Dual Fates

A Splatoon Fanfic

By The Impartial Hand

Chapter 6: Reunions
Content Warning: This chapter gets real dark, real fast. Graphic violence, attempted murder, murder, the like. I'll post a TL;DR at the start of the next chapter for those who don't want to read.

The Octarian Main Base, Deep into the Octo Valley, Noon the next day

07-34 stood in the same place he had stood a mere 6 days prior, the Octarian cyber-agents still busy at work, and yet, as he gazed across the room, he felt distinctly different from last time. Last time he was here, he was full of pride, excitement, honor. Now? Now, 07-34 felt only fear. In front of him, a massive chair turned around, and from the only part of the room not purposefully lit, a pair of angry, toxic-green eyes glared at him.
"07-34. If I recall correctly, the last time we met, I told you to purge yourself of the bravado you displayed. And yet, in only six days, you have failed me on three occasions."
"Th-three? N-No, I- I succeeded in capturing Cuttlefish!"
"No, YOUR FORCES succeeded. YOU were knocked unconscious almost immediately. And that wasn't even your first failure! YOU were captured despite your Mission parameters! And now, it seems YOU cannot even handle killing a lone Inkling!?"
"I- That Inkling- I was about to kill him! I had him dead to rights, I would have killed him if the Moray had actually kept the perimeter! I was not defeated by the target, I was neutralized from behind by some third party! The forensics team, they can back me up on this, the damage to my ink tank came from behind! It's not my fault, it's-"
"All I hear are poor excuses. YOU were the one who decided to engage the Inkling in unarmed combat when you had multiple better options available; and as such, YOU are responsible for your failure. Operative Evergreen's failure has already been discussed, we are currently discussing YOUR failure. I want you to give me one good reason why I shouldn't demote you here and now and put you on... hm, no, Octomaw was disabled, can't do that right now... Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you on field duty in Sector 1."
"L-Lord Octavio, I swear, I- I won't fail you again-"
"That is a given, not an incentive. Try again."
"I-I don't... Lord Octavio, what can I do to redeem myself for my failures?"
"Think of something. Then, DO it. If you fail me again, do not return."
"As you command, my lord..."
07-34 stole away into the darkness, his mind racing with possibilities, but just as quickly as he had an idea, he shot it down. Just as he was about to leave the room, one of the cyber agents grabbed him by the arm, pulling him aside.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Sir, I believe I should make you aware of this, but Octavio currently has us investigating a possible data breach... It involves information we've noticed was all accessible by a certain missing in action operative."
"I- OH. Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention. Dismissed."
07-34's stride now had slightly more confidence as he walked away, the beginnings of a plot forming in his mind. He knew Evergreen had been too soft, letting 07-35 off with only a traitor's brand.

