"CALLIE! CALLIE!"
Callie was standing outside of the studio as she gazed up at Inkopolis Tower. The sun was shining bright, even as it began to set and the sky turned pink, her favorite color. She had found herself staring at it a lot, lately. Then some excited fans had walked up to her, while she sat on the railing, just outside window to the studio.
"Oh my cod! Can we have you autograph?!"
Callie giggled. She reached into her bag for a pen.
"Sure. Who should I make it out to?"
The Squid Sister began signing some of the fans things, then one of them screamed.
"IT'S MARIE!"
Immediately, the binder she was signing was snatched away and Callie gasped, slightly. The entire crowd, along with a bunch of others ran up to Marie, who had finally walked out of the studio for the night. There was shouting, praise and screaming.
Callie stood there, her hands behind her back… alone. It had been like this ever since Marie won their last Splatfest. She pulled out her phone.
"I'll meet you at home," she texted. After that, she walked past the crowd, none of them even batting an eye as she stepped down from the high platform.
Callie's mind was foggy after what had just happened. She remembered being dragged, her hands once again bound, into darkness. They also bounded her legs and didn't give her the privilege of walking anymore as she was hoisted over an Octoling's shoulder before they carried her back.
She didn't remember where they took her, nor did she care. After what she just saw what Agent 3 had become capable of: Able to feel fine leaving her in the hands of the enemy. At least, that was what she assumed. Agent 3 wouldn't leave by herself to fall... right?
Her body and her mind felt completely numb, even when they threw her into what she could only assume was a cell. It was mostly dark, with fuschia colored lights shining down from the high points of the walls. Even then, it was still pretty dark. There was a bed on the right and left side.
Callie's face fell flat on the floor. The binds on her wrists and ankles had been taken off, but she just laid there, pink tears emerging from her eyes. She felt so stupid. She should've just fled from Octarian territory while she had the chance.
Agent 3 gave me a chance and I didn't listen… Callie thought. She curled up, pulling her hands close to her head. Her eyes closed as warm tears emerged from her eyes once more. Marie was right… Her hands balled up into fists and she slammed one into the stone cold ground. "She's always… right!" She hiccuped on a sob. "She's always… right…" she said once more. This time it sounded weaker, before she started crying softly until she fell asleep.
"Al, knock it off!"
Jade laughed out loud as she was spun around on her swivel chair, getting dragged around by one of her fellow soldiers. He was an Octoling, obviously. Two locks of his fuschia hair hung down from the sides of his face, with a short one in the front and the last one was tied back, but very long. His shoulders were pretty broad and he wore a black coat, over a gray shirt. His black shorts only went down to his knees and his black boots were tied with fuschia colored sneakers.
Finally, her friend let up and pushed back to her seat by the security screens. He smiled, gazing at her with his brown eyes, seeing her laugh. The others employees which were mostly Octo Troopers started laughing, as well.
"Alright, who's next?" he then said.
"Alex, this isn't the time for that," Jade said, turning back to him to face her screens once more.
"Just thought I'd cheer you up a little…" Alex said, waltzing over with a shrug. "How's the boss, anyway? I heard some stuff. Is this why we're on lockdown?"
Jade watched footage of Callie's cell on her screen.
"It seems a certain someone is back at it again…" she said.
"Oh my cod… Is it Agent 3?" Alex said, rolling his eyes. He sat down on the desk next to her.
"Who else?" Jade said, sighing. "Tried to kill the general. That's why we headed straight to the main HQ here and he's in the infirmary right now."
"And that's why we're on lockdown…" Alex then figured out.
"Well, I sent some people out to look for any signs of our target, but nothing's come up yet." Jade put on her headphones to briefly hear the audio. Callie was crying, still on the floor.
"She's always… right! She's alway… right…"
Jade squinted, pulling up a document on another screen and typing.
"Subject… seems… unstable…" she muttered.
"So, when do we call the Splatoon and tell them we have one of their agents?" said Alex.
"We don't," Jade said, as she continued jotting down notes. "The general wants to keep her alive."
"Oh, right! Because of her power… But, you know, you've been working almost all night. Sure, you don't wanna get some rest?"
Jade sighed. "I'm fine."
"Jade, you have bags under your eyes."
The girl stopped for a moment. Alex put a hand on her shoulder.
"Al…"
"Is this about Erray?"
"I said 'Stop him!'" Jade said, standing up from her desk. "I didn't mean to kill him."
"He was getting away and attack us!" said Alex. "It's protocall. Why do you care? He's an Inkling!"
"I don't!" Jade snapped. "I'm upset because you disobeyed!"
Alex sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Look, I'm pretty sure we're still looking him."
"We don't need him. Besides, we still have the code. I'm gonna check on the general and then go to bed, alright?"
