Holter household, Octo valley
Unlike Inker and Kal, Victoria could move freely through the city, however she still stuck with them as they snuck their way to Victoria's old home.
Victoria knew where they kept the spare key, so she entered without knocking.
She walked upstairs to the dining room, with Kal and Inker behind, soon she saw both her parents, casually sitting around the table.
There was food and sets of cutlery laid out on the table, the candles on the candleholder were lit as well as if they hadn't had time to eat yet, or they were waiting for someone.
When Maria noticed Victoria's arrival she spoke in the same tone as last time.
"Oh it's just you…."
Hearing that opening statement, Victoria turned to leave, while Kal and Inker brought their palms to their foreheads
"...Is what you expected me to say right? Well not today!" Maria said with a laugh
"What is the meaning of this?" Victoria asked, she had never heard her mother laugh at anything unless it was to mock her.
"It's been three years since you left, isn't it about time we had a talk?"
"A talk? What, about your great past accomplishments? About Dad's academic success? About what a disappointment I am compared to you?"
"A disappointment? Whatever gave you that impression?"
"Probably every word you've ever spoken."
"Don't be that way Victoria, how could we possibly be disappointed in you?"
Victoria's face was full of shock at this last statement
Her mouth twitched, as if she was about to smile.
"Who are you and what did you do to my mother?"
"Hahaha! A sense of humor! Good! I was worried you'd grow dull!"
"Better, but ma wouldn't laugh like that."
"Ohh stop joking around, our family's been divided for how long now? Shouldn't you be a bit more serious."
"If our family is divided, that's your fault."
"I agree it definitely is."
"Once again, who are you?"
"I'm your mother of course!"
"Then why are you so cheerful?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Do you know how hard it was to act all mean and cold to you all these years? Finally a great weight is about to be lifted off my shoulders!"
"Hard for you?! And what act!? Why the hell are you acting so different today!?"
'Easy Victoria' Kal wanted to say, but he and Inker felt it was best not to do anything, they just stood by and watched the exchange between Victoria and her mother.
"Look we have a lot to say" Robert said "We know you can't stay in Octo Valley anymore, So before you leave, could you spare some time for your old folks?"
Still unable to understand the sudden change in attitude Victoria accepted and sat down with her family around the dining table.
"I'll go get some air." Inker said
"I'll go too" Kal and Inker left the Octolings to themselves.
"Hey don't get spotted alright!" Victoria called out to them.
She turned to her parents now
"Alright, first off, what the heck is all this about an act? Kal mentioned it while convincing me to come, so you should start by explaining that."
"Straight to the point huh?" Robert replied "well alright, I guess you deserve to know by now."
Maria was the one to begin explaining
"I thought it would be best if you didn't get close to us, you see when I was young, I was lucky enough to know both my parents, I also had two younger sisters and a brother, we all got along extremely well, we talked, ate, played and laughed together, it was all great….."
"I didn't come for your backstory."
"Please just listen, you'll understand soon."
Maria was struggling to retell the events of the past.
"As the oldest sibling I was the first to find a job with the Octarian army, I used my break days often to go see my family. One day we were on our way home from a trip to an amusement park, we were hungry so we stopped at a local restaurant to eat but then….."
Maria couldn't continue, so Robert took over.
"There was an accident, a train carrying 80 cars of crude oil derailed at 120 km/h, the resulting explosion vaporized the restaurant along with three other nearby buildings, dozens more were burned down later."
Maria looked down as if fighting back tears.
"We felt tremors from the train, we thought that maybe it was an earthquake, I ran outside because I thought it would be safer there, I thought they'd be right behind me….."
Robert continued
"At that time I already knew your mother, the two of us had been dating for a while, when she called me and told me what happened I could tell she was devastated."
Victoria could guess why they were so cold to her now.
"Let me guess, you were worried that if something like that was to happen to the two of you, i'd feel the same? That was why you refused to acknowledge me?!"
"This kind of stuff happens too often nowadays, we also felt that if we let you do everything on your own, you'd be able to do anything without any help at all, that last part was his idea." Maria said
"How do I know this isn't a bunch of nonsense you just made up tonight?"
Robert put his hand up "Victoria please. I know we always acted that way towards you so we should expect the be treated as such, but it was hard for us too, could you try and forgive us?"
"You want me to forgive you now? I spent years trying to talk to you without being insulted or mocked! Now you expected me to forgive you on a whim!?"
"I know you're angry, but please, you know how hard it was to hide our smiles when we saw what you've become, what you've accomplished?"
"What have I actually accomplished? I got lost in Inkopolis, I had to be brought back by Inklings, and now i'm leaking information to them, What part of that is worth praising?"
"You became an Octarian soldier, you made a living without our help and you aren't blindly following orders from some high ranking officer. That is worth praising."
"But that's nothing impressive, I'm just doing what's normal."
"You don't need to do something extraordinary, you're our precious daughter. As long as you are safe and happy then we are happy too."
"You say that now, yet for the past sixteen years you've only made me miserable."
"It's the same for us you know, I loved my family, I wished that you could experience something similar, but I was also afraid that someday this old house would bury us, then you'd be devastated." Maria said
Robert nodded, "When your mother lost her whole family, she was down for days, she even when so far as to consider joining them. Normally nobody cares if someone dies in Octo Valley unless they are related, had I not been there, you mother would have had no one to comfort her then she probably wouldn't be here today."
