It didn't take long for the other members of the band to join Cliff and Loch. By the end of the week, they had recruited the bassist Dorian and a vocalist named Victor. While they weren't quite ready yet to go on stage, Cliff had a good feeling about the band, and had started scouting out for openings for them to play. With how they were proceeding, it wouldn't be too long before their first real gig.
And of course, his other "job" was coming along nicely. He had dealt with most of the zapfish in another zone of Octo Valley, and even now was fighting the next Octoweapon, the Rampaging Octowhirl. While his enemy was much more challenging this time around, Cliff found out that he was pretty much a bigger version of an Octoball and could get stuck in his ink if he covered enough ground. Soon, the weapon was destroyed, and the arena was covered in his lime-green ink.
"Agent 3 reporting", Cliff said, sighing as he leaned against his hero brush. "Octowhirl has been destroyed. Retrieving zapfish now."
"Hot dang, Agent 3! You're on fire!" the Captain crowed, happy for his agent. "Only twelve more babies to go, and then we'll only have the Great Zapfish left!"
"And then Inkopolis is saved", Cliff said with a smile. "I gotta admit that I'll miss doing this... but at least we'll get it done quickly without any outside interference, right Cap'n?" When there wasn't a response, Cliff immediately stood up a bit straighter, ready to rush back. "Cap'n?"
"... Eh? Sorry, Agent 3... I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden... it's probably nothin', but I think I'll just check somethin' out myself."
"If you say so , Cap", Cliff said, deciding he better start releasing the zapfish from it's glowing cage. He lifted himself off of his propped up brush, slowly walking to the "lightbulb".
"By the way, I've been meaning to introduce you to agents 1 and 2", the elder inkling commented.
"Oh, you mean the two agents that have been so busy, they haven't been able to help me?" Cliff inquired, his eyes visibly rolling the minute the other agents were mentioned.
"Don't be like that" Cuttlefish chided, and the red inkling could hear the frown on the old man's face. "They have their own lives. They stop by to help me out when you're busy, too, Agent 3."
"... I guess I can't fault them for that", Cliff admitted.
"Good. Fortunately, they should be able to visit either tomorrow or the day after. When we're all assembled, I'll treat you all to some crabby cakes!"
"Sounds like a blast", Cliff commented, though he wasn't all that excited. How could he be interested? These Agents supposedly helped the Cap'n whenever he was busy practicing with his band or fighting in Ranked Battles, but it still felt like he was doing all the work.
"Cut...tle...fishhhhh..."
Cliff immediately stopped, his eyes growing huge. He had never heard this voice before, but it was laced with so much venom. He could practically feel the hatred rolling off of this mysterious speaker. And the worst thing?
It sounded like it came from wherever the Cap'n was.
"No... YOU?! It can't be!"
Cliff brought a hand to his communicator, starting to panic. "Cap'n! Tell me your coordinates! I can meet up with-"
"GYAHAHA! Time to face the music, old timer!"
"W-w-w-w-wait!"
That was when a loud roar filled Cliff's headset and he winced at the sudden loud noise, but he refused to remove the communicator. He looked down at his tracking pad, desperately trying to find a way to switch to the Cap'n's communicator, but he ground his teeth together at the noises he heard. "Cap'n! What's going on?! Cap'n! Answer me!"
"Stop! NOOOOOOoooooooo!" came the response, sounding like he was being yanked away from the mic.
"GRAMPS!" Cliff screamed back, not sure why he was, but... what else could he do? For a moment, the radio was silent in response. But soon, it crackled to life again.
"Scratch... one... Cuttlefishhhhhhh..."
And with that, the radio died once more.
Cliff couldn't keep his balance. He fell flat onto his butt, processing what had happened. Was the Captain... gone? Like, for good? Who was that voice? What had he done?!
A loud clang garnered attention from the squid. He glanced around, grabbing his brush once more as he scrambled to his feet, slipping into a battle stance. He even scanned his hand-held tracker, trying to see if any enemies were coming. But there wasn't even a blip. Was he hearing things? A second bang told him that he definitely wasn't... but the clanging didn't stop. What sounded like huge pieces of metal falling and crashing echoed around him.
Then came the screams.
He couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from, but he heard them all the same; agonizing, desperate wails that destroyed all hope. Squalls of defeat and pain rang through his very soul. He felt his brush slip out of his hands, falling to his knees as he raised his hands to his ears, shuddering at every crash and screech.
Was it the denizens of this dome losing everything? Did the defeat of the Octowhirl stop the flow of electricity and cause the structure to start crumbling? Or was this his own guilt catching up to him, destroying him from the inside? From taking all the power from the Octarians... to letting Cuttlefish be attacked by the enemy?
