Author's note: Hey guys! First of all, this chapter is a lot longer than I was originally planning it to be. However, I wanted all of the events included in this chapter together, because they all flow perfectly together. So, think of it has a gift from me to you all that this chapter is longer! A lot happens in this chapter… so I promise it will be worth the read! Just wait until you get to the end haha….Of course thank you for taking time to read my story, it means a lot. Here is chapter 10:)
*The following morning*
Everyone is eating breakfast in the kitchen.
Shellington is nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was beginning to get curious on where he was.
"Captain, where is Shellington?" Dashi asks.
"Yes, he should have been here by now!" Christina adds.
"That's odd for Shellington to be late!" Peso says.
"Shellington is never late for anything!" Tweak says.
Barnacles felt a punch of guilt keeping this from the Octonauts.
He wish he could tell them everything.
But he knew that he couldn't.
Barnacles knew that Shellington was right, the remaining Octonauts could not know exactly why he was gone.
Not until the theory is tested after all.
Not until Shellington knows that there is any proof in it.
Barnacles knows that secret keeping is a huge don't with the Octonauts, however with this scenario, it was necessary to do so.
"Ummm…. Shellington had to go on a last minute research mission today…. He won't be back until late tonight." Barnacles answers hoping that would stop them from asking future questions.
"Research mission? Why didn't he tell us that he was doing so?" Inkling questions.
"It was a last minute decision. The research mission could not wait." Barnacles answers.
"What's research mission all about?" Christina asks curiously.
"Yea, and does it have to do with the treasure hunt?" Asher adds.
Barnacles was becoming stressed.
"Enough with the questions!" Barnacles thought to himself.
He couldn't answer that question!
He thought of an answer to give them.
"He didn't say. All I know is that he had to go somewhere today and will not be back until late tonight. He should be almost there as I speak." Barnacles says for the last time.
Barnacles was ready for Shellington to be back.
The weight of keeping Shellington's secret was starting to weight on him.
He was still in shock from what Shellington told him last night.
Could it really be true?
He wasn't sure.
He hasn't stopped thinking about it since last night.
Barnacles was ready for some answers.
—
Shellington has arrived in Los Angeles.
He pulls the Gup E to the dock and places the lock onto the dock that is connected to the Gup, so that no one can attempt to steal it.
Shellington walks on the dock pathway.
It felt good to be on land again.
It has been a long time since he has been on land.
He hasn't left the sea in months.
In a way, he liked last minute trips to the real world.
To be in the real world again is a huge transition.
He reaches the end of the dock that leads to the beginning of the sidewalk.
His taxi is parked by the sidewalk, waiting for him.
Shellington reaches the taxi.
He opens the door and steps inside.
"Hello Shellington! Where are you off to today?" The taxi driver asks.
"Sunpoint Labs of East Los Angeles." Shellington replies.
—
*Back at the Octopod*
Barnacles and Kwazii are out in the Ocean in the Gup A with Asher, doing a Gup training exercise.
Asher still has a lot of training to do to in order to fully understand everything about being an Octonaut.
"Today Asher, we are doing a Gup training exercise. Part of being an Octonaut means learning how to operate all the Gups. That way, you know how to keep yourself safe and you have reliable transportation. Trust me, you don't want to swim everywhere you go in the Ocean!" Barnacles explains with his friendly personality tone.
"Ahhh the best part! Driving the Gups is the second best thing that I have looked forward to doing!" Asher says excitedly.
"Aye matey. I can see you being an excellent driver! But don't get too excited, no one will ever be a better driver than me!" Kwazii exclaims.
"I have read interviews that said you are the best driver on board!" Asher adds.
"Yeow! That tis right!" Kwazii smiles.
"Alright, it is time to begin the exercise." Barnacles says.
Barnacles motions Asher to trade places with him and stand in front of the steering wheel.
"You may think that driving a Gup is just like driving a car, well it is similar, but also very different. A obvious difference is that you are underwater and you are not driving on a road." Barnacles explains.
Asher nods.
"To begin, press the green button to start the Gup."
Asher does so.
"Now, pull down on the left lever and pull it to D as in drive.
Asher does so and the Gup A begins to move.
"Excellent Asher. Incase of an emergency and you need more speed, press the yellow button to activate turbo booster." Barnacles says.
Asher beamed.
He felt so proud of himself.
His Captain was impressed by him already.
He has lived for this moment.
He was really living the dream.
"Aye, Asher, why don't ya try it now, to make sure it really works!" Kwazii laughs daring Asher.
"Sweet! Great idea Kwazii!" Asher agrees.
"Now, I don't think that is a great-" Barnacles says getting cut off.
Asher boldly presses the turbo booster and the Gup A starts to speed up tremendously.
Asher and Kwazii yell excitedly.
Asher drives the Gup from side to side.
