Lucius chuckled darkly as the agents tightened their hands around their weapons. 2 growled and reverted to her squid form, careening through the air to land next to her allies. She walked towards Agent 3 as 1 stood further in front of the two, making sure her roller was prepared if Lucius attacked.

"Way to radio in for trouble, number 3," 2 scolded as she helped him to the his feet. "God, what are we gonna do with you? Can you go one mission without needing to go to the infirmary afterwards? And where the fuck is your helmet?" 3 growled again as he balanced himself, being sure to drag his E-liter up with him.

"But he did this. He has to be stopped."

"And we'll stop him. You just need to calm the fuck down and do this right," 2 continued.

"Guys! Focus! He's still here you know!"

"Yeah! Don't talk about me like I've already left!"

"You stay out of this!" 1 yelled.

"You good to stand on your own?" 2 whispered to prevent more of Lucius eavesdropping. 3 took a few heavy breaths. He looked up to 2's covered face, seeing the worried expression hidden beneath. He took one more deep breath and pushed himself straight up as he calmed down.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he said slinging his E-liter over his shoulder again, this time holding it in a position more suited for his current 'bludgeon to death' strategy.

"If you guys are done, I'd like to start kicking your butts up and down what's left of this city." All agents growled as Lucius snickered at them.

"Fine! Here we come!" 1 screamed as she ran forward. She let out a war cry as her roller clicked, switching to a more vertical weapon. She did a short hop and held it over her head and brought it down with all of her might. Lucius dodged the roller and kicked her in her chest, sending her sliding backwards. His eyes traveled to the ground following a small ting sound. 1 snickered as Lucius noticed the three splat bombs dropped around his position. They let out their whistle of warning before exploding, sending black ink everywhere. "Yes!" 1 celebrated with a fist pump. 2 and 3 narrowed their eyes at the rain of ink, 3 stepping forward and 2 stepping back.

When the ink cleared, Lucius was standing there with a smirk and black tentacles. 1 and 2 stared wide-eyed as 3 merely sank into a battle stance. Lucius shrugged and chuckled.

"'Well darn. My ink attacks aren't working. What are we gonna do now?' Right? Is that what you're thinking?" Lucius mocked.

"How did you change colors so fast?"

"I guess I just come from a special gene pool," Lucius said walking towards the trio. "So I hope you can swing that thing really hard, girly." 1 flinched and took a step back. 3 took the chance to charge forward, swinging his weapon down with both hands. Lucius blocked it with an arm, wincing from the strike but smiling nonetheless. "By the way, last time we met, you picked up my mask. Can I have that back? Really expensive piece of tech there." 3 jumped back to his group as Lucius returned his hands to his side.

"Is there any reason you keep charging in like a madsquid?" 2 scolded.

"Yeah, this reckless behavior isn't like you," Lucius said.

"And how would you know anything about me?"

"Oh I know a lot about you," Lucius said, raising up his fingers. "I know when you became an agent, I know your blood type, I know all the horrible scars you've gotten from your time with your sister-in-law, and I know who your children are," he said counting off fingers. He grew a large fang filled smile and gave a challenging glare to 3. "How are they, by the way?" 3 took a step forward and 2 placed her hand on his shoulder.

"He's obviously baiting you. Don't fall for it," 3 stared at 2 for a moment before turning his glare towards Lucius, who merely shrugged.

"We're going to take you down, Lucius. One way or another, you're coming with us," Lucius crossed his arms, closing his eyes as if thinking.

"That's a very bold claim. How do you expect to do that?" All agents narrowed their eyes. 3 took a deep breath, bending down to scoop some turquoise ink into his hand and smear it on his wound. With his mind clearer than when he started, his arm had begun to throb and ache. Tensing his muscles before looking back at Lucius, he responded,

"Anyway we can."

The walk home was mostly quiet. Luca was too busy trying to piece together all the things Senia had told him about her past. He kept throwing sideway glances at the girl walking with her tentacle over her eyes. He just felt so sad for her. Sure he had always had trouble making friends, but at least his parents and sister loved him.

"I truly did enjoy myself, Luca. Sorry if I ruined the date with such a depressing story," Senia said pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Of course not. Thanks for sharing it with me." Senia smiled towards Luca and let the two fall back into silence. "Actually, can we stop at one more place?"

