like this!"
"That's not what I meant, you fool!" She glared harshly, her teeth showing. "This! All of this! Why destroy it?! After everything we-"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Kelpson yelled. "It's over!" He pointed the weapon at her. "I'm… sorry."
"I don't think so…" Tenaca responded.
Tenaca showed her hidden hand, revealing a timed ink bomb in her hand. Kelpson lowered the weapon.
"Heh… Our teachers always talked about what a mind she had…" said Kelpson.
"...Good-bye, old friend," said Tenaca. And that was the last thing she ever said to him before it went off.
Tenaca stumbled down the hall, leaning on the wall for support. She carried her Octoshot, now covered in the ink of her friend now gone. One she got to the door of the lab she grabbed onto the doorway for support. The metal doors had broken off the frame. Turquoise ink lied on the ground. Upon seeing into the lab, a strong chemical smell of various sorts filled the air. All the equipment must have been broken the explosion.
Tenaca coughed heavily. She wasn't sure if it was from the explosion or the chemicals. It was probably both, but she had to see what happened to the lab. It was even colder than usual.
All the equipment was either heavily damaged or destroyed. Near the machines seemed to be where the bomb had been set. She found remnants of metal and wires that didn't belong there.
Tenaca coughed once more and turned on her ear piece. All she could pick up was static. She assumed it was broken.
It pained her, but she walked over to the giant test tubes. All of them had been blown out, glass lied on the the floor along with green liquid, some gathered in clumps, but it seemed none of the test tubes survived the blast.
She shook her head, trying to stay calm. She wanted to faint, but had to keep it together.
Upon thinking of leaving, she head a noise. Among the heaps of green on the floor, she saw something moving. The commander aimed her Octo-shot, slowly moving closer. She jumped back when she saw a shape emerge, noticing limbs. The closer she got, the more she could make out a living… thing.
The green substance was covering most of the body, but she could see tiny hands and feet. Its hair was apparent, but short. She gasped when she saw it open its golden eyes. Tenaca's weapon shook in her hands. It was small! Practically harmless! So, why was she so nervous?
She jumped back once the small thing in question began to cry. Its wails echoed throughout the lab.
"Commander to-" Tenaca began coughing again. "-any personnel. There's a situation… in the…" She coughed some more. The fumes were really starting to get to her.
Tenaca turned to the door, hoping to get some fresh air. Upon reaching the entrance, however, she heard that infant beginning to cough in between sobs, too.
This was the only surviving experiment, and it was incomplete. She walked back towards the infant seeing it continue to sob.
What possible use could they have for this thing? It was too small, too defenseless for any combat. A thought did enter her mind, though. What would the general say if she just left the only surviving thing in this project? She had already killed her comrade turned traitor. She had killed before and she expected to kill again. She's gone too far to turn back now. The last thing she needed was to get in hot water from her own superior.
The infant appeared to coughing a bit more, just like her. She took off her coat and used it it clean up the child a bit.
"Quiet down, kid," said Tenaca. "You're fine… I think…" She bit back another coughing fit. "Well, you're a boy." She wrapped the coat around the child and lifted him into her arms. He still seemed unstable, though. "Shh! Come on, kid. I've got you," she mumbled, standing up. The kid's tentacle hair was purple. He was probably nervous, if not frightened. The boy stared at Tenaca through the tears in his eyes.
The commander made her way out of the lab and ran for safety. Only when she made it to the lobby did she allow herself to lean against the wall and fall into a sitting position, panting heavily. Her vision blurred, but she saw figures in her sight.
"The… experiment…" Tenaca muttered, before everything went dark.
Tenaca's body ached upon her regaining consciousness. She saw the fluorescent lights above her and felt something on her face. It was a breathing mask. She tried to sit up immediately, but was steadied by a hand. It looked like a doctor.
"Easy, now," he said. "You seem to have passed out from toxic inhalation. Just take it slow."
Tenaca sat up on the bed, slowly. She took notice of the bandages over her injuries.
"The facility?" Tenaca mumbled, rubbing her head. Her voice still sounded a bit fuzzy.
"The situation is under control," the doctor replied. "You're in our medical wing."
Tenaca hung her feet over the edge of the bed and look around.
"Most of the turncoats were captured," the doctor informed her, "but it seems Officer Kelpson along with several others are still unaccounted for."
The commander raised her head and faced the doctor. The memory of what she did began to resurface.
"He's dead," Tenaca said. Her voice was muffled from the mask. "He's the one who blew up the science lab. He wanted to destroy everything we've worked for."