Vermillion's Summer Home, Noon

A car pulled up outside the quiet house, idling for a moment before pulling into the garage. Meanwhile, inside the house, it's occupants were doing their best to make themselves presentable. As the door from the garage opened, Vermillion could see both excitement and anxiety in the faces of his friends. He could understand that; he was excited to see them again as well, but the current situation surely had to be stressful for them. Morado was the first to break the ice.
"H-hi, Vermillon... How's it going?"
"You sound worried, Morado. Is something wrong?"
"N-No, it's just..."
"Nervous about the situation in Inkopolis? Makes sense, given our current situation, but you don't need to panic. I've contacted some people, made arrangements. We'll go into the valley when we can, and if we can't I've got someone else to keep the Octarians on their toes."
"Someone else? Who?"
"Mm. I could tell you, but where's the fun in that? 20 bucks to whoever can figure it out first, but that's not a discussion for now. Right now, I've got more important things to inform you all of. There's been an attempt on my life-"
"What? Bro, you should've-"
"Started with that? No, it's not that important. My secret Ace bailed me out, nothing serious. No, what's important is that given the Octoling was staking out Persimmon's house, they're likely staking out the rest of our residences as well."
Persimmon piped up, clearly confused, "What were you doing at my house?"
"Closest to the airport. Figured it would be an easy gauge of the situation. Situation aside... The Octolings. I take it you brought them with?"
Green piped up this time, rubbing the back of his neck. "About that... We brought an Octoling with, yes. The other one... Well... That's what started this whole mess."
It was Vermillion's turn to be confused, now. "What do you mean?"
"Well... You see... One of them got away. The Police Chief, apparently."
"That would explain the apparent sway the Octarians hold with the Police. The lot of you have been declared fugitives- Except you two-" He gestured to the squid sisters- "-The two of you have been declared missing. Also explains how they knew where to look, if you had them in our apartment. But, if Evergreen was willing to break in to save one of them, why not take both?"
Vermillion's train of thought was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Stepping shyly around Green, 07-35 spoke up.
"I... I can answer that."
The Octoling tugged at a band of cloth around her arm, pulling it down to reveal the mark that Chief Evergreen had burned into her arm. As soon as he saw it, Vermillion's eyebrows raised.
"He- he branded you as a traitor?"
"I overheard his conversation with 07-34... something neither of them liked."
"I see. What, if I may ask, is your name?"
"...We don't have names. Only Octavio is allowed to have one. The rest of us just get numbers, and a callsign if we're lucky, but we only get those when someone else with the callsign dies. 07-35 is my number, if that's what your next question was going to be."
"Only a number, huh? Well then... my sources didn't tell me it was that bad... and you look to be about Green's age, just how outdated is their info?" He shook his head "Well. If we're going to keep you safe, you're going to need a name, at any rate. Try and think one up if you can. If you need help, us Inklings usually get named after colors. Kinda corny if you ask me, but hey, it works."
"O-Oh... I'll need to think about it."
"Take your time, this isn't something you need to rush."
Green spoke up again. "Jeez, Vermillion, here we were worried you'd be all suspicious of her."
"You're joking, right? Or... You don't know what that mark means? Either way, there's no way I'd send her off on her own. A brand like that means serious business, and any enemy of Octavio's is a friend of mine. We're far enough away from the city, feel free to take a walk around the back yard if you want. It's nice, very different from your bio-domes."
07-35 could tell he was trying to get her to step out, and so she left, heading downstairs and out into the back of the property. Once she was out of earshot, Vermillion started speaking in a lower voice. "Look, Green, everyone, that brand is serious business. It doesn't just mean she can't go back; Octolings are required by Ocatvio's decree to kill anyone with that mark on sight. It's that bad. But it gets worse. Only Octavio's top brass is allowed to hand that mark out; meaning that Chief Evergreen is pretty damn high on Octavio's payroll. And to top that off, he's been getting some of the Octo-weapons back up and running. He had OctoWhirl back up and running yesterday, he's probably got OctoNozzle or Octostomp back up by now. And while my guy's good, I'd still rather not have him fight an Octo-weapon solo. We'll head out tonight; at least one of us will need to stay back to keep the Octoling company and hold down the fort, but other than that, we'll need as many as we can."
Green stepped forward, nodding. "I can stay back. Got some weapon maintenance I need to do anyways, might as well do it with company."
"Very well. We'll leave at about 10 pm, that way it's less likely for anyone to notice us near the city. Until then... at ease, I suppose."

Vermillion's Summer Home, 10 1/2 hours later...

The rest of the group had just left to go fight the Octo-weapon, leaving 07-35 and Green by themselves in the massive house. While Green got to work on his aforementioned weapons maintenance, 07-35 decided to go take another walk around the yard. She took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air of the countryside, sitting and gazing at the small pond on the property... after a while, she got up, but she didn't want to go back inside just yet. Just standing there thinking for a moment, her attention wandered to a nearby cluster of trees- woods, that what they were called, she had noticed them earlier, but they were just outside the yard, and she hadn't wanted to upset that new Inkling, Vermillion. Surely a short stroll outside the yard couldn't hurt, though, and he wouldn't even know since he was out, right? She turned back towards the house, confirmed the Inkling that had stayed behind wasn't looking- Green, that was his name, the one she had spoken to the other day- and quietly opened the gate. She left it open, figuring she wouldn't be gone long, and snuck off into the woods...

