Squelch and Slosh: Viral
Sunday, 22:26
-- Octariansmission History --
Callers: HC.1, HC.2, BASE
Received the following messages, 8 hours 11 minutes ago:13:37
HC.1: We're coming in to the square. Over.
BASE: Good. You haven't been spotted yet? Over.
HC.1: Thank the Kraken we haven't. Preparing to super jump down in T minus 30. Over.
BASE: Is the square busy? Over.
HC.2: Of course it is. It's the weekend. Over.
13:38
HC.1: Jumping in T minus 5. Over.
HC.2: Landed. Contact after mission success. Over.
14:38
BASE: Agents… It's been over an hour, what's going on? Over.
HC.1: wwWe are okay. … Over.
BASE: What have those pesky Inklings agreed to?
HC.1: Well, they've agreed to, uh, well, hm…
BASE: You're not our agents! You sound like an old man!
HC.1: We - we meaning I - am an-
BASE has removed HC.2 from this transmission at 14:38.
BASE terminated their broadcasting at 14:38 [Recieving still operational].
HC.1: -agent of yours!
14:39
HC.1: He's not responding … What do you mean you can't trace it? … Oh I see, they've stopped broadcasting so we can't locate them. How do I turn this thing off, d-
HC.1 terminated their broadcasting and recieving at 14:39.
BASE has terminated this conversation 14:40.
-- End of Octariansmission Backup --
The chilling wind blew into Jack's uncovered lime-green tentacles. He was leaning out to the side of an aluminium balcony, with slightly rusty railings keeping him from falling off. The floor was arranged in a grid-like shape with more (intentional) gaps than straight metal pieces, brutal to bare feet but structurally sound. There were no furnishings on the platform aside from a run-down wooden stool/box thing that had rotted in the rain it had no doubt experienced.
Jack was in a slightly dirty black coat and had slid on his blue shoes. Opposite him, on a balcony adjacent, was an Octoling called Matt. He was slightly older than Jack, in a long, grey, cotton coat, with brown shoes exposed and a grey beanie over his blue, shoulder-length tentacles.
"Pretty crazy, isn't it…" Matt spoke across the gap, "one day you're just some random dude and the next you're some sort of superhero idol!"
"I wouldn't say I'm a superhero," Jack argued, "I - Ryan and I - did what we had to do to save everyone in the square from those weirdos."
"Alright, sure, sure. Those Octarian-Octoling bozos had it coming for 'em. What were they there for anyway?"
"I'm not really sure, I wasn't there for their grand speech. Although, while sneaking around, I heard some things."
There was silence for a few drawn-out seconds. The boys heard the sounds of the night - not altering too much from the noise of the say - the distant cars, trains and talking creatures. Then, Matt interrupted, "Well, don't keep me waiting. What'd they say?"
"I can't remember exactly, I wasn't focusing on their voices, but they wanted reparations and stuff for how Octolings and Octarians were treated in the past."
"Oh right. Well, even though I'm an Octoling, I don't agree with them. But then I guess I don't disagree either," Matt trailed off.
"Yeah, well," Jack began, "what's in the past is in the past."
"Inklings, like you, are mostly nice to Octolings like me. Either way, the Octarians stole the Great Zapfish, like, twice!"
From inside Jack's mum's apartment, a "Quiet down boys!" could be heard.
Jack loudly whispered through the open door to his mother, "Ok."
He was returned with an "It's very late and you have school tomorrow, so go to bed!"
Jack nodded at his mother and then turned back to face Matt. Matt whispered, "Your mum is right. We should head off to bed."
"Alright, see you at school then. I can't wait for all the attention," Jack added sarcastically.
"Relax, relax. People will forget about you in a month or two, so enjoy the fame while it lasts."
Monday, 13:04
The attention was intolerable for Jack. Everyone was obsessing over him in all his classes; he was now a magnet that pulled in everyone. People he had scarcely heard of were taking selfies with him. Jack just didn't understand. He was still the same fairly-destitute squid kid he'd always been.
