Chapter 13: S&R
Cuttlefish Cabin… (Klara's POV)
I rushed in, quickly followed by my squad.
"We found her!"
That got everyone's attention, even Captain Cuttlefish walked out of his room, looking to have just woken up.
"They're taking her to the training grounds, and she isn't heavily guarded!"
That cheered up the Cap'n.
"Alrighty then, Splatoon, you know your positions, head out! But, be sure that you remain stealthy. Wouldn't want to lose any more of you."
(One Hour Later)
Octarian Dome 28… (Leo's POV)
Well, we'd been smooth in our entrance, especially considering we had eight agents in the field. We had three teams, and I'd been assigned to the reserve assault team.
My squad consisted of me and the Ligos, or Agents 4 & 4.5 of the Squidbeak Splatoon to be fancy. We were basically just waiting to lead an assault in case the recon and recovery teams needed some heavy firepower should things start going downhill.
But hopefully, I just get to sit down for today. For me and Akali's sake.
POV Swap, (Klara's POV)
Once again, I was on recon duty. Our job was to provide overwatch for the recovery team, which was comprised of Mei Argo and Guyver Wolfie, or 8 and 8.5 of the Squidbeaks. I was placed in the recon team with 3 and 3.5.
We got in position, flanked by the recovery team. We had to help them apply black dye to their tentacles to make them look like elites.
Their job was to sneak in, pose as Elites escorting Akali to the medical ward, and then, by any means necessary, get her out.
We finished applying the dye, they swapped into Octoling armor, and then to complete the look, put on fake hypnoshades just to make them as inconspicuous as possible. They headed out, and we all bid them good luck.
HWT Sector, Octarian Dome 28… (Akali's POV)
Well, this is just great…
"Alright, I guess it's time I take those restraints off you."
She looked me in the eyes, freezing ice meeting a defiant emerald. She said coldly;
"Do yourself a favor, don't do anything stupid. I'll be just fine with turning you into extra large squid rings." The Octoling pointed to the trigger on her wrist assigned to my collar.
"Heh, no worries. If I try anything, you'll be out cold before you could raise your wrist." I said.
"Wanna test that theory? I sure would love to hear you scream~" She said with a sadistic grin.
Damn, she's crazy... Kinda cute though.
"...Not yet. Wouldn't want to leave before I get to play with the guns first." I joked.
"So hold still then."
She reached down to unlock the cuff on my ankles, then went behind me to take off the ones around my wrists, and finally, cut through the rope around my elbows with a well-sharpened knife.
"Alright, now that's out of the way, follow me." She said as she walked past me.
We walked to the back of the room, and she slid an ID card through a slot in the wall, opening up an entrance secret armory.
Holy carp…
They had everything a Hybrid could desire. An Ultrashot Heavy Shooter, a XL Roller, a Coastal Pinpoint Heavy Charger, and practically anything under the sun alongside them.
But, something familiar stood out in the corner of my eye.
No splating way…
I rushed over to see if they were what I thought they were.
How in the shell did they find Splatter Strikes!?
"A fist fighter, huh? Nice." She said from behind me.
"Hey, how did you guys make these?" I asked while still in awe.
"A bit of Octoling engineering, a bit of metal, and a drop of magic did the trick." Came the reply.
"Let's head out to the range and see what you can do with those."
(Moments later…)
"RRAAAH!"
The small wall shattered instantly, concrete and ink flew through the field, and what was left of the wall either crumbled onto the floor, or got broken down even further upon smashing against the steel walls of the facility.
I Looked down at my fist.
No cuts... no bruises… huh, the metal isn't even scratched.
"Be sure to try out those mega bombs, and tell me if you need 'em sized down. They're taken from Colossal designs." She called out from behind me.
I inspected my bombs.
Ok… so how do I..?
"Pull the cord out to start the timer, and then hurl it as hard as you can." Came the answer.
Ok...
I pulled the cord back, and slung the thing a good thirty feet before it swelled out further and blew, making a generously-sized circle of ink.
Nice.
"Alright. That's it for today. Tomorrow, someone will lead you down to the medical sector. The doctors want to take a look at you." She said casually.
"Cassandra to Sieg's office, I repeat, Sergeant Cassandra to the Commander's office, thank you."
"What does he want now?" Cassandra asked.
She walked off, closing the door behind her.
HWT Sector… (Mei's POV)
Where is it...
Wait, is that…
"What are you runts doing here?" Cass asked.
I nearly had a heart attack, for a second I thought she'd seen through our disguise. I collected myself enough to reply, and said:
"We're here to escort the Hybrid to the medical sector."
"Didn't Elise schedule the appointment for tomorrow?" Cass said.
Uuuuuummmmmmmm...
