An Inkling of Sympathy Ch. 7
Author's Note: Hello everyone, sorry it's been a few days since the last update. School's been super busy with Thanksgiving on the way, but I've still made some time for you guys. The Twitch stream for the cover art will continue this Friday, same place as before, so if you like feel free to check it out. You can follow my twitter KibaElunal where I'll post random updates and announce events and such. Best of luck in life and literature. -Kiba
I held my breath as I continued my work, lowering the transistor ever so slightly as I listened for the static that would signal my success. "What are you doing?" A voice whispered in my ear, causing me to jump so hard that the transistor's prongs snapped in the holes.
"I was trying to get my radio working." I huffed, looking over my shoulder at the curious Inkling. "I can't stay in here all day with nothing to do you know. A man's got to have something to do with his hands."
"Well," Marie commented, "don't they usually just…"
"No." I stated flatly, pulling the broken transistor from the socket and tossing it into the garbage before grabbing a spare.
Her eyes narrowed at me. "You're not trying to connect to the Octarian forces are you?"
"Of course not!" I snapped quickly. "I already told you, I'm not out to get you anymore. You'd think that our visit to your mother the other day would have granted more faith in me."
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You are still an enemy soldier, remember? While I appreciate what you did for me, it doesn't change the fact that you could be doing all this to exact, in some complicated way, your vengeance on us 'surface-dwellers'."
I didn't even dignify her statement with a response as I slowly lowered the transistor into place. As the static began to pour through the speaker, I let out a relieved sigh. The previous fopah didn't ruin all my hard work. "Finally." I muttered, turning the knob slightly to tune into a local channel. As the familiar singing of my two jailers began to flow from it, I grinned.
"You know, if you want to hear us sing so badly, you could just say so." Marie smirked. "I could call Callie in here, you know how she loves to entertain you."
"Shut up." I shot back. "Besides, you wouldn't do it anyway. It'd be all 'Lusca's a prisoner Callie, when will you ever grow up and learn that if we give him what he wants it'll end up being the other way around.'"
"Wow," Callie giggled, walking into the room. "That was amazing. I thought Marie was good at impressions, but that was almost identical." She smiled at her cousin brightly, though the gesture was not reciprocated. "Maybe if you're ever sick Marie, we can have him on stage instead. I bet he'd be an excellent singer."
The thought tickled me as images of myself in a wig like Marie's tentacles came to mind. "Sorry to disappoint you Callie, but I'm an awful singer."
"Seconded." Marie agreed. "I don't think I ever want to hear an Octarian sing. Ugh."
"Anyway Marie, I just came to let you know that everything is set-up for the concert later. Even Gramps will be there. Right now, he's getting some ear plugs to help with the crowd, but he can't wait."
"Really?" She asked in shock. "That's amazing. I guess we should go get ready, huh? How are we going to get there?"
"'Gramps says he'll take us." Callie replied, though I could see hesitation in her eyes. "I mean...maybe we could walk? Gramps is getting a little...sluggish behind the wheel."
"If by sluggish you mean bat-shit insane." Marie sighed before turning to me. "You! We're going to go get changed. You stay here like a good boy. It'll be tempting to run while no one is watching you, but just remember that Callie has your scent, and she tracks down food like a bloodhound."
"Teehee, it's true." Her cousin giggled. "You can ask me where the nearest noodle shop is and I'll find it just by sniffing it out."
"I'll bear it in mind." I replied, putting some fine adjustments on the radio. As Marie left the room, Callie lagged behind a moment before sitting beside me.
"In all seriousness though, will you be okay?" She asked. I looked up into her golden eyes, racked with worry. "You're not still thinking about leaving are you? I know my cousin can be rough, but she wants you here too. Once everything blows over, we can let you out of the room. Maybe you can even live in an apartment with one of us."
"I promise, I'll be here." I assured her with a smile, as empty as it was. The truth was, I was starting to develop a case of cabin fever. I couldn't stand being locked in here all day. I'd hoped the radio would break up the monotony, but if it didn't help, I didn't know what I would do. "Go ahead and go to the concert. I'll listen to it on the radio. I'll be there to support you in spirit, okay?"
