@Uniquedoll602
Kwazii slithered through the Octopod, experienced after a few years now of doing just that, especially after run ins with a very angry rabbit. He wished Paani were here--he'd understand the plan better than Kwazii did. That macaque had such a talent for weird.
But Paani's job now, and Ryla's, was to fix that broken pipe and collect samples before it hurt anyone else. Kwazii felt like his own mind was spinning with everything that was happening-here his friends were probably dying, the Octo-Agents AND their children were in danger and a whole town above them was in the same boat.
So he could easily imagine how Shellington felt, when he slithered past the open lab doors to sea the otter trying to become a part of his desk, his head down and covered by his arms. Kwazii frowned, forgetting the plan momentarily, to enter the room. "Whasamatter matey?"
"What ISN'T?" Shellington asked. Kwazii's frown deepened. "You aren't...crying, are you?"
"No," the sea otter stubbornly wiped his eyes. Kwazii sat down next to him and looped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I don't blame ye." Shellington was their biggest hope right now, the only one well enough to do his job, to work for a cure. But he wasn't immune. They were all surprised he hadn't seemed to have gotten sick yet.
Shellington sighed. "All this work, all these leads and hopes...it's gotten us nowhere. I don't know how we're going to cure everyone on the Octopod, much less a whole town." He carefully wiped his face, trying to find some comfort. Kwazii nodded softly. "Aye. But there's no time for that now. We gotta do our best, and we can't quit. We'll find a cure and then we'll be able to get some rest." He chuckled softly. "Especially you. I'm pretty sure that after this is all over, you'll be so sick."
If this was meant to be a joke, Shellington didn't smile. He just put his head back in his arms. "I can't think."
Kwazii sat and cuddled him for a moment, holding Shellington's head to his chest. Shellington felt that familiar comfort from the multiple times when the captain would do just that.
They COULDN'T lose the captain...there could be no life without him...
Kwazii shushed him, head against head, and they stayed that way for a small while, when Kwazii remembered he was supposed to be on a mission. "Hey, I'll come check on you later, okay?" He nuzzled the sea otter gently, and gave him a worried look before leaving. Shellington nodded. "I know. It'll be okay." Although he still didn't sound too convinced himself.
But Kwazii still had a point. With a heavy sigh, Shellington sat back hard and looked at the notes he'd been poring and puzzling over for the last hour. It seemed like they had all this information, and yet, still nothing but dead ends. Paani and Kwazii's immunity...plus Peso's research, combined with his own...Paani's experience from wild disease outbreaks in India...hopefully something from that leaky pipe...and adding Kwazii's family's cures, and maybe a few of Paani's weird Indian rituals that Shellington had asked him about....hopefully something from the leaky pipe would help to end all this nonsense.
He shook his head. It all felt hopeless.
"Did Peso ever feel this way?" He thought, wondering about Peso, their ever talented medic, who had saved them during a cone snail invasion, who had become such an amazing medic at such a young age. Who could make medicines out of nothing...he was the one who should be doing this. He would know what to do. Not Shellington.
Wait a second...
Shellington bounced up and made for the sick bay. He headed straight for the desk cabinet where he knew Peso kept his books, ignoring Bianca's look of surprise. She had been in here ever since she'd come, vigilantly looking after her brother and adopted nephew, who didn't seem any sort of willing to let the captain be alone any more than Bianca was. The two cold-adapted creatures in question were bound in the sick bay, where the temperature was much more easily controlled. Peso cracked open an eye. Kwazii's herbs seemed to be doing some magic, but not enough. Peso was better. But he was still a child, and as the only non-adult on the ship, the disease seemed to be hitting him pretty hard. The captain too, although Shellington couldn't figure out why yet. And Tweak, and the only lead Shellington had there was her jellyfish DNA, still a particular mystery as to why it was there inside of her body in the first place.
Jellyfish DNA...
All these things running through his head , he could hardly focus on the titles of the books, the lullaby Bianca was singing to her brother. Peso fussed, snuggling tighter to his teddy bears, the stuffed one and the live one. For once, Shellington hardly noticed, picking out books on medicine.
Blood samples...herbs...toxins...jellyfish DNA...
Jelly fish DNA...
'That's what I've been Missing!'
Shellington grabbed an armful of books and scampered out of the medical bay, crying something over his shoulder about borrowing some of Peso's medicine books and recipes. Bianca shook her head softly. She wasn't a scientist.
Right now, her two primary worries were right here.
She stroked the feathers on Peso's head.
"Shh, mi corozon...it'll all be alright...it was just Shellington, and he's going to save us." Peso settled bac in, sleeping. Barnacles arm subconsciously went around him, giving him comfort.
