Chapter 19: Reunited
It was the usual day in Inkopolis today, despite the chaos that had been happening recently, and the cloudy sky had come to give the day a bit of a gray tint. A familiar Octoling was making her way through the sidewalk beside the busy street, walking past Inklings, occasional Octolings, and even lesser species like Jellyfish. She had her hair tied up in a pony style instead of her usual tentacurl style, as it was a new look she had been going for as of late. It was all pretty normal, but occasionally, she would look behind her, and around the area, scanning the people around her. As if something wrong could happen any second, or maybe as if she had something to hide.
Perhaps she was just paranoid, but truthfully, this had been her attitude for months now. Every day, when she went out, she had been anxiously looking over her shoulder, making sure nobody was onto her. And while, thankfully, she was usually fine, today… she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She scanned the area a bit more intently than usual, and of course, found nothing out of place. She sighed, wondering if she was indeed just paranoid, as she headed into the usual sandwich shop for lunch.
"Hello, Antonio." She gave a slight smile as she went up to the counter.
The cashier turned to her. "Hey, how's my best customer doing today?"
"I'm fine. Just coming in for the usual." She replied, staying polite despite her nervous feeling she still had.
"Right. Ham and cheese with the olive? Sliced in half?"
She smiled. "You know me well."
"Well, how can I forget? I make it for you 5 times a week." He chuckled a little. "I'll get it for you." He went to put one together.
"Thank you." She replied, and once he was gone, she continued to scan the area a bit. She still felt like someone was watching her. Her search ended up bringing her gaze to a particular poster, however, that had apparently been put on the wall nearby.
It was a simple wanted poster of Jessica Murdock from the IPD, with bold text that read "See Something? Say Something!". The picture of Jessica that they used was an illustration that portrayed her with her more recent short black hair look. She stared at it, a hint of despair and regret in her eyes.
"So… how's your boyfriend?" Antonio suddenly asked, pulling her attention away from the poster.
She looked down and then back at Antonio. "He's fine. I've still been visiting him whenever I can, but… we're not sure when he's getting off his house arrest."
"That's fine, that's fine. Just make sure your relationship stays healthy, yeah?"
"Absolutely." She replied, before returning her gaze to the poster.
Soon, Antonio returned with a bagged sandwich, which he handed to her. He ended up following her gaze, however, also looking at the poster. "Ah, yeah… the vigilante. Dangerous times, huh?"
She just nodded awkwardly.
"Well… I can only hope that girl gets put where she belongs. A nice spot in prison. Promise me you'll be careful out there in the meantime?"
She nodded again. "…I-I will…" She took the sandwich and paid for it. "Thank you…"
"Any time. Come back soon, Bridgett." He smiled.
Bridgett nodded, taking the bag with her as she left, sighing to herself. She really hated that poster, and honestly, the nose in the illustration was a bit off anyway. It really bothered her. Whatever the case, she continued on her walk, deciding to find a nice spot to eat. She couldn't help but feel like… someone was definitely watching her, however. The feeling just kept getting worse.
She kept walking, occasionally scanning the area again. The feeling of paranoia was only getting worse and worse, and as much as she wanted to tell herself she was being paranoid, she did have a very valid reason to be cautious. She continued walking for a while, until she couldn't take it anymore. She decided to test if someone was truly following her, slipping into an alleyway where no one was around. No one would normally go back here, right? And if someone was following her…
She let herself walk deep into the alleyway, keeping her footsteps slow to not lose the potential stalker. She took deep breaths, knowing she had the situation under control, and focused on what she could hear. Sure enough, after a moment, she could hear footsteps slowly approaching her, and she wasn't just hearing things. That was all she needed. Suddenly, she dropped her sandwich bag and whipped out her Octo Shot, swiftly turning around to hold the stalker at gunpoint. "Don't move."
