Deviation Part 1

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Wes and I were both working on different separate stories while writing this, so there was abit of a week-long delay, but we should be good for now. Hopefully you enjoy.

"So that's what our ancestors looked like?" Nemo pointed at the picture of an octopus in the sea. "Man, evolution has brought us a long way, from these slithering sea creatures to intelligent land-dwellers."

"I can agree." Natalie flipped to the next page of the book and saw pictures of other sea creatures, like sharks, manta rays, stingrays, and thousands of kinds of fishes. "What kind of creatures do you think is more fascinating, Nemo? Land, or sea?"

"Don't know. I can't really say which is better than the other."

"I can't, either. Though, I'd love to see a seal up close."

"You mean, you'd like to ahem, sea one up close?" When Natalie gave him a quizzical look, Nemo just chuckled, "Get it? Sea? Because they are in the sea?"

"Oh, OH!" Natalie tugged his ear playfully. "Stop with your stupid puns!"

"Heheh, come on. You're smiling."

"I'm not!"

"Hey guys." Both looked up to see Orcus a few inches before them. "Hate to interrupt your lovey-dovey session, but I have something important to tell Natalie."

"Oh?" The girl raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I, Owen and Oscar were discussing about the Inklings just now." Orcus grabbed a vacant chair nearby to sit down with his friends. "I suggested a recon mission to spy on the Inklings and see what they're up to, and Augustus assigned you as the spy."

"What? But I haven't…"

"I know. I tried to stop them and let you agree first, but I couldn't change their mind." Orcus bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Nat. I couldn't do anything."

"No, no, it's okay. I know those three, especially Augustus, are stubborn. Once they set their mind on something, nothing can change their mind." Natalie closed her book and sighed. "Oh well. So, when will my mission begin?"

"Not sure. Maybe you can go to Augustus and ask him about it, or play passive and wait for him to send you."

"Natalie," Nemo put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about doing this?"

"Well, even if I'm not, it's a command, and I have to follow it. Don't worry, Nemo, I will stay safe." Natalie assured him, in hopes of putting him at ease. And it did, as evidenced by his smile. "Good luck, Nat. I believe in you."

"Natalie Tilus, I'm glad you 'willingly' took on this mission." Augustus said, before leaning towards Oscar, "It was mandatory." To which the bigger Octoling just shrugged. Natalie had just emerged from a kettle, met by Orcus, Augustus, Owen and Oscar. She shook off the excess ink on her as she walked towards the group. Augustus handed her several things to carry on the mission, and Natalie accepted them all. He handed her a radio transmitter, an Octoshot, and a small knife. Natalie didn't think she really needed a knife, but she had never Inklings before, let alone fight one, but she took it just in case the mission went south. The next two things Augustus handed her did not look familiar at all. He could easily tell by her confused expression that she was clueless, and being Augustus, he was happy to explain the devices.

"Okay, this tiny thing right here is what I call a 'disguise kit." Augustus told Natalie, presenting the small handheld device to her like a door to door salesman. He handed it to her, and Natalie inspected the small device. It was very light, and the device consisted of a few colored buttons and a small screen. Suddenly, Augustus started explaining the disguise kit again scaring her from behind because she hadn't noticed he moved.

"So, you turn it on by flipping this switch here, and the screen shows a bunch of colored squares. All you do is press a button…" Augustus pushed a green button that matched with a green square. Suddenly, Natalie watched as her red tentacles slowly turned a nice shade of green. Her ears changed, becoming more pointy. Natalie's tentacles also changed, her suction cups disappearing and her tentacles started to change their shape to form two long ones with some slightly fat ends. She noticed the tentacles had some darker green spots dotted all over, and that the shade of her tentacles got darker the closer it was to the tips. Everyone stared at her while Augustus closely inspected her body. He walked around her slowly, squinting and occasionally lifting up her tentacles and arms. He then got in her face and looked right into her red eyes before stepping back, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Fantastic, it works! Now, you're an Inkling! No one knows, and no one can tell except us."

"W-wait...Inklings look like this?"

"Yes, yes they do. Moving on…" Owen threw another object at Augustus, who caught it with both hands. The object looked like a small, light backpack with a fairly small ink tank located at the bottom. The ink tank was facing horizontally. The backpack looked like it was made of some light but solid material, and on the back it had four small holes that were sealed by small panels.

"How am I supposed to use my weapon with such a small ink tank?" Natalie thought, but any further thoughts were interrupted by Augustus.

