Erray told them what happened when he got back to Cuttlefish's house. His stuff from Grizzco was in his arms, but he was too tired to put it all away. After he was done explaining, he just set them neatly on the couch.

Vichay had just walked into the living room, and saw Erray's sadden expression before he turned towards his room.

"What happened?" she said. "Why is Erray's work stuff here?"

Marie, the cap'n and Coel were all giving her the same look.

"Well?"

The next they knew, Vichay was storming down the hallway, with her grandfather urging her to calm down. But when she swung the door open to Agent 3's old room, she found Erray already asleep on the bed. A batch of tears had left his eyes, and Vichay just carefully wiped them away with a rag. Not even the loud noise of opening the door woke him up. He must really be tired, so she sighed and let him be.

"When did he say to meet again?" said Vichay.

"Tonight," said Coel. "So, we should let him sleep, while he can."

Vichay rolled her eyes. "Fine." She stormed back towards the living room. Her grandfather took off his grandson's shoes and covered him in a blanket. Then he left him alone, shutting the door quietly.

Back in the living room Marie and the cap'n were waiting for them, patiently.

"So, what are we going to do?" Vichay said, copping a seat next to her grandfather.

"Well, if we hold up our end of the bargain, 3 should too," said the cap'n. "At least we're hoping. We don't have any other option of getting into the depths of the Slimeskin Garrison without that Zapfish, but they don't either. They need us."

Marie shrugged. "They need us to get in. How do we know 3 won't just stab us in the back after we give the Agents of Three what they want?"

"Oh, that won't happen," said Vichay. "Because I'm gonna be there!"

Cuttlefish just laughed. "Well, that's good to hear, bucko! Marie, let's go over the fact that while Agent 3 has had time to master the same power that Erray has, it's still limited. 3 ain't stupid, and is probably going to save that energy for Octavio. This is our window of opportunity to stop 3 from killing him."

Marie nodded. "I guess you're right…"

"Well, what about Erray?" said Vichay. "He can't possibly go, knowing he's a sleeper agent until Oliver finds a way to reverse it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Coel. "The lad feels responsible for Cici being kidnapped."

"Don't worry," said Marie. "We let Erray sleep until nightfall. Sheldon is working on something to help with that for the time being." Vichay was still staring. "Nothing we say is gonna stop him, Vichay. We might as well find a way to let him come with us."

The girl just nodded. "Fine." She stood up and walked towards Erray's room to watch over him.

Coel just looked at his old friend. "So, what about your rogue agent?"

"We rescue our granddaughters first," said the cap'n. "Then, we deal with Agent 3."

For now, everyone just tried to relax until nightfall. Vichay didn't leave her brother's side for even a second. He had woken up several times, but with Erray's sister and grandfather's help, he calmed down enough to sleep again. They wanted him to rest as much as possible for what was coming: A daring rescue attempt, and stopping a daring assassination attempt.

Meanwhile, Vichay tried to find out what she could on Agent 3's old computer. There were just a lot of old files from doing homework at Inkblot Art Academy. There were also a bunch of photos of Finn, Anemy, Bass, and Angel together. Before it was just Finn and Anemy, and now they were mostly Finn and Angel.

As Vichay sat there, she still wondered what it was that drove them apart. Why did Agent 3 feel compelled to kill Octavio?

Then there was some odd shuffling by the bed. The girl stood from her chair and walked over to her brother, mumbling softly. Upon putting a hand on his shoulder, Erray's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," Vichay said, gently. "You okay?"

Erray just shrugged. When she sat down, Erray just sat up and leaned against her. "What time is it?"

"Almost sunset. Did you have a nightmare?"

Her brother shook his head. "Nothing that I remember…" But upon hearing him sniffle, Vichay put her arm around him. "I lo… I think I love her, Vichay…"

"Anemy…?"

Erray nodded into her sister's shoulder. "But… she loves her brother more… She didn't want me to… I… It was hard to tell her that I couldn't side with them."

Vichay sighed and rubbed his back. "I know… but… maybe when this is over, we can work this out. Now, let's get you something to eat. Bass and Angel should be here soon."

"They're coming with?" said Erray.

"Well, of course," said Vichay. "There's no way we're just sending you and Marie." With that, she stood up and grabbed his arm. "Now, up you get!"

Vichay let Erray take his time, getting up. He was always a bit slow getting up, even if he wasn't a bit sleep deprived. She guided him down the hallway and they waved briefly at Angel and Bass who had joined up with them, before walking into the kitchen.

Angel just stared, and then Marie walked up to her and Bass handing them some spare gear to protect them against the Octarians.

