Shella still got up earlier than her girlfriend ; she readied the breakfast, took a shower and turned on the TV. There was no mention of the collective dream some citizens had experienced, but Shella was not surprised. Just as Aegina was walking into the living room, the speaker announced something :
"In spite of the recent events, the sports ministry did not cancel the Turf War Championship, which is currently being held at Inkopolis Stadium. While the International Sports Committee is present, none of the planned political guests is attending, including the mayor of Inkopolis, Shella Dux. Chosen representatives instead inaugurated the event along with various celebrities…"
Aegina had not said good morning yet that Shella had given her a quick kiss on the lips and hurried outside.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it ! How could I forget that fucking championship !?" Shella thought, her car systematically ignoring every driving rule and speed limitation ; she clenched her teeth so hard she almost snapped her pipe in two.
-"Inka !" She roared into her phone while running a red light under the scared automobilists' horns. "I'm on my way to Inkopolis Stadium ! The bomb ! It's gonna be there ! Call the Committee and your team !"
At the other end of the line on speaker, Inka paled, just as everyone else in the room :
-"R-right n-now".
-"The bomb can be detonated remotely ! If we start evacuating, they'll detonate it on the spot !".
-"W-w-what d-do I-I do ?"
Shella thought quickly :
-"Sheldon ! Ask him if he can jam the signal !"
Sheldon's voice was immediately heard :
-"I-I c-can't ! It's t-too l-late for this !"
-"The humans ! Ask them to do it ! Even if it destroys communication systems ! I don't give a fuck !"
-"Staff supervisor Cal speaking, Mayor Ink. An invisible specialized drone is going to be sent at Inkopolis Stadium as soon as the Committee is warned of the threat. Our device will jam all communications in the city's radius as long as necessary and pinpoint any unknown signals. Other devices will be dispatched with it, and we will be on the way shortly. We meet you there".
-"Understood".
Shella reached the stadium three minutes later ; the guards immediately let her enter.
The stadium was immense, housing thousands of people ; in the middle, surrounded by tall polymer walls, a vast, maze-like battlefield was built ; inside it, two teams of eight contestants were battling. Above the protective walls, oriented towards the spectators, giant screens were following each participant thanks to high definition cameras embedded in the various structures ; however, because of the drone, they had stopped working two minutes ago, much to the uninformed public's dismay.
Shella did not pay attention to the evenly matched tournament and rushed towards the Committee's tribune, the ten members sighing from relief when they saw her.
-"The drone's in effect ! Stop the match now !" Shella ordered them.
The president, a stocky bi-gender Inkling, immediately reached to the judge ; as soon as Judd received the signal in his earpiece, he blew in his powerful whistle, freezing the confused fighters in their actions ; the overweight cat then approached a speaker :
-"Due to a technical incident, the match is temporarily suspended. Please be patient while we sort out the problem. Contestants, please return to your locker room".
Although a part of the public booed, most stayed silent, as if knowing something serious was happening.
-"I'm going to check if I find something before the teams arrive", Shella told the Committee.
The mayor jumped down below and ran towards Judd :
-"Judd ! Tell me you know this damn battlefield just like I know my damn pocket !"
-"Shella ? What's happening ?"
-"There's probably a bomb inside the arena. Tell me what was installed today or late yesterday".
-"Y-y-you're sq-sq-squidding, r-right ?"
-"Hurry up, Judd !"
-"L-let m-me th-think… Huh… Th-the o-obstacles m-maybe ? I-I-I heard a-a t-team came th-this m-morning. Ea-early. Th-they s-said they w-were l-late b-because of the f-factory".
-"Show me".
The trembling, terrified cat led Shella into the arena, showing her the designated installations ; almost all of them were bumpers ; Shella began to carefully cut them open with a knife ; as she opened the seventh one, a human ship, accompanied by five small, golden triangular devices, landed not far away from her. Inka and a team of Inklings, Octolings, jellyfishes and humans rushed towards her, Sheldon following them.
-"The bomb's here", she addressed the team as she cut the bumper apart, revealing the cubical device. "What do we do ?"
