Arc 3 Chapter 11

Callie was still in a coma-like state unable to move or wake up due to the hypnoshades that were constructed and placed on the squid sisters face. She had no control of her body and was wearing some kind of revealing suit that looks like something a pop singer would wear. Octavio had just come into the room that Callie was lying in. A dark-complected octoling elite was in the room observing her as he came in. "Well, what's the status of our new performer? squirt," asked Octavio.

"Sir, the squid sister has so far shown some resistance to the shades. She does follow our commands for a period of time but afterward she stops and attempts to pull the shades off. We have to stun her with the shades but we don't want to cause any brain damage. The shades are already set to a high level, anymore and the effects of the shock could fry her brain," said the elite.

"Do whatever it takes! I want to know that the inkling will follow my commands without hesitation. She is a key asset to our plan for invading inkopolis and controlling the rest of the inklings, especially her counter-part and that hipster Cuttlefish," said Octavio with a commanding voice.

"Yes, sir, I'll be sure that our engineers work on the hypnoshades and see if she'll be subjective to our commands," said the elite.

"Good, I want my concert to go without a hitch," said Octavio as he left out of the room followed by the elite.

As Octavio and the elite left. Callie had a tear run down her face hearing what had been said between Octavio and the octoling. She fell back into a deep sleep and was finishing the dream that she had before.

Callie was being led by Marie down a hallway. Marie was in the green and white dress from before while Callie was still in her white and magenta wedding dress. "Marie, wait!" exclaimed Callie as she stopped.

"Yeah, Cal, what is it?" asked Marie as she turned back and looked at Callie.

"I'm...so nervous, I know this is a big day and all but..." said Callie hesitantly before she downed her head carrying the bouquet.

"But what? You pushed for this wedding after Blake proposed. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Cal," said Marie.

"This has just happened so fast, I don't know how to handle it," said Callie as she sat down on a nearby bench.

"(deep breath) Cal," said Marie as she sat down next to her cousin. Callie had her head down looking at the floor while Marie reached over and placed her hand on Callie's shoulder. "We've known each other since we were hatchlings back in Calamari County... if you're having second thoughts then you need to let us know, especially Blake," said Marie.

"No, I... want to get married to Blake. I love him, Marie. I guess its just...I'm real nervous, this is a big day for me, for Blake. I know he's the one," said Callie locking on to her cousin. Marie stared at her cousin unsure what to say, not wanting to encourage doubts to her cousin or say something that would hurt Callie's feelings. Callie soon got up and puffed out her chest. "I'm getting married, Marie," said Callie as Marie looked at her and a smile soon come across her face.

"Oh, Cal, I think you'll make a great wife and I think you'll Blake a proud husband. Especially since he'll have to put up with you, I think that'll be the real test if you got a keeper," said Marie as she got up before giving a smirk to her cousin.

Callie got a little flustered and red-faced after her cousin's comment. "What do you mean, put up with me! I..." started Callie but saw her cousin chuckling and realized that she was picking with her. Her slight annoyance with her cousin went away after Marie gave her a smile and her expression turned more serious. "You really think I'll make a good wife, Marie?" asked Callie meekly.

"Of course you will, Cal. I think you'll make a good mother too, won't be longer after, you and Blake will be hearing the pitter-patter of little tentacles," said Marie as Callie blushed.

"Marie! I think it's still a little early to talk about motherhood!" exclaimed Callie with a red face. Marie just shook her head smiled as Callie tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Ok, Cal,... c'mon, I think your groom has waited long enough," said Marie.

The two of them left Callie's parent's home and headed off to Skipper Pavillion where the wedding was being staged at for all of Calamari County to see. The two of them were escorted there by an SUV driven by a jellyfish chauffeur. Callie couldn't believe she was about to get married and especially to the human she loved. The trip to the pavilion was quiet with Callie nervous but anxious to get there. The vehicle soon pulled to Skipper Pavillion where the wedding was to be held. Many inklings, fans, and friends gathered around to see the wedding. Callie and Marie's family was already inside the main hall of the pavilion. After traversing through the crowd od anxious fans, they headed up to the main entrance as jellyfish guards blocked the stairway to keep the inklings away.