A heavy sighed escaped from her. The commander's head hung low. The doctor walked over and took the mask off her face.
"Well, I guess he was successful… for the most part," he said.
"What?" said Tenaca.
"The experiment you saved," said doctor. He walked over to a tiny cart with a container containing the child she brought back. Tenaca stood up slowly, creeping her way over for a better look. The child was safely in a fresh purple blanket, sleep peacefully.
"Oh… right…" said Tenaca.
"Apologies, Commander," the doctor said. "I tried to take him to examination room to perform some tests, but he began to cry if he was taken out of this room, so I had to run the tests here."
"That's… That's fine, doc…" Tenaca said, staring at the child.
"He appeared to have inhaled some of the same toxins you did, but not as much," said the doctor. "So, I was able to remedy that faster than I could for you. He should be fine. His heart is good and his crying indicated strong-"
"That's… not what's wrong," I said.
"Then… what is it?" said the doctor.
"He's a baby. Kelpson destroyed the test tubes. This experiment is complete! It can't fight!"
The doctor crossed his arms, staring at the commander. It was perplexing how she could not be pleased with saving the life of an infant Octoling.
"Commander, you can't expect the child to fight already," he said.
"Of course not!" Tenaca said. "They weren't supposed to leave the test tubes until they grew to the target age. Most of them were already beginning to develop, but now that this one is out prematurely, we can't do anything else to make him grow up faster. What am I suppose to tell the general?"
The door opened, suddenly, and to the shock of both the doctor and Tenaca, the general walked in.
"Ah! G-General! W-Welcome to our facility!" he said, straightening out his coat. "This is such an honor! Apologies for the des-"
"No need, doc," the general said. "I'm just here to see the experiment in question."
"Of course," said the doctor.
The general walked with Tenaca and she showed him the child. The doctor worried about waking him, but seemed sound, which was good. A crying child would do them no good in front of the general.
"This is all that survived?" said the general.
"Yes," Tenaca said, flatly. "Officer Kelpson blew up the entire lab. I trudged through the fumes to observe the wreckage and all I could find was this infant."
"That slimy little hipster…" the general grumbled.
"Sir, we have no use for an infant. The experiments were supposed to remain in containment until-"
"Yes, I'm aware!" said the general. "Splat those turncoats! They knew what they were signing up for when I recruited them!"
Tenaca remained silent while the general ranted on. Her arms were neatly behind her back as she stared down at the child. He started to stir.
"Um… sir?" she mumbled.
The general turned to the kid just in to see him open his eyes. He stared upward towards Tenaca. She leaned in to get a closer look.
"How curious…" said the doctor.
"What do you think it wants?" said the general.
"Dah!" the baby babbled, reaching his hands out towards Tenaca's face. She flinched, before the tiny hands touched her skin, but that didn't deter the boy.
"GYAH HA HA!" the general laughed, heartily. "Looks like he's thankful to his little hero."
"What?" said Tenaca.
"Remarkable observation, General," said the general. "Isn't that adorable, Commander? The child thinks of you as his parent."
Tenaca shivered in shock at those words. She brought herself to look at the child, but glaring.
"Kid, I'm not your mom!" she snapped. "Do I look anything like you?" While she was mad, the child only continued to to babble. "Well, technically, your parents are Mr. and Mrs. Test Tubes, but they blew up."
"Commander, why are you arguing with a baby?" said the doctor. "He can't understand words yet."
"He must understand something," said Tenaca.
The general stared intently at the child. It continued to reach for Tenaca, even beginning to try and get up, its tiny legs beginning to kick under the blanket they were tucked under. The child wouldn't be able to fight, definitely not as it was. Yet, he saw something in the little Octoling. He couldn't let potential resources go to waste.
"Commander, you're right," said the general. "This child has no use for us." Despite the insult, the baby continued to coo happily, even reaching for the general with a friendly smile. "But he can be."
"How so?" Tenaca said, averting her gaze from the baby to the general.
"Like you, he can be raised into a fine soldier."
"Yes, but most soldiers were raised by parents who were also soldiers."
"Well, aren't you one?"
Tenaca straightened up at those words.
"Um… sir?"
"Tenaca, I want you to raise this one," said the general. "Shape him into the finest soldier our military has seen. Then we can see if our science research was worth it."
Tenaca looked at the baby, then back at the general.
