Chapter 5
For the next hour, Michael and Meryl were sharing stories and discussing with one another of each other's races. Michael was fascinated by what Meryl had told him but not as much as Meryl as she could hardly contain her excitement of a live human saving her and his past life before the ocean's consumed the land. The thought of a human being frozen in time was beyond comprehensible. "It's hard to fathom what you've been through, the resource wars, being frozen in that pod thing you were talking about...I can't even express how excited I am to even meet a human, I don't know how anyone else would react if they found out that a human was still alive," exclaimed Meryl who was overwhelmed by excitement.
"Whoa, calm down... This is just as hard for me as it is for you to find out that the world is now inhabited by what did you say you were again...an octo-ling and ink-lings? You mentioned something about an army and war from years ago. You also mentioned you were a soldier like me? That's truly is intriguing. I'm guessing those tentacle creatures are octolings as well," asked Michael.
"Tentacle things, oh you must mean the octotroopers and they're technically not octolings. They're just grunts. My unit was sent here to find out what attacked them the other day...I assume that was you," said Meryl.
Michael rubbed the back of his head feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah...that was me, but they fired at me first. Instincts kicked in and had no choice but to fire back. I killed one of them, I'm sorry but I had to defend myself," explained Michael.
"It's ok I understand. They must have thought you were an inkling. I don't see how they can, you don't look like an inkling but they're also not smart neither," said Meryl.
"Inkling, those were the squid people right?" asked Michael.
"Yeah, they can change into squid and the octolings can change into octopi," explained Meryl.
"Change? How so?" asked Michael who was now curious.
"I'll show you," said Meryl. She hunched over and her body turned into solid ink and soon an octopus laid on the ground in front of Michael. Michael jerked back wide-eyed and then rubbed the little octopus to see if he was truly seeing an octopus in front of him. Was he seeing things or did the octopus girl really shapeshift in front of him? Michael was speechless and couldn't make any sense of it. "That's really...something but amazing. It's final! I am in a video game," said Michael as he shook his head.
Meryl changed back and stared at Michael. "What's wrong? Humans can't change forms?" she asked.
"No...we can't. (sigh) I shouldn't be surprised. When I woke up from cryostasis I wasn't sure what happened. If mankind survived or if the world would've stayed underwater. I don't recall a lot before I was frozen and why I was placed in that pod in the first place. What I do remember is I think I was some kind of test subject. I remember a lab and a needle being shot in my neck. I don't remember anything else," said Michael.
"I'm so sorry, you must be wary. You woke up in a strange world and can't remember much of your past life. Not to mention what you've been through, fighting in the resource wars. It sounds terrifying even for me. Do you remember any of your family?" asked Meryl.
'Vaguely..." replied Michael sadly.
"Who was in that picture with you?" asked Meryl.
"She...was my girlfriend, she's probably...dead, like everyone else," said Michael grimly.
"Girlfriend?" said Meryl. She then started thinking about Jacob and shrugged off her thoughts. Meryl wasn't sure how to respond or cheer up the human soldier. She then turned to his tent and saw his pack and weapon. "Um...hey I was curious about your equipment," said Meryl.
"Huh...oh, yeah, it's nothing worth getting excited about. Just rations, survival gear, and my goggles," said Michael. He walked over and opened his pack. Meryl was curious and looked inside. She grabbed a ration and examined it. "We have rations too but they're in tin cans," said Meryl.
'Sounds like C rations from before my time. If you wanna try one you can," he told her.
"Really," she said.
"Yeah, let me show you," said Michael as he grabbed the pack and heated it up. He opened the warm ration and Meryl smelled the food. He handed over the heated ration to an anxious Meryl, eager to try the strange human food. "They're not great but..." started Michael but he saw the octoling had done scarfed up the whole pack. "That was delicious! Do you have any more?" she asked, eager to try more food.
"Umm, yeah but I rather keep them for myself, sorry," he said. He was at a lose of words seeing how fast she ate the ration.
"Oh, yeah..." she said as she rubbed her head. She spotted Michael's goggles and thought about the goggles the army was working on. "Those are your goggles, can I see?" she asked him as he nodded. She looked through them and Michael showed her the different modes it came with. She was really fascinated by them and wished the octarian army had something like that. "Human technology is so fascinating, hey what about your weapon," asked Meryl.
"I'm not sure about my rifle. I know you said you were a soldier but..." started Michael.
"Oh please, I promise I'll be careful. I just wanna look at it," said Meryl as she pleaded with Michael.
"(sigh) Ok, but please handle it with care," said Michael.
"Don't worry it can't be that much different from my octoshot," said Meryl. Michael remembered the toy-like weapon Meryl had with her and thought to himself how incomparable they were. He nervously watched the octoling pick up his assault rifle. "Woah careful," said Michael seeing her having trouble holding it. "It's heavier than my octoshot, what kind of ink does it shoot," she asked.
"Ink? No, it shoots bullets. metallic pointed projectiles," said Michael.
Meryl pointed away from Michael and pulled the trigger. "Hey wait!" shouted Michael but it was too late. The rifle cracked and Meryl was flung back from the slight recoil. "Owww!" she jeered as the rifle laid down on the ground. Meryl stood up and rubbed her butt from the fall. "You ok?" he asked with a chuckle.
