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It was hard for Clancy not to let any emotions run astray of his control now that Hank and Otis were missing. And not to mention, the mission had gone terribly south.
Gods, where are they? Clancy thought as he rounded a corner, and he saw the Aquarium.
Oh.
The Aquarium was the only place which was centred around the sea besides Clancy’s trio itself.
They should be in there. But who else was inside?
Nonetheless, it was the only lead Clancy had to find out where his partner and fellow colleague turned-child in their eyes had gone. He readied a paintball gun and stepped inside.
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The first thing Clancy noticed were the fish.
They seemed extremely judgemental, and they seemed to have put the ‘judge’ in ‘we listen and we don’t judge’.
Clancy felt a little unnerved. Were they judging him because he was a human in a lobster suit? And where were Otis and Hank?
”Ay, lobster man!” A slightly high-pitched voice rang out. “Are you looking for the squid and prawn?”
Hank! Otis! Clancy thought again, mind now full of relief.
Clancy ran over to the source of the noise, and found a teenager in an anglerfish costume tending to Otis and Hank with…a glowbeam? The tank was parked to one side, and Otis and Hank were sitting on a cushioned chair.
Looking up, Otis trilled happily, hose-arm wiggling in delight at seeing Clancy. Hank was as gruff as ever, but his eyes betrayed the slightest bit of relief at seeing his partner.
”Hey there paintball. Sorry to keep you worried. Otis and I ran into a bit of a bloody Trio Showdown while on the way to our next location. However, this anglerfish teammate of ours,” Hank gestured to the teenager in the anglerfish costume, “brought us here, and used this weird glowbeam thingy to heal us.”
There was a bit of blood, as seen from the bandages on Otis’ left foot and Hank’s small arm, and the bloodied tissues on the side table. A first aid kit was wide open, bandages spilling left and right, but it seemed like the teen knew what he was doing.
”There’s a bit of structural damage on the tank, but I managed to patch it up to the best of my ability. The starfish lost an arm, but starfish can regenerate, so I highly doubt it’s going to be a problem in the long run.” The teenager spoke.
”You mean Cil.” Hank corrected.
”That’s its name? Oh, okay.” The teenager corrected.
Hank and Otis were now at least to full health after the glowbeam worked on them. Otis hugged the leg of the teenager in gratitude, its single eye shining with grateful tears. Hank simply said a thank you.
”Do you wanna go with us? It seems kinda lonely here for you. Besides, we owe you one for helping Otis and Hank here.” Clancy offered. Being a bit of an extrovert, it was hard to imagine someone living in a big space all by themself.
The teenager flinched. Then, after a while in a small voice: “Nah, I’m fine. Besides…”
”Besides what?” Hank asked.
”I was born with really severe eczema, and no one really wanted to be my friend, not even those in Starr Park itself…and I don’t really see how people like you want me as their friend…”
Tears welled up behind the bespectacled eyes, and the teen wiped them away with the back of his hand.
Hank felt a pang of sympathy. Is this what the other sea creatures meant that humans were the most cruel of species?
”Then why are you here in the Aquarium?” Clancy asked.
”I work as a marine biologist here. I like the sea and its fauna.” The teenager suddenly seemed to remember something. “I forgot! My name is Glowbert, sorry I didn’t introduce myself.”
”It’s fine. Do you wanna join us?”
Glowbert considered this fully now.
”Sorry, I really can’t. But I can help you. I’m a support, which means I heal. How about you three and the Aquarium have an alliance? I can help heal you guys, and I’m the only one around here.”
Clancy stuck out a pincer. “Sure.”
Glowbert took it with the hand of the anglerfish costume.
And so, the alliance of the sea was formed.