I was bird's-eye observing the valley, the whole crater looked like an unorganised slum with things that almost resembled my old neighbourhood but lees...whatever this whole floating place supposed to be. Gliding down to the outpost shack on lower levels of these odd sectors which looked distant from each other.

Zoe:"Hmm~"

Jack:"What you got?"

Zoe: "Tarobites worth of porn in local new network. You gonna love their creativity" she said in glee as I just sighed in frustration.

Not even a one hole goddamn minute on our first mission, and she is already making things difficult with her AI shenanigans...for crying out loud, digital woman!

Jack:"Zoe...Would you kindly remind me what I said about screaming to my ear?"

zoe:"That I shouldn't do it?"

jack: "And what did you do?"

zoe: "Exactly that)"

Jack: "Get the hint, you horny algorint of zeroes and ones?"

zoe: "...okay" she said while sounding like a sad toddler in school.

Jack: "Good grief, Now then, what do have on-"

zoe: "Yeah, about that. I see quite a lot of floating platforms based on hellven's tech"

jack: "Excuse me...What?"

The moment I said those words, Zoe did exactly the same trick with a voice changer like the last time, turning my questions into deafening echo...in the crater. I realized that my 'ACTUAL' voice echoed from every corner of the dome.

Jack: "Why!?...Why did you do that!?'' I exclaimed in a frustrating whisper before we were already in private mode.

Zoe: "To distract our enemy by making them do an emergency pants replacement if you catch my drift, he-he~. Also I thought to let her know that you're here already so no need to thank me~" she said while sounding like she did me a favor before I quickly told her that it might compromise our position of stealing and rescuing through stealth.

Then she replied with a girly 'whoopsie' kind of response...I know that we already had our talk when she mentioned her problem in the first place but, I'll have a more serious talk with her about this later.

Even if she is fully aware of what she's doing, she needs a leash. I mean what she did is good and it would've been better for a dire situation. But now? Right in the open for fuck sake? Sigh. I wonder tho, will she even come out once she actually heard my real voice? I sighed in the thought of her coming, but also not at the same time for the sake of her safety. And with that I landed on the platform as I saw Celine walking to me with a smile before she stopped right in front of me with a fist bump to share

I happily obliged and replied with the same manner while also saying good mornin. Zoe raised a tentacle for doing the same but I stopped her and told Celine that she is on a time out right now. Zoe just moaned sadly in a teasing tone while I just ignored her entirely; that'd be her punishment.

Celine:" Hah! I want to ask way but I think this just too good to know at this point"

Wraith: "Wouldn't be the first If that's going to be the case then" I said before she laughed a little while Zoe just huffed silently in response.

Celine:" So I heard some loud noise just now. You have any idea what that is?" she asked as I quickly figured she would ask that before Zoe took the lead again.

zoe: "Sorry celine~, my bad. I wanted to infiltrate on this new network here before I see a lot of interesting stuff if you know what I mean" she said in a sly tone at the end before she made some nudge nudge kind of noise as I saw Celine just looked away as if she already knew what zoe meant.

Wraith:'' Well, we have already sorted the issue out. But in return, we have caused a lot of noise in the process. So we have to be on high alert on our surroundings from now on. My hope is that it won't affect our future missions that much, or we might be getting our ass's be good bye or go home in grave" I said while I flex fists.

Celine:"Pff. Bring it on I say" she said in a huffing tune before she swiftly raised her gun.

Celine:"I hunted these guys before I even started my work here as an agent. Shell, I even tracked the police's movement and it wasn't hard. I really got a good kind of stuff to help me out, but so far you have better quality to make your job much more life relieving at this point...I'm kind of jealous to be honest" she said with a soft smile before lowering her gun.