"That wasn't funny," she said with irritation as she crossed her arms. "but yeah, I'm ok. I think I'd rather stick with my octoshot," she said as she looked at the rifle. "Well, my position has been compromised (sigh) all well. I was hoping to not garner anymore attention," said Michael. "Sorry again, I was just curious. This stuff is so cool," she said.
"It's alright, I'm sure you need to get back with your team," he said.
"Yeah...I'm sure they think I'm dead by now. Well they'll be surprised once I get back and again thank you for saving me," said Meryl as she gave a bow.
"You're welcome sergeant," he said.
"It's Meryl, private Maxwell," she said with a smirk.
"I guess you're going to pull rank on me now," said Michael.
"I wouldn't do that, I'm not that serious," she said. She rubbed her arm as Michael looked at her. "I...probably could use some help getting back, you know just in case something were to happen," she said.
"I guess so, just let me get my stuff together," said Michael as he walked over to his pack. "Wait! how about tomorrow and I just stay the night, it's getting late anyway," said Meryl.
"You sure?" asked Michael.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she replied.
"Alright then but I gotta head back to that underground facility," said Michael. He looked up to figure out how he was going to get out of the canyon. "I suppose you wouldn't know a way up would you," he asked the octoling. She shrugged her shoulders and Michael gave a deep sigh. "Well...I guess I'll find a way," he said. Michael decided to sit down on the ground and think of a plan. Meryl continuously stared at the human soldier. Michael decided to lay down and stare at the top of the dome until he closed his eyes.
Meryl walked over and stood by Michael as she examined him. "He's...been so friendly to me, even though he's a human. To wake up in a strange world to only find everyone you know is dead and still keep your sanity. He's strong and optimistic, he's survived out here by himself. It's saddening to hear he'll never see his girlfriend and family again," she thought to herself as she looked at Michael. Conflicting thoughts were running through her mind. She thought about seeing Jacob with that other octoling and how he acted the night prior. She turned back to Michael who still had his eyes closed. "Michael seems like a good guy...So far we have a lot in common, Maybe..." she thought but snapped her self out and thought about what she said in her mind. "No Meryl he's a human and you're...(sigh) But should that even matter?" she asked herself.
"Something bothering you?" asked Michael who had one eye open looking at Meryl as he laid on the ground.
Meryl jerked not expecting Michael to respond. "Oh uh, it's nothing," she said nervously.
Michael raised his eyebrow wondering why she was acting like that. "Just thinking of a friend," said Meryl. "His name's Jacob, he really liked me but we had different perspective on issues. Let's just say he was pretty disappointed at me the last time we talked and I don't think he's gotten over it, " said Meryl.
"Sounds kinda like you two had some differences. It'll play out. Me and my girl didn't always see eye to eye on things but we got along in the end. Especially with me being in the military and constantly moving around from place to place. It was stressful especially for her. Like I said just give him room and things will play out like a said," said Michael.
"You think so?" asked Meryl.
"Sure, your an interesting...person. I'm sure things will settle between you and him. Once you two get to understand one another better. It's normal for couples to disagree on things," explained Michael.
"It is? Well, we're not technically a couple. Just good friends but Jacob wanted to be more than that," said Meryl. She then thought about how charming and friendly Michael was, like when her and Jacob first met. "Umm... Michael? Your girlfriend. What was she...like?" she asked him.
"She was... nice...affectionate... caring... my life," said Michael with slight depression. Meryl was regretting asking, seeing Michael's demeanor change.
"I...didn't mean to pry. I was just curious is all," said Meryl.
"It's fine. Let's just focus on getting out of here and then we can share stories again," said Michael.
"Oh ok then," said Meryl. The two of them sat down wondering if they would ever get out of the little canyon at the bottom of the dome and would Meryl ever reunite with her team. It seemed the little octoling sergeant was garnering a little crush on the human soldier but her mind was filled with uncertainties as she wouldn't know how the octarians would react to a human being alive. The two of them thought about how they would get out from below the dome. How Michael could get back to the underground lab he was in and if Michael was willing to go with Meryl back to the octarian base.
Brooks was staring at a large bulkhead door. It was apparently the main entrance of the facility but on the other side, he wasn't sure where it led. A small terminal was on the wall next to the large thick metal doors. A keypad was displayed on the screen as well as it indicated that the doors were locked. "I have to find a way to bypass the system or find the password...if I can," said Brooks.
He turned back the large corridor and contemplated how to get through the security system. He headed back down the corridor until he reached a large chamber full of vehicles and mechanized walkers. It appeared to be a large holding facility for military equipment. Brooks wondered if he could use any of it to get outside. The equipment was nearly 2000 years old and presumed that non of it was likely operable.
"I wonder why all this hardware has been stored here. There's enough firepower here to arm a small army," said Brooks admiring the equipment but as he looked he noticed an emblem on all the vehicles and walkers. "Kamabo? That was the company mentioned in that video but why is their logo on all this military hardware?" asked Brooks. "Who cares, I gotta get out of this place," he said as he left out of the large holding facility.
He headed further down the corridor when all of a sudden he was feeling nauseated and leaned himself against the wall. He held his stomach and felt lightheaded. "What's going on...I don't... feel so good all of a sudden," he said. He quickly bent over and puked. He looked down and saw that he had regurgitated some kind of black substance. It was thick and shiny. "What...the hell?" he said as he stumbled back. He braced himself against the wall after seeing the substance.
