Arc 3 Chapter 10
Izzy popped out of the kettle at the next dome. She jumped out and looked around. The dome was dark but illuminated by lights aligning the surrounding walls of the dome. The screens were off instead of displaying a fake sky above like the last dome. Ahead of the path was a large floating station that supplied power to the dome it was centered around. "What is this place?" Izzy asked herself. She walked over to the ledge of the platform she was one, seeing what kind obstacles would lie ahead. A sign near the ledge caught Izzy's attention. It read Zapfish Powerstation.
"Maybe this is where the great zapfish is being held," said Izzy. She turned back to the large hovering powerstation and spotted a path way leading to her objective.
"Izzy, you there?" asked Sheldon on the headset.
"Yeah, Sheldon. I guess this is were the octarians get their power supply for the domes," said Izzy.
"It's hard for the drone to see anything in here. I'm going to have a hard time spotting enemies but yes by what I can conclude is this is the octo rebel's main power supply point. I'm sure it's well guarded with numerous and better troopers to guard it , if the great zapfish is being held there," said Sheldon.
Izzy gave a deep breath as she was unsure what would lie ahead. "I can do this," said Izzy to herself, trying to reassure her abilities.
"Izzy you still there?" asked Sheldon as Izzy remained quiet and nervous.
"Y...Yeah, I'm fine..." she said with hesitation.
"Izzy, don't worry, you did well in the last dome just stay focused and watch your surroundings. I'm not going to be able to help you much as dark is the interior of the dome is. Think about what Blake said and you'll get through this," said Sheldon.
"Thanks Sheldon, your right. I got a zapfish to get back and I'm not going to let those octo rebels stop me. For Flash and all of Inkopolis!" shouted Izzy gaining her confidence back.
"That's the spirit! A squidbeak agent never gives up!" shouted Sheldon.
Izzy slowly walked down a path of floating obstacles but she soon noticed that some of the platforms ahead were electrified with a little generator on the bottom of them.
"Be careful Agent 4, It seems the surface of those platforms have been electrified but it appears they only stay like that for a few seconds, then you can walk over them. Watch your step and wait for the electricity to power down before going across," said Sheldon.
"Yeah, I'll be sure not to get jolted, I don't want to end up like grilled squid," said Izzy nervously.
She waited for the opportunity and jumped across to the platform and hopped off before it was electrified again.
On the next platform she spotted another crate and shot it. Inside were more power eggs she collected before continuing her path. Ahead was another electrified platform this time, it was spinning vertically with the generator on the side instead of the bottom. All 4 sides were electrified. Izzy thought for a moment and waited for a chance to hop on the spinning platform when it powered down.
She hopped on but lost her balance for a moment as if she was on a spinning log. She hopped across again before it was electrified making it to another floating surface with another crate full of power eggs. She spotted another electrified platform this time spinning toward her direction in a counter-clockwise motion. This seemed much harder to stay on as Izzy stared nervously hoping she wouldn't fall off. She gulped and jumped onto the platform. It spun and Izzy had a difficult time staying on as it spun. The generator hummed and was about to shock the platform she was on.
"oh no," said Izzy in concern. She hopped to another surface of the platform and barely made it across before it shocked the surface she was on but didn't make it on the next hovering platform. She grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up. She looked ahead and saw something at the other side. It was an orb-shaped object with fins behind it. "That's a riderail!" shouted Sheldon.
"Riderail?" responded Izzy.
"Yes, a riderail is activated when you shoot at it. It deploys a line of ink to the next dispenser. You can ride down it in your bipedal form to the next station," explained Sheldon.
"It sounds a little scary, are you sure I won't fall, Sheldon," said Izzy nervously.
"No, your shoes will allow you to stick onto the ink, you'll be fine, Blake's shoes can do the same thing," said Sheldon reassuring Izzy.