The Inkling didn't even seemed surprised, but rose her hands in a surrender manner. Bridgett could swear she looked familiar, with the orange hipster hair, despite the cap and the sunglasses she was wearing. She, however, didn't want to get her hopes up. "...Did the Underdogs send you?" She asked, in a threatening manner.
"No, it's just me. You know me." The Inkling responded. "I need to talk to you… so please put down the gun…"
Even the voice sounded familiar… definitely familiar. Trembling a bit, she finally lowered her weapon a bit. "…J-Jessica…?"
Jessica just stared back, waiting for Bridgett to relax.
She started tearing up, not entirely sure she believed it. "...I-Is that really you…?"
She subtly nodded and took off her sunglasses. "…Hi, Eight."
Upon hearing her say that, Bridgett straight up broke down into tears, before she suddenly threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around her old friend. Jessica just hugged her back, somewhat nervously. Bridgett started crying harder, until it was turning into a sob.
The Edge of the City
Jessica and Bridgett had found a spot to relax nearby the lake, sitting on a bench. There wasn't anyone around to listen in on their conversation, but they had been sitting in silence for uncomfortably long.
Bridgett was the first to break the silence. "…I didn't think I'd ever see you again…"
Jessica looked at her, then back out to the lake. "…I didn't think so, either." She sighed.
"No, I mean… Up until you turned out to still be alive, I really didn't think I'd ever see you again… we all thought you were dead… we held a funeral…"
She looked down. "…Did you take it hard?"
She nodded. "I did... Callie and Marie did… Cuttlefish took it the hardest…"
"...How is everyone?"
She sighed. "Everyone got arrested…"
"I heard."
"Cuttlefish got sent to prison. Everyone else was placed under house arrest... for who knows how long. Pearl, Marina, and I are the only ones they couldn't find anything to charge us on, so we got let go quickly."
Jessica nodded and cleared her throat a bit. "Not as bad as it could've been…"
Bridgett fell into silence for another little bit before she asked her her own question. "…What about you? Where have you been?"
"...I went into hiding." She admitted.
"H-Hiding…? You let the world think you were dead while the Underdogs are still out there and you went into hiding?"
"It's more complicated than that."
"Explain it to me, then. Why did you think it was so important to go into hiding without telling anyone?"
Jessica sighed, and then after a moment, starting breaking down everything that happened; From the initial attack on her apartment that nearly killed her, to everything Bridgett needed to know about Daniel. Bridgett looked down, starting to tear up upon hearing the story.
"...Why didn't you reach out to me before…?" Bridgett asked after.
"...I decided to stay 'dead'. Letting anyone from the Splatoon know would've been a risk."
"I wouldn't have told anyone…"
"It's still a risk. Come on, what would you have done if you were in that situation?"
Bridgett thought about it before responding. "…I would've kept after the Underdogs… and I would've reached out to you…"
Jessica sighed.
"I don't know how to feel about this…" She admitted. "I mean, you gave up your agent duties, and you were only hunting the Underdogs because of the your schizophrenic brother?"
"To be fair, I did try to find their big weapon… I didn't find it…"
"But it was all to get to Daniel…"
"...Yeah…"
"I can't… I can't believe this…" She stood up, starting to pace a little. "I thought you were better than this… and I… looked up to you… and then you just sat there in fucking hiding and let us mourn for you?" She started crying again. "I even started visiting your gravestone twice a week just so that I didn't forget about you… and what you inspired me to do."
"So I did inspire you to become a reckless vigilante when I was gone, huh?" Jessica suddenly replied. "Just like I used to be, am I right?"
Bridgett fell silent, staring at her. She decided to play dumb. "…I don't know what you're talking about."
"Seriously? Did you think I wouldn't piece it together? A mysterious Octoling vigilante starts to pop up after I left to track the Underdogs, and then started becoming more prominent after I 'died'? Not to mention that you looked like you were expecting someone to jump you when you were just casually walking down the sidewalk."
Bridgett looked down.
"You've been tracking the Underdogs. Ever since the Splatoon fell. You took over my job." Jessica continued.