Maria continued "We had planned to tell you this after you had found someone special, that way even if we lost our lives, you would have someone to go to."
"Wait, so why did you choose to tell me this now? Don't tell you you couldn't go on acting like a cold hearted sea witch."
"Well, you can't stay here anymore right? I heard from Agent 3 that the Octarian army is after you, I thought you'd never forgive us, but the Inklings pointed out that this may be the last time we see each other, so I want to ask you one more time, before you leave Octo Valley, can you please forgive us?"
With their explanation done, Maria and Robert anxiously waited for Victoria's answer.
For some reason, there were bits of moisture forming under Victoria's eyes, she didn't understand why.
Could it be that she was envious of how other Octarians enjoyed being with family and wished that she could experience the same thing?
"Ma, Pa, you have no idea how long i've been waiting for this."
"You forgive us?"
"Yes."
With that, Victoria lept forth and embraced her family in a group hug, they stayed that way even as they heard Kal and Inker walking up the stairs.
"You guys didn't just stand outside did you?" Victoria's voice was a bit muffled.
"Of course not, we waited downstairs." Inker replied
"Don't tell me you two were eavesdropping on us."
"We weren't"
The three Octolings finally let go of each other, all of them had a few tears on their cheeks and they all looked happy, happy that for first time they had come together.
"Well then we better get going." Kal said as he and Inker turned to leave.
"No need, come stay a bit, it's thanks to you that our family is back together." Maria offered
"We should probably get back to Inkopolis."
"Come on, nobody knows you're here so it will be fine!" Even Victoria cheerfully suggested they stay.
'I don't recall ever seeing Victoria that happy before.' Kal thought
"Well if you insist I guess I could stay a bit, after all there's something I wanted to ask." Inker said
"Hmm? What is it?"
Inker looked at Maria
"When we came here the first time, you said that fighting as a part of the Octarian army is "merely doing what you think is right, even if someday you find out you were in the wrong." does that mean you know why the Octarians are fighting with us?"
"Oh I did say that, well yes, but it's a secret that only the Elite Octolings know, we aren't allowed to tell any other Octarian."
"But we aren't-"
"Yes I know, just playing with ya, you helped us reunite our family so it wouldn't hurt to tell you. You see the reason the Great Turf Wars started so suddenly was because."
"Great Turf Wars? It goes all the way back to that time?"
"Yes, did you know that Octavio and Cuttlefish were best friends as one point?"
"Actually I do, I found a old sunken scroll during one of my missions, it said that the Inklings and Octarians had amicable relations until sea levels rose. It's the reason why I'm trying to find a way to make peace with Octo Valley, it's also the reason why we decided to bring Victoria back to Octo Valley without any drama."
"Ahh, well do you know why Cuttlefish and Octavio started fighting?"
"I don't know, Cap'n Cuttlefish never talks about it, and of course if I ask Octavio he'd just threaten to fry me into squid rings or something along those lines."
"Well then let me tell you, Octavio and Cuttlefish both had a part in starting the war, you see the Inklings of Inkopolis and the Octarians of Octopolis actually stayed friendly with each other after the sea levels rose….."
As Maria talked to Inker, Robert walked over to a dusty shelf and brought back an old album.
"Is that our family album?" Victoria asked
"Yes, the very same one you tried to destroy when you left us."
"... Sorry about that."
"No need to apologise, it was only natural that you act that way, given how we treated you. By the way, we haven't had dinner yet, would you like to join us?" He asked Kal and Victoria
"I already ate." Victoria replied
"Umm if it's okay I would like some, I mean well, I haven't been back to Inkopolis since yesterday so I'm kinda hungry."
Robert gestured at an empty plate and seat.
"Go ahead, you're our guest today."
As Kal started eating, Victoria and her father sat down and started flipping through the album together, Kal looked over as well.
There were all sorts of pictures, but…..
"How long ago was this?" Kal wondered
"Six years."
The Victoria in the album was young and not fully grown, her hands were still tentacle shaped, and her skin had the same colour as her tentacles.
Robert flipped a few pages.
The Victoria in the pictures were now a fully developed Octoling, but…..
'Huh?' Kal thought upon seeing the next page 'Why does Victoria, look sad or angry in every picture?'
There was no more pages after that.
"Well that's all, you didn't want anything to do with us after that."
"You can't blame me can you? Don't worry, I may need to leave Octo Valley, but I promise i'll find a way to come back someday." Victoria said, hugging her father and resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'll look forward to it."
With that Robert set the album down.
Inker was still busying listening to Maria telling what she knew about Octavio and Cuttlefish.
"Since Octavio was born to be the future king of Octopolis he lived a sheltered life, he had no one to talk to except the guards. Then there was Cuttlefish, he and two of his friends lived carefree lives together, playing around without a care in the world, Cuttlefish wanted to be a pop idol, so he spent his time writing songs for himself. One day his friends were teasing him, tossing around Cuttlefish's songbook, at some point that book flew into Octavio's palace.
Octavio's bodyguards wouldn't let anyone inside but Cuttlefish didn't want to lose all his hard work, so he snuck inside to retrieve it himself, that's how to two met."
"What? Cuttlefish ran into Octavio after breaking in to his palace?"
