"Well?" the ominous SAIL general called out, his gruff voice echoing through the foyer. Iggy briefly looked behind him, where his friends were all looking at him for guidance. He gulped, and returned his attention to General Ace.
"Let N-Niko go, or e-else," he threatened, his voice shaky. His hands were clutching his water gun so tightly that his knuckles were white.
"Or else what? Speak now, boy," Ace challenged. Iggy scowled at the older inkling, before he began marching forward. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex deployed his E-liter 3K, aiming it right at Iggy's face, causing him to freeze.
"Not another step, Galiano. Back off," he barked, in a harsh tone. Iggy eyed Alex in pure shock, the normally docile inkling's cruelty seeming so unnatural. Jack raised an eyebrow, glancing over at his colleague.
"A-Alex?! What… what's the meaning of this?!" Iggy demanded, unable to move forward out of fear. Ace chuckled, pacing towards Iggy, not minding the water-filled weapon in the boy's hands.
"It would seem that you don't know Lieutenant Boucher as much as you thought you did," Ace cooed in a condescending manner.
"You're telling me," Jack muttered, eying the other lieutenant. "Man, what's gotten into you lately?" Jack demanded, both confused and annoyed. Alex kept both his scope and his eye on Iggy.
"Kawasaki… sometimes I forget just how naïve you truly are," he retorted icily. "See, while you were busy making failed attempts at neutralizing the target, I was taking a different strategy," Alex explained. He eyed the three inklings behind Iggy, all of them watching silently, unsure how to react.
"What works better than befriending the enemy? I gained your trust, and manipulated you," Alex thundered, his kind façade now a complete stranger. "And you all fell for it," he insulted.
"…I knew it," Sam muttered, shaking her head. Alex aimed his weapon at the other Galiano.
"Would you like to say something?" he hissed. She just continued glaring at him, unaffected by his threat. But she didn't speak another word. "That's what I thought," the lieutenant teased. "It's a real shame, Samantha. If you would have listened to me, then you wouldn't have to die today," he added.
"PSYCHOPATH!" Niko screamed, anger returning to his eyes. He thrashed around violently. "YOU'RE A DISGRACE! THE ONLY ONE WILL DIE TODAY WILL BE YOU!" he threatened, scrambling to his feet.
In near light speed, Alex drew a dagger from his hilt, and launched it right towards Niko, the blade impacting him right in the abdomen. The dark inkling fell to his knees, as his sister screamed behind them. Iggy couldn't hold back his own tears. Niko began hyperventilating.
"…you… I will break you… I will…" Niko threatened weakly. In response, Alex drew his second dagger, and once again hurled it at Niko's chest. Iggy squeezed his eyes shut as he heard his older brother shriek in pain. Niko fell over onto his back, now barely breathing.
"Say another word. I dare you," Alex hissed, towering over the near-dead vigilante.
"PLEASE STOP!" Sam begged. Felix and Dani's faces were both stricken with grief. Alex eyed the intruders, remembering they were all armed. He took his E-Liter and pressed the barrel right under Niko's chin. Jack stood by, watching silently.
"Drop your weapons. Now," he commanded. There was not a hint of remorse in his eyes. All of them obeyed, the sound of multiple splattershots clanging on the ground echoing through the large halls. Iggy couldn't take his eyes off of his older brother. He felt the burning rage inside of him starting to build up, as tears continued pouring from his eyes. Ace walked right up towards him.
"It's a real shame, Ignacio," the general whispered. "But you just have to accept your fate. Give up. It's your only option," he growled, now very close to Iggy.
He was breathing heavily, both misery and rage filling his obsidian eyes. He glared up at the ruthless leader. It was now or never. Before he could think twice, Iggy pulled back his fist and delivered a punch right to Ace's face as hard as he could muster. The general stumbled back, completely disoriented as he fell to the ground, his back facing everyone in the room. Jack moved in to attack Iggy, but Alex moved in front of his colleague, blocking him.
"Get out of the way, Boucher!" he yelled.
"Shut up. And watch," Alex commanded, his eyes locked on the stunned general.
Iggy glared at Ace, who seemed truly in pain from his attack. He felt a strange feeling in his gut, as the general began to breathe extremely heavily. And then…
Laughter.
Iggy watched in horror as he began cackling. Though his voice was not his own. He was shrieking as he laughed, it almost sounded like a witch. It almost sounded… feminine.
Ace sprung from the ground, and flung his open palms towards Iggy, discharging large lightning bolts all over the foyer as he screamed in a witch-like voice. Everyone in the room stumbled back, completely disoriented as the lightning bounced around the room. Iggy shielded his eyes.
