(A/N: Aloha, everyone! Sorry for this chapter being uploaded a day later than it should have, I was terribly busy and also tired yesterday and it totes slipped my mind. But here it is, none the less! And as a special gift, I merged this chapter and the next one together, so it's like getting two chapters in one day! Enjoy! )
Months have passed since that fateful encounter and Bic had been studying her little Inkling friend closely from the shadows ever since. The way he moves, the way he thinks, his sense of humor in the worst of situations, just...him. He was very intricate and fascinating to Bic, as was the fact of him being something new and never experienced in her eyes. He wasn't without his imperfections, however, as he's almost gotten himself killed a multiple amount of times and would have been in some serious trouble if not for her helping hand.
First, there was the incident with the Octostrikers...
Agent 6 kept his hero shot welded to his chest, hiding behind a wall. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing - Good thing this area had a roof - like tarp overhead to prevent him from being seen. He closed his eyes tightly, wanting so hard not to be here right now, before sprinting out into the open. He stealthily rolled past a shot from an Octosniper before splattering it, then came to wall. Naturally, he began to spray a barrage of ink up the wall to move on, but with it being pretty tall, it was taking some time and the Squee-G's were NOT helping. He kept looking up with every few precious seconds he used up trying to get a good line to swim up, praying to Cod he didn't draw any attention to himself.
"C'mon, c'mon!", he whispered desperately; His ink wasn't reaching high enough from where he was standing, and sure enough, after taking a glance at the sky, he'd been spotted by the Octostriker hanging out above. As quick as he could mutter a foul word, an inkstrike found its way behind him, cornering him against the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut again, this time clenching his teeth, knowing he was going to die. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted, and before his eyes had time to fully open, he was flung over the wall, just out of reach of the Octo's attack.
Agent 6 placed his hand over his heart, grabbing the fabric tight enough to feel his rapid heartbeat in his fingers. In the midst of quick, short breaths, only one word kept surfing through his mind as he stood, trying to find more cover to recollect himself:
'How...?'
Bic smiled, rubbing her upper arms after that thought. He wasn't exactly light, and exerting herself in that short burst of energy at once was something she wasn't used to, and kind of made her muscles sore. Her fingers trailed downwards, to a decent sized scab of dried ink on her lower arm. Instantly, it took her back to the time she'd yet again saved his bacon; This time from almost falling to his death.
"Cod, I freaking HATE these things..."
Agent 6 tried his hardest not to look down as he rode from one propeller to the other. The mobile, rotating platforms gave him a REALLY bad case of vertigo and nausea. He swallowed the bile in his throat, trying desperately not to lose his lunch. As he jumped onto a non-moving (thankfully) platform, he looked to his left and right - Octos.
His usual curse word crossed his lips before whipping out the inkzooka he'd been saving for just an occasion such as this. He grimaced at the feel of the special weapon, as he wasn't quite good with using it; He was okay with that, as he hated the thing a great deal. Regardless, he let out a loud battle cry as he emerged from his ink and opened fire. The inkzooka is a powerful and heavy weapon, as we all know, but in the midst of his 'in-the-moment' spur of actions, he'd forgotten one very important detail - the recoil, and he had no breathing room to work with.
He pulled the trigger - two splattered.
Again - One more splattered.
He turned on his heel - one more left - But why was it...smiling? He fired one more shot before losing his balance and slipping off the narrow platform.
Quickly, he grabbed the ledge with one hand, letting the inkzooka fall into the mass of clouds below. His gaze shot downward - he wished he hadn't - to see where it landed...nothing. Agent 6 quietly gulped, getting the nauseating feeling returning to his stomach before returning his focus back to the ledge. He tried to get his other hand up there for better leverage; No luck. He then tried to swing himself to get back up; No dice. After a few vain attempts, he could faintly hear the sound of something falling to the ground way below and shattering upon impact - His inkzooka, no doubt. Given the amount of time it took to hit the ground, he let out a whimper, now coming to the realization that his grip was slipping all too easily...He was next.
Four fingers.
Agent 6 tried to think of something, anything that could help.
Three fingers.
Wait, Cap'n Cuttlefish would know what to do! ...but he couldn't call him in time, knowing fully that Cap'n takes a while to answer his phone.
Two fingers.
Maybe dying won't be so bad. Squids don't have bones, so it won't hurt, right? After all, you kind of die in turf wars before re-spawning...it'll just be like that, but forever. Not so bad...Right?
One finger.
'This is it...I'm gonna die a virgin...'
Agent 6 shut his eyes calmly as his last finger slipped, awaiting death's cold embrace. After a bit of feeling that he was falling, death's embrace was strangely warm and...soft?