"She's... rescheduled, due to time constraints with other patients." I said.
She narrowed her eyes at us.
"Ugh… great. Take my card. The Hybrid's in the firing range. It's just around the corner." She tossed us the card, and was on her way.
I looked to Guyver, and said:
"Well, that was easy…"
"Yeah, let's just get Akali and get out. This place is giving me bad memories..." He said with a slight shiver.
"Yeah, same here." I said as I turned away.
Sieg's Office… (Cass' POV)
"Cassandra, Recon teams have been alerted, and are now mobilizing to the position mentioned by the Hybrid. I invited you here to tell you we'd like you and Eye to man another Recon mission tomorrow, in case there's any more information we could gather on the Splatoon." Sieg said.
"Alright, me and Eye'll get it done." I replied.
"You're free to go." He stated.
Minutes Earlier… (Akali's POV)
The door opened. I was sitting on a bench on the far end of the field, and two elites walked up to me.
"Who are you two?" I asked as I looked up.
"Guyver Wolfie, and Mei Argo. We're part of the Splatoon. We were sent here to get you the shell out of here."
That'd explain the tentacles...
"A'ight, let's go then." I said.
"Wait, what about your weapons?" Mei asked.
I pressed a button, and the fists folded themselves into a square small enough to fit in my pockets. Splatter Strikes were made to be convenient, as well as covert. I was just thankful the remakes are as functional as the old ones.
"Huh…" Guyver uttered in surprise.
"Alright, now we can go." Mei said.
I put on the wrist cuffs, I figured was strong enough to break the links between the two after all was said and done, and we'd be kinda suspicious to the other gaurds.
We walked the long, winding corridors of the training facility, quietly making our way to the entrance.
Our stroll through the base has been pretty calm, most of the Octolings were either in the training fields, or in the cafeteria eating lunch, so there weren't many just roaming the halls. After several minutes of corridors, we came up to a large metal door.
"There it is, the exit!" Mei whispered.
We made sure no one was looking, and immediately raced out the front door, super jumping to the rest of the Splatoon.
Couch, TV, and extra salty chips, I'm coming home babes!
Klara was waiting for me, and as I broke the cuffs and collar, she smiled, and radioed:
"Jackson, we got her."
Moments later… (Cass' POV)
*Beep... Beep!*
Huh!?
Wait, why is the collar marked as broken?
...Oh shrimp…
…
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Cass, you know it's rude to interrupt people during lunch break, right?" Elise called out.
"Have you seen the Hybrid?" I asked as she opened the door.
"No, her appointment is due tomorrow." she replied calmly.
The horror of what I'd just done dawned on me.
"...Cass?"
I shrank against the wall, and began to cry.
"Cass, what's happened?!" Elise's eyes went wide as she realized what this must mean.
She didn't get an answer.
Why… Why… Why does it always have to be me… Sieg will have my head for this… oh Octo… Why…
Every alarm in the Dome went off, Sirens telling citizens and soldiers alike to be aware, and hunt down any clues as to where the Hybrid may be.
I shambled down the corridors leading to Sieg's office.
I was broken. My thoughts were a shambled mess, the rings around my eyes were muddied from tears, and I felt even weaker than I was back when I was a recruit.
I might be an elite now, but I'm still just a powerless runt.
I kept sobbing. I was barely even able to walk straight.
But I can still dream and wish, and right now, I wish to die.
I entered Seig's office.
Let's just hope dreams can come true.
(One minute later…)
Sieg sighed as he rested his head on his hands.
"Cassandra, you don't know how appealing a choice picking you up and snapping you in two is right now…" He looked up at me.
"I will guarantee you one thing."
He leaned over to me, looking me dead in the eyes, lowering his voice.
"Every Octarian from this Dome and onwards is going to want to mount your head on their wall after this... Do you realize that by doing what you've done, you're on the border of having committed treason?!"
I sighed, and looked up at him, and whispered blankly.
"Sieg, just kill me, or let me out of here..."
He paused, stared me in the eyes, and backed off after a bit. He turned the other way, looking at personal pictures and gleaming trophies instead of the runt sitting across from him.
He sighed.
"Very well. Cassandra, I hereby expel you from the Octarian Military. I'll give you until noon tomorrow to gather your belongings, and get out of my sight. I thought two chances was enough, but apparently it only gave you time to make a worse mistake."
I stood up, and left the office to alert my squad.
They wished me the best in my travels, and I left early in the morning the next day. I think I heard Jacqui cry for the first time in a long while. I stopped, and quietly whispered to no one in particular;
"I'm sorry."
I reached the surface, and as I stood in the freezing cold twilight, the weight of what had just happened started piercing the adrenaline. I collapsed, and one thought was still in my head.
What have I done?