"Thank-you for coming, by the way," said Marie. "I know you didn't sign up for this, but there's strength in numbers. And, uh…" She blushed a little before looking at Angel directly. "Thanks for looking after me… when I was sick."

For a moment, Angel didn't know what to say. Then she just huffed. "I'm only here for Erray. I won't let you hurt another agent."

Right when she said that, Bass stopped putting on the spare sweater for a moment. Then he just nodded in agreement. "After how we treated him, we owe him this, Marie." And with that, he zipped up the protective sweater.

Marie sighed. "Well, still… Thank-you."

The Squid Sister left them to get ready, and wandered down into the basement, where the cap'n and Coel were talking, while Alex was being contained in the newly fixed up snowglobe. As soon as the Octoling saw Marie, his fist hit the glass, but there was no sound, and his mouth was moving, but there was still no noise.

"Remind me to thank Sheldon for the noise cancelling thingamabob he installed," said Coel. "This one's a loudmouth."

Marie bit back a laugh. "Sure." She turned to her grandfather. "Are you sure you don't want to come, gramps? I mean… Agent 3… was your protege at one point. And, Callie is waiting for us."

At least, she hoped...

"Well, Marie, I can't produce that much ink at my age, and we're still tired from protecting that shady inn."

"He's right," said Coel. "Besides, someone's gotta keep an eye on loudmouth, over here." The three looked and saw he was still shouting, but it was all muted. Holding his own Bamboozler, he bowed to Marie. "Please, just promise me you'll keep my grandson safe… and bring my granddaughter back to me."

Marie's jaw dropped a little. She used to fans cheering for her, but this was this gesture of respect. A plea. Not from a fan, but from someone she knew, while not well, was a relative of a friend that she had come to hold dearly. She nodded.

"I will. I promise."

Vichay smiled, while she stood in the kitchen. At least Erray's appetite hadn't diminished from all that was happening. She could still see the bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep, but at least he had gotten a few hours in. The Inkling girl just ate beside him, while Sheldon came in to test the modified headset on Erray.

Agent 3 comes first, Vichay thought. After that, we deal with Anemy…

"Now, can you hear me?" said Sheldon, as Erray adjusted his headset.

"WHAT?" Erray said, unable to register what he just said.

"Perfect!" Sheldon exclaimed.

Upon seeing him smile, Erray took off the headset. "What?" he said again.

"I've modified them to cancel out sound that comes from a voice. You should still be able to hear sound from around you. The only voices you should hear will be over the radio, which will be from myself, the cap'n or your grandfather. Your friends will have headsets, so when they talk into them you should be able to hear them. I've also tweaked it to enhance any background noise that isn't a voice, so you can hear if any enemies are coming, without hearing their voice."

"Oh…" Erray let them rest on his shoulders. "Thank-you, Sheldon. I didn't think Vichay would let me leave without these." Vichay just nodded, unable to speak with a mouth full of a bite of sandwich.

"When you meet with Agent 3, just give them the same frequency, so they can communicate with you. I'll be here with others to give support if needed."

Erray crossed his arms. "And guess this isn't free, huh?"

"Of course not," said Sheldon. "Inventing new things isn't free, but Marie said she's got it covered."

Erray just sighed as Sheldon left them to eat. "I owe Marie so much money…"

"We can worry about that after we save Cici…" said Vichay.

"Right…"

"It's almost time, so start getting ready, while I finish this sandwich."

Erray huffed and stood. "Yes, 'Mom.'"

"And can the sass!"

Agent 4 walked into his room and started putting on his gear. He had just worn it yesterday when he saved Shellover Inn, and now, it was back to work, already. The Inkling zipped up his sweater, and looked at the computer screen that was still on, showing the image on the desktop. This mission was important, not just for his sister, but for understanding what happened between these siblings and their friends who once cared about each other deeply.

One way or another, he was getting answers tonight. He could feel it in his non-existent bones.

Erray smiled as everyone walked out into Octo Canyon. The only ones who stayed behind at Marie's little shack were old folks and Sheldon. Still, it looked like they were a proper team, ready to stop the Octarians and save Inkopolis.

Once they entered the Slimeskin Garrison, Erray put on his headset. With all that was remaining was the main kettle of the area, he had to be ready for trouble.

The sun had just set, but the light of it could still be faintly seen over the horizons. The stars were coming out, and the odd silence began to feel more ominous. With no one talking, the silence Erray could only hear with his headset on was creepy.

Then in the distance, was the sound of spinning blades cutting through the wind. Inkopolis was in the view of the group, and it was in the skies above it, they could see the same helicopter they saw swoop in to help save the day yesterday. The colors of pink and turquoise were shining down.

