"…Dang it." Agent 1 panted as she leaned her hands on her knees. "The dude's def got some fighting experience. I was not expectin' him to react that fast." She paused for a brisk shake of her head, golden eyes squeezed shut behind black shades.

"You okay, though?" Delta tapped the back of her hand against Callie's shoulder. "I've seen you handle trickier squit before."

"Yeah don't worry about it." The idol quickly straightened herself up, rubbing a palm across her brow. Delta dropped her hand and abandoned the topic; Callie should've been the de facto authority on how Callie was feeling.

"We can still call for additional units and have InkPD do a sweep of the harbor." Marie lazily strolled over with a nonchalant sigh. "I doubt he's gone far, and if we cordon off the area we can pin him against the sea."

"We can do it ourselves if we split up." Agent 4 piped up. InkPD might've had nearby cops on patrol, but waiting for a secure perimeter wasted minutes the NSS could've used right away. "There's only a few ways out of this harbor."

"Nuh-uh." Marie's green cap swiveled as she firmly shook her head, her golden eyes scanning the bustle behind Delta. "Splitting up means there's a chance you're alone with him again, and I'm not risking that if I don't have to. In fact I want you staying at our place until we know it's safe."

"Two's right." Callie dug a hand into her cardigan's pocket with another pant. "If that guy's really the Lightfisher, then he's probs scoping you out as his next target. You shouldn't be alone at night for at least a lil' while." She pulled her pink shellphone out and held it to her ear. "I'll let InkPD know."

"…Are you sure?" Agent 4 fidgeted with the flaps of her custom F-3, touched by her mentor's protectiveness but reluctant to intrude. "You don't have to. You guys have crazy schedules, I'm sure you want to relax instead of entertaining guests."

"Nonsense." Marie brushed her concern off with a wave. "You once spent a week at the Cabin with nothing but a toothbrush; you're pretty low maintenance for a 'guest.' Now c'mon—" The strategist stepped away, jerking her head down the sidewalk as police sirens drove past the trio. "Flounder Heights isn't far from here. Let's get you set up."

"Ahoy!" A familiar elder called to the trio as he wriggled out of the police cruiser, returning the salute from the driver holding the door for him. "Don't leave without sayin' hi to your Gramps, girls."

"Hi, Gramps." Marie playfully echoed back with a friendly smirk peeking behind her face mask. "Need something?"

"I heard you girls ran into some kinda commotion o'er here." Cap'n Cuttlefish furrowed a concerned eyebrow as he tapped his Bamboozler onto the ground, resting both hands on the weathered charger. "Everythin' ok?"

"Yeah." Marie answered with a quick nod. "Four asked for backup with someone fitting the Lightfisher's lookout—that's all. We were just about to head back to our place."

"Good." The captain gave a short, approving nod—though Delta couldn't help but notice his shoulders had relaxed with relief. "It's good yer all lookin' out for yer fellow agent. Tha's what I wanna see." The elderly captain began shuffling forward, flicking a wrinkled hand in Delta's direction. "I'll walk with you ladies a bit; how you feeling, squiddo?"

"I'm alright, sir." Agent 4 respectfully strode beside the captain, hands clasped behind her back. "We'll try harder to catch the guy next time."

"Aw p'shaw, don't worry about it." Cuttlefish waved Delta's apology away just like Marie had moments before. "'Sides, who says that was even the Lightfisher? We can't get ahead o' ourselves an' forget there's other crime in this city."

"He ran from One the second she grabbed him." Marie spoke from the other side of her grandfather. "So he was up to something. Somebody innocent would've been startled but stuck around—that's why I waited to give the order to pursue."

Cap'n Cuttlefish's beard broke into a proud grin. "Oh-ho, we're learnin'! Why don't'cha tell me 'bout that lil' plan o' yours…" Delta slowed her pace, quietly following behind to let the captain instruct his own protege in private.

"Don't say anything, just let me do this." Callie slipped an arm around Delta's elbow with a tired mumble. "I'm a little dizzy but keep it on the down-low."

"…Are you sure you're okay?" Delta asked again, dipping her head at the idol's quickly paling face. "I'm sure Two and the captain wouldn't mind stopping if you need something to eat."

"I'm fine." Callie determinedly shrugged and kept walking.

Except the pink squid's response told Delta she was anything but fine. Even the newest agent knew that a healthy Callie would never reject an opportunity to eat more food. Delta tried a desperate glance at Marie—she'd know what to do—but the strategist was too engrossed in her grandfather's feedback to notice. The best Agent 4 could do was begrudgingly follow Callie's wishes and keep quiet.

