With two perfectly synced spashdowns on either side of the two octolings the agents came down, swiftly turning to face them and firing ink in their general direction.
"M-ma'am…" Devon was quivering. "W-what should we do?"
"Fire at them."
"But ma'am, they are our-"
"Just do it." She said with clear bitterness in her voice.
Eight threw a bomb in Three's direction, dashing to the side after to get away from the autobomb she had thrown. Meanwhile Nine took a stance and readied her charger to fire.
"What is happening over there?" Six asked. "I can see all of you together, what are y-"
"It happened again, now both of them." Eighth resolutely replied.
"What is she talking about?" They now heard two say, unaware of the fight that had just started. Eight now trying to fire directly at Three, occasionally hitting her. Nine meanwhile couldn't get a hit on Four, the agent continuously rolling to dodge the shots. She was now not even charging her shots anymore, firing short bursts in pure panic as Four drew near, now almost within range with her dualies.
From the corner of her eye Four could see Three jump back to the platform they arrived on. "Eight, please look over here, I almost have her, she needs you."
As Eight turned, she was just in time to see a mostly in yellow covered Nine fall to her knees as Four stopped right in front of her. When she ran towards them, making a trail in front of her, she was stopped by Three who came down with a splashdown again. Behind it she could see how Four started to drag the hurt agent behind her, moving to a small panel before moving down with it, soon out of her sight as another panel covered the hole.
"What am I going to do with her?" Four asked herself as she was dragging Nine behind her. "What is going to happen to me after this?"
"Ma'am, please let me go…" Nine groaned. "please…" "I can't, why can't you understand that?"
She dragged her through the maze of corridors, not stopping when she tried once again to break free. It, of course, was another futile attempt. "Cod, what do they want me to do with her?"
After what felt like forever they reached the room they were apparently heading to. It looked to be a room like that of a hospital, a couple of beds with chairs, all the fabric in a monotone faded blue color, the frame as gray as the rest of the facility. Four lifted her captive up and unceremoniously dropped her on one of the beds.
Next the captive was tied up. Four used small bands that were attached to the side of the bed, finishing with a couple that went over the entire bed, one over the legs, one over the chest, and one over the neck. Together with bands securing her wrists and ankles Nine was completely pinned down, unable to move anything but her head, and barely able to even look up at Four, who looked at her with a cold expression.
"Please... let me go ma'am…"
"You know I can't do that. Why don't you realise I have no control?"
"What are you doing?" She asked as she saw her walk over to a cabinet in the far end of the room, quickly returning with a vial of a pulsating, mint green substance with traces of something dark blue flowing through it.
"What is that?" Her voice quivered, watching every move she made.
"Good question... But how in the shellfish should I know?!"
Four put the vial down beside her on the bed and walked back, this time returning with an intravenous drip.
"Are you...?"
"I'm afraid I am…"
"Eight, what's happening down there?"
"I have beaten Three…" she panted.
"What happened to her then?"
"Me and the captain can explain that later." Six said to Two. "But now is not the time, Four and Nine are still close, you must find her, and then find out where Seven went."
"I saw Four drag her away somewhere. Can you tell me where they are now?"
"Of course."
"But how about Three? What if something happens to her?" Two cut in.
"I shall have to take her with me."
"How can you..."
"Don't worry, she'll manage Marie." Six assured her.
"And besides, she might be the best agent I ever had."
Eight however wasn't listening to their conversation anymore, slowly lifting the unconscious Three off of the ground and making her way to the panel she had seen Four use. She was happy to find it moved her down and out of the arena just like it had done for the other agent.
Will had been watching everything unfold, albeit not hearing any of the voices, only seeing the action, and it was safe to say he had found himself dumbfounded as he watched. Not only was the ability to shift into a smaller form that could disappear in their ink something they apparently had, but they seemed to be using it a great deal in combat, something he had somehow only now found out.
"Computer?"
"Yes?"
"Where exactly are they now?"
"I cannot tell you that."
"Why?"
"My main objective is to make sure all designated employees leave with the shipment. Providing you with this information will make you go to that location, which would clash with my objective."
"But my stuff is still out there."
"Your personal belongings can all be replaced."
"No! I want to leave to get my stuff." He tried to sound desperate.
"I am sorry, but I cannot let you do that."
"Well then, stop me." He dared the voice as he turned around.
"I have control over 15.734 Employees, and I will not let you leave."
Will laughed as he stepped outside, turning left where Jan had went right, picking up the pace and soon running down the barren gray hallways.
He soon found what the computer had been talking about as a multitude of sanitized soldiers came around corners to stop him. However, their attempts were futile, as with single swings from his roller Will smacked them aside or to the afterlife if they were caught in the worst of it.
This didn't last however, as soon he found his tank to be empty, and with no Four to fill it for him his weapon had become a lot less effective. His enemies now only being pushed aside, and soon enough being given chances to return fire.
While ink wasn't able to burn away at his skin like any of the other creatures here, it still hurt to have it applied, like being fired at by a paintball gun. Will was certain he'd have a lot of bruises after this was all over.
This wasn't his greatest worry however, as he feared most the weapon he had seen kill one of what he assumed to be his colleagues. He had no idea what it looked like, as he had only seen the beam it created, but knowing what sound it made would at least warn him of it's presence.