The red inkling only shuddered and whimpered at the clanging and screaming, until finally, he couldn't bear it anymore. He threw his head back, placing his hands firmly on his ears as he bellowed alongside the sounds in the dome, his heart brimming with despair and rage.
XxXxXxX
Marina knocked gently on Cliff's apartment door. He had been busy with his new band practice and his job, so he hadn't been able to contact her in a while. She thought she'd surprise him by stopping by and making some food for him. Since they still spent time together every now and then, she felt they got closer, especially since he told her where his apartment was.
When there was no answer, though, she gave a sigh. He must be out with the band again, she decided, or out at his job. She would have to wait another day, and turned to leave, feeling her heart dive a bit further into her chest. She had worked up the courage to at least try, and it was rather discouraging that she picked a bad time.
But that was when she spotted a red head walking over, and knew right away it was him.
"Cliff!" she called out, smiling. She ran over to him, intending to tell him her plans, but soon stopped, the happiness falling off her face. His eyes weren't covered by his glasses, like usual, so she could easily see his silver irises. But more importantly, she could see the emptiness he was showing. He didn't even seem to register her presence, continuing to walk to his apartment. "Cliff?" she tentatively said, reaching over and catching his shoulder.
Finally, the inkling paused, registering his surroundings. He looked around, as if he had just realized he had gotten here without knowing how. He then looked to his shoulder, noticing that someone had a grip on him, and he turned to see the pinkette, worry etched clearly onto her visage. "... Marina?" he asked softly.
"Cliff... what happened?" his secret admirer inquired, bringing her other hand up to his cheek. She didn't know what was going on in his head, but she wanted to help, in any way that she could.
She didn't expect his eyes to well up with tears, but Cliff couldn't stop himself. He reached over, pulling her into a sudden embrace, sniffling as he held her. Had this been any other moment, Marina would've been ecstatic, but her worry only grew tenfold. Cliff wasn't an affectionate person; the most she had ever gotten out of him before was a handshake or just a one-armed embrace around her shoulders for only a couple seconds. So being victim to such an out-of-place gesture concerned her.
"I-I m-messed up", he told her. "Th-the Cap'n's gone... I c-couldn't save him..."
Marina forced him to pull back, looking him in the eye. "The Cap'n? Who is he? What are you talking about?" But the expression she saw told her he was way too emotional to think clearly, and she gave a sigh. "Let's go... open your apartment. We can talk in there... after you've gotten a chance to collect yourself."
With another sniffle and a silent nod, the pair headed inside, and Cliff took a seat at his small table next to the kitchen, where Marina brought her groceries. While he sat and collected himself, the pink inkling cooked, getting a simple dish of noodles and veggies together. When she looked in the fridge for something, she couldn't help but blanch a bit when her eyes found the pitcher of sea tea, but with a reluctant sigh, she pulled the concoction out, knowing that the red-head had quite the taste for it. They ate in relative silence, until Cliff finally felt he was able to speak without breaking down. And he told her all that had happened that day and the last couple of weeks.
"... so let me get this straight", Marina began, putting her fork down as she brought her hands together, working through everything she learned. "The day the Great Zapfish went missing... you were approached by this Captain Cuttlefish... and agreed to go on life-or-death missions to save not only the biggest fish, but also all of its babies."
"That's... the simplest way I could put it, yeah", Cliff confirmed.
"And you've fought three of these... these 'weapons'... that had more than enough power to destroy Inkopolis by themselves." Marina's eyes widened a bit as it all sank in. "That scar... that's how you got it! I knew I didn't see that before!"
Cliff winced a bit, before nodding. "Yeah... sorry I didn't tell you before", he said. "I wasn't sure you'd believe me anyway... and now that we know that they've gotten enough power to reactivate the Octo-weapons, the Cap'n asked me to keep quiet... didn't want the public panicking."
"But why just you?!" Marina asked. "And what about these other agents? Where have they been this entire time?!"
"They've supposedly been helping as much as they can, but Gramps told me that they don't have as much free time as they used to", he answered, albeit with an annoyed wrinkle on his brow. "And even if they did, they work as a pair. They'd only make as much progress as I did even if they put all their time into aiding the Cap'n."
Marina's cheeks puffed up, as her face started to turn red in fury. The boy could only stare in confusion and slight awe as he witnessed this, and she even pulled on her tentacles a bit in frustration. "That's just not right! It's not fair that you're the only active agent on that Splatoon! There's so many other soldiers that could help! What about the mayor? Why hasn't he done anything to stop the Octarians?!"