"Oh? A last minute idea?" Senia leaned towards Luca with a devious smirk. "It wouldn't be a love hotel, would it? Luca, you dog you." Luca colored severely before looking around to make sure no one heard her. He was thankful to see everyone else in their own conversations and if someone did hear they didn't make a reaction towards it.

"O-of course not! Listen, just let me lead, okay?" Senia giggled at his reaction and complied. Luca gently took her hand and lead her in silence. They deviated off the path that Senia remembered and he gripped her hand a little harder to make sure they stayed connected. Eventually they entered a store. The sound of the doors sliding open and the temperature change alerted Senia to that fact. Luca slowed to a crawl as he scanned around the store.

"Luke? Where are we?"

"Just a bit further." Senia sank back into silence as Luca guided her deeper into the place. The entire time Senia mentally counted every step, every turn until they eventually came to a stop, and Luca pulled his hand from hers.

"Luke?"

"Alright, hold your hand out." Senia raised an eyebrow but obeyed to find something soft and fluffy land in her hand. She had to quickly react to balance it with both hands as her head tilted. She ran a hand over the object to study it. It had limbs apparently and a small hard part with two glass orbs near the top.

"A teddy bear?" Senia questioned. Luca blushed a bit as he fiddled with his tentacles again.

"Yeah…for your nightmares…" Senia's eyes widened for a moment before they closed and she let out a laugh.

"Luca, what did I say? It's a kind gesture, but I don't need something like a teddy bear too-"

"Listen." Senia flinched at the determined tone in Luca's voice. "I can't say I know what it's like to live how you have, or to lose what you've lost…but…Senia, I…" Luca looked up to Senia, who was waiting patiently for him to continue, and lost his nerve. He glanced to the side blushing. "I…really like you. And seeing you sad makes me want to cheer you up. I know what it's like to have bad nightmares. I've had my own. I wish I could take back whatever your dad put you through, but I can't. All I can do is try to be there for you. So I want to get you this…to remind you of me. So when you wake up from a nightmare, you can hold it, and know you're not alone, and someone cares about you. Because I do…"Luca looked back up to Senia and he flinched.

Her mouth was parted ever so slightly. Tears threatened to spill out of the corners of her eyes as she slowly brought her head down. Her free tentacle wrapped around her eyes again. Now Luca felt bad. He made her cry! His dad warned him not to be that type of guy and he did that too.

"Senia, I-" Luca went to take a step forward to try and comfort the girl to have the bear shoved towards him, causing him to take a step back.

"I don't want it," Senia said, head still held down.

"But…I"

"It's too fluffy…and it's a bear. You're not a bear." Senia stated. "I need a squid. Or an octopus. Either or." A bit relieved, Luca took the bear with a smile. He placed the bear back on the shelf and began looking for the desired plushie. He eventually found an octopus plush. It was a bright orange color with it's out-most tentacles curved in as is with all Octoling. He handed it to Senia and she ran her hands over it. It was pretty big, with the entirety of it taking up her torso.

"Is that good?" Luca asked. After inspecting the plushie, Senia wrapped both arms around it, raising her shoulders and sinking her nose into it.

"It's perfect."

"Yeah Em, Luca's doing fine. We binged like two series and a movie last night." Cereza said through her phone. She fiddled with the edge of one of her tentacles as she sat upside down on the couch. "He's feeling a lot better. He's out on a date with his little girlfriend right now." Cereza said with a smile. She scoffed at Em's reaction and sat up straight.

"No way, Em! Luke's too innocent to do anything like that!" The doorbell rang and Cereza raised an eyebrow. "I gotta go, Em. Someone's at the door. Yeah I'll be back at the apartment tonight. Love you too! Bye." Cereza hung up the phone and walked to the door. She peered through the peephole to see two bright red eyes staring into hers. The eyes trailed off as they began studying their surroundings, but Cereza smiled regardless. She unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Apalo! What brings you here?" Cereza shined. Apalo focused his eyes on her before a smile crept across his face.

"Good evening, Cereza. I have some business with your mother. Is she home?" Glancing down Cereza noticed the large brown crate Apalo had on wheels behind him. She looked back up to the older Octoling and shook her head.

"No, sir. She's not home. She went out to run some errands," she said. Apalo's shoulders slumped and he let out a tired sigh.