"Okay." She finally agreed before giving me a hug. "Thanks for being so understanding."
"Don't mention it." I replied as she skipped from the room, closing the door behind her and leaving me to my work. At last, I was alone. Maybe I'd actually get some entertainment now. Changing the frequencies, I could hear the distorted sounds of the various musicians and talk show hosts before a strange noise caught my attention. It was a pulsing sound, almost like a repetitive beep. But something about it seemed familiar, almost intentional.
It took longer than I'd like to admit before I recognized that it was Octarian Code, a secret system used to send messages to military teams. I was tempted to shuffle to something else, but my curiosity ended up getting the better of me. Snagging a piece of paper, I began to write the letters as they came through on a loop, like a beacon wanting to be heard. "L-U-S-C-A." I muttered as I wrote each letter. They were searching for me.
I could still hear the water running from the bathroom, indicating the girls were still getting ready for their concert. I quickly went to work, connecting transmitters and amplifiers before pulsing a quick signal back. "L-U-S-C-A I-S S-A-F-E S-T-O-P" I answered back to them, taking a sharp breath.
"W-A-I-T F-O-R O-R-D-E-R-S." Their reply came, causing me to nervously tap my fingers against the side of the radio. I wasn't sure what to do at this point, I hadn't expected to meet rescue. In truth, I'd have guessed they had no idea I was even gone.
"Lusca?" Callie's voice called, causing me to nearly hurl the radio across the room in shock. I hadn't expected her to be so close. It was a gesture that did not go unnoticed. "Oh, sorry to have startled you."
"It's alright." I sighed, turning to flash her a smile before my heart stopped. Both her and Marie were dressed in stunning bikinis that could cause any warm-blooded male to become a slobbering idiot. That would have happened if they were alone, but the fact they were standing beside one another practically made me mute.
Callie blushed, smiling sheepishly at me while Marie just sighed. "Tell me why I promised this again?" She asked. "Oh yeah, some stupid Octoling couldn't power our concert like we'd agreed. This was probably some crazy plot on your part wasn't it?"
Gone were the harshness of her previous words, now replaced with the teasing tone that she used with Callie when they were together. "Do you like them?" Callie asked. "I made them myself." She did a cute twirl to show it off before waiting for my answer.
"...made...them?" I squeaked out, fairly certain that my blood was racing through my body faster than it ever had been.
"Right?" Marie agreed. "I hope it doesn't come apart while we're on stage. They'd know it was really us alright, but they may know it a little too well."
Her cousin frowned. "Hey, I worked hard on these. I even made it in our favorite colors."
"True, but I think mine's a little small." The younger one commented, tugging at the pad that rested on one of her breasts. "I can feel it pushing up on me." If I wasn't blushing before, I was now.
"They're supposed to be like that." Callie giggled. "It'll distract the audience if we make a mistake. All you have to do is hop up and down like this." She began to demonstrate, putting her hands on her head like a rabbit.
"Umm...yeah. I'm not doing that." Marie replied.
"Aww, come on, Marie! It's cute. Right Lusca?"
My mouth felt so dry, I wasn't entirely sure if I could even speak. Instead, I just slowly nodded my head in the affirmative.
"See?" Callie asked.
"Callie, with the way we're dressed, I'm pretty sure he'd say yes to anything." She protested. "Watch: Hey Lusca, are you communicating with the Octarian forces?"
As if bewitched, my head once more rose and fell to show the affirmative. Why wasn't my body listening to me? Were the figures of these angels truly so wonderful as to speak to my inner biology? "Hmm...I see your point." Callie muttered, walking closer and placing a hand on my forehead.
I immediately turned it away, as she had to lean over to do so making my hearts pump even faster, but she just came closer and wrapped one arm around me to hold me still. "Callie…" Marie muttered.
"I'm just checking to see if he has a fever." She replied, my body tensing up under her touch. "He's really red."
"He's really red because we're basically in nothing but our underwear. He's probably really uncomfortable having you that close to him while you're dressed like that. Don't worry, when we get back from the concert you can check on him then."