"Alright," Alex said.
Jade stood from her chair and headed out of the security room. Her feet kind of dragged on the black metal flooring as made her way to the lower levels of the base. The parts only for the staff were illuminated with normal colored lights, so it helped keep Jade awake.
Jade made into the infirmary and walked up to one of the doctors in charge. She was just coming out from one of the doors and walked down the hall. Her hair was fuschia and very long, but the locks grew then on the ends. Her eyes were a sharp color of yellow and she neatly wore a white lab coat.
"Ms. Lumin? Is something the matter?" she said.
"Oh, no," said Jade. "I just wanted to check on the general."
"Not to worry," she responded. "The shot didn't hit anything serious. He has to stay in his octopus form until it heals, though. He's resting now, but you can visit him in the morning. Oh. But he did have something he wanted me to tell you."
"What is it?"
"He wanted you to explain this to the other soldiers, too. He said to treat our 'guest' with some respect."
"What?!" Jade's eye twitched. "Are you talking about the Squid Sister. But… she's-"
"Important to General Octavio's plan," the doctor chimed in. "Yes, we could just force her to help us, but it's easier to just convince her."
Jade placed a hand on her chin. "True…" she said. "I was wondering why we were left to do so much research on the Squid Sisters. Are you sure I can't see Octavio now?"
The doctor shook her head. "Sorry. You have to come back in the morning."
Jade sighed. It had been two years since she saw her general, but she nodded. She had waited all this time, so she could wait one more night.
"Thanks, Dr. Pygma," she said. She turned away and left the infirmary.
On the way to her quarters, she had to pass by the prison hold. So, she passed by Callie's cell. The door was made of one way glass, so to Callie, she could only see black, but to Jade, she could see her lying on the ground, totally asleep. The soldier pressed her hands against the glass, staring down at the Inkling with a glare. Her tears stained the floor, her hands were balled up into fists, and her sweater and her two locks of hair were sprawled out on the floor.
Jade sighed. She looked so… pathetic. Her fist shook, reminding her of something… familiar. She shook her head and rubbed her face.
Sympathy? she thought. Nah. I'm just tired.
She turned to leave, only to stop. She glared, her teeth beginning to show. The Octoling growled until she kicked the wall across from Callie's cell.
"Cod dammit…" she grumbled.
She swung open the cell, surprised that her kicking didn't wake her. The Squid Sister was the only prisoner they had at the moment. Jade knelt down and gathered the Inkling in her arms, lifting her off the ground. She kept her eyes shut with a huge frown on her face as she placed Callie on the bed to the right. After that, Jade turned away and stepped out of the cell, locking it once more.
"Splat you, Erray…" Jade grumbled, as she walked towards her quarters. Upon reaching it, though she decided to walk past it and headed to another room near the top of the fortress.
Countless music equipment was scattered around the blue carpet: A guitar, a keytar, a tamborine, and a violin. There was also music books among them. On the left side of the room, up against the gray walls that hung family photos was a keyboard and a set of turntables. Star streamers hung down from the ceiling and glowed. The computer on the right, that was on a desk with bookshelves and a printer beside it was covered under a thick layer of dust. At the back of the room, between two narrow windows that showed a view of the night screen sky was a giant bed with red sheets. The pillows were red too and lots of old notes had been left there.
Jade sat down on the bed, gazing at the family photos that had Octavio in it and two young little Octolings. She fell back onto the sheets, lifted her right hand, and briefly saw the gold band of a ring around her finger, before letting her hand fall beside her. A sigh escaped from her as she closed her eyes and drifted off.
Marie always has crowds of fans around her… Callie thought. She had already awoken, but hadn't dared to move from the bed Jade had placed her in last night. Her body felt incredibly sluggish, the sheets were sticking to her sweaty face, and she was freezing. The girl snuggled into her pillow, trying to go back to sleep. She was curious as to how she got on the bed, but she didn't really care right now.
Maybe, I'm just… not good enough anymore… Callie thought.
Outside, she could hear footsteps get louder and then softer. Sometimes she heard the small humming of Octo Troopers passing by on their vehicles. She stared at the ceiling, pulling the ends of her sweater closer, like a blanket.
The door to her cell opened slowly and Jade stepped in with a tray. Callie sat up immediately, despite the room swaying a little. The Octoling from earlier had come back, but she didn't look like she was here to taunt or torture her. Even though the food Jade brought in looked decent, she grimaced at mere sight of it: Some sliced sandwiches and an apple.
"What's wrong?" Jade said, her voice blunt. She was told to be nice, but she wasn't going to be genuine about it. That was what she wanted. The soldier rolled her eyes. "You haven't eaten all night."
Callie covered her mouth. "Urp!"