"Unfortunate. I'll just have to come back later," he said. "I apologize for wasting your time." Apalo prepared to turn around and leave before Cereza called out to him.

"Wait! She shouldn't be gone too much longer. You can wait here for her if you'd like." Apalo paused for a moment before turning around with a smile.

"You truly are too kind Cereza. I wouldn't want to bother you," Apalo said. Cereza shook her head and gestured inside.

"No bother at all. Please, come in." Apalo gave an appreciative nod and pardoned himself as he wheeled the box in behind him. Cereza closed and locked the door as Apalo waited patiently to be directed. "Um. You can leave whatever that is in the hallway. You can sit in the living room or the kitchen if you want," Cereza said gesturing in both directions. Apalo chose to follow her to the living room and wheel the box in after him. He sat down before she did as she smiled down on him. Apalo sat the box next to his chair and smiled up at the younger hybrid. "Can I get you some coffee or anything? Judging by the look in your eyes you could use a bit of a pick-me-up." Apalo chuckled lightly.

"Coffee would be a godsend. Black please, if you don't mind." Cereza nodded with a smile and stepped into the kitchen to prepare the drink.

"I don't understand how people drink their coffee black. There's a world of flavors and you pick the bitter one." Cereza called as she set up the coffee machine in the kitchen.

"You'll come to a point where you'll appreciate it one day," Apalo called back. Cereza walked in and sat down on the couch across from Apalo.

"I certainly hope not." The two chuckled as the hum of the coffee machine started up.

"So how's your brother doing, Cereza?" Apalo asked. "I haven't seen him since his first time Turf Waring." Cereza grew a wide smirk and chuckled.

"Well, he's out with a little girlfriend today." Apalo raised an interested eye before growing a smirk of his own.

"Really? I didn't know the young man had his eye on someone."

"Yeah. She's a cute little thing. He's been hanging out with her and her brother a lot."

"So what's the young lady's name?"

"Senia, if I'm remembering correctly." Cereza could've sworn she saw a shift in Apalo's face. But then again, she could've Imagined it. He had his hands to his face and only his eyes peered over at her.

"And what's this young lady like?" he asked.

"Well I've only had one interaction with her, but she seems to be a care free spirit. A bright sense of humor. She's blind but she doesn't seem to let that get her down."

"Well doesn't that sound like an inspirational spirit?" As Apalo finished his statement, a loud whistle came from the kitchen.

"Be right back," Cereza called as she stepped out of the room towards the kitchen. She prepped the coffee as quickly as she could and headed back to Apalo, handing him his drink. He thanked her before bringing it to his nose and taking a deep inhale. On her way back to her seat, her eyes glanced over the large box Apalo brought. Apalo let out a satisfied sigh, drawing Cereza's eyes back to him.

"Just the kick I needed," Apalo smiled. His bright red eyes were half-lidded as he took another sip of the drink. They wandered over to Cereza and she smiled. A lot of people found Apalo's gaze to be intimidating or unnerving. Even when she was younger, she never saw him that way. She always saw his gaze as more of a proud parent to a child type thing.

"So what's in the box? If you don't mind me asking of course." Apalo gave a sideways glance towards the box before looking back at the hybrid.

"Just some special weapons for your mother and father. Business stuff. You understand." Cereza nodded and Apalo smiled and took a long swig of his drink. "I fully believe that with these weapons, they'll be able to stop whoever is behind the kidnapping and the bombing of Squidville." Cereza's eyes sparkled a bit.

"Are the weapons really that powerful?" She asked.

"In the right hands, of course." Apalo chuckled. "And I'm sure your mother and father are more than capable enough to be those right hands." Cereza beamed again and Apalo gave her a smirk. "You seem pretty proud of your parents."

"Who wouldn't be? They're great. They're amazing. They're the reason Inkopolis is as united as it is and that more Octarians are living out of the valley." Cereza lowered her head a bit. "I just hope I can leave a mark a fraction as impactful as them."

"I'm sure you'll have your chance," Apalo said giving her a wide smile. Cereza just shrugged and sent a hopeful smile out the window. "So, are you still seeing that Octoling boy?" Cereza colored and returned her sight to the floor.

"Ye-yes I am."

"Then I assume you're using protection." Cereza's color darkened.

"Mr. Apalo!"