He shook his head and everything was fuzzy. He stumbled and kept his hand against the wall as he continued on. "What's happening to me?" he asked himself holding his head. The sickness was starting to go away and he decided to head back to the lab before finding an exit. He rushed to the lab and stumbled to a table looking for a syringe to draw blood with and grabbed one out of a draw. Sticking it in his arm and spotting a blood test machine that was powered, he stuck the vial inside the machine and ran some tests.
He looked anxiously at the terminal until the results came back, concluding that everything was normal until an unknown agent was located in his blood as well as the rest of his body the machine notified him on. He typed away at the terminal to specify what exactly was in his body. The machine gave up a bunch of codes and couldn't clarify what the agent was, only to assume it must have been what was shot in his neck from the video he watched before. He rubbed his neck again and leaned back in his chair.
"Great, those egghead scientists injected me with some kind of concoction and I don't even know what it is? Seemed like everyone was injected even Michael but he wasn't in the pod and Banks was dead. Nothing makes any sense, I assume Maxwell found a way out of this damn place but the bulkheads are locked down. Their must be another way out, I just gotta find it," said Brooks. He downloaded the data file and video on a flash drive and placed it in his pocket for safekeeping. He grabbed his things and wandered the facility for another exit.
He retraced his steps and explored the other areas of the facility. He soon stumbled across the ladder that went up to a hatch. The same way Michael headed topside. Brooks climbed up with his gear and reached the hatch on top opening it. He was absolutely stunned at his surroundings like Michael was. It seemed he was in a valley of some sort but when he looked up, the human soldier saw multiple platforms and objects floating above. The valley walls were covered with waterfalls as he spotted a stream near him as well as the wooded areas.
"Where the heck am I?" said Brooks. He decided to walk over and drink some water from the stream. It was fresh and clear. Brooks was still bewildered by the valley. Only remembering the oceans flooding all the landmasses but the valley appeared to be untouched. Was human civilization wiped or did anyone survive? Brooks headed off to explore but what he didn't realize he was being watched. A flying saucer was hovering above the valley watching him, on board were a couple of octoling soldiers spying on his movements. They watched Brooks emerge from the hatch and drink out of the stream.
"What is that?" asked one of the octolings onboard.
"I don't know, it isn't an inkling, that's for sure," replied the other one.
"It appeared to come out of that hole in the ground. It's wearing armor and carrying some kind of weapon. Some kind of soldier?" pondered the first octoling.
"That creature could pose a threat to us until we know what it is and what it's intentions are. Radio to base about what we discovered after that we'll take the ship down and continue monitoring the creature. For now, it's still up here on the surface as long as it doesn't find its way into the domes. I think we're safe for now," said the second octoling.
"Roger that," said the other octoling as she got on the radio and reported in about spotting the strange armed creature and the hatch he emerged from. Hearing this, the base ordered them to continue spying on the creature but were unsettled by the report. The saucer hovered away and out of sight as Brooks never noticed it and kept walking through the valley.
FLASHBACK: Over 2000 years ago...
Before the oceans would take the land and wipe out wat was left of humanity. The resource wars commenced nearly a decade before the seawaters would consume the landmasses. Populations evacuated the coastlines further inland while some took refuge in underground domes constructed to house fractions of the population. A company known as Kamabo had funded these underground facilities as well as the spacecraft Ark Polaris at the last minute to transport the chosen few into space before the seawaters would submerge the land. Michael Maxwell and his friend Brooks were drafted into united states military which combined the branches into one large force. The United States Defense Front or USDF for short. Before the two of them were enlisted into the marines before the branches merged. The two of them were stationed at a base outside of Los Angeles to get deployed to the west coast to stop the invading forces from occupy the territory for resources.
Another Power merged from the east that consisted of primarily China aligning itself with the other neighboring countries except Taiwan, japan, and south korea which would soon resolve into this new coalition once they were overtaken by the coalition forces. Having to fall back to the united states. forces from overseas were reassigned to defend the United States western region from the invading forces. Michael, Brooks, and their battalion was soon dispatched to Los Angeles to combat the emerging threat. Fears of an inevitable invasion prompted the USDF to take action and stop the coalition at all cost. Michael and Brooks were rushing through the base to reach the choppers that were en route to be deployed to L.A. and slow down the invading forces.
"Get your asses onboard now! We depart at 0900 hours!" shouted a sergeant who was waving the two of them on the back of the chopper. The two got inside and strapped themselves in before takeoff. The aviation team took off for the city where they would soon be met by dug in resistance. The crew watched beaches vanish as the seawater had taken the coastal neighborhoods and highways. Cars and large vehicles were seen half way submerged as large ships had parked themselves in people's yards and crushed houses. "My god, the water has done made it to the foothills. How much longer until it finally reaches the high inland areas?" asked Michael.
"I figure another day or two at this rate. Unfortunately people didn't make it out in time and didn't take the evacuations seriously," said Brooks spotting floating bodies down below.
"Those poor souls. If they only got out in time. We can't spare the rescue efforts to save everyone. I just hope my gal got out in time," said Michael.
"I'm not gonna dwell on it. Our mission is hold back the Eastern Coalition from moving inland and taking more territory. They've already taken half of Los Angeles including Santa Monica. They've already established outposts throughout the city and have a command center fortified at the beach head. We're running out of options and the coalition forces' foot mobiles are steadily advancing further into out AO every minute! We've got to push them back! So keep your mind in the game Maxwell!" said Brooks.
"10 minutes until we reach the objective!" shouted the pilot.
"What's the objective?" asked Michael.