Asher steers around rocks, above coral reefs filled with sea creatures waving as they drove by them, and beautiful rock arches.
This is the life that Asher has been dreaming.
"This is epic!" Asher screams.
"There be nothing like a crazy ride to make a pirate feel alive! Yeow!" Kwazii exclaims.
Barnacles is tossed left to right.
He felt very nervous right now with Asher driving wildly (plus he has never drove a Gup before), but to his surprise, Asher seems to know what he is doing.
As time went by, Barnacles became relaxed with Asher driving.
Asher steers the Gup to do a loop upside down.
Kwazii and Asher scream with excitement as they go upside down.
They were having a blast.
The Gup A is now right side up and Asher steers the Gup through some waves on the surface.
The Gup begins to slow down.
Asher brings the Gup back underwater.
Asher pulls the gear and puts the Gup in park.
Asher and Kwazii give Barnacles big smiles on their faces both hoping that he was not angry at them.
Barnacles laughs.
"Asher, you surprised me today. Most of the Octonauts stayed at a much slower pace learning to drive a Gup. But today, you literally blew me out of the water." Barnacles explains.
Asher is shocked.
"Really Captain?" Asher questions.
"You aren't mad that I pressed the turbo booster without your permission, and that I drove like a lunatic?"
"Actually, not at all. You came in confidently, ready to learn. You took the bull by the horns today. You were not scared of anything. You were fearless. You were not scared of what me and Kwazii thought. You jumped right in without hesitating. That is part of what being an Octonaut is all about. And with a little more training on the emergency procedures, I'd say you will be one of the best drivers on board." Barnacles says.
Asher is blown away.
He definitely was not expecting to hear that.
He was glad that Barnacles was proud of him.
It meant a lot to get acceptance from the Captain.
"Captain, I think it be safe to say that Shellington will still be the worst driver on board!" Kwazii laughed.
Barnacles laughed.
"You are right about that Kwazii!"
"Captain, I am the best driver on board! That is me title!" Kwazii points out.
"Kwazii, I said ONE of the best drivers. However, you better watch out, you might have some competition coming!"
Asher beams.
"Guys, I just want to say thank you for accepting me for me and for accepting me into your crew. It all means a lot. Being accepted, has made this transition much easier. I just wish everyone would accept me….." Asher said.
Barnacles and Kwazii knew who Asher was referring to as "everyone."
The Captain decided to bring the subject up.
"Have you spoken to Christina since everything went down yesterday?"
"Ah I haven't. I want to make aments with her, but I just don't want to rush her into it. I wanted to give her some space first." Asher answered.
"I understand that. But you will have to talk to her eventually, you two can't just avoid each other forever. Eventually, both of you will have to work together, that is why you are here after all. We don't have time for unnecessary feuds." Barnacles reasoned.
"I understand, Captain. I will talk to her….tonight." Asher says.
Shellington is walking inside Sunpoint Labs.
He still could not believe what he was doing.
He still could not believe that he was here.
I mean come on, he just decided to do this late last night!
He knew that he had come today.
He had to get an answer.
He walks up to the front desk.
"How can I help you today- wait you are Shellington Sea Otter, the Scientist from the Octonauts! I will get you Dr. RJ Raccoon right away!" The receptionist replies.
"Thank you."
Shellington waits at the front desk for the receptionist to return with the Dr.
A few minutes pass by and the reception returns with a Raccoon following behind them, Dr. RJ .
"Hello Shellington Sea Otter. Come with me." Dr. RJ says motioning Shellington forward.
Shellington follows.
Dr. RJ leads Shellington to his lab.
Shellington closes the door behind him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Dr. Shellington Sea Otter. I admire you and the Octonauts' cause." Dr. RJ says ecstatically.
The two have kept up with each other in the Science World.
Today was the first time for them to meet in person.
"It is my pleasure as well. I have heard so many great things about you and your team as well….." Shellington replies.
Shellington looks around the lab.
He was astonished.
"What a nice place you have here! Look at all of this magnificent technology!" Shellington says awed.
"Well thank you. We just installed some updates in here. We are always changing to keep up with today's technology." Dr. RJ replies.
"So…. You explained to me on the phone last night that you needed DNA tests done but I have to ask specifically, what has brought you all this way from the ocean?" Dr. RJ asks curiously.
"I apologize for coming on such a late notice. This was urgent business. I am on a top secret mission. No one else knows about this except for Captain Barnacles. I have a theory….. but I might just be insane. I need this theory to be tested. I need proof." Shellington explains.
"Oh wow… so why doesn't the rest of the Octonauts know about this?" Dr. RJ asked.
Shellington sighs.
"Because…I didn't want to tell anyone anything until I had any proof it was for real. I do not like keeping secrets but I know that it's the best decision… for now. " Shellington answered.