"I'm just looking out. We're both adults and I was just under the impression you didn't want a child while sharing an apartment with your friend." Apalo had an amused smile on his face as Cereza gave a pout.

"Well…you're right but…we aren't that close yet."

"Shame." Cereza gave Apalo an odd look. "I'm sure it's nice to have that closeness to someone."

"Y-yeah…speaking of children, do you have any? I never heard you mention them." Apalo swirled what little coffee he had left in his cup and gave a smirk.

"I've always been too busy to worry about such thing. My child is my work."

"That's no way to live. You have a family don't you?"

"My family are those that believe in me and what I believe in for this world." Cereza pouted, giving Apalo a somber smile.

"How old are you, Mr. Apalo?" Apalo paused for a moment, as if he wasn't sure himself.

"I'm basically a walking fossil." Cereza raised an eyebrow and Apalo downed the rest of his drink. "And I've always sort of saw Luca and yourself as my children. I believe in the union of Inklings and Octarians and what better representation of that could their be than two fine specimens as energetic and kind as you and your little brother?" Cereza found herself blushing a bit, having never really heard Apalo praise her for just being her.

"T-thank you," she muttered out.

"I'd love to stay and chat with you more, but I really must get back to work." Apalo stood up and gave a slight nod to Cereza. Cereza stood and gave a smile.

"Well you know you're welcome here any time. And you can even come visit me some time. Just be sure to give me the heads up first." Apalo chucked.

"Of course. Until then." The two said their goodbyes and Apalo left, Cereza feeling a bit prideful and happy to be her.

The rest of the walk home was even more silent. Luca didn't know what else to say while Senia simply held her plushie in the most protective hold Luca ever saw. It was honestly adorable how she had her face pressed into it as she walked like a shy child. Her free tentacle rested on his shoulder, Luca assumed as a guide, as they walked. He wasn't complaining considering how close she was due to the action. When they arrived to Senia's house, Luca walked her up to the door.

"Well, we're here." He said. Senia said nothing as she took out her key and began unlocking the door. "I…guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Why don't you come in?" Luca gulped as Senia entered the dark house. She left the door open and Luca poked his head in.

"I-I guess I could stay…for a little while." Luca closed and locked the door behind them as he followed Senia. They wandered into the den, where she took a seat on the couch, still clutching her new plushie.

"You can turn on the TV if you want." He obliged, turning the TV on and flipping through random channels.

"So…where's Sebastian?" Luca said, trying to start a conversation.

"Work."

"Oh…he has a job? Where at?" Senia shrugged and the two fell into silence. For awhile Luca became legitimately invested in what he found on TV. It was some movie called the X-squid about mutant Inklings with special powers. Breaking his attention came the soft call of

"Luca." The breathless whisper in which Senia called his name sent shivers up his back. He was afraid to turn towards her and what position she'd be in. He gulped and answered still looking at the TV.

"Y-yes?"

"I'm confused…" Luca relaxed a bit, letting out a held breath and turned towards her.

"Oh, about the movie?-" His eyes widened as Senia sat, eyes lidded and the tip of her thumb in her mouth. Her arm still wrapped around the orange plushie. Senia slowly shook her head, placing the plushie to the side and leaning towards Luca.

"It's not the first time we've been alone together, and yet," Senia grabbed Luca's hand and placed it against her chest. Luca's breath hitched and his shoulders stiffened. "my heart won't stop pounding." Attention drawn to the detail she mentioned, Luca realized her heart was in fact pounding against his hand. Equal to or even faster than his own heart was pounding in his chest.

"I-it is…"

"Why?" Senia asked, hiking a leg onto the couch to climb closer to Luca, keeping his hand pressed against her breast.

"I-I….I'm not…I don't…" Senia wrapped her arms around Luca's neck, and pressed her forehead against his. She was basically hovering over him and Luca repositioned his arm beside him. He could feel her finger fiddling with the edges of one of his tentacles and he shuddered.

"I can't help…but have this burning want…" she breathed. She brought her other leg up, placing it on the other side of Luca, straddling him. "Please, Luca…My body feels so hot. And I need to know…how it feels…" Luca stared at her lips as they moved.

"How…what feels?" Senia moved forward to where her lips were merely a hairs length away.