"Sir, with all due respect, I have no idea how to raise a child!" she tried not to sound flustered, but with a request like this, she didn't know how react. "Besides, I'm a scientist and a commander! I don't have to time to-"
"Well, with the lab destroyed, there won't be any research being done for a while," said the doctor. "And I don't want you returning to work until you're fully recovered."
"See? Plenty of time," said the general. "And there's no time like the present."
Tenaca thought to herself for a moment.
"Well, what about the actual parent?" she said.
"But I thought his parent was-"
"Not the test tube, General," said Tenaca. "DNA was taken from various soldiers for these experiments. Find the DNA that matches this child and that's who his parent is."
"Commander, to do that, I would have to go down the entire personnel list!" said the doctor.
"Well, there's no time like the present," Tenaca said, putting her hands on her hips.
The doctor sighed, shaking his head. He knew and order from the commander was an order, though.
"If that's what you wish, Commander," he said. "But who will look after the child until then?"
Tenaca shrugged, but then she saw the doctor and the general staring at her.
"Commander, he's clearly attached to you," said the doctor.
"Grr… Fine!" Tenaca gave in. She still sounded irritable.
"Yes!" the general said. "Glad to see you come around. Now, I gotta check on the others. You take care of that kid, now, Commander. Octavio, out!"
The general made his grand exit, leaving Tenaca alone with the kid.
The doctor walked over and held out his hand. The child grabbed it and started giggling.
"Cute little guy…" he said. He looked over at Tenaca, staring blankly with wide eyes. "I know you're worried, but I'd like to give some tips to help you. Raising a child isn't easy, but just take it one day at a time. For starters, why don't you try holding the child?"
"Uhh…" Tenaca held her hands together.
"It'll be easy, Commander," said the doctor. "Why don't you go sit on the bed, so you feel more secure?"
Tenaca looked at the kid. She knew orders were orders, so she sighed and sat on the bed, putting her feet up and leaning against the pillows. Once the doctor picked up the kid, he started getting fussy.
"It's okay," he said, gently. And he carefully placed him in Tenaca's arms. He made sure Tenaca supported his head and had a firm but soft grip.
The child began to calm down. Tenaca was hesitant, but she readjusted the blanket around him. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.
"Ah!" Tenaca stopped herself. She didn't want to wake him.
"Aw… Looks like he's tuckered out…" he said.
"Uh… I guess it's not so bad…" said Tenaca. She tried not to shiver, but couldn't understand why she was so nervous. She held him just fine when she was trying to get out of the facility.
"You're doing a good job, Commander," said the doctor. "I have a pamphlet with some tips that could help you. Would you like to give it a read?"
"Yes, please," said Tenaca.
"Alright," said the doctor. "Wait here."
Tenaca continued to stare at the child as he slept. She knew this was going to be long job…
A day or so had passed since Tenaca got stuck with the child. She was finally sent back to her living quarters and a few things had been set up for him. There was a crib for starters. A few bottles and jars of baby food were on the table. This was paid for by the lab, of course. This kid a product of their research, after all.
Tenaca had maintained staying updated about finding the baby's parent. There was still no results yet, but Tenaca wasn't giving up hope.
Ever since she was little, she had trained for many scenarios, but none of them trained her for this!
Tenaca came back from the store with some groceries and she set them down in the kitchen with the kid on the table, too. He had a little onesie that covered his body and his his tiny arms, legs, and feet. The kid reached for his pacifier and put it in his mouth by himself.
Tenaca took note of this. The kid was a fast learner. While writing this down, however, the kid tried to get off the table. He slipped, but Tenaca, with her military reflexes, caught him and gathered him into her arms.
"Okay, you're a quick learner, but still pretty stupid," said Tenaca. She was angry for the surprise, but her heart was pounding. What if I caught him?! she thought. She then brushed the thought aside and went go warm up some milk.
"Can't take my eyes off you for a second…" Tenaca grumbled. Despite almost falling, the kid's hair was yellow, and he was making cheerful noises. Once the bottle was filled, she put in the microwave to warm it up.
It was a bit awkward to have this baby around, but she was finally used to holding him . It was quite a curious scene to just watch him, wondering what he might do next. There had to be a scientific reason for this sense of wonder. The child didn't really do much but babble, squirm and try to fall off tables.
Once the milk was ready, she put the lid on the top and headed into the living room to rest on the couch. It was a bit frigid at the moment, so she wrapped the kid in a small blanket. It just had tiny Octopus patterns on it.
