Searching Science - An Octonauts Story Book 3 (complete)

Chapter Nine - Found

"Dashi, they're back!"

Tweak jumped as her crewmate shot out of the OctoChute right behind her, Dashi obviously needing no radio warning. "Hi, Tweak," Dashi said breathlessly, careering to a halt and trying to look natural, although her nerves from the mission were only just settling down.

The engineer eyed her friend suspiciously. "Uh - have I missed something? Ya seem a little - pent up."

Dashi giggled. "Just been exercising some library work, that's all."

Tweak decided it was safest not to ask. "Did the quiz go okay?" she questioned instead. "Since ya were freaking out this morning and all."

The dachshund nodded, trying not to let her eyes give too much away, and as usual failing where her canny best friend was concerned. "It went - well!"

The mechanic rolled her eyes, nudging into her teasingly. "What did I tell you, Dashi?"

She couldn't help but giggle. "I know, I know..."

The two Gups finally bobbed to the surface of the Launch Bay and Tweak hurried across to close the OctoHatch. The photographer waited tentatively until she caught sight of him clambering out from the driver's seat and then shot forward, hugged Shellington as tightly as she could on the precipice to the tank.

She could feel his paw, warm against the fur of her ear. "Hey, sunshine," he said into it, a smile in his voice.

Dashi slipped her paw into his as they turned back towards the screens and the other two jumped from the Gup A.

"You did really well," Barnacles complimented her.

"Yeah, good job, matey," the pirate cat grinned, giving her a cheerful fist bump with her spare paw as the captain and lieutenant passed her. "I'm glad we weren't lunch, put it that way!" They headed across to where Tweak greeted them at the Launch Bay dashboard, the cat giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

The two scientists shared looks, and chuckled simultaneously as they climbed into the Octochute to head up to the HQ, looking forward to being alone together, if only for a little while.

"You did it," Shellington said matter-of-factly as they wandered, still hand in hand, across to their stations, no need to rush anywhere for the time being.

She smiled secretly to herself as she recollected that she had, she actually had. "A gharial," Dashi breathed, plopping herself back onto her chair and swinging it excitedly.

Shellington shook his head in disbelief as he joined her. "A gharial," he agreed. "I had no idea there were even any left in the wild. They're so endangered."

"Obviously not in this particular part of the Indian waters. They usually live in rivers, but..."

"But this one obviously must have swum out of this river, nearby." Their paws clashed as they both tried to enlarge the map image and giggled at the contact. Shellington succeeded, and they both looked down at the rushing river, gushing into the ocean just next to the entrance to the caves the captain and Kwazii had found.

Dashi picked up the book that was left, discarded and open at the page. "They only really live in rivers, and only leave to feed," she said. "It must have smelled food from the end of the river and found you."

"Yes, and gave us quite a fright," the Scottish scientist recalled, leaning and reading over her shoulder. "For no reason, given that they exclusively eat fish."

"Yep, their jaws are too thin to eat anything bigger!"

"Which we could have figured out if it hadn't been so dark in that cave." He continued to read the passage, goggling at the picture and the tiny scale next to it. "They're so big!"

"Yes - 4 to 6 metres long!" Dashi said excitedly. "They're one of the largest crocodilian species. And they can weigh up to 450kg! And they swim really fast with their webbed feet. And - and their legs are too weak to support them, so they don't walk, they slide on their tummies like Peso does on ice!"

She looked up to see Shellington looking amused. "You're beginning to sound like me, you know."

The dachshund shared his smile. They had indeed been talking enthusiastically over each other, sharing facts like Shellington normally did when he found something new. "I was taught by the best, wasn't I?"

Shellington hurried along the dashboard to the next desk screen, tapping excitedly. "And - the reason that it wasn't anywhere to be found on the Creature-Finder was that we've never met one of these before!"

"That makes sense," she commented. "Although I could have done with it back there, I was starting to panic for a second."

He beamed at the picture his collar camera had snapped of it, circling on the screen. "It's fascinating! I can't wait to study it in a bit more detail!"

"Maybe not in such close contact to its teeth..." laughed Dashi.

Barnacles hopped off the top rung of the ladder, entering the HQ shortly before Kwazii shot from an Octochute opposite. "Well, the mission was a success," he remarked. "It wasn't exactly a new species of sea urchin, but..."

"No, it was much more exciting than that, Captain!" Shellington blurted. "This is such an exciting discovery." His head turned to the side, his eyes meeting Dashi's almost shyly. "And Dashi made it, all on her own."

"We made it together," she corrected, saluting promptly as the captain headed to the centre of the HQ. "I'd be happy to add its profile to the OctoNet right away."

Shellington took her paw. "Let's do it together."

Dashi was unable to stop smiling back at him. "Let's do it," she answered, heedless of their crew's fond smiles at the oblivious couple. Young scientists in love.

Searching science was all well and good, but sharing science was by far the best part.

A/N) That's this Dashton story finished, I hope you enjoyed some nerds in love, I know I always do. The next installment in the Driving Lessons series will be out very soon, so look out for that! Thanks for reading!