"Good morning, Inkopolis. Have you heard the news? If not, let me catch you up to speed: looks like you and I are gonna be coming down with a serious case of cabin fever. Worry not! We here at CPOD FM will be keeping you company all throughout the city lockdown. Until then, here's High Tide Era with 'Hooked'..."

The DJ's smooth voice sounded through the girl's headphones as she walked into the western alleyway of Inkopolis Square. The sun was beginning to shine down on the city, warming the dark pavement below her feet. Agent 4 tugged at her jacket sleeve as she listened. She had heard the news, alright. The lockdown had begun almost immediately after the announcement. Officials had begun to circle the perimeter of the city, and some had even started to patrol residential districts. Upon looking out her apartment window, Four had spotted two of them near the complex's lobby. Was she worried that the city was basically being shut down? Well, yeah. But she had faced worse.

That being said, though, the Inkling had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to all of this than what was being let on. After all, she was on her way to make a not-so-triumphant return to Octo Canyon. Marie had summoned her to the area early that morning, prompting her to once again don her agent garb and make the journey down to Tentakeel Outpost. She knew several of the other squidkids pacing around the plaza (seeing that she was an avid, if lackluster, Turf War player in her spare time), but she hoped the lime jacket would make her a bit more unrecognizable. The girl took a quick glance to make sure no one was staring, and leaped into the grate.
The metallic sides of the tubing were cold against her skin. It made its familiar creaks as she slid through it, trying to make sure her belongings didn't escape her grip. Soon enough, she heard the sound of birds in the distance—she had reached the other side.

Four exited out of the grate, her tentacles taking on a greenish shade. She stood up, dusted herself off, and looked around, re-familiarizing herself with the outpost. It had been months since she had been to the locale, let alone talked to Callie or Marie. After her stint as Agent 4, both of them seemed reluctant to speak with her again. She didn't blame them; the Inkling was sure the two were busy enough with their music careers. Nevertheless, she had to admit she felt let down. Even if she wouldn't be receiving any thanks for the whole rescuing-the-Zapfish thing, she at least hoped she would be able to keep in touch with the cousins. But, alas, that had not been the case.

Attempting to quiet her thoughts, she stepped off the grate platform, taking a couple paces forward. The concrete perimeter of the island was adorned with the usual wrecked traffic signs and spare electrical wires, the stone supporting the outpost was a warm taupe. The small cabin at her right looked the same as it had back in March, when she had first arrived at Octo Canyon. At first glance, she didn't spot Callie or Marie. Oh, well, Four thought. She could wait. Behind her, the glass globe that had once held Octavio was nowhere to be seen. Four assumed it must have been moved someplace else—she doubted Agents 1 and 2 would have let the Octarian general go that easily. Ahead of her stood the rest of the floating outpost, with its multitude of kettles connecting them to the more metropolitan parts of the Canyon. But, her missions there had been completed, so she opted to ignore the island beyond the stone archway. She turned her attention to the blue loveseat to her left, which stood under the shade of a large tree. The old, clunky television set was placed a yard or two in front of it (although, if her memory served her right, it barely got any signal).

There was a stranger asleep on the couch. An Octoling boy had curled up on the furniture, hugging onto one of the throw pillows Callie had placed on the sofa. She backed up suddenly, letting out a muffled yelp. She had no weapon. Instinctively, Four threw up her hands, half-shielding herself with upturned palms. Who was this guy?!

She heard a familiar laugh. "Woah, calm down, Four! He's not an intruder or anything." She turned to look at the source of the voice: Callie. The dark-haired Inkling stood outside Cuttlefish Cabin, still in a coral nightgown which extended to her calves. It was, after all, eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. Four slowly lowered her hands. "Who… is he?"
"Oh! That's Agent 8. He's what I suppose you could call a new hire ," Callie stepped out past the shade provided by the cabin. It appeared she was as chipper as always. "Gramps found him during his mission. They got back a couple hours ago, so I think he'll probably be conked out for a while." Oh. Four had heard that their grandfather had left the city for some time. She nodded her head. "So… Agent 8? What happened to Five through Seven?" She half-joked—it had come out sounding a bit more rude than she had hoped for.