"Ya hungry?" Tenaca asked, holding up the bottle. The kid reaching out and making fussy noises indicated yes. So Tenaca took the pacifier and let him drink from the bottle, while she held it steady.
Once it was empty, the kid leaned his head back on Tenaca's arm and fell asleep. The commander set down the bottle and leaned against the cushions on the couch, looked around a bit and fell asleep, too.
Only a short time had passed before she awoke to the kid crying. He was stirring in the blanket, his hair blue.
"Hey, it's pretty cold in here," Tenaca said, as if he could understand. She picked him up from her lap as the kid freed his arms. "Quite the fighter, huh?" she said, smirking.
The boy began to calm down once he was in Tenaca's arms, his hair turning orange. He kept reaching out with his tiny hands, though.
"What?" said Tenaca. "Is something on my face?" The child only babbled in reply. Tenaca looked around the room for something reflective, when the kid grabbed one of her tentacle hairs. Grunting slightly, she glanced back to him laughing.
"Very… funny…" she said, holding her teeth tight. For a baby, his grip was strong. Eventually, he did let go, and Tenaca had to resist the urge to get angry. She was told by the doctor how she had to be patient with him. So, she grabbed the blanket and tucked him in. "Come on. It's late. Go back to sleep."
Just as Tenaca raised the blanket, the kid grabbed her index finger. She tried to move it away, but his grip only grew tighter. The commander sighed and just leaned back, watching the kid fall asleep. She thought about getting up, but decided to not wake him by moving.
By the next morning, Tenaca's phone went off. The two had spent the night sleeping on the couchh.
The commander awoke to the kid's body sprawled out on her lap with the blanket. She sighed at the fact that he he freed himself once again and answered the phone.
"Hello?" said Tenaca.
"Commander? It's me, the doctor."
"Oh. What is it? Did you find the parent yet?"
"I've been going down the list, but still no matches yet," said the doctor. "I just wanted to check how the child is doing?"
"Well, he's sleeping right now," said Tenaca. She stared down at the infant, who mumbling nonsense gently in his sleep.
"Ah. that's good," said the doctor. "An infant needs lots of rest. If you don't mind, I'd like to come over in a few days and perform a physical. It's a just quick check-up on him."
"Yeah, that sounds fine," said Tenaca.
"Wonderful! If you don't mind, have you named the child yet?"
"B2-S9," the commander responded, flatly.
"Uh… pardon?"
"That's his subject number."
"I… see," the doctor said, slowly. "Well then, I'll see you at the end of the week. I'll keep you posted."
"Sure. Commander out."
Tenaca hung up and sighed. She'd be lying if she said she didn't think the kid was adorable, but she knew she couldn't get attached. Already, however, she was regretting being so cold on giving the kid a name.
"Alright. B2 for short," she compromised.
It had been two more days since she got the child. So, four days in total. The general had one of his Octo Troopers go down Tenaca's quarters.
Meanwhile, Tenaca had tried to get some work done in her room. She had set B2 on her bed, but found it hard to take her eyes off him for even a second. Her heart skipped a beat every time she saw him crawling, worrying he might fall again. Once he was playing he playing with his blocks too close to the edge, she had enough.
"Cod, dang it!" Tenaca said. She picked him up and carried him over to her desk. "I really can't let you out of my sight. Now just sit still and let me work."
Tenaca got her screwdriver and started working on her weapons. B2 stared curiously and began reaching out towards whatever was close enough. The commander noticed this and sighed.
"Well, better teach you now while you're still young," said Tenaca. She got up and set the kid on the bed. Then she picked up one of her weapons and showed it to B2. "See this? It's called an Octo-shot."
B2 reached out towards it, but Tenaca flinched.
"Whoa, whoa! You're still too young to hold one." She placed it back on the desk and grabbed an empty Splat Bomb. "Here. something less dangerous and unloaded. A Splat Bomb."
The kid grabbed the Splat Bomb and waved it around happily. When the doorbell went off, Tenaca turned towards the noise, only to have the empty bomb hit the back of her head. As much as she wanted to yell, she knew she couldn't.
"Very funny…" Tenaca grumbled. The kid reached up with his arms, getting fussy. Tenaca sighed and picked up B2 before heading to the door.
Once the door was opened, she was surprised to see an Octo Trooper.
"Oh. Did you need something?" she said. B2 saw the Octo Trooper and hid his face in Tenaca's shoulder.
"The general sent me here," said the trooper.
"Okay, come this way," said Tenaca.
B2 peeked a little at the Octo Trooper over Tenaca's shoulder as they entered the living quarters.