The group had traveled another couple blocks when Callie's attention began to retreat farther and farther from their surroundings. At first Delta didn't pay it much heed, then she'd hoped the idol was just tired, but Agent 4 drew the line when she had to yank her out of walking straight into a lamppost.

"All right—that's it." Delta gently but sternly tightened her grip on Callie's arm. "What's wrong?"

Agent 1 shrugged again, giving her head another brisk shake. "I just didn't notice it in front of me."

"You were staring right at the darn thing." Delta whisper-hissed back, glancing at Marie and Cap'n Cuttlefish—they were still out of earshot. "C'mon, really—tell me what the carp is going on. I can't help you if you don't help me."

"Okay, okay, just…keep it down." Callie whispered. "I don't want them to worry." She spared a tired nod at her cousin and grandfather before taking a deep breath. Delta allowed her a moment, relaxing her grip and glancing away.

"Sometimes, when a migraine gets bad enough…" A golden eye peeked over Callie's sunglasses, almost struggling to focus on Delta. "…I can still see them."

"'See them?'" The younger agent echoed as she tried to ignore the shiver that Callie's words had sent down her back. "What do you see?"

"The, uh," The ex-prisoner trailed off as she tried to find the right words, waving a hand across her face. "My vision gets all foggy, weird cracks start showing up, and I get these rainbow-ish lights that move across; like this—" she traced a finger from her right eye to her left. "They make it really darn hard to see."

Delta's mind immediately shot back to golden-knuckled mechs, twisted magenta splashing against desperate green, purple tattoos on thin skin…and colored LEDs shooting across black lenses. Agent 4 knew what the "rainbow-ish lights" used to be, even though the idol herself couldn't remember them.

"…Those are from the shades, aren't they." Delta breathed aloud. "From when they brainwashed you."

"You think?" Callie's reply was weak as her no-doubt foggy mind digested the theory. Agent 4 eagerly nodded—and now that she'd thought about it, perhaps their conversation earlier that morning was the trigger behind Callie's current episode.

"Huh." Callie's golden eyes wandered away with a distracted wince. "Is…that a bad thing?"

"You're asking the wrong Inkling." Delta replied with a very overwhelmed shrug. "I'm no brainiac. I don't know how they work."

"…Fair." Callie's hand clenched into an irritated fist and Delta squeezed her arm again, this time out of sympathy rather than assertion. She knew her answer wasn't what the idol was hoping for, but something told Delta that experts outside the Canyon were swimming as blindly as they were. No Inkling—not even within the NSS—had been brainwashed before Callie; on what grounds could doctors claim that hallucinating the same malign lights was normal? It was an unknown that was understandably unsettling for the pink squid, but their only option was to wait and see what might develop.

"…Alrighty, well, I'll leave you gals to it." The elder's halt in front of Flounder Heights brought Delta back to reality. He began shuffling down the sidewalk towards Cuttlefish Cabin, waving a hand behind him. "Have a fun sleepover!"

"We're your only grandsquids!" Marie called after him as she pulled the door open.

Callie braced herself and hid Delta's supporting arm behind them, waving her free hand with all the fabricated cheer she could muster. "Bye, Gramps!"

Marie finally glanced at the two as she held the door for them, narrowing her eyes into a suspicious scan of her cousin—but otherwise said nothing. Callie detached herself from Delta's arm and strode through the lively lobby with her head held high; it wasn't until they were inside the apartment that she finally dropped the act and collided into the kitchen island with a whimper.

"Whoa, you okay?" Marie shot a hand out to stabilize her cousin, but almost flinched when she studied Callie's frame. "…You were hiding a migraine again, weren't you?"

Agent 1 gulped uncomfortably as a hand went to her stomach, waiting for the nausea to pass—and that was all Marie needed.

"Cod dang it, Callie." Marie pursed a stern lip as she wrapped an arm around the unsteady squid. "You should've told me. It was a bright sunny day without a cloud in the sky; I know you want to catch that Wondersquid role but you don't have to practice this much."

Callie's protest was a pained pant until her breath hitched into another gulp. "Bathroom."

"…Alright, go." Marie gently nudged her in the toilet's direction, watching the squid dash inside and close the door behind her. It wasn't long before they could hear a deep retching as Callie vomited her earlier brunch.

Marie looped a finger along the string behind her ear, tugging her mask off with a saddened sigh. Golden eyes glanced at Delta as Agent 2 nodded at the blinds in the living room. "Do me a favor and close those. And tell me next time."

