The banging stops as the front door opens. "Hello?"
"Second door on the left!"
"Oh." The voice calls, not long after the bedroom door opens.
"Sorry, I came as fast as I could. Greg was flipping out when I got your message Marie. Pearl couldn't come because she's holding back Greg and Susanna. Well trying to." Marina explained heavily panting while doing so.
Callie perked up at the mention of Susanna. "Susanna? Where have I heard that before?"
"Susanna Grayscale, grey eyes; ironic in a way, wavy teneculs, and both a bubbly personality and a strict serious one. Callie, she used to be our director for when we did Inkopolis news. We nicknamed her Sues. I sent her to 'Off the Hook' when they rose to popularity."
"Oh I remember her now. I miss her."
"I never did thank you for sending her to us Marie. She really is a big help running things."
"It's not big deal Marnia, I don't like wasting fresh talent; when I know they can help."
3 having enough of this Susanna inkling, spoke up. "Okay, enough about old coworkers. You said that Marina knew who took her."
Marina sheepishly looks at the ground then back to her bag, promptly opening it."Oh, uh, yes, I pulled the security tapes from your apartment Alani, and I took the footage from when you entered the lobby and exited through the main doors." Marina pulls out her laptop and starts tapping away at the device. "Here, its a bit fuzzy, but you can clearly see your attackers." She turns the computer around as plays the footage, starting when Alani and Octa were jumped.
"Oh my."
"3 that's worse than what you described."
"Are those?"
"Are those what? 3? Tell me! I want to splat who took the nicest octo I ever met!" Pushed 4.
"4 I'm hurt."
"Marina you're the greatest octo I met."
The footage ends with Octa being placed into a jar and the attackers packing up almost systematically. "How. How did they find us."
Marie steps in front of 3 who is utterly upset about the attack and their attackers. "3 I know you are angry," She places a hand of reassurance on 3s shoulder. "But we need to know who they are.
"Sanitized Octolings. Which means that stupid, no good, murderous, metallic, bucket of useless shell, blender using, still f-mmmhhppssss." Marie covers 3s beak before she could finish her sentence.
"And angry old Agent 3 is back."
"She's got a vivid vocabulary in her huh."
"That's nothing compared to rage controlled 3."
Alani pulls Maries hand off her beak. "I still want to know how they found us."
Marina coughs getting everyone's attention. "I might have an idea how they found you."
"What's your idea?"
"Doesn't she still have her C.Q. Device?"
"Uh."
"3?"
"Yes she does. She kept it clipped to her pocket."
"That's how, they followed her C.Q. tracker. Which means…." Marina starts typing intently on her computer once more.
"Means what?" Asked Callie.
"Which means that I can track her too."
"How so?"
"Trade secret Ms. 4."
"Aw, you're all party poopers."
[-]
"Test D07 complete. Please return to the equipment station." The speakers within test chamber D07 spoke.
"Third time's the charm huh." E-2 heavily sighed and jumps back to the equipment platform."
"Welcome back applicant 10, 009. Please deposit your weapon into the return shute and I'll open the train. Your credits will be deposited into your card once the shute closes." Informed C.Q. as E-2 arrived back at the station platform.
"Yeah yeah, whatever." He exclaims as he drops the octobrush and the curling bomb sub into the shute.
As C.Q. and E-2 enter the train, E-2 opens his C.Q. Device. Once the holographic screen flickers on, the next test platform unlocks. "Station J03/D08: Girl Power. Maybe there's a thang piece on the J line." He confirms his destination and the train starts moving.
E-2 takes a seat by the door and stares out into the vastness of the metro. As he is staring at the scenery C.Q. crawls his way up to E-2s feet. "10,009." The cucumber starts.
"Yes?" E-2 answers still staring out the window.
"I would like to inform you that there has been a slight change in J03/D08s test."
"What sort of change?" E-2 asks turing to look at the floor as the train nears the station.
"There was a request from one of the higher ups: that being Dr. Lray, to test out a new soldier. This will not affect your test entry fee, however, in compensation for this short notice change, your reward credits will be multiplied by 1.5."
"Lray?"
"Yes. That is the doctor's name."
"Crazy scientist?"
"I believe that crazy is a way to put it."
"Great, and when I thought we lost her."
"I do not wish to pry 10, 009, but, do you know the doctor?"
"Know her, kinda had no choice, she created us."
"Your mother?"
E-2s expression turns sour. "She isn't a mother, we were genetic experiments, born in tanks. We may have a part of her in us. But she was no mother."
"Ah, you keep referring to a 'us' and 'we', what do you mean by this?" The conductor crawls his way to the door as the train slows.
E-2s expression softens in a small smile, he starts to rub the back of his neck. "Oh, uh, me and E-1, my older sister."
"Ok, thank you for answering my questions, like I have stated I did not wish to pry. Also before you we had an interesting pair come through here. Applicant 10, 008, but her partner called her 8 as a joke on her applicant number. Do you wish for me to call you 9 until you complete your tests?"
"Sure, it's better than E-2" He exclaims while preparing to stand at the door as the train stopped.
"What ever did happen to 8 and her partner?"
"Do you recall the giant hole in the central station?"
"How could you not notice it. It's massive."
"That's where they went."
"Oh."
"Welcome to station J03/D08; Labeled Girl power; Test: Defend the orb. Please enter the equipment station, to recive your starting sub." C.Q. informs as the trains door opens.
"Here we go." 9 stated as he entered to platform, C.Q crawling behind.
