Not every chapter of a story is great. Please, if you think something was done badly, tell me, and I can improve it. Don't just tell me a chapter was crappy without telling me which part of it was. With that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter.
"Spy."
"Yes, Mademoiselle?"
"First of all, just Atra will do. Second, here's your knife back. Third, I need you to put it to good use by bringing me a load of frozen Inklings."
The Frenchman returned the knife to its pocket.
"Of course, pardon me, but why?"
"We need a deterrent. My plan is to have both the other sister and the girl inside our little fortress so we can publicly beat them down. However, if our broadcast had the desired effect, then all of the Inklings in Inkopolis will either be buying weapons to attack us or buying weapons to defend themselves with. If we show where we are, all of them will attack at once. We need something to stop them. You've shown us that your knife stops them from respawning, but what would happen if you shattered the statue?"
"I imagine the individual pieces would not be able to reform, killing the Inkling."
"That's my theory."
"Hmm. I'll see what I can do. How many?"
"Get about ten, two for each operative I'll have posted on the path out front. Feel free to take as many as you want though."
Nodding curtly, the Spy turned and was about to leave when Atra called out again.
"Did you manage to get the hang of your new trick?"
The Spy grinned under his mask. From beneath his jacket emerged four thin tentacles, each tipped with a bony barb. He shifted, becoming an octopus before reverting to normal. Atra's eyes sparkled with malice.
"Excellent."
"There's more."
He took the Spycicle from his pocket and absorbed it, wincing at the cold. Atra gasped when the barbs turned an icy blue instead of white, mist pouring off them.
"Oh, this is fantastic. Go on, get me those Inklings."
-Flounder Heights-
"Alright... Don't panic, don't panic, the worst thing you can do right now is panic. Stop panicking."
Marie looked at herself in the mirror. After Atra's swift and remorseless execution of both Misha and Callie, Marie had quickly broken down into uncontrollable fits of heaving sobs. She was hyperventilating, she knew that much, and her eyes were red and swollen. It wasn't fair for her to lock herself in the bathroom like she had; Corlu was just as close to Misha, and had witnessed the broadcast with her. From what Marie had heard so far, that was to say, nothing, the younger girl was most likely in shock.
Taking several deep breaths, Marie unlocked the door and went back into the living room. As she suspected, Corlu was curled up on the chair, breathing very slowly and staring into space. Marie crouched down and embraced her, fighting back the sobs that threatened to break her composure again and failing completely.
"We'll get them back... We'll get them back..." She managed between sobs.
Corlu did not react at all, and she felt very cold. She was completely catatonic.
"Come on, I need you to calm down."
Marie first pulled Corlu's arms away from her knees, and the girl immediately curled up further, her arms folding across her chest and knees drawing in further. Next, Marie pushed Corlu onto her back, before taking hold of her ankles and pulling her legs onto the armrest. Nodding to herself, she retrieved Corlu's forgotten drink, holding it out to her. At first, she did not react. But, several seconds later, she shifted her stare from the ceiling to the glass before slowly reaching out with a hand that was visible shaking. Marie supported most of the weight of the glass while Corlu drank, moving away when the girl swallowed and breathed out with a long, mournful moan. Marie realised that she was whispering something, the same phrase over and over.
"He's gone... He's gone... He's gone..."
"Hey." Marie shook Corlu's shoulder, demanding her attention. When she didn't focus, she lightly slapped her face. "Hey! Come on, we're going to get them both back. The two of us are going to march right into their base and wipe out every last thing standing between us and Callie and Misha." She sighed. "If only I knew where to look... Never mind that, our first port of call is a custom weapon for you. I don't care if I have to carry you to Sheldon's, you are coming with me. So are you going to let yourself be carried, or are you going to show that energy and prowess you have as an Agent?"
Corlu swung her legs to the floor, standing up slowly, her shoulders shaking as she cried. Marie almost teared up again.
"Good to see you're at least reacting to things now. Come on."