The two stood outside of the main hall in the lobby that was behind two large double doors. Callie gave a deep breath as she closed her eyes. "Cal," said Marie.

"Huh?" responded Callie.

"Things will be alright, it's your big day and everyone's going to be happy for you," said Marie as she grabbed Callie's shoulder.

"Oh, Marie," said Callie as she hugged her cousin with a bouquet in hand as she started to cry. They pulled away and Callie sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Just remember to throw the bouquet at me, ok. I don't want to have to take it from little Anne," said Marie.

"Ok, Marie, I'll remember, well...I'm ready," said Callie as the two opened the doors and headed in.

The dream ended and Callie was still lying on the bed unresponsive. She closed and hands and gripped the bed was laying trying to break out of the trance she was in. It was no use as the squid sister saw that it was futile. "Blake...Marie...I miss you," she mumbled as she started to cry.

On the assembly floor of the octoweapons factory were layouts of different conveyor belts transporting Sardinium and power eggs further onto the floor for use in constructing octoweapons and other equipment. Their were multiple octarians guarding the assembly line in full force as to not let anyone jeopardize their operations. Blake kicked open the doors and observed the floor. He wasn't spotted yet and rushed behind a pile of crates before he did. Shortly a loud crash and the busting glass caught the attention of the human as he quickly looked up and saw a large drop behind him, almost landing on top of him. "Inkoming!" shouted Sheldon just as the crate landed behind Blake.

"Sheldon! You could gave me a warning sooner not to mention you've probably garnered attention from every octarian on the factory floor!" shouted Blake. Sure enough, the guards were moving in on Blake's location to investigate the crash. Blake quickly opened the case and saw a new tank full of ink and recycler built-in it like the one he had. He turned and saw the octotroopers spotted him. "Intruder! Intruder!" They shouted before shooting at Blake.

"Oh carp! A welcoming party!" shouted Blake as he dove behind cover. The octarians coated the pile of crates with ink. Blake took every chance to lean out of cover and splat each octotrooper he could. "I should've asked some splat bombs, carp...all well time to improvise...again," said Blake with slight frustration. He spotted some ink barrels behind the octotroopers and wondered what would happen if he it them. Think of the red barrels you would see in various video games when they would explode.

"Worth a shot," said Blake as he popped out and shot at the barrels behind the octotroopers. Sure enough, the ink from his weapon and the ink inside the barrel caused it to burst and kill the octotroopers in front of it. "That was...convenient, glad it worked," said Blake as came out from behind cover.

"A, Thanks Sheldon! would be nice," said Sheldon with slight irritation.

"After you almost crushed me with that thing, (sigh) I guess fair enough...thanks Sheldon," said Blake with exasperation.

"You're welcome...also you've got more octo rebels moving in on your location," said Sheldon as the drone could spot movement from the skylights above the factory floor.

Blake ran up to the corner of a wall and spotted the octosniper perched on the balcony ahead of him. "I won't be able to reach that tentacle from here, I gotta try and sneak past it somehow," said Blake. He crouched down and snuck behind a large crate and then rushed to another. So far the octosniper didn't spot him and he was just close enough to hit the octarian when all of a sudden another octotrooper appeared behind him skidding on it's platform. It spotted Blake and jumped up. "It's the fossil!" it shouted. Blake quickly turned around and shot the octarian of it's ride and the octosniper turned toward Blake with an angry glare. It lined it's laser on him and shot. Blake rolled out of cover before he got hit.

"Damn it! If it wasn't for that tattle-telling tentacle..." jeered Blake as an ink shot beamed past him from the octosniper. He jumped behind cover again, out of range and now powerless to the sniper fire. More octotroopers converged on the floor and appeared that Blake was about to get overwhelmed. He couldn't stay in one spot as the octosniper shot at his cover. He spotted a conveyor belt behind him and hopped on.