Marie was ready with her charger. It was in her arms, but she was holding it to fire. "This is it. No weapons, everyone. At least, unless told otherwise. This is supposed to be a negotiation."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Agent 2 was more worried about Bass and Vichay's temperament.

The main door on the helicopter and the group could see the rouge entourage. They were all wearing 3's signature colors of black, white and yellow, with the number three on their uniform somewhere. Of course, Marina still had her midriff exposed.

There they were. Oliver Octavio, Oscar, Octavio, Pearl Pigmy, Marina Ida… Erray's eyes landed on the most important one; the one leading this whole thing in the first place, eyes were covered with goggles and was wearing some kind of puffball beanie. For the first time in the flesh, Erray laid his eyes on Agent 3.

Once the chopper was low enough, all five of them Super Jumped. Everyone backed away as they landed across from them. Agent 3 was holding the Zapfish they needed. Even as night was upon them, the little creature was glowing. So, were Erray's eyes, but he was used to it by now, even if he was receiving some odd stares.

For a moment, Erray just stared at 3, who still hadn't said a word. Other than speaking, he hadn't seen Agent 3 before… unless that strange dream counted. He wondered what he sounded like. He couldn't tell if Agent 3 was staring back at him. Those goggles were so dark, and the boy wondered how the rogue could see through them.

Marie cleared his throat. Then she held out a piece of paper. "Set your frequencies to ours. Erray has a special headset on, and you're gonna need it to communicate with him."

As soon as that was done, Agent 3 just gestured to Oliver, who stepped out and nodded his head.

"The boss is glad to see you have accepted our deal," said Oliver. "We will hold up our end of the bargain and give to the Zapfish to open the way into the Slimeskin Garrison's main base."

Agent 3 nodded and tossed the Zapfish to Angel. She caught it, but almost fell over from the force. Angel huffed and went to go add it to the area's power supply to open the kettle.

"Thank-you," said Marie. She was talking to Oliver, but her eyes were on Agent 3, who hadn't moved a muscle. "We just want to save Callie and Cici."

"We understand," said Oliver. "But the boss wants something clear." Suddenly, their weapons were out, and everyone wasn't fast enough to take out theirs', so they put their hands up. "If you double cross us, we will not hesitate to make sure you regret it."

Everyone was looking at Erray, and when he saw Oliver's eyes, along with everyone one Agent 3's side looking at him, he saw why. He was the one Agent 3 spoke to when they made the deal. In other words, the decision was his.

"Understood," Erray said, slowly. And everyone, brought together by Agent 4, of all people, changed their ink colors to purple.

Marie was glaring. "Pearl! Marina! How could you do this?!"

"Sorry, Squid Sister! We've been loyal to the boss long before we met!" said Pearl.

"And we know the kind of person you are," Marina said, refusing to make eye contact.

Marie was about to open her mouth to respond. Suddenly, the kettle whirred on and the lid popped right off. Angel was stomping back a bit annoyed, but silent.

Agent 3 and Erray were the first ones to approach it. No words were exchanged, just a simple nod and then they went in. The others followed soon after.

And now, their dire mission had begun.

Surprisingly, they had ended up in some alleyway, but there was only one way out. It was clear that this way hadn't been used in a while. The area around it was full of garbage, and the floor was all dusty and there was graffiti on the walls.

One by one, everyone was piling out, but Oliver had already shot a wall of ink for everyone to go up. Once at the top, they saw why.

Up ahead, they couldn't see the typical screens that acted as a sky. Over the giant wired fence that they super jumped over and followed Oliver, so that landed on top of a giant pillar, the walls around them were just water. It was falling all around them like waterfalls, and there was only one bridge that led to a set of metal doors.

"What… is this place?" said Erray.

"With no Zapfish, the Octarians were forced to find other methods to produce power," said Oliver. "One of them, despite being dangerous, is water."

"Then in there?" said Angel. "That's the base?"

"Of the Slimeskin Garrison, yes," said Oliver. "Home of the place where they manufacture some of the best machines and weapons. It's where they're probably working on DJ Octavio's super weapon."

Erray felt uneasy. He had a sudden feeling deja vu.

The metal doors swung open and the rag tag team could see a small group of what they counted as three vehicles making their way out.

"That's our chance," said Marie. "We can try to sneak in while the gate's still open."

Agent 3's head just shook. With one gesture to Oliver, he knew what to say.

"No," he said. "All ten of us? There's no way. We storm the front gate."

"What?!" said Angel. "Are you daft?!"