After a brief second, he looked around. Everybody was breathing heavily, but nobody seemed to have been struck. He noticed that Felix, Dani, and Sam, were all staring at something behind him. He noticed that Jack's jaw was dropped, and Alex had a hint of a smile on his face. Iggy turned to see what they were all gawking at.
Iggy froze when he turned around. Standing where the Ace once stood, was the most beautiful inkling girl he had ever seen. Her tentacles were as white as snow, with the slightest hint of blue. She was wearing a plain white dress. A familiar face.
"Annabeth," Iggy whispered, in awe. Niko had his eyes locked on the girl, completely blown away. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but nothing could escape his lips. His face was full of sorrow and dread.
"…WHAT?!" Jack screamed, glaring at Alex. The lime inkling ignored the protest, as a full smile appeared on his face.
"Lady Annabeth… General Ace of The Security of Ancient Inkarnate Legends, Alpha Branch. Formally known… as Annabeth Ace, the host of the Fulgurus, the inkarnate of weather and lightning," Alex whispered, as if he was delighted to see her.
"…you…" Iggy whispered, scowling at the girl. She calmly eyed the boy, curious as to what he was going to say. "I saw you in my dream…" he murmured, unsure how to react. Before she could respond, Jack Kawasaki retorted.
"…WHAT?!" he echoed. "ACE… IS… ANNABETH?!" he roared, clutching his temples. "I thought you were dead! Why didn't you tell me?!" He demanded, genuinely hurt. "…AND YOU'RE AN INKARNATE? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO KILL INKARNATES!" he screamed, even more confused. He then realized, his colleague wasn't fazed by this news. "…you knew about this? And you didn't tell me either?!" he demanded. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" he screamed. Alex responded by forcefully shoving him to the ground.
"Silence," he ordered, glaring down at him.
"…SILENCE?! I'm the same rank as you! How dare you talk to me like that! You betrayed me!" Jack yelled, slowly starting to panic.
"Oh, Jack," Annabeth cooed, her once gruff voice now gone to reveal her usual soothing voice. "You always thought you were the better Lieutenant," she spat, slowly pacing towards them. "When really… you were always the failure. The biggest failure in SAIL history," she whispered coldly. Alex grabbed his E-Liter and pressed the barrel against his cheek.
"I'm not afraid of you!" he protested. He slapped the barrel away, knocking the charger out of his hands completely. Alex smiled down at the Lieutenant; a murderous stare.
"Maybe you should be," he whispered. He took a deep breath, then exhaled into the air. A cold frost moved out of his mouth, bringing the temperature in the room down. Everyone watched in shock and confusion.
"What in the…" Jack whispered. A devilish grin appeared on Annabeth's face.
"Alex… Lieutenant Boucher of The Security of Ancient Inkarnate Legends, Alpha Branch. Formally known… as Alexander Boucher, the host of the Glacies, the inkarnate of ice and snow," she whispered. Jack blinked.
"…are you… YOU'RE AN INKARNATE TOO?! WHAT?!" he screamed, now legitimately afraid. Alex stopped blowing frost and glared down at Jack, with a crazed grin.
"What's wrong, Kawasaki? Scared?" he asked. He then began kicking Jack, over and over again.
"Ow… OW! STOP! PLEASE!" he protested, as Alex continued beating him. He kicked his sides, his head, his face. Jack began crying, blood beginning to pour from his lips and nose.
"…stop…" a voice mumbled from behind them. Alex stopped, and looked up to see that Iggy had said it. Annabeth glared at the boy, a smile still on her face.
"Ah… right. We got so caught up with this failure, that we forgot our original mission," she said to Alex, pacing over to Iggy. "You're quite brave to attack me earlier," she commended, eyeing him. "But then again… is there really any difference between bravery and stupidity?" she asked rhetorically. She then delivered a swift kick to Iggy's knees.
"AH!" he shrieked, falling to the ground. Annabeth turned towards Iggy's sister and friends.
"Any word out of EITHER of you, I'll slit their throats," she threatened, pointing at the Galiano brothers. They all stood there frozen, helplessly watching the horrors before them. She then turned to Alex.
"Lieutenant Boucher… we shall prolong this no more. It's time," she told him. The inkling silently nodded. He paced over to Niko, and grabbed his jacket by the collar. Niko mumbled, half-conscious, as Alex dragged him across the floor towards Iggy and Annabeth.