Blake struggled to get his balance on the moving belt and spotted some octotroopers perched alongside the conveyor. They soon spotted him and attacked. Blake laid down and evaded the ink as much as he could. crates could be seen moving on the conveyor and took this opportunity to use them for cover. He it one octotrooper once he got close enough and then the other further up as the cover protected Blake from enemy ink.

Further up a catwalk ran across the conveyor line and little cube-shaped octarians dropped down and hobbled toward Blake. "What are those supposed to be!" exclaimed Blake.

"Those are octostamps! They're formidable in numbers. Don't get squashed by them!" explained Sheldon.

"Squashed?" replied Blake as one octostamp hopped on the crate he was behind and jumped off to smash Blake on the belt. It's face against the conveyor as it kicked it's little legs. Blake managed to jump back to evade the attack.

"They're not so tough," said Blake as the octostamp got up and stared at him. The other octarians caught up and formed a barrier as to not let Blake get through. Another stream of ink shot past Blake as he saw the octosniper trying to pick him off.

"Little bastards! Alright then!" shouted Blake as he shot at the little octostamps. He killed one while the other three hobbled toward him. The first one tried to smash Blake as it jumped up but he clubbed it with his hero shot knocking it back. The second , like the first, jumped up and attempted to smash Blake but he avoided it. The third one moved in a jumped up into the air and Blake kicked it off the conveyor as it splatted on the floor.

The last two slowly stalked Blake. Then the both jumped up and landed where Blake was as he made a leap into the air before they could land on him. Blake aimed his hero shot down on them from midair and splatted both of them before they could get up. Blake dropped backdown and headed over to the very last octostamp that he struck with his weapon. The octostamp woke up and stared at the end of the hero shot. "Ready for more?" Blake asked it coldly.

The little octostamp gave a shriek and jumped up and hopped off the conveyor, splatting on the floor below. Blake just shook his head and gave a smile. It seemed the way was clear on the conveyor as he rode it toward the end.

Back at Ammo Knight's, Sheldon was keeping an eye Blake. He was impressed with his progress and the front door of the shop got his attention. He walked out of the room to the storefront and saw two inklings walk in. "Hey, you two know that the store is closed due to the power outage right," said Sheldon with hands on his hips.

"We're sorry Sheldon, it's just we had a question to ask you," said Jazz.

"Oh, what is it?" asked Sheldon.

"We were hoping you've seen or heard anything from our friend, her name's Izzy. She has short yellow tentacles and eyes. She hasn't been in Inkopolis very long," said Jazz.

"She had a splattershot jr. So assume she came in here sometime before for a starter kit," said Ben.

"Oh, yes I know her, but I'm afraid I uh...haven't seen her, sorry," said Sheldon hiding his acknowledgment of the squid girl as he rubbed his head and gave a fake assuring smile.

"huh... why are acting weird?" asked Jazz. "Yeah, you act like you're hiding something. You sure you haven't seen here, we really need to know for our friend Flash," said Ben.

"Look I'm sorry you guys but I haven't seen her since she picked up the starter kit. All I can say is she'll turn up sometime. Now, I gotta get back to work... best of luck finding her," said Sheldon as he walked away.

The two of them looked at each other and made their way out of the store. "I wonder what that was all about?" asked Jazz. "I don't know, but Sheldon knows something but what?" asked Ben.

"Well those sense in sticking around, let's just head to Flash's place," said Jazz as they leave the square.

Back in the shop, Sheldon was relieved the two of them had left. He hard time trying to keep his composure and didn't want Izzy's agent work revealed. He turned back to the monitors that was being fed from the drone. He soon got a radio call from Marie back at Mt. Nantai.

"Come in Sheldon," she said over the radio.

"Sheldon here, what is it Agent 2?" he asked.