"…Sorry." Delta quickly hopped the two steps and pulled the blinds together, expelling the bright sunlight that had been pouring inside. "She told me not to."

"Tell me anyway next time." Marie leaned her weight against the kitchen island with a mumble. "I don't care what I'm doing or what she says. It just…shouldn't get this far."

The bathroom door clicked open and Callie stepped back out. She raised a shaky hand to her forehead with a hoarse whimper, scratching at her shirt enough to uncover the involuntary octopus tattoo engraved onto each distressed breath.

"…All right, just look at you." Marie's features softened from stern to sympathetic as she walked over, looping an arm around Callie and guiding her towards the pink bedroom across the kitchen. "You can barely stand. Let's get you into bed, yeah?"

"No, it hurts too much." Callie pushed back against her cousin's arm, weakly shaking her head. "Can't sleep like this." Marie obediently stopped and Callie's unfocused eyes dragged up to her costar. "Sorry. I didn't mean for today to end up like this."

"…I know—don't apologize." Marie gently pulled her cousin into a hug and perched her chin atop Callie's head, eyes closed and chest heaving in a defeated but irate sigh. "It's not your fault. You should be out there enjoying the sun like you used to, not collapsing in here like a pitiful little puddle. I am going to kill whatever octoslob did this." Another sigh, but this one came with a subtle snarl. "I am going to kill them."

Suspicious golden eyes flashed at Marie as she pulled away—but Callie tugged her beanie over them without a word. The pink squid clearly wasn't in the mood to confront her cousin about the pre-existing witchhunt for that very Octoling.

"Let's at least get you onto the couch." Marie redirected her guidance to the living room. "I wanna keep an eye on you. Four—" Marie tapped a hand against her protege as they walked past, "—can you go grab the aspirin? It should be a clear bottle in the medicine cabinet."

Delta gave a sharp nod as she jogged into the bathroom, ignoring the smell and had reached for the mirror when her solitary reflection made the young agent pause. Entrenched's former midfielder leaned her hands on the sink and took a deep, calming breath. She just…needed a second to herself.

This particular migraine had made it more clear than ever. The architect of Callie's brainwashing knew precisely what they were doing—and there was nothing the little squid could've done to retaliate. Callie's real personality couldn't fight back because that part of her brain was taken offline; but fear and adrenaline couldn't help because they were gone, too. And the squid couldn't depend on her own memories to recover either—such recollections were locked from Callie's own reach. The subject's mind had been boxed into an airtight prison and locked with a thousand padlocks, and the fact she could still feel the bioweapon's whiplash a year later made it all the more impressive.

And knowing that the Octarians were still hurting her cousin had understandably upset Delta's mentor, but Agent 4 didn't need Marie's book to know that a general without a clear head was the enemy's best weapon. If Marie's anger spiraled out of her control, she could wind up losing a battle the NSS didn't have the time nor need to risk—and the remaining operatives would be scrambling to drop the Lightfisher case and confront the newly brainwashed agents…

…Except Delta finally understood why Marie was so enraptured with finding that culprit and delivering justice anyway; it was the only thing she could do. Callie's migraines put Marie in a difficult position, and the only option was to make the squid as comfortable as possible and wait for it to pass—but even that left Marie helpless and her mounting, vindictive anger without an outlet. Callie was right; that kind of concoction wouldn't listen to reason, including reasons to stand down.

And so Delta couldn't help but feel like she was watching her mentor ride a train wreck in slow motion—and that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"So, what's this about?" Quinn asked as Ayla and the others stepped from the elevator and onto Marina's floor.

"I dunno, really." Pearl gave a chill shrug as she stopped in front of Marina's front door, then pulled a key from her baggy sweatshirt. "Something' 'bout this tetra boxin' thing's really freaked her out—gal's been cleanin' everything in sight." She unlocked the door and opened it to one very sparkling penthouse with Marina scrubbing even more surfaces.

"RINA FOR CARP'S SAKE!" Pearl bellowed as she stepped inside. "STOP CLEANIN SQUIT ALREADY, THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

The DJ slowly turned from the floor-to-ceiling window she'd been cleaning, shaking a stern swiffer at her bandmate. "…What did I say about inside voices around my neighbors?"

"Tha's not important!" The tiny squid barked back—albeit slightly quieter—as she grabbed Quinn by the collar and hurled him into Marina's apartment. Gavin had gotten somewhat nicer treatment with a shoulder shove, and Ayla had already slipped inside before her turn—with an "I-live-to-please-so-please-don't-kill-me" grin to boot.