As Callie pulled away from me, my heartbeat began to recede back to it's slightly rushed pace, rather than the all out marathon it had just performed. "Oh, okay. Well, we'll see you later Mr. Octoling, I hope that you're not too sick."
As she headed past Marie towards the front door, she waved to me excitedly, followed by Marie's sarcastic salute. "Look after the house while we're gone." She called out, closing the door behind the both of them leaving me stunned in the room.
"L-U-S-C-A." The code came again, shaking me from my senses. "R-E-S-C-U-E C-O-M-I-N-G."
Rescue coming? I looked quickly out the window, fearful that I'd see the bodies of Callie and Marie just laying on the concrete. Instead, I just watched as they climbed into an old beat up junker, albeit hesitantly. As it peeled out, I shuddered and prayed that they'd make it to the concert in one piece.
"N-E-G-A-T-I-V-E." I quickly answered back. "S-A-F-E."
"W-E K-N-O-W." The reply came eerily. "M-E-E-T B-E-H-I-N-D N-E-W-S S-T-A-T-I-O-N."
A cold chill ran through my body as I quickly switched off the radio. I donned my mask, tucking the Electrozapper into my waist loop and heading towards the door. I had a bad feeling about all of this, but I had to see what was going on.
Callie frowned as her phone continued to ring. Her cousin off to the side watched curiously. "Still not picking up, huh?" She asked.
The dark-tentacled singer shook her head no. "Maybe he's asleep?" She suggested, tucking her phone back inside of her bikini. "I was worried he may have a fever. He did feel pretty warm."
"I'm sure he's fine." Marie answered nonchalantly. "Right now we're got bigger fish to fry. Like which song we're going to sing? If we're doing acoustic we'll need to do something they've heard us do acoustic before."
Callie pondered it for a moment. "What about 'The Current.' That seems like it would be a good song to make them recognize us."
Marie looked out over the stage to see a sea of people gathered in the square, along with almost all of the Inkopolis police force, clutching batons and pistols with Ink. She swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Callie, are you sure this is going to work?" She asked.
Now it was her turn to comfort her cousin. "Of course, it will." She answered, giving her cousin a playful hug. "We'll just tell them what we rehearsed. The Octarians framed us before capturing us from the prison but we managed to escape because one of the guards fell madly in love with us."
"I'm not sure they'd buy that." Marie muttered.
"Why not?" Callie asked. "It's kind of true."
"What part of that was true?" She demanded.
Callie thought about it for a moment before grinning. "We rehearsed it."
Marie placed her hand over her face. "Let's just get on stage and get this whole bad news over with." She muttered. As they stepped on stage, she tapped the microphone, bringing a quiet hush over the crowd. "Hey everyone, sorry about all of this. I know that some of you may be a little curious as to what's going on. Well, we'd like to explain a few things first."
I silently made my way through the empty alleyways before coming across the back alley the message referred to. "Sergeant Lusca." The leader of the splatoon greeted me with a salute. "My name is Major Miranda, these are my associates. We're here to rescue you from your captors."
"That's really not necessary Major." I replied, looking at the group of women around me. I'd heard the name Miranda before, the woman was not known for her compassion. "As you can see, I am unharmed. I am simply gathering intel about our enemy. There is no need for concern."
"You were not given such orders." She stated blithely. "News of the Squid Sisters' attempt to infiltrate us have not gone ignored down below. Right now, we have a new mission: eliminate the sisters."
"You can't be serious." I muttered. "We'll immediately get lash back. We can't even come close to them without an entire mob of people seeing."
Callie rushed on stage as well, a smile on her face. "See, we kind of were thrown in prison."
"Kind of?" Marie scoffed. "Callie, we were thrown in prison."
"Right. Anyway, it's come to our attention that many doubt our true identities. Looking at you, random guard. Whoo whoo!" She pointed at him with a grin, but his eyes focused harshly on her, causing her to clear her throat nervously.
"Point is, we contacted the police department and informed them that our supposed 'prison break' was not our decision. We were taken against our will by an underground Octarian cell. They'd framed us for the whole thing, hoping to try to cause disharmony amongst us."
"It's true. Sorry again, random guard." Callie pointed once more, his expression unchanging. "Whoo whoo." She added weakly.