"I understand Dr. Shellington. So…. What exactly do you need me to do?" Dr. RJ asked.
The room goes silent for a few seconds.
"I need you to preform a DNA test. Compare the two. I have brought the two samples with me just like you asked." Shellington says pulling two envelopes out of his bag.
Shellington hands the envelopes to Dr. RJ.
Dr. RJ looks down at the envelopes in his paws.
"I thought you mostly studied marine life, not humans." Dr. RJ says.
"Yes, I do study marine life. It has certainly been different doing this research project for sure." Shellington replies.
"This test will take some time, we want to get 100% accurate results. At 5pm sharp tonight, the test results will be ready to pick up." Dr. RJ says.
Shellington thanked the Dr.
He just hoped his nerves lasted until then.
—
*Back on the Octopod*
Asher knocks at Christina's bedroom door.
He was ready for his foot massage!
Whether Christina was ready or not.
Asher was curious to see how Christina would act around him.
Last time they were together, (the surfing competition) she screamed at him in front of the entire crew.
Honestly, Asher was embarrassed by being screamed at in front of everyone.
He still didn't understand what he did wrong.
Asher hoped that Christina would put the past behind them and they could get along.
Like Barnacles said, there is absolutely no time for useless feuds….
They have more important things to worry about.
Asher had to get to the bottom of this.
Christina answers the door.
"I am ready for my foot massage!" Asher says excitedly.
His dark blue eyes were full of happiness.
"Well I am glad you are excited….." Christina said sarcastically.
"Have a seat over there." She adds.
Christina motions Asher to sit in the extra chair that she has in her room, with the foot massage things on the floor beside it along with a small stool for Christina to sit on.
Asher sits down.
Christina begins to massage Asher's feet.
When Christina first massaged one of Asher's feet, she felt a weird tingling feeling.
Asher felt it too.
It felt strange.
Neither one of them acknowledged it to the other.
The two felt awkward being in the same room together by themselves…. especially how the surfing competition ended with them fighting….
"So….. have you ever gave someone a foot massage?" Asher laughs.
"Haha…. No. You are the first and will be the last. I am only doing this because I lost the bet. I gotta thank Kwazii for this later…." Christina says laughing.
"Ummm… so how are you adjusting to life as an Octonaut?" Christina asked curiously.
"Actually… it is going great. I have done and learned so much already. Being an Octonaut is better than I ever imagined it to be…." Asher replied.
"It's just that… I wish everyone would…. Except me." He added.
Christina felt a punch of guilt.
She knew who he was talking about.
Her.
She is the one who hasn't excepted him.
"Yea… about that…" Christina said.
"I know the way I have acted toward you has been totally unprofessional and full out rude."
"Just a little!" Asher laughed.
"Anyways, I know both occasions you have saved me, I said I didn't need saving. But I knew deep down that I did need saving. I just didn't want to admit it at the time. I am sorry for the way that I acted." Christina apologized.
She continues to scrub Asher's feet.
Asher's mouth is wide open.
He was shocked.
He totally was not expecting that!
"Wait, did Christina really just apologize?" Asher thought to himself.
Christina looks up at Asher.
"What's with the shocked reaction?" Christina asked confused.
"It's just that… I was not expecting it…. Not now anyway.." Asher admitted.
"Oh…."
"But I have to ask you… why did you hate me so much anyway?" Asher asked deeply.
The room went silent for what seemed like forever.
"Because….. I didn't think that I could trust you…. Randomly, out of the blue….Inkling tells us that we are getting a new Octonaut then bam! The new Octonaut is here. If you didn't know already, the Octonauts do not have a say so in choosing Octonauts. We don't see the hiring process. Inkling manages that. We don't know anything about them until they get here. You are actually the first Octonaut to join after I got here. So, you could say that this was my first experience of having a new Octonaut join our crew. That last time that happened was a year ago when I joined. No one has joined since then…. Until you. There is something off about you… it is such a strange feeling. I can't quite understand it." Christina admitted.
"Ohhh well that makes sense…. This was your first time to experience someone new coming on board… I bet that was weird… you want to know something even weirder?" Asher says.
Christina nods her head while she rubs lotion on his feet.
"Ever since I first saw you. I got a weird feeling also. Like you said, you couldn't describe it. I can't either. It's awfully strange….It's almost like Déjà Vu. I don't know…. We might just be crazy…." Asher sighed.
"That is weird…." She agreed.
"But let me make myself clear, just because I forgive you, doesn't mean that I trust you. I don't… not yet anyway. There is something about you…. I don't know what it is yet…. But I am going to find out…." Christina says.
—
Shellington is sitting outside at a patio of a restaurant in Los Angeles.
He brought is laptop with him.
After all, he had more work to do while he waited for the test results.
He had already ordered his food.
While he waited, he started on some work that had to be done.
Shellington starts typing into the search bar.