She took her by the hand, leading her out of the apartment and almost forgetting to lock up in her haste. She wasted no time when she got outside, immediately super jumping to the centre of Inkopolis, cringing as the broken glass of her studio crunched underfoot. Disregarding the shocked stare of the Inklings around her, she headed straight into Ammo Knights, Sheldon looking up while thanking another customer. There was a queue. Marie stepped into line, watching as all sorts of Shooters and Brushes were bought. She noticed a trend- all of them used either a Bubbler or a Kraken as a Super. She and Corlu reached the front of the line, Sheldon wiping his brow and looking up at them.
"What can I do for you? Krak-on Roller? Octobrush?"
"Unique. We have a commission."
"Marie, I can't just do one thing while there's a huge line of customers."
He pointed to the enormous queue behind her, which now stretched into the plaza. Marie shrugged.
"You get started on the commission, I'm buying. I'll sell things to the rest." When he hesitated, Marie raised her voice. "Now!"
Sheldon led Corlu out of the shop floor, and Marie turned around, addressing the queue that was now staring at her with a mix of adoration, fear and sympathy.
"Who's next?"
Corlu took several deep breaths, composing herself as the cacophony of voices, punctuated by Marie's shouts faded when Sheldon closed his workshop door. The girl in front of him cast her gaze around the messy workplace.
"So, what kind of weapon do you want?"
"Blaster." She said after some consideration.
"And what sort of spec?" Sheldon asked walking over to the row of cabinets labelled "Blaster". "You can balance between range, power, efficiency, fire rate and blast radius."
"Maximum range, radius and power."
Sheldon's eyes narrowed.
"That'll be difficult to handle. It'll fire really slowly, about once every two, maybe three seconds, and sap about a third of your ink tank with each shot. You'll be left wide open after a few shots."
"I can deal with that."
"Alright, if you say so. Any particular sub and super you want?"
"Burst and Bubbler."
Sheldon inspected the spec he had written out, considering the different aspects that he had been asked to implement.
"The looks of this, this is not a defensive weapon, is it? Given the circumstances, I wasn't expecting this..."
Corlu thought before answering.
"No, it's not defensive. How quickly can you get it done?"
"Hmm, to edit a chassis and make sure everything fits, at least an hour." He whistled. "This is going to be expensive, at least forty thousand because of the mechanisms needed."
Corlu felt a pang of guilt, knowing that she was going to be spending such a large amount of someone else's money on a weapon. She was ushered back into the shop floor, where Marie was handing a Tri-Slosher over the counter with one hand and scanning a card with the other. The sister merely pointed to the ladder next to the wall of weapons and began calling out orders. Sighing, Corlu got onto the ladder and began searching.
It was two hours until Sheldon relieved the pair, clutching an enormous case as he emerged from the workshop, metal shards covering his hands and front of his uniform. Marie handed over her card. He scanned it, nodding at the transaction before handing both the card and case over.
"Thanks for running the shop for me. How's the stock?"
"Four more Krak-ons left." She took another order, shouted to Corlu, and caught the roller that was thrown from the ladder. "Three. And we're out of E-Litres."
"Right, right. I won't ask about the rest. Please, leave the rest to me."
Corlu jumped from the ladder, walking with Marie around the counter and out of the shop, Sheldon beginning to fill orders faster than his short stature suggested. In the plaza, they jumped back to Flounder Heights, heading into the apartment and placing the case on the table. Marie gestured at it, and Corlu unhooked the clips, lifting the lid of the case and revealing the weapon inside.
The Blaster was just as large as a Heavy Splatling. On top of it lay a note signed by Sheldon.
"Your spec was far too complex for even the largest Blaster chassis. I had to take some liberties and put in a Splatling instead. Enjoy your heavy gun, inspired by something called a Howitzer."