Bianca could only wonder why these things happened, especially to people, CHILDREN, who didn't deserve it.
@RanbelisaAwesome
Meanwhile, Kwazii and Calico Jack were trying to get the rock into the kitchen without anyone seeing it.
"Grandad, why do we have to keep this a secret from the other Octonauts?" Kwazii asked.
"I don't know Kwazii, according to pirate legend, only the ones who found it can know about the magic rock," Calico replied.
As they were trying to get to the kitchen, little Vegimal Tomminow had sneaked out of the kitchen and overheard what they were saying.
"I hope this works, Grandad. Peso and the rest of me crew are getting worse everyday, and I am not losing ANYONE to this scurvy virus," Kwazii said, unaware the tiny Vegimal was listening
The first thing Tomminow did when she heard the last nine words was run to Tunip to tell him the real situation at hand.
Since the start of the virus, the Octonauts had told the Vegimals there was nothing to worry about and that everything was normal, but obviously it wasn't. Earlier on, Shellington had told them not to come out of the kitchen for their own safety, so they won't get sick. The Vegimals had MANY questions when he had mentioned the word SICK, but now they knew what was really going on.
@Octonauts16
Tunip asked Shellington in Vegiamese if they would be safe if they would cook for the sick crew and Periwinkle.
"Of course, I'll hand you some masks after you get some food ready for them." Shellington said,
Shellington hopped down the chute as the Vegimals gathered around, Tunip chirped and squeaked as he ordered them to make a get-well treat for their patients. The Vegimals got out the bowls, spoons, and ingredients and they started cooking.
Meanwhile, the patients were getting sicker and sicker. Periwinkle was coughing and sneezing, and he turned to Dashi, who looked bad,
"Dashi..." Periwinkle said in a scratchy voice "I want my Mum..."
Dashi looked at the sick otter pup and sort of gave him a sympathetic smile,
"I know Peri," Dashi said, "If I was your age, I would miss my mother too,"
The Vegimals came in with the food as they sang their theme song. They handed the meals to them. Codish gave Periwinkle some Red Urchin stew, and Periwinkle took his spoon, dipped it in the stew, took a sniff, and ate it. His eyes widened with joy and he started to devour it.
@JustOneToughCookie
Kwazii sat in the library. A large, ancient book was in his lap, but he wasn't focusing on it, and not just because he struggled to read it. His mind kept creating horrible scenarios, over and over again, where they had failed, the disease had contaminated the world, and the Octonauts had been lost to the virus, all because Kwazii wasn't a good enough leader.
He shook his head. No, thinking like that would make him weak. They needed strength right now, not weakness. He had to bite down the anxiety and worry.
But he couldn't help it. He felt weak. The past weeks had been non-stop action, whether finding a cure or keeping an eye on the sick, and in particular the trip to the island, then the plan, and then once more setting off to find the cure Calico Jack told him, and then sneaking it into the kitchen and into the food. He could do nothing now, nothing but wait to see if it worked. His part in this was over for now. And it left him feeling weak, exhausted, anxious, and useless.
What could he do? The plan had been made. His initial role had been to mend the pipe, but Ryla took over that job as Kwazii had to sneak the seeds and prepare them. Then he was meant to get hold of Calico Jack, and his Grandad had arrived himself to help. So now what? The only thing he could do to try and help was researching legends and cures in the library, and he couldn't even do that.
Kwazii could barely read.
He could read basic English, yes, what was necessary. But beyond that he could barely read. It was normal for pirates, on the sea you didn't get much of an education other than what was practical and needed in everyday life. When Kwazii joined the Octonauts, he learned a bit more than that. But it was not enough for him to be able to understand these books.
Even the kids, Koshi and Pinto, were reading and making notes, getting information, helping. But Kwazii couldn't do anything. He felt helpless, and useless. He wanted to do something, anything, but there was nothing that he could do, but wait.
He curled up in the armchair, feeling his head ache. He wanted something to do, anything, just so he wasn't here waiting. He shut his eyes. What happened to the days where he would run about the Octopod teasing Tweak and Peso or compete with the Captain or play ping pong or chequers or read comics or play ball, until the Octo-Alert would sound, and the Captain would be there with some new adventure, and there was always something Kwazii had to do. He didn't have to make a decision to start action, the Captain would just give him the order and action would start.
God, did he miss the Captain. He missed not only the father-figure he saw in him, he missed the guidance and leadership the Captain was. Kwazii, for all his bossiness, couldn't take the lead for much longer. He had no idea what to do, he wanted someone to tell him what to do. To guide him.