"Good!" Oscar then spoke up. "I want to give gramps just enough time to fear what's coming!"

Agent 3 nodded and pointed at the front vehicle. Oliver pulled out his charger.

"But-" Angel spoke up.

"The deal was we help rescue Callie and Cici, but this is still our operation!" Oliver said, sternly.

Erray sighed, and nodded. As much as Marie wanted to bite back, she held her tongue. If they did anything, they would leave them, and they may never find Callie and Cici. Besides, it was easier with ten than with just five. She never even thought a truce like this would even happen.

Oliver took aim, gazed into his scope, and shot out one front vehicle's tires. The car swerved on the bridge and came to a stop. The other vehicles stopped, too.

Piling out were Octo Troopers of all kinds along with Octolings who had been driving. Oliver and Marie stayed up high, while the others made their way down. Angel was cautious and glided down with her Splatbrella unfolded.

All around them, the enemies started coming from. It was no time like the present and everyone started fighting.

Agent 3 was first, kicking an Octo Trooper through the air and bumping into others only for Bass to blast. Vichay swooped in and deflected shots with brush and she and Bass worked together to defend one side. Angel stood in front of Oscar blocking any inkcoming shots enough for Oscar to sneak in and go for the kill. Metaphorically, of course. From what it looked, they were all linked to a Spawn Point.

But, Angel was appalled at how aggressive Oscar was getting. Rather than just using his Slosher to splat the enemies he was jumping around from enemy to enemy as if they were merely stepping stones. Heck, at one point, he used it as a blunt instrument to bash at an Octoling.

Agent 3 and Erray were sharpshooters. Erray had his Grizzco Dualies to shoot from a far and up close, and he could only guess how many upgrades and changes Agent 3 had made to what was once called the Hero-shot. With Pearl and Marina acting as their defenders, they sent the remaining Octarians running back into the base.

"Where are they going?" said Angel.

"In the water!" Oliver then yelled.

Then, from the water falls, to their shock, there was an army of Octo Bombers and Octo Strikers, in plated armor flew in through the waterfalls. Already, Marie and Oliver were shooting as many of them as they could, while everyone else was busy zipping around. They force themselves to move to higher ground while bombs and missiles dropped from the sky.

Oscar growled, he Super Jumped from the pillar he stood on and landed on an Octo Bomber.

"I HATE YOU!" he yelled. He socked it in the face with a suction bomb and started jumping from one to another. Unleashing the same thing, while the others who had some sort of range took down the strikers first, moving from place to place to avoid the blasts.

Slowly, there were fewer and fewer bombers and Inkstrikers, that Oscar eventually ran out of enemies to step on. Oliver jumped in and saved his brother, catching him in his arms and landing on the painted bridge.

Everyone landed to join up with them and they ran inside. Ignoring the blinking red lights and sirens the lobby split up into three grand hallways. Erray looked around and quickly found his breathing and heart rate speeding up.

"Which way do we go?" said Marie.

"Depends where you want to go," said Oliver. "One is security, where they keep prisoners, the other goes to the lab, and the last one goes to storage."

"We should split up, then," said Erray. "But I'm going to security."

"And I'm going with you," Vichay declared, standing next to him.

Oliver sighed. "You'll need someone to break through those security codes… I shall accompany you, as well. Boss?"

Agent 3 just nodded and pointed in the direction of the lab, where Octavio probably was. Marie glared.

"And I'm going with!" Marie insisted.

"So you can shoot the boss in the back…?" Oscar growled.

"I didn't bring any low tide ink," said Marie. "I promise."

"Relax, Oscar," said Oliver. "If Marie were to do that this mission would've been over for the Splatoon already. Go with them. Keep the peace."

Oscar nodded and beamed at his boss and Marie. Oliver turned to the rest of them. "Remember who's in charge here!" he then stated sternly and he gestured to Agent 3, who pointed at the remaining for to go into the storage area.

"What's in there?" said Bass.

"Zapfish and other weapons," said Oliver. "Secure the Zapfish within and destroy their weapons."

"Break stuff?" Bass said, excitedly. "Can do!"

"YEAH!" Pearl almost shouted, until Marina covered her mouth.

Erray couldn't hear Agent 3 speak. Despite not connecting to the frequency of Splatoon's radio, he could still at least read lips, and he understood what the rogue agent had said.

"Octavio is mine!"

Erray and Vichay kept up with Oliver as they ran down the hallway, fighting off enemy forces that were rapidly shooting rounds down the hallway. Vichay was held back from the shots, but Oliver, from the corner got one straight shot with his charger on one of them, and Erray was swimming through the ink path left by the shot, and jumped right at the Octolings. Vichay ran in while they were distracted, the two siblings working as a duo to outmatch the Octolings.