"...Cuttlefish knew that they were dangerous, and you weren't around anymore to stop them. I stepped in and I've been following them." She defended herself.
"Ok, just to recap, didn't I specifically tell you to stay close to the ground and not do anything stupid the last time we saw each other? You could get yourself killed getting involved with the Underdogs. I sure as hell almost did."
"Well, you know what? I don't think you still have permission to scold me on what I should and shouldn't do. Not after you disappeared like that. Besides, I'm a Splatoon agent, just like you."
"Just like we were. There's no Splatoon to fall back on anymore." She sighed. "Jesus, do Pearl and Marina even know what the hell you've been doing, anyway? Even Dylan?"
"...They've gotten suspicious…" She admitted. "But I haven't told them…"
"Then stop lecturing me about keeping my own secrets."
Bridgett sighed and looked down again.
Jessica did the same, but looked like she could continue lecturing, but eased up. "…Your own arrogance aside… You hunting the Underdogs is exactly why I came to you…"
She looked at her.
"...I may need your help, Bridge. My head was out of the game before, but now that I have Daniel secured, and I've done some thinking… I decided I'm finishing my mission next. I'm tearing the Underdogs down to the ground. And at this point… I don't think I can do it alone."
"...You… don't…?"
She shook her head no. "…All I have is the name of the leader. Hugh Ward. Some shady guy up top with a mission."
"Hugh Ward?" Bridgett replied, a sting of familiarity in her voice.
"You've heard it?"
"...Maybe… I think I've heard some Octolings I've followed mention that name…"
That immediately earned Jessica's full, undivided attention. "Did they say anything else? Maybe about where to find him?"
"Not directly… but I maybe do have an idea on where to get the info…"
Jessica sighed in relief. Some more good news. "So where do we go?"
Meanwhile
Cuttlefish Bunker
Daniel's eyes drifted awake as he awoke from his nap; he had been taking plenty of them lately as he couldn't exactly do much in his current position. He looked around again, his hallucinations again on full attack.
Among the hallucinations, however, he could see Vanessa, sitting by the dining table with his high-pressure charger in her hands. She seemed to be deep in thought. He blinked, and some of the hallucinations disappeared. He blinked again, wiping more away like a wiper on a windshield. Vanessa, however, was still there.
"...Are you real?" He decided to ask.
Vanessa ignored him.
"Hey…" He started shifting his chair a bit as best he could to turn to her. "This chair really isn't comfortable…"
"I don't care." Vanessa replied.
"Please care. I-" He shifted his chair again. "Jessica is holding me here against my will…"
"For a good reason."
"So?" He kept struggling. "Just… come on, please…"
She continued to ignore him.
"...Please!" He yelled desperately.
The room fell into silence for a bit before Vanessa spoke again. "…You know, this is an interesting charger." She changed the subject, messing around with the weapon around in her hand a bit. "Military grade, with lots of stored ink, and a blast high-pressure enough to blast right through someone's head without even splatting them… enough to splatter someone's brains on the wall… I don't know how you and your terrorist gang with the stupid name got these, but man… I'm impressed."
He stared at her. "…Can you give it back?"
"Why? Planning to use it on me?"
"No, just… I wanna get out of here…"
"What was it you used on Susan again? I mean, the trauma you gave me made me wanna forget the whole ordeal, but from what I can remember… you used a pair of scissors. Correct me if I'm wrong?"
"...P-Pair of scissors, yes, that's what I remember…" He said, sweating at this point.
"See, I can still remember. I just wish I had some scissors around here to use…"
"...You want to kill me?"
"Oh, don't be like that. Jessica for some reason wants you alive, she thinks she can somehow restore her lost childhood or something. She doesn't want to kill you." She stood up and started walking toward him.
He looked down.
She suddenly charged up the weapon and pointed it right at his forehead; one mere releasing of the trigger away from blasting his head apart. "But she's not here, and I'm sure as hell not Jessica."