"Don't look at me, I didn't give him the name!" Callie smiled. "Anyways, turns out he escaped from Cephalon some time ago."
"He escaped from headquarters? How?! "
"After Three took down DJ Octavio—well, the first time—some of the Octolings managed to leave the depths. But, you know that, right?" Four was surprised at how readily Callie was discussing Octavio. After all, she had been held captive there just months prior. "...Yeah." It was true. Callie and Marie had told her all about her predecessor's exploits. She had met him once, but that had been ages ago.

"Eight here had to go through some kind of testing ground, I think?" Callie raised an eyebrow. "Ugh, Gramps barely explained what happened to us," she puffed her cheeks. "Speaking of which, Marie was hoping we could get something out of him. She says she's sure he's got something useful on the Octarians. Not like we'll be seeing much of them in the meantime, but it never hurts to be ahead."

"Oh-kay. Sorry to circle back, but… what happened to Octavio?" Four motioned to the space behind her. "His snowglobe is, uh, gone."
"Oh, him? Marie managed to relocate the containment unit. No need to worry about him." The green-haired Inkling eyed Callie suspiciously. "Huh. What about the rest of the agents?"

"Well, let's see. Marie and I are here on the Outpost, so that's the first two… you're here, new boy is here, and Agent 3 is, well... "
"What?"

"He's gone." Callie must've noticed the expression on Four's face, as she instantly followed up: "He's not dead or anything! …I think. He left Inkopolis months ago."
"Why? He saved Inkopolis, why would he just leave right after like that?""Beats me." Despite her nonchalant tone, Four detected some wistfulness in the Inkling's eyes. Callie cleared her throat. She was ready to change the topic.

"So. Callie."
"Yes?"

"Have you heard about those people disappearing?" The story was as upsetting as the topic they were discussing before, but she got the feeling it would be hard to get the Inkling to budge on the subject of Agent 3.
"I have, actually."
"Pretty worrying, huh?"
"Sure is."

Silence. Neither said nothing for what must have only been 20 seconds, but felt like an eternity. A warm breeze passed by, howling as it flew threw the cracks and crevices of the canyon's rock formations. Then, from the interior of the wooden cabin, came a small creak . The screen door slid open, revealing an already dressed Marie. She wore the ornate kimono she had on when she and Four first met, months ago. She opened her green parasol as she exited into the sunlight. Her expression, as expected, was one of casual disinterest.

"Agent Four. Long time, no see," she said.
"Marie! I was just talking with Sy—I mean, Four," Callie said. Marie smiled dryly, sighing at her cousin's apparent lack of professionalism. The green-haired Inkling tried to comfort her. "You can just call me by my real name, it's not like we're in the middle of a mission or anything," she said. Marie glared.
"Mission or not, you never know who could be listening in," she crossed her arms. Callie seemed to ignore her.

"So, Four. Met the new guy yet?"
"Kind of? Not really. He's been asleep since I got here."
"Aw, man. Well, let's just say he's a man of few words. Totally great, though. Guy's adorable."
"Sure. Uh, side question: is he just hanging out here, does he have a place to stay, or...?"

"Actually, that's part of the reason I called you down here," Marie spoke up. "Now that we've confirmed Gramps is safe, One and I are getting ready to clear out of the area. Something tells me my grandfather won't be able to care for both himself and another person."
"What makes you think I can?" Was this the only reason Marie had called her so painfully early in the morning?!
"I'm certain taking someone in won't be too big of a problem for you." Seeing the discontent on the agent's face, she added: "Besides, this is only temporary. We're trying to locate a place near Flounder Heights. We need to keep an eye on him while he adjusts to life in Inkopolis."

Four tried her best to look upset. She was not expecting part of her duties as agent to be babysitting one of the new recruits. Her tiny apartment near Moray Towers would be ridiculously cramped with a second person residing there, she was sure of it. Why would the agents just throw this on her all of a sudden?! She let out a long sigh: she was supposed to be angry. The cousins looked at her expectantly. "Fine," she relented.

Marie smiled. "Good." She sat down near the TV set, underneath the tree's shade, closing her parasol and laying it beside her. "Take a seat. We've got some catching up to do."

"...Expect some showers in the late afternoon, followed by a lovely, clear evening. Around 9 P.M., we should be having a high of 81 degrees with a low of 75. Nothing to do tonight? The Department of Parks and Recreation will be holding an outdoor movie night in Atolla Square starting at seven. Snacks and seating will be provided. Don't miss it, folks."

"Well, that about does it for me—until then, good night, Inkopolis.