But Ryan was embracing it to the fullest. He loved all the recognition and was truly making the most of it - signing papers, posing for photos and even getting approached by some relatively attractive girls. Even a teacher had asked Ryan for an autograph, and if course he'd signed. (The same teacher had also approached Jack, but to no avail.) Ryan had even came up with a 'Slosh' signature.
Jack was in a corner of the outdoor grounds, in his black blazer and shirt accompanied by a red tie. His black shorts were catching the sun, burning into his inky flesh. Matt was by him, leaning up against a wall, and they had been discussing normal things; they had been talking about topics and occurrences they had discussed since before the incident. That's what Jack had named it: the incident.
Meanwhile, a fellow slightly shorter and a few years younger than Jack came walking his way. He was joined by some other, much fresher, kids whom Jack had never seen before. They weren't his friends. Perhaps they were some fame-feeders. The 15 year-old with light blue, wavy tentacles went up to Jack. Some of his newfound 'friends' started squirming in excitement when they realised the tall figure with green tentacles was that Squelch guy from the news. However, after seeing Jack's mundane facial expression aimed at them, it seemed like they were squirming as if the Kraken was before them.
"Hey bro, how's it going? Is the awareness serving you well?"
"Not particularly well, Ryan," Jack moaned, "everyone is after me. It's terrible. Miss Anemarine - I don't know what was going through her head - asked for my signature! I don't understand! I did one 'heroic' act, apparently doing everyone a favour, but no one will do me a favour and just leave me alone!"
By the end of this short rant Jack was practically shouting at his brother. Many eyes were turned his way. Ryan and his accomplices were shocked.
"Woah, you need to calm it down a notch," Ryan spoke softly with a disapproving expression, "everyone just appreciates you, that's all."
"Appreciation is one thing, attention is another," Jack grunted, "Unlike you, I don't lap it up, or need it. I'm just a relatively simple guy, living with his annoying brother, squiddie sister, and mother in a dank council flat trying to get a grade at the Inkopolis Public School."
"I agree with the last sentence. People are noticing you, Jack. Doesn't everyone want that? What's wrong with just scribbling 'Squelch' onto a piece of paper for someone?"
"Because it'll change me! Look at you, hanging out with those fresh bozos. Take a look at your crinkled shirt, muddy shoes, shoddy weekend clothes. You don't belong with them." Jack glared at Ryan's new acquaintances. One shivered for some reason, another, a bulky boy, just stayed silent.
The third one spoke up, "We are Ryan's friends. And if you don't like that, tough luck!"
Ryan liked this, "Yeah, Jack! You ain't bossing me around!" And with that, he strolled off with his comrades, who seemed to congratulate him as if he'd won the Great Turf War.
Matt came away from the wall he was resting upon, "That was one mighty fued, my friend…" In a trance, Jack looked to Matt and nodded slightly. Then looked back and noticed the younger Inkling and Octolings playing football, not caring to glance his way. Of course, if they did, they would come running to the now celebrity, however Jack was in too much of a daze to realise that. This, Jack thought, is what I want it to be like. No one caring, just a return to routine.
15:57
Later that day, after school, the siblings travelled home together after school had finished for the day. They didn't talk much between each other as Jack was irritated at Ryan for striking up conversation with every person who recognised him, posing for photos and signing things. Ryan was angry Jack didn't wait for him each time he stoppped, and he had to keep apologising to fans why his older brother wouldn't interact with anyone. Jack wanted to get home as fast as he could; he was fed up with all the attention and just wanted peace and quiet.
Despite the vastly different emotional effects it had on them, they were both tired. As they finished climbing the grubby stairwell and reached the sixth apartment on the third floor, number 36, Jack breathed a sigh of relief before taking his keys from his pocket and placing them in the ancient lock attached to the peeling grey and grotty door.
Jack froze before putting the keys in the hole.
