Chapter 13: S&R
Cuttlefish Cabin… (Klara's POV)
I rushed in, quickly followed by my squad.
"We found her!"
That got everyone's attention, even Captain Cuttlefish walked out of his room, looking to have just woken up.
"She's in the training grounds, and she isn't heavily guarded!"
That cheered up the Cap'n.
"Alrighty then, Splatoon, you know your positions, head out! And be sure that you remain stealthy.
One Hour Later
Octarian Dome 28… (Leo's POV)
Well, we'd been smooth in our entrance, especially considering we had eight agents in the field. We had three teams, and I'd been assigned to the reserve assault team.
My squad consisted of me and the Ligos, or Agents 4 & 4.5 of the Squidbeak Splatoon to be fancy. We were basically just waiting to lead an assault in case the recon and recovery teams needed some heavy firepower should things start going downhill.
But hopefully, I just get to sit down for today. For me and Akali's sake.
POV Swap, (Klara's POV)
Once again, I was on recon duty. Our job was to provide overwatch for the recovery team, which was comprised of Mei Argo and Guyver Wolfie, or 8 and 8.5 of the Squidbeaks. I was placed in the recon team with 3 and 3.5.
We got in position, flanked by the recovery team. We had to help them apply black dye to their tentacles to make them look like elites.
Their job was to sneak in, pose as Elites escorting Akali to the medical ward, and then, by any means necessary, get her out.
We finished applying the dye, they swapped into octoling armor, and then to complete the look, put on fake hypnoshades just to make them as inconspicuous as possible. They headed out, and we all bid them good luck.
HWT Sector, Octarian Dome 28… (Akali's POV)
Well, this is just great…
"Alright, I guess it's time I take those restraints off you. Do yourself a favor and don't do anything stupid, or I'll fry you with the press of a button." The Octoling pointed to the trigger on her wrist assigned to my collar.
"Heh, no worries. If I try anything, you'll be out cold before you could raise your wrist." I said.
"Wanna test that theory?" She asked with a grin.
"Not yet. Wouldn't want to leave before I get to play with the guns first." I joked
"So hold still then."
She reached down to unlock the cuff on my ankles, then went behind me to take off the ones around my wrists, and finally, cut through the rope around my elbows with a sharpened knife.
"Alright, now that's out of the way, follow me." She said as she walked past me.
We headed to the back of the room, and she slid an ID card through a slot in the wall, and it opened into a secret armory.
Holy…...
They had everything a Hybrid could desire. An Ultrashot Heavy Shooter, a XL Roller, a Coastal Pinpoint Heavy Charger, and practically anything under the sun alongside them.
But, something glinted out of the corner of my eye.
No splating way…
I rushed over to see if they were what I thought they were.
How in the shell did they find Splatter Strikes!?
"A fist fighter, huh? Nice." She said from behind me.
"Hey, how in the shell did you guys remake these?" I asked while still in awe.
"A bit of Octoling engineering, a bit of metal, and a drop of magic did the trick." Came the reply.
"Let's head out to the range and see what you can do with those."
Moments later…
"RRAAAH!" I shouted.
The small wall shattered instantly, concrete and ink flew through the field, and what was left of the wall either crumbled onto the floor, or got broken down even further upon smashing against the steel walls of the facility.
I Looked down at my fist.
No cuts... no bruises… huh, the metal isn't even scratched.
"Be sure to try out those mega bombs, tell me if you need 'em sized down. Afterall, they're made for colossals." She called out from behind me.
I inspected my bombs.
Ok… so how do I...
"Pull the cord out to start the timer, and then hurl it as hard as you can!" Came the answer.
Ok...
I pulled the cord back, and slung the thing a good thirty feet before it swelled out further and blew, covering a large area with my ink.
Nice.
"Alright. That's it for today. Tomorrow, someone will lead you down to the medical sector. The doctors want to take a look at you." She said casually.
*Cassandra to Sieg's office, I repeat, Sergeant Cassandra to the Commander's office, thank you.*
"What does he want now?" Cassandra asked.