"Ok, then," said Izzy as she shot the riderail and as soon as she did it shot a stream of ink upward to the next dispenser creating an ink rail as Sheldon said. Izzy hopped on and she rode on to the rail. "This is kinda fun," said Izzy with her fear resolving. She rode down the riderail until she spotted an octotrooper on a tower the riderail was spiraling around. The octotrooper spotted her and shot its ink at the agent. Izzy splattered it as she kept going and another octotrooper was higher up retaliating, seeing its comrade be killed by the inkling. Izzy like the first one splatted it off its platform. The riderail ended at the top of the tower where another riderail dispenser was sitting.
The riderail dispenser was aimed toward the large power station at the center of the dome. Searchlights could be seen scanning the area around and she could make out more octarian rebels guarding the perimeter around the station. She shot the riderail and rode down. The line was in a straight downward slope heading closer to the station. Izzy rode the rail and soon some octocopters spotted her. They hovered over the rail and on the sides in an attempt to knock her off. She managed to splat 3 octocopters as she rode down to the next platform. There see landed on a floating metal platform as she looked ahead and saw more obstacles and octarians she would have to face.
Blake was making his way closer to the assembly line area of the octoweapons factory. He reached a pair of large double doors but they were locked. He rammed and shoved against them but they wouldn't budge. "How do I get through here? Is there a way around?" he asked himself. He turned around and headed back where he came from seeing another hallway. At the end was another pair of double doors.
He approached them and to his luck, he opened them but inside were more octarians. The room was large, filled with containers and bins. In the center of the room was a large machine that had a catwalk going around it that an octotrooper was patrolling. On the other side of the room was another octotrooper and twintacle guarding what looked like a large metal safe that was apparently still open with a large key inside it.
"I wonder if that key unlocks those doors back there?" asked Blake. He hid behind a bin containing large metal fish-shaped objects. The octotrooper looked toward his direction and then turned around the other way, continuing its patrolling. Blake snuck up closer until he got on the catwalk and hugged the cover against the large machine. He waited for the octotrooper to come back. Once it did he sprung out and knocked the little tentacle off his platform.
"What was that!" shouted the twintacle hearing the octotrooper fall of its platform around the corner. "Go check it out!" he ordered the other octotrooper. As The octotrooper made his way. Blake grabbed a metal fish-like object lying on the catwalk and threw it at the octarian once it got close enough. Like the first it was knocked off its platform. "What the! Intruder!" shouted the twintacle as it turned on the alarm. Blake ran behind it to stop the octarian but it was too late. He punched the twintacle and knocked it out.
The alarms were sounding out throughout the factory and the rebels were put on high alert. Octolings headed toward the room Blake was in, in octo form as they slithered down the hallway. "Crap! I guess everyone knows I'm here now!" shouted Blake. He headed over to the safe and grabbed the key that was in it.
He turned toward the exit to be stopped by octopuses jumping through the doors. They changed back and stared at Blake. One elite amongst the group stepped forward. "Well, well, well... what do we have here? What do you think your doing fossil?!" sneered the elite as she pulled her goggles up.
"Oh just taking a tour but it seems like I got lost on the way," said Blake rubbing the back of his head. "I think I'll be going now," he continued and when he stepped around the octolings they aimed their weapons at him to stop his movement. "You'tr not going anywhere...but with us," said the elite with her weapon aimed at Blake.
Blake backed up next to a bin full of metal fish and grabbed one. "I don't think so!" shouted Blake. He soon flung the metal fish at the octolings but they shifted forms and evaded the flying object and changed back shortly.
Get Him!" The elite shouted. The octolings pulled their octoshots towards Blake and began shooting. Blake took cover as the octolings shot at him covering the bin with their ink. "Hold your fire!" the elite shouted. The octolings stoped and the elite turned toward where Blake was. "Human! You have three seconds to comply! Surrender now and we may go easy on you! Escape is futile!" She shouted.
"What do I do now? Think Blake, Think," said Blake frantically until he thought of a plan. He remembered when he and Cuttlefish were surrounded by Octavio's forces during the war but unfortunetly he had no ink and had to improvise. He quickly looked through his pack and saw he was out of splat bombs. "Damn it!" jeered Blake.
"Times up! Move in and capture the human!" ordered the elite to the other octolings.
"Ok! I surrender!" shouted Blake as he popped out with his hands up.