"How's Blake...um, Agent 0 holding up, has he retrieved the zapfish from the octoweapons factory yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet...I've been watching his progress though and I'm impressed but he did fight in the great alongside Cuttlefish and grandpappy too. He's in the factory now but he's dealing with octo rebels," said Sheldon.

Marie remained silent for a moment as Sheldon tried to get her attention. "Agent 2...agent 2, you...still there," he asked.

"Uh...I'm still here, I just...zoned out for a moment," said Marie.

"You alright Agent 2, you haven't been yourself since those two left for Octo Canyon. It's Blake isn't it...you haven't asked about Izzy in some time. You have feelings for him don't you," said Sheldon seeing through Marie's behavior.

"I uh...NO! It's my job to check on the agents nor to mention the fate of Inkopolis is at stake! Why would you think that...he's an agent and so am I..." said Marie in defense.

"Marie...I can tell. if you like let him know and don't bottle it up," said Sheldon.

Marie got quiet again over the radio. "Marie..." responded Sheldon to her quietness again. "I...do...love him but...Callie does too," she said meekly.

"That's...an uneasy predicament, What are going to do?" asked Sheldon. "I don't know... This is bothering me, I'm not focused on the mission. I'm too stressed over the loss of Callie and worrying about Blake. I feel like I'm stuck between having to choose whether to let Blake know but hurting Callie at the same time. It...wouldn't be right," said Marie.

"I'm not sure what to say agent 2, you'll have to decide on your own what you should do," said Sheldon.

"(sigh) I'm...not sure what to do. I'm getting off just let me know anything...Agent 2 out," she said as she got off the radio.

Sheldon turned back to the monitors from the drone feed watching Blake. "Oh, boy, seems Blake in the middle of another battle. I just wish the best for the two," said Sheldon.

Izzy was hopping from platform to platform shooting octarians and going through multiple obstacles. She managed to splat more octotroopers and octocopters before getting to another riderail at the end of her path. Searchlights were focused on her and more octarians poured out of the power station to try and neutralize the inkling agent. She was heavily outnumbered and was running low on ink not having a chance to refill her tank.

"Sheldon, I'm in trouble here, what do I do!?" asked Izzy frantically. Just then her squidwatch lit up. "Huh?" she replied baffled looking at the watch.

"Your special has been activated, press the watch and use it!" exclaimed Sheldon.

Izzy mashed the watch as she reached the end of the riderail on another platform. Her tentacles had a yellow flame envelope them as a glowing aura formed around her body. She felt empowered and was stunned at was happening. "JUmp up and land toward those octarians below you!" shouted Sheldon. Izzy did what the horseshoe crab said and landed down on the octarian in a large burst of ink, splatting all the octarians around her.

"WHOA! AWESOME!" cheered Izzy as the effects of the special went away. "What the squid was that!" exclaimed Izzy.

"That's called Splashdown! Blake has the same special and has already used it. It comes in handy for large groups of enemies," said Sheldon.

"He does, cool! " said Izzy. The remaining octarians screamed and ran from the sight of the inkling girl's attack. They fled back inside the power station and locked the door behind them. She ran over and couldn't get the doors to budge. "Use the riderail on your right, it should take toward the top of the power station and get you inside," said Sheldon.

Izzy looked and saw another dispenser. She shot it and a stream of ink shot out and formed a rail around the power station. She hopped on and slid up the rail. "Izzy watch out for those transformers!" shouted Sheldon as he spotted electric transformers shooting sparks on top of the ink rail. "Jump over the spark so you don't get shocked and fall off the rail," commanded Sheldon.

As Izzy got close to the transformer it's electrical current covered causing it to shoot a spark on top of the riderail. Izzy jumped and evaded the electrifying current. There were multiple transformers alongside the rail and Izzy managed to get by all of them before reaching the end of the rail. She hopped off onto a balcony on top of the power station. She turned and looked through a large opening in the roof of the station and looked down.