"To make love." Now it was Luca's body feeling hot. Senia kept her oh so very small distance as if asking Luca to meet her halfway. "Please, Luke," she whispered. Luca couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Senia moaned against his lips as she pressed her body against his. Luca wrapped his arms her waist. She deepened the kiss, pulling Luca further and further back until she was laying on her back and he hovered over her. They pulled apart, Luca noticing the way her chest moved up and down with her breath as her eyes remained half lidded.

Senia whispered Luca's name again and he shuddered. It wasn't until Luca saw the submissive look on her face that he realized just how fast it all happened last time. Senia just took control of everything while he sat there. Now she was beneath him, breathing heavily waiting for him to make a move. He swallowed, moving his hand to slink under the side of her blouse. She jolted under his touch and Luca tried to remember what all she did to him.

He gently scraped his nails up her side, Senia jumping under his hand. She raised her arms over her head, giving Luca more access. Her face was covered in a light blush as she let Luca study her body. He traveled up her body, dragging her blouse up and exposing the flesh of her stomach. Luca lowered his head, trying to mimic the gentle kisses she once gave around her belly button. His fingers eventually reached her breast and he squeezed and kneaded the flesh.

Every light touch of Luca's hand felt like electricity to Senia. Her back arched as the room filled with her voice. Her breathing became heavy and she placed one hand over Luca's and the other on his head. Luca experimented with his kisses, slowly peppering them higher and higher until his mouth replaced his hand.

Senia let out a loud gasp, body rolling as she held Luca's head to her chest. He snaked a hand up her leg, squeezing and rubbing the flesh as gently as he could. His fingers traced up to her thigh, moving the skirt out of the way and going further north. Senia's moans filled the air and Luca became focused on getting her to make more of those sounds.

"Wait!" Senia said, bolting up and holding Luca at arm's length. Luca panicked. Obviously he had done something wrong. Maybe he touched something he wasn't supposed to do?

"What? What is it?" Senia continued to breath heavy for a moment.

"I…can't…I thought I could…but I can't…hear…" She said between pants. Luca tilted his head.

"Hear? Hear what?" Senia was quiet for a moment. She took a second to catch her breath and calm her beating heart. After a short while, her head shot up, eyes wide. She threw her legs down from the couch, straightening her skirt and pulling her blouse down. In a rush she dug her fingers in the coiled tentacle and pulled it loose, letting it fall down to its regular position.

Luca watched the scene confused. His confusion only increased as Senia quickly hid her new plushie beneath the pillows of the couch. Realization dawned when the front door started to click and unlock. He himself straightened up as the door was pushed open.

"I'm home, sis," Sebastian called out. "I bought some of that fancy lasagna you like," he continued as he started heading towards the living room, obviously following the sound of the TV. He stopped in the doorway and smiled at Luca.

"Hey Sebastian," Luca greeted trying desperately to hide a certain body part from his friend. He gave a smile and placed his hands in his lap as discreetly as possible.

"Hey Luke! Gonna stick around for dinner again?"

"Um, yeah. If you don't mind of course."

"Not at all. The extra serving is great practice. So Senia, you in the mood for lasagna?"

"Sure…" she said. Sebastian smiled and headed towards the kitchen with the bags. As soon as he left the room, Senia quickly snatched her plushie. Luca watched her as she clutched the plushie to her chest as she had the entire walk home and headed upstairs. She said nothing on her way out. Luca watched her round the corner before letting out a loud sigh.

"Hey, Luke," Sebastian called from the doorway. Luca jumped and tensed as he looked over.

"Y-yes?"

"We should hang out at some point. Just me and you. Have a bit of guy time." Luca calmed down and smiled.

"Sure. Sounds like fun."

Agent 2 was on a knee, holding herself up with her charger as she struggled to return to her feet. Her face was bruised and she was sure her torso and arms had the same colored hue to them. She was gonna have to take a long ink bath to be ready for the camera tomorrow. She growled as she looked up. Agents 1 and 3 were bruised as well while Lucius was practically spotless.

2 looked between the agents in front of her. 3 had a slight wince in his step when he put weight on his left leg. 1 held her roller the way she usually does, but 3 noticed the extra strain she had on her left arm and how she leaned slightly to the right. Her arm must be injured.

2 grit her teeth as she looked at her allies. Her legs shook beneath her as she forced herself to stand. She pointed her weapon at Lucius again, yet he didn't waver. He simply changed his color to white and chuckled. 2 cursed to herself as 1 and 3 took steps back towards her.