"Not really, he was caught shortly after entering the palace grounds, Octavio was curious as to why the guards were shouting and came out to find Cuttlefish surrounded by the tips of half a dozen Octobrushes. I don't know the exact details, since this story is pieced together from a dozen eyewitnesses, but apparently, Octavio was more interested in music than politics, he read Cuttlefish's songbook before handing it back, he must have liked Cuttlefish's lyrics cause a few days later the guards found out that not only had Octavio been sneaking out to see Cuttlefish, but the two had started a band together."
"That's the first time I ever heard of that! What were they called?"
"Don't ask me, I wasn't born back then. At that time, the sea levels already rose, and both Inklings and Octolings found themselves in need of land, with Octavio running away from his duties to make music things weren't going too well. Apparently Octavio noticed how music seemed to move and control people, so he asked Cuttlefish if they could make a song that would numb out the feelings of anger to hopefully settle things down between the Inklings and Octolings. Cuttlefish however was against it, he wanted music to be something people enjoyed, not a tool for international relations."
"That doesn't sound like the Cuttlefish I know…"
"Really? Well what happened next might be the reason, Cuttlefish had no idea how important the public's opinion was to a ruler like Octavio, but Octavio was angry that Cuttlefish wouldn't help him ease the tensions between the two races, he must have felt bad, because he tried to make it up to him by spreading the rumor of Octavio's anger numbing music in Inkopolis, since he didn't think it was a bad idea. Of course this Cuttlefish was young and naive, he thought the Inklings would be okay with such a thing instead Inkopolis' public opinion instantly turned against Octavio and Octopolis, however Octopolis didn't think it was a bad idea, the two races had opposing views, which made things worse. The band that Cuttlefish and Octavio started was shouted down as well, tensions rose higher than ever as Inkling protesters gathered to denounce Prince Octavio for using what they called "mind control", Cuttlefish then left the band to save himself from the backlash, without ever telling Octavio what he was really planning to do. Octavio must have thought Cuttlefish wanted to ruin him, because after that Octavio started using music not to numb out anger, but to amplify it on both sides. It wasn't long until the Octopolis army plugged in the Great Octoweapons and declared war."
"Now hold on a second, you said the Octarian army was in the wrong, but this story makes it sound like Cuttlefish is at fault!"
"Well, he did play a part in it, but it wasn't an excuse for Octavio to force two whole races into war, the young Octavio was hot tempered and chose to start a war rather than try and clear up the misunderstandings, in fact to this day he still uses music to keep Octarians from trusting Inklings. Besides, this is only one side of the story and its not in great detail either, only Octavio and Cuttlefish would know the full story."
Robert called out to Maria. "Honey, come and eat, the food is getting cold."
Maria walked over and joined the others at the dining table.
Inker, who could not hide the fact that he hadn't eaten for a day sat with Kal on the opposite side of the Victoria's family.
Victoria didn't eat, but she talked about her recent time in the army with her parents, who for once, weren't looking down on her.
The late candlelit dinner was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Victoria, Maria and Robert were all happy.
It was the first time Kal had ever seen Victoria that happy.
"Sky, are you there?" Kal whispered into his headset
"Yep, i'm not going anywhere."
"Are you seeing this?"
"Yeah, they are all together again, how sweet."
"Could you maybe take a picture from Inker's Hero Suit camera?"
"Hmm? Well yeah I could, why?"
"Nothing, I just thought that Victoria would like a souvenir of this day, after all she'll be hiding somewhere soon, none of us will see her again for some time."
"... Done, by the way, I know Neon teases you about this all the time, but you really do care a lot for Victoria."
"You need to stop hanging out with Neon so much."
"Well you and Inker are in Octo Valley more often nowadays."
"It's not like I asked to be squidnapped."
'Vrrrt vrrrt'
"Oh that's me." Someone was calling Victoria at this time?
Victoria left the dining room to answer.
"Hello?"
"Victoria? Thank goodness you are alright, why haven't you came back yet?"
"Sorry for making you worry Violet, but I think i'll spend the night here."
"Wait really? You finally got things straightened with your family?"
"Yeah, hard to believe right?"
"Yeah… Anyways um, you should probably be careful, some Elite Octolings just stormed a building nearby."
"Don't worry about that, they have no idea who to even look for."
"Yeah okay, you should probably leave Octo Valley soon though, come back i'll help you pack your things."
"If I leave Octo Valley now it would only make me look more suspicious, look if you are so worried, i'll just stay with my parents for now, just don't talk about what I did and everything will be fine."
"Okay, umm, well at last come back and get a few things."
"Sure, i'll do that later."
Suddenly the lights went out again.
If Maria and Robert hadn't lit candles, the room would have been plunged into darkness.
Like before Inker and Kal shot up and glanced around frantically, still unused to such a phenomenon.
"Again?" Inker wondered
"This sometimes happens several times a week, don't worry, we already had a long blackout recently, this one probably won't last long." Maria replied
Victoria hung up and went over to Inker.
"Could you do me a favor, my roommate Violet seems very nervous thanks to those damn Elites making a ruckus. Can you go back to my apartment and make sure the Elites don't get anywhere near her?"
"Wait really? What about all the Octarians singing in the streets?"