The elite and regulars had their weapons drawn on him just in case he tried something. "Stay right where you are fossil!" shouted the elite. She directed two regulars to walk over and subdue Blake. He quickly reached be hind his back and pulled out an object. The elites haltered as Blake lobbed it toward the octolings, thinking that he had thrown a splat at the group. "Take cover!" shouted an octoling regular but it was too late as the octolings shielded themselves with arms but nothing happened.
"Huh..." responded on octoling as she looked and saw a krabby cake sitting on the floor among them. "What the..." replied another octoling then bam! Blake knocked the octoling to the floor as he then kicked another one down while they were confused. Blake grabbed another octoling that aimed her weapon at Blake but grabbed the octoshot as they wrestled with it. The fourth octoling aimed her weapon at Blake but he decided to then subdue the octoling he was fighting with and use her to shield him from the shot of ink she was struck by her comrade.
She yelped from the hit and Blake shoved her into the other octoling, knocking them both to the floor. Bam! Blake was struck in the back of the head of the elite. "Damn fossil!" she jeered as she hunkered down during the little skirmish. Blake rubbed his head and turned to the elite that was about to kick him. He grabbed her leg as she swung and flung across the laid out octolings. She landed down and recovered, soon she set her sights back on the human who got into a fighting stance.
"Ha...you put up a pretty good fight human...shame your little friend, that octoling turncoat didn't but don't worry...you'll be joining after we're done," she sneered, glaring at Blake.
Blake growled and rushed the elite, swing his fists but she evaded all of his punches and grabbed him. She kneed him in the stomach and delivered an uppercut to his jaw causing him to fly back and land on the floor. He spit up blood and wiped his mouth looking up at the elite. "Had enough?" she asked him.
"No, I've got room for seconds," said Blake as he gave her a grin. The elite sneered and got ready to attack but Blake spotted a pipe overhead and thought of a trick.
"You're tough, I'll give you that but it's time to end this little scuffle," said the elite. At that moment Blake rushed toward the elite but didn't count on him grabbing the pipe and landing a powerful kick launching the elite into the wall in front of him. The elite jeered and laid on the floor, incapitated. Blake jumped down and picked up the krabby cake. He took the cake and rubbed it against his shirt. "I know I'm breaking the 3 second rule but their's no sense in letting this krabby go to waste," said Blake as he bit into the cake.
He turned back toward the exit and looked at elite who was unresponsive and gave a deep sigh before finally leaving the room. Before he left he spotted the metal fish lying on the floor. He picked it up and examined it. "I better keep this as a weapon...or a sovenir," said Blake as he headed down the hallway.
"Sheldon? I haven't heard from you in a while, how's Izzy doing?" asked Blake still holding the metal fish.
"She's doing good, she's done gotten an upgrade collecting all those power eggs and moved on to the next area," said Sheldon.
"That's good to hear. I knew she could do it," said Blake.
"Thanks to your confidence in her. She managed to defeat an Octohurler in the dome she was in," said Sheldon.
"I can't take all the credit Sheldon. I think she's finally found confidence in herself. I just hope she doesn't get too ambitious and gets caught off guard but I'm sure she won't. Anyways, Sheldon you think you could air drop me an ink tank?" asked Blake.
"I'll see what I can do, but it's going to be hard since you're inside the factory but I'll see what I can do," said Sheldon. Blake reached the end of the hallway and stepped on a balcony. Down below was the assembly line where they were rebuilding the octoweapons for their army. He saw numerous octotroopers and octocopters guarding the floor. He looked around and finally spotted a zapfish being held inside an orb but it was being well guarded. Octosnipers were perched on the ledge of the platform, scanning the area for threats.
"Hmm...I gotta try and sneak over there without attracting attention. It's not gonna be easy though with all those talking tentacles guarding the whole area," Blake walked down the catwalk and to a staircase leading down toward the floor level out of sight.
"Captain...Captain..." said a faint voice as another could be heard snoring. "Captain," said the voice again trying to wake a sleeping figure. "CAPTAIN!" shouted the figure as the other jolted from their slumber.