Cal, the human supervisor, made a sign to the floating devices, which immediately hovered above the bomb and the destroyed bumper : one above them and the others around them in a circle formation.
-"Stand back", Cal ordered everybody.
When he judged everyone sufficiently far away, he again motioned to the drones.
-"What are these ?" Sheldon asked him.
-"Gravity bombs destined to small objects", Cal answered.
What happened next confused everybody but the humans ; just like water draining through a hole or a cloth being sucked away by a vacuum cleaner, the area inside the triangles – and the devices themselves – suddenly distorted towards an invisible point in the middle of the bomb before vanishing entirely, leaving only an empty space ; the whole process took less than two seconds.
-"Your bomb does not exist anymore. At least not in a meaningful way", Cal addressed Sheldon.
-"Did you track any signal ?" Shella interrogated.
-"Yes. Only a crushed remote was found at the location, a disaffected building in the outskirts of the city. Whoever was behind this, they were cautious. When they saw the bomb was not exploding, they did not insist, destroyed the remote and left".
-"With a Super Jump, probably… Anyways, it's a victory for now. You've been a great help… and that's a euphemism", Shella thanked the humans. "And you too, of course", she addressed Inka.
Some drones still scanned the battlefield thoroughly, then went back into the ship, the special team following them.
-"I stay with Mayor Ink", Inka declared.
Cal nodded, and the vessel took off.
-"What about the tournament ?" Judd asked Shella.
-"Cancel it for today. I wanna see who installed the bumpers".
-"Ask to the monitoring team, they should've filmed them".
-"Let's go, Inka".
There were three designated security guards for three giant screens ; two Inklings women and an Octoling man. Shella and Inka noticed that the screens were showing each area of the stadium save for the battlefield.
-"Ladies and gentlemen", the mayor saluted the guards. "We need your help".
-"M-mayor Ink !?" One of the women spluttered.
-"In person. We need to see who installed the bumpers this morning. There was a stolen bomb inside one of them. Don't worry, it's been neutralized".
The three monitors paled.
-"R-r-right n-n-now", the Octoling man obeyed.
After a brief rewind of the surveillance cameras surrounding the stadium, the different feeds finally displayed the arrival of a large, unmarked truck from which an Inkling woman exited ; after a brief exchange with a patrol outside, the security let the semi-trailer approach one of the doors.
An utility vehicle materialized on the feeds and parked next to the truck ; four women and three men helped the delivery woman to discharge the bumpers.
-"I checked their installation process three times, and sometimes not alone", one of the monitoring women addressed Shella.
-"They were under constant surveillance", the man added.
-"The bomb was already inside…" Inka realized.
-"Three men and four women, including the truck's driver. We're gonna need those records", Shella addressed the security.
-"Show me their face again, please", Inka ordered.
-"Say Shella… You asked me to find some missing people, right ?" The policewoman asked the mayor once she ascertained her intuition.
-"Important persons, yes", Shella replied.
-"I just found two of them : Paul Laci, former senator and Lea Dan, former head researcher of Pharmaceutink", Inka declared as she showed the two corresponding individuals – exiting the car – on the feed.
-"Very, very interesting… So they're behind this…"
Inka phoned her colleagues to come to copy the records.
-"Thanks for your help", Shella thanked the security.
-"So the Children of the Sea are behind the theft", Inka recapitulated as she and Shella walked towards the latter's car.
-"Yes. Another lead. At least… their days are numbered now…"
-"What about the weapons' recipients ?"
-"You stay on this case with Cory. I handle the others".
-"Speaking of which… We've got results… kinda… from the safety vest you found".
-"Oh. Is Grizz involved ? I remember seeing Grizzco's giving them as rewards…"
-"These vests were widely distributed some years ago, you can even still find them online for cheap. So Grizz's probably not behind this. Otherwise, no traces on it, sorry. We're checking online in case something turns up".
Shella sighed with relief, then reached for her pipe inside one of her pockets :
-"Good news for Grizz".
She leaned on her car, letting out a light puff of white smoke :
-"Still, it's weird. Criminals stealing the weapons of other criminals, with no obvious connection between the two".
-"No connection ? How can you be sure ?"