"This is a backpack. But wait, there's more!" Augustus pulled out a very small skinny pair of headphones, pulling it so that it became wide. He then reached to the Natalie's head and let go, letting the headphones slap onto her new ears. The headphones only had one side that covered her ears, the other side was just the metal frame. Augustus still held the backpack in his hands.

"Ow!" Natalie exclaimed, but Augustus ignored her.

"Now, press the right side of the headphones, the only part that's covering your ear."

"Okay but wh-" Natalie was interrupted when the part of the backpack that would be touching her back suddenly had four spikes emerging from it faster than the blink of an eye. Natalie leapt back in surprise, and nearly tripped over her own feet. Owen and Oscar snickered, while Orcus remained silent as ever.

"This, is what you do should you get caught. If they find you, simply press the right side and BAM, these spikes puncture all three of your hearts and your ink sac."

"D-do I come back?"

"Come back?" Augustus asked, before erupting into a fit of laughter. "Hahaha, 'come back', ahahaha, that's a good one! But if you were serious, then no, you die permanently!" Augustus said, wiping tears of laughter away.

"Are we done with the science talk? Because we should start the mission now." Owen pointed out, arms crossed and looking bored.

"Ah yes, you should be going now." Augustus pressed a section of the backpack, and the spikes retracted and went back into their hiding place. Natalie could see the small panels close, preventing the spikes from tearing into her back when they didn't need to. She reluctantly took the backpack from Augustus' hands and and put it on.

"Well, your mission starts now. Here's a map for you to use. Now, a few scouts reported that the Inklings wandered this way after roaming around" Augustus told her, pointing to a certain section of the small map "So if my hypothesis is correct, the Inkling base should be there. I want you to just look around, and tell me what you see. So, off you go then!" Augustus gave Natalie a hard shove forward, and the other Octolings by now had left through the kettle. Orcus was the last to leave, a remorseful and worried look on his face. He jumped into the kettle, and Augustus waved Natalie goodbye as she ran off to complete her mission.

"Apparently, the Octarians used chemical pheromones to attract the Great Zapfish into their territory while it was out in Piranha Pit." Natalie could hear one of the Inklings chatter within their shack. Time to time, she peeked through the tiny window of the shack to get a glimpse of the two girls and their captain, who was a frail squid with limbs as thin as a matchstick and a shrub of a beard. However, Augustus warned her to not underestimate him, for he was a legend in the Great Turf War, a walking relic of history. Natalie thumbed her tiny ink tank, hoping to not to accidentally activate the spikes. She understood why it had a mechanism to kill her; as cruel a thought it was, she was miniscule in the big picture, and was just another pawn that can easily be replaced. The primitive fear of death still lingered with her, but Natalie's job was to follow orders, not question them.

However, Augustus clearly underestimated her. So what if she gets caught? It's not like she'd be completely helpless. She could still try to escape. Sure, she did not have the best combat skills, but she still had the military training. She wasn't completely helpless.

Back to her mission. "I think we need some more help this time, Agent 2." The old Inkling spoke. "Two of you won't be enough."

"So are you saying we recruit another agent?" The female voice this time was from the pink Inkling, or Agent 1. By now, Natalie had learned the two girls' codenames, but their real names were still a mystery. And apparently, they are pop stars in the city of Inklings; part-time celebrity and part-time hero, Natalie could not imagine how they managed to keep up a life like that. Life of a celebrity is busy enough, and they still have time to be secret agents? Jeez.

"Yes, we should." The white Inkling, Agent 2, responded. "We need an Agent 3. But who do we choose? Other than Sheldon, no one else knows about the Splatoon."

"Well, I can stand at the Plaza and choose one of the kids there as our new operative." Cuttlefish suggested, and Natalie heard his two agents gasp.

"Gramps, are you crazy?!" Agent 1 piped up. "A kid?! You know how dangerous these missions are, right?"

"Girls, please listen to-"

"Gramps, I know we're desperate, but come on!" Agent 2 interrupted him. "We can't send a random kid into an alien territory! This is some life-or-death matter!" It seemed both agents were very objected to their captain's idea. Well, Natalie understood why; it'd seem pretty heartless to just throw a child or teenager into the home of ancient enemies. Still, this was something that definitely needs to be reported to the King. She jotted down some notes on her tiny notepad before she returned to listening to the Inklings.

