Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 27: Revolution

"Hail the revolution. Screw the lizards!" The skunk Omeocoon threw a tablet at his own graffiti and collapsed on his back as his legs gave out from under him. His cat friend whimpered, "Ohh, get up, Ollie, you're gonna get us in trouble!" 'Ollie' laughed loudly, drunkenly, and continued to gulp down a large bottle of vodka, which he'd taken from one of the old cargo bays used by the contracted workers. "Come on, Kody, live a little," Ollie, the black and red skunk, lifted his half-empty bottle and offered his cat friend a toast, but he refused. Ollie and Kody were among the 40 transferred here due to Destiny's capture. They were struggling to acclimate to being on a station. Kody was always in medical; he'd seen Cam for every minor thing he could fabricate. It wasn't intended as a soothing response to physical discomfort. Cam had been led to believe that Kody's continued appearances in medical were some underlying form of Munchausen syndrome. He wanted attention. He tried to play the sick role, and Cam would've treated him for it, but he knew his limits concerning mental health. The ideal situation would've been for Kody to be referred to a Dynamic Patrol specialist for psychological treatment. But he refused to leave with the Trinity.

Ollie, on the other hand, was unremarkable. He was taken away from his home and his other half and was shocked to learn of the events on his homeworld. His and Kody's caretakers were killed with the first wave of charges, leaving them alone; Kody and Ollie were young, having not reached the age of ascension, and thus were still developing; they lacked a strong mentor and were falling toward the path of troublemaking. When their systems were cleared of the mind-numbing drug, they were interviewed by Tommy. They informed him that they were the first Omeocoon servants since 2040 on the Xalorian homeworld; three individuals were ordered, but only two arrived. Those two were Ollie and Kody.

From there, the duo were subjected to a battery of experiments, eventually directing them to the creation of the mind-numbing serum. Fortunately, Cam was able to develop a countermeasure for this drug, preventing further Xalorian interference. Still, it was clear that they were trying to take advantage of Omeocoon's weakness, which is why Tommy wanted to abandon the station and make a stand on their home planet. Kody's worries increased as he heard the unmistakable sound of laughter outside the doors. Trouble.

When he'd heard a noise coming from the abandoned cargo bay, which was supposed to be off-limits, Russell leveraged his security clearance and accessed the room with Maxion in hand. The dim light barely penetrated the gloom, but he could make out the silhouettes of two individuals, one on the ground, his eyes unfocused, and the other trying to wake him up. A bottle of whiskey lay half-full on the floor beside him, evidence of his attempt to drown his frustrations. As Russell stared blankly at the two, his face slowly formed into a glare. Russell and Maxion stepped inside. Maxion had concern etched on his face; he didn't recognize these new characters, but this was his first time seeing a skunk form; from what he understood, this was a particularly rare form. "What the hell, what are you kids doing in here?" Russell shouted—that spooked Kody, whose 'fur' seemed to jump in horror.

Ollie decided he would try to get up and struggled to get off the floor. "O...oh! Hey!" He managed, but his words were slurred. Eventually, he gave up on getting off the floor and resorted to lying down, his eyes struggling to focus on Russell's face. "Look, it's the bunny," He slurred, a drunken grin spreading across his features. He opened his arms up in preparation for a hug, which made him look like a roach or a beetle that had been flipped on its back and was struggling to turn itself upright. Russell stared at Ollie and Kody and then the graffiti on the wall; trying his best not to fashion a look of disgust, he stepped inside further and allowed the door to close. "I found you, finally." A gleeful grin accompanied Russell's glare, and Maxion looked at him in confusion, "Woah, wait? What are you talking about?" He asked, "This person has been doing this for months. I've been finding this junk all over the place!" Russell pointed at the graffiti, which was mildly distasteful at best but still annoying compared to the idea that the wall could simply be just a plain, simple wall, which Russell preferred. Maxion was amused by the prospect of finding another person who liked drinking; he thought he was the only person who knew about the stash of goodies in the cargo bay. Omeocoon did not eat or drink. However, just because they don't need to does not mean eating is impossible; they simply prefer not to do it... the act could be messy. They found the concept of eating quite disgusting. If an Omeocoon were to 'eat' something, the contents would absorb into their vitalum. But it has little to no effect on their physical well-being in terms of nutrition and energy. This is more like a recreational activity than it is a necessity. But to fit in with their alien friends, some Omeocoons were known to drink or nibble to integrate into the party scene, but one of the most acute sensations was getting drunk. Since they didn't have a liver for alcohol to pass through, it meant that as soon as it hit their mouth. It's just inside of their body; the effect of alcohol is potent, but it does wear off. In the same manner, medication/sedatives are also effective on Omeocoon.

From his perspective, Ollie seemed like he couldn't have enough of that swill. "Get up, you're coming with us." Russell approached Ollie, his arms crossed. Ollie waved a dismissive hand at Russell. "I'm fine. Just... needed a drink, that's all." Russell's grin returned to a frown, his gaze flickering to the empty bottle on the floor. "It looks like you've had more than, 'a drink.' A drink implies that there's one– singular. You've sucked down half that entire bottle and defaced that wall. Now come on."

Ollie's grin faded, replaced by a bitter expression. "No... I'm not going anywhere with you," He muttered, his voice thick with self-pity. "Seems like everyone's against me these days. Can't even catch a break." Russell sighed, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You obviously can't hold your alcohol; I'll wait until you're sober to interrogate you." Ollie scoffed, gesturing vaguely at the air again with his hand. "He's not going to listen, I tried." Kody struggled. Russell shook his head, his expression never changing. "And who are you? Did you have a hand in this?" Russell pointed at the graffiti, and Kodi nodded sadly. "I'm sorry... my friend is depressed. Being on this station has hit him harder than I thought."

"Well, that's too bad. He's going to have to live with himself in a holding cell. And you're going to join him." Russell grabbed Kody by his underarm, then did the same for Ollie, helping him rise to his feet so he could carry him harshly. "Wait, one more sip." Ollie weakly reached out to his bottle, but Russell stopped him, pulling him back by the arm. "How about you take a break from this for now," Russell beamed triumphantly, "Aw, does that mean our date is over?" Maxion asked, "Not at all. It just means we've got guests. And since you like kids so much, how about we adopt two more?"