"Sorry 'bout the kid," Tenaca said, as they made their way to the couch. "He hasn't seen an Octo Trooper before. Besides, it's pretty late. What brings you by?"
"The General wanted a full report of the attack on the facility," said the Octo Trooper. "We're collecting the reports from all involved."
"Didn't the doctor send you one?" said Tenaca.
"The General wants a direct one from you," the trooper responded.
"Ugh. It's like he wants to be buried in paperwork," Tenaca said, rolling her eyes. "Tell him it'll be there by the end of the week."
"Of course, Commander," said the Octo Trooper. "Uh… Isn't it pretty late for the kid to be up?"
Tenaca stared down at B2. He was playing with the ends of Tenaca's tentacle hair, giggling.
"Uh… I dunno," said Tenaca. "I usually just wait for him to fall asleep on his own."
"Oh! I have an idea!" said the Octo Trooper. "Try reading to him."
"O… kay," said Tenaca.
Tenaca set B2 on the couch and signaled the trooper to watch him. She went over to the bookshelf, but couldn't find anything "kid friendly", so she just grabbed something she liked.
Once she was back, she sat B2 in her lap once more and opened the book.
"Well, I hope you like it," said Tenaca.
She began to read aloud. The story was a little violent, but had romance, not that she was sure B2 could understand romance yet. B2 seemed to be enjoying it, nonetheless, babbling with joy whenever Tenaca got to the exciting parts of the story, even pulling the Octo Trooper into it. Once the chapter was over, B2 was looking sleepy, snuggling closer to her.
"Hey, it worked!" Tenaca whispered.
"Glad I could help!" said the Octo Trooper. "Anyway, I've got to get back to the general."
"Of course," said Tenaca. "I'll see you soon."
With B2 in her arms, Tenaca saw the trooper to the door. Once he was gone, the kid started getting fussy again.
"C'mon kid. Ya gotta sleep," Tenaca grumbled. She eyed B2 reaching for the book in her other hand. "What? You want another story? Fine. One more!"
Tenaca closed the door and sat on the couch with the book and B2.
"Well, at least I love this chapter," she said. "All the Inklings are dead by the end."
The commander read aloud once more and once the chapter was over, the kid was fast asleep. Slowly, Tenaca closed the book and set it aside to carry B2 to bed. As she approached the crib in her room, B2 made a soft noise before grabbing her finger. Tenaca could only stay still in shock. She shook her head, carefully wiggling her finger out of the kid's grasp.
Once B2 was safely in his crib, she turned away. She couldn't get attached! She can't! It was only a matter of time before the doctor found B2's real parent. She was a deadly, powerful commander. Octarians and Inklings feared her!
So why did the thought of find B2's real parent frighten her?
Tenaca continued to watch over B2. It had been about five days now. It was the afternoon and the kid was napping in his crib. A baby monitor was set up near his crib, so Tenaca could hang out in the living room. The dome was simulating a wind storm at the moment, so she hoped the noises wouldn't wake the kid.
It was boring being confined to her quarters. Her wounds had healed, for the most part, and she felt fine. Sure, she could've died in that explosion, but the risk came with the title. She had called the doctor to try and change his mind, but he put his foot down.
She worked on her weapons in the the time B2 was asleep. She already tuned up and polished all of them, so she resorted to watching a movie.
Two Octolings were standing in an empty battleground. Ink laid on the floor as toxic gas and explosions could be heard from afar.
"This was what we wanted!" the female one said. "We've wanted this since the beginning!"
Tenaca's hands tightened their grip on her knees.
"So why?! Why did you do it?"
"That doesn't make what we want right!" the male Octoling responded.
Tenaca bit her lower lip. The two opposing characters raised their weapons. Tears began to fill her eyes.
Suddenly, Tenaca heard the the kid cry out. Quickly, she ran over to her room and picked up the crying child. B2 began to calm down, his hair turning from blue to purple and then orange. Out of curiosity, she reached out her free hand, and kid grabbed her finger. He began to babble a little.
"Shh… I'll keep you safe…" Tenaca said, softly. She continued to rock him until he was asleep once more, but she couldn't bring herself to put him back in his crib. Instead, she hugged him. Even though he didn't know what he was doing, B2 was giving her comfort.
It was overwhelming and she couldn't understand. She had killed. She had killed before, and she expected to kill again. She just… preferred not to.
So… why did she have to kill him?