She saw a large open area with no octarians in sight. The inkling girl looked around and spotted a zapfish in the middle of the large chamber below, before dropping down onto what looked like some kind of arena. It was lined with pipes, fluorescent lights, and signs. Izzy scanned the area for anymore octarians and made her way toward the zapfish. As she did a deep loud voice echoed through the chamber. It laughed before it decided to talk as it sent shivers down Izzy's back.

"So...you're the little inkstain that's been splatting my troops and taking our power eggs. Well...I'm sorry to announce that your little escapade ends here squid. I'll make sure you end up a large ink puddle in the middle of this chamber. So be ready and fight me if you dare. Because I splat with honor, you wretched little squid," said the deep gargled voice.

Soon purple ink surrounded the zapfish and a large tentacle popped out of the ink and grabbed the zapfish, pulling it in. Soon a bright light emanated out of the ink and a large figure rose out of it wielding a giant roller. It swung the roller down and gave a gargled roar. The figure was a bloated octarian sporting a black jacket with its tentacle tied into a large ponytail. It also sat on a unicycle and glared at the little inkling girl.

"W...W...Who are you?" asked Izzy frightened by the large octarian as she backed up.

The octarian gave a sinister grin and picked up his roller. "I'm the Octo-Samurai and this is the end of the line for you squid," he said as he prepared for battle, swinging the roller back down on the floor splashing his ink toward Izzy.

Cassie and Cuttlefish were staring at a figure that had their weapon drawn on them through the doorway of the lighthouse. The standoff was tense as Cassie and Cuttlefish did not expect anyone else to be there until the room in the lighthouse appeared to be recently used. "I wish you two wouldn't have come here," said the figure.

"Who are you?" asked Cassie who had her weapon drawn back on the figure.

The figure stepped up, exposing themselves into the light of the room. Both of them gasped at the figure that revealed their identity. It was Cleo holding up a splattershot pro. "Cleo," said a stunned Cleo slowly laying her hero shot down.

"Yes, I had hoped you two wouldn't find about this place. (sigh) But I guess you were determined," said Cleo lowing her splattershot pro.

"Why didn't you want us to find this place? What's going on?" asked Cassie.

"I was assigned by Kamabo to keep this place a secret. It leads to the deepsea metro that runs under Inkopolis," explained Cleo.

"The deepsea metro runs under Inkopolis?" said Cassie in surprise.

"Yes, it's a network of subway lines and testing stations. What I've learned is that it starts here and goes all the way to Octarian territory. It was built by humans thousands of years ago but I've only seen the entrance station where I've talked to C.Q. Cumber, I've never actually been to the other locations in the deepsea metro," said Cleo.

"You've been keeping stuff from us so far, why should we believe you now?" said Cassie sternly as she pulled her hero shot back up at Cleo.

"Lass, stand down! I believe she's telling the truth," said Cuttlefish as he placed his hand on the hero shot, lowering it down. "How do we get in?" asked Cuttlefish turning back to Cleo.

"The keycard on that desk right there," said Cleo as she pointed behind them toward the desk. Cassie turned around and grabbed the keycard. "This thing?" she asked.

"Yes, let me see it," said Cleo placing her hand out. Cassie hesitantly gave the keycard to Cleo unsure whether to trust her.

The three of them walk out of the room and back to the center of the lighthouse. Cleo walked over to a picture in the wall and flipped it over. It revealed a card scanner on the wall with a Kamabo logo on it. Cleo ran the card through the scanner, followed by a beeping noise as red light soon turned to green. "Access granted," said the scanner as the floor below them opened up revealing a staircase that led down below.

Cleo started to walk down the steps and turned back to Cassie and Cuttlefish. "You two coming?" asked Cleo. The two looked at each and then back to Cleo. They soon followed her down. The floor closed up behind them and they followed the stairs down until they reached the deepsea metro. The three of them walked down a tiled corridor that headed to the main subway station. Cassie and Cuttlefish looked around in amazement, never figuring that an underground subway network existed.

