So I suggest reading this chapter slowly to take in every detail.
—
Agent 4 stared intently at the radar while the Piranha practically piloted itself. "This is too easy to pilot. Like, suspiciously easy."
"Better for us, then," responded Agent 2. "More time for us to find what er're looking for." The massive submarine approached the ocean floor.
"Which is?"
"Anything that's connected to the system. Also, we need to clear the place out so it's safer."
A nearby window revealed the secrets of the Restricted Zone. The other two were absorbing every detail.
Salmonids helplessly chased the foreign object by swimming through the sea, intending to add it to the ever-growing list of destruction. A few stayed behind, possessing the little intelligence needed to know it was useless. They were quickly out of sight due to the weak light emanating from the Piranha and the mysterious colored water.
Countless metal scraps littered the sand. Yet another group of Salmonids gathered them to assemble more machines.
A plethora of Golden Eggs moved in a uniform direction, propelled by what seemed to be nothing.
"What's the point of harvesting Eggs from Boss Salmonids if there are plenty out there?" asked Agent 1.
"Three reasons," Agent 3 said. "One, Salmonids are dangerous, and Grizzco's is actually serving a dual purpose by, well, actually protecting Inkopolis. Any longer without Grizzco, and the city would be overrun. The Salmonids have been pushed back, and the city is safe for now. Once we take the company, we'll have to continue Salmon Run ASAP."
"Gramps can help with that."
"Turning Starboard!" Agent 4 said. "I-is that what they say in submarines?"
"Two," Agent 3 continued, "if they took too many eggs, it could endanger Salmonids. Then there would be no more eggs.
"Three, harvesting from Boss Salmonids means that the three eggs they have aren't that necessary to their survival. They're using them to power their own machines, so it's not that important," he took a deep breath. "And that's all."
"Can I try that shield of yours?" said Agent 1, changing the topic. He handed her the lid, to which she replied, "Wow, this thing is lighter than it looks."
"I know, right? Hey, have you tried the Inkwhip yet?"
"Yeah," Agent 1 replied, "you're right. It is hard to use."
"Hmm. I don't know. It seems like I kept the training I got when I had the shades on. How are you using that thing?"
She shrugged. "Just swinging it, I guess."
He jumped up and swung his Inkwhip a few times himself in order to actually know what he is doing rather than relying on instinct.
"So you have to keep control of your wrist..."
—
By the end of the impromptu lesson, Agent 1 could swing the weapon well, but couldn't spin for another quick swing or use it midair.
"I'm picking up something on the radar," Agent 4 said. "I think we found it."
They could see nothing out the window. The water was darker in the area, and being in the back didn't help matters.
The Piranha maneuvered itself into the moon pool, where it was picked up by more heavy machinery.
"It moved itself again?" Agent 4 said incredulously.
They stepped off of the Piranha and saw the entire weapon for the first time. The contraption was shaped like a round fish, slightly wider than Arowana Mall.
"Listen, we're not here to kill, which is why we didn't blow it up, but if we have to fight, so be it," Agent 2 said.
They stepped into a hallway, and the lights immediately flickered and shut off.
"They know we're here," whispered Agent 3.
They slowly traversed the hallway, which deviated into many other rooms which they didn't have time to explore. The light activated again.
"They're messing with us," Agent 1 said.
A familiar gurgling sound reached their ears from the scattered speakers.
"No..." Agent 4 muttered.
"They control it now?" Agent 2 said. "That's why it wasn't in the forest..."
"We need to be careful," Agent 4 explained, "this thing is smart and has the home turf advantage."
The lights shut off, once again leaving them to their weak natural bioluminescence.
They reached the end of the hallway, where yet another round platform suspended over a pit resided.
Their new enemy, the forest dweller, appeared from an overhang above them as the lights turned on once again.
Without wielding any weapon or piloting any vehicle, the Wild Tentacle jumped down, flinging its purple saliva in every direction.
It had the knowledge of an Inkling or Octoling but the instints of a wild animal.
The creature was foaming at the mouth, covering the floor in a dark purple coat.
"Split!" Agent 4 yelled as the lights turned off again.
It's eyes gave a faint glow, but it was otherwise unseeable. It chased after Agent 4, with her being the only one to make noise.
Agent 4 backed up and was near the pit. She dodge-rolled to the side, but the Wild Tentacle lost all of its speed immediately and turned to devour someone else. She immediately began to shoot it, but it was immune to ink. Instead, it used the force of the shots to propel it elsewhere.
Agent 2 tried to shoot it, but missed. The darkness faltered her pin-point accuracy. She threw a Point-Sensor to support her teammates. Thankfully, it detected the beast and circled it.
Agent 3, which was close to it by now, tried the Inkwhip, but even that didn't affect it. He held up his shield as it clung to it. Agent 1 came from the side and pushed it back with the Roller.
"Hey, Ugly!" Agent 4 called. "Over here!" It turned, teeth ready, and ran toward her. She waited until the last second to dodge roll.
