The submarine reached its resting place and Nicky's team were first to witness their home; promised land carved in a cave. But there was no time to enjoy the view for they had to coordinate the escorting and sort everyone out. Get the names, count the numbers, line them up, and show them their quarters; then organize everyone in the cafeteria and feed them up.

Many families and friends were reunited, happy to finally see each other alive and well. Nicky shed a tear with a faint smile, happy to breathe easier and see a spark of hope for the better future getting slightly brighter with all the smiles and cheerful sounds around. Whatever questions and doubts they had, it was all fainting away.

Next on the 'to do' list - power. Maintenance employers couldn't believe they see an actual zapfish before their very eyes; one of them even wiped their eyes just to see if they're tripping, even touched it. With that in mind, they all have formed a calming smile on their faces and said: 'thank you kindly. We'll take it from here', and dive into work.

With some free time on hand she decided to walk around the base, pondering if her sister will make it out of the dome alive and intact. Her worry distracted her right until she bumped into the door. Moments later she rubbed her head and got her act back together, after which she looked around and realised she was in the second floor of the base. She thought to herself: 'can I take a peek at the locked stuff that meant to be off-limits for the time being?'

In her small curiosity she wanted to see what kind of history both of them had, maybe find something interesting. However she was told that everything will be unraveled once they recover the missing pieces of the puzzle called their past. One might think, what could possibly be there to remember other than their lives; the one before the calamity struck the human race? Or during it? All and all, she could speculate about these circumstances all she wants, but one thing she does know for sure - it frightens him that whatever that may be that he wanted to know so desperately, might be going to faint in what he supposed to be. Of course that was just her imagination so far, but what if it's true? She dwelled about it for another minute before leaving the door alone

Next on her new daily duties on this base was to check everything else that's going on, aside from the party which she'll attend after her work is done; armory, training, supplies, small team of scientists and so on. Basically she keeps taps on everyone's job and gives back some updates and feedback of what they do. More rooms and extra unique stuff to bring into the doctor's office in order to examine it and further with him.

Since he knows how to handle resources and examine them before he can give his thoughts on it, I mean they already did but, they wanted to know what's the best move to handle such odd things like that; given that some thing's aren't exactly very common back home as far as they know. So they left it for him to sort things out and wait for feedback

?:" hey Nicki" said a familiar voice before realizing it liam.

She turned and saw him carrying some food in his hands. Drink in one white bag with two meat sandwiches, extra drink in the other. He has been keeping taps on his new training so far as all of them were doing just that in the sub before the doctor issued the order of transferring the rescued octolings, now he's just taking a break from doing his job.

Nicky:" Oh! Hey limy, how are things and the new adjustments so far for you?" she asked while he offered the extra stuff for her.

Liam:'' Really well actually, never thought I could be free from being washed up like a nobody before. Then I found myself in both the wrong and right place at the same time, figured that was it for all of us but man was I wrong before she showed up" he replied with a smile before she took his break offering and leaned against the wall before smiling back.

Nicky: "Hehe~, yeah..." she sighed while eating the meat sandwich in a slow motion while thinking about her sister.

Liam: "What are you doing here anyway? I saw you on the second floor a while ago before going up and down in each floor hip-pity hop like a rabbit. Of course only metaphorically speaking since you really are that jumpy to that room over there" he said before pointing at the computer room...trying to change the subject about her sister.

Nicky:" limy you suck at the metaphorical stuff like usual. Pretty sure you're not going to improve from it anytime soon so how about you skip-pity hop-pity don't~" she said in a smirking sarcastic tone while winking at him before he had this look of mixed disappointment and dead beat expression.

She laughed for a bit, then continued eating her lunch break, thinking about her strange routine of always coming back to the second floor only to stop there for one whole minute before doing the same thing over and over for like an hour or two.

Nicky:"…I keep thinking about this room, and how the doctor mentioned to never enter it or even log in into the computer. I have this urge to know about this whole thing he tries to piece together"

Liam: "And let me guess. You want to know what the doc is doing right?" he said before she nodded as he asked in reply.

Nicky:" because I think he might be already hiding something huge"

Liam:" Ok but...didn't he say that he will reveal all things after-"

Nicky:" I know-I know! But I can't get it off my mind that there's...something-"

liam:"...strange?"