Finally, after caring for B2 for about a week, the doctor had come over to perform a check-up. He seemed happy to see him and complied with his tests, laughing when the cold stethoscope touched his skin, making Tenaca have to hold him still.
"Well, everything seems to be in order," the doctor said. He sounded a bit quiet, but continued to write on his clipboard.
Tenaca crossed her arms.
"You don't sound happy…" she said.
The doctor stopped writing and set his clipboard down on the couch next to B2. He put his hands together and brought himself to speak up.
"I thought it was better that I tell you in person," he said.
"What is it?" said Tenaca.
"I… I found a match," he said.
Tenaca's heart sank.
"W-Well… that's good news…" she said. Her voice sounded soft.
Tenaca glared at no one in particular. She knew it was only a matter of time and she couldn't get attached to the kid. She was a commander and there was no time for caring for children.
"I've went down the list of our current personnel," said the doctor, "but I didn't find a match."
"But I thought you said you did find a match," said Tenaca.
"So, I went down our non-current personnel," the doctor continued.
"And?"
The doctor looked to the child, sitting patiently on the couch, looking around. Then he looked back at the commander.
"His parent…" he began. "The child's DNA belongs to… Kelpson."
Tenaca regained focus, bringing herself to look at the doctor.
"What?!"
"My apologies," said the doctor. "But it appears his parent is now deceased."
"His parent was a traitor…" Tenaca mumbled. Her hands began to shake. "And I…"
A beeping noise interrupted them. The doctor answered his pager.
"Dang it! I'll be right back!" he said. And he dashed out of the living quarters.
The child sitting before Tenaca was made of a traitor… A traitor who would blow up and destroyed all that they… she worked for…
Would this child grow up to be like him?
His yellow eyes mocked her with familiarity. She couldn't believe she spent the whole week baby-sitting this… thing! Even from beyond the the grave, Kelpson managed to trick her…
Tenaca grabbed her Octo-shot and closed in on the child. Her movements were slow, even as she raised the weapon at the little one. B2's hair merely turned yellow as he reached out towards Tenaca, a smile appearing on his face as he babbled.
This kid was a copy of him! A traitor! He almost killed her! Killed others! Friends! Comrades! So why were tears filling her eyes?
"Commander, what are you doing?!"
The doctor had come back in to see her. Her weapon shook in her grip, reminding her of when she had first found the child. Her index finger touched the trigger, but she couldn't pull it. She was reminded of the little guy holding her finger.
"I can't…" she said, softly. She sank to her knees, dropping her weapon.
The doctor ran over as tears began to escape from her eyes.
"We wanted this so bad…" said Tenaca. "I just… can't understand why he did this!" She stared at B2, reaching out towards her, with his mouth hanging open.
"We wanted our race to grow!" she continued. "We wanted to be free! We wanted the Inklings to know that we demanded respect… So WHY DID HE THROW EVERYTHING AWAY?!"
The commander buried her face in in her hands, shaking violently as tears continued to escape. She didn't care that B2, who was frightened by her sudden outburst, began to cry, his hair turning purple.
"He wouldn't listen to me!" said Tenaca. "I had no choice."
"Comman… Tenaca, it's alright," said the doctor.
"No, it's not!" she yelled.
"There was nothing else you could've done. He would've killed you, if you hadn't done anything."
Tenaca began to quiet down, her sobs beginning to subside and her mind became of aware of B2's crying.
"Why… Why did he throw us away?" she mumbled.
"I can't answer that, Commander," the doctor responded, but he put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "B2 may have the DNA of Kelpson, but he's another being. You can raise him however you want. He will be someone different. Maybe someone even better!"
Tenaca wiped her eyes. She stumbled onto her feet and picked up the child.
"I'm so sorry," she said, as she began to rock him in her arms. B2 eventually calmed down, his cries dying down to soft whimpers. He grabbed Tenaca's hair and his own turned pink as he snuggled close to her. A weak smile formed on her face. She admired all the colors that his hair changed to based on his emotions.
"...Neon," she said. "You'll be someone new."
"Neon?" said the doctor.
"He needs a name," said Tenaca.
The doctor smiled. It looked like the commander was finally coming around.
"Neon is a fine name," he said.
Neon cooed happily in Tenaca's arms as he fell asleep.
"I'll keep you safe," she said to him, softly. "It's a promise…"
Last Month's One-shot:
Weight of a Leader - RWBY
Other Stories:
Skyward Bound - Legend of Zelda
Splatoon: A Fresh Spark - Splatoon
Broken Worlds - Steven Universe