"Well it's pretty late now, most Octarians should be asleep, besides you can travel by roof, like before."
"If they see my ink, they'll probably come after me."
"I'm sure you can handle it, I mean you were able to beat me back in Inkopolis easily, i'm sure you can handle them."
"Well okay I guess. Sky, guide me back to Victoria apartment again."
"Okay!"
Inker left after waving goodbye, quickly swimming away towards Victoria's apartment.
Victoria in the meantime, sat back down and started talking with her family again.
To her it was the best day ever, she always wished to find out what it was like to have a caring family, and tonight she got that wish.
Kal smiled at the scene before him, knowing he make a good decision to bring these Octolings together.
Melanin prison, Octo Valley
Dozens of Octolings and Octotroopers gathered in the now unused prison.
They weren't sure why they were here, nor why their captain had asked them to come, but orders are orders; leave the thinking to those capable and obey their commands.
They had gathered in main cell block, so that everyone could see and hear their captain speak. At this point everyone wanted to know why had they been called here?
The captain of the guard stood in the center of the room, surrounded by her subordinates.
"Before I explain what I plan to do, I want all of you to know, what happens to you from here on out is your choice, not mine."
The Octolings and Octotroopers looked at each other confused, they had never been given a choice in any matter before, so this was new to them.
"Acting Leader Octavia has ordered that we prepare for a full frontal assault on Inkopolis Plaza the moment she gives the order, now i'm sure most of you have heard of how heavily populated and heavily defended Inkopolis is, Inkopolis Plaza is the most populated area of Inkopolis, so any attack there would likely be met with extreme force."
Mixed reactions arose from the troops, some thought attacking Inkopolis was exactly what they'd been waiting for, others were worried, if the Inkopolis Plaza was as dangerous as the captain described, a single splatoon wouldn't last long.
"Assaulting Inkopolis like that would be suicide, I won't order you to do it, but Octavia thinks otherwise, if any of you agree with her and wishes to attack Inkopolis directly, please leave now."
The troops exchanged glances, they weren't sure what to do. Should they follow the Acting Leader, or the captain they had served under and trusted?
Nobody moved, they were either confused on how to proceed, or determined to follow their captain and not Acting Leader Octavia.
The captain smiled, looks like she had more support than she thought.
"Alright then, before we continue I want to make sure you know that in order to avoid being sent to our deaths we must relieve Acting Leader Octavia of her position before she gives the order to move out. What we are about to get into here is high treason, but know that we are doing it for the good of Octo Valley."
At the mention of "high treason" the troops started whispering to each other, expressing their doubts and concerns.
"Should we be here?"
"What's going on?"
"Why is the captain telling us this?"
"Is this some sort of rebellion?"
"What if we get caught?"
"What if someone snitches?"
Once again, the captain gave a choice.
"All of you stayed, but I'm sure some of you are having second thoughts now, if you don't want to participate, i'll send you to Octo Canyon for the moment, that way you won't be tried if we fail."
Once again the block went silent, nobody made a move, nobody chose to leave, nobody spoke.
"Have all of you decided to stay, regardless of the consequences should we fail?"
"..."
There had never been an uprising in Octo Valley before.
In fact there had never been a traitor in Octo Valley until recently.
What was going on? When Octavio was here nobody questioned each other.
The soldiers we not sure what to do, after all they had never been told to make a decision before, now all of a sudden they are given such a hard choice: Go to Inkopolis and possibly be splatted by an overwhelming amount of enemies, or attempt to overthrow Acting Leader Octavia and possibly be splatted for treason against the valley.
"I'm in." Claire's voice broke the silence.
Her choice was the catalyst needed to set things in motion.
"I'm in"
"Me too."
"We could get splatted either way, let's do this."
In the end every single Melanin prison guard chose to side with the captain.
'Good, now Octo Valley might have a chance, if we can get rid of that incompetent Acting Leader'
"Alright, now that you've decided to continue I can start explaining what we shall do:
There is a protocol which states that In a state of emergency, such as an enemy invasion, Octo Valley becoming uninhabitable, or the assassination of a large number of high ranking Octarians, the reserve army stationed near Octo Canyon is to evacuate everyone to Octo Canyon, which has already been prepared to sustain Octarian life.
We can use this to our advantage, if we find a way to either eliminate, or fake the elimination of Acting Leader Octavia, we can get the reserve army to evacuate the valley.
The Inklings would not expect us to attack from anywhere other than Inkopolis Plaza, so we will have the element of surprise when we move in from Octo Canyon."
That last part reassured the soldiers that they would not be getting friendly with the accursed Inklings, it also made them more determined to succeed, overthrowing Octavia meant saving themselves from a suicide mission, and putting them in a better place for an assault on Inkopolis.
"You will not speak of this anywhere outside Melanin, I will gather you all again when I have determined how to proceed. Dismissed."
With that, the Melanin prison guards started leaving, one by one.
"Claire!" Lynn called out as she found Claire amongst the crowd.
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Did you know about this?"
"How could I possibly have known?"
"But how could you decide to go against the Acting Leader so easily?"
"I don't know, maybe it's cause I've served under the captain for so long, so I trust her judgement more than that of anyone else."
"Oh."
"Well that, and because nobody else was going to say anything unless someone spoke up."