"Let him go!" Iggy begged, his voice sounding like a helpless young child. Annabeth stared down at her ex, unimpressed by his half-conscious state. She reached her hand down and touched her hand to one of Alex's daggers, still lodged in the inkling's chest. Small sparks of lightning danced on her fingers, and traveled into the blade.
"GAH!" Niko screamed, as he doubled forward. She had shocked him awake.
"Pleasure of you to join us," Annabeth said sarcastically. Niko glared weakly at the girl.
"All this time… how could you do this…?" he demanded, completely spirit-broken. Annabeth rolled her eyes impatiently, and signaled Alex. In response, the lieutenant sharply kicked Niko's back, causing him to yelp.
"We don't have time for this," she scolded.
"Ughn… why am I still alive? Just hurry up and kill me already," he muttered. He wouldn't meet eyes with Iggy, for if he did, he would break down completely.
"Niko…" Iggy mumbled, tearing up again. He was devastated that his role model had completely given up hope. Annabeth gestured his hand towards his brother.
"You're not getting out that easily, you still have one last assignment for Team SAIL," she reminded him. He reluctantly looked up at Iggy, who was staring at him with concern. "You're going to awaken him," she added.
"No… absolutely not. No," Niko told her, shaking his head. "Go ahead and kill me. I will not be held responsible," he uttered.
"Oh you will," she hissed. She then uppercut the back of Niko's head causing him to nearly pass out.
"OW!" he yelped.
"Say it," Annabeth commanded.
"No," Niko replied. She scowled, signaling Alex to kick him in the back.
"AHHH!" he screamed, the pain nearly driving him mad.
"SAY IT!" she demanded, her voice filled with fury.
"NO!" he retorted, his stubbornness stronger than hers. She punched him in the face, right at a cut from his fight with Alex.
"PLEASE STOP!" Iggy shrieked, bawling uncontrollably. Sam looked away, Felix and Dani hugged her tight as they all averted their eyes, all of them crying in their embrace. Niko glared up at the attackers.
"You… ughn… you can do this all you want… I'll die before I say it…" he promised. Annabeth thought for a moment. Her eyes then lit up, like she had an excellent idea pop into her head.
"Well… if we can't beat it out of you…" she started, moving her gaze to Iggy. "Boucher, let's show our little party trick to Ignacio here," she told him. Alex got a gleam in his eye, as he moved over to Iggy.
"What are you… AHHHHH!" Iggy screamed as Alex firmly grabbed ahold of him. Niko began to panic.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" he screamed. Iggy wriggled in Alex's hands helplessly.
"IT'S COLD," he shrieked. Annabeth gazed devilishly at the boy.
"We start by lowering the body temperature…" she told Niko. He was shaking his head furiously, he covered his ears to try and ignore her.
"…then, I send light shocks through his body…" she added. She reached her hands towards Iggy's chest, and dug her fingernails into his abdomen.
"Ahhh!" Iggy screamed, as she began to shock him.
"STOP!" Niko begged.
"…and it makes the perfect chemical reaction with his ink…" she whispered, continuing to shock the helpless boy. Niko watched in horror, as Iggy's pink tentacles slowly began fading and darkening.
"Say it," Annabeth told him again.
"I… I…!" Niko stuttered, losing his self-control. Iggy's tentacles had darkened completely, matching Niko's jet-black tentacles.
"IT HURTS!" he shrieked, unaware of his physical change.
"Say it," Annabeth repeated one last time.
A single tear fell from Niko's eyes.
He slowly looked up at his brother.
The world seemed to move in slow motion.
I'm sorry… Ignacio… he thought to himself.
He raised his eyes to the ceiling, and opened his mouth.
"IGNEOUS!" he shouted as loud as he could muster.
Immediately, Iggy's body fell to the ground. He was unconscious. Alex and Annabeth quickly backed away, as Iggy's body began to quake. Niko scrambled away with the rest of his strength, crying to himself in shame. Sam, Dani, and Felix all turned to look at their friend, who was seizing on the floor. The temperature in the room began to increase at an alarming rate, and Iggy's body began to glow. His eyes suddenly shot open, glowing like bright headlights. They were no longer obsidian black, but glowed the color of molten lava. His body burst into flames, causing a shriek from his older sister. But to her surprise, Iggy stood up. He eyed his surroundings with his glowing irises. He noticed the fire dancing all over his body. But he did not panic. He eyed the flames in curiosity, completely in awe. After a few seconds, the flames slowly dissipated, and the glow in his eyes faded away. His clothes were blackened and charred, and his tentacles were still jet black. He looked at everyone around him, noticing that they were all staring at him in shock.
"…uh… why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked, his voice hoarse from screaming. Annabeth slowly approached him.