"Aw, carp!" She dropped the tray and ran outside of the cell and came back in with a trash can. "Carp, carp, carp!" she yelled, under her breath as she handed the trash can to Callie. Jade looked away, covering her mouth as she heard Callie throw up.
Great, this is just what I need right now, Jade thought. As Callie set the can down she nearly fell over. Jade ran in and caught her head, laying her against the pillow. With her shivering, and her forehead nearly to the point of burning, the soldier couldn't deny it. Callie was sick.
Jade backed away slowly, heading to the door.
"I'm getting someone. Don't you dare even move!" Jade practically shouted.
Tears escaped from Callie's eyes as she shivered, curling up into a ball.
"Yes…" she could only whimper. She jumped as the door slammed, shut and the darkness in the room was not helping her fear. She was sick, and she knew it. She was trapped in foreign land against her will, and she was sick.
Callie wanted to get up. She wanted to try and find a way out, but she was too weak, too tired, too upset, and too sick. Her face was buried in her pillow and she sobbed quietly, crying out for for her grandfather, her cousin, even Agent 3.
She didn't hear the door open again minutes later, she didn't hear the footsteps approach her bed, and she didn't care who heard her as she mutter "3…" over and over again. She did care, however, when a pair of hands picked her up and she was lifted over an Octoling's shoulder.. Callie's eyes snapped open and she reached out for the bed, only to pull off the blanket.
Callie started squirming, but the Octoling carrying her refused to let go. Her agent instincts entered her mind and she kneed the Octo in the chest, making him cry out and they fell to the floor. Once again she kicked him to side, so he'd get off her body and turned onto her stomach, hoping to stand. She leaned onto the cold, metal wall and her eyes met with the dim lights that still managed to be too much for her vision at the moment.
Callie took a step. She was sure she wasn't in her squid form, but her legs felt like jelly. The girl looked forward, just in time to see two figures jump at her and pin down, her back hitting the floor. Her hands managed to reach around and grabbed the backs of her enemies' heads and smacked them together. The Squid Sister only managed to sit up before she was forced onto the ground again. Her arms were pinned down by her wrists. When she tried to kick, her legs were pushed down and she yelped when she felt a knee hit her back.
"DON'T YOU EVEN MOVE!" the voice of one of the soldiers rendered her paralyzed with fear. Her face felt strangely cool against the floor. She didn't even realize she was panting, and she wondered when these soldiers would get off of her. Then she heard footsteps approaching quickly and felt a sharp pain the back of her neck briefly. Callie cried out in terror, her urge to break out from the grip returning, but that was also just as brief. Her vision blurred, she felt increasingly tired, her attempt to lift her head was met with dizziness and it sunk once more as everything went dark.
Jade kept her mouth covered the whole time. Dr. Pygma was behind the door that Jade sat outside from in the infirmary. She paced back and forth and tried sitting down only to tap her foot tentatively. She had put hand sanitizer on herself at least three times after having to touch that sick Squid, and thought of Jade catching whatever she had, sent chills down her spine.
After what felt like forever, Dr. Pygma finally stepped out from the door, and pulled down her facemask. Jade stood up just then, making contact with the doctor's sharp yellow eyes.
"S-So?" Jade wanted kick herself for sounding worried.
"It's nothing to worry about," the doctor responded, writing on her clipboard. "Our 'guest' just has a case of the flu. Now, because she's an Inkling, I'm not sure if it's cross species, so we should be careful." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a facemask for Jade.
Once they were ready, they walked back in. A private room, with no windows had been set up for the Squid Sister. They walked across the white floors and over to the bed, where Callie was resting. There were curtains to surround the bed if need be. The walls were also painted white, but had several landscape drawings of different domes and some of the them had little Octo Troopers on them. The light's had been adjusted to be dim enough to make their patient relax, but bright enough so they could see. There was also a camera in the corner of the room to keep an eye on the Squid Sister.
Callie's little pink beanie had been taken off and set aside on the table next to her, including her matching sweater. Jade could see her little bow that Callie's two long tentacles had been tied into. A thermometer was in her mouth and a cooling pad was on her forehead and the blankets had been pulled over her body.
"It can hard to get fevers down on a Cephalopod," Pygma said. "Ice packs and washcloths are a staple for treating fevers, but water isn't good for Octolings and Inklings. So, I had dig through and find a cooling pad, put it in the freezer, and then, with gloves on, take off any moisture or ice that could melt on the girl with super absorbent towel." Her hands were gesturing as she went on.
Jade approached Callie with caution. She had gotten the report of how aggressive she got when the staff tried to bring her here, but she was more worried of catching her sickness.
Tenaca, with gloves on, took the thermometer from the Callie's mouth, make Jade wince back. The soldier glared at the doctor chuckling.