Heh~, never thought she would be the jealous person type for good shit that we have. If she sees the base itself she would definitely hold a grudge on me for that alone. I wanted to invite her to see it in the first place but I think I should reconsider it, at least until I have calmed down for a bit. I wonder what her reaction would be like once she sees the octo followers I have, that and DeadF1sh. I would also ask something personal, but I don't think it's the right time and place for it, since we're just about to start anyway. Gotta be patient as long as time demands it.

wraith:" At least your stuff still works as intended right?"I said while I raised my hand with my open palm in agreeing motion as she just smiled more.

Celine:"So you're working with us now huh? Cool. Things are going crazy after you reveal yourself to the world. I mean of course not entirely but I understand why. Also sorry about...well. The warning shot's from before" she said in an apologetic tune as she just spoke to me normally without formality like back in the district.

Has she not believed that I am her Cod or something?...or is she just that unsure of what I am?

Wraith:"Water under the bridge my dear, the city has issues and I don't blame you for being vigilant, and believe me when I say that. All you just showed me is that you have a more capable will to fight. I have nothing against you when you gave me those warning shots. So be at ease" I said in a cherry humble neighbor-like tune while putting both arms behind my back as she just looked at me with interest before giving me a 'huh' kind of response but with a smirk comes a few seconds after.

Then I raised my head and looked at Craig Cuttlefish, the man of the lead team of the squidbeak splatoon unit. He looked quite tired and guilty at the same time. Like his life was just already over. Moyer derin said that he had just mourned his fallen comrades a few days ago, paying his respects to them. And that expression I see, it feels like that he wanted to know if there was an alternative solution to all the things that happened between him and Octavio, along with everyone else. I see a single tear was forming in his eye as it only stopped half way….hmm, Best not to bother him like this, I can start the mission right away but. didn't he get the memo of me coming over? I should at least make my acquaintance with him but with a soft kind of greeting...but first.

I pulled out the coin before saying those words in quite a verse. 'H-hi...I-it's me. I got your message from last night and I'm very, very, very sorry about what you had seen. I don't know how you manage to do it but hey, now you know...listen - um. I really want to apologize about it but. I really need to let you know about something at least: Frankly I don't know who you are, and I don't know what sort of person you might be. But I'm ultimately grateful for rescuing me. And of course, I did see those letters from that same desk you have put in. huh~, you're just like me~. Desperate to find meaning and a reason to continue on living life. I feel the same way, just as much how I feel about you. A-and it's...really rather embracing to say it out loud like this but i-i... l-love you too'

I laid down my verse into the coin as I felt both extremely shy and embraced at the same time of saying those bits of words. Soon enough, I felt a few tears raining down my face. I never felt so vulnerable to say what you need without getting judged by others for it. Needless to say I made peace with those words before tossing it up in the air and sending it back to her and poof - it's gone. I cried softly to let those emotions out completely.

Celine wondered if I'm alright, I told her that I just needed to rethink my own thoughts for a bit. She only looked at me in a questioning look on her face before Zoe told her that it's a personal matter, and that she would appreciate just leaving it at that. Celline pondered for a bit before nodding in understanding as she stayed quite in respect. I have calmed after a little while; emotionally prepared and well guarded. After getting my act together I continued what I was doing earlier before the roller coaster of emotions hit me like a train wreck.

I walked to the shack while Celine followed after checking her phone for any sort of updates. I stopped right in front of the Cap and kneeled down to meet eye to eye. But he doesn't react, wearing a big blue ragged captain hat with a symbol of turf war patched up and tied together with green cloth; blue and orange colored fabric that looks like a robe or something. I noticed he has a green sliver middle and a red and blue gold middle attached to it. There's a big batch of honour ender the three middles with a somewhat odd happy face on it. His shoes are ragged with brown color and added robes around the top of the boots, has two big torn holes at the end of his shows as I can see his bare foot. His body looked very frail and slender as it almost looked like bone-stretched skin. His face almost resembled a cuttlefish as his beard kind of give that a way, all tho not entirely true since he is but an old frail inkling, and his big like googly eyes with the same black mask are just odd in nature.