"Ya asked for the hooligans so I brought 'em back wit' me." Pearl spared Ayla and turned back to her bandmate. "So for the love o' the devilfish, stop cleaning—" she vaulted over the divider and snatched the swiffer from Marina's hands, "an' start talking, homie!"

Marina let out a defeated sigh, helping her guests to their feet and motioning at one of the corner sofas behind the divider. The group followed her into the lounge and she sat on the opposite sofa, twiddling antsy thumbs and staring at the floor.

And then Pearl started smacking Marina's shoulder.

"…All right, fine." The DJ reached over her sofa with a groan, producing a thin Switch and handing it over. "Your mayo's in the fridge—just the way you like it." Pearl flashed a childish grin and sped into the TV corner behind Marina, sliding the console into its dock before barreling into the kitchen.

"So," Marina turned reluctant teal eyes back to the others, "remember how InkPD couldn't identify the poison's molecular structure? It looked familiar, so I ran it through some old software from back when I was enlisted." The octopus tapped the USB drive in the laptop beside her, then paused as her shoulders tightened and the engineer gathered herself with a deep breath. "And it identified the chemical as tetrodotoxin—TTX for short."

"Tetrodotoxin?" Quinn tilted a curious head, absently scratching an ear. "Never heard of it."

"…That's because it's a top-secret weapon of the Octarian military." The DJ enunciated back, voice low and serious. "It's never been seen outside the Canyon until now."

A deep, heavy sense of unease sank through the penthouse, freezing Quinn's finger as he stared back with dumbfounded eyes. "Wait…hold on. Say that again?"

"Yeah, you heard me right." Marina slowly replied with a small, solemn nod. "I was given that software when I was an offsite engineer for Cephalon Labs: top-notch bioweapon developers for the army. The only reason it even had the poison in its database is because Cephalon Labs is the facility that actually created TTX to begin with."

Oh, fantastic—the Marie-thwarting Lightfisher also had access to secret murder juice. This was going to end swimmingly.

"And you're absolutely sure it's this TTX?" Gavin lifted a cautious hand. "Beyond a doubt?"

"Oh yeah—even just from the symptoms alone." Marina nodded at the younger Octoling as she began to clarify. "TTX blocks voltage-gated sodium channels, rendering neurons unable to transmit an electrical signal. Every single nerve uses that signal to communicate with nearby muscles, which means every single muscle is now dead in the water."

"Which is, like, the perfect way of causing whole-body paralysis." Marina's turquoise eyes shimmered with impressed intimidation. "It paralyzes your diaphragm—a muscle—so you can't breathe, but neither can you call for help because your tongue and larynx are also gone. And you can't rely on a respawn pad to save you, either, because TTX paralyzed your ability to splat a long time ago. Also," the Octoling raised a finger as she reached over the edge of her sofa, "one dose of TTX is enough to kill you 26 times over…just in case once wasn't enough."

Marina dropped Elizabeth and Valerie's autopsy reports onto the cocktail table. "The end result is a victim imprisoned inside their own body as they suffocate to death…leaving behind an intact corpse that died of respiratory failure with no hope of fighting back. It's a perfect match."

The lounge went quiet as its three guests processed Marina's words, and Quinn even spared an impressed whistle. There was a difference between simple overkill and absolute, meticulous annihilation.

"…Okay, now I see why you wanted to talk about this away from the cops." Gavin slowly stroked a finger against his chin. "Dare I ask why the carp is the Lightfisher running around Inkopolis with a top-secret Octarian bioweapon?"

"…Thankfully, I don't think the Lightfisher's TTX is actually coming from Cephalon Labs itself." Marina began with a somewhat relieved exhale. "It's a government-owned facility—so if this was coming from the Canyon, then the murders would be politically sanctioned and Octarian elites would be carrying them out. The fact the Lightfisher is a guy tells me he isn't a military operative."

Quinn feigned a wince at Marina's words. "Ouch."

"S-sorry!" Marina backpedaled quickly, eyes wide. "It's just…things are different down there, you know? Guys typically served support roles in the military and only girls were allowed to become elites; I didn't mean that—"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Quinn waved her off with a chuckle, then elbowed a teasing jab into Gavin's side. "But ya hear that, Eight? There goes your dream of being anything more adventurous than a pencil-pusher in your past life." Ayla began to tune out, her thoughts drifting back to mohawked Octolings and clear test tubes.

"I know." Gavin rolled his eyes. "I'm so crushed to hear that I never tried to kill my present-day friends." His voice was filled with mock disappointment, except Ayla could swear she heard a twinge of relief somewhere in there.