"Okay. Umm, the captain told me something about making your own choices instead of repeating what your superiors want you to say, is this what she meant?"
"Once again, why would I know? I'm just the captain's aide."
Lynn shook her head "What's going to happen now? Are we not all traitors? What if somebody says something to save themselves?"
"Do you feel like you were forced into agreeing with the captain?" Claire replied
"Ummm, I don't know, everyone else agreed so I just kinda went along."
Claire raised a finger.
"That, is what the captain meant."
"What?"
"You need to make your own choice, do you want to stick with us, or do you want to go and rat us out? If you are just going to stand around uncertain and blindly follow the masses you'd be of no use to either side."
Lynn nodded
"By the way, in case you haven't noticed, Octo Valley just got divided in two, there is our group and Octavia's, it's time to choose Lynn, who will you side with?" Claire continued
"I-I don't know."
"Well you should make that choice soon, for me i'm with my captain, Octavia may run Octo Valley, but she will be nothing once Octavio returns, but the captain, she wants what's best for us, that is what I believe, after all, how many Octarians are so highly respected to the point where they are referred to by rank instead of name?"
Now that Claire mentioned it, Lynn couldn't recall anyone ever addressing the captain by name, Octavia on the other hand told the people to refer to her as Acting Leader, yet she still hears some Octarians forget her title.
"Besides, she just showed that she was willing to disobey orders if it meant keeping us alive. Well, that's my view of things, you should come up with yours soon, I know for a fact that most of us will follow the captain to the ends of the earth."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm good at reading people remember? Why do you think i'm the captain's aide-de-camp? Not everyone agreed to follow just because I said I would. Anyways, if you are still uncertain who to follow, then you had better decide soon."
Undercity, Octo Valley
Inker hid in his ink as he saw the Octarian saucer fly by, it was heading in the opposite direction of Victoria's apartment.
It also didn't seem to notice the trail of blue ink on the rooftops.
With that he let out a sigh of relief.
When he reached Victoria's apartment, the saucer was nowhere close.
"Sky do you know where the saucer is?"
"No, the power isn't back on yet, I can't see any other camera but yours."
"Well alright, get ready to find it as soon as the power comes on, Maria said that it should happen soon since they already had a long blackout recently."
"Roger."
'Why do people say roger?' Inker wondered
In the meantime he stood on an eight story apartment building, if the saucer came back here, he would have to get its attention.
'Hmm?' Inker noticed something strange
There was already dark magenta ink on the ground near the apartment.
Could the Elites have already come here?
'Come to think of it, how could the saucer miss that long trail of ink I left?'
Inker had a bad feeling about this, he hopped down and went inside the building.
There wasn't any dark magenta ink inside, but he still had to be sure nothing bad happened.
Inker knocked on the door of the room that Victoria and Violet shared.
Violet answered it like before, slowly opening the door and showing only half her face.
"Why are you here again?"
"Just making sure everything is alright."
"Oh everything is fine, no need to stay here, umm please be quiet, you might wake our neighbours, they should be asleep by now."
"Yeah I heard, all the Octarians should be asleep right? Why aren't you?"
"Umm, i'm just worried, yeah i'm too nervous to sleep."
"Why is that? And what are you hiding behind the door?"
"Shh quiet, i'm not hiding anything, see for yourself."
Violet's voice showed hints of fear, Inker knew she was still somewhat afraid of him, but something seemed off, he went inside, there was nothing behind the door.
Although Violet was pushing against it for some reason.
"Umm, is everything alright?" Inker asked
"Yes everything is alright." Violet slowly shut the door and walked away from it
'Is she trying to draw attention away from the door?'
Inker took a closer look, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, but as soon as he stepped closer he felt something under his foot.
There were screws and a few bits of wood on the ground.
On a second glance, the door's hinges weren't screwed on.
'I see, so she was holding the door in place.'
"Violet, what's going on?"
"N-nothing, umm, could you tell Victoria to come here quickly?"
Violet was standing in front of a coffee table, holding her hands in front, she was forcing a smile, but Inker could see her mouth twitching.
In other words, she looked as if she was acting innocent to hide something.
'Was she twiddling her thumbs? I know she's afraid of me, but this is really weird.'
Inker tried to see if she was hiding something behind her, but everytime he tried to walk around, she would move.
'Okay something is definitely up'
"Violet." Inker said in a deep and serious tone.
"Y-yes?" Violet was getting more and more nervous by the minute
"I'll ask you again, what's going on? Why is the door broken? Why do you look so nervous? What are you hiding?"
Slowly a tear rolled down Violet's face, she dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry!" she couldn't stay calm anymore, not when she was alone with this guy, who looked absolutely terrifying in her eyes.
"What? What happened?"
"I'm sorry! They came in here so suddenly, accusing me of treason and all that, I didn't have a choice! Please don't hurt me!"
Inker could guess who "they" were, in fact it was probably them who broke down the door, and now that Violet wasn't standing anymore he could see that there was a pile of shattered vases, chipped wood and ripped paper on the ground.
Inker could easily guess what happened.
"What have you done….?"
"I'm sorry, I was trying to get Victoria to come, and leave you to, ahh no I mean- I'm sorry!"
Inker didn't listen to Violet any longer, he had to get back to Victoria and the others!
Inker bolted out the door, he didn't care if anyone saw him now, he ran and swam as fast as he could, while yelling into his headset.