"AAHH! W...What! I'm awake! What's going on!" shouted the startled Cuttlefish with big eyes as he flailed his arms.
"Captain, you fell asleep! We're almost at the cape!" exclaimed Cassie.
"I was just catching up on some sleep lass! There's no need to scare me like that. I could have fallen out of the boat!" said an agitated Cuttlefish waving his fist.
Cassie rolled her eyes and continued directing the boat. "I wish we could've taken another way to get there, I don't like surrounded by water, you know we can't swim," said Cassie.
It was a couple of hours that Cassie and Cuttlefish left flounder heights and headed for the docks. It was there that they had to use Cuttlefish's little boat in order to reach the cape since any other kind of transportation was down and mass transit was grinded to a halt. Cassie hated being on the boat being surrounded by water since inklings couldn't swim and would splat once they felt they were going to drown.
"Well with no power in the city, this is the fastest way to the cape, lass, I'm sorry," said Cuttlefish as he calmed down.
"(sigh) I guess I'll be glad when Blake and Izzy get Callie and the great zapfish back. I don't understand why the neo octarians couldn't have taken Octavio sooner. Then this wouldn't have happened!" said Cassie with annoyance. The octarians were initially supposed to bring Octavio back to the valley to stand trail for his past crimes but the operations of the octo rebels made less of a priority and the valley octarians instead put their focus on stopping the rebels and their plans to jeopardize the peace treaty.
"What's done is done lass, all we can do is entrust Bucko and your friend with the mission to find my grandsquid and the great zapfish, let's, for now, focus on getting to the cape," said Cuttlefish.
After 10 minutes, the two of them spotted the cape. On top of the cliffside was a lighthouse and cottage. Seagulls could be seen flying overhead while the ocean waves slammed against the cliff and rocks below. "There's a dock lass," said Cuttlefish after spotting a little boardwalk along side the beach. "I see it, Captain," said Cassie as the two of them headed for the little dock.
Cassie parked the boat next to the dock and the two of them headed off the and onto a step case leading to the lighthouse. The two of them made their way to the cottage and lighthouse and looked around. "What is this place captain?" asked Cassie. "All I know is it was built by humans, it's been here since I first spotted years ago while I was fishing," said Cuttlefish.
"Humans?" asked Cassie who was a little stunned.
"I would assume so since the signs are unreadable, it certainly isn't in inkling," said Cuttlefish.
Cassie walks over toward the cottage and looks inside. The windows were covered in moss and the inkling couldn't make much out inside the abandoned house. She headed over to the door to open it. "Be careful Lass, we don't know if anyone lives here or not," said Cuttlefish cautiously. Izzy slowly turned the knob and opened the door. She peered inside and looked. Much of the inside was coated with dust and mildew. furniture was coated as well and an old bookcase could be seen leaning against the wall toward the left side of the room.
She walked and saw that the place wasn't being abandoned. "Looks like no one's lived here in years, captain," said Cassie as she looked around.
"Your right lass, wonder what happened to the owner?" asked Cuttlefish as he followed her. The two of them look around in slight amazement. It was definitely abandoned as it seemed to have survived the great floods from long ago with the structure still sound but the walls covered in moss and barnacles.
Cassie spotted a dust-covered book on a table and grabbed it. She blew it off and opened it. The book read: property of Professor Jebediah Jones in small lettering on top. Larger lettering below read: Serum research on oceanic organisms. Soon Cassie recognized a logo on the bottom of the page. "Cuttlefish...isn't this the Kamabo symbol?" asked Cassie.
Cuttlefish walked over and looked. "You're right lass, that must mean we're on the right track, let's keep looking for anything else," said Cuttlefish as he spotted the Kamabo symbol on the bottom of the page. "I wish I could read this," said Cassie as she continued to look through the book. Inside were more notes but soon she stumbled across pictures of oceanic creatures. She saw pictures of sea urchins, crustaceans, and sea anemones. There were more sea creatures and then she spotted some cephalopods on the next page. "What are these... wait, a minute...that looks like a... squid?" said a flabbergasted Cassie seeing the picture of a normal squid. She saw the picture of an octopus on the page over. "An octopus?" said Cassie in confusion.