Oliver caught up with them just in time to shoot back a Splat Bomb that was soaring through the air at the two. It hit an Octo Bomber who had thrown it, and while it was being knocked back, the Octoling blasted it, leaving a purple ink on the ground.

When they got up to the security room, Oliver ran over to the panel.

"Just gotta crack the code…" he said.

Vichay just laughed. "I'll show you how I crack codes!" She snatched one of Erray Dualies and just shot it, breaking immediately. Somehow, it caused the locked door to slide open. Agent 4 quickly took his Dualie back and shot at Octolings who turned and saw them. Vichay jumped into the air and started swiping at enemies with her Octo Brush.

Once they were out of the way, Oliver walked in.

"What on the surface was that?!" he said.

"I cleared the way!" said Vichay.

Oliver just huffed and walked up to the main controls of the room. "Now we just gotta find out where Callie and your sister are.

Vichay stood guard at the door, while Erray looked at the screens. Oliver was busy hacking into the system to find out where Callie and Cici were. Erray could see Marie and Agent moving down one hallway, taking out Octolings together, and the others doing the same, while they moved towards storage.

"Thank-you, by the way for handing over the Zapfish," said Oliver. "I don't think we could even have gotten to truce like this if it weren't for you."

Erray nodded. "Yeah… I just… wish it didn't have to be a cost."

"Of what?"

The agent shook his head. "It's not important. Did you find where the girls are?"

"I'm working on it." On the panel they could see a map, and Oliver was trying toggle some stuff to label some rooms. "It's been a while since I've been here."

"Two years?"

"Yes." The two stood in silence for a bit, while all they could hear was the sound of Oliver fingers clicking away on the keys. Vichay looked back at the two and then went back to guarding the door.

"The boss…" said Oliver, "has been through a lot. Even before we met."

"If you're trying to make us see sympathy for your boss, try someone else," said Vichay.

"Don't mind her," said Erray. "What do you mean?"

"After what the boss did for the Splatoon, Agent 2 shot the boss," said Oliver, "for attempting to kill our greatest enemy. If you look closely, you may be able to see the scar. Plus, the Squid Sister's took away the boss' opportunity to be like them."

Erray recalled the scrap for Inkblot Art Academy. "You mean, to make music? But how?"

Suddenly, there was a pinging sound on Oliver's screen. "There's Cici. Cell 3A. I'll keep looking for your Squid Sister."

"Cici!" Erray was quick to rush out of the room. Vichay followed after him, quickly, not wanting to lose sight of her brother.

Oliver stayed behind, but saw the fighting going on in the other parts of facility. There, he witnessed more of Oscar's brutality.

The two ran down the hallway. Somehow the hallways were empty, but then again, prisoners, unless they were important, were probably the least of their priorities right now. To their shock, all the cells were empty. Well, except for Cell 3A, which was where they could hear soft weeping.

"Cici!" Vichay yelled. The two were at the door immediately. They could see her inside of the cell past the strong glass door, curled up on the lone bed, her head buried in the pillow.

Vichay tried to kick the glass, but it was too strong. Erray took Vichay's advice and just shot the lock on the door and pushed his way in. The older sibling ran in first, while Erray didn't know what to do at first. This was the first time in two years that she had seen her. His sister ran up and placed her hands on her gently. Cici flinched and just cried harder.

"Cici! It's me! It's… us…" Vichay gestured to Erray.

Cici sat up slowly. Erray flinched at what he saw. She'd been beaten, her body littered with bruises and cuts. She kept her eyes covered with one hand, catching the tears.

"Vichay… Is that… you?" she said, her voice quiet and shaky.

Vichay teared up and pulled her sister in her arms. "Yes, I'm here. Are you okay?"

Cici just wept into her shoulder. "Jade… she was… h-here…" she said, quietly. "And Callie… She's…"

"She's what?"

Erray struggled to come up with words, but they came once she mentioned him. Her removed his headphones to hear her voice.

"Cici…" he then said. His sister didn't respond; he stepped forward and placed a shaky hand on her shoulder. "It's… me. Erray." At that moment, Cici crying stopped momentarily, and she turned her head, facing her brother, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"It's… you!" she said, smiling. More tears emerged, as she tried to hold herself back from sobbing some more. But Erray stepped back. He was looking at her sister, but what he saw made his ink run cold. He stepped back some more, and kicked something. He looked down and found a broken syringe, but he didn't need it to already understand what had happened in here.