"Kal! Kal you need to get everyone out of there now!"
Holter household, Octo Valley
"What? Why? What's going on?"
"The Elites have already been to Victoria's apartment, Violet must have told them everything."
At that moment the noise of a low flying Octarian saucer could be heard.
Maria and Robert quickly got up.
"Come quickly!"
They both dragged Kal and Victoria downstairs.
"Hey stop! What are you doing!" Kal probably thought they were turning him over.
"If they are following standard protocol, they'll surround the house and enter from separate ways, luckily there is another way out." Maria said as she and Robert pushed aside an old bookshelf, revealing a small staircase behind it.
"What's this?" Victoria had never seen it before.
"When I was in the army I took things very seriously just like you did, I thought it would make sense to have an escape route in case any enemy managed to fight their way to Octo Valley, how ironic that you'll be using it to get away my fellow Elite Octolings, haha."
Even in such a time Maria still managed to laugh.
"Kalus, Victoria, this will take you outside of the Undercity, once you're out, run and don't look back. Oh and don't forget this."
Robert handed Victoria their family album.
"Hey, I'm not leaving you behind! I might have done so when I was younger, but not today!" Victoria didn't want to leave.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine! Just go!"
"Come on, we need to go!" Kal said, pulling on Victoria's arm.
He didn't want to be caught again, not after barely going a week after being rescued.
"Okay i'm coming! Hey mom, dad, you better not be lying to me again!"
"Of course not, that's behind us."
They could hear the Octarian saucer land outside.
"Go quickly!"
Victoria and Kal ran, as soon as they were out of sight, Robert and Maria pushed the bookshelf back to its original position.
They looked at each other.
"Well that's goodbye, shame we had to part on a lie again." Robert pointed out.
"Honey, I know we planned for this but, I can handle myself, you can still go with them if you want."
"No, remember what I said when you lost your family? I promised i'd stay with you forever and I'm holding true to that promise."
Maria smiled, she really made the right choice marrying this guy.
"Alright then, here we go…..."
"BLAM!"
With a loud bang, the door was reduced to smithereens by a team of Elites, followed by the sound of shattering glass as a second team came in through the sliding glass door at the back.
Maria and Robert were nowhere to be seen on the first floor, however...
"Odd, the ground seems wet."
"Is it water or something else? Whatever cover it up!"
The Elites shot ink everywhere turning the entire first floor dark magenta.
"Floor's clear! Move up!"
The Elites regrouped are went up the stairway to see Maria and Robert sitting casually at the dinner table.
The two took note of them but didn't say anything.
The Elites kept running around inking every room.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
After checking every room in the house and finding no trace of Inklings or Victoria, the Elites turn their attention to Maria and Robert.
"Where is your daughter?"
"Victoria? She doesn't visit anymore." Robert replied "You should probably start cleaning the mess you've made."
"Don't lie to us, we know she was here, we got a reliable source telling us that she came to visit you with two Inklings just hours ago!"
"My, aren't you being rude for a bunch of uninvited guests, if Victoria isn't here there's nothing we can do about it."
The lead Elite gestured at two other Elites
"Take them away, for questioning."
Their weapons wouldn't work on another Octarian, so instead they had to rely on force.
Maria however, flipped from her chair, landing a powerful kick on one Elite and tossing a plate at the one moving towards Robert.
After that Maria got into a fighting stance, with the fingers remaining on her right hand, she gestured at the Elites to bring it on.
"Raising a fist against Elite Octolings is a crime, one that will be added to treason against the state if you don't tell us where your daughter is."
"Don't think you can bully everyone around just cause you got seaweed in your head." Maria replied
"We have full authority and may do whatever we see fit, if you continue to resist we will use force to bring you and your husband in for questioning."
"Try it, I took all my skills with me when I left the army."
"So i've heard, former first lieutenant Maria Holter, you had quite the number of accomplishments before you left, but there's only one of you, that schoolteacher you married won't do much, and we are all Elites, we all had the same training as you."
"Really? Well you've done your homework, you seem to know everything." Robert replied, getting up from his seat and joining Maria on the opposite side of the room.
They faced off against the ten Elites who had invaded their home.
There was nothing in between them but the dining table, that was all they needed.
"Surely you can't be so stupid as to try and take us on with your bare fists." the lead Elite said, almost laughing at the pitiful bit of resistance Maria and Robert could offer. "Oh well, it doesn't matter whether you talk or not, your daughter is a criminal, who has helped Inklings act against us, we will find her and execute her with or without your cooperation. Don't think you can escape, we know how you'll fight, and we have weapons."
"That you do" Maria replied "But there's two things you don't know, number one: you are standing in oil."
The Elites showed a confused expression, some looked down at their feet, they didn't know what Maria was getting at, sure the ground was wet, but who cared if they were standing in oil, ink, or water? it wouldn't matter would it?
"Number two." Maria and Robert glanced at each other before speaking at the same time.
"We'll do anything, to protect our daughter."
With that the two of them flipped the dining table, sending all the food, plates, and burning candles towards the Elites…...
Outskirts of the Undercity, Octo Valley
There was a small hatch in the ground just outside the Undercity, over the years it had been covered in dirt and sand.
Kal and Victoria used all their might to get it open.