Ryan stopped behind him and scoffed, "Have you been impaled by the spine of a sting ray or something? Unlock the door you cr-"
"Lower your voice! I didn't open the door so we could brave ourselves for our mum…"
"What?! Why do we need to brave ourselves?" Ryan quieried in an agitated tone as they turned to face each other. Then, when he realised what Jack was on about, "Ohhhh…"
"Mhm, stupid. Do you think she found out?"
"Well, we should consider that mum's colleagues at Mako Mart spread gossip like it jets out of an Aerospray."
"And, not forgetting her colleagues have met us before."
"Oh, carp!" The siblings exclaimed simultaneously.
"Let's just go in," Ryan suggested, gesturing to the door.
Jack shoved the keys into the keyhole and turned it around a couple times. Then, he pushed the door open and they came into the run-down kitchen. It was rather small, with a fake marble counter against the left wall, on top of some broken draws and squeaky cupboards. There was an old gas cooker in the centre of the counter, with a sink not far from it with dirty plates stacked up beside. Their mum was in the next room attending a dilapidated sofa with an eight year-old half-kid half-squid on it. Her long, mid-green tentacles reflected her stress and anxiety, stretching down to her slightly stained purple hoodie.
When she noticed the boys had come in she turned around and put her hands on her hips.
"...Hey, mum…" Jack spoke softly.
"Sorry we're late, -"
"-If Ryan didn't stop for two minutes each time someone recognised him, we would have been home much sooner."
"I'm not looking for excuses," their mother said, raising her voice. She was much shorter than Jack, but still marginally taller than Ryan. Her voice sounded angry and disappointed, "What is done is done, and I'm almost late. I can't have your heroic shenanigans affect my life."
"But mum, we were saving people! Even the police couldn't handle them!"
Jack and Ryan's parent walked over to a coat rack, where her muddy and dusty blue trainers were. "I'm not entirely pleased with you. You could have died! Next time, let the police sort things out. They're professional, I'm sure they were waiting for the perfect time to strike."
"They weren't, they don't put water in their weapons! It's like a war crime or something," Ryan protested.
"As I said before, I'm not looking for excuses. You're not secret agents, you're 18 and 15 year-old Inklings who need to do the dishes and take care of Emily while I'm gone."
She opened the front door, "No saving the day, Squelch and Slosh! Oh, and you better not be interviewed by those strange pop stars who apparently they want to talk to you. Don't go near them!"
She slammed the front door as she left the decaying and ruined apartment. Jack walked through a doorway into the sitting room, and Ryan followed by after. It was rather small. On the right wall there rested a stained sofa. Jack and Ryan's little sister was sitting on it, watching a small television on top of a small wooden table against the right wall of the room. Just like the boys' bedroom, the wallpaper was peeling.
"Hey, Emily," Jack spoke.
"Hewo bruvers," Emily replied in a polite tone. As a young squid, her vocal chords and teeth were not fully developed yet.
Emily was a half-squid. Her face was forming, and her limbs were becoming more kid-like. Her head was arrow-shaped, with two long tentacles coming off the side, and all her skin was blue. She didn't have individual fingers or toes yet, just tentacle-shaped stumps at the end of each arm and leg.
She was practically the same as all other children her age, but something about her was different. It became apparent to her parents, when she was about three years old, that she was dragging herself around too much. Way too much for a girl of that age. They thought, shouldn't she be walking by now? After seeing a doctor about it, they were informed that Emily's legs just didn't work.
"What are you watching there?" Ryan asked gently.
"The Adwenchures ov Crysawa."
The Adventures of Chrysaora was a fictional program aimed at 6-10 year olds about a jellyfish and shenanigans she gets up to with her friends at school. It was also Emily's favourite television program.
"Give us a shout if you need anything," Jack spoke. Jack gazed into his sister's eyes. She was staring intently at the TV screen, oblivious to the fame of her brothers. Jack loved his sister, and he also loved the fact that she did not know what the brothers had been up to yesterday at two o'clock.
Author's note:
Hey! Just wanted to say that I added a cover for the series. I whipped it up in 45 minutes in SFM. (I'm not great at it, plus my computer doesn't even support the graphics properly.)
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.