Nicky:"yeah!...I don't know. Maybe? There has to be something that makes him so worried and scared about something" she said while sliding down to sit on the ground.

Liam: "Maybe it's something he wanted to know about how the whole extinction stuff happened in the first place? Something that he missed and wanted to check thoroughly?"

Nicky: "That's what I thought too! But I just so happened when he mentioned 'hellven city' and 'the mutants' along the lines of an iceberg that melted down by nuke or something" she unveiled what she heard before her friend gave her this look of 'really…?' kind of expression.

Nicky: "D-don't look at me like that! I was just very curious to know what he's origins are ok…?"

liam:"….you do realize he's not going to be mad right?"

nicky:" yeah I know he won't bu-"

Liam: "He's just going to tease torturer you until you wake up in the morning" he said with a comedic sarcastic smile as she just looked at him with a faint blush on her face.

Then her mind began to uncontrollably imagine all sorts of things that her savoir would do to her, some of them are just fantasies, others are just exaggerations without any substance. Liam just looked at her as if she just lost her mind as few sheepish giggling sounds unknowingly escaped her mouth.

Liam: "….what the shell kind of power this guy has over women like that? I need to learn his secrets if I want to get at least one girl in my life! But first~"

he said in an interesting curiosity of what he saw before him as his tone shifted from normal to salutary mischievous now, he just angled his drink on top of her already steamy head, before he spilled it as if he was trying to put out the fire; the thirsty kind.

Nicky:" LIM!..what the shell was that!?" she shouted in anger for being snapped from her daydreaming state

Liam: "You were dazed in your own wonder world, what else am I supposed to do?...bring your two girlfriend's with a gay dildo to snap you out?" the moment he said those words she got up from the ground and point one finger close to his nick in a pissed off movement.

Nicky: "Don't you ever FUCKING mention those two damn pinkies were I stand! Do I make myself clear liam!? Or do want me make you regret the moment you try to find a girl in the first place?!" she shouted yet again while ordering him as she pressed her finger against his neck with more pressure.

All tho she didn't mean that last part, he was rather still surprised of how angry she can get whenever Ava and Ivy being motioned, be as it may be and didn't want to make the day worse for the both of them. He complied rather nervously with a few nods. He remembered her pink eyes may look sweet and fragile, but say or make the wrong move and they will turn into a stingy look of pink diamond that will make someone think twice before ever try to get on her bad side.

Realizing what she was doing she quickly took her finger away in panic as she stepped away. Liam may be a shy person, but he is no fragile butterfly like many. He's tough enough to take all kinds of bullshit, even those that mean well. Nicky on the other hand was a bit on the panicked side of things, looking down on her hands before contemplating what she was doing to one of her members; Liam then moved in and tried to hug her, but she was just terrified to let it slide.

She told him that she needs to be alone for a while, apologised and left while taking her lunch break.

Liam: "You know I was just joking right, Nicki? And I know things are not as well as you want them to be. They can't just change what they think about you back then, and I hardly think they would let go of you with him or anyone. Once they made up their minds, they would not stop until they had you. Just like they did with me until they got bored"

With those words alone, she said nothing other than look back at him with just one eye visible. Holding her elbows together despite the bag of lunch on her right hand. Silence was all there was between them, as they had a look of sighing disappointment which lasted for about a few minutes before she left.

Noon had already left and twilight had slowly entered the fabric sky, the doctor hadn't returned.

While finishing her lunch break she decided to take the elevator. After finishing her meal in the process of her multi-task which is an awful idea of course. She figured it was time to lay all her thoughts out without any interruptions. She intended on taking comfort in her lord's chambers, after the elevator stopped. She got out with her finished lunch bag and dumped it in the trash bin, then went to his room.

Once found she opened the door and began looking around the place she souly cleaned: double bed, fridge, office table, wardrobe and a long wall window overlooking the outside plus the door to the helipad platform.

She wished to have some fresh air, get her thoughts together for once, felt the breeze touching her skin while admiring the view of the ocean and the city in the great distance of what they are now. Moreover, it didn't bother her that it was the only view she had to see, despite the nasty stuff that's going on there she found it comforting regardless. A faint smile formed across her face before a humming laughter escaped her mouth.