"Girls, please calm down and listen to me!" The shack fell silent as both agents obeyed, before Cuttlefish took a deep breath and began to speak. "Okay, I know, sending a random kid to help us is a big risk to their life, but think about this; if they can handle themselves in Turf Wars 24/7, why can't they handle themselves on the field? Also, it's not like we'd just give them some equipment and shove them into the domes without any exposition; of course they will go through some training before heading into the field! I'm not stupid, young'uns. Of course I know what steps we should take to ensure our new partner's wellbeing. You two were both really young when you started."

Cuttlefish is indeed still the tactical genius he was fabled as during the Great Turf War. Natalie listened closely and waited for the girl's responses, which came not long later.

"You are right, Gramps." Agent 1 said. "I guess we can go with this plan."

"But maybe we should observe first, not just pick some random kid. Find someone who has some decent skill." Agent 2 said. Natalie peeked into the window to get another look at them when she started receiving a message. It startled her, and she fumbled with the radio for a bit before putting it to her ear.

"Natalie, this is Augustus. Did you find their hideout?"

"Yes, I've located their hideout. It's some sort of small shack in the middle of nowhere." Natalie whispered, trying not to grab the attention of the Inklings inside.

"Good. Now, did you find anything about their plans and such?" Augustus asked, intrigued.

"Yes. They're trying to get the Zapfish back and are discussing ideas of how to get a new recruit."

"Hmm, that's interesting. I want you to snoop around a bit more, find some more things. I'll call back in a few minutes."

"Understood."

"And remember, if you get caught, there's always the backpack…" Augustus mentioned, and she could hear him snicker but didn't say anything of it. She simply just hung up and walked around the shack, admiring the random things around.

"Where do they even get all this stuff in the first place? The whole thing looks like a hobo's home." Natalie thought. Suddenly, she heard someone clear their throat, making her jump and turn around. There, she saw all three Inklings standing behind her.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing here?" Agent 2 interrogated with a stern voice. Natalie was starting to panic. She had listened to stories of Inklings during the Turf War, and those stories weren't any good ones either. She's read about accounts of torture and imprisonment, stories of horrific war crimes committed by the squids. Natalie wanted to fire her weapon, after all she assumed it was given to her for self-defense, but she knew she probably would only be able to land a few shots before she was splatted.

"I uh…"

"Agent 2, you're scaring the poor girl!" Agent 1 said. She walked over, a cheery smile on her face as she introduced herself.

"Hey there, my name's Agent 1. Nice to meet you." Agent 1 stuck out her hand, and Natalie shook it. She was about to ask why they weren't being so threatening when she suddenly remembered that she looked like an Inkling.

"So, what's your name?"

"N-N-Natalie."

"Cool. Um, how did you find this place?" Agent 2 started speaking. The two had definitely started trusting her, but Natalie still kept her guard high as she quickly made up a lie she had already prepared, "I-I was walking around the city when my notebook fell d-down a manhole and I tried to get it back and I suddenly ended up here."

"Ah, great." Cuttlefish mumbled from behind. "This bucko's found the secret passage to Octo Valley."

"Octo Valley?" Natalie began to feign ignorance. "This place is called Octo Valley?"

"Yes, it is, and you shouldn't be here." Agent 2 quickly switched the topic. "You should head home to Inkopolis now. Go through the manhole you came from and don't tell anyone about this." It was obvious these Inklings were trying to keep their little operation a secret from their people too. Natalie found it surprising; she thought the New Squidbeak Splatoon was an official squadron sent by the city to take back the Great Zapfish. Apparently, it wasn't.

"W-what happens if I tell someone about what I saw?" Natalie asked, curious about what vile punishments these Inklings would do to her to prevent their secret from escaping.

"Well, I'm guessing not much people would believe you, but if you DID happened to tell someone, we would make sure you couldn't get access to this place again. This is for your own safety, Octo Valley really isn't a nice place." Agent 2 told her. Natalie silently agreed with her. Octo Valley really wasn't a nice place, and bad things constantly occurred all the time. Their leader does his best to stop it, but the people couldn't really do much without Octavio's say.

"Can I stay here? Just for a bit?" Natalie asked. If she could stay while they discussed their plans, it would be much easier for her to find information Augustus would be delighted to hear.

"Sorry, you can't. Again, our operation is secret. No one can know, even you." Agent 2 answered.

"Ah, too hopeful I guess. Not that I'm leaving until Augustus says so." Natalie thought. Before she could try to come up with something to convince them to let her stay, her thoughts were interrupted by the three Inklings huddled together, whispering to one another. She could hear their conversation, albeit faintly.

"Marie, this is our chance to get the new agent Gramps wants!" Agent 1 told her, looking like a light bulb just switched on in her head.