-"The Children of the Sea alienate everybody but themselves. It's for the best, though".
-"But… When we think of it… The others… were they planning a terrorist attack, too ?"
-"Probably. But we will find them".
-"We're still analyzing Sheldon's data".
A car's engine was heard ; at the other end of the parking lot, some hundred meters away, a van slowly pulled away, its lateral door opened. Inside, there was a woman holding a Splatterscope ; Shella looked up to see the laser pointing to her forehead. Inka had just begun to cry something that the long trail of grey ink hit Shella between the eyes.
Inka immediately hid behind the car, her N-Zap drawn ; she bit her lips to suppress her tears, in vain. The door of the van closed and the vehicle accelerated ; three seconds later, a detonation was heard, quickly followed by a crashing sound ; Inka cautiously looked through the car's windows, then poked her head : right before the parking lot's exit, the van was upturned, its wheels spinning uselessly in the air.
-"My clothes…" A voice grumbled as someone stepped on the ink towards the crashed car.
Inka rushed out of her hiding place :
-"Shella !?"
The mayor stopped in her tracks and turned towards the policewoman : aside from her clothes being drenched in ink, her body seemed totally intact. However, the tips of her tentacles had curiously taken on a pitch black hue.
-"Are you gonna stay here or what ? Help me arrest those idiots", Shella ordered.
-"Sh-Sh-Shella… Y-y-y-you…"
-"She missed me".
Inka looked at the car and the small puddles of grey ink on the floor ; save for a few drops, the vehicle had been spared, meaning that Shella's body had indeed acted like a shield.
-"N-n-no. Sh-sh-she didn't", she spluttered.
Shella stayed silent until they reached the van ; nobody had exited it.
-"Driver unconscious", she declared, opening the upside-down door and extirpating the Inkling man with a single hand ; Inka immediately cuffed him.
The two women then went for the lateral door ; Shella motioned to Inka to stay aside ; the mayor then swung the door opened, only to be met by a Splattershot's barrel : a dozen of high-pressure splashes flooded her face under Inka's screams.
-"Enough with your toys, kid", Shella groaned, her face still being doused in the grey liquid.
Her hand seized the weapon, squeezing it ; a discreet crack was heard, then another : the Splattershot suddenly gave away under the pressure, exploding in a burst of ink and components.
"She crushed a Splattershot bare hands !?" Inka thought, disbelieving.
Shella swiftly grabbed the surprised Inkling woman by the throat and pulled her out of the car ; she then held her up effortlessly, the sniper gasping for air and vainly trying to break the machine-like hold.
-"You kids never learn. Had you surrendered peacefully after your first attempt, you wouldn't be choking right now. I wonder how long a woman like you can last… You're athletic and visibly trained, probably military… I'd say half a minute of anoxia with no long lasting consequences on your brain. Maybe".
-"Shella, please stop !" A frightened Inka called the mayor out.
Shella eyed her former subordinate, then dropped the now semi-conscious, gagging woman.
-"Sorry. Old instincts", she shrugged apologetically.
Inka phoned her colleagues, trembling. When she hung up, she gave Shella – whose tentacles were slowly regaining their original color – a scared look :
-"Wh-Who… Wh-wh-what a-are y-you ?"
-"Just an old woman. You should cuff this one, though".
-"Old woman my ass ! Y-You should be dead twice already !"
Inka reached for her cuffs when she realized she had only brought one pair ; Shella sighed and approached the woman still catching her breath ; she put the sniper's arms together while something exuded from her hands ; five seconds later, the woman's forearms were restrained by a slab of a wax-like, luminous substance. The mayor then threw the driver next to his accomplice and decided to bind their legs as a supplementary safety measure.
-"B-but wh-what are you in the end !?" Inka exclaimed.
-"It's a pretty long story… I'll tell you when we'll be alone. Let's say I'm an old woman with uncommon abilities for now".
Inka reluctantly nodded, and the two women waited for the police in silence.
-"We found your identity", Inka addressed the woman bound to the chair in the interrogation room. "There was no point in staying silent, Hya".
-"You were the captain of the Squidfin Splatoon until three years ago. You resigned just after a successful mission involving Octarians. Why ?"
