Chapter Text
How long had it been in this foul place? Weeks? Months? It felt like time was irrelevant at this point.
Two young Octolings had been in the Deepsea Metro for a while, facing a multitude of physical and mental tests that I cannot even come to describe to you. The younger one's name was Hachi Umiko, who was just 14 years old at the time, barely old enough to be considered an adult. Although he was tested beyond his limits, he always made it out somehow. Attaria Umiko, his older sister, was not much older indeed, being just 16 herself. She was able to complete the tasks her little brother...or sibling, she called him, couldn't. It was purely amazing how they were able to keep such a smile at times, but even with a man named Craig Cuttlefish (or Captain, as they affectionately referred to him,) and two pop stars named Pearl and Marina (who they had not actually seen the faces of) encouraging them, the fear was still crushing.
Then there happened to be two inklings that, on the surface, seemed to be intimidating, but were actually rather kind to the two octopi. Atta and her brother had been raised to believe that Inklings were vile creatures and did not deserve even the most basic of rights, but Tres Alon and Neli Keturi proved those misconceptions wrong. Most of the time they were rather busy, and they never seemed to stay around for long.
Tres, around the same age of Atta, was strong and silent, but was actually somewhat sweet, especially for Hachi. A lot of the free time Tres had was spent mentoring Hachi on certain weapons (with the Hero Shot of course being his favorite) and telling him about all the things this Inkopolis had to offer. At times Tres would come back from hours-long missions somehow not tired, and the way he never even broke a sweat at any time caught Hachi off guard. He found himself getting closer and closer to the inkling, his face growing more embarassed and his blush more intense as time went on. Unbeknownst to him, Tres started to act the same way, especially when Hachi would affectionately hug him when he came back. It was beyond clear that these two enjoyed each other's company very much.
Neli was a bit more laidback and openly energetic to everyone she met, and the Octolings were no exception. She was always delivering snacks and just small things to the two, but at times they made all the difference, especially during the rougher times in such a fearsome place. At times she comforted Hachi, and at other times she was with Atta tending to her needs and worries, being a presence she could rely on. She was almost a mother figure to the two, even if she was simply twenty herself.
Some days, Hachi sat quietly near the back of the train, reading fashion magazines from Inkopolis that he'd found. He always got giddy when looking at the outfits on display, especially with things like suits, cologne, etc. Atta would sometimes join him, and read over all the tests remaining, chewing her tentacles as she did so. Hachi always tried shooing the appendage away from her mouth, always. "Please don't do that, sis.." He'd tell her softly. "It's not healthy..." Atta always promised not to do it again, but lo and behold, it was a reoccurring cycle among the two.
It was the tests, more than anything, that terrified them in this place. From guiding 8-Balls, to dodging enemy ink swiftfully, to fighting other Octolings that were "sanitized," these exams cannot be described as anything else but traumatizing. When the tests got really rough, Hachi would sit next to one of the other passengers on the train, Iso Padre, and just start crying his eyes out, all of the stress going with it. Iso Padre would just console him until his fit was over, or Hachi would just fall asleep. It was especially during those times that Atta had to withdraw from everyone else, even her brother.
She would go to sit by herself in whatever empty car she found cry as well. She absolutely, absolutely fucking hated this place, these tests, her lack of memories, CQ Cumber, that damn telephone, everything! Literally all she wanted was a normal life with her and Hachi, living peacefully away from the Octarian army and any threats to her and her sibling.
Yet on one fateful day, that wish got...answered!
Tres and Neli came back to the subway one day, with important news: they had found a safe passage out the metro. Why, Hachi and Atta were more than ready to leave. The two Octolings were led up through the metro, slowly ascending to the surface. Tres took out the vast majority of the sanitized Octarians in their way, easily slicing his way through them, most of the times not even needing a weapon. Neli stayed near the two to protect them, as they lacked their own weapons. Eventually Tres was half-sanitized himself, and Atta and Hachi, now with weapons, teamed up with Neli to take Agent 3 down. It was a doozy of a battle, but it was won indeed, and they had reached the surface.
Neli pushed open the hatch, and the two octopi and the unconscious Tres emerged from it. It didn't fully register in their minds yet, but Hachi and Atta had, for the first time in their lives, seen a sunrise.
The rest of the morning was a blur, specifically to Hachi. The telephone they had spoken to before when they arrived had been the mastermind behind the whole subway, and was planning to wipe out..well, everything! His sister took initiative and painted the statue it was in just enough for Pearl (whom Hachi was surprised at how short she was) to use her Killer Wail against, finishing it off and saving the day.
Atta had come back to the helicopter they were in, and it was in this moment that both of them realized what truly happened. The sun shone upon both of them, and they saw the bright, bright ocean was on full display.
They were free.
Atta looked at this sight and then turned to her brother, finally realizing how sparkly and vivid his violet irises were. Her face started to change, and tears started dropping from her eyes, but for once these were not tears of sorrow and stress. They were happy tears.
The two wrapped each other in an embrace, still in amazement of what they had just seen. "We're free.." Atta whispered in her brother's ears, "We're finally free.."
A few words, yes, but maybe some of the most impacted words Hachi had ever heard. He tightened his embrace on his sister, and his mind fixated on one word, the one that defined everything that they had been working towards.
Free.