"Kwazii, laddie," Calico Jack's voice cut through his thoughts, and the younger cat looked up to see his grandfather leaning over him, concern clear upon his face. "Aw, lad, don't cry." The old pirate wrapped his arms around Kwazii, pulling the young pirate into his lap. The book fell to the floor as Kwazii turned into his grandfather's body, and began to cry openly, not realising what he was doing until he choked, and then he realised he'd been sobbing. Calico Jack held him tightly, rocking him and stroking his beloved grandson's hair, gently shushing him. It had been a long time since Kwazii had been able to behave like a kitten, and the young pirate wasn't holding back with the sobs he'd been keeping in for a long time.
Calico Jack felt his heart tear with the misery expelling from his young grandson. He'd never seen him more distraught, and it hurt him to see it. Kwazii had always been such a happy boy, from the first moment Calico had seen him as a baby who'd laughed with joy when the old cat had held him for the first time, and the cheerfulness had always remained. It had become wild and daring as Kwazii grew older, but underneath all the wildness and daring and even hyperactivity had been just pure bubbly happiness. But now not one spot of that seemed to remain, and it hurt Calico Jack. Thank God it was no person who did this, I would not have let them live. He thought darkly, as he pressed kisses to Kwazii's forehead, trying to soothe his boy.
It took Kwazii a long time to calm enough to speak, and when he did his first words were "Where were ye?"
"I was puttin' t'seeds in a special mix o'herbs," Calico replied. "Tha' way they'll become more seeds, an' hopefully create enough to send around."
Kwazii nodded, before asking another question in a very tiny voice. "What do I do?" Kwazii sounded so lost, so hopeless, that Calico felt tears, _tears_, prick his eyes. This boy, this _child_, _his_ child was suffering, and he could do nothing to stop it. It made him feel angry, and helpless. The old pirate was used to situations against other live enemies, where you'd just have to attack and the problem could be solved. He wasn't used to fighting an unknown disease, and being helpless while doing so. But he hid his feelings. Kwazii needed him to be calm and strong.
"Ye hold on," he said, almost whispering into Kwazii's ear. "Ye be ready. Ye come up with other plans 'case this one don't work."
"I can't!" Kwazii's voice was nothing more than a wail. "I can't make plans, Grandad! I can't!"
"Shhh," Calico rubbed the younger cat's back to ease the agitation he felt. "I know it's hard on ye. Ye never been tested like this. I know ye wants t'help."
"I do! More than anything, I wanna help me family," Kwazii choked. "An' I can't! What do I do? I ain't a scientist, I can't research, I'm no nurse, what can I do?"
"What ye've done before," Calico replied. "Yer the one who first thought o'using old pirate cures, now remember some more. Ye don't need books, ye have it all here-" he tapped Kwazii's chest, "-an' so do I. Jus' cause we found one or two cures don't mean we stop looking. We keep looking."
"How can I do that when I can't read the legends they're in?" Kwazii asked.
"Read? Hah!" Calico chuckled. "Ye need to _think_ lad, remember all the stories ye heard! Get the wee ones, have one o'them write down what ye remember from legends, an' I'll do t'same. As fer the books, well, all we gotta do is 'ave the wee ones read'em out, our experience oughtta tell us if
we 'ave a lead or not."
Kwazii was silent for a few moments. "That's so simple," he said softly, "but I weren't smart enough to even think o'that."
"Nonsense, lad," Calico ruffled his hair with hands that were rough with years of pirating, yet gentle on his grandchild's hair. "Yer tired out. Yer just a wee lad, 18, ain't ye?"
"Aye, an' that's old enough t'act more, I dunno, stronger?" Kwazii threw his hands in the air.
"Ye been plenty strong," Calico replied. "Too strong fer a boy o'yer age. An' nobody is meanta be strong forever."
"The captain is," Kwazii said softly.
"Yer captain is a miracle," Calico chuckled. "I often wonder if 'e's from this world at all. Don't let yerself be down. Ye've been tested in a way 'e never has, an' fer a long time, and yet yer still goin' strong, even though ye feel weak."
"I gotta fer me crew."
"But not fer me," Calico said softly, kissing Kwazii's forehead. "I'm 'ere fer ye, whenever ye need to let it out."
Kwazii looked into Calico's sea-green eye, an eye so much like his eyes, and a tiny smile found its way on his face. He hugged his grandfather by the neck.
"Thank you, Grandad," he whispered.
Calico just smiled.
Kwazii pulled back, and the old cat felt his heart fill with joy to see his grandson had a soft smile on his face, a light back in his eyes.
"Let's get to work," Kwazii said. "We 'ave stories to tell, an' a cure we gotta check on."
Calico Jack nodded. "Aye, we do."