She was only in the woods for about five minutes before she realized that in the dark, all these trees looked the same. She turned around, to go back the way she came, but after another five minutes before a sinking dread set in. She couldn't be lost, right? The woods didn't look that big from the outside. Again, she tried to retrace her steps, and again she found herself only even more lost. She heard the cracking of twigs, and her heart rose a bit- the Inkling from the house, Green, he had noticed she was missing, he had come to lead her back, she wasn't lost, just-
"Hello, 07-35. My my, you've certainly run a long way, haven't you?"
"Wha- What!? 07-34 what are you doing-"
"Isn't it obvious? what else would I be doing so far in enemy territory, face to face with not just an outcast, but a traitor? I'm here to kill you."
She had to be hallucinating- there was no way he could be here, just no way-
"Surprised, traitor? Evergreen may have dismissed it, and Octavio may have ignored you as a threat, but when I heard that Agents were getting intel from an inside source, well... I figured it had to be you. So useless to us that you'd actually help the Inklings, I'd be surprised if I wasn't so disgusted. And yet, such a fool that you forgot about our locator chips, incredible. I trust you know what this is?" He held up a single white pill. "03-C. You've got two options here, 07-35. Take this, and die, or-"
"I- I won't! I won't take it!"
"Very well, then it's option two! Much more fun for me." 07-34 drew a combat knife, it's cold metal gleaming in the moonlight. "Death, by a thousand cuts!" Grinning like a maniac, 07-34 charged, slashing wide at 07-35. Out of practice and still slightly disoriented from the after-effects of Octavio's music, she stepped back too late, receiving a large cut across the chest. Stumbling back, her hand shot up to the wound, and for a second she gazed at her now stained hand with morbid curiosity. The sight of the Ink on her hand was just what she needed, though, her combat instincts kicking in, and she was able to deflect his next swipe, grabbing his arm and redirecting the attack, but just as quickly he flipped the knife in his hand, switching to a backward grip and swinging back across, cutting deep into her arm. She threw a punch, trying to catch him off-balance, but to the well-refined reflexes of the Octoling Elite it looked as if she were moving in slow-motion. He dodged the punch, throwing in a quick swipe of the knife across her forearm as he did so, following it up by grabbing her injured forearm and attacking the back of her elbow, a sickening pop signaling he had dislocated it much the same as he had to Vermillion the day prior. She gritted her teeth, using her injured arm to block his next swipe, and kicking at his midsection, only to again be countered. Unlike his previous fights with Inklings, this fight was clearly one-sided, with 07-34 knowing 07-35's fighting style as well as not having to deal with the after-effects of Octavio's mind control. Several more passes of 07-34's knife were blocked by 07-35 using her injured arm as a sacrificial shield, but after that, she could feel the strength leaving that arm, unable to even lift it to defend herself. She knew what she had to do; as 07-34 stabbed at her again, she caught the point of the blade in the the palm of her hand, and she couldn't help but let tears start flowing from the pain as the blade punched through; but as she twisted her impaled hand, the knife was torn from 07-34's grasp. 07-34 only laughed, however, gut-punching her in her small moment of triumph before pulling out a second knife. Like a whirlwind, 07-34 came at her again, each pass of the knife leaving yet another bleeding cut, sapping a little more of her strength- 07-35 lunged, trying in desperation to use the blade sticking out of the back of her hand to stab 07-34, but yet again, her attack was easily dodged, only this time as he counter-attacked, she felt the last of her fighting strength leave, and she fell forwards to the ground, lacking the strength to even put out her arms to catch her fall.
"Hm. Looks like it took a few less then a thousand. No worries, I'll finish the job with just one. Then, Lord Octavio will forgive me for my previous failures, and the invasion will be able to proceed as-"
