When Kubo Met Sach

Chapter 4

Written by: Isobel Jones

"Octonauts, any sign of him?" the Captain asked the Gup A screen hopefully.

Tweak shook her head from the Gup D interior, looking somewhat dispirited, like they all did by this point. "Not yet, Cap'."

Kwazii simply nodded in agreement with his search partner; even the usually talkative cat had no snappy wisecracks right now. Tweak and Kwazii were circling the many nearby islands up on the ocean surface a couple of miles east from the Gup A's current position, while the Gup A concentrated on searching the coral reefs on the sea floor for any sign of the lost sea otter. No-one mentioned what everyone on the mission was doubtlessly thinking: if Sachairi was found down on the sea floor, would he have enough oxygen to last for all that long, especially after a dangerous storm?

"Okay, continue." Barnacles rubbed his eyes wearily, blinking to try and keep himself awake. This afternoon's training mission-gone-wrong seemed a very long time ago now, and the water was growing steadily darker around them as they continued to drive through the innocuous waters of the open ocean. Oddly enough, Shellington was his co-driver in the side seat of the Gup A, his eyes pinned only to the windscreen, searching the waters ahead with his flickering gaze back and forth across their view. The scientist hadn't spoken in over half an hour.

"Peso and Inkling say that there's still no sign of Sach on the radar," Dashi reported for about the fourth time, her tone measured and business-like, although her chocolate-brown eyes were worried as she looked over at the silently musing sea otter in the front of the vehicle.

"Thank you. Tell them to keep us posted," Barnacles replied automatically, pushing the steering wheel left as he drove the Gup slowly around what had to be the seventh or eighth reef they had found so far. More than once they had got out to go and help heave some rocks off a fish's home, or find the families of some lost crabs after the storm. Shellington hadn't said anything about it, helping like the rest of them in silence, but he was growing increasingly impatient and fearful for the safety of his brother, the Captain could tell.

"Nothing," the photographer confirmed as she finished her checks out of the side window, able to see nothing on the reef but colourful coral.

"Okay. Next reef, then," Barnacles decided, flashing an enquiring look at the scientist to confirm. Shellington simply nodded once, the motion almost imperceptible.

"Next reef," Dashi agreed, already checking the inbuilt map on the ship computer. "About five minutes north-west of here, I would guess."

"We've covered so much ground," Shellington suddenly said as the Captain wheeled the Gup A around in a vaguely north-westerly direction, his voice cracking to reveal the first signs of despair he had shown since leaving the Launch Bay three hours ago. He sounded defeated, sorely so. It was clear what he was thinking.

"But we're not stopping until we find him," the Captain reminded him reassuringly, making sure he looked as confident and determined as possible. "And we will, Shellington. We will find Sachairi. That's on my honour as an Octonaut."

"Race ya to the next island after we search this one?" Kwazii offered with a grin, his tail whipping from side to side in his typical competitive way.

Tweak flashed him a rather severe look as she began to scan the island that they had found themselves on for any sign of the lost Octo-Cadet. Both Octonauts had briefly left their Gups parked on the cool sand nearby while they searched the small desert islands around these waters, calling out Sachairi's name repeatedly, in vague hope that he might reply, though thus far they had received no answer but the post-storm breeze on the other seven islands they had searched. "We're on a search and rescue mission, Kwaz. Sachairi's lost out to sea, and we have to find him. I hardly think now's the time for racing," she reprimanded him sternly.