Cici's eyes were glowing in the dark.

"What is it?" said Vichay.

"I… I was here…" said Erray. "This was where…" Suddenly, Erray couldn't control his breathing, his fists shook and Cici flinched when his hair started glowing, realizing that his eyes were glowing like hers.

"Where… is… Jade?!"

Agent 3 was in the lead, tossing bombs both at enemies and into the air for Oscar to kick into Octo Troopers face. Oscar laughed every time. Marie was right behind them providing cover fire. Oscar was busy covering more turf for them when Twintacles showed up. Agent 3 and Oscar ducked in the ink, reloading and throwing more bombs, until Oscar's boss just jumped over while they distracted and shot one in the back. One was distracted with Oscar, and the other was with Agent 3.

Marie lined up her shot and took out the one who's back was turned towards her. Then Oscar just Super Jumped over the remaining enemy's shot, and just kicked down the protective shield. Once he picked it up, he yelled, and just smashed the Trooper in the face. It hit the wall and just slumped on the floor.

The giant door was ahead, but it was locked tight. There was no keycode on the side, but there was a door that led into a room. Agent 3 shut the lights off, so Marie and Oscar could do nothing but duck, but they heard noises and screams and when Marie found the lightswitch she saw purple ink everywhere, and Agent 3 standing on a table, Hero-shot in hand.

Agent 3's jaw dropped. They had entered some kind of control room, but it wasn't that was distracting the rogue agent. Outside of the window was the testing grounds for their Octo Weapons.

And Agent 3 had laid eyes on what was DJ Octavio's newest and biggest weapon. It was the very same from the blueprint that Marina saved from deletion and showed her.

It was a flying spherical stage and booth and decorated in black and gold. There were boosters underneath it and two giant golden metallic fists with brass knuckles on the sides. The Great Zapfish was directly beneath the machine it thrashed around before getting sucked into the machine. Standing on the stage was Callie, who was with Jade, and in the booth was DJ Octavio himself.

"Callie!" Marie threw herself at the window, trying to yell for her, but it was like her words were falling on deaf ears. 3 yanked her back.

"What are you doing?!" Agent 3 then hissed. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

Marie was thrown back against one of the tables. Agent 3 grinned, pulling out the Hero Charger.

"What are you doing?!" Marie knew she was stalling, but Callie was still out there.

Agent 3 sighed and pointed outside to the grounds. "Look outside, Squid Sister. Does that Inkling look like she needs saving?"

Marie looked closely, and saw Callie wearing a different outfit, she was not only talking to Jade, but she was actually laughing. Marie's jaw dropped slowly. She didn't want to believe it when she heard her on the radio but now the proof was right in front of her.

"That's the smile of a traitor…" Agent 3 said, flatly.

Marie fought back tears as she turned to the former agent. "You're one to talk…"

"What do you mean?" Agent 3 found a handle on the window. Grinning with a grip to open it, the rogue turned to her. Agent 2 stared at the frown she saw and tears he then saw running down from her former friends face. "You were the ones who betrayed me."

Slowly, Marie backed away, upon seeing the tears. They weren't purple anymore, like they had agreed on. They were orange.

Suddenly Marie screamed as what felt like an ocean of orange ink got her from her behind. Oscar jumped onto top of her, pinning her to the floor, charging falling out of her hand, and squeezing the air from her body.

While Marie was trying to process what just happened, Oscar pinned the popstar's arms behind her back and went to tying them up.

"3!" Marie yelled.

"Thought I'd return the favor…" said Agent 3. "It's payback time! For what you've done, for my home…" With a harsh yank, the window opened. "For my family!"

Agent 3 aimed outside, seeing the other Octolings securing the perimeter, and most of them guarding the giant door, knowing that intruders had entered the building. Scope at the ready, the rogue saw the target and he was now in sight.

Marina and Angel were carefully planting the explosives on the many weapons, while Pearl stood guard. Bass was gathering the Zapfish and there was only one left.

"Careful!" Marina said, before he could grab it. "If you grab that one, this place will only have a limited time before the power shuts down completely. So, we'll have to be quick and meet up with the boss. Okay?"

Bass nodded. "Are the explosives ready?"

"Yeah, they shouldn't tear down the building, but we'll have to leave the room immediately."

"Okay…" Bass grabbed the last Zapfish and put it in the bag with the others.

And the lights went out.

"Warning: Emergency power only."

"No! No!" Marie wiggled around and managed to toss Oscar off her back. Before he could run up to her again to tie up her legs, Agent 2 kicked Oscar to the wall.

"Boss!" Oscar yelled.