He jumped a little, but he wasn't entirely sure why he was surprised. He looked up at her, not a word coming out.
"You really should've killed me while you had the chance, but you chose to kill the wrong girl." Vanessa continued, her voice breaking as she started to tear up. "So just tell me honestly… if you had a chance to go back and undo the shit you did to her, would you?"
"...I'd undo a lot of things…"
"...Do you regret it then? Do you regret what you did to Susan?"
He sighed, half expecting to get his face blasted off with what he was about to say. "…Well, honestly, she was just one girl in a lot of victims I-" He jumped again as the charger did go off, but quickly realized Vanessa had aimed it off to the side.
"Wrong answer." Vanessa replied, charging it up again and again holding him at gunpoint.
He started tearing up as well, the buzzing sound returning to full attack. "…If you're gonna kill me, just do it…"
A tear fell down Vanessa's cheek and her finger started trembling as she kept the trigger squeezed.
"...Dammit, what are you waiting for, just shoot me!" Daniel suddenly barked, causing Vanessa to jump slightly. "…Because I can't take it anymore… the voices, t-they're too loud, and Jessica just haunts me wherever I go…"
Vanessa braced herself to let go of the trigger, but there was… something in her mind that was screaming at her not to do it. There was an urge to end his life, but at the same time, there an urge not to.
Daniel grew more and more impatient, the buzzing sound in his ears becoming nearly deafening. "…SHOOT ME!"
Vanessa blinked, more tears streaming down her cheeks.
"KILL ME! END MY LIFE! END MY VOICES!" Daniel copied the voices he could hear, in an almost whiny voice. Veins started to become visible on his forehead. "SHOOT MEEE!"
Vanessa did finally let go of the trigger, blasting the charger, but to Daniel's dismay, she had again aimed it off the side. She started hyperventilating, overwhelmed by how much hatred she was feeling.
Daniel started sobbing. "Please aim it at my head… please just do it already…"
Shaking, Vanessa dropped the charger, staring at him. "…I can't do it…"
"DAMMIT, JUST DO IT ALREADY!" He freaked out again. "You don't even have to think about it, you just aim, you pull the trigger, and it's done! You can turn it on yourself afterward if you don't want the guilt!"
"No… no, I can't do it…"
"DO IT!" He started struggling in his chair again, but Vanessa just ignored him, heading back to her room with her gaze down and her breathing shaky. "VANESSA! DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME IN HERE WITH THAT DEMON! VANESSA!"
Vanessa shut her door, backed up to the wall, and quickly sank down to the floor, where she let herself break down sobbing.
Later
The Edge of the City
Jessica had been sitting alone by the same bench for a while now, and had put her sunglasses back on in case anyone came by. Luckily, she had been sitting in mostly silence, up until a car pulled up. She turned to it, somewhat cautiously.
The car came to a stop, parked, and the door opened. Bridgett stepped out, now in her full Deepsea Metro outfit with a golden pin in her hair, and an Octo Shot in her hand. She pulled out a Splattershot through the car door and tossed it to her.
Jessica effortlessly caught it out of the air. "Whose car is that? And why are you wearing that?"
"It's Marina's car. And the outfit is like an armor." She said, casually checking up on her Octo Shot.
"Armor? But your entire midriff is exposed."
"So? Lots of Octarian soldiers dress like this."
She sighed and walked to the car. "Whatever…"
"So, I did a quick check up, and there's an Octarian settlement we can drive to and break into today. I brought a hard drive with me, so if we do a quick download, we should be able to find out more about this Ward person."
"Good. As long as we're careful this time…"
"But first…" Bridgett pulled out a bag from the car and held it out to her. "Lunch."
She looked at her, before she somewhat reluctantly took it. "…Thanks."
"Just figured you might be hungry." She grabbed her own lunch and sat on the hood of the car.
Jessica's stomach rumbled a bit as soon as she heard that sentence, and with a shrug, she sat down next to her and began to eat.