"Because they don't believe him", Cliff stated, remembering the words that Cuttlefish uttered the day they met. "No one in power believes that Octarians are making a move for our power supply after over a hundred years of peace. Sure, we've gotten requests from someone named..." His brow furrowed as he closed his eyes, trying to remember who the Cap'n had been talking about. "...General Bay to help us, but after seeing how quickly I can run through those domes, the Cap'n decided that covert tactics were probably best suited for these missions. If we send soldiers, it could spark another Great Turf War all over again, and no one wants that."
His words did do a bit to quell Marina's anger, if her softening gaze meant anything by that, but it was obvious she still didn't like it. "Well... it's still not fair. I'm gonna come with you next time and-"
"No!" Cliff immediately shot down. "Not happening!"
"Why not?" Marina argued, glaring a bit. "You know how well I can fight! I can bring my Hydra and give you some support!"
"Yeah, when you can actually keep up with me", Cliff countered. "That thing weighs you down, Marina, and I mean a lot. I need to be able to zip around my enemies without worry!"
"Then I'll bring just a heavy splatling! Speed problem solved!"
"And what happens when you get hurt?!" Cliff continued, standing up and taking steps away.
"And what about you getting hurt?" came her counter, as she stood up as well, her hands shaking as she curled her fingers into fists. "I-I want to make sure you're ok too, Cliff! It's not fair that I can't do anything to help you!"
"And what can you do?!" Cliff bellowed, his temper getting the better of him. Marina had never seen him this upset before, as she could see the tears threatening to fall again. "Are you trained to fight like an Octoling? Do you have proper military training? Are you willing to make life-or-death decisions at the drop of a hat?! Did you get the fact that the enemy won't show you ANY mercy drilled into your head?!"
In that moment, Marina couldn't handle it anymore, and yelled back at him, "YES! BEFORE I FLUNKED OUT, I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE POLICE ACADEMY!"
The following silence was almost maddening. For several minutes, neither one of them moved, not even to blink. They simply stared each other down, either too upset or too stunned to take any action. Eventually, Cliff cleared his throat, before deciding to speak again.
"You... you were gonna be a cop?" Cliff asked, surprised. "You never told me that."
"Well, you never asked", she responded, sitting down again. "I'm a year older than you, Cliff... a lot happened before I met you." She gave a sigh, pulling her pink tentacles over her eyes as she attempted to collect herself. "My dad... wanted me to be a cop, like him... or even a soldier in a splatoon of my own. So he pushed me to train and get stronger all the time... and for years, I followed him without question. With his funds, he helped me find my place in Inkopolis, and thanks to his recommendations and connections, I got into the academy no problem. But then..."
Cliff took a seat next to her, showing emotional support as she began shaking a bit. "... then I dropped out. I couldn't keep up; I made one mistake in my studies, and it spiraled out of my control. Before I knew it, I flunked out and never finished my training. I dropped all ties with my dad, my family... I just disappeared for a while. Because I couldn't stand the fact that his 'perfect' daughter... his precious, only child... had failed him."
The redhead listened carefully, and gave a sigh. "You strove for perfection at such a young age... and became afraid of failure in the process. I'm... guessing you never hit a wall like that before?" At her nod, he stopped talking, unsure of what to say. Failure, to him, was natural; it was how he learned how to fight, how to keep up his speed, how to play his guitar; without failure, he wouldn't be where he was now. But this poor girl had never felt its sting before, and she despised it, absolutely feared it.
One hand found its way to her shoulder, and without even thinking about it, she leaned closer to him, shaking a bit. Their dinner was completely forgotten now. They didn't need to say anything else that night; only their company was needed.
XxXxXxX
"Let me go, ya' octo-crooks!" Cuttlefish yelled, squirming in his bonds. He was being tied up onto one of the many saucers that littered the underground, a post being all that was needed as the ridiculously-long rope kept him wrapped up and bound. He couldn't see the octoling that was tying him up - only a shade of sea-green on her tentacle, but otherwise, he was left in the dark. "You'll be sorry for this!"
"I'm sure I will", came the sarcastic tone of Octavio, and the captain ceased his struggle when he saw the samurai helmet of the Octarian leader. "But until then, I think I'll savor this victory."
"Octavio", the old inkling said with a scowl. "I knew it... there's no way this would be a rogue octoling squad. You always hated that my splatoon gave you so much trouble."
"You mean keeps giving me so much trouble", Octavio said with a growl. "You and your hipster crowd have always stepped on us Octarians. Taking all the turf... leaving my people stuck in the underground."