"Um…" Ayla lifted a tentative hand.

"So," Quinn apparently hadn't heard her, "it sounds like the Lightfisher once worked at Cephalon Labs, fled to Inkopolis after the recent Inkantation, and is now making TTX somewhere in the city."

"Yeah." Marina nodded along. "Think of him as a freelancing serial killer who's stolen murder weapons from their old boss."

"Um…" Ayla tried again.

"And hoo boy, is he gonna be popular wit' other baddies." Pearl called from the sofa in front of the TV, dipping her spoon into an entire tub of mayonnaise. "I know a few crews that'd looooove to get their tentacles—"

"Hey!" Marina shushed the rapper with a stern finger before turning back to the ex-scout. "Sorry, go ahead."

"…What would DDS looks like?" Ayla finally lowered her hand.

"TTX?" Marina blinked back until the other Octoling nodded. "Cephalon Labs stored it as a clear liquid, why?"

"Yuri had, ah…" Ayla racked her brain for the right word as she traced an imaginary test tube in the air, "…not wat-er."

"Not water?" Quinn's green eyes tracked her finger. "Wait, you saw him with a clear liquid? We've gotta find this guy, like pronto—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your seahorses." Gavin halted his friend with a raised palm. "There's no confirmation that whatever he was carrying was actually the neurotoxin; we need to search his place for actual evidence before pinning things on Yuri. Except…" he scratched at his mohawk, "…we're probably gonna need an antidote or something for that."

"Um," Marina opened her beak. "About tha—"

"Or a respawn pad could fix things—oh, wait." Quinn accidentally flipped a turquoise pillow onto the ground. "That's out of the equation if you can't even splat."

Marina shut her beak with a low, irritated sigh.

"…Right." Gavin tapped a finger against the sofa's cushion. "So our best shot would be that antidote—"

"There isn't one!" Marina's composure finally snapped with a shout, slamming a hand onto her sofa's cushion. "Why would Cephalon Labs build a shield that blunts their own sword?! If the Lightfisher catches you, this—" she jabbed a finger at Elizabeth's lifeless body, "—is how you're gonna end up, guaranteed!" Her uncharacteristic outburst ended with angry pants, glaring at the two boys that were far too startled to respond.

"…'Ey 'ey 'ey, who needs a whoopin'?" Ayla looked up to find Pearl dangling from the ceiling light above them. The tiny squid dropped onto the cocktail table with crossed arms, narrowing her eyes at the three guests. "Which one o' you flounders made 'Rina upset?"

Ayla had never pointed at someone else so quickly.

"…And 'ta think I trusted the two o' you to treat her nicely." Pearl growled as she grabbed Gavin's collar in one hand and Quinn's in the other, yanking them to her face and glaring daggers into each cephalopod. "I don't care if you're NSS or nah, ya better listen when she's talkin' or I will punch you so hard it'll—"

"No Pearlie, don't." Marina tugged Pearl from the cocktail table and the rapper slowly opened her grip with a disgruntled glare.

"…I'm sorry." Marina took a deep breath, exhaling as much of her remaining anger as she could. "I shouldn't have raised my voice. I want to protect this city just as much as you guys, but—" she ran a brisk hand through her stubby tentacle. "TTX's original creator is scarily adept. You never want to be up against this thing—one wrong move spells almost certain death. I don't want to watch it murder my friends."

"…No, it's our bad." Quinn raised a sheepish hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "You're right, we're really not giving this the caution it deserves. We need to be more careful."

"Aight, aight." Pearl gave an impatient groan before grabbing at each agent's ear. "You've lost your 'Rina privileges for the day; so tha's enough o' this birthday bash…" The tiny squid hoisted her prey—protests and all—over the divider and towards the front door.

"...Cuz it's time for me 'ta take out the TRASH!"

A/N: Here's the old comments for part 2 of this chapter:

-Some types of migraine come with an aura—although it normally starts just before an attack. But it's still possible to get all that visual funkiness with the headache, and I figured that makes more sense for Callie since her cause was very vision-based and very very not normal.

-I'll also give you three guesses what movie Wondersquid parodies XD

-Marina hates mayonnaise with a passion, but she still keeps it around for whenever Pearl visits. Their canon makes them significantly harder to write than the Squid Sisters but I think they're starting to come along.

-Tetrodotoxin is the poison that's found in pufferfish and is indeed one of the deadliest toxins known to mankind. This is why a fugu chef needs to undergo a lot of training in order to serve it in Japan.