"Oh, good. It's going down, now." Tenaca set the tool gently on the on a tray on the rolling cart and turned to Jade. "She'll live, but she needs rest."
A soft moan brought the two's attention to Callie, who opened her sparkling gold eyes her vision focused seeing the ceiling. She tried to sit up, but the room start spinning. Tenaca held out her hand and guided the girl back down.
"Easy," she said, as Callie's head fell back against the pillows. "You're gonna be okay, but you need to rest."
Callie whined. She tried to swat the hand pushing her down away, but then she noticed she couldn't move it far. Her hands and feet were strapped down.
"What?" she said, raising herself slightly.
"Well, what did you expect," Tenaca said, putting her hands on her hips. "Did you have to be so rough with our troops?"
"They started it…" Callie mumbled, weakly, her hands lowered, as she laid back against the pillows.
"Uh-huh…" Tenaca said, pulling the blanket back over her body. "Now, listen up. Octavio doesn't want you dead. You need to eat, drink and rest. And I'm not forgetting to give you medicine."
Callie's formed a pout. Her eyes were half opened, as she continued staring at the ceiling.
"Why should I care what Octavio wants…?" she said.
"Well, for starters, if you feel better, it'll certainly make your time here easier."
"True…" Callie's voice sounded a little hoarse. She couldn't believe she was actually having a conversation with the enemy. Even if she wanted to cooperate, the thought of food made her nervous.
Jade sighed, crossing her arms. She was certainly feeling better, since her sass was back.
"Now, I'll go check if the soup's ready," Tenaca said, walking towards the door. Then she turned her head towards Jade. "Oh, and Jade? The general wants to speak with you. He sounded very pleased. You may see him when I get back. For now, just keep an eye on her."
Once the doctor was gone, Callie sighed, her eyes drooping.
"Don't fall asleep, yet!" Jade hissed. "Pygma's gonna come back with the soup!"
"Did you bring me here?" Callie said, softly.
Jade, her arms still crossed, plopped down onto a nearby chair. The Squid Sister took the soldier's silence as a yes. She remembered food she brought, which, even though it made her feel sick, was nice. This was the same Octoling who smacked across her face.
Did she carry me to bed? Callie thought.
"Thank-you…" she mumbled. Jade was about to ask for what, but she figured that the girl had pieced together what happened, and she still didn't respond. The soldier frown, refusing to look at the Squid Sister and just stared at the fabric of her black pants in her lap.
The last thing Jade wanted to was show weakness to her captive. Seeing Callie laid up in bed, looking so sickly, made her feel a little bad, even if she was an Inkling.
Splat you, Erray! Jade thought. Her hands in her lap, formed fist and started shaking. SPLAT YOU!
"Why are you being nice to me…?" said Callie.
"I'm under orders…" Jade said, shutting her eyes, tightly.
Jade tried not turn to her. To her relief, the door finally opened, and Tenaca walked with a tray of soup. It seemed really nice, and made the young soldier almost jealous that Callie was one who going to eat it.
"Thank-you, Jade," said Tenaca. "I can take care of things from here. Don't keep our DJ waiting."
"Okay." Jade breathed a sigh of relief as she stood on her feet. "Where is he?"
"It should labelled be on my clipboard out front."
Jade nodded and headed out the door. Callie watched her go and the turned to the tray of soup placed before her. She sat up the best she could before Tenaca took a spoonful and held it to her mouth.
"Open up," she said.
"Y-You're not gonna untie me?!" said Callie.
"Nope. You need to rest."
Callie glared with a closed mouth whine. On the other hand, she certainly wasn't going anywhere and that soup did look good. It had been a while since someone prepared food for her.
"Okay," she said, quietly.
Jade's boots clicked on the white tiles of the floor, as she made back to the lobby. Tenaca's clipboard was on the receptionist's desk, who looked over upon seeing Jade pick it up. She took off her face mask and tried to find Octavio's name. Then, she turned back to the hall.
Jade approached Octavio's door with caution. She reached for the knob, but hesitated. She stared at, sweat beginning to form on her forehead.
Come on, Jade! she thought to herself. You've known him for years. She saw the ring on her finger. The girl shut her eyes tightly and opened the door.
DJ Octavio, of course, had been given a bigger room. There was a huge window, which showed a few of the dome they were in. A giant, flat screen TV was on the wall and couch was on the side of the general's bed. She felt a little awkward to see him without his samurai helmet on. Other than a few bruises and a roll of bandages over his left DJing tentacle, he seemed fine. Jade's dropped at the sight of his wound. The reality of his attempted assassination began to set in for her, since she was in the transport car when it happened: Agent 3 tried to aim for his hearts.
"Um… Sir?" Jade said, shyly. Her hands were together tentatively.