A supposed renown hero in the past is living in the dumb, tell me that does not sound familiar, ether way. I just gently put one hand on top of his own on the walking bamboo stick he was holding before he just moved head a little. He finally looked at me but didn't say anything other than just a few words.

Craig:" Цe'll talk later when we are all together with him" is all what he said as he just looked down once again.

Celine: "Very sorry Wraith, he's been like that since I got here when I got the memo from him. I don't know why but something tells me that he has a lot of things going so….I, guess will just have to start without his input on everything. Is that fine with you?" she said before I looked at her for a few minutes before I nodded in response and looked back at him.

I kind of figured he would know what I was thinking since he felt like some sort of judgment is coming, or maybe because that I would know sooner or later, I'll just do what I do best and see where this is going...hope it doesn't mess up anything I have planned a few days ago.

Celine:"Let's go get the Zap fishes and deal with the octarians head on, he'll deal with the retrieval ones later….So? Are we ready?"

Wraith:'' Actually can I make a combat request for a non-lethal approach? I want to rescue and retrieve octarians to my place in order to get answers and shed more light on our situation the more we rescue plus you know full well about their brainwashing, right?" I asked and said what I wanted before she just looked at me with a surprised interest.

Celine: "I thought they were going to be processed by the court"

wraith: "Let's just say things changed and I gave them a second change" I said with a humble tune as she just shrugged off with a thump's up before going to the already visible kettle.

Celine:"Well go with your plan you two. Can you keep us updated and avoid kills like before?"

Odradek/zoe:"You bet your sweet women power ass I am! I won't miss the two of you have a chance that you would get it going in the future~. You can thank me later when you guys start doing just that" she said with a sly tune as Celine just looked a way before I noticed her elf-like ears are actually blushing orange.

...I literally have nothing to say for Zoe other than Celine's reaction to her hint of shyness is actually rather adorable. Wing digi girl stuff aside, how would she feel and react to tha- I mean...starting a relationship? At least after getting to know each other and becoming friends for real before actually starting to...Well, would have to at least know if it will work once the show is over. I want to know everything about her...starting now.

Wraith: "I'm pretty sure she would have a say on this if we're going to, also I don't know if she's already in a relationship or not. Plus I just came here to do my job and get to know my partner while we work. If she's ok with it anyway, however, I'm really itching to know besides her work of being an agent of the badass club. And I feel like my cheap ass tricks won't even match her girl power level of awesomeness" I said in a cherry tune before she just turned around and shook her head while smiling in amusement and opened the top un screwed kettle.

Celine:"Just get your ass inside before I show you how these girls can do it," she said with a faint smile as she motioned her hands to her tentacle hair trying to intimidate me of what else she can do in her arsenal of unknown power.

Wraith: "Oh no. My weakness! Please, not the tentacles!" I adorably mocked in a joking tune as I played to be a scared victim begging to be spared.

I laughed at my own little mockery before I jumped in, as she followed while I heard a laughter from her, to which I found cute. But then I heard another voice...that also sounded, feminine. in the far distance from what we are before jumping in, it sounded like...an octoling?...did, did she already get the coin already? was. Was she just eavesdropping on me? I have found nothing on the scans of other presence nearby in the field. nor even I felt anything...what I heard just now, put me in an odd feeling all around. Was it really her? The coin must hide her at least for a reason then. And I would rather come back and check but, I can tell that she's already gone, and I also have a feeling that she already knows what I am thinking. If so. Then I better not risk it, if the coin is already with her...so, I'll trust it, if it said that it can keep her safe for the both of us to come.

I really hope that it does.

*After entering the first kettle dome. Wraith, Zoe and Celine are now ready to start the mission*

I landed on the platform and rolled over before she came down second while seeing her transform back to inkling form and see where we landed. It looked like a spawning point that is a large, metallic device with a flat surface on top filled with the Ink of the team it belongs to, the surface of which perpetually rippling. basically the same thing I liked before but as a one person only...i think.

