LITTLE GUARDIAN
14 was a good kid in his Kindergarten class. He paid attention in class and did relatively well on his work. Then, he saw 13. 13 stayed to himself, was always quiet, and never really answered the teachers. Other kids would giggle at the boy, but 14 felt bad for him. So he took it upon himself to hang out with him whenever classtime allowed it.
13 wouldn't talk to him either, but that was okay. You don't need to talk to hang out with someone, anyway. Eventually, 14 was asked by 13, verbally, why he was being so nice to him. 14 responded with the fact that he didn't like how the other kids were looking at and treating him, so he took it in himself to say hi and just enjoyed his company. It just . . . felt good to be around him.
And they started talking to each other! 14 learned that 13 calls himself 13 because it's his favorite number, and 14 was 14's favorite number, so he decided to go by 14 to match. Of course, now the both of them would get picked on by other kids, but 14 wasn't having any of it. He would always snap back at rude comments. Sometimes, fights would break out because of it. 14 would get a stern talking to every time it happened, but never expelled. He was never the one to start the fights.
13 eventually asked why 14 would always protect him and willingly get in trouble for it. 14 said because no one else would. They became best friends after that.
ㅤ
GROWING UP
The two grew up together. They were in every class for most of their school career. 13 seemed very attached to 14, and 14 didn't mind. They did everything together. The two constantly explored the surface together when they got older.
They also grew up to be a bit mischievous, 14 more than 13. If anything, 14's growing mischievous behavior caused 13 to act the same. While they were on the surface, they would pull harmless pranks on passersby. These pranks consisted of scaring people around a corner, loitering around shops, and making people drop things that would be easy to pick up. Nothing major.
Then . . . they came across the metro.
ㅤ
EXCITING DISCOVERY
14 was too curious for his own good when the two came across this abandoned place. He saw how 13 didn't want to go, but he just
had to see what was down there. He convinced 13 to come with them, and down they went. As they explored, 13 constantly begged 14 for them to go back, to forget that this place was ever here, but 14 was persistent. He kept reassuing 13 that he wouldn't let anything happen to him. He'd be true to his word, but not for much longer.
They followed a light that led to Central Station. There was a phone. An
old looking phone. This was perfect for 14's adventurous personality. So many questions needed to be answered. 13 on the other hand was not feeling it at all. As 14 reassured him again, the phone began to ring. They shrieked, they froze, then finally, they crept up to the phone and answered it...
It gave them a simple task: pass the tests and find the four thangs. Then, they could escape. They would've declined, but when either of them tried to retrace their steps, it was all a blur. So they had to accept. It seemed that the two could work together. 14 thought it was going to be a breeze.
And so the tests began.
ㅤ
SAFE INSIDE
14 excelled in pretty much all of them. He passed most with flying colors, though some were a bit difficult to pass. 13 on the other hand begun to fall behind, failing more and more . . . 14 wanted to wait for him, he
hates leaving people behind. But the phone threatened that neither of them would see the light of day again if he waited for too long. 14 had to agonizingly press on.
At some point, 13 didn't come back to Central Station. 14 was
furious about this. He confronted the phone. Where was he? Why wasn't he back? What did it
do to him? Then, suddenly . . . the phone offered to take him to see 13. 14, despite being taken aback by this sudden offering, reluctantly accepted it.
He was taken to the Kamabo Co. building by another octoling, an octoling that had that same sickly green skin and terrifying blue-yellow gradient ink as he and 13 had seen while taking the tests. How was this building so big, 14 thought. How could so much of it be hidden from the metro? 14 and the octoling, who he could only assume was an employee, came across the Sanitization labs. 14 had too many questions, but none he wanted to ask. The employee led him through twists and turns until finally, he was face-to-face with Him.
Tartar.
The employee left so the two could chat alone. They were in front of an observation window, watching the Sanitization of an octoling. 14 finally had the courge to ask those questions that he had. Tartar, who called itself T.A.M., told him about the Sanitization process. It made 14
sick to his stomach. Why would someone do such an
awful thing? Where was his friend? T.A.M. said that he'd know the answer to these questions and more in due time.
Eventually. . . the A.I. started asking
him questions. Where he was from, how did he and 13 meet, etc. 14 answered them all truthfully. Then, something quite unexpected happened. T.A.M. offered him a job at Kamabo Co. He promised that working at Kamabo Co., 14 could get whatever he desired, and he desired to see 13. 14 was going to refuse the offer, but he had an idea. If he could make his way into the facility by authority, he could get 13 and book it out of there.
So he accepted.
ㅤ
SHOCKING OPPORTUNITY
Before he could see his friend, however, he had to go through training. He was to work in the Sanitization department, performing the procedure as well as helping sort and store the ink used for it. He had to keep himself from throwing up every time he had to sanitize a subject, but he soon got used to it. He still felt bad for the octolings, though.
Once the training was complete, it was time for 14's first subject as an official employee of Kamabo Co. 14 fell awful for the things he'd done to so many octolings, and more to come if he were to devise a plan to get him and 13 out of there. However, something happened that made him sick to no end.
13 was brought into the operating room.