Luckily for him it didn't sound, all that came at him were soldiers with other weaponry, all of it less to not even effective at all. Some of them had weapons that fired single, powerful shots, others that sprayed ink everywhere, but nothing that could do more then hurt him slightly. However, it slowly added up, and he started to slow down, everything hurting him.
"... you there... seven... are... there?" He suddenly heard through his headpiece, mostly jumbled with static.
"Oh god, finally." He sighed as he ran into a broom closet and sat against the door after closing it behind him, panting and groaning in pain with every movement. "Who's this?"
"I... your position... go forward... rest there…"
"I can barely hear you with all that static."
"... jammed... no signal... using... different..."
Seven sighed as he looked around, hoping to find something of use. He was happy he did, as he found that what he had thought to be a broom closet was in actuality a small locker room.
As any panicking man would do he started to try and loot the lockers, finding that most were locked, and the ones that were open were emptied, the dust indicating it had happened long ago.
After a few lockers he however found one that held hope, it was locked, but on the ground, covered in dust and barely readable, lay a sticky note with what seemed to be the number combination.
Like any sane person he immediately tried the combination on the number lock, and found that it indeed opened. The content may have been old and dusted, but it looked to be intact. He at first found a uniform, similar to the one Jan wore, only this one had protective leather patches and compartments with what felt like kevlar, next to the suit lay a helmet, a simple designed with a symbol of a badge on it.
Will couldn't have been more lucky, crouching down to find that the lower shelf held two large boxes. Opening the first one he found what seemed to be a taser with seperate, rechargeable battery pack, laying next to it and seemingly still in a good state. The indicator however gave a result that was less hopeful, it was empty.
The second box contained something perhaps invaluable for him in this situation. It were firearms, a handgun and revolver, each with a set of bullets kept in a box or magazine next to it. On further inspection it appeared both were unloaded and had enough to be loaded once, the revolver with six large bullets, the handgun with twelve smaller ones.
Once again armed he took it on himself to put on the uniform, it fitting in between his vest and shirt, and the helmet easely strapped over his hat. Now knowing he was as ready as he'd ever be he walked to and opened the door.
The squeaking of small wheels was heard as Four pushed the bed she had strapped Devon to through the hallways. Not knowing where she was going still, but now with a defeated feeling watching as she went on, going left, right, another right, straight for a while, and then left again before going through a door on the right, ending up in a large room, that wasn't too interesting apart from a single large object in the middle of it.
The room itself was, just like pretty much anything here, coloured in a depressing shade of gray. That went for the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. "What am I going to do to her?" Four wondered.
What made this even more of a mystery was the metal ring that stood in the middle of the room. It was about as deep as your average chair and as wide as a dinner table, the ring being as thick as a countertop. What made it interesting however, was what was inside of it. It looked like a boiling green liquid, obscuring view of the other side. The strange thing was that the hoop stood on it's side, making it look like someone turned a cooking pot on it's side and the liquid simply refusing to accept the change of gravity
She lined the bed up with it, ready to push it through. "Oh cod, am I going to push her through that?" She wondered as she took out the intravenous drip and put it away. Devon had by now fallen asleep, or unconscious, it was hard to tell.
She got behind the bed and started to ever so slowly push it trough. The edge of the bed disappearing in the liquid without any resistance. Soon enough Devon's boots touched the green liquid wall, going in just as easily as the bed, making it look like the mysterious green stuff wasn't even there.
Four slowly pushed through, more and more of the bed and the octoling on it disappearing, leaving her to wonder what it was that she was even doing. She was snapped out of this thought by the sound of a door, stopping to push, only a head still visible as she had almost completely pushed her in.
"They should be to the right of you."
"Are you sure?" Eight asked, putting Three down and looking at the door next to her.
"Your signals are practically on top of one another, and nearby a station as well it seems."
"So we can make our exit after?"
"If Seven can't make it."
"You found him?" She sounded surprised and hopeful.
"Sort of…"
"We were only able to briefly locate and communicate." Two filled her in.
"But let's first get the others. I cannot stand the thoughts of whatever must be happening to De-Nine." She was happy they couldn't see her look ashamed.
"Be careful."
"Bring her back in one piece. ...And Nine too." She swiftly added.
"I shall do my best." She said before raising her weapon and kicking open the door.
Seven was once again running down the hall, finding that there hadn't been any more of these 'employees' since he had hidden in that locker room. He followed the advice he thought he had been given, and ran in a straight line. At least, until he found something that seemed interesting. over the dusty floor there was a single trail, like something had been dragged over it, going down the hallway he crossed.
He went left, finding the trail ended shorty after at a plate in the middle of the hallway, rails being seen on the walls, like it was some sort of elevator. He turned around and ran back, following the trail the other way, sad to find that it stopped in what seemed to be a hospital room, but happy and scared at once to hear a nearby door being slammed open.
Eight didn't know what exactly she felt, all she did know was that Four had to be neutralized, and that Devon seemed to be in great danger.
Seeing how it took the sanitized agent time to ready her weapons, the octoling went all in, aiming a little high to make sure to avoid Nine on the bed Four was now trying to hide behind, already covered a good way in Eight's ink.
She slowly approached, turning to the side to surprise her from the side, which to her relief was successful. Even before Four had been able to fire a single shot she fell down, blacked out.