"It's objective Anvil! It's supposed to be a makeshift enemy outpost that's sending intel from the enemy recon units back to their main forces and rear echelons. We'll be conducting an air assault near that area and provide a counter attack against the coalition forces for the friendlies already on the ground trying to push further in their lines. That's why we're dubbed Hammer 2-1 to push their forces back with what firepower we have at our disposal," explained the sergeant.
"Incoming SAM at 12 o'clock! Hold on!" shouted the pilot. "Take evasive action! Deploy the flares!" shouted the copilot.
An incoming enemy missile shot from the street and toward Hammer 2-1 only to be evaded. Another missile shot out and toward another chopper striking it. "Hammer 2-3 has been hit!" shouted the pilot. Hammer 2-3 was out of control and spiraling in flight before crashing into a nearby building and plummeting toward the street below. "This is Hammer 2-3! We're going down! Brace for... bzzzttt," shouted the pilot before the chopper crashed on the ground. Bullets were striking Hammer 2-1 as the pilot shouted "Taking Fire! We've got no option but to deploy the assault team here! Prepare to rappel down!" exclaimed the pilot as he hovered the chopper over the street.
"We're 2 clicks from the objective! We'll just have to make due! We can't afford getting shot down!" shouted the sergeant as the unit slid down the rope to the ground below. "Move out and watch your surroundings!" the sergeant continued. Michael and Brooks along with their unit pushed forward until they were met by enemy fire. They took cover as few soldiers were struck and fell to the ground. "Take cover!" shouted Brooks. As he grabbed Michael and the two rushed over to the closest cover they could find.
"This is Hammer 2-1! We're are taking enemy fire and are requesting air support!" shouted the sergeant over the radio as he fired back at the coalition forces. "Hammer 2-1 this is command. Air support is pending. All aircraft have been assigned to take down air threats as well as landing forces on the coastline to hinder their operations. We cannot assure air support at this time but we will put a call out for your request Hammer 2-1," said the operator.
"Michael and Brooks were firing upon enemy positions taking down a few infantry units as they tried to advance on their position. One of their team members attempted to change cover but was struck by a bullet in the head as he ran in the open. "Jones is down!" shouted Michael seeing the soldier get shot. He looked and saw a scope glare on top of a roof ahead of them. "Huh?..." replied Michael as he saw the glint then his eyes widened realizing what it was. "Sniper! Get down..." shouted Michael before getting hit in the shoulder by the enemy marksman. "Ahhhh...Dammit it!" he jeered as he laid over.
"Maxwell!" shouted Brooks as he leaned over to check Michael's wound.
"There's...snipers on top of the buildings. Inform the sarge...son a bitch!" jeered Michael in pain.
"Sarge!...SARGE! We got snipers!" Brooks shouted.
"What! Repeat that corporal!" shouted the sergeant who couldn't hear Brooks from the gunfire.
"Theirs snipers on top of the..." shouted Brooks but the sniper shot the sergeant right in the head as he wasn't paying attention. The sergeant fell to the ground. Laying over with blooding draining from his wound.
"Fuck! The sarge is KIA! Those snipers are going to keep us pinned down while their ground teams move in on us. I'm going to have to deploy smoke and get to that radio! Maxwell! You're going to have to suck it up and cover my ass while I get over there!" said Brooks.
"You got it... I hope you know what you're doing," said Michael.
"On 3...2...1...deploying smoke!" shouted Brooks as he threw a smoke grenade in front of them to provide cover while he rushed across the open to get to the sergeant's radio. Michael sat up and kneeled behind cover, aiming his rifle down range to any enemy units that tried to shoot at Brooks. Two enemy soldiers converged closer as Michael took them down while Brooks got the radio. "Command! This is Hammer 2-1 Over! Enemy foot mobiles are advancing on our position. We need air support ASAP!" shouted Brooks. He got no response as Michael took down another enemy soldier that was getting closer. "Brooks! Do something! I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" exclaimed Michael.
"Command! Come in!" shouted Brooks. Still no response from the radio and nothing but static.
The smoke was starting to clear as the enemy sniper took a shot at Michael again but barely missed him, hitting the ground beside him. "Brooks! Did you get a hold of Command or not!" asked Michael frantically.
"They won't fucking answer! The channel may be getting jammed or their overwhelmed by radio traffic! We're on our own!" exclaimed Brooks in frustration.
"That's about right!" replied Michael before returning fire to try and hit the enemy sniper.
"This is Valkyrie 9-2! I've been dispatched to provide Hammer 2-1 with close air support! Provide your grid location and mark the enemy's positions!" said the voice over the radio.
"Oh thank God! This is Hammer 2-1 our grid coordinates are Victor Quebec 230785110 and the enemy is 300 meters out and closing, north of our location! Requesting close air support! Danger Close!" replied Brooks. After a minute the two of them along with their unit fired upon the enemy positions before they could hear the sound of an incoming jet. "Close Air Support! Take cover!" shouted Brooks. A friendly fighter jet descended down and dropped cluster bombs on the enemy positions. The attack run was a success as advancing enemy forces were no more and dust and smoke filled the surrounding area.
As some of the smoke cleared Brooks, Michael, and the remains of their team cautiously moved up. "On your feet! We gotta push up to the objective!" ordered Brooks. The team scanned the area as motionless bodies, some battered or unrecognizable by the bombing littered the ground in front of them. "These guys are wasted," said Michael.