Cassie was locked on the picture of the squid and octopus. "They look different, could these... have been our ancestors or something?" said Cassie. She turned toward Cuttlefish. "Hey, captain, the sunken sea scrolls said that we walked on land many years ago, did our ancestors before that live in water?" asked Cassie.
"I believe so, all I remember is being taught that we did many years ago at one time, but I'm not sure why; no one does," said Cuttlefish.
"If I could only read this book, maybe we'd get more answers," said Cassie.
"Maybe this Kamabo company knows since their logo is in that book, I'd like to take this book back with me" said Cassie. Cassie placed the book back on the table and then spotted a picture on the wall. She jumped up and grabbed it. She wiped it off and saw the picture of a human giving a peace sign with a cat. The cat looked very familiar, then she realized who the cat was. "Judd?" she exclaimed.
"Captain, you said you found Judd in a pod like the one Blake was in before the war. Could this been a friend of his?" asked Cassie.
"I don't know agent, Judd as far as I can remember doesn't know much about his past, much like Blake was," said Cuttlefish as he walked out.
Cassie put the picture back on the wall and went out to follow the captain. They both headed for the lighthouse and opened the door. Inside the lighthouse was a spiral staircase leading up to the top. Under the staircase was a room where Cassie and Cuttlefish decided to head to. Inside was a personnel office with a bookshelf and a desk. A lab set with beakers, tubes and a burner laid on a table. On the wall opposite of the bookshelf was a shelf with jars, canisters and other interesting items. Inside them were different objects possibly samples of some kind from experiments. Cassie spotted what looked like a keycard on the desk and examined it. On it, was the Kamabo logo but it had inkling writing on which Cassie could read: Kamabo Access Card.
"What is this doing here and why is it in inkling?" pondered Cassie. She examined the room again and noticed that it was much more preserved and untouched by the weathering of age and uncovered by the dust and moss. "Why is this place so clean and well, preserved, unlike the place next door? It's like someone's been using it," said Cassie. Cuttlefish also noticed especially with electricity still running the lighthouse, unlike the cottage. As the two looked at the card a noise behind them got their attention as they quickly turned around. A figure appeared through the doorway of the room. Cassie and Cuttlefish jolted from seeing a silhouette of a figure holding a weapon on them. "I was hoping you two wouldn't come here," said the figure as Cassie and Cuttlefish were startled as they stared at the figure.
Meantime Sergeant Maxie was being taken to a location known as Tentacle Towers. She was being transported in a small armed convey of three Octostomp DXs. tracked APCs that were supplied to the octo rebels in very limited numbers by the red queen. The had the appearance of a tank but with an octarian face in the front. The octo rebels were taking the sergeant to an abandoned city constructed by the octarians years ago before the great power outage. This city was to be named New Octopolis and expansion of the capital back in Octovalley due to the growing population of octarians.
The city was left abandoned due to the great power outage 50 years ago. For some time it was run by octarian bandits searching for food or supplies until they either left out or joined the octo rebels. Since then it has provided a mainstay for the octo rebels. The convoy came out of a tunnel on a road leading to New Octopolis, inside the city they headed for a tall building that was erected in the center of the city, known as Tentacle Towers. The large building was shaped sorta like three giant tentacles that shot up from the foundation and leaned downward. The building was incomplete and under construction when the project was left abandoned exposing the inner floors and incomplete surfaces and temporary elevators.
The convoy stopped in front of the tower and the octolings dismounted. The middle Octostomp DX was where the sergeant was held and she guided and out and led inside the towers. "C'mon!" shouted an octoling that pushed her with her octoshot. The group headed up at the top floor several floors above where the sergeant would be confined. The group walked out of the elevator and made their way through the top floor to the otherside where there was a large caged area that was originally used for holding tools and equipment for construction.
"In here!" commanded an octoling to the sergeant. "Move it!" shouted the octoling behind Maxie as she pushed her in the cage. Just as soon as Maxie was in she was knocked out from behind by the octoling's weapon. She fell to the floor unconscious. "Have a nice nap!" sneered the octoling as she walked out and locked the cage behind her.