He opened his eyes to see a hand, holding onto his for dear life. The sun made it hard to see his savior's face, but they silently pulled him up, only giving a few quiet grunts. As he wiped his eyes to focus his vision back to normal and tried to calm his anxiety, a blurry figure absconded rather quickly, hopping over a nearby ledge.
"W-wait! Bic, is that you?!", he held his hand out helplessly. Getting no response, he let his hand come back to a rest at his side as he stared at the ledge.
"...Thank you..."
Bic remembered that sliding onto that dry, hot platform had torn her skin, but she didn't care. The thought of knowing she saved a life instead of ending one...it went against everything she was taught here at the Octoling base camp, and yet, it felt amazing! The rush it gave her, a sense of urgency and being needed...it was all very elating, and that was a feeling she'd never felt before! Sure enough, with each rescue, things got crazier and more drastic, and she could never reveal herself to him, for she knew what would happen if he got too comfortable around her...She sighed, now remembering the reason she'd been told to stay in her room for the day - her most recent, though accidental, 'rescue'.
Agent 6 didn't like this...Not at all. He'd been warned about this place - there were Octolings crawling about everywhere, but he was counting on it. He NEEDED to see Bic. To talk to her, to thank her! He just touched bases at the last deactivated checkpoint before the zapfish, and was now doing his trademark hiding behind a few boxes. He tried to hush his own anxiety - induced breathing, cradling his improved hero shot. It was quiet...Too quiet.
A quick peek around the box revealed the location of the last zapfish he needed to power the last area, but he was anything but a fool. There was too much wide, open space...it had to be a trap. A well thought out plan was going to be needed to safely nab it and NOT come out missing a tentacle or two. He peered out again, measuring the distance between him and the zapfi-
Click.
He blinked, his nose now kissing the cold metal of the barrel of an Octoling's gun. "Get up."
Agent 6 laughed nervously, slowly rising with his hands and weapon in the air. "Haha...you caught me...Uh, can we talk about-"
"Shut it. Now, turn around."
He did as he was commanded, turning to see not one, not even two, but three Octolings surrounding him, all barrels pointed right at him. The Octoling in the center wore kelp in her tentacles - something that he'd learned signifies higher rank. She spoke with the same menacing voice commands as before. "Put your gun down, scum."
"Ladies, ladies...we don't have to do this, do we? After all, I'm sure somewhere deep down, you don't even wanna-" A shot of deep magenta ink lobbed past him, close enough to feel the air from the shot. "...Apparently we do...", he said quietly, laying his weapon on the ground.
"Should we just splatter him now? I mean, it'd be way less trouble in the long run.", came a suggestion from the Octoling on the left. The higher ranked one of the three shook her head and spoke once more in her monotonous tone.
"No, we need to Radio Octavio. He may want him alive for questioning."
The girl on the left sighed, and pulled a radio from her belt, grumbling something along the lines of 'fun killer' before calling in her report. Agent 6 looked to the right one, as she'd been quiet the whole time, and she seemed to be avoiding eye contact...Was that... "Bic...?"
The girl jumped in shock, floundering about with her weapon before accidentally pulling the trigger, hitting her superior with a rather large gob of ink. The center Octoling slowly and menacingly turned, giving her the deepest scowl she could muster before returning her attention to the boxes. ...Wait. Boxes?
"Where'd he go?!" She glanced at the ground and saw he'd escaped through an inktrail...that was fast. He was gone, but as she looked back, she could still see the zapfish sorrowfully powering the area. A retreat? Smart boy. The Octoling on the right rolled her eyes before speaking.
"Octavio wants the security around this joint doubled here tomorrow. He'll be back for that zapfish, an' we'll be right here waiting." The superior glared at Bic, who kept her head low in silence, before she led the two back into the dock; it was getting late, and reports had to be made.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF COD HAPPENED OUT THERE?!"
Octavio screamed at the dark-colored Octoling from behind a screen as she held back tears. She bowed, grinding her teeth tightly.
"S-sir, it wasn't my fault! It was 81-"
"I DON'T CARE! NO EXCUSES! GIVE ME ONE GOOD DAMN REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T DECOMMISSION AND EXILE YOU TO INKOPOLIS TO DIE, YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE OF A SOLDIER?!"
The octoling winced, not wanting to be sent ou to die after working so hard to have earned her position. She quietly thought of how her next few words could sway him. She thought of 81C, and how much she HATED her for putting her in this position. She wouldn't be here right now like this if that Inkling didn't even know her name! How did he even know her self-given name, anyway?! ...Wait. After a minute, her tears stopped before she gave the most sinister grin possible and held her head up, facing Octavio's screen with confidence.
"Because sir, I have a plan..."
A/N: Super long chapter is super long! Cheesus christ. I hope no one's bothered by the length. I poured my all into this chapter, as per usual. Please give me feedback, so I can continue to make this story as best I can, and once again, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Have a good day!