"Maybe so but that doesn't mean their are still survivors," said Brooks.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" shouted on the team members. As they walked up further they spotted a badly wounded soldier crawling on the ground leaving a trail of blood. The team aimed their weapons at the wounded enemy before the soldier slowly rolled over and aimed their sidearm at them. The enemy soldier yelled and fired his pistol at the team before they lit him up, killing him and dropping the pistol. "Pay attention!" shouted another team member sternly.
After a couple of more minutes Brooks and Michael as well as their team slowly moved up but the sound of the collapsing building the enemy sniper was perched on caught their attention before they could pan out and scan the area for any survivors.
"Oh shit! Fall back! That's building's coming down!" shouted Brooks. Him and the team retreated as building was falling toward their position. Michael tripped on a piece of debris and stumbled as he helplessly watched the building fall toward him. "Maxwell!" shouted Brooks as he ran toward his position to grab Michael before it was too late. Michael had froze in fear knowing he was done for as he watch the roof land toward him and nothing but a cloud of debris and rubble blinded his vision. The echoing of screaming littered the air as well as Brooks shouting his name. Everything had turned black as it seemed Private Maxwell was crushed by the collapsing structure. Or so it seemed.
Back at the octarian army headquarters. Lieutenant Octsana was sitting at her desk thinking hard about the octotrooper that was shot and what threat posed inside the valley. She was beginning to worry about her sister and the until she was assigned to lead. She pulled out a flask of unknown liquor and took a couple of swigs before placing it back in the desk. She shook her head and got up. The elite paced the floor with many uncertainties running through her mind. A knock at the door snapped her out of her train of thought.
"Come in!" she shouted at the door.
An octoling regular stepped in. It was the specialist that the lieutenant called on the intercom. "Umm...lieutenant Octsana," she said meekly.
"Yes, what is it?" asked the lieutenant.
The specialist had a troubled look on her face. Octsana saw this and feared something had happened to her sister and the unit she was assigned. "What's happened? Is it my sister and her unit? Out with it specialist!" demanded Octsana anxious to hear of any news about the recon unit.
"Sergeant-major and her unit have returned but one of them didn't come back...It's sergeant Meryl, she's...KIA," said the specialist hesitantly.
"What! Sergeant Meryl is KIA. How did the happen? What's the report?" demanded Octsana.
"The sergeant-major can give you the details," said the specialist as Octillia stepped in the room with a gloomy expression. She was trying hard to get over losing her friend. Her head was down as she approached Octsana with a saddened look. "Sergeant-Major Octillia...I'm...sorry about to hear about he loss of Meryl. I know she was your friend and I don't mean to be so passive about the circumstances but I need you to report. Were you and your unit attacked?" asked the lieutenant.
"We...were in the western dome. Me and my unit split into two teams. Meryl lead alpha team and I took beta team to cover more ground. We were to rejoin after 2 hours of reconnaissance and report in on any findings. Me and my team couldn't find any signs of inkling activity or anything out of the ordinary but before we split we did discovering these shiny small casings laying on the ground were the troopers were attacked. We weren't sure what they are but the evidence was taken to the labs for examination," explained Octillia still holding back her grief.
"What of the sergeant and her unit? How did she get killed?" asked Octsana.
Octillia paused for a moment trying to compose her emotions before giving a deep breath. "Sergeant Meryl and her team, like I said split off and traveled west, closer toward the direction of Inkopolis. It was nearly an hour before her team found us with dire news. Private Kei informed me of what happened. I couldn't take the news, I couldn't believe Meryl would..." said Octillia as she hesitated at the end.
"stay focused Sergeant-major, I need to know what happened, was it an inkling or something else?" asked Octsana.
"No...her team wasn't attacked. She fell trying to save private Mirage during their mission. They tried pulling her back up the platform but... they couldn't reach her in time. I...wish I would've been there. I wanted to kill private Mirage but I was so upset but there's nothing I could've done. We decided to return to base and concluded that there were no inklings in the west dome or whatever attacked the octotroopers couldn't be found," said the sergeant-major.
The lieutenant gave a deep breath and placed her hand on Octillia's shoulder. "Sergeant-major, as a sister I'm sorry to hear about the sergeant's death but as your superior officer I need you to recollect yourself. There's a time for duty and a time to grieve and right now with everything that's going on. The power outages and now our troopers getting attacked. I want yoiu to stay focused on getting the recruits hardened for combat as war right now is unavoidable," advised Octsana.
"You're right sis...I...need to concentrate on training the grunts. it's just hard after losing my only true friend. I'm glad to have a sister like you lieutenant. Before we left for the west dome, she talked about having faith in the most dire situations. Well...I have faith that she isn't dead and that she'll come back," said the sergeant-major.
"Seems like her optimism has rubbed off on you. I hope so too and I believe anything is possible. She may be a farm girl from the agridome but she is strong and confident. She could've survivedand only time will tell if she made it and returns. Right now, let's focus on the what are's and not the what if's. I want you to continue training the grunts and keep me up to speed on their progress. We can't be sure when Octavio may deploy the army to the surface. I may have another mission for you soon. I'll send the specialist for you if I do. You have my permission to leave," said the lieutenant.
Octsana stood at attention and gave a salute, returning to her soldier demeanor. "Yes, Lieutenant," she replied as she headed out the door.
"It's heartbreaking to hear what happened to the sergeant," said the specialist who listened in on the conversation.