"So….any ideas?" 1 whispered to her team.

"We need to pin him into one color. That's our best bet in dealing with him," 3 said. He had begun to run his free hand over his tentacles, worry beginning to grip him over their situation.

"How do we do that though?" 2 asked.

"Do you guys have any super packets left?" 1 and 2 checked their jackets, pulling out a few packets.

"I have Ink Armor and a Bomb Rush." 1 replied.

"I have an Ink Storm left and a Stingray." 3 thought for a moment before glancing towards his team.

"2, give 1 your Ink Storm, and 1, give me the Ink Armor."

"What are you planning?" 2 asked.

"Just a quick brawl. Using the Ink armor to buy some time, 1 and I can fight him up close. If we're in the Ink Storm, I'm sure he'll stay pinned in 1's color."

"That's insane. You're injured enough without having to worry about the Inkstorm," 1 scolded.

"You have a better idea?" The group was silent.

"Are you three done plotting over there yet?" All agents growled.

"Fine. Here 1." The group exchanged packets. 1 and 3 crushed the packets in their hands. Their tentacles ignited in flames before they activated their specials. A large capsule appeared in 1's hand while a swirl of turquoise ink spun around 3. 1 threw the capsule at Lucius, it landed on the ground directly in front of him and rocketed upwards in a cloud of black smoke. The ink swirling around 3 attached to his body, hardening and leaving him in a bright glow, erasing all features of his face except the bright shine of his eyes.

Lucius only smiled, changing his tentacles to black as the first drop of ink started to fall. 2 squid jumped to a higher position out of the rain cloud. She aimed her weapon at Lucius as 1 and 3 charged forward. The two agents swung their weapons at Lucius. The Inkling easily avoided every attack. With a twist of his body he landed a kick into 3's face.

The Inkling slid backwards, twirling his E-liter around and firing a stream of turquoise at Lucius. Lucius dodged that attack as well. 1 threw her foot towards Lucius again. He sidestepped the attack and grabbed her leg. He smirked at her, but before he could do anything else, she swung her roller, slamming him upside the head. He stumbled backwards, and as he righted himself, a blast of white hit him in the center of his chest. He was knocked off his feet and hurled a few meters backwards. He rolled along the ground until he landed on his knee.

When he looked up, 3 was looking down on him, weapon held high over his head and eyes glowing bright in the black ink fall. 3 brought down his weapon and Lucius threw his forearm upward. The two collided and 3's E-liter snapped in half. Even with his features masked by the Ink Armor, 3's face could be seen covered in shock.

Lucius grew a wide smile, throwing his other arm forward and hitting 3 in the chest, sending him sliding backwards. 1 quickly took his place, swinging her roller in whatever direction closed the distance between her and Lucius. He dodged all her advances with a smile. When he threw his own attack at her, 1 dropped into the black ink below her before popping back out, swinging her roller upward in such a swift motion it wiped the smile off Lucius's face.

The roller connected and hurled Lucius into the air. His face was twisted into a grimace as he was launched skyward. He looked down towards the two when a bright twinkle caught his eye. He looked towards one of the collapsed building to see 2 smiling at him, a Stingray charging in her hands. Lucius's eyes widened as a stream of white ink shot towards him. He crossed his arms over his chest and brought his knees up as the stream hit him.

It hit him with enough force to keep him airborne and he grit his teeth to keep his body together. The stream of ink shot through his very being, flying into the distance. The Stingray exploded with a wide mist of ink, consuming him completely as he let out a scream and was hurled through the air.

The Stingray died down and Lucius was hurled into a building, a crater forming where he slammed into it. His body went limp and fell towards the ground. 1 and 3 watched as his body descended, the Ink Storm slowly petering out above them. Lucius's body hit the ground with a soft thud, sending a spray of dust upward and around his position before falling back to the ground. 1 and 3 approached Lucius while 2 jumped to a closer building to keep a good position. 1 and 3 looked down on Lucius's unmoving body.

"He shouldn't have survived that," 1 said, a hint of worry in her voice. Still in his Ink Armor, 3 wasn't able to respond. He didn't want to remove it just yet until he was sure Lucius would stay down. He took a step forward, reaching into the back pocket of his jacket to pull out a set of handcuffs. If he was unconscious they'd actually managed to do what Apalo asked and bring him in. As he crouched down, Lucius's tentacles began to change color. All agents flinched and 3 took a step back. Lucius's tentacles changed color again. And again. They changed in a rapid succession until his head was a rainbow of colors, twisting around in random pattern like some sort of elaborate artwork. .