Miranda pulled out a small satchel and held it infront of her for inspection. "This," she explained, "is a package of dehydrated Ink. Originally, we discovered that the concert was supposed to blow out confetti. However, an operative of ours was able to get in and switch it to their water source instead."
"What good does that do?" I asked, my hands resting behind my back where the pistol sat patiently.
She smirked. "Our group will sneak in there, and dump this bag into the reservoir tank that used to hold the confetti. That way, when the water sprays out during the big climax of their little 'show' it'll splat them instantly, along with the entire crowd."
I shook my head. "That's impossible, it'll never work."
"Well Sergeant Lusca, it's a good thing I don't care too greatly about your opinion. You've got two choices to make. Either you help us with the plan, or I execute you as a traitor."
I grit my teeth together, looking around at the group who watched me expectantly. "I…"
"So, after breaking us out, this mean Octarian tossed us in yet another cell. Callie and I were so heartbroken to think we'd never get to see our smiling fans again." This statement was met by a universal 'D'aww' from the crowd. "Yeah, yeah. Don't go getting all soft on us." Marie laughed.
"We managed to escape because, as it turns out, one of our guards was a huge fan." Callie explained. "We knew if we came back to Inkopolis though, our identities wouldn't be proven, and we'd still have to answer for the jail break. Our condolences to those officers who were hurt in the process, by the way."
"I'll do it." I finally surrendered. "I'll help with the mission."
"Good." Miranda stated, gesturing from the alley way. "As the two highest ranking officers, you and I will stealth beneath the stage and begin our preparations while the others hook up the pipes."
As we crept through the crowd, I could still hear Marie and Callie speaking on stage. I couldn't help but feel the guilt rising in my chest. They were going to die, and worse it would be by my hand. I prayed it would be a swift death. "So yeah, that's how we escaped." Marie finished, clearing her throat. "That being said, our first song goes out to our Octoling friend who helped us escape."
"Going down...Going down...down where my breath is the only sound. Going down."
As the music began to pick up, the radio on Miranda's shoulder crackled. "Good news." She whispered. "Agents are in place. All you need to do is pour in the ink and wait until the end of the song when the valve will purge."
"Going down...Going down...don't look for me now, I'm not around. All day long, I'm underground."
Flipping open the hatch, I looked into the large vat of water. Holding the package there, I paused. Callie...Marie...I could see their smiling faces just before they left still. This was my duty...wasn't it?
"What's wrong?" Miranda asked.
"And I've been thinking about the future! I've been waiting for the day! Let the current carry me, far away! Let the current carry me away!"
"Just give me a moment." I answered. I was surprised when Miranda permitted that for me. However, if she thought I wasn't able to see the gun she'd begun to draw from its holster, she'd be wrong.
"Current flows, but I don't know where it goes. I don't care, I just get it there. I took this job...because I needed one. It's been seven years since I've seen the sun. All day long, I'm underground."
"Hurry," she urged, "before the song ends." The music pounded in my head as I drew my gun and with a blast knocked hers from her grip.
"They live." I hissed. "I don't care what other mission you have to carry out, but those two are off-limits, do I make myself clear?"
"You do not get to give me orders." She snarled, tossing an ink grenade towards me. I managed to snap shut the hatch just as it splattered, preventing the deadly toxin from getting into the water. As it exploded in air, however, ink fell upon my skin causing me to hiss as it ate at my flesh.
"And I've been thinking about the future! I hope some day, I'll get away!"
I fired a few bursts from the gun towards her, but she managed to dodge it before sweeping my legs out from under me. Scooping up the package she went to the hatch and opened it, ready to throw it in.
"Let the current carry me...far away! Let the current carry me away!"
I hurled the Electrozapper hard, knocking the package from her hand on to the ground. Unfortunately, the pistol also ricocheted into the hatch to land in it with a plop. Just as she went to scoop it up, I rushed her throwing a fierce kick towards the side of her head. She managed to duck it just in time, but I quickly swept out and knocked the package out of arm's reach.