"It is but as soldiers in Octavio's army we have put aside our emotions of losing friends especially when we have to go to the surface and fight the inklings. I'm sure they'll be casualties and she needs to accept that. I know she's my sister but she's also a soldier. I want her to stay concentrated on the war effort and get the recruits trained for combat," said the lieutenant.
"I understand," said the specialist.
"I know I mean seem a little hardhearted about this but...she was my friend too and theirs nothing we can do now, the army will send a letter to her next of kin, and an honorary farewell will be scheduled for later. Let it be known she had died for her service and commitment to the octarian army," said the lieutenant.
"Yes, ma'am. I will inform our coroner and request for a letter to be mailed to her closest relatives," said the specialist as she left.
The lieutenant plopped down behind her desk and finished off the rest of the flask. "Cheers, to fallen soldier, may she rest in peace," she said in consideration of the loss of Meryl. She gave a deep sigh and turned toward the window to watch her sister head back to train the recruits.
10 minutes earlier after Octillia had left the new recruits to go report in to her superior, Lieutenant Octsana. They remained silent unsure how to act after seeing their team leader fall to her death. Kei was kicking the ground while Niko had her arms crossed around her body still holding in her grief of losing Meryl. Mirage had her back turned with her face darkened feeling deep regret of not being able to catch the sergeant.
"This stinks!" shouted Kei which made Mirage perk up and turn her head around.
"Poor Octillia, I think she was that was most devastated of all of us. Meryl was her friend and to hear that she..." started Niko as she pouted.
"Yeah, she came close to sluggin' Mirage, thinking she didn't do enough to save the sergeant," said Kei as he directed his comment toward Mirage who was listening in.
Mirage bared her fangs and clenched her fist. "Listen here you twirp! I did my damnest to save that girl! I just...couldn't do it! How do you think I felt knowing she died trying to save me! So don't act like I didn't because I didn't try enough! I never wanted to be in the army in the first place! Just to let you know... she wasn't the only person I couldn't save. Me and the octoposse tried to pull an easy job, well it supposed to be easy. We got caught by the authorities and tried to get away but one girl, my friend, the closest thing to a friend I had. I... managed to hop over a wall and tried to boost her up but she... took a hit. I watched in horror as I tried to pull her up. When we did get away. I laid her down, fighting to catch her breath as she told me what a dear friend I was to her before she...died in my arms," said Mirage as she downed her head.
"(gasp) That's... so sad. I'm really sorry to hear that Mirage. Is that why you're so mean?" asked Niko.
Mirage remained silent until Kei spoke up. "That doesn't give her the right to treat us like the way she does," he said. The octoling boy then turned to Mirage. "That's a sad story but because you lost your friend doesn't mean you have to be such an octo-jerk! It means you should tell yourself it wasn't your fault and that you should've moved on. You might have lost a friend but that doesn't mean you can't start new ones. We're all in this together and we need to work with each other. Whenever they decide to send us to the surface, we're going to need to watch each other's backs. So quit with the tough girl rebel routine ok and let's all get along," said Kei.
Mirage thought about what Kei said but her ego wouldn't give in to his sympathy. "I don't need any friends! Especially with an ink squirt like you! Get this in that thick head of yours. We're about to go to war. Think about it. We start becoming friends and all soft and sentimental to each other. How do you think It'll be once the ink starts flying topside and we wacth one another get splatted. Best to just watch your own tentacles and accept the inevitable. Friends will either let you down or they leave you... one way or another. Face the facts squirt! We're ink fodder and theirs not a damn thing we can do about it!" said Mirage still callous.
"You're never goin' to make friends with an attitude like that. You need to let go of all that regret and anger inside you. You tell me and Niko that we won't make in battle but what about you! Only looking out for yourself and no one there to support you. I don't think you'll last in battle no longer than me and Niko would but at least me and Niko are friends and have each other's backs," said Kei.
"(gasp) You and me...are friends," said Niko stunned by Kei's comment.
"Huh? O...Of course we are. We're both here, aren't we? We gotta look out for one another," complimented Kei.
Niko teared up and grabbed Kei in a hug. "You called me friend," cried Niko as Kei awkwardly patted her head. Mirage just rolled her eyes and said "Touching" sarcastically.
Kei ignored her and pulled Niko off him. "Yes, Niko you're my friend. I just wish somebody else would show some kind of apathy. I suggest you think about what I told you if you're going to make it out there," said Kei as he shot Mirage a glare.
"First things first twirp! You don't tell me what to do! Got it! Or I'll reduce you to an ink puddle right here so you don't have to worry about that when we go to combat or watch your friend die!" sneered Mirage as she had her fist in Kei's face as Niko flinched and backed away from the two.
"I'm sick of getting pushed around and threatened by you! I was just trying to help you and now I'm not taking it anymore!" shouted Kei.
"What are going to do about it!?" shouted Mirage as she got closer to Kei.
The two octolings were locked on each other with lightning shooting at each other's eyes, ready to throw down. "You guys stop it!" shouted Niko as she started to tear up. "Your move twirp," said Mirage. "After you," replied Kei.
"Enough! The two of you!" shouted Niko which stunned the two octolings. She covered her mouth, surprising herself by her tone. "Please..." she softly said as Mirage turned back Kei. "You know what...you're not worth my time...but get this straight. You tell me how I should feel again or next time... I won't turn a blind eye," she said as she walked away.
"Hey get back here! We're not through! Where are going anyway?!" shouted Kei.
