Lilac Drabbles

Lilac zipped up her boots as she waited outside the testing chamber. Small hands adjusted her headset patiently waiting for her queue. Over the headset, she could hear Reef and Lux arguing about how their machine worked. Something something zap fish. Something something ink. Lilac put her hands behind her back hearing Mimi in the background asking how long this test would take. This test was outside of the lab for once. In a different kettle. Outside her chamber, she could see a large room. A floating platform and a giant cube-like thing. In her hands was a packet. For emergencies said Reef as it they handed it to her earlier. She was never sent in with a weapon. Weapon testing was for Mimi. Lilac tested everything else. Bombs, stimulants, specials. Things that were typically aimed at her and up to her to see how easy they were to dodge. Lilac had her fair share of scars. Thankfully Reef had made something to help heal those. She pulled at her hair looking up to the control center. She faintly heard the sound of a quick kiss before the door in front of her opened. 

“Go ahead. It’s in active just move to the platform.” Reef commanded. It was funny to Lilac. How out of it Reef always seemed to be… But then in moments like this they could command everyone with a sharp tongue. Everyone but Lux. Lux was essentially another captain. Unable to take orders since they simply didn’t care. Lilac thought Lux was cool. She rubbed her wrist before stepping on the launch pad to the platform. Lilac stood in front of the cube, watching as a zapfish was lowered into it. “It should be docile.” Reef’s voice cut out they probably didn’t know they had their hand on the mic still. Lilac looked up to the control room, unable to see anything through the tinted glass. The mic cut back in as the machine started up. It was scanning her for threat. Lilac shifted watching as the giant stamp stayed motionless. The panels suddenly shifted and the machine whirred to life. 

“This is the Octostomp. I made it pretty early in the war. But it uses a lot of power hence the zapfish. You can approach.”

Lilac hesitated but approached it. It almost seemed to move to look at her. She made eye contact with it before dodging to the side as it smacked down at her last position, “I thought you said it was docile??” Lilac said over her headset. Without a weapon, she couldn’t ink her surroundings. But what was new? As an inkling, she was the lesser species. She had fewer rights than the octarian testers.  Reef often said if he could give her a weapon they would. But due to laws, Lilac couldn’t near any weaponry. A trade off for being cared for by the Octarians…

Cared for… and is currently being attacked by an octostomp. Thankfully the ink it was using was the same one she had at the moment. The control room was silent. Oddly so. Was something wrong? Lilac dodged again backing up as it sent out a wave of bubbles. 

Meanwhile in the lab Reef was doing everything possible to shut it down remotely. “What do you mean it's not responding, Lux?” Reef was trying to stay calm but sending in testers without weapons always made them worry about situations just like this one. 

“It locked onto an inkling hostile. It won’t respond to us till the threat is taken out.” Lux was calm as always. Reef glared at them waiting for the but. But the but never came. They groaned looking around the control room what could they do then? 

“Can we overload it? To shut it off?” 

“You risk burning up the zapfish.”

“No no not the zapfish containment. The machine itself. Can we overload it with sensory? It’s locking onto the ink mask. Using the monitors in the room we can make it lock onto multiple targets. Give Lilac time to get out.” Reef suggested hands rubbing each other as they tried to think of a better method. Why did they send an inkling in again? Laws wouldn’t let them let Mimi test this that’s why. Inklings were considered less than octarians. As much as Reef hated it, their hands were tied. 

“The room is sealed till the machine shuts off.” Lux pointed out. “Unless you plan on telling her to jump into the abyss.”

“Just do it. Put the agent 3 images on the monitors. Overwhelm the machine.” Reef ignored that, Lilac could super jump far enough. Probably. But super jumping required a target. Reef chewed his lip as the images went onto the monitor. Sure enough, the Octostomp locked onto multiple targets and started overheating itself. Lilac watched as the monitors lit up flashing images of an inkling she recognized as the enemy.  The stomper seemed confused on which thing to target, sending out waves of bubbles as steam came off its body. The control rooms mic turned on again. “Listen closely Lilac. The machine is going to overload. I need you to get back to the exit.”

“How?” Lilac answered barely dodging a bubble that floated a bit too close.

“Can you super jump?”

“I need a target-” Lilac said turning to where she came from, “The platform isn’t even out anymore.”

Reef was silent looking over the room. They couldn’t override it’s safety features. Reef turned to Lux who was watching a countdown. “Mimi, Lux leave the kettle.”

“Reef. You aren’t staying here.”

“No I’m not. But I’m staying as long as I can for her.” Reef said watching the countdown lower, “I don’t want to risk all of us dying. Ink the way out I’ll be fine.”

Mimi shifted a frown on their face, “Dying? You can’t get Lilac out?”

“Don’t start with me. Both of you out.” Reef slipped into their commander's voice causing Mimi to leave but Lux stood by the door. “Go.”

“You know that doesn’t work on me. Do what you need to do.” Lux leaned against the door frame listening to the distant commotion of the Octostomper going into overdrive. 

Lilac was waiting on something from the control room. Anything from the control room. Bubbles were covering the platform and the machine was only getting more aggressive. The mic cut back on and Reef cleared their throat, “I need you to countdown from ten then use the special I gave you.” Lilac looked to the packet in her hand this was a special? Reef shut the com back off and turned to the countdown. Ten seconds left. “We have to go. She’ll be fine.”

“You gave her a special?”

“Big bubbler. Don’t tell anyone you’ll get us all in trouble.” Reef dropped into octoform following the ink trail out of the kettle. 

~~

Lilac did as she was told counting down from ten and then cracking the packet. A protective bubble formed around her, and at the same time the octostomp exploded. The platform crumbled out from under her, sending her and the machine into the abyss.

Lilac woke up to the bubbler still crackling on and off around her. It worked. Well.. what.. worked? Things were fuzzy. She remembered falling and that was about it. The inkling pushed her hair back looking around. Rubble and sounds of distant trains. Lilac slowly stood looking around the dark station. Where was she now? On the same platform was a strange telephone. She slowly approached it watching it buzz to life. Something about the way it talked to her put her off. But it was promising freedom. The promised land. All she had to do was prove to it that she was worthy. Pass some simple tests. Oddly that word… tests seem to come naturally to her. Did she do tests before? What even was her name? All she knew is she had a barcode and a number branded on her wrist. Was she some kind of livestock? Her eyes roamed from her hands to the telephone in front of her. The more it talked the more it put her off but it shut off after giving her a number. Now she was both 001 and 10001.