"You mean you won't let your people share with us!" Cuttlefish shot back. "If you hadn't started those hostilities with us-"
"And have there been any attempts of diplomacy?!" Octavio roared. "Has there been advocates?! Ambassadors?! My people suffer in the darkness while you and your kind enjoy the sunlight without a care in the world! To your children, my people are nothing more than monsters from bedtime stories!"
"Because you don't want to share! You want complete control!" the old man countered once more. "If you're not in charge, you won't be happy! You'd push everyone under your tentacles, leaving them helpless and unable to fight back!"
Octavio growled, before looking back at the Octoling behind the older man. "Gag him. I don't need any more of his obnoxious squawking."
Despite his struggle and attempts to keep talking, Cuttlefish was eventually gagged, as Octavio looked behind him, towards another octoling. "So, Octammie... about our little side project."
The older octoling agent stood in a tight salute, showing the utmost loyalty to her leader. "Sir, I have received a report from the twins. They have located Octarla."
Octarla? the Cap'n thought, confused. Who the heck are they talkin' about?
"Good", Octavio said. "She will pay for betraying us... and I have no doubt that it was Octola who let her pass. You have not told her of your plan, have you?"
"Of course not", Octammie said. "We need her able to continue her duties. No need for her to suffer the loss of her child and her friend."
The Cap'n couldn't hear them as they walked away, but a feeling of dread washed over him.
XxXxXxX
Agent 1 and 2 both watched their junior agent's progress. The one with black tentacles, her eyes covered by sunglasses, turned to her white-haired counterpart. "Well... Agent 3 seems... a little..."
"A little dickish?" Agent 2 responded, rolling her golden eyes. "When we introduced ourselves, he's barely said anything, and he seems to scowl every time we say anything."
"Well, he does look kinda pissed..." Agent 1 mused, tapping her chin. "Ya think he's mad that we weren't here to help the Cap'n?"
"I don't see why he would", Agent 2 responded. "We've been helping whenever we could..."
"Well, it wasn't enough", Cliff said, walking up. The red-tentacled inkling stared them both down with a scowl, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. "If you two had been here, the Cap'n wouldn't have needed to fire up an SOS."
"Well, excuuuse us", Agent 2 stated. "We have our own lives, too. And this isn't our first time dealing with Octarians."
"Well, unless I see some action from you, I'm not gonna believe you", the boy said, hanging up the hero brush. "As far as I can see, I'm the only agent that actually does any work around here."
"Now that's just wrong!" Agent 1 argued, standing up from her seat. "We've been working our hardest to make sure those mapping projects work for your tablet! And after Gr-" She paused, catching what she was saying. "After the Cap'n got squidnapped, we've been not only helping you, but we've been looking wherever we can, seeing if we can figure out where he's been taken!"
"He shouldn't have been squidnapped in the first place!" Cliff snapped, his hand curling into a fist. "Someone should have been there to help him!"
"We could say the same about you!" Agent 2 shot back, glaring at him with her fierce golden eyes. "We had our real-life jobs to do! What about you, huh? Why weren't you fast enough to help him?!"
"You think I haven't already been beating myself up over that?!" Cliff responded, glaring as he ripped off the inktank on his back, looking back up as they grey-haired girl paused, not expecting that answer. "If I had been faster- if I hadn't stopped to chat instead of just making my way back, I could have had a chance to save him! I could have stopped the big bad that got him! But NO! I had to mess things up, and now I'm getting my screw ups thrown back at me by the Squid Sisters!"
The camp was silent and tense, both Agent 1 and Agent 2 - Callie and Marie stared in shock. How had he figured them out so quickly? Before either of them could ask, though, a new sound began playing; the distinct tones of the Calamari Inkantation, the song that made them stars to begin with. But it wasn't their version; it sounded like an electric guitar was playing the song itself. That was when Cliff pulled his phone out of his pocket, revealing the source of the song. "Uncle Cecil?" the young agent said, surprised. "What's going on? Why did you-"
The red boy suddenly stopped speaking, interrupted by what sounded like a frantic voice. His silver eyes widened behind his sunglasses, and he immediately had a look of horror on his face. "I'll be on the next train home. Tell Aunt Lydia I'm on my way." Once that conversation was over, Cliff put his phone back in his pocket. "I gotta go", he said suddenly.
"Wait what?" Callie asked, surprised.
"Where're you going with that Agent uniform?" Marie said, noticing that Cliff was only grabbing his stuff instead of changing. "That belongs here!"
"I don't have time to change", Cliff said in a rushed tone. "I have to go, like, now!"
"Where are you going?!" Callie asked, frustrated. "You have to help us save the Zapfish!"
"Tentaton Hospital!" Cliff snapped, his sunglasses drooping down his nose as he stared both idols down, daring them to challenge him. "My mom's been admitted to the hospital!"