"So this is the Deepsea Metro," said Cassie in astonishment. She and Cuttlefish were perplexed by the station, it was large and they never thought it would run under Inkopolis. Cleo walked through the station gate followed by Cassie and Cuttlefish. Cleo sat down on a nearby bench and crossed her legs. "So what do we do now?" asked Cassie who walked over to Cleo.

"Wait, so you might as well find a seat," said Cleo as she crossed her arms behind her head.

Cassie sat down on another bench with Cuttlefish sitting by her. The three waited for the subway to arrive at the station. Cassie and Cuttlefish were eager to get answers and find out who this Kamabo company was. The station remained quiet as the three of them patiently waited for the arrival of the subway that was being conducted by C.Q. Cumber.

Back at Pygmy Mansion, Marina was in her secret lab typing on her laptop, going over research. Unable to get online with the grid down from the missing zapfish, this gave her ample time to catch up on her 'hobby'. Once an engineer in the octarian army before Octavio's defeat and the regime taking power, she couldn't let her profession go. Over the years she had put together her own personal lab without Pearl's acknowledge until months ago, unsure what her friend Marina would do that or why she's interested in stuff like that instead of staying up to date with the social network and staying 'fresh' with the latest trends.

Marina was incredibly smart and valued her work above her idol status, unlike her friend Pearl. She was focused on her laptop and for minutes had through the research she had been holding off for a week. A picture of a DNA sample pulled up on her screen. The DNA was neither inkling, octoling, or oceanic. It was a human DNA sample that Marina had stolen from the octarian researchers before she fled to the surface.

After a few minutes of scrolling and typing, she placed the data on a flash drive and hid it in her desk drawer. "There are so many missing pieces to the puzzle, just when I think I'm making a breakthrough. (sigh)" She got up and headed over to a shelf holding various items. She grabbed a canister that she took from the octarians before leaving the valley.

"What are you not telling me?" she asked herself studying the canister. She soon placed the container back on the shelf. "Right now, I need to focus on the situation at hand. I just hope the inklings don't jump to conclusions that the octarian government is behind this. It'll jeopardize the peace between them and octarians, especially if they decide to attack the valley. I gotta find a way to get a hold of Indigo Agent," said Marina.

She walked back over to her laptop and quickly opened it back. "I hope I can get in, once I do, I run the risk of compromising everything that me and Indigo Agent have been discussing but it's a risk I'm willing to take. The fate of peace is in the balance right now," said Marina.

She was frantically typing when she came across a firewall. "C'mon! (sigh)" she shouted in frustration.

"I guess with everything going on with the octo rebels and the great zapfish going missing the octarian government is putting security measures on their network. OK...(deep breath) time to bust in," she said.

After a brief moment, she got past the firewall and got inside the octarian's online network. "Phew...I'm in! Now let's see if I can find a way to get a hold of Indigo Agent before I get locked out," said Marina.

She hunted for Indigo Agent's profile to see if she was online. So far she had luck finding her. "C'mon Indigo, please be online this is of the utmost importance," she said to herself.

Marina finally spotted Indigo Agent and attempted to hack into her profile to get her to respond. Soon she answered. "Indigo attempted to block her but Marina informed her that it was her. "DJ_Hyperfresh?" the first message said. "What are doing hacking into my profile? I thought we were staying under the radar for now," messaged Indigo with annoyance.

"Sorry, Indigo Agent but this is urgent. I'm sure the octarian government is well aware of the situation of Inkopolis. I fear the inklings will retaliate and place the blame on the octarians in the valley for this. They don't know about the situation with rebels and their operations, as the octarian government has been trying to contain. Has anything been going on in the valley and if the octarians are responding to this?" asked Marina.

"Right now, what I've gathered just recently that I've been informed about the great zapfish's disappearance and the octarian government does know that the rebels are behind it. They're discussing plans on what to do and going through hypothetical scenarios if the inklings were to attempt an invasion plan. They may to go for a diplomatic approach and that's if the inkling government is willing to listen, but I'm not so sure since the inkling diplomats had never arrived to the octarian capital," said Indigo.