We then looked at our surroundings of the dome, as it looked like Zoe pinpointed every single hostile to us while she was in odradek mode. I looked at everything and saw right before my eye…. and I still can't believe it - the whole place is a replica of Inkopolis's buildings, floating in this place and used as platforms. I see the blue clear sky with few clouds in the multiple big plasma-like monitors on the walls. Then I walked closer to the edge and looked down witnessing a cloud of mist covering the bottom….trippy. There also a moving crane can be spotted in the distance, might be useful. Then Zoe marked more octolings inside these rather empty buildings. More captives, non-hypno goggled. Zap fish was also spotted by Celine as she informed me by pinpointing it with her finger. I nodded and scanned a bit more just in time for us to make our move while planning a route.

Celine:" I see you still have the gold dynamo roller that Callie gave you, but is it to me? Or does it look very different from the last time I saw it? Also, are those ink tanks? They don't have any ink color tho. What's up with all this?" she kept asking while looking around my back at my new yet still somewhat familiar equipment.

Wraith:" I just nicely asked for upgrades" I said in a cherry tune while I hold the handle of the roller.

Celine:"Sheldon?"

Odradek/zoe:"Nope, I'll explain later. Now would you kindly proceed to the target?" she said impatiently as she demanded action immediately before sensing hostile coming this way while I saw the odradek begin to flap slowly as it turned into threat mode.

They're not close yet, time to plan quickly.

Odradek/zoe:"I suppose the plan is to rush in guns blazing and runaway with goods? Then go to the hostages and make the rescue?" she said of what I was thinking out loud...hum.

Celine:"Good plan but if we're going to rescue the hostages we might need to split into two teams. I have my headphones on and we can keep track of what we're doing. I'll save the hostages and kill only when it's necessary, you make noise and go for the prize. I'll join you as soon as I can. Sounds good Wraith man?'' She informed her own tactical approach while I listened to here with interest as the odradek is flapping a bit faster.

Odradek/zoe:"Uh guys?...more than one assholes are coming"

Wraith:" Where are you going to place them? Back at the outpost? And can't I just fly over there and grab it? Plus, I'm pretty sure that the depressed captain is not going to be happy about it. Can he?"

Celine:"maybe, I don't know. But at least it will be ten times better than being cooped up inside the building all day. And if you go there and nap it I might not get access to all the loot there and probably won't get much near to your new followers" she said while the odradek is getting a bit loud-...hold on what did she just say?

Odradek/zoe:"uhhh guuuys, You. really need to rap it quickly before-"

wraith:"Did you just say loot?...Are you sure you're not pulling my leg my dear? Because I think you might need to tune it down for having a lot of molla in your pocket if even I want to keep my greedy ass in check"

celine:"Look man, I work at a pizza joint and they don't pay me well there. I mean I like the job, really I do. But the pay sucks salmonid dick. Believe me, it's really a chore to deal with 'unhappy' customers all day long without any bonus for me. At least let me have this since the government will pay you anyway"

Wraith:"Wait you work at the pizza joint? And you don't get paid as a member of the squidbeak splatoon or any sort of compensation to your hard ass work? Also what position?"

Celine:"Delivery. And apparently you have to do it because of a Share of goodwill and get nothing in return. Because you're the hero. And heroes are not supposed to get paid in the first place" she said in a relatable tone as I just felt that sort of restarted notion before she just looked beside shoulder.

Wraith:"Hero's are overrated anyway. I mean there are some exceptions of being one, but overall…. They never get to enjoy the sweetness of their brow being rewarded. 'Fruits of your labour?...What are you selfish or something?' is what they always say to make have this sort of guilt tripping deal. And my answer always has to be...yes~" I said with a greedy vibe before she looked back at me in surprise as the odradek was getting even louder before it started to spin with a color that was almost red.