"Traitorous bastard." She growled, striking at my shin. As it connected, she took me to the ground before picking up her weapon. In shear strength, I surpassed her as I struggled to keep the barrel pointed away from me.
"And I've been thinking about the future! I hope some day, I get away!"
With a grunt of effort, I reached to her pack and engaged her super jump, sending her rocketing out from under the stage, before she caught herself. Grabbing the package, I took off in the opposite direction. I had to get rid of it.
Just as I was about to toss it into a trash compactor, Miranda leapt on my back driving me to the ground. "Why are you doing this?!" She shouted, unable to be heard by the masses at the concert. "You're an Octoling! Have you forgotten your own people?"
"But the current keeps bringing me, back around! It seems the only place for me is, underground."
Using my strength, I rolled over on top of her, pinning the gun above her head with a glare. "I am an Octoling, but you are not my people." I growled, striking her hard in the face and leaving her unconcious. Standing up, I grabbed the package and kicked the gun from her grip. Dumping both in the compactor I began to head towards the stage.
"So tomorrow when the sun comes up, I'll be going down."
With a fierce blow, my vision blurred. It corrected, only in time for me to see the remaining members of the squad surrounding me. I lashed out this way and that, avoiding attacks to the best of my ability.
Soon one fell to my strikes, then another. I was taking my own share of beatings, but I refused to go down, I couldn't fall! I had to protect Callie and Marie!
"Going down!"
I took out another one.
"Going down!"
Only one left now, the strongest of the bunch thus far. Taking her to the ground, I wrapped my arm around her throat, holding tightly until her body went limp, just as the song concluded. With a quick 'sploosh', I heard the entire crowd gasp.
Dropping the now dead Octoling, I turned to see Callie and Marie, safe but absolutely shocked to be covered head to toe in water. The entire mob began to cheer, even as the police officers lowered their batons.
Callie glanced around before her eyes met mine, and I could see a confusion in them before falling on the bodies that lay littered on the ground around me. "Thanks everyone!" She cried cheerfully, before nudging Marie and gesturing off the stage.
Turning back, Miranda was gone. This couldn't be good. For now though, it was the last I'd see of her. She was unarmed and her opportunity to kill them had passed. I began to flee back towards the shack. Perhaps I could deny my presence.
But almost immediately, Marie and Callie stepped from around the corner trapping me in the alley way. "Lusca, what's going on?" Callie asked. "I saw you with the other Octolings."
"Girls, it wasn't what it looked like." I murmured as they began to advance. Marie's eyes glowed with fury as she came closer to me. As I took another step back, I bumped into someone. Turning towards them, I saw the angry eyes of Captain Cuttlefish, just before I saw the butt of his gun as it crashed into my face, knocking me out.
When I came to, I was back in the shack. The radio I'd built was shattered to pieces and my head was pounding horribly. As I tried to reach to my forehead, my hand stopped short and I realized I was once again cuffed. This time, as I tried to pull myself out an electric shock caused me to roar in pain before I collapsed back into the bed.
"So you're awake." A voice muttered, my eyes flowing towards the voice to rest on Marie.
"What happened?" I asked. "Why am I handcuffed?"
"Save it, liar. We know all about your plan." Her voice was cold, more than it had ever been.
"Plan?"
"We found the pack of ink powder in the compactor. We know you were planning on using it in the water system. It'd explain why Callie and I ended up soaking wet after our first song."
"No, I wasn't." I muttered weakly before she slapped me hard across the face, causing me to tense against the handcuffs. Another electric shock slammed me hard back into the bed.
"You don't get to talk any more." She whispered, her eyes a mix of anger and betrayal. "You swore you wouldn't hurt us, but it's obvious you'd say or do anything to get what you want."
Just about that time, Callie came in with a small tray of food. I could see the hurt in her eyes, even if she wouldn't meet mine. "Callie." I whispered, but she said nothing, simply setting down the tray and leaving quickly. "Callie, wait please." I called after her, but she just vanished around the corner anyway.
"You hurt her pretty bad." Marie sighed. "And she's not the only one."
"I'm trying to tell you, I didn't betray you."