-"Your friend, Berry, was an analyst for Squideye Splatoon, an official intelligence branch of the Navy. He too resigned three years ago after a completed mission, apparently unrelated to yours".
-"Listen, I took it upon myself to interrogate you, it's not a job I'm comfortable with. But maybe you want the mayor to do it ?"
Hya reacted at the mention of Shella, tensing on her chair.
-"Are you a member of the Children of the Sea ?" Inka interrogated.
For the first time, Hya spoke :
-"No".
-"Well then, you're not the thief, so I suppose you're the client. Or one of them at least. What was your objective with this bomb ?"
-"Those fucking humans destroyed it, so it's over now. Over for our species".
-"So that's what it is… An anti-human cabal…"
-"Yes, and now, those fucking monsters are gonna destroy us ! BY YOUR FAULT, FUCKING COLLABORATOR ASSHOLES ! I'LL LAUGH WHEN THEY'LL DISSECT YOUR DUMBASS BRAINS ! SHIT ! SHIT ! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND !? THEY'RE GONNA KILL US ! FUCK !"
Shella's ink prevented Hya from banging on the table.
-"Okay. A moment please", Inka told her calmly before walking out the room.
-"Totally nuts", the policewoman addressed Shella behind the pan of one-way glass.
-"Indeed. Still, ask her to explain her reasoning in detail. Sheldon created the bomb a month ago, so either this organization knew something was going to happen, or the bomb was destined to another target".
Inka nodded and walked in the interrogation room again, sitting face-to-face with a calmed down Hya.
-"How did you know ? About humans ? You ordered the bomb one month ago", she declared.
-"You think we'd wait for invaders to announce themselves ? Their actions had been noticed well before your submission. Granted, we didn't know who was attacking at the time. We thought it was Salmonids or Octarians. It would've been easy if it was the case. Now we're outnumbered. Outsmarted. Out everything. It's over".
-"Why humans would kill us ?"
-"Do they need a reason ? Look at what they did to this planet. They destroy everything. Even themselves".
-"Even twelve thousand years later ? They seem less aggressive than most of us".
-"Just a façade".
-"Don't you think it'd been easier for them to wipe us all ?"
-"Predators toy with their prey".
-"Only to weaken it to eat it easily. Do you realize that all they have to do is pour some water on our cities, and we're done for ? A handful of their drones can level Inkopolis. I think you're underestimating their technology : even your bomb wouldn't have worked. So you turned your rage against the more accessible "collaborators"".
Hya stayed silent.
-"I wanna know who the others are".
-"Berry and I organized the whole operation".
-"From where did the funds come from, then ?"
-"Stolen from here and there".
-"Let's compare your version with Berry's, shall we ?"
Hya did not answer.
Berry was so frail he seemed unable to hurt anyone, even a child ; Inka immediately understood why he was not involved in any battlefield action back in the army, only providing support and information from a good distance away.
-"So, Berry…"
-"You seem more reasonable than your accomplice Hya. Tell me, what kind of organization are you in ? I understand you despise humans and your reasons, but it's over now. You can't win against humanity".
-"No, we can't. But the Initiative will survive", Berry assured.
-"The "Initiative", then. Tell me more about it".
-"It's not really relevant anymore, is it ? The Project's completed. Soon, it's gonna be unleashed upon this city. By the time you'll realize it, it'll be too late. Humans won't have us. We can't beat them, but we still can go with a bang".
-"What project ?"
-"Codename : Project Ink+. That's all I can say. I don't know anything else. I'm an analyst, so I'm used to it : compartmentalizing. It is key. Go ahead and put me through whatever kind of lie detector you got. Same for Hya".
-"But you know who is behind this, right ?"
-"I have no idea. I was recruited by an anonymous mail. Then I received a phone call".
-"You accepted to become a terrorist ?"
-"Just an engaged citizen. There's no status-quo between us Inklings and the rest of the world. Octarians. Salmonids. Humans. They're all threats, established or potential. We're just a civilian initiative wanting to take action before it's too late".
-"Strike first, talk later, huh ?"