Odradek/zoe: "Are you two deaf or straight plane stupid?! They'll come here at any minute no-!"

Celine: "Are you saying that you always get what you want, even if you have some selfish remarks?"

wraith:"Within reason~" I said with a sly cherry tune before she just slowly formed an interesting smile at my greedy nature as if it has some kind of standards behind it.

Celine: "You are an interesting guy, Wraith man. And I think having you and your robot minded girl around will make things both interesting and fun. Say, I feel like we're going to have to do so much shit done in no time. Let's make a game out of it" she said as I just got a bit curious with a bit of gratitude.

Wraith: "Thank you, and we have more to offer than just our assistance you know~, and...how exactly are we gonna make a game out of something that should be important to do in the first place if you don't mind me asking?"

Celine:"Well, it's really simple as it gets to tell you the truth. First to clear their operative before the other wins. How's that?"

wraith:"Well that doesn't sound too ba-"

Zoe:"Oh, for the love of binary code. ENEMY. IS. HERE! E.R.A.D.I.C.A-!"

She screamed while the odradek is spinning rapidly with colour red for the threat has already come. I shut her annoying ass up and brought my roller out before charging it a few times in a quick motion. I swiftly spread my ink-gel towards the enemy direction with one hand and non-lethal ammo while still looking at the celine. As the few enemies were swimming in my ink-gel with no way out as they struggled in hilarity, celine brought her weapon out and shot the hypno-goggled ones in complete accuracy that actually made look in surprise before saying this.

Celine:" And with that. The game is on~" she said while winking at me before pointing two fingers to her professional looking headphones as she super jumped inside the building in her squid form and started gun blazing inside.

To keep contact, Got it. And damn this woman is scary~. I like her, and I hope fully that I would order some pizza, I mess the shit out of the good stuff, with her delivering it of course. I just smiled at this terrifying orange fighter as she indeed was easily wined my heart before dropping down on my back, the same thing that happened from before as I only mastered to just chuckled from this second fainted bonner.

Zoe:"Took you long enough to listen to me, you gay proof asshole. Ugh, get a room you two."

Jack:"Tusshar. Jealous much Z?"

Zoe: "Go make a new hole and fuck yourself, Jack. Now get up, clock is ticking and that little competition of yours with her is not going to win itself, you know" she said in an unamused tone as I just jumped up in a hurry before I mad dashed to the goal while doing some rolling around with my roller while causing a shit ton of noise to get a lot of attention in my direction.

Keeping the enemy off Celine for a while as some of the octo-soldiers were heading towards me and have called for more reinforcements and got more fire power to deal with heavy intruders like me….or at the very least, 'agent 3/celine'. I swing and sweep my way while saying ' gotta sweep, sweep, sweep' to these somewhat incompetent fools. as they almost don't know how to dodge an incoming attack.

Octo-soldier:"Bring the cod to his knees! We have to take control of him no matter what for our king octavio!"

Control?...how quite cute Octavio~. I saw one soldier holding the hypnotic-goggle that looked like it had the same design but a bit more fitting for my size of the visor, someone being a bit desperate to hold me hostage. This is just pathetic as it is finest, he wants control?...Then I'll just give it to him~. After I made quite the mess to grab a lot of eyes on me as it was still not enough, the reason was celine is really that well known to not keep an eye off her. But since I'm new here, he expects me that I wouldn't have a slightness of knowledge of what this place is. I think he just didn't take me seriously which is good, cuz I'm going to make things interesting right about now. I have an idea of how I can attract all these poor eyes on me without causing a lot of mayhem, Zoe just squealed on my idea as she already made some fake system failure sounds.

Zoe:'' System overload detected. Power and strength efficiency is depleted" she said while making myself look weak as some of my tentacles were out intentionally by her.

After the stage was set as I put on a wide smile, the soldiers rushed in and grabbed my tentacles as they pulled me down. The same octo fool came by running at me before placing the hypo-goggles on me...time to start the next show~.