"What is-" Octavio has responded, sharply, like he would to most of his soldiers, but upon looking at Jade, his eyes softened, and if he could be in his humanoid form, he'd smile. "Jade?"
His more gentle voice, made Jade, for once in a long time, start to smile warmly. Fuschia tears filled Jade's eyes and she walked towards him. Octavio held out his two dominant tentacles and hugged her.
"I missed you so much…" Jade said, tears escaping her eyes.
Octavio hugged her tighter. "I missed you too…"
Once they were done hugging, Jade pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Alright, alright," Octavio said. "Enough with the waterworks. I may be back, but we've still got work to do. You're my daughter-in-law, after all."
Jade sniffled upon hearing that. Her ring hand tightened as it formed a fist.
"Aw, sorry I couldn't be there for the wedding," he said. "I would've personally performed for you and my Oliver! But hey! I'll make up for it with my biggest performance yet!"
Jade's hearts sank at those words. She wiped her eyes, trying not let anymore tears emerge.
"Of course… w-whatever you say, sir," she said.
"By the way, how are my grandsons doing?" His glare returned upon recalling last night. "I tried asking, but Pygma wouldn't tell me a thing!"
Jade tried not to shiver in front of him, but hearing that made her feel like someone hit her with lightning.
Not even the doctor had told him yet?! she thought. Why?! It was then that it came back to her. Oh, yeah! He's been imprisoned by the enemy for two years and Agent 3 almost killed him! Her need to tell him the truth was her duty, but this news, after all he had been through, would destroy him.
"Th-They're fine," Jade said. "They're just… really busy. I'm sure they'll come in to see you, eventually."
"Oh, good then," said Octavio. "Now, I may be in bed, I don't want to stop my plans, just because of that. Let's get back to work! My fellow soldiers informed me of the Zapfish you stole."
Jade was relieved to see he believed her. Her smile came back and she walked over to the laptop that was set aside and picked it up.
"We stole the Great Zapfish, too, like you wanted," Jade said, smiling. She set the laptop on the bed and brought up the files with blueprints. "We've even designed new machinery to guard them and keep the barrier on our main base secure."
The future was looking somewhat bright for the Octarians. Their bosses had been deployed, the Octarian troops were going on their patrols in their assigned domes. The domes were shining bright with power.
Jade went outside and saw the domes light bulbs, acting as suns. There were many bright lights as she walked by the base's garden to make crops grow and the gardeners were fastly working. She was careful not to step on any crops and some of the creatures who inhabited the domes saluted her. Callie was behaving herself, for the most part, and she was on the mend for her sickness, so Jade didn't have to see her too much.
Things are looking up! Jade thought decidingly. She dared to have a skip in her step as she led her group on patrol back home.
Then, as quickly as everything was good, the bad came before too long.
As everyone came back from patrol, some went to dorms and some went to go take a break in the break room or the courtyard. The lockdown was still active. No one who didn't work in the military were allowed on the base. Jade pondered about going to see Octavio. He was almost fully recovered, and Dr. Pygma was planning to let him go tonight.
Then she got the call.
"Lumin!" Jade heard over her earpiece.
"Get to dome B-4! Something's going on with the Octo Boss. The systems are going nuts!"
Jade gasped. "I'll check it out!"
The Octoling dashed out from the breakroom and ran out into the courtyard. She Super Jumped, and went through kettle after kettle to get to dome B-4. Thoughts rushed through her head. Who the heck was interfering. It couldn't be Agent 3! They didn't have an ace up their sleeve anymore!
When she finally got there she, stood on a high platform and the screens were were casting a nice blue sky, but Jade could hear noises. She looked below and saw the Octo Boss they had worked so hard to design, the Octo Oven, explode into pieces.
As the ink settled nearby, Jade moved her hands from trying not to get hit from the blast and saw someone below. She pulled out her Octo Shot and dove down to a lower level. Someone was there, taking the Zapfish, the fallen machine had left behind. They were heard to ignore from the yellow sweater. It was so bright and it made the person stand out. Upon seeing the purple hair tied back, Jade knew exactly who it was.
"Is that…"
Erray…?! she thought. There's no way! After everything she had done… She always saw him with a fearful look in his eyes. She was there when Octavio threw Erray into the metal shelf. But now, as he gathered the little Zapfish in his arms, he was frowning, his brows were furrowed and his eyes were gazing forth with determination.
Jade growled to herself.
So, the Squidbeak Splatoon managed to turn him into one of their pets? she thought.
"So, it's you!" Jade said, sharply. Her voice echoed enough for Erray to hear. The Inkling looked around, but did not see hear. His demeanor changed. The weapons in his hands was shaking. He still recognized her voice… and feared it.