How funny it was to her that she suggested to the rest of her team that the doctor could have this place as it was one of the few rooms with a look at the outside world; a comforting view to greet you in a morning. However he refused and insisted that they should take it for themselves, their little glimpse of freedom shining on the horizon. But they refused to take such a generous offer, claiming that he should have that sort of motivation instead in order to keep his promise and mind clear enough to achieve it.

After the agreement had been handled, he promised them to expand the base and improve its condition: better views, more living living quarters, more possibilities to bring new stuff on the menu and more. While those indeed are promising ideas, the cost would be astronomical. The island base facility is rather big as it is already, but to expand it further, building a true safe place with endless paradise? An ambitious idea indeed...but is it worth the cost?

She thought and lingered on that idea for a while, the desire to have more? What else is there to want more than a safe home to make the promised operation to be already in motion of what's happening in the valley, which is to get her previous home back along with everyone else; maybe even her sister, though she has a new job that will get paid in the long run and reuniting with her was all she desired

But unfortunately reality constantly grounds one back to earth with bitch slaps and hardships when the smallest things always break down to the starting point; no matter how easy they are. And she knew that better than anyone before making the team, her sister bestowed her to be the leader of this team while making her plan of escape. Where to?...who knows really. Out in the world? To the city? Here? Not sure in the slightest, however. To Nicky, it didn't matter because all she asked was to get the hell out of that cursed rotten place to someplace else entirely than the octo-mountains, it is also a general term for there all of there home place at once.

Time passed even further before she went back to the doctor's room to get something in order to quench her thirst of worry. Rather thinking about it, and how her relationship with him will blossom or not, since she has yet to learn everything about him; despite the tons of questions she asked him about it with little to half or full answer to each of them. She still wanted to know more: where did he come from, what's his deal with that coin he's talking to; what's this project called 'ELOISE?'. Nicky has a dependency to be the ol snoopy snoop, that she has this vein of hers to be the gossip type of octoling. She has been caught on some occasions but, she's not the last person to do that, not like she would name who is who anyway.

In any-case she went to the fridge in front of the table in the dining area and opened it to get a cold one, a regular ol beer from inkopolis rather than the hard low quality one back home. She opened it and proceeded to chuck it down in one full sip, as if she was trying to drown her awful feelings in-spite her best attempt to do so before taking another one.

She then sat down on the slim rotating chair, while throwing her belly on the also slim dining table. Drinking and letting her alcohol do the work to get her thoughts swirling all around, forgetting or otherwise. Unsure how to cope with things that are changing for the worst to her the moment that she was brain-fucked. The things she has done with pride and joy while being fully aware... How many life's she cut short in order to fulfill his foolish emotion she has no part of? What would her mother and father think, what would her brother think? Her sister was already aware of her predicament but that doesn't stop her from being worried of her judgment, even though she is higher rank then her. Her mercy of letting Nicky go without a hint of resentment was getting to her somewhat tired heart, never knowing if it was genuine forgiveness or to keep her away from danger that was coming to both of them...either way, it was enough for her tears to run down her face, each one is filled with different memories: her times as a child, to her adulthood, and now.

How can she fix her life, glue it back together and get a happy end with all her family members standing by her side? She is just a powerless outcast left to the mercy of a human, keeping slime wider and drinking harder than usual. Drowning in her sorrow was the last thing she needed, but it did have its kicks in the aftermath, ether in the right direction….or the other.

She kept going with her pace before finally hitting her alcohol limit, casing and swinging the bottle around like a drunk man walking around at night, searching for something in his jumbled desire and not knowing what to do. For one, she spun around her spinny chair like a loose idiot before finding herself on the ground, the bottle still in her hand. She moaned in funny sounding pain, then cuddled the bottle with her face as if she found someone who truly understands her newfound unwanted pain. Smiling and acting all goofy despite the inability to undo it at her state.