The gun was a monster of plastic and metal. Both grips were above the weapon, the trigger on the rear handle. Instead of several small barrels, the mouth of the weapon consisted of a single, massive barrel. The motor had been replaced with a large compressor, the Ink tank feeding directly into it. A strap was slung between the back of the barrel and the back of the weapon. What made the weapon strange were the three hinged Inklines on the mouth of the barrel.
"What are they for?" Corlu pointed out the hinges to Marie, who shrugged.
"You'll have to fire it to find out. Let's take it to the roof."
Marie closed and picked up the case and walked out, Moments later, they emerged into the battleground, Corlu opening the case and attaching the hose to her Ink Tank. She then hefted the weapon from its case, straining slightly with the weight. She let it hang on her shoulder while she got a feel for it, swinging it back and forth experimentally, getting used to its obscene weight. She nodded at Marie, who stepped back and gave her a thumbs-up. Corlu aimed for a far-off tree and pulled the trigger and was immediately blown backwards by the recoil. The Inklines on the front of the weapon fed into the projectile as it arced away, causing it to swell before it exploded before hitting the tree, covering a large area with green ink. Marie helped the smaller girl to her feet.
"Okay, looks like we're going to need to work on your stance a bit. Put your left foot further forward."
Corlu picked up the Blaster and did as instructed before pulling the trigger again. The force forced her to take a step back, but otherwise, she stayed standing. She stepped forward before shooting again, leaning forward with more of her weight. This time, she rocked back slightly, her left foot brought off the ground as she fired.
"Getting better! You best get whatever practice you want in pretty quickly, we don't know what Atra will do next, or when." Marie's face soured, a look of fury appearing on it. "She's going to pay for what she did to Callie and Misha."
Suddenly, the power went out around them, neon fading away and buildings becoming dark in the fading twilight. Marie glanced at Corlu, who shrugged.
"Moray, now. Let's see what's going on."
The pair super jumped, landing atop the two towers and surveying the city, a helicopter swooping in overhead with a powerful searchlight. It descended and lit up the plaza. Ignoring it, Corlu tapped Marie's shoulder and pointed into the distance, towards the mountains. One road remained lit, leading directly towards a ring of blue lights at the foot of the mountain. Marie glared at it.
"I guess that's where we're going."
She held up a thumb, trying to gauge the distance. Several sprays of ink arced overhead as other Inklings caught on to the message in the power cut.
Come and get us. Atra was taunting them. Try your luck. You can't save everyone.
Staring into the distance, Marie picked a random Inkling in the rapidly-forming crowd and jumped, Corlu deciding whether or not to leave the case behind.
It's only a case. It's not like I'll be packing my… Nereid away.
Shrugging, she followed Marie, landing in a crouch and lifting her weapon before running after Marie, who was glaring at the figures inside the circle of blue light. Corlu looked also, and her expression soured. Inside the circle, blocking their path, were five Blue Ring operatives, two icy statues stood either side of each one. The pit in Marie's stomach deepened when she realised that each operative was holding a sledgehammer. A voice rang out from the darkness.
"Come on, you know we mean business. If you take another step, one of these gets it. There are two people who we'll let through, and they are Marie, and a girl called Corlu."
A salvo of ink burst from the crowd, aimed at the nearest Octoling. She saw it coming and rolled behind one of the statues before raising the hammer and bringing it down on the frozen boy's head, his entire body fracturing into pieces.
"Oh dear, look what you made us do. You try that again, and this one gets it too."
Marie stepped forward, Charger in hand, Corlu following close behind. The foremost Octoling grinned.
"You two to straight on through. Mistress Atra has a special present for you."
In one swift movement, Marie had charged, aimed and fired, the Octoling's spirit bearing a look of surprise and disgust as it flew back towards the mountain. Marie pushed the statue towards the crowd before turning to the rest of the Octolings. The remaining four were shifting nervously on their feet. Marie fixed them with a glare almost as cold as the frozen hostages as she passed. Up ahead, in the foot of the mountain, gaped a massive entrance, guarded by four more Octolings. They only snickered at Marie and Corlu as they passed, like there was an unseen punchline between them.