"What the hell-" 1 was shut off as Lucius suddenly threw his fist on the ground. In the next instant he was before 3, fist swirling a rainbow of colors and eyes narrowed into a determined glare. He threw his fist into 3's stomach. The Ink Armor shattered from the attack and 3's eyes widened from the strike. The ink around Lucius's hand shot out, sending the agent flying backward with a scream.

"Inkay!" 1 shouted. She turned towards the direction he flew to see the ink slowly fizzle out and send 3 rolling across the floor. She turned back towards Lucius to see him throwing a kick swirling with an array of colors into her stomach. She coughed up just as many colors as he body was hurled backwards, slamming into a building as a rainbow splattered the wall behind her. She slumped to the ground, roller sliding out of her hand as she fell unconscious.

"Shit!" 2 screamed, pointing her weapon at Lucius and quickly firing. Lucius raised his hand towards her position. The ink swirled around his hand again. It collected and spun in his palm as the shot reached him. The rainbow ink canceled 2's shot as she sat wide eyed. Eyes still narrowed, Lucius turned back towards 1 and started taking steps towards her. His hand swirled with ink again, this time more violently. The ink swirled up to his shoulder with such volume his arm was barely visible beneath it. He pulled his arm back to strike Agent 1. He paused as dust shot up in front of him. When it cleared, Agent 2 sat knelled in front of him.

"Are you really trying to save her?" His voice had grown serious. His tone dark and uncaring as his eyes burned into hers. She was scared. They both knew it. Even on her knelt position looking up at him, he could see her shaking. Her eyes were narrowed into a determined glare, but her weapon shook in unsteady hands. Without a word she turned her weapon towards Lucius.

"You do know you've lost, right?" He said unfazed by the motion. "You're partner's unconscious, and your hero is unconscious," he added, gesturing towards the two agents unmoving in the sand. "What do you hope to do alone?" 2 didn't answer. If she opened her mouth she was sure her voice would further convey just how terrified she was. What was he? How was he changing colors? How was he controlling ink? 2 was pulled out of her thoughts as Lucius took a step forward. She fired. Again, Lucius raised a hand and blocked the attack.

"You could've ran, you know?"

"And leave my friends behind with the likes of you? No way." 2 was right. Her voice was shaking with fear. But she wasn't gonna back down. She wasn't going to abandoned Callie and Inkay just cause she was scared out of her mind. She stood up, fingers still shaking but pointing the weapon right between Lucius's eyes. "I'm not leaving them behind. No, I'm not letting you take them from me!" Lucius's eyes narrowed further, a dark unmoving green staring into shaking gold as the wind shifted around them. The smallest of smiles snuck its way on Lucius's face.

"Staring death in the face for another, just because you care for them…" in a blink he was moving again. 2 panicked and fired another shot. Lucius dodged the attack and grabbed the Inkling by her throat. "Isn't that nice?" He said with a wide smile. 2 groaned and clawed at the limb as a rainbow of ink began inching over her face. The ink burned and she screamed out as it crawled further up her face. She kicked and clawed at Lucius as he lifted her off the ground. The ink spread over her mouth as she screamed, muffling her cries and burning her tongue and throat. She felt nauseous as her body got heavier. Her ears began ringing and her eyes rolled back into her head. Lucius stood unmoving as his ink slowly consumed her. "Life isn't about nice. It's about fighting for survival. Heh. And you better change your DNA if you'd like to fight as equals with me." 2's limbs went limp against Lucius and tears filled her eyes.

"Stop right there!" A voice cried out. Lucius looked up to see a large array of Inkling and Octarians surrounding his position. Each one pointed a weapon at him in what he refused to believe wasn't rehearsed. He paused the advancement of his ink and looked over the group surrounding him. Some were dressed in actual agent garb. Others were dressed in science gear, leading him to believe they just grabbed whoever was nearby and gave them a weapon. Speaking of, one man in a long lab coat and a surgical mask stepped forward, arms crossed behind his back and blue eyes narrowed at Lucius. His tentacles were ablaze with green flames as he came to a stop.