"Ahhh finally some fresh air… it's not as fresh as Inkopolis, but way better than being underground in an already underground city."
While Kal was glad to make it out, Victoria kept looking back with a worried expression on her face.
"They should be here by now…."
"Victoria we should go, remember they told us to run, let's go find Inker and get away from here."
"Wait, please just wait a little bit longer."
They sat around for a few more minutes.
'Come to think of it, the way they reacted so fast and led us to this escape route, it was almost as if they had planned for this to happen.' Kal wondered
Victoria got up
"Something's wrong."
And dashed in the direction of the Undercity
"Hey wait up!"
Kal chased after Victoria who started running back to the Undercity.
It wasn't long before Victoria froze and Kal caught up.
Victoria's parents lived on the outskirts of the Undercity so their home was visible from outside the city, where Kal and Victoria were standing..
And where their home was supposed to be, was a huge fire, sending a column of smoke into the sky…
"Aaaah aaahh." Victoria was speechless, she dropped the family album she was holding unable to process the scene in front of her.
Suddenly she tried to run towards the Undercity.
Kal grabbed Victoria's hand before she could run.
"Let go of me Kal!"
"No I can't, it's too dangerous!"
"Let me go I have to help them!"
"Victoria they are gone, you can't go back or everything they've done will go to waste!"
"No! No they are still there! They can't be gone! Not yet!"
The fire was spreading, and Octarians all over the place started coming outside to see what was happening.
If this kept up, someone would surely spot them.
Victoria kept trying to run while Kal kept pulling her back.
Victoria was managing to pull Kal along, she was slowly making their way back to the Undercity.
"Victoria, you can't go back!"
"No I must! I have to go back!"
"Snap out of it!"
Kal slapped Victoria hard across the face, making her stop.
Tears started streaming down her face.
Kal looked at his hand, it was almost as if it had moved on its own.
"Victoria…. I'm sorry, but your parents are gone."
Victoria didn't respond.
She was too busy watching the fire.
The orange glow reflected in her green eyes, that cheerful atmosphere she had experienced for the first time ever faded away with the embers and smoke.
Did this really happen? Did she really open up to her parents only to lose them an hour later?
Victoria couldn't bear to watch, but she couldn't look away either.
Family was everything in Octo Valley, that was what everyone told her, she heard of road trips, picnics and vacations being the best with your family by your side. She wanted to experience it for herself, but now all chances of that happening was gone…
Victoria felt her face, it was still hurting after Kal slapped her.
She knew he didn't mean any harm, it was for her own good.
"Victoria! Victoria! We need to get out of here, now. Victoria!? Can you hear me!?"
Victoria tried her best to regain her senses, she was in a trance, as if hypnotized by the flame which took away her reason for being in Octo Valley.
"Yes…." Victoria finally managed to speak again.
"Come on we need to go. You need to stay safe, for your parents sake."
Victoria didn't budge
Kal couldn't imagine what she could be going through, whatever it was, he hoped he would never go through the same thing.
The least he could do now was comfort her, he took Victoria's hand.
"I'm sorry…But we really need to get going." was all he could think of, he wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but they needed to get away from here quickly, so Kal retrieved the album Victoria had dropped, then he gently took her hand and pulled her away.
Without looking away from the flames, she followed, leaving the dream of a happy family to burn.
A/N: Well that's the end of chapter 15, I really wish I had introduced Maria and Robert earlier in the story, sure they were mentioned before in the first few chapters, but we never saw their characters in detail until recently, oh well, I'll be sure to let them make one last appearance soon.
OCs from part 3: Retaliation (chapters 11-15)
Inklings:
Inker: Blue Inkling boy, the New Squidbeak Splatoon's star agent, after missing out on the Early Bird vs Night Owl Splatfest due to his injuries, he joined his friends to rescue Lila from Octo valley, meeting Victoria's parents in the process. He later joined Kal in warning Victoria, once the Octarian Army caught on that someone was leaking information to them. Inker is a great fighter, and is willing to put himself in harm's way if it means helping his friends, especially when they are in Octo Valley. (also known as Agent 3)
Kalus: Red Inkling boy, Inker's best friend, he was on team Night Owl during the splatfest, then later he joined Inker and Neon in rescuing Lila. He later refused to go back to Inkopolis once they had found out that the Octarian Army was on to Victoria and left to warn her. Like Inker, Kalus is very kind and looks out for others, however he lacks Inker's combat potential.
Neon: Green Inkling girl, a friend of Inker, Kalus and Sky, she excitedly participated in the Splatfest, but switched to an unfamiliar Scoped E-Liter 3k for some reason, as a result she lost her initial matches but got used to it later. Later she joined Inker and Kal in rescuing Lila, this time however, she seemed to have learned from past mistakes and saved Kal from nearly being splatted by Octosnipers. For some reason, Neon then returned to Inkopolis instead of staying with Kal and Inker as they left to warn Victoria. Neon is a happy go lucky kind of Inkling, she stays positive and loves turf wars and fighting more than anything else, she also enjoys teasing her friends.