"To get away from you two piss ants!" she shouted back. She walked away out of sight and left Kei and Niko by themselves. Niko and Kei looked at one another. "Thanks for standing up to her. Even though she's a...jerk. I still feel bad for her. All she needs is a friend to talk to," said Niko.
"You heard what she said Niko. She doesn't need any friends. The best thing to do is to leave her alone because when we do go out into battle. I'm not putting my tentacle out for her. She's on her own," said Kei.
"I know she's mean but that doesn't mean shouldn't help her. Like you said before, we're all soldiers and she needs saving too. I won't leave her hanging if she gets into trouble," said Niko.
"(sigh) Niko...you have a heart of gold. I hate to see anything happen to you," said Kei with concern.
"Well like you said, we got each other's backs," said Niko as she grabbed Kei's hand. He blushed once she did and she soon did too. It was a touching moment between the two octolings. "Kei?" asked Niko.
"Yeah?" asked Kei who was still nervous and blushing.
"Umm...if we both make it out of this. Did you...wanna?" asked Niko meekly as she twiddled her tentacle.
"Y...Yes Niko?" he replied anxiously trying to keep his composure.
"Go...out?" she asked meekly as her whole face was red from embarrassment.
"I...would love to," he said with relief. Niko gave a smile as the two leaned in toward each other but at that time they were interrupted by a shout. "Hey! Privates! What's going on!?" shouted Sergeant-Major Octillia as she had returned. She approached the two with her hands on her hips. "Fall into attention soldiers!" she commanded. Kei and Niko pulled off and stood in front of the octoling officer. "Yes, ma'am!" they both shouted in unison.
"I you to...Hey! Where's Private Mirage!?" she demanded as Kei and Niko looked at each other unsure how to answer their commander.
It was getting dark as Michael and Meryl had got done eating and were telling stories about each other's past and lives in the army. The two of them were cutting up and surprised at one another how much they had in common. "Wow, human life never ceases to amaze me, I wish Octillia and the others were here to meet you. Not sure how they would react to meeting a human though," said Meryl.
"Yeah, probably like you did when we first met. Shoot me and ask questions later. I'm amazed at how much our lives are the same, well our military life anyway. I...never wanted to join but I was drafted and felt it was my duty to defend my country during the resource wars even though we were doomed to the start. (sigh) It...was inevitable, the war just speeded up the process of mankind's demise. I'm not sure if being stuffed in that pod was a blessing or a curse," said Michael.
"Michael you shouldn't feel like that. I'm glad I met you and I hate it your species is...extinct. You were inside that pod for a reason, maybe we were destined to meet one another," said Meryl as she slid a little closer to Michael.
"I...don't see how. I should be dead like everyone else. I could be with my family right now and the rest of my race. This world...is not my own anymore," said Michael as he stared up at the fake sky.
"No...I don't want you saying that. You gotta think positive. I know this world is strange to you but I was thinking..." said Meryl as she paused for a moment. Michael looked at her anxiously of what she was about to say. "You've been through war and I thought that...maybe there was a way you could talk my people out of going to war with the inklings like I was telling you about when we could communicate with one another. You being a human and the octolings practically fascinated by your kind and your technology. Maybe they'll listen to reason if it came out of your mouth," said Meryl.
"Meryl I don't think..." started Michael. "I know it doesn't sound possible but I believe it's the only way we can save both races. I don't want war and neither did you, please Michael, I'll think of a way to introduce you. Come back with me," suggested Meryl.
"I'm...not sure that would work. What's to say if your plan works or not. What if your people wanna hold me accountable for killing that tentacle trooper? What if seeing a human alive makes them feel threatened or worst. They may wanna cage me up and experiment on me? I was already trapped in that pod and experimented on before I was put in it. I'm not sure I wanna take the chance," said Michael.
"Michael have faith in me. I won't let that happen. I'll talk to my superiors, I'm sure they'll understand everything," said Meryl confidently.
Michael pondered on it but the octoling seemed friendly and trustworthy but he wasn't so sure about the rest of her race. He was conflicted with himself and eventually gave in to the octopus girl's request. "Very well... I'll come with you, but first I gotta head back to that lab. I wanna restock and plus see if I can find what happened. See if I can get the power going to that place and tap into those computers. I'm still unsure what happened to me or anybody else that was placed in those pods. I won't be at ease until I know the truth," said Michael.
"That's understandable but thank you for coming back to the base with me...once we find a way out of here," said Meryl.
"We'll find a way and when we do you can either tag along or we can meet each other again later," said Michael.
"No, I'll go with you," replied Meryl quickly. Michael nodded and stood up.
"Alright then," said Michael before walking away from the campsite. "Where are you going?" asked Meryl.
"I'm...just goin' to see if can scout for a path ahead of time, just stay here, I'll be back shortly," said Michael. "Oh...ok then, be careful," she said.
Later that night it had been well over an hour and Michael still hadn't made it back. The octoling was beginning to worry and decided to go hunt for the human soldier she befriended. Walking down a path the same way Michael went she didn't see him. "Michael!" she called for him. "Michael!" she shouted again. "I hope something didn't happen to him," she said to herself. Soon she spotted a figure sitting on a rock staring at the fake starry sky. It was Michael as she got closer to the figure. "Michael?" she responded.
Michael heard footsteps behind him and jarred as he turned behind him. "Meryl? What are you doing here?" he said surprised.
