Chapter 14: Got To Keep Going
Captain Cuttlefish addressed the Inklings and Octolings that came to his ship. "Alright, listen up," he said. "Agent 8 got some info that Octavio is going to try and strike again."
Marina nodded. "I've been hearing whispers about it too," she said. "Even some of the Octolings that are loyal to him are afraid."
"Looks like he didn't learn his lesson the first time," said Pearl as she scooted closer to Agent 3, who was holding Saki.
"Maybe not, but he'll learn this time," said Agent 4, holding up something he was working on. "I've got a score to settle with him for not only kidnapping my niece but also harming my girlfriend."
Agent 8 blushed at that, which made the others smile. Even the captain was amused, but then looked serious again.
"This battle is going to be one where you can't stop even when the challenge is over," he said gravely. "You have to stop whatever Octavio is planning too."
Agent 3 nodded. "If 8, 4, and I go in, then between the three of us, we should be able to handle Octavio," she said. "But we'll need to get past the enemy Octolings to do so."
"That's where me, Marina, Callie, and Marie come in," said Pearl. "Little Saki recently gave me a great idea with her playing the bongos and I've seen videos of drummers putting glow-in-the-dark paint on their drums and then playing them to create quite a special effect. If we had some drum machine that could do that, we could help to win the challenge and be the distraction."
"That's where this baby comes in," said Agent 4, holding up the device he had just finished. "Soon as I install this into the new paint drummer mobile, we'll be in business."
"It'll spread our color ink all over the place," said Agent 8. "If we do it fast and furious, the enemy won't be able to counterattack too much."
"While I'd say that doesn't make it a fair challenge, this time it's bigger than the usual," said Captain Cuttlefish. "If you can send Octavio back into hiding and making him rethink his choices, then we'll finally get some peace and quiet."
"Meanwhile, Saki will stay here with the captain," Marina said. "She'll be safe here."
"Aye," he said. "I'll take her to the new safe room I put up for her. No one getting through that without my knowledge."
Agent 3 held her baby close and Saki snuggled into her arms. Agent 8 bit her lip, knowing her friend was thinking about last time. "Yumi, Captain Cuttlefish's ship is strong. No attacks can get through it," she said. "I helped 4 develop the defenses against Octoling attacks and we even worked on the safe room. As the captain said, no one's going to get through that without him knowing. Besides, our enemies don't know that Saki is here."
The green-and-black Inkling nodded. "You're right," she said. "Sorry, I just...,"
"Don't want your daughter to get kidnapped again," Pearl said gently. "Don't worry, Yumi. She'll be safe here."
"If we attack on the two fronts, then our enemies won't be able to sneak past us or the paint drummer mobile," Callie said.
"She's right," said Marie.
Captain Cuttlefish went up to Agent 3. "Yumi, I understand," he said gently. "But you have my word that Saki will be safe with me."
"I know she will be, Captain, and I trust you wholeheartedly," she said before looking down at her baby.
"But you're afraid that this is the last time you'll get to hold her," he said gently. "That something will happen to us and she'll get kidnapped again. Or...that you won't make it back to her."
Agent 3 nodded as that was the main root of it. It was the reason she hadn't been up for missions, because she was scared that she wouldn't be able to return home to her daughter. Agent 4 came up and placed a hand on his friend's arm. "Yumi, don't think like that," he said gently. "When you go to challenges, do them for Saki. Think about Saki when you're in battle."
Agent 8 smiled. "Do it for her," she said encouragingly. "We're fighting our enemies so that they can't take over the world or try to. So that Saki's future will be happy."
Looking up at the two, Agent 3 took a deep breath and nodded before looking down at her daughter. "Saki, you're going to stay with Grandpa while Mommy, Uncle, and your aunties go take care of some things," she said, kissing her daughter's forehead. "You be a good girl for Grandpa."
With that, she handed the baby to the captain, who smiled at her as he held the baby protectively. "You're a good mother, Yumi," he said. "Now...get out there and show those creeps what you're all made of."
Agent 4 quickly got the paint drummer mobile working and looked at Pearl. "Play it loud, Pearl," he said. "Loud as you can."
"Oh, you bet I will," she said before remembering she wasn't going into it alone. "I mean, you bet we will."
He smiled. "Good luck," he said.
She nodded. "You keep Yumi and 8 safe, 4," she said. "I mean it."
He nodded. "I will," he promised, knowing that the singer was protective of her friends.
Marina came up to them. "They're ready to go in," she said.
"Then let's pump up the volume!" Pearl said.
Callie and Marie took their places as Pearl and Marina did, all four singers having their own controls for each drum and the ink and paint. As the vehicle started up, the drums all around the mobile were covered with the ink and paint, ready to be struck at a moment's notice.
Cuttlefish was watching while he held Saki, ready to head down below as soon as he saw 3, 4, and 8 in position. He soon saw them and nodded before turning on the loudspeaker.
"Now!" He called out.
The singers grasped the controls and large drumsticks came out and began beating the drums fast and furiously. Pearl began vocalizing into a microphone and the other three joined in before they began singing "We Will Be Strong" and "Power Of Strength", two new songs that Pearl had come up with after they had saved Saki the first time.
Agent 3, 4, and 8 heard them and smiled before going into a building where they could see Octavio had been working. "There," said 8, pointing to a computer.
"Okay," 4 said. "Let's see about wrecking the equipment."
Octavio had just come in when the three fired the first shots from their guns, the ink and paint getting all over the delicate circuits of the computer and making it fritz. He looked and gasped. "NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" He cried out.
Agent 4 looked at him. "This is for my niece and my girlfriend," he said, using his gun to punch out a computer screen and used a knife to cut the wires.
"This is for my daughter," Agent 3 said, taking aim and getting the villain right in the eye with her ink, making him cry out and try to clear his eye, but then 8 looked up at him with fury.
"This is for lying to me and for kidnapping my niece!" She yelled, firing her ink gun at him and he became blinded by both the green and red inks.
4 grinned and saw the computers were now melting into unusable parts. "Let's go," he said, firing a shot at Octavio.
The three ran out of the building and saw that 4's paint drummer mobile worked as the whole area was now decorated with their colors and the enemy was retreating, having been defeated again.
The group laughed and celebrated in triumph as they made it back to Cuttlefish's ship and he came out, carrying Saki. "Well done," he said, handing the baby to her mother, who cuddled her close.
"From now on, every battle will be for my daughter," she said. "Because I want to go home to her every night."
"And you will," said Pearl. "We'll all do it for Saki."
The others nodded and Agent 3 smiled, thankful to them all to remind her that she had to keep going.
For them and for herself. But most importantly, for her daughter.
The titles of the songs Pearl made are ones I came up with. If there are other songs with these same titles, I assure you that the titles are purely coincidental.
Next chapter is the epilogue and takes place one year later. :)
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GoldGuardian2418