As some of the octoling rebels left one octoling stayed behind looking at Sergeant Maxie, her commander when she was a assigned to her recon team. She was put in a trance by the neo octo goggles she was wearing. It was Selena staring at Maxie with a blank expression trying to resist the power the goggles had over mentally. But to no success, all that could be heard was "I'm sorry, sergeant," Selena said saddened but faintly. She left following the rebels back down.
"Sergeant-Major to Major, come in," said the rebel octoling.
"Major to Sergeant-Major report!" shouted the scar-faced elite over the radio.
"The traitor has been placed in confinement as you ordered," said the sergeant-major.
"Excellent, all we have to do is wait for that human to take the bait and rescue the little turncoat," sneered the elite still on the radio.
"We'll be ready for that human if he can make it past the octo-samurai," said the sergeant-major.
"Once we have that human in custody, Operation Teal Dawn will continue on its final preparations," replied the elite.
"But what about Octavio, we know he's not onboard with Teal Dawn and wants to attack Inkopolis soon, once all of our forces will be ready," said the sergeant-major.
"Let me deal with Octavio, he may be our commander but the red queen is calling the shots. He is still useful but it is unfortunate that he would decline his support for the Red Queen's plan for a new world. We will make the promised land a reality, Octavio or not. Long live the octarians!" said the elite.
"Long live the Octarians!" replied the sergeant-major along with the rest of the octolings in the room as they held their weapons up.
As the scar-faced major got off the radio with the sergeant-major she was on her way to a location known as the vault. She got a hold of the red queen on her octophone. "Yes, Ma'am I'm headed for the vault along with a platoon of my forces," said the major.
"good, inform me when you get there, it's a shame that my grandfather is not willing to aid us in the operation. Once we've captured the human subject we may be able to get inside. Once we do our goal will be met and we commence the final stages of Teal Dawn. A new perfect world will begin and no longer shall there be a divide between inklings and octolings," said the red queen.
"I assure that human will not escape this time," said the major.
"For your sake, he better not," sneered the red queen.
"Yes, ma'am," said the major.
"Call me when you capture the human and get inside the vault," said the red queen as she hung up.
The major put her phone away and continued down to the vault with her platoon of octolings.
In a faraway land across the ocean somewhere is another war was being waged two sides that have yet to be revealed. What remnants of civilization was battling for their survival over powerful and unknown enemy that seeked to control or destroy their adversaries and was slowly gaining a foothold over the opposition and winning the war. Can these remnants hold back against their powerful enemy and survive as they were biding their time and running out of options.
A figure was attempting to sleep only for it to be interrupted. "Hey...Hey!" shouted another voice. They mumbled and blinked their eyes.
"Huh? What?" responded the figure as they looked around. The room was vacant with brick walls and sunlight bleeding through the ceiling. They rubbed their eyes until the presence of another figure caught their attention. This new figure was neither an inklng nor an octoling or for that matter any ocean-based life form but a human. He was wearing a baseball cap and a button up flanel shirt. His eyes were blue with short brown hair under his cap.
"Dude, it's been over an hour and I'm sure they're wondering where we are at, you need to get up," said the human.
The sleeping figure then stood up and stretched. They like the first figure was also a human. His hair was a little longer and more unruly that the other's. He had brown eyes and wore a red bandana across his head. He was wearing a t-shirt with a vest and a bandolier across his torso. He turned to the other human and scratched his head.
"Bro, what do you expect. We were up all of last night pulling guard duty at the main entrance. Has anyone been on the radio?" asked the human with the bandana.
"I haven't anything, it's been quiet...odd," said the human wearing the cap. "We better leave before Marcus starts screaming on the radio where we're at," he continued.
""When does Marcus not chew our asses out. That guy can be a real dick," said the human with the bandana as he grabbed his shotgun laying against the wall.
"Maybe so but he's still in command...what was that?" exclaimed the other human as he picked his sniper rifle off the floor. He heard what sounded like something getting knocked down in the room behind them. He turned back to the other human and then they both looked. "We better check it out, we might not be alone," said the human wearing the cap.