"You were gone for a long time. I was concerned something happened to you," she said before climbing up on the rock.
"You... were? (sigh) I'm... sorry for worrying you, I just needed time to myself. I've been thinking about humanity being extinct and never seeing my girlfriend again. Along with everything else. Such as this world, why I was frozen, how we're going to get out of here and what I should do next. It's all so overwhelming," said Michael.
"I guess...I can't blame you. I can't compare anything I've been through that you're going through right now. Everyone you knew may not be around anymore but I'm here for you Michael," said Meryl trying to comfort him.
Michael turned his head toward the octoling that beamed him a smile. A tear ran down Michael's cheek as he gave her a fake smile. Still troubled with his situation even though Meryl was trying to make him feel better. "Thanks, Meryl. You remind a lot of..." started Michael thinking about his long lost girlfriend. He paused and then downed his head before looking back up at the fake sky. "Michael... I feel like... we're so similar but... so different at the same time. It makes me feel like the time I was talking to you about when me and Jacob were discussing about leaving the army and starting a new life on the surface but... as we're talking now. I didn't feel this way as I did when it was just me and Jacob," said Meryl.
"What do you mean?" asked Michael.
"What I mean is I..." started Meryl as she was trying to get her words out. "(sigh) What I trying to say is... that I feel like we can understand one another better. Jacob was...overzealous...he couldn't comprehend my feelings... I just...wasn't ready at the time. I don't know but I didn't feel a strong connection to him," said Meryl.
"Maybe you two need to talk," suggested Michael.
"Talk...yeah," she said unenthused before turning and looking at Michael. "Michael I... wanna thank you for giving me advice. I've never met someone so...compassionate as you. Even for a soldier but octarian society has no place for... empathy," said Meryl.
She scooted closer to Michael and brushed away the tentacle in front of her face. She gave a deep breath and stared back at the human. After a few more minutes she bit her lip and fought to get a word out. "M...Michael?" she called to him. He turned his head again toward her as she stared at him with pleading eyes. "I...wanna say that I...I..." she was stammering.
"Yes what is it?" he asked her meekly.
"I just wanna..." she said before turning her head to hide her blush. She rubbed her tentacle and scooted closer with her hand now on Michael's. As soon as she realized this she froze and gave a yelp. The embarrassment caused her to slid backward off the rock as Michael quickly tried to grab her but in the process he slipped off as well. He pulled her down to his body and clutched her before he landed on the ground. On his back he slowly loosened his grasp of Meryl as she attempted to sit up. She shook her head and opened her eyes to see she was on top of Michael, with her face very close to his. She froze and her cheeks turned red seeing how close her mouth was to his. Michael moaned and slowly opened his eyes. She quickly sat up as he stared at her, seeing her distressed expression on her face. "Oh...oh my cod, I'm so sorry. Michael are...are you ok?" she asked him with embarrassment.
"Y...Yeah I'm fine...I'm just glad I caught you...are you...blushing?" he asked her.
"W...W...What? No I'm just...uh...," she couldn't finish before quickly getting off him.
"Well that was unexpected...at least no one got hurt," said Michael as he got up brushed himself. "What's wrong?" he asked her. She had her head turned away with her arms crossed, still red from her near contact with the human. "It's nothing..." she said quickly.
"Ok then...maybe we should head back before we have another wreck," said Michael as he started to walk away. Meryl turned her head and watched Michael walk off but thoughts were stewing in her mind about him but she also thought about Jacob. She gave a deep breath and followed Michael back to the camp. She stayed quiet and kept a slight distance from him as he pondered why she was acting like this. He was starting to believe she liked him but she wasn't even a human and told himself that was preposterous and that she couldn't have liked him but no more than an acquaintance. He focused back on their plan to get out of the canyon and what to do afterward.
When they finally reached the campsite. Michael laid on his sleeping bag as Meryl sat against a log, turning her self away from him. Michael in turn rolled over away from Meryl as she looked over her shoulder to watch Michael. "(deep sigh) I hope I didn't offend him somehow... I was just so... (sigh) Real smooth Meryl... We just got to know each other and you screw everything up. We have so much in common, more so than Jacob...and Jacob he's...moved on. So maybe I should. If he really cared about me then he would've been hanging out with that other octoling girl," said Meryl. She paused for a moment and rolled with her back now against the log. "He's a human but I don't care... I...really like him and I hope he'll have the same feelings for me. His girlfriend is gone and I think he needs someone by his side," continued Meryl as she steadily looked over at Michael who had his back turned.
She then looked up at the night sky projected by the screens. "I just hope like Michael was saying that everyone doesn't overreact seeing him. I don't want anything to happen to him. Maybe once I return to base and explain things then maybe they'll understand especially with him saving me," said Meryl. "I hope everything works out not between Michael and my people but me and him," said Meryl as she started getting drowsy. She blinked trying to stay awake but she eventually gave in before stretching and yawning. She laid up against the log and slowly feel asleep as she stared at Michael. "Goodnight...Michael," she muttered before finally fell into a slumber. The two of them were fast asleep, exhausted from the day and the fact of meeting one another but one octoling has shown to try and hide her affections for the human even though they just met but in her mind she believes Michael is compatible for her due to their similarities and outlook. Thinking Michael was frozen in that pod so they were destined to meet and possible start a relationship with one another but Meryl was still conflicted over the fact that he was a human and that she wasn't sure how everyone would take his existence. Only time will tell what future holds for the two.