"So, the Squidbeak Splatoon recruited another agent?" she said. She was annoyed to see it was Erray, but at least it was someone she knew… and someone who she knew feared her. Perhaps she had the advantage. "Well, whatever. You're probably a lot better than that other agent."
For my own personal reasons, but he probably knows… Jade thought. She wouldn't forget the fact that he managed to dispatch of of the Octo Bosses in what seemed like a small amount of time.
Erray suddenly rushed for the entrance. Jade began to leap her way down, but he was too far away and had jump into the Spawn Point to get back.
This wasn't good, Jade thought, as she turned back towards base. The bosses are keeping our base's barrier secured. But at least it's just Erray.
Jade was back at the base and she the soldiers panicking. They were running back and forth through the halls. Something was telling her that everyone knew what had just happened.
The Octoling ran towards the infirmary to find DJ Octavio and get a summary of the situation. Hopefully, she could get everyone to calm down, somehow.
The entire infirmary had been cleared out. Other than some people who come in with a migraine, the sniffles, or something else minor, there weren't many people in today.
"Octavio?" Jade ran towards his hospital room. "Octavio!" She stood in the doorway, and found that his room was empty and lights had been turned off.
"He's not here."
Dr. Tenaca Pygma had walked up to her from behind. Jade turned around around her pearly red eyes managing to shine a bit in the light that still came in from the hallway.
"Then, where is he?"
Jade rushed down the halls after being told. She pushed past Octo Troopers, Octo Balls, Octo Bombers, and Octolings. She ran so fast, she turned into an Octopus and Super Jumped down the hall in a straight line. Some people stuck to the walls, just so they wouldn't get hit.
Jade knew exactly where he was.
"Octavi-" Jade covered her mouth.
She entered the room she had fallen asleep in last night and found him there. He had turned into his humanoid form. He wore a black uniform, with fuschia edgings. The samurai helmet was still on his head. Jade could barely see the ends of his hair sticking out from the bottom of the hat.
"Oscar wasn't in his room either…" the general said. He turned to her, revealing the medals he had on his clothes. His green colored eyes showed from beneath the shadow his helmet had casted down. "And you're not my daughter-in-law, are you?"
"I-I…" Jade trembled. It was like his shadow was casting down on her.
"You know, I chose you for my grandson, because I thought ya were the most fly Octo out there. But lying to your boss? Not fly at all, girl. Not even your renowned parents would approve."
Jade pulled down a gulp. She knew what was happening.
"No one has seen them!" Octavio said, raising his voice. "But now, you're going to face the music tell me where Oliver and Oscar are. Now!"
"G-General…" Jade said, hesitantly. "I-"
"WHERE ARE MY GRANDSONS?!"
Jade's eyes shut tightly and she shook at his tone.
"They… They're gone…" she finally admitted.
Octavio winced at her confession.
"A-After you left us… they were gone, too," Jade said, rubbing her arms. "And… several of our personnel also disappeared with them."
The DJ stood there in disbelief. His jaw dropped slightly.
"Why?"
"I don't know…" Jade said, placing her hands behind her back. "I-I think it had something to do with that song that played two years ago, when-"
"The Inkantation…" the general said. He stormed past the girl, heading towards the door, his hands in fists. Then he stopped, almost forgetting about her. "Jade. Return to you quarters, and don't come out. You're in isolation for two days for insubordination."
Jade's head lowered, her eyes meeting the floor.
"Yes, sir…" she said, softly.
With that, Octavio left Jade alone. The girl at Oliver's things one last time, before heading to her quarters like Octavio had asked.
Tenaca had been nice… Well, as nice as an enemy doctor could be. She was also a soldier. Once she was feeling better, though, she felt like a prisoner again. The morning when when she said Callie's temperature was normal, two guards came in.
"Is there a problem?" Tenaca said. "I don't recall releasing Callie back to her cell yet."
"No, ma'am," one of the guards said. She handed the doctor a sheet of paper. "General's orders." Tenaca looked over it and read carefully. Callie, who sitting on her bed, now with her beanie, boots and sweater back on, tensed up a little.
"Hmm. I see," Tenaca said. She frowned, her brows furrowing as she glanced at Callie. The look of profreshional, who cared for her because of duty, had now turned as cold and dead as the other soldiers. "Go ahead," the doctor said, flatly. She walked towards the door, with her clipboard and the written order in hand.
The Squid Sister yelped as she was dragged to her feet. She shook as she felt the barrel of a weapon pushed into her back.
"Turn into a Squid, struggle, or attack, and we shoot!" the other guard said.
Callie did not say a word as they dragged her out. Her hearts were beating rapidly as they took back through the cold hallways. Now they were illuminated brighter, so at least she could see, but she came to conclusion that it was because of all the Zapfish they had stolen. Now they had additional power.