07-34's eyes darted sideways, his head turning slightly, and a split-second later, he swung his whole body around, his knife clashing with the blade of ink erupting from Green's grasp. Their eyes met, hints of madness meeting the determined gaze of Green, before he twisted his blade and flung it aside, sending both weapons out of their owner's hands and crashing into the brush. A veritable flurry of blows followed, Green throwing a punch to the left as 07-34 brought his arm up and out, parrying the attack and bringing his other arm in for an uppercut which Green caught, following up with a roundhouse kick from the right which 07-34 ducked under, pushing up and trying to flip Green off his balance. Green used the momentum, flipping back and using a tree like a springboard to launch himself back at 07-34. He brought both arms around, trying to stun the Octoling with a blow to the ears, but 07-34 brought his arms up, blocking the attack and finally landing a hit, delivering a powerful forwards kick to Green's exposed midsection. Green's feet dug into the ground as the kick pushed him back slightly, bringing his fists back up to a defensive stance and circling to the left of 07-34. 07-34 chuckled, mimicking his opponent. The two circled each other for what felt like an eternity, each scanning the other for weakness- Green broke the standoff, throwing a left hook, only to be countered by a swift uppercut from 07-34. He pressed the advantage, not giving Green a second to bring his defenses back up, throwing in multiple powerful blows to the Inkling's chest and throat. He decided to finish this off, mimicking their last fight and throwing another shot at the Inkling's torso, right where his liver was- but this time, Green caught the punch. He pulled on 07-34's fist, tugging the Octoling closer and bringing his knee up into 07-34's gut, using the mere moments it stunned 07-34 for to spin him around before locking him into a bear hug. Exhaling hard through his nose, Green heaved, lifting 07-34 off the ground, bending over backwards- a near-perfect german suplex. The two lay there for a minute, the Octoling stunned and the Inkling catching his breath- as soon as the Octoling began to get up, so did the Inkling, both now breathing notably heavier than at the start of their fight. Faster than the Inkling could react, the Octoling jumped back, crouching down and ripping the knife out of 07-35's palm, causing finally the shriek of pain he was waiting for- but as he did so the Inkling dove into the brush, re-emerging with the Octoling's other knife. Like two wild animals squaring off to decide the new alpha, the two circled each other once more, both holding their knives at the ready, the knives now soaked with ink no longer gleaming. The two dove at each other savagely, 07-34's quick stabs all narrowly avoided or blocked by Green, but the Inkling unable to land any hits on the Octoling as well. Finally, Green managed to connect, feinting left before slashing right, cutting across 07-34's chest in much the same manner as he had first cut 07-35, eliciting a pained grunt from the Octoling, but just as quickly- it was over. Green could feel his body give out as ink began to sink through his shirt right where the Octoling's knife had sunk into him. It had hit his liver, he was certain, that's why he'd collapsed like that. Green felt his grip on his knife loosen, the Octoling stooping to wrench it from his weakening grasp.
"Hah... Haha... Hahahaha! Boy, you sure gave me a scare there! I almost thought you'd beat me! But unfortunately for you, it looks like-" 07-34 paused. He stepped back over to 07-35, crouching down and poking her with the point of his knife. No response. His eyes widened slightly, then his hand went in, checking for a pulse- when 07-35 whipped her head around, biting his hand, desperation in her eyes. He yelped in pain, yanking his bleeding hand away, before his deranged smile came back, and he swiped his knife across her throat, and her head slumped back down. Green's eyes widened. He struggled, pushing himself to get up, trying to power through the pain, the stab to his liver sending shocks through his whole body... But he couldn't. He collapsed back down to the ground, blacking out to the sound of 07-34's maniacal laughter.