As the light from the entrance grew dim behind them, screens flickered to life on the walls, Atra's vicious face appearing on them.
"Oh, you're here! Great. I don't know if she told you- I guess she did, since she's here now, quite annoyed- but I have a present to give you. You're going to love it."
Corlu rolled her eyes and ignored the Octoling, walking in silence. They hit a staircase, and began to ascend. Another screen flicked on above them.
"Did you like the little display outside? I have to say, this Spy is very efficient. I love their little frozen screams, don't you? I'll tell you where I've seen it before- on your whale of a friend."
Corlu shot the screen, the force of the projectile cracking the glass. Marie turned and shot the nearby camera. Atra's voice rang out again.
"Oh, you public menace. These cameras and screens cost money, you know. Not for us, we just loot them. But still, that's beside the point. Why don't you come up here to get your present? You just follow the path, that's all."
Growling in frustration, Marie picked up the pace, scaling the remaining stairs and following the next corridor, ignoring Atra's taunting. She only stopped walking when she hit a set of doors separated by a wall between them. There was a button next to one of the doors. While Corlu caught up, Marie pressed down on it and watched the opposite door open, a button on the wall behind it. Her eyes narrowed.
"She's splitting us up."
Corlu looked at the button beyond the door. She stepped through and pressed it, the door in front of Marie sliding open. She stepped into the corridor beyond, Corlu's door closing. The next corridor was partitioned by glass wall spanning its length; Marie was on the left and Corlu the right. At the end were doors facing opposite directions. The pair advanced, expecting a trap that would cause the death of the other while the survivor looked on, helpless. Reaching the corridor without incident, Marie knocked on the glass to get the smaller girl's attention and placed her hand on the wall.
"I'll see you later." She mouthed.
Corlu nodded, giving a small wave before turning and pushing her door open, stepping into the room beyond. Taking a deep breath, Marie pushed her door open.
The first thing Corlu noticed about the room was that it was absolutely freezing. Ice covered the floor, icicles clung to the ceiling and her breath was condensing in front of her. The second thing she noticed, something that banished the cold with a slow-burning fury, was a suited man with four thin tentacles sprouting from his shoulders. He turned to Corlu, and laughed. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out the Spycicle and absorbed it before allowing his tentacles to extend. He chuckled and faded into the mist.
"So, I ended up with the girl."
Corlu fired at the sound of his voice, sliding across the icy ground due to the recoil. The Spy laughed.
"My my, what a big gun. It would seem that my dear friend the Heavy has rubbed off on you."
Corlu fired again, and the Spy laughed again.
"Keep that up and you're going to run out of ink very quickly." He said from somewhere behind her. "There is nowhere you can place your ink in here. This room was built to my specification. You can't stop me."
Corlu slowly turned on the spot, scanning the room. She turned when someone tapped her left shoulder and leapt away when a voice whispered in her right ear.
"Peek-a-boo."
Marie stepped into the room onto a catwalk, the door grinding shut behind her. Looking around, she saw there were even more gantries above and below her. In fact, she couldn't even see the bottom of the room, there were just walkways suspended in a void, and nothing but a mesh between her and that void.
I won't be able to shift in here. Marie realised before a flash of colour caught her attention, and she growled when a shirtless Seida dropped from the ceiling, landing in a crouch a short distance away from her. He stood up, stretching is arms and back before staring at her, speaking in his awful, hoarse, whisper.
"You... Have drawn the short straw."
Marie backed away, keeping her scope zeroed on Seida's chest at all times. She had no exact idea where his vitals were- not that it mattered using ink- so she aimed where she was least likely to miss.
I'll never miss. Not now.
Seida stretched his fingers out in front of him before performing a lunge on each leg, stretching himself out and limbering up while Marie continued to back away.
"Be… serious. Do you really think… you can defeat us?" Seida leaned towards her as her back hit the closed door. "You have… no hope."