Immediately, he finds what he is looking for.
He calls the number on the screen listed on the website.
"My Choice Adoption Agency, how can I help you?" A woman answers.
"Yes, this is Dr. Shellington Sea Otter from the Octonauts. I would like a few minutes of your time to ask a few questions." Shellington said.
"Go ahead, Dr. Shellington." The woman replies.
*Back at the Octopod*
Asher jumps from the Octo-chute into HQ.
Barnacles is standing in front of the main monitor observing.
"Hey, Captain, can I talk to you for a minute?" Asher asks.
"Of course."
Barnacles and Asher walk over to the side of HQ.
The only other person in HQ was Dashi but they knew she would not repeat anything that she heard.
"Is this about Christina?" Barnacles asked.
"You could say that…." Asher sighed.
"What happened?"
"Well… shockingly, she apologized for being so rude to me. But the twist is….. she said she didn't trust me…yet. I am so confused Captain…." Asher sighs aggravated.
"Hmmm… I will tell you this…. Christina does not trust everyone. It will take some time… but she will come around…." Barnacles explains to Asher.
"That is weird…. But I do have to ask you this. Was Christina the same way when she first boarded the Octopod? Did she did not trust people at first when she first came to the Octopod?" Asher asked.
Barnacles thought for a minute.
"Wait…. She didn't. She was very open when first coming here. She never said "she didn't trust anyone yet" or anything like that. She trusted everyone from the start. That is quite strange."
"So what is different this time? Why doesn't she trust me?" Asher said.
Barnacles sighed.
"Asher, that is a great question….."
"So….why did Shellington leave this morning?" Asher asked.
Everyone has been curious all morning why Shellington left suddenly this morning without no explanation.
Asher had a feeling that Barnacles was hiding something from the others.
He was determined to find out what it was.
"He had to go on a last minute research trip. He had to go to a lab today to check something out. That is all that he told me." Barnacles answered.
Barnacles was getting tired of the crew asking so many questions.
Yes, he knew they are just looking out for Shellington.
But seriously, no more questions!
He was tired of being asked questions when he cannot even answer them.
Barnacles was ready for Shellington to return.
He was ready to hear what Shellington had to say when he returns.
Shellington is walking inside Sunpoint Labs.
He got the call just moments before.
The test results were in.
Shellington walks down the hallway to Dr. RJ's lab.
He knocks on the door.
Dr. RJ answers it and lets him inside.
"The test results are inside this envelope." Dr. RJ says handing the envelope to Shellington.
Shellington breathes deeply.
"You may open the results now, if you would like." Dr. RJ adds.
Shellington sighs.
"I….just…. Can't. Not yet. I will open it once I am back at the Octopod." Shellington says.
He could not bring himself to open it yet.
He wasn't ready to do so yet.
"Dr. RJ, I just wanted to say thank you for performing the DNA test. No matter the results, it will truly help the Octonauts on our current mission." Shellington thanks him.
"Of course, Shellington. This is my job. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to call."
*At the Octopod*
The Octonauts are in the game pod.
Everyone ate dinner just two hours before and the crew wanted to do something fun before everyone went to bed.
"What shall we do for fun mateys?" Kwazii asked everyone.
The room went silent.
"Karaoke night!" Christina and Asher both say at the same time.
The crew laughed.
"Hey! That was my idea!" They both said pointing at each other at the same time once again.
"Let's do it Kwazii!" Dashi agreed.
Barnacles was in shock.
"Shellington….. I think you might be right….." Barnacles thought to himself.
*Hours later*
Currently, it is one in the morning.
Barnacles is sitting in a chair by the controls.
The Captain was exhausted.
He was waiting on Shellington to return to the Octopod.
Tweak had offered to wait on Shellington, but Barnacles decided that he should do it.
Barnacles didn't want to make Tweak stay up.
He felt like this was a Captain's job.
To pass the time, Barnacles caught up on some work in HQ.
Then after he finished, he decided to come down to the Launch Bay once it got later in the night..
Finally, he sees the Gup icon appear right in front of the Octopod on the Octomap.
"Captain, open the Octo-hatch." Shellington says.
Barnacles pulls on the latch that opens the Octo-hatch.
The Octo-hatch opens.
The Gup emerges out of the water in the Launch Bay.
Shellington jumps out of the Gup and walk toward Barnacles.
"Good to have you back Shellington. So…. How did it go?"
Shellington sighed nervously.
"It all went well Captain."
Barnacles decided to ask the question.
"So Shellington…. What was the results of the DNA test?"
Shellington breathes deeply.
"I…. Haven't opened it yet. I couldn't bring myself to open it before I left." Shellington responded.
"I understand that." Barnacles said understanding.
"Let's open the results. Together….." Barnacles suggests.
Barnacles and Shellington begin to open the envelope.
*TO BE CONTINUED*