As it stopped again, Agent 2 shot it to distract it. Agent 3 swam to it, jumped out, and shoved his shield into it, catching it off guard. He fought its straength, struggling to push it off the edge.
Finally, he heard the familiar sound of a Roller charging towards him. He sidestepped out of the way and threw a bottle of Poison Gas at the beast, slowing it down. It was shot by Agent 2 again, then Agent 1 batted the Roller into it. The force of the impact knocked it into the wall, where it soon fell.
"Was... that it?" Agent 2 asked. "That was too easy."
The gurgling sound was heard from down below. The Wild Tentacle used its suction cups to climb the wall, something only it could do.
Instead of responding, the four silently came to the same conclusion: water.
By this time, their eyes has somewhat adjusted to the darkness. The hallway was still open, so Agent 4 sent a Curling Bomb through it. As they all swam through, the creature followed.
Once again, Agent 2 threw a Point-Sensor at it. Agent 1 tried to hit it, but it stood its ground. It stared to run after Agent 4, But she dodge-rolled backwards and sent a stream of ink at it.
Agent 3 threw himself at it, separated by only the shield. Agent 1 did the same, adding to the strain put on the creature. Agent 4 threw a Splat Bomb, aiming to launch it into the moon pool
He dropped another bomb, aiding the other one.
The bombs propelled the Wild Tentacle into the water, and it was no more.
The lights turned on again to commemorate their victory.
Four Inklings slowly and quietly traversed the hallway once again. They looked up.
The voice of Akash came from high above, not amplified by any speaker. "Don't ya see?" He was turned away, the cloak still hiding his true self.
"You all deserve this." Not even the Charger could reach him. "You take our land, force us underground, and have the guts to come back down and take our hope. You. The fourth one. Did you know what you were fighting for when the second one told you to?"
"The-"
"The Great Zapfish." He didn't let her finish. "There are tons of other ways to power the city. Ever heard of wind, solar, hydro?
"But no. You couldn't let us have a little bit of a chance. Two years ago, when the Great Zapfish was stolen for the first time, we were happy. The electricity it produces was enough to keep us running for months, even though it was there for so little time.
"That power eventually ran out. We used it on more technology, more weapons to let us take back what's ours.
"It wasn't just electricity. Once we were forced underground, air was another problem. Sometimes, someone would go out, desperate for a breath. Most of the time, they didn't come back.
"So then I planned ahead. I got the Hypno-Shades activated so the Octolings would follow me. I used eggs to power more weapons." By this point, he dropped the Mr. Grizz accent.
"And I got my legs back." He threw off the cloak, finally revealing who he was. He couldn't be more than 25, though he had the voice of someone much older. His tentacles were neat and organized. He wore the coat of a war general, most likely taken from a real one.
Most noteworthy, however, were his legs. They were purely mechanical, having all of the functions of a real one and more. His right was similar, bearing a metallic sheen, glowing yellow in various places.
"I will take the city. I will enslave you. And when I deactivate the Hypno-Shades on the Octolings, I'll be a hero. They'll see."
"When three of you first invaded the Lab, I didn't expect it. Foolish of me, really. All of the obstacles you've met until now had two purposes. One, to try and kill you. Two, if it failed, we knew you were stronger.
"You could move stealthily in an enclosed area. You escaped a bomb. You freed someone trapped in Grizzco. You even beat three of my kids. You didn't fail. If you did, even once, you died."
"When I enslave Inklings, they'll obey. They'll follow blindly. And they'll love it. All because of these."
He produced four pairs of Hypno-Shades, which he held in his mechanical arm. It was like they appeared from nowhere.
"And you four will be the first.
The door leading to the hallway slammed shut.
"Your timing really is impeccable. If you came here a few days ago, we would have killed you. But I recently changed my mind about that."
He jumped down, and while he was midair, the lights came off. He didn't glow like they did.
From then on, the lights flicked on occasionally.
He was in front of them. No, to the left, no, above. He was too fast.
Suddenly, the lights flickered to show Agent 1 wearing a pair of Hypno-Shades.
"One," he said.
Where was he? Where to shoot? Up, down, left.
Before they could reach Agent 1, who was now standing still, the lights flickered again, revealing Agent 2 also had her sunglasses suddenly switched.
"Two."
Agent 3 jumped as high as he possibly could.
"Three."
Agent 4 was the only one left. The lights were on now. She knew it was useless. Running to them was useless, shooting was useless, doing nothing was useless. Seconds passed slowly, leaving her frozen in place. They wane don't them here, they wanted them to reach this place, only so they could fail. It's why the Piranha was so easy to pilot, why it docked itself. He was leaving her alone for now, letting her stare into the faces of the people she called her friends. Their blank expressions shot into every place she could feel, mocking her, telling her to do something, anything to help.
But it was useless.
The word never reached her ears, but it echoed throughout her last moments of consciousness.
Four.