Nicky:"Mr. Beer Bottle?...do you think I'm a bad octoling?" she said in a drunk tone while looking at the bottle right now as her lover while still laying on the ground.

mr. beer bottle (nicky):" noooo nickyyy~, your a good octoling. Everybody listens to you and loves youuu~. Forget the two pinkies and octavio and just finally be yourself"

Nicky: "Really?...I can be free and do whatever I want finally?"

mr. beer bottle (nicky):"that's right nicky! Your control now...be freeee~! Fly octo fly!" said the no talking beer bottle in encouragement before Nicky extended her arms as if she was spreading her wings of freedom...in her mind at least.

nicky:'' I'm flying!...I'M FLYING!" she said those words in anger rather than the supposed courageble feelings.

She then let the bottle go before curling herself in a comforting position, crying in silence, with zero idea of what she can do or what kind of feelings she's feeling right now. Is it anger? Grudge? Sorrow? Or just a mesh mash of three or more? One thing she knows is that she is lost. Tho goals are indeed clear of what they need to do, it's the aftermath of what's going to happen next.

Will it be fulfilled? Or will it fail?...she has no answer other than laying her emotions out, whether in silence or in scream. A lost octoling swimming in their ink kind of sorrow, unwanted sins washing over her and wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way, or even those in inkopolis who support the innocents of the octarians. Still knows nothing of what there going through if was indeed a general empathy.

Nicky:"...I wanna sleep" she said in her still drunk status before getting up.

Removing each part of her armor without a hint or a sense of shame in the doctor's chamber, feeling really exhausted in her roller coaster of emotions that she needed rest; and what better way to do so than a comfy bed right before her. Like a dream come true of her comfort object had finally come to her rescue. In her state she just runs towards the bed without thinking twice of the consequences, throwing herself in bed and covering her whole body with clean sheets. The moment that the pillow made contact with her fragile head, snoring echoed in the chamber, sleeping safe and sound with her adorable snoring is like a music box of a lullaby, an ocean frequency for the sea.

Liam:"….damn" he said as I was watching with him of this horrid scene.

Zoe: "This is just….wow" she said while she is already in her avatar state.

At this point I'm literally out of words to comment on the situation

It's already day two and things are not looking good for her. Liam told me about some things being stolen and her 'behavior' so to speak. I had talked with DeadF1sh about our success, plans and needs but now I am more concerned of what was stolen and what can be done to help her. He didn't say anything more than what I needed to know, because he trusted me that I needed to do it on my own and not try or fake my understanding of her pain.

...truth to be told I only came here because of her scream just before I came across him. I heard her crying and it sounded very serious. A feeling of loss and what comes next of your goal. I used to feel that way back in hellven city, but not anymore...I hope.

Jack: "Perhaps I should keep her company for now...maybe tomorrow I would spend some time with her at least"

Liam: "Maybe...But I think it's about time we need to do our job" he said in a cold tone as he was looking forward to it since I finally took the blind fate goggles away from his sight.

Zoe:"...I guess that's ok? I don't know, still think you guys need some time to adjustments. But that just me saying tho, you can still do whatever you guys want and were not stopping you"

jack:'' Have you guys even finished your training regiments yet on the sub while we were doing our job? The second sector is a bit of a pack up punch second stage right now. And trust me man...we did a quick scout a head before coming back with the goods. So?...Are you guys ready?" I asked in a careful tone as he looked both us in the eyes.

He looked at us in extreme seriousness, as if it's a life or death kind of feeling, but this time it's more about a stolen will then death. Because death would be the release of such fate put upon them. I wish it won't come to that in the future. Liam then took a long pause, thinking before breathing in and out for a clear mind for this diction.

Liam:"...absolutely, we're ready to kick and lick some ass. Now all we need as our leader's permission for the mission"

jack:"...no lords or masters this time~" I said snarkily with a smile before he looked at me in confusion...i suppose he is a worshipper then.

Jack:"Never mind. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow and get everything ready after our next briefing. Can you do the last part for me once Zoe gives the command?" I ordered before bowing his head and saluting me in respect.

He then left to others for that order just in case if he was elsewhere, I'm beet. I told Zoe that we were going to continue our talk later in the computer room and look further at what was found and that bunker before seeking clues on how everything in the city is the way it is now and piece things together.

...i really hope she's alright after some sneaky cuddling tonight. Hehe~.