Marie pushed Agent 3 just as the trigger was pulled and the shot barely missed Octavio, just as the emergency lights came on. Through the commotion Octolings were pointing up to where the shot came on.

Agent 3 elbowed Marie in the gut and she was pushed back.

"ENOUGH!" Ink turning blue, Agent 3 stood and Marie fell to the ground, ink color turning blue as well as Oscar's who could barely hang on to something as tears fell from their eyes. "How dare you?! You'll never understand how much I've mourned! What all of this pain and grief has DONE TO ME!"

Agent 3's power was on full blast, it spread to the Octolings outside of the room on the testing grounds. They fell to their knees, including Callie and Jade, even Octavio.

Despite the goggles, Marie knew Agent 3 was looking right at her, before jumping out the window.

"B-Boss!" Oscar yelled. He hit a small button on his bracelet.

Agent 3 yelled, shooting while falling through the air, taking out Octolings, who could barely move, but putting the ones who mustered the strength to draw a weapon first. Then, when there were only the three left, Agent 3's weapon was pointed at Octavio, when Jade jumped down, despite her state and tried to shoot Agent 3, despite their colors matching at the moment.

"Sir! Get out of here!" Jade said, teary eyed. "Go!"

"CALLIE!"

Marie shook out of her binds and jumped through the window and ran towards the giant machine. "What are you doing?"

Callie gasped and saw her. Agent 3 still was eying Octavio like prey.

"For once, Marie," said Callie. "What's best for myself!"

"What?"

"I found a better audience h-here!" Callie said, through her tears. "And I'm staying! The only name this place will know is Callie!"

"What the shell are you talking about?" said Marie. "We've been doing everything we can to get to you."

"Well, you've wasted your time! The only one they care about on the surface is you, Marie! And the whole time you acted like nothing was wrong! Anything I said, you brushed it aside!"

"Callie, are you seriously going to consider throwing away everything we have on the surface? Gramps? Agent 4 wanted to repay you for saving him!"

"Agent 4?" said Callie. "You recruited another? To torment like you did 3?"

Marie glared, blue tears in her eyes. Her legs gave out and she fell on her knee, but she looked up. "Are you?!" she asked again.

"I can't…" said Callie. "But Jade provided a way so I do have to think about that anymore… So, I don't have to think about you or Agent 3 anymore…" In her hands were a pair of shades. She held them close to her face. "...Good-bye, Marie." And she put them on.

"Callie, no!" She tried to raise her charger, but the Agent 3's power was too strong and was the only thing keeping Octavio from flying away.

Callie suddenly grabbed her head in pain, yelling in agony. She almost sunk even further onto the floor of the platform she stood, but then she stopped shaking. In fact, her ink turned back to pink and she stood.

"I think… I feel it now."

"Feel what, Callie?" said Marie.

"How much I hate you, Marie! How much I hate you for everything you've done! For leaving me behind!"

"Callie!"

"But it's okay, now! Because I don't need you anymore. Let's go, DJ!" With that, she grabbed her roller and threw it at the big start button on the DJ's booth. Suddenly, the machine whirred to life. The boosters turned on, the force knocking everyone back, and breaking Agent 3's concentration. Octavio started laughing.

"Now, I hope my place is prepared for the biggest show yet!" Octavio exclaimed. "Maybe if you make it, I'll let you have a front row seat!" The machine floated into the air. Agent 3, slightly exhausted tried shooting, but only hit the metal, as the roof doors opened. "OCTAVIO, OUT!"

Octavio flew off into the distance taking Callie with him. Jade was about to Super Jump to join him, when the window of the control room shattered and a shining streak of purple grabbed Jade from middair and slammed her through the floor down several floors.

They landed in a dark room, with many chairs and comfy couches. There was a window that held an ominous but beautiful view of the waterfalls all around the base, providing power for Octarian domes, despite being limited.

With one hand, hair and eyes glowing, he held up and injured Jade, who was yelling and screaming, but Erray headphones didn't register what she was saying.

"My sister!" he then yelled. "WHY?! If you have a problem, take it up with me?!" He slammed her into the wall, holding a Dualie to her chin. "You torture me in life and in my dreams… But then you hurt my sister! MY SISTER?!"

Jade was saying words, but Erray couldn't hear them. They were slow, but he could read her saying his name.

"Erray…"

It was then, seeing Jade's worried look that he began to remember seeing Marie lying unconscious in the cap'n's room, the damage done in Suction Cup Lookout's main base, the lengths 3 was willing to go just to kill Octavio.

Even if it meant Cici and Callie being lost forever...