"I can only hope that maybe the squidbeak squad are doing something about it. They did stop Camper's gang and kept the human from getting into the hands of the octo rebels. If anyone can get the zapfish back and keep the octo rebels from starting a war it would be them," said Marina.

"I hope you're right, it would be quite a task for them to retrieve the great zapfish back from the octo rebels, not to mention fighting them on their own turf as well as their defenses. If not then war could soon brew between the races and we're back at square one again," said Indigo.

"I'm not giving up, right now I don't know what else to do except to lay low at Pearl's and continue my research project," said Marina.

"I remember you mentioning about over a month, before the discovery of that human. Have you come up with anything?" she asked Marina.

"Nothing so far, there's not enough data to conclude anything, but I'm sure that the DNA sample I took from the lab can prove something. If my theory is correct, I believe that the inklings and octarians have more in common than we think and possibly with the human as bizarre as it may sound. If this can be proven without a doubt, then this may end any wars in the future and bring a permanent between the inklings and octarians," said Marina.

"I guess bizarre would be the right word, but as far' fetched as it sounds, It may bring a permanent peace among the races but yet again I'm sure rebels could care less," said Indigo.

Soon a window popped up giving a warning to Marina. "Hey! Their trying to track us! We better cut the connection before we discovered," said Marina.

"Good idea, I'll do what I can on my end. Hope the squidbeak knows what they are getting into if they are going at the zapfish," said Indigo.

"Appreciate it, I'll let you go, DJ_Hyperfresh out," said Marina as she cut connection from Indigo before the octarians discovered what they were doing.

Marina closed her laptop and placed her hand under her chin. "That was close, I better not hack into the octarian network again. next time I might not be so lucky," said Marina. "I guess with the situation of the octo rebels the octarian government is taking measures on keeping any unauthorized persons from getting in the network, presumably the rebels. I guess for now we'll lay low and hope for the best," said Marina.

She got back up and left out of the lab to check on pearl who fell asleep on the couch. Marina leaned over behind the couch watching the bubble shrink and grow out of her nostril. She chuckled at the sight, seeing her passed out snoring. "Must be nice to not dwell on everything that's going on right now," she said. "I guess the life of a pop star but it does get my mind off the life before I met you," continued Marina.

Soon Pearl's eye slowly opened. She saw Marina's face and jumped up from surprise. "WAAAH!" she shouted as she fell on the floor. Marina covered her mouth to contain her laughter. "Rina! What's the big idea scaring me like that! What would happen if I thought you were a burglar or something!" she exclaimed rubbing her backside as she got up.

"Sorry, Pearly, I just wanted to come and check up on ya' " explained Marina still catching a disapproved look from Pearl.

"Well with no power you know the security system isn't going to be working. We have enough problems dealing with the paparazzi...what have you been doing in that lab of yours anyway?" asked Pearl.

"Just catching up on some research is all. We've been spectating and going places lately and with the power outage, it just gives me time to catch up on my personal stuff. You should try to find a hobby or something, Pearl," suggested Marina.

"I got enough hobbies, homie. As soon as the electricity comes back on," said Pearl as she crossed her arms.

"How about something doesn't acquire electricity. You know reading, constructing things, going camper or..." said Marina but got interrupted. "Hey! Yo! I find something to do with the great zapfish powering the city like uh...umm...quit looking at me like that! I can come up with something, geez Rina!" shouted Pearl as she walked away. "I'm getting yo! I can't think with an empty stomach!" she said as she headed to the kitchen.

Marina gave a sigh and shook her head. "Pearly, Pearly, what am I ever goin' to do with you...I just hope things get better between our races," said Marina as she walked off.

At the Inkopolis Defense Force Headquarters one older inkling with orange tentacles sporting a parka jacket with boots and wearing a beret on his head sitting at his desk going through paperwork, after a while he sat up and slammed his hands on top of the desk. "As if I needed more paperwork, I'm already swamped as it is. The Inkling Council is now breathing down my neck as to what about the octarian threat. I'm well aware of the situation and I don't need some lame-brained politicians telling me what I should do," he said in frustration. He leaned back against his chair and pinched the top of his nose. He turned to the window behind him looking out seeing the skyline of Inkopolis. He gives a deep breath and a knock on his door gets his attention.