His heart dropped. His very first subject as an official employee . . . was the one he wanted to save. He looked towards the glass. T.A.M. was there, watching from behind it. He stormed over and banged on it, cursing the thing. It
lied to him. 14 wished he could've beaten the shit out of the so-called CEO, but he was dragged away from the glass by the two other octolings that were in the room watching him.
14 tried to think. 14 wasn't to leave the room until the procedure was complete, but he had to find a way to escape, to bring 13 with him. However, 13 was strapped tight onto the bed. 3 pairs of eyes were watching him. It wouldn't be easy, and it probably wouldn't be smart to escape now. 14, swallowing his pride, begun the procedure. He muttered an apology.
Having to watch his friend, his childhood friend, the boy who he may or may not have had a crush on, get treated like this . . . it was
devastating. 14 couldn't stand it. He wanted to throw up the second he saw the sanitized ink start to contaminate 13's. He didn't want to lose the pink that he had grown so fond of.
So he stopped the procedure early, right before the sanitized ink could fully contaminate 13's. He saw 13 jolt awake, which relieved him, but he had no time to think about it because he was grabbed by the two other scientists in the room. He wasn't gonna go down without a fight, though. He was having a bit of trouble holding this own; these octolings were tougher opponents than kids at school. He didn't have to worry about that for too long though because 13 joined the fight! He wailed on one of the scientists, allowing 14 to take care of the other.
14 pulled 13 off of the other scientist. He couldn't lie about how proud he was seeing 13 defend him for a change . . . for the first time. But there was no time for all of that. 14 was just glad that 13 was okay, even if his eyes were black and green. They wanted to make sure that the other was okay, but T.A.M. stepped into the room. 14 went to go confront the A.I., but he was met with a rather shocking fate. He was tased.
Tasing and inkfish do
not go well. 14 cried out in pain and fell to the floor. He heard words come from T.A.M., but he wasn't listening. He was focused on 13, who he could see from the ground. He mouthed the word "Go" to him. 13 didn't move. 14 hoped and begged and
pleaded in his mind that 13 would leave. He needed to if either of them were going to make it out alive. Getting tased again, 14 let out another cry of pain, but this time he
yelled the word. It must've gotten through to 13, because he hightailed it out of there.
He was left alone in the room with T.A.M. who told him that 13 wouldn't get far before someone would stop him. 14 wanted to protest, but knew that he would get tased again——or worse——so he kept his mouth shut. Despite what had happened, T.A.M. said that it still wanted to keep 14 in the company. 14 immediately thought that this would be the sanitization of himself, but that's not quite exactly what happened. Rather than sanitize who he still thought had potential for the company, Tartar decided to use . . .
other methods to make him stay on his own accord . . .
And the tasing was only one of them.
ㅤ
CHILDHOOD #14 CRUSH
14 was different. He was conditioned, he was was controlled, he was
loyal. It took tasing, it took manipulation, gaslighting, you name it. 14 was a tough cookie to crumble, but the A.I. was tougher. 14 fell completely into T.A.M.'s trap, and would be working for it against(?) his will.
Along with the sanitization process, he also worked with the octolings that were crushed and blended by T.A.M.'s "promised land." It earned him the nicknamed "Dr. Crush". He was no longer sickened by the sanitzation process, and when T.A.M. told him about what the "promised land," truely is, he wasn't phased either.
Then, there was an intruder. 2, actually. It was an octoling named 13, along with an inkling named 16. "13" . . . that name sounded familiar. Was it that octoling who abandoned him? Who left him to
rot in this place? Who never really cared about him? Just hearing the name made him furious. He insisted T.A.M. that he would take care of them, and it let him handle it on his own.
Dr. Crush was able to track down 13's location and would meet him on the open elevator. 13 looked happy to see him, but he knew it was all a dissimulation. He didn't say a word to 13 before he attacked him. Surprisingly, 13 was barely able to dodge. Tch. No problem. 13 was never stronger than 14 anyway. This would be easy.
The two fought like hell on that elevator. 14 was given the privilage of using his Forge Splattershot Pro, and 13 had an Octo Shot that he presumed 13 picked up from somewhere. But 14 was starting to get angry. Why wouldn't he give up? Why wouldn't he slip up? Why wouldn't he
die? The anger and frustration from 13 not being the weakling 14 remembered him as allowed him to charge his special——a Booyah Bomb. Something that probably shouldn't have been able to happen, but who cares? He used it while 13 was down.
"SAY GOODBYE, #13!" he shouted.
He threw it, saw it hit 13, and saw that he was gone after it let up. Good. Now he could get back to his duties. Except . . . he actually couldn't. 13 sneak attacked him from behind, overwhelming him and ultimately knocking him out. When he came too, see saw the sun's light...for the first time in
ages. Or at least, what he assumed to be ages. 13, along with two unfamiliar faces surrounded him when he woke up, and 13 introduced them as 16 and Mana. Another number name!
14 was terrified at the story that 13 told. He could hardly remember what all happened. One thing he did have a slight memory of was fighting 13 and he felt absolutely awful about it. But, 13 reassured him that it was okay, that he knew he didn't mean it. And what's more important is that they were free! They were
all free! The four, bonding over their experiences, formed a Turf War team soon after.
