Obligations

Marie, I'm sorry.
I thought I could make it, I tried, but-
Look. Things happen in life.
Even though you're my #1 priority,
Sometimes I need to put other things first.
For your sake.

Sheldon flies the van out of there with DJ Octavio unconscious, tied up, and gagged in the trunk. Callie's curled up in the front seat, her earbuds in, trying to either take a catnap or calm down from before; Agent 3 passed out across the back-back seat even before they took off, still in the ink-stained hero suit.

But it suits Marie just fine to be sitting in the middle row with Gramps. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asks again, reaching out a hand. She takes his and squeezes it. "You've lost weight, at the very least."

"I know you worry, but I'm fine, Agent 2." Gramps gives her hand a squeeze. "Another week or two and I may not have been; they were only feeding me enough to keep me alive, as bait. Anyone who got too..." Gramps pauses. "Too enthusiastic about questioning me got a whack with my bamboozler. They left me alone after that!"

That makes Marie smile, though she's still worried. And... "Wait, where is your bamboozler?"

"Uh." Gramps scratches his mustache and looks out the window. "It, uh, it broke."

"What?"

"I've got it," calls back Sheldon. "Can't make the old thing work right again, but I can fix it right up so you can keep using it as you have been."

Marie takes a moment to decide whether she really wants to know how Gramps broke his cane, and decides against it. Instead, she squeezes his hand again. "Don't you ever worry me like that ever again," she says. "There are three of us agents now. We can recruit a fourth, if we need to. If you suspect they'll come by base, there has to be an agent with you, understand?"

Gramps fixes her with his gaze. "I've been doing this longer than your parents have been alive, I can take care of myself!"

Cod, he has to be stubborn about even this, doesn't he? "Of course you can," Marie says, trying not to sound like she's his grand-daughter. Trying to sound like Agent 2, not Marie. "But you're our Captain. The only one who can do this full-time, who doesn't have to worry about cover, who knows when agents need to do things and what they need to do. Cal—Agent 1 and I were floundering without you."

"Did you blow your cover?" Gramps asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

Marie rolls her eyes. "Of course not."

"Guided Agent 3 safely through the rest of the kettles?"

"It wasn't easy."

"Then you did fine." Gramps leans back in his chair. "Recruiting and training new agents is never easy, and mark my words, even when you're my age you'll have doubts about what to do and how to do it. But I would trust yours and Agent 1's judgement with anything and everything this splatoon has to do, and I know you'll never let me down."

Marie's eyes sting. Up ahead, Sheldon calls, "Coming in for a landing," and Marie uses that as an excuse to look away, grab hold of the armrests and brace herself.

They land with a bump, and Marie's got herself under control. She turns to Gramps, smiling. "Well, the Great Zapfish should be back in Inkopolis by now. Do you know Agent 3's apartment number? We could carry—"

Marie's interrupted by her phone playing the Inkopolis News ringtone, and she groans. Gramps laughs. "I'll take care of Three and Octavio," he says. "You handle this."

Sheldon gets out, too, and when it's just her and a snoring Callie in the van, Marie answers it. "Squid Sisters, Marie speaking."

"The Great Zapfish is back!"

Marie can't help but smile at the relief in the director's voice. "Awesome!"

"Right, so we need you and Callie to do an emergency broadcast to announce it."

"What, now?" Marie checks the time and yelps. "It's eleven o'clock! Cal's asleep already!"

"Emergency news bulletins are in your contract," the director snaps. "And I believe you have a new song to premier?"

Right, Maritime Memory. Marie groans in the back of her throat. "Lemme wake up Cal. It'll be a bit before we can get there."