"Let me guess, you were liberating us from our mortal coil. Save your breath Lusca, you're never leaving this room again. We'll remember to feed you and water you...at first. But you know, sometimes people can be forgetful." She stared at the door where Callie had left. "Like when making promises to friends that they wouldn't betray them."
"Stop saying that." I muttered.
"You betrayed us. You betrayed us. You betrayed us." She repeated, glaring daggers at me. "You are absolute scum, and you manipulated us and our feelings to get what you want. Well you showed your cards too soon. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing someone beat your ass while you were trying to stab us in the back."
"Stop!" I shouted, causing her to fall silent. "I didn't…" I choked on my words, taking a moment to gain my composure. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Go ahead and let me die my slow death. You wouldn't listen to me anyway."
"Glad to see we have an understanding." Marie retorted, standing from her chair and leaving the room. As she shut the door behind her, she came face-to-face with her cousin. "What do you want Callie?"
"You didn't have to be so hard on him." She muttered.
"And if you keep being soft on him, he'll just end up doing it again. Clearly if we want him to stick around, we'll just have to keep him handcuffed to the bed. He obviously won't stay here on his own free will."
"He hurt me too!" Callie snapped, causing her cousin to raise an eyebrow. "I know you keep saying 'us', and maybe he can't tell, but I can. To you, he didn't betray us, he betrayed you. That's how you've always been Marie. You use Squid Sisters to hide your own feelings, and I'm sick of it."
"Watch yourself Callie, you're about to start a fight you won't be able to finish." Her cousin warned.
"I do believe Lusca." Callie finally stated. "You talked about promises to not betray friends. Well if you really did see him as a friend, you'd actually give him the benefit of the doubt. I know you're scared Marie, I am too. But how can we expect him to trust us if we never trust him?"
"God Callie, if you like him so much, why don't you marry him?" Marie asked exasperated, going to the kitchen to get some tea. Callie looked over her shoulder at the door. She contemplated going in there to talk to him, but both Gramps and Marie advised against it.
After a moment, she looked about to make sure no one was watching and silently crept inside. I'm ashamed to say the first thing she was was me, reaching desperately like a child towards a cookie jar just out of his reach. The tray was close, and I'd hoped if I could get ahold of it, I'd be able to eat something. It'd be the first bite I'd had all day.
When Callie walked to it and lifted it from it's resting place, my heart sank. So they did intend to starve me. Instead, however, she sat on the side of my bed and rested the tray in her lap where I could reach. "Sorry, I should have put it closer." She replied as I scarfed down the sandwich that was on the plate.
"It's fine." I muttered between bites, going quickly for more food. "I suppose it's fitting for a last meal."
"This is not your last meal." She whispered. "I don't care what Marie says, I'm not going to let you die. Even if you did plan on betraying us, which I know you didn't, I won't stoop to that level to let you die in my care."
I paused for a moment, my head hanging low. "Callie…"
"I'm serious Lusca. It's not fair to treat you like this."
"Callie! She's telling the truth...I did plan on betraying you." My words could barely be heard, but it was still enough to keep her stunned. "The Octarians wanted me to kill you and the rest of the crowd."
"Yeah, so?"
"What do you mean, 'yeah, so'? I betrayed you and Marie. I shouldn't have even considered it, but for a brief moment I did. I lost sight of everything and now, I need to pay the price for it."
"Well, can you tell me why?" She asked. "I mean, maybe…"
"No!" I snapped. "There's no excuse for it, Callie! I know you want to see some good in me, and I appreciate that. But you may just have to accept that I'm not good. I'm broken, okay? There's no coming back from this."
She just giggled. "We're all a little broken Lusca. But that's the point of friends, right? We help put the pieces back together again."
"I'm not your friend." I whispered softly.
"Lusca, don't say that…" she pleaded.
"It's true. I'm not your friend, I'm your pet. For days on end, I've been locked in this tiny room, with no way out. I know I told you I'd stay, but...this isn't how a friend lives."
She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close with a sniffle. "I'm so sorry Lusca."
"Me too." I replied, just before wrapping my arm around her throat. Her eyes went wide as she began to struggle, but I just leaned closer and whispered. "Don't worry Callie, I promise you won't feel a thing."
To be continued...