Erray threw her aside, but just then Jade snatched the headphones off his head. He immediately registered how light his head suddenly felt, but right before he could cover his ears, Jade pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. A red flashlight.

Back aching from the damage, Jade stood up, as Erray fell onto his knee, eyes shutting tightly and yelling in pain. Jade still shook. She had never seen such strength from him.

"You were gonna kill me…" said Jade. She rubbed her back and walked up to him.

"My sister…" Erray said, trembling.

"Where's Alex?"

Erray shook his head.

"Fine. Then, you can take him to me after you kill Agent 3."

Erray tried to cover his ears, but Jade took hold of them. "Erray…" She leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

"DJ Octavio has invited you to Octo Valley."

Marie was backing away, as orange ink was shot onto the ground. She tried to get in a shot, but Agent 3 was too close. So she pulled out her own Splattershot.

"You screwed up my shot!" Agent 3 yelled. Before Marie could shoot, 3 jumped into the air and shot down at Marie, but she moved out of the way. She shot at 3, but was surprisingly blocked with 3 using the metal bands on the wrists of the sweater. They were made of Sardinium.

"Cheater…" Marie hissed under her breath. Agent 3 super jumped right at the Squid Sister to shoot her, but she tilted her head out of the way just in time. Her Splattershot was tossed out of her hands. While it was in the air, Marie kicked Agent 3 away. She caught her weapon, just as Agent 3 used dashed again towards orange in following and shot down at her. Marie Super Jumped away, landing across from the crater Erray left from attacking Jade.

Agent 3's ink tank was glowing and so was the Hero-Shot. Even though the Squid Sister could see the frame of the rogue shaking.

"Stop this!" said Marie. "You're over exerting yourself."

"I. DON'T. CARE!" And once again the two were charging at each other, but just then the hole in the ground exploded, throwing Agent 3 and Marie back.

Rise from the particles of ink that came from the crater was Erray. His eyes were glowing and Jade was right behind her.

Marie was still out cold. Erray just suddenly rushed towards Agent 3, who was barely able to react from the shock that Erray had turned. He opened fire, purple ink around him rushing at the agent, who just jumped out of the way, but then Jade was right behind him. Agent 3 was kicked against the wall.

Jade was pushed away, while 3 started shooting at her. Quickly, the Octolings swam in her teammate's ink, and Agent 3 jumped out of the way just as a barrage of bombs started getting thrown in the rogue's direction, the blasts larger.

Picking up orange ink on the ground, Agent 3 threw a wave of it at Jade. Erray, charging up his power opened fire and shot right through it, a blast hit Agent 3, who was barely able to block it with the Sardinium armbands, and the rogue was sent flying back and rolled on the ground. In the moment, Jade swore she heard the cracking of glass.

Erray ran in for the kill holding out his Dualies. Just as Agent 3 stood clutching the broken lense on the goggles. Still, Erray was able to peer through the broken glass on the rogue's goggles past the fingers trying to cover it up. And something stopped him. Despite his state, he remembered the only clear thing he had seen about Agent 3: The piercing orange eyes.

But he never took into account that the only time he had ever seen them was when they were glowing in the dark. He also never took into account that the color they reflect was on the user's ink color, given that Agent 3 had the same power he had.

For when Erray stared in through that broken lense on Agent 3's goggles, he didn't expect to see what he saw:

The familiar color of ocean blue.

Erray could barely mouth out the name that came from his lips. It was as small as a whisper, but 3 could read it like he said it loud and clear.

"What are you doing?" Jade yelled. "Destroy her!"

Erray held up his hands. All the purple ink around him rose into the air and started pointing at Agent 3. Angered, she raised her hands as well, just in time to protect herself, with a barrier of orange ink. She walked towards him, from the barrage of purple ink raining down like daggers and then jumped at him, holding his arms down with a hug and turned him around... just in time for him to take a shot of low tide ink to the face.

The two fell down onto the floor, as the purple ink Erray had used fell down around them. Jade turned around and saw Marie struggling to sit up, but the charger was in her hands.

Agent 3 looked at Erray, able to tell from the shade of green that it was low tide ink. The boy was out cold. The beanie had slipped off her head, as she got up, revealing the short orange locks of tentacles she had. She took off the broken goggles and locked eyes with Agent 2.

"I thought you said you had no low tide ink on you."

Marie lowered her charger. "Might as well be honest, Anemy. I lied."

The girl gazed down at the unconscious Inkling in her arms. Then she locked eyes with Marie once again, grabbing the Anti-Hero-Shot. Her hair glowed, eyes turning orange and glowing, as well.

"Like I said to Callie, you'll never change…"