"Iggy…the third born of the Galiano family. Formally known… as Ignacio Galiano, the host of the Igneous, the inkarnate of fire and rage," she announced. He turned to her.
"…what?" he asked in utter shock.
"It's quite complicated, young one. But to put it simply, you possess the power of an ancient being. So do I, and so does Lieutenant Boucher. And many, many more," she explained. Iggy looked at her like she was insane.
"I'm… an inkarnate?" he asked meekly.
"You are," she responded, but her smile of appreciation faded away. "However… that also makes you an extremely dangerous entity, which means we have to do our jobs by neutralizing you," she explained.
"…but you're both inkarnates! How does that make any sense?!" he demanded. Annabeth sighed, pacing towards her large chair at the back of the foyer.
"Well that's why SAIL exists, Ignacio," she told him. "If I get rid of all the inkarnates, then nothing is powerful enough to stop me from ruling all of Inkopolis," she explained. Iggy got a sick feeling in his gut.
"That's genocide…" Iggy mumbled.
"Incorrect. We don't kill any of them. If we kill an inkarnate host, then a new host will take its place. That's where Lieutenant Boucher comes in," she explained. Iggy glanced at his traitorous friend, Alex. The boy smiled evilly, and sprinkled snowflakes from his fingers.
"…what do you mean?" Iggy asked, returning his gaze to Annabeth. She clicked a button on her large chair. A loud rumbling sound came from the back wall behind her. Iggy noticed the wall was sliding away, revealing a hidden section behind her.
Iggy's heart stopped when he realized what he saw. As the wall slid away, it revealed large ice blocks, each of them consisting of a panicked inkling. There were dozens and dozens of them, each of them frozen in their own block of ice.
"We keep the hosts cryogenically frozen, that way they can't regenerate. They're all still alive," she explained. Iggy couldn't move, he was completely speechless and horrified. "And that's that," she finished, eyeing him, waiting for his response.
"…what h-happens n-now?" he stammered. Annabeth smiled, a genuine, innocent smile.
"Take it in, Ignacio. Say goodbye to your friends and your siblings. And join your kind," she thundered. She signaled Alex, who slowly began to approach Iggy.
"N-No… p-please…" he begged, as ice appeared in Alex's hands. Iggy squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to be frozen solid.
"Hey kid…" a voice spoke weakly. Iggy's eyes opened. Jack was standing behind Alex, and before either of them could react, Jack slammed a dagger right into Alex's back.
"GAHHH!" the lieutenant screamed in pain and fury, mortified that he was caught off guard. Jack smiled at Iggy, a tear falling down his cheek.
"…don't let me regret that… hero…" he whispered. Alex formed a large icicle and shoved it right into Jack's heart, piercing through his body. The boy crumpled to the floor, as the life left his eyes. Alex fell to his knees, stunned by his injury.
"EVIL TRAITOR!" Annabeth screamed at Jack, as she began sprinting towards Iggy. Adrenaline caused Niko to jump up from the ground, ready for his last stand.
"IGGY! FIRE!" Niko screamed. Iggy spun around, and looked at his brother in confusion and panic.
"FIRE FIRE FIRE!" he yelled out again. Iggy blinked, as he got the message. Annabeth was closing in, and Iggy quickly extended his hands forward, and willed for fire.
"HAAA!" He screamed as a ball of flames materialized out of his hands, shooting right at Annabeth. The girl tried to evade, but doing so caused her to faceplant into the marble floor. Iggy looked at his hands, in awe of his own abilities.
"NOW'S OUR CHANCE!" Niko screamed. He grabbed ahold of Iggy's arm and pulled him towards the exit. Sam, Dani, and Felix all sprang into action, and grabbed their splattershots off the ground.
"GET BACK HERE!" Annabeth wailed, scrambling to her feet. Iggy quickly sent a smaller fireball towards her, missing her completely, but crashing into the wall of frozen inkarnates behind her.
"NOOO!" she protested. The five inklings sprinted down the hall towards the exit.
"IGGY CAN SHOOT FIRE?!" Felix asked in shock. Nobody answered him, as they reached the elevators. Niko repeatedly slammed his fist on the up arrow, watching to see if anyone had caught up with them. Annabeth scrambled for her chair, and grabbed a radio device nearby it.
"CALLING ALL OPERATIVES! THIS IS A CODE RED! PURSUE THE ENEMIES AND KILL THEM ALL!" she screamed into the transmitter.
Ding.
The metal doors slid open, and not a second went by before they all lunged into the elevator. Niko slammed the button to close the door, and they all watched as the doors slowly slid shut.