Soon Callie found herself in an empty room with only a table and two chairs, one on each side. A single light was shining down from above. She knew upon sitting down what was going on, because Alex came in and slammed a file near her.
"So," Alex said, sitting down across from Callie. "You're in a lot of trouble, you know that?"
"What? What did I did I do?!" the Squid Sister practically yelled.
"The general knows what you and your Splatoon have done to our personnel!" Alex said sharply. He opened the file and Callie saw several photos of Octolings. "Any of them look familiar?"
"N-No…" Callie said, gathering the ends of her sweater. She thought about zipping it to warm up.
"Most of them disappeared after your 'act' on our great DJ's last performance before you kidnapped him, including his own grandsons!" Alex's slam on the desk, made Callie lean back in her chair, shaking. "Oliver and Oscar Octavio! Do those ring any bells?!"
Callie stayed silent, but sweated dripped down from her face.
They… They're… Callie couldn't form the thought. Her mind flashed back to an image of Agent 3… long time ago.
"First and final warning…"
She remembered 3 looming over her, with two Octolings on the left and right of the agent. Callie was on the ground and Marie was nearby, completely unconscious.
"Stay out of our way…"
Callie was brought back to the present as Alex continued to name names. He was reading off of the file. They were labelled as either MIA or AWOL.
"Neo Pygma? Olivia Katta? MARINA IDA?! She was our best engineer!"
Marina…? Callie thought, as she covered her mouth.
"You reacted!" said Alex. "Where is she?"
"I don't know…" Callie mumbled.
"What?"
"I SAID I DON'T KNOW!" the Squid Sister shouted. Tears were filling her eyes.
"How could you not know, when you brainwashed our troops?!"
"WE DIDN'T BRAINWASH THEM!" Callie stood up and screamed it. "We freed them!"
Alex stood up and said nothing else. "We're done here."
Callie covered her mouth. "Wh-what?" she replied, her voice muffled. The door opened. Guards came in to take her back to her cell. Callie was frozen, not struggling at all as she was taken. She realized at that point that she had said exactly what they wanted to hear.
Alex turned to the one way mirror in the back and tapped it. Behind it, was DJ Octavio himself. He was back in his Octopus form as he sat in the best chair, compared to the others who watching the quality of the sound equipment, recording the room. He watched as Alex stepped into the back room and joined him as he spoke with other soldiers.
"That was some fly moves, Alex," said Octavio. "If what that girl says is true, she too, knows the power of a sick melody."
"Clearly, there was something powerful in the Calimari Inkantation, if it turned all those missing Octarians against their own kind, Your Majesty," said Alex.
"Then we can turn them back!" the general insisted. Every Octarian in the room stared at the sound of those words. "We have one the Splatoon's best. We can use her power to take back what's ours!" His grip on the chair's armrest tightened. "Cuttlefish can fight me over and over again, but moment he brings my grandchildren into this is where I draw the line.
Octavio turned to the rest of the crew. Then, in his grip was a blueprint. "I've drawn this up while been in the infirmary, and I think it's time we get to work!" He presented it to the team and their eyes lit up with glee. "Get to the briefing room and get everyone! It's time to plan for my next big performance."
Every trooper and Octoling rushed out of room to do as their great leader commanded. Octavio stood up, turning into his humanoid form and a grin grew across his face.
"DJ Octavio's back in da house…"
Jade laid down on her bed, that was covered with a green blanket. Several tiny pillows were on it. One of the was in her arms as she stared at the dark color ceiling. Her laptop was next to her humming as it searched for something she was looking for something on the Inkernet. The lights were out, but her pink color lava lamps were still on and she had boots on the floor. A guard had been coming by to leave her food, but she couldn't bring herself to eat.
Jade rolled onto her side, her right hand falling near her. She glared at the ring and sat up. It had been two years, so there was no point in it anymore. Somehow Octavio being back was bringing her to her senses and she tossed the ring across the room, before flopping down on the bed once more. She saw the photo near her night stand. Jade was in them, and she looked so happy with her friends.
"Olivia… Neo… Where did you go?" Jade mumbled. "Why did you guys and Oliver have just slip out of my life?!" She stood up and brushed them off her nightstand, the frames shattered on the floor. The events of last night brought her back to they first day when they disappeared. They left. One by one. None of them said a word. She sank to floor, staring at the broken glass. Her messy hair fell around her and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hadn't bothered to tie it up in her usual ponytail in the last twenty-four hours, since Octavio told her to remain in her room.
"Argh! What now?!" Jade hissed as her laptop dinged. She straightened out her legs and pulled the device into her lap from above and it had finally finished gathering information on their "guest," Callie.
It was as if people on the Inkernet had been documenting the entire life of the Squid Sisters, like some creepy stalkers.