-"We have no obligation to accept or even tolerate other species on our territory. We earned it".
-"It makes sense. Tell me, of what were you in charge inside this organization ?"
-"No one has a precise role. All decisions are submitted to a vote. Hya and I were tasked to eliminate the mayor".
-"For what purpose ?"
-"I don't know. Maybe so she wouldn't interfere with our plans".
-"You were robbed by the Children of the Sea. The mayor's nothing to do with this".
-"She could potentially interfere. So we were double-crossed by a bunch of bigots… How shameful… The possibility of a traitor in our ranks had never been seriously discussed, and given the Initiative's structure…"
-"How do you know this organization even exists ?"
-"I met some of my fellow members, of course. Hya and Max. Just the two of them, separately".
-"You already knew Hya, though".
-"Seen her on the field, but that's all. Don't know who Max is. It seems each of us was aware of only two members. Just like a chain".
-"A fairly cautious organization. But as you pointed out, there's probably a traitor. Hmmm… Let's say I mediatize this affair, and I tell the whole world Hya or you is the spy : how the Initiative would react ?"
-"Clever, but predictable. Don't expect much of a retribution".
-"You don't seem so worried… no, you don't seem so invested in this whole thing".
-"Not really. Much less than Hya, at least".
-"I could reduce your sentence if you cooperate".
-"I just told you everything I know".
-"Could you describe Max for a sketch ?"
-"Yes".
-"Pretty opportunistic, aren't you ?"
-"Aren't we all ? With whom you made an alliance, again ?"
-"Heh. I guess I can agree with you on that".
-"Good job, Inka. Now, all I have to do is to reach the army to see if they know something about this project…" Shella thanked the policewoman.
-"Why would they know ?"
-"The army has a lot of cancelled projects in their archives. It's not impossible for a hacker to steal one or two. Besides, this codename's typical of them".
Shella took out her phone.
-"Sepia ? I need your help again".
-"I'm listening".
-"Ever heard of a Project Ink+ ?"
-"I'm not sure. I'll search through the database. You'll get the results on your official mail address today".
-"Thank you, Sepia". Shella hung up, then turned to Inka again :
-"You investigate the Initiative. I take the Children of the Sea. Octaria takes a back seat for now, but if your team can manage to do both…"
-"Who are you, Shella ?" Inka instead answered, crossing her arms on her chest.
-"Outside", Shella replied, putting her pipe in her mouth.
-"S-so that's how it is…" Inka spluttered after hearing Shella's explanation.
-"Do you understand, now ? I'm responsible for the Children of the Sea existing. At least in part".
-"No, you aren't. You couldn't have known it'd turn into this ! It was fifteen hundred years ago ! Don't you think it's time to forgive yourself ?"
-"When I'll understand what they are, I'll give it a thought. When they'll be eradicated, I'll do it. Not before".
-"What they are ? What do you mean ?"
-"It's a plague. I'm sure of it. There's no mastermind behind this shit, just a fucking disease. And I never realized it, even in a fucking millennia… Analyses revealed nothing, but I will find this fucking pathogen. Tell me, did you study medicine beyond the mandatory classes in police academy ?"
-"No, I didn't, sorry".
-"Don't worry. I'm going back home for dinner. See you later, Inka".
-"See you later".
-"You came back for dinner !" Aegina exclaimed happily once Shella opened the door, immediately jumping in her arms.
-"Just for dinner", Shella specified, kissing her girlfriend.
-"Whatever ! You're here, in daylight ! I'm going to bake something for you right now !"
-"You sure ? I can do it, you know ?"
-"Yes, I'm sure ! You know, I just found out I love to cook !"
-"And you're excelling at it".
-"Thank you !"
-"Let's make a shrimp pie !" Aegina finally decided, picking up the ingredients in Shella's fridge. "Shrimps are full of proteins !"
Shella froze in place ; she tremblingly reached for her phone and quickly sent a few messages, then approached Aegina who was shelling the shrimps.
-"Did I tell you how much I love you ?" Shella asked her surprised Octoling partner.
-"Huh ? Yes, why ?"
-"Because now you're gonna take the full measure of what it means".
Shella jumped on Aegina.