The wall behind them going into the other room was covered by a fake wall, a shroud that hid them so they wouldn't get caught. The human wearing the cap pulled the fake wall up and peered inside while the other human aimed his shotgun into the entry way. The walked in with their weapons up on guard for any intrusion. They didn't spot anything and continued on through the decrepit building.
"Stay on guard and be ready for anything," said the human with the sniper rifle.
"Got ya six bro," said the one with carrying the shotgun.
They both stepped in a large room filled with chairs and tables. They hopped a large stage after leaving out of the other room. They stayed on guard and scanned the area with their weapons drawn. "Clear!" shouted one human. "Clear!" shouted the other. They made their way to a pair of double doors on the other side. Still alert they slowly opened them and scanned the room.
"So far so good, I guess paranoid is all," said the human with the baseball cap.
"Yeah..." said the other human nervously rubbing the back of his head. Just then a flock of pigeons flew from behind some turned over tables and over the two humans. They both panicked and hit the floor. They yelped and covered their heads as they were surprised at the flock of birds that flrew over them and out of a hole in the roof.
They slowly got up and looked up, seeing birds fly off. "Dude, you were so scarred," said the human with the bandana as laughed.
"Look who's talking! You were the first one to drop!" shouted the other angrily.
A loud stomp startled the two as the human with the cap was about to hit the other, but the noise jarred them both toward the direction of the stomp. They aimed their weapons toward the entrance of the lobby they were in and lowered them once they saw a figure standing in front of them. The figure was another human sporting a od green jacket and camo cargo pants. He had short spikey dark hair and glared at the two other humans. The two of them looked at each other with worrisome expressions.
"Umm...Marcus...hey, we can explain, me and..." started the human with the bandana. "Can it Flint!" shouted Marcus as Flint backed up. "You two were supposed to be patrolling the street! Not dicking off somewhere!" shouted Marcus with anger.
Marcus then turned his gaze toward the human with the sniper rifle. "What do you have to say for yourselves," he asked with his arms crossed.
"Marcus it's been a long day. Me and Flint were just searching the building, we thought we heard something, but a flock of pigeons startled us," said the human with the sniper rifle.
"Well, if you two were doing your damn job you haven't to worry whether or not it was the enemy or a flock of DAMN BIRDS! I want you two back at..." shouted Marcus but another figure cut him off by grabbing his shoulder from behind. The fourth figure was another human, He wore a black vest, black shirt and black cargo pants as if it was some kind of uniform. "Marcus, calm down," said the figure.
Marcus turned toward the two with a frustrated expression and gave a deep breath. He then turned and looked at the other figure in all black. "Fine," he said in defeat as he stormed out of the building they were in. The figure in all black then turned to the other two humans. He crossed his arms and gave a sigh. "Flint...Stone...I want you two to continue patrolling and only patrolling, we afford any surprise attacks, not after how things have been going for us...report back to base camp once your shift is over," said the figure after he walked out.
Deacon had returned to base camp, which he then met back up with Marcus who was brooding in the tent. "Marcus, you got a minute," asked Deacon as she opened the front dooray into the tent.
"Yeah, I guess," said Marcus as he stepped out.
"Marcus (sigh) you need to keep a cooler head. Those two can be a pain in the ass but we need as many personnel defending the sanctuary as we can. We've done lost too many as it is," explained Deacon.
"I know...it's just things have been going downhill for some time now. Morale is declining and so his ammo and supplies. You remember the story I told you...about the colony, about us waking out of those pods 100 years ago. Our parents and their parents were the ones that established the sanctuary. A place where mankind could start over after the great floods from long ago. My folks told me about the city from long ago before the resource wars and oceans finished us off.
"Yes, I remember the story you told me and that your folks..." said Deacon as he then bit his lip as Marcus's expression turned to slight distress.
"Things will get better Marcus," said Deacon as he placed his hand on Marcus's shoulder. Marcus turned away and back inside the tent. Deacon downed his head and turned away seeing that couldn't lift his friend's spirits who dwelled on the dire circumstances they and the remnants of humanity were in.