Agents 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 expected a small celebration when they returned from trouncing the Octo-Nozzle, a good celebration was great for morale. What they were greeted instead by was an empty house. Their first sign something was wrong was Green's half-reassembled weapon lying on the table, something very out of character for him. Their second clue was the back gate swinging eerily in the cold breeze. Morado stayed back to guard the house; meanwhile, the rest of the group raced into the woods, searching high and low. After about 15 minutes of searching, they happened upon a gruesome scene. 07-35 lay limp on the ground, ink coating a wide area around her, her body pale from ink loss. Nearby, a smaller pool of a slightly different green soaked the ground; the owner of said ink, however, was nowhere to be found. Cobalt discovered Green's Ink-Blade in the brush nearby, but even after another 15 minutes Persimmon and Cobalt couldn't find a thing. During those 15 minutes, the other three had rushed 07-35's lifeless body back to the house, Vermillion trying desperately to revive the fallen Octoling, to no apparent success. Hanging his head low, he tried to dress her wounds as best he could, loaded her into his car, and took off, speeding towards Inkopolis without so much as a word.

A door slammed open, startling Naranja awake. He crept into the next room, to find a panicked Vermillion. The look on his face spoke a million words.
"Naranja! I... I need your help, this is urgent!"
"What's so urgent you wake me up at this hour? We just beat that damn Octo-Weapon, let me get some rest-"
Naranja was cut off as he realized just what- or, rather, who- Vermillion had lain down on the spare table in the corner of their safe house.
"You're more the medical guy than me, Vermillion. Which means, if you brought her here, to me- How long?"
"I-I don't know, couldn't be earlier than when we got to the Octo Valley though-"
"Right. I'll do what I can. You need to step back, though. I need calm to do my work. You're throwing off all kinds of energies that could screw it up, and bad."
"R-Right. Please... Just, Save her, please. She's got nowhere left to go, Naranja."
Vermillion hurriedly left the room, leaving Naranja to his work. He was many things, a man of many talents, but today, he was apparently going to be a man who could raise the dead. Naranja's eyes began to glow, the glow slowing spreading into lines, stretching across his body into various shapes, his hands beginning to emit a similar glow once the lines reached them. It was a simple principle, really, one that Inkling society knew and utilized for their respawn pads.
"There exists a consciousness within every living being. A being made of Ink's Consciousness determines their form; by removing this consciousness and submerging it within the ink from which it emerged, one may reform their body. However, should a body become damaged to the point of non-functionality, the Consciousness may become removed from the body it calls home. When this happens, we call this Death; as the Consciousness of the Inkling will soon depart this world, leaving to a place unknown to us left behind. However... The body and Consciousness are still linked while the body is still whole. This is why we give proper rites to those who have passed, and pay our respects to the bodies of those passed on. Through this connection, the Consciousness can view the world of Life. In this way are Death and Life connected; that one may pass from one to the other while still able to observe. Through immense spiritual power, however, these flows may be reversed. Such is mathematical Law, if Consciousness Minus Life Equals Death, then all I need do is add Life to Death to return to Consciousness. By collecting and channeling spiritual energy, the energy of Life, into this vessel, an equal volume of Death, I can call back the Consciousness which once dwelled within." The glow became brighter, brighter yet, blinding if it weren't for the fact the glow shielded his eyes. "I call you back now, Octoling without name. The toll has been paid, let thy Consciousness return to the realm of Life." In a bright flash, the glow was gone, steam rising from where the lines had been on Naranja's body. He slumped back into a chair carefully placed behind him, and watched with bated breath... The Octoling's chest suddenly rose, then fell, then rose again. Weakly, yes, but with her wounds treated- Vermillion returned to the room, his contacts having delivered a substance worth it's weight in gold. Ink, cleansed of all traces of DNA and any impurities, clear as water- a difficult process, averaging only about 1 liter for every hundred liters processed- but perfect for transfusions. No known Ink-based creature's body would refuse the stuff. As Vermillion carefully put in an IV for the transfusion, a small amount of color returned to the Octoling. Perhaps she would make it, after all.