Sky: Cyan Inkling boy, a friend of Inker, Kal and Neon, and also the youngest of the bunch, he was on the losing side during the splatfest. Sky wanted to help his friends rescue Lila, but he wasn't confident in his fighting ability, so instead, Inker had Cap'n Cuttlefish teach him how to be their mission control, watching over them from cameras and guiding them through the large Undercity. Sky is self aware and knows his limits, as such he usually tries to avoid fighting, if he is unsure about anything, he prefers to leave it to someone else instead of risking failure. Sky always thinks before acting, to a point where he tends to overthink things and acts too late, which is why he decided he was unfit for fighting alongside the more skilled Inklings like Inker and Neon.
Lila: Purple Inkling girl, Laven's little sister, she was used by the Octavia to get the attention of whoever was leaking information to Inkopolis. While Octavia's plan might have worked, Lila was still rescued and reunited with her family.
Laven: Purple Inkling boy, Lila's older brother, he blamed himself for Lila's squidnapping and confined himself to his home. However Lila was recently rescued from Octo Valley, upon hearing of this, Laven and his family rushed to Lila's side.
Arcus: Black Inkling man, Arcus Hilgendorf is Inkopolis' minister of defense, his parents were part of Cap'n Cuttlefish's first Squidbeak Splatoon, they were likely close, since Arcus calls Cap'n Cuttlefish "uncle Craig". Arcus helps Cuttlefish keep the New Squidbeak Splatoon out of the public eye, however with Lila's return, Arcus is facing the possibility of reforming the Inkopolis army, as more and more Inklings begin to see Octo Valley as a threat again.
Octarians:
Victoria: Octoling, a generic Octoling soldier who had gotten friendly with Agent 3 and his friends. Victoria was tricked into telling Inker and the others about Lila, as a result, the Octarian army are now aware that they had a mole in their ranks. She was on very bad terms with her parents until recently, thanks to Kal bring them together one last time before she leaves Octo Valley. Victoria always seems to be calm and serious, she always seems to hide both her intentions and feelings from others, she acts friendly with the other Octarian soldiers to not seem suspicious, yet sees them as fools for being easily swayed by Octavia's promise of revenge against the Inklings.
Octavia: Elite Octoling, currently the highest ranking Octarian in Octo Valley, Octavia claims to be simply acting as a backup leader for Octavio, yet seems to not care about her former leader at all. Octavia does not do a very good job of leading the Octarian army, though she does manage to accomplish a few things, such as discovering the presence of a traitor in their ranks. Octavia appears to be very self centered, often blaming her failures on her subordinates, she also seems to get careless very easily once she gains the upper hand.
The captain of the guard: Elite Octoling, a well respected captain in the Octarian army. Seeing potential in Callie and Sky's weapon of choice, the captain made her own Rollers from the old Octobrushes, however her first use of the weapon did not go well, as a result, Octavia ordered her to scrap all the Octorollers she had made, further deepening her dislike for Octavia. When Octavia ordered her to prepare her troops for a mission to Inkopolis against impossible odds, the captain declined only to be verbally disciplined by Octavia, this was the last straw for her, now the captain seems to be planning a coup.
Violet: Purple Octoling, Victoria's roommate, due to being constantly fed Octarian propaganda, she sees the Inklings as a scary bunch. Violet was unfortunate enough to be home when the Elite Octolings came breaking into the homes of random Octarian soldiers, so she told them about Victoria's hidden agenda. Despite Victoria constantly assuring her that the rumors around Agent 3 were just rumors, she still seems to be afraid of him.
Maria: Former Elite Octoling, Victoria's mother and Robert's wife, Maria acted cold and mean when Victoria first introduced her, but revealed it to be an act as soon as Victoria left. Maria doesn't seem to mind associating with Inklings, she had a cold personality when Victoria was nearby, but is really a positive and cheerful being, like Neon. Maria cares for Victoria deeply to a point where she is willing to give herself up to ensure her well being. According to her, she has fought Inklings, Salmonids and even Sanitized Octarians, earning herself a large scar on her face and the loss of two fingers.
Robert: male Octoling, Victoria's father and Maria's husband, Robert didn't say a word to Victoria, and was more worried about the presence of Inklings than Maria. However that didn't stop him from talking with them. Like Maria, Robert is prepared to do anything to protect Victoria.
Claire: Octoling, the captain of the guard's camp adjutant, she relays information to her commanding officer and briefs her on current events. Claire recently returned from Octo Canyon, only to hear some strange stories circulating Nautilus base. Later she and the other Melanin prison guards regrouped at Melanin prison for a meeting with their captain, who was seeking their aid in staging a coup. Claire, having full confidence in her commanding officer's judgement, was the first to choose to help her, followed by every other Octarian in her splatoon. Claire is a calm and collected soldier with much love for her family and Octo Valley, however she is not blindly loyal to Octavia nor Octavio. Claire also can read people's expressions to tell whether they are lying or not.
Lynn: Octoling, a soldier serving under the same captain as Claire. Lynn is as loyal as they come and will gladly follow orders. Lynn recently returned from Octo Canyon with Claire, she spoke with Victoria from a brief moment, asking her about recent events, before leaving to see the captain. When the captain decided to stage a coup, Lynn followed because everyone else did. Lynn does not hold herself in high regard, believing that her opinions should not matter as she is of low rank, she is also used to following orders to a point where she cannot effectively make her own decisions when given the opportunity, instead choosing to side with whoever her fellow soldiers side with, something that both the captain, and Claire seem to want her to avoid.