Age 10: Won the annual Youth Folk-Singing Contest.
Age 15: Callie and Marie move to Inkopolis after parental consent.
Age 16: Received several offers and small time performing jobs while working at Walleye Warehouse.
Age 17: Began doing concerts and working Inkopolis News and hosting Splatfests.
Age 18: Released solo singles, "Bomb Rush Blush" and "Tide Goes Out"
Age 19: Callie appears on multiple variety shows. Marie guest sings on music shows, and performs live concerts solo.
Jade minimized this screen, saving it for later. She found Callie and Marie's blogs on social media, most of them were either from the Squid Sisters themselves, or were from people advertising their performances, or "Splatfests."
"What the shell is a Splatfest?" Jade clicked on a tag that had that word and it took her to a video, which showed the last one the Squid Sisters ever hosted. They had their usual banter and then some kind of weird printer was on the screen following two photos appearing on screen. On the left was a picture of Callie and on the right was Marie. Both of them were doing their signature pose.
"I knew this day would come…" said Callie.
"A Splatfest to top all Splatfests," Marie replied.
"Without further ado, let's introduce the team's… She's the winningest Squid Sister in Splatfest history: CALLIE!" The pink Inkling threw her fist into the air.
Marie grinned, a hand lightly near her mouth.
"Versus the only Squid Sister who isn't boring: MARIE!" The green Squid Sister glanced back at her cousin. Callie glared, putting her hands on her hips. Then she smiled.
"You know, I'm going to be the bigger squid today… That's why I'm going Team Marie!"
"Glad you've seen the light, teammate. Go Team Marie," Marie said, smiling as well.
"HEY!" Callie pouted. "But that means you have to go Team Callie!"
"Yeah, right," Marie said, glancing away from her cousin. "I'd rather give DJ Octavio a sponge bath."
"THAT'S IT," Callie shouted. "Team Callie is going to bury you! You and your gray hair are going down, grandma!"
Marie gasped, speechless. Jade covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. The date showed it was posted over a year ago. She scrolled down find the results and looked like the results were tallied by popularity, wins, and were compiled in a final results.
Callie had lost by twenty points.
Jade set that post aside and found both Callie and Marie's profiles. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Marie having almost TRIPLE the amount of followers than Callie did. Both of them didn't seem to post much. It seemed Marie reposted about the appearances she made on shows for the networks. It seemed Callie had some concerts, but were few. Her activity was more slower. On the side of the screen, she found a panel that showed some kind of news report. Callie was shown walking past fans who were taking many photos of her. Text was on the bottom.
"Pandemonium ensued when pop star Callie was spotted at the airport by fans after wrapping up filming for her new upcoming TV drama in New Sardine. She smiled through it all, as she answered each and every question the fans had about her cousin, Marie, to the best of her ability, but it's clear to this reporter that the pressure of fame is getting to her."
"Hmm…" Jade clicked off and went back to Callie social media profile. She was coming up on some of the recent stuff, even if it was few in between. She saw a photo of Callie's feet near a flower. There's was another photo of a drawing on the window. Jade loved doing that as a child. Then she frowned upon seeing that it was a doodle of a sad squid.
The second, most recent post was a straight up blog from Callie.
"Hey, squidkids! It's me Callie! It's been so long since I've written a proper blog post! Being on my own like this, I've got time to think, but sometimes I think too much! (_;) But I'm really psyched for filming today! Stay fresh! (`w´)"
"Think too much"…? Jade thought, as she scrolled down to the most recent post. It was a marked post from an anonymous person and Callie had marked it as private.
"Dang it!" Jade said. She pulled in her flashdrive and with her skills, she managed to break through it.
"I can't believe this!" was Callie's note on the it and was titled "Who's the Better Squid Sister?"
And once again, Marie was winning. This time by a bigger margin.
Jade's ruby eyes teared up at the sight of it. Pinned at the top of Callie's profile was her solo music video. She clicked on it, and it began to play the video.
Come throw bombs with me
Are you ready, ready, ready to throw
You don't know how it feels to be
Throwing, throwing, throwing
Down with you
I wait
For the day that I get to sing
To Splat my foes and ink you down
From the explosions coming
To throw bombs, bombs
Bomb rush blush
Blushing faces covered in pink
Rushing bombs, exploding ink
Together for me
We'll luck out, we'll strike out
And we will show you
Blushing faces covered in pink
Rushing bombs, exploding ink
We'll throw them, we'll shoot them
And every foe is through
Jade smiled. From the depressing twenty-four hours, this was making her feel better, even if it was an Inkling's work. Callie was dancing and singing, looking so happy with herself compared to her recent activity. The video was posted over a year ago.
"Callie…" Jade said, a hand over her chest.