"Your cousin has a point there, bucko. This girl is already here, she could be of some use." Cuttlefish agreed, a smile on his face that was covered by his bushy tentacle moustache.

"I don't know...I mean, I didn't see anyone come out of the manhole. What if she's lying about who she is?"

"Marie, we were inside the whole time! I couldn't see out there and I don't think you could either. Besides, this is PERFECT! Please?" Agent 1 begged, giving her cousin some sad puppy eyes. Agent 2 rolled her eyes, and reluctantly agreed. The squids broke from their huddle and walked back towards Natalie, who was even more nervous than before.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, I was just supposed to stay and listen, not become an agent for their organization! I have to get out of here, I'm sure Augustus wouldn't mind…" Natalie thought to herself in panic. Despite this, she tried to keep her cool and look relaxed on the outside. The Inklings seemed to be buying her acting, because they didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, we've been recently looking for a new agent to help us out, because Agent 1 and I aren't always available. So, we were wondering if you'd like to join our cause. I mean, you already know of our existence now, so I guess this is a good opportunity for us to stay and know each other better." Agent 2 explained.

"Heheh, well, I don't know…"

"Please? It would REALLY help us!" Agent 1 begged. The girl looked like she was going to be genuinely upset if Natalie refused.

"I-I don't think I can, sorry…"

"Why not? Is there something wrong? You look nervous as shell." Agent 1 asked, looking concerned. Natalie took several steps back and tripped on a small rock, falling backwards to the ground. She landed with a thud, and dropped the small disguise kit device onto the ground beside her. The device bounced on the ground several times before stopping, and one of the bounces accidentally hit a button, and Natalie watched in horror as the green ink started to flow away from her body. She felt her long tentacles shorten to her regular Octoling ones, and could feel the shape of her ears change. The Inkling agents in front of her changed their expressions rapidly as her disguise reversed, expressions starting with shock and confusion to horror and fear. But none could have experienced as much fear as Natalie, who was stuck on the ground, unmoving and paralyzed.

"Oh cod...oh cod…" Natalie muttered repeatedly like a broken record player, repeating the same phrase in her breath.

"Y-you're an Octoling?" Agent 1 asked in shock and surprise. Suddenly, Natalie was staring down the barrel of a Charger, held by Agent 2.

"No wonder you were hesitant. Now, don't move or I'll splat you." Agent 2 demanded.

"Egad! She was an Octoling the whole time!" Cuttlefish exclaimed.

Natalie was shaking in fear as she tried to think of a plan. The Charger was already fully charged, and all Agent 2 needed to do was to press the trigger to release a shot that would splat her. Agent 1 had her Roller with her as well, although she wasn't aiming it at Natalie. With three Inklings standing at the only direction she could escape through, the odds did not seem to be on her side. Natalie peered over her own shoulder to see the manhole, the same manhole that would lead to Inkopolis...however, that was suicide. Suddenly, Natalie remembered what Augustus said earlier:

"This, is what you do should you get caught. If they find you, simply press the right side and BAM, these spikes puncture all three of your hearts and your ink sac."

"Do I really want to use that method? I...I can't choose…" Natalie thought, and she looked at the manhole cover, then her backpack. There was only one option she liked slightly more than the other, and it was clear what she wanted.

"Alright, now let's make this easy for all of us. Don't resist, and nothing bad needs to hap-" Agent 2 tried to tell her, but Natalie just leapt backwards before morphing into her octopus form and sliding into the grate. The two agents were shocked, thinking the Octoling wouldn't dare try to go into the city.

"Sh-she's in the Plaza…"

"What do we do Marie?" Agent 1 asked her. Agent 2 didn't really know as they never had this problem.

"I think we should do our best to look for her. But this will be more difficult for us, considering we have busy lives as celebrities…" Agent 2 said, taking off her face mask. Agent 1 was staring at a watch she had, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Speaking of which, we should go. The producer said he needs us in a couple of minutes, and that we can't be late!"

"Damn it! Alright Gramps, we'll be back. Can you keep an eye on the manhole in case that Octoling comes back?"

"Sure can do, Marie. Have fun."

"You too Gramps." Agent 2 said to her grandpa before jumping into the manhole with Agent 1. Cap'n Cuttlefish watched them leave before sitting down on a chair, carefully eyeing the manhole cover in case the renegade Octoling ever returned.

Short chapter, I know, hopefully the next will be longer and released sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, hopefully you like what this chapter had, and be sure to leave a review!