She walked off, closing the door behind her.
HWT Sector… (Mei's POV)
Where is it...
Wait, is that…
"What are you runts doing here?" Cass asked.
I nearly had a heart attack, thinking she'd seen through our disguise, before I recollected myself, and said;
"We're here to escort the Hybrid to the medical sector."
"Didn't Elise schedule the appointment for tomorrow?" Cass said.
I had to think fast.
"She's rescheduled due to time constraints with other patients." I said.
"Great… take my card. The Hybrid's in the firing range. It's just around the corner." She tossed us the card, and was on her way.
I looked to Guyver, and said:
"Well, that was easy…"
"Yeah, let's just get the Hybrid and get out. This place is giving me bad memories..." He said with a slight shiver.
"Yeah, same here." I said as I turned away.
Sieg's Office… (Cass' POV)
"Cassandra, Recon teams have been alerted, and are now mobilizing to the position mentioned by the Hybrid. I invited you here to tell you we'd like you and Eye to man another Recon mission in case of there being any more information we could gather on the Splatoon." Sieg said.
"Alright, me and Eye will get it done." I replied.
"You're free to go." He stated.
Minutes Earlier… (Akali's POV)
The door opened. I was sitting on a bench on the far end of the field, and two elites walked up to me.
"Who are you two?" I said as I looked up.
"Guyver Wolfie, and Mei Argo. We're part of the Splatoon. We were sent here to get you the shell out of here."
That'd explain the tentacles...
"A'ight, let's go then." I said.
"Wait, what about your weapons?" Mei asked.
I folded the fists up into a small square that was tiny enough to fit in my pockets. Splatter Strikes were made to be convenient, as well as covert. I'm just thankful the remakes are as functional as the old ones.
"Huh…" Guyver uttered in surprise.
"Alright, now we can go." Mei said.
I Put on the wrist cuffs, as I was strong enough to break the links between the two after all was said and done, and I was worried we'd otherwise be suspicious.
We walked down the long, winding corridors of the training facility, and eventually made our way to the front door.
It had been pretty easy, as most of the Octolings were either in the training fields, or in the cafeteria eating lunch, so there weren't many just roaming the halls.
We made sure no one was looking, and immediately raced out the front door, leaping up to the rest of the Splatoon.
Klara was waiting for me, and as I broke the cuffs and collar, she smiled, and said:
"Jackson, we got her."
As we walked away, my only thought was: Home sweet home, here I come.
Moments later… (Cass' POV)
Wait, why is the collar saying it's been broken…
Oh shrimp…
…
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Cass, you know it's rude to interrupt people during lunch break, right?"
"Have you seen the Hybrid?" I asked.
"No, her appointment is due tomorrow." Elise said calmly.
The horror of what I'd just done dawned on me.
I shrank against the wall, and began to cry at what this would entail.
"Cass, what happened?!" Elise said as she realized what this must mean.
She didn't get an answer.
Why… Why… Why does it always have to be me… Sieg will have my head for this… oh Octo… Why…
Every alarm in the Dome went off, Sirens telling citizens and soldiers alike to be aware, and hunt down any clues as to where the Hybrid may be, and I walked down to Sieg's office once more.
If there was ever a good time to die, that time is now.
Three minutes later…
Sieg sighed as he rested his head on his hands.
"Cassandra, you don't know how appealing of a choice picking you up and snapping you in two is right now. I guarantee you one thing. Every Octarian from this Dome and onwards is going to want to mount your head on their wall after this. Do you realize that by doing what you've done, you're on the border of having committed treason?" He stated.
"Sieg, just get me out of here." I said blankly.
"Alright. Cassandra, I hereby expel you from the Octarian Military. I'll give you until noon tomorrow to gather your belongings and get out of my sight. I thought two chances was enough, but apparently it only give you time to make a worse mistake."
I stood up, and left the offices to alert my squad. They wished me the best in my travels, and I left early in the morning the next day.
Where in the shell do I go now... *Sigh* ...the one place I can go.