"Come in," said the inkling.

"Commander Armie," asked a female inkling with cyan tentacles also sporting a beret.

"Yes, what is it, Captain?" said Commander Armie as she approached him.

"Sir, what are your orders, the inkling council is waiting for the IDF to react to the octarians violation of the peace treaty.

Commander Armie growled and turned back to the window. He had his eyes closed and gave a deep breath. "We'll mobilize the troops and place a blockade around the Octarian territory. For now, I'm waiting for a call back from our diplomats that have been trying to get in contact with the new Octarian government. As far as I'm concerned we're on standby until further orders. I say we attack the octarians before they launch an offensive as vulnerable as we are. I should have known the peace treaty was too good to be true. It's allowed us to be caught off guard and we should've known better to trust the octarians," said Commander Armie.

He turned back around to face the captain. "They will not rest until Inkopolis is under their rule and I will not rest until the octarian menace is finally dealt with. This is the final straw for them and they will feel the full force of the IDF. You have your orders, captain," continued the commander.

"Yes, Commander, I'll assemble the troops and prepare the navy to place a blockade around the octarian territory. Does this mean war has been declared, sir?" asked the captain.

"We're very close to that point," said the commander as he downed his head. "The diplomats have 24 hours to hear a response from the octarians or we move in on the octarian territory, if it were me, I would just plan the attack now. The octarians are and will always be our enemies, now you're dismissed," said the commander.

"right away, sir," said the captain as she saluted.

Commander Armie looked back at the paperwork in frustration as he moaned. "I miss the good ole' days of a simple yay or nay. Now you have to swim requisition forms to get anything done around here. It is what it is I suppose," he said before pulling out a flask of unknown contents, presumably hard liquor. He took a quick swig and placed it back in his desk drawer.

Meantime, the captain had traveled to the command center to rally up the inkling troops. There she met up an inkling named Miles. He was dark complected inkling with orange tentacles sporting a parka, boots, and a beret like the commander and the captain. He was a battle planner for the Inkopolis Defense Force and coordinator. "Captain Finn, what's the SITREP?" he asked.

"The commander is still waiting to hear back from the inkling diplomats. Frustrated is an understatement and the inkling council isn't helping matters. I just hope things get situated soon but He's authorized the navy to mobilize and form a blockade around the octarian territory as a show of force. Doubt they'll respond to it and give up the zapfish that easily. I say inkstrike the entire valley," said the captain.

"Well, you know the council. One minute, attack the octarians, the next don't attack and see if we work out negotiations. I was hoping that would adhere to the treaty conditions. We gave them enough zapfish and even allowed to come to Inkopolis for visitation and even trading for food and supplies. What more do they want? I just hope my wife and Ben, will be ok," said Miles.

"As the commander said, I guess it wasn't enough. Greedy octopi want the whole city. I just hope we don't wait around too long for the octarians to mobilize their troops and attack the mainland. Politics, you gotta love it," said the captain.

"Well, I'm not. I just hope the commander doesn't too overwhelmed by the bureaucracy. He's got enough on his plate as it is. Anyway, we'll ready the navy with the blockade orders. I just hope it's enough to make the octarians rethink what they've done. Going to war is the last thing war the last thing we need being we haven't been in one since the great turf war a hundred years ago," said Miles.

"Yeah, we're not exactly in shape for another war. We're outnumbered and outgunned by the octarian forces. I just hope the octarians don't think that as well, that we're just some squishy squid they can just run over. We have to play this carefully and show the octarians we mean business but if it comes down to an all-out war so be it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Just be prepared to bring a floatie when we fall in the water," said Captain Finn.

"That's reassuring but I guess we gotta be realistic. Hope we can protect Inkopolis before it's too late," said Miles.