Bridgett glanced at her as she ate as well.
"What?"
She looked away. "Nothing. Just… it's good to have you back, Agent 3."
"...Good to see you too, Agent 8." She replied, taking a bite. She looked back at her, and found herself eyeing Bridgett's hair. "…Can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"That weird pin in your hair, what's up with that? You've been carrying that thing with you ever since you escaped the Metro, and I noticed you started wearing it more when I left."
Bridgett shyly reached up to pull it out of her hair and show her. "It's… something I found down there. In a locker. It's a golden toothpick."
"So… what's special about it?"
She sighed, wondering if she even wanted to tell her. It was indeed a bit embarrassing to her. "It's… I wear it because… it reminds me of you."
"Of me?"
She nodded. "I… know it's a bit weird…"
"I mean, a little bit, but… why does it remind you of me?"
She sighed, staring at the toothpick. "…I once had this dream… after the NILS statue…"
Jessica looked at her.
Bridgett continued her story. "I went back down to the Metro for a bit soon after the NILS statue because Cuttlefish was down there. It was just a visit. The locker that held this toothpick was open, and I wanted to pick it up. But… I don't know, it was the weirdest thing…"
"What?"
"...Whenever I tried to pick it up, I entered, this… lucid dream… it almost felt like a memory… and it was all about you. I don't even know if it was a dream, exactly, I don't know what it was. Maybe I'm just crazy." She took a deep breath. "…In it, basically, I had to defeat you in a duel. Kinda like from the time I fought you in the statue. Except you were always crazy skilled… and you always overwhelmed me. And every time you splatted me, the dream sent me right back to the beginning, like a loop."
Jessica just kept staring at her, listening intently.
"...It took me a long time to even stand a chance against you in the dream… Took me a while to even muster the courage, to be honest… But… I think, in my hearts, I just wanted to be as good as you, so I kept fighting. As soon as I broke your armor enough and you lost consciousness, the dream ended, I never got it again, and… I've been carrying the toothpick ever since."
"...Do you look at me as some kind of nightmare, or something?" Jessica finally spoke.
"No, not a nightmare… I mean… I used to…"
Jessica looked down.
"I've gotta be honest, Jessica, you scared me down in the Metro. When you were brainwashed and tried to kill me. When I got out of the Metro, I didn't even want to talk to you until you yourself came up to me… and then I got to know you…" She played with the toothpick a bit more in her hand, before inserting it back into her hair. "And I sobbed for days when I heard what the Underdogs did to you…"
Jessica had straight up stopped eating at this point, no longer feeling hungry. She gulped a bit, looking down. "…I'm sorry…"
"...Don't be, I understand why you left now…" She put down her own food and put a hand on her shoulder. "The Underdogs are out there. Right now. Probably plotting against us. But we're plotting against them too. I know we can stop them now that you're back. So just please promise me that you won't disappear again…"
She decided to ignore that. "…We should get moving. We have a lot of work to do." She threw her food into a nearby trash can before opening the passenger door of the car and getting in.
Bridgett sighed and looked down, before she threw her food away as well and got into the driver's seat. She plugged in her seatbelt, before turning back to Jessica, a bit concerned. "…At least promise me that you'll be careful."
"...Fine…" Jessica replied.
"You have to say it."
She sighed. "…I promise I'll be careful."
Bridgett nodded gratefully, before she started up the car. "So let's go shut them down."
Hey, guys, quick "PSA" from me. I know there's a lot going on in the world right now with the coronavirus scares and whatnot, and I know a lot of people are even getting dismissed from school and work and stuff at this point. I just wanted to mention that unless I myself get too sick to write or something, I intend to continue with this story as planned, and I'm hoping to get this finished at one point this year (hopefully way sooner than the actual end of the year). Hopefully you will keep reading as well. So, friendly reminder to keep your hands washed and to stay healthy, and I will see you next chapter. *waves*
