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Chapter 4
Wow…Inkopolis…
It's so colorful…it's so bright…
It's…
*crash*
Wha…
No…
Stop!
Get-*Thwak!*-OFF-*Thwak!*-OF-*Thwak!*-ME!
*Thwak!*
"AAAAAAAAHHH!" I screamed as I woke up, my arms flailing about. I was hyperventilating.
"Eight, calm down!" Cathy tried keeping me steady. "Slow your breathing…"
I slowed my breathing. It was still a little fast, but I could think somewhat straight.
"What'd you dream?" She wondered.
"I…I…I imagined Inkopolis, like you said." I told her. "It was nice at first…but…bad things happened…"
"…What bad things?" She looked me in the eye.
"I…I'm not sure…" I was trying to remember. "Something crashing…guilt…fear…I…I think I killed someone…"
"…H-hey, it's alright." She assured me. "It was just a dream."
"I…I know…" I nodded my head. "But…for some reason…it felt…I don't know…it just felt real…"
"Sometimes dreams can feel that way." She shrugged.
"I don't know…" I sighed. "When I imagine Inkopolis…for some reason…I feel like I've been there before…"
"M-maybe you were one of the Octarian escapees." She suggested.
"Maybe…" I nodded my head. "Ugh, I'm hungry…"
"Cap brought donuts." She informed me. "You want some?"
"Now, that'll cheer me up." I sat up straight. "Sure!"
Later…
I've been going through these tests for a while. Cathy pointed out on a map where she remembered the 'thangs' she collected were.
B09 looked important; Cathy agreed it was too, so I selected it…
As soon as we got there, I was given a simple weapon and headed down the hallway. At the end was a ball of light with some kind of object inside it. I shot my ink and the orb expanded until it popped. I went forward and the Thang was mine! I wheeled it onto the train.
Shortly After…
"You are daa bomb fo rizzle!" The phone told me. "You got the first thang! Find all four and you till (ERROR) the promised land. Keep on keeping on!"
Yesss!
"So this is one of the four thangs, eh?" Cap looked over it. "These thangs are as weird as this place, but we gotta get out of here somehow…Let's hurry and find three more! I'm counting on you, Agent 8."
"Huh…so how are these supposed to help us?" I asked Cathy.
"Shell if I know…" She shrugged. "Harold and I only found two thangs before I started looking elsewhere for an exit. One upside is there should be another one four stations away."
"Alright, Cathy!" I raised my hand in the air. "…Don't leave me hanging…"
"Huh-Oh!" She gave me a high-five. "Sorry…"
"It's fine." I assured her. "Now for the next station…"
Later…Righteous Rails Station…
Well, Righteous Rails landed me further in debt…
Can't Touch This Station…
Huh…this one wasn't bad…I actually made it through first time…
Sneaking around and evading hits feels natural…I wonder if I used to do it a lot…
Double Whammy Station…
Orb defense was…interesting…my aim was still slightly off, but I managed to get this station first try as well…
Bust and Run Station…
Just like the first Thang Station, it was an inclined hallway with the thang at the top.
Central Station…
"Slammin'!" The phone cheered. "You have found the second thang! That is half of them. You are one bad mama jama…Rock on!"
"I will rock on, strange phone!" I nodded my head.
"Hmm…So the four thangs come in different shapes and sizes…" The Cap'n noticed.
"They look like parts of something…" Marina chimed in. "I can't ascertain what, though."
"Maybe a big…key or something?" I suggested.
"Could be…" Marina guessed.
"And we're closer to getting to the surface, C-Eight!" Cathy said that weirdly.
"Uh…yeah…" Something seemed off…
"You alright?" She asked.
"Y-yeah, it's just…" I then sighed. "I feel like I should remember something by now, but I can't…"
"I'm sure something will come to you…" She assured me. "Maybe some more tests will jog your memory?"
"Maybe…" I agreed. "You sure seem interested in a complete stranger…"
"Like I said before, I enjoy a break in the monotony." She shrugged. "Also, I'm actually curious to see what happens when all the thangs are found now."
"Even though you said you find the tests to be a waste of time." I pointed out.
"I haven't actually seen what happens and I'm a bit curious now." She said a little frustrated. "Call it part of my bucket list. To see what happens at least once."
I guess…
Four Hours Later…
I spent most of my time completing the tests, only stopping when Cathy brought a burrito from one of the Underground shops.
I got a ton of mem-cakes and landed in even more debt.
Something kept bothering me though…
Catherine…she seems like she's on edge half the time.
Like she knows something I don't…
I need to find out if she knows anything…but how…?
I walked back onto the train.
"Anything?" She asked.
"No…" I answered.
"Oh…" She looked a bit disappointed…but also uneasy…
"…Catherine…" I sat next to her. "…Do you know anything…about me?"
"I…why do you ask?" She seemed caught off-guard by that.
"It's just…you seem…uneasy." I told her. "Whenever the topic of my memory comes up, you seem uneasy. You look like you want to say something, but can't for whatever reason."
"I…" She looked like she was thinking. "Can I ask you something first?"
"Doesn't seem fair, but okay…" I reluctantly agreed.
"…What do you think of me?" She asked.
"Huh?" I was confused by her question.
"It's just…what do you think of me?" She repeated the question.
"Uh…well, you have pointed me in the direction of two thangs." I replied. "You also suggested getting more mem cakes to get my memories back…though that didn't work…and you've been pretty nice so far…"
"…Okay…" She looked like she was thinking again. "Um…Eight…I want to try something…"
"What is it?" I wondered.
"Your name…" She replied.
My…what?
She knows my name?
Why didn't she tell me then?
"Eight…" She looked me in the eye. "Your name is Cassandra. Cass for short."
My eyes widened.
"My name…" I thought about it. "I'm Cassandra?"
"Yes." She nodded her head.
"I…why didn't you…" My head started hurting a little. "Tell me…?"
"I…wanted to be sure you were ready to hear it." She didn't explain.
"Catherine, I…" My head was pounding. "Uuugh…"
"Cass?" She looked concerned. "Cass?!"
I blacked out.