"Put the agent down," he called out to Lucius. Interested, Lucius turned fully towards the man, keeping 2 in his grip but lowering her to the ground.

"Or else?" he goaded. The scientist kept his eyes on the young man but lowered his head.

"I always wanted to try this out,"he said beginning to walk towards Lucius. In a swift motion, he threw his jacket to the wind, a handle clasped tightly in his hand. The handle had a tube connected to where his ink tank would normally go. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am head Forensic Scientist of Agent Branch 2B. You may call me Agent 241." 241 came to a stop, glaring at Lucius. "And I do not appreciate how you're treating my fellow agents." With a swing of the handle, and a press of a button under the hilt, a blast of green ink shot outward, pausing before taking the more refined form of a blade.

Lucius let out a whistle at the sight. The ink flowed outward before curling around and flowing back into the hilt. He had never heard of that weapon before. Fully interested, Lucius dropped 2 to the ground. She began coughing and hacking as she tried to get the burning feeling of the ink out of her system.

"I'm gonna go ahead and ruin the surprise and tell you your ink attacks won't work on me,"Lucius taunted.

"Let us test that then, shall we?" 241 said lowering himself into a crouch. Lucius switched his colors to the same shade of green as 241. The agent seemed undeterred about the change and simply sprinted forward. "If you're so sure about your abilities, then hold still while a cut you in half!" The agent jumped towards Lucius, weapon held over his head and ready to be brought down.

Lucius was fully prepared to just let the blade pass over him. Right as the weapon was coming down, he had second thoughts. He began moving out of the way at the last second. 241's attack grazed Lucius' chest, leaving a long cut across his shirt and abdomen. Eyes wide in surprise, he looked down at the crouched Inkling who was readjusting his blade.

241 came up swinging, eyes narrowed in a determine glare to dice Lucius to bits. Lucius dodged all the attacks, eyes still wide in surprise and fear as he focused on avoiding the blade. He jumped back to get some distance from the Inkling as 241 stood protectively in front of agents 1 and 2. He glanced in the distance to see other agents picking up 3 before locking his eyes back on Lucius. Lucius stared blankly forward before bringing his hand to his head.

"Damnit all. Why do I keep screwing up? I wasn't even supposed to…fuck…" with a defeated look towards the scientist, Lucius took a step back. "Fine. I yield for today."

"And what makes you think I'll just let you leave?" 241 said. Tentacles once again shifting in rainbow colors, Lucius crouched down and let a swirl of ink surround him.

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter." The ink collected beneath Lucius, shifting the sand around him before rocketing him in the air.

"You're not getting away that easily!" 241 screamed, eyes flashing from the activation of his special. His Ink Blade shook violently as he held it to his side. He swung the blade towards the airborne Lucius. The Ink Blade was launched as a crescent blade towards the surprised Inkling.

"Shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Lucius called as the green blade grew closer. He threw both of his hands forward and had them swirl with a rainbow of colors. He swirled as much as he could as the attack connected. Lucius struggled against the attack as it started to cut through his defenses. He leaned back, trading off his momentum to deflect the slash over his head. Without him holding it back, the slash picked up its previous speed, slicing through one of Lucius's tentacles.

"God, DAMNIT!" He yelled falling down to land on the roof of a building. "Pieces of SHIT!" He yelled down to 241, running a hand over his severed limb. 241 was breathing heavily, the handle of his weapon dripping green ink instead of forming the blade again. Lucius growled again, swirling ink around his feet. "I won't forget this! You're gonna pay for this, mark my words!" With another hard jump, Lucius shot high into the air, far further than any squid jump should allow.

Once he was out of sight, everyone began moving to retrieve the wounded agents. 241 took a deep breath, placing the blade of his weapon back in his pocket and stepping over to the barely conscious Agent 2. She was trying to push herself up as 241 stepped up to her. When he reached her, he leaned down to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It was a good thing you set off all those specials. Seeing an Ink Storm and a Stingray go off was the perfect sign of something going wrong," 241 said. The corners of a smile peaked around his mask.

"H-how…what was?-"

"My weapon? Made it myself. I'll explain everything when you wake up." 2 was a bit confused at first, but her eyes grew heavy and her sight blurry. Before she could respond, she passed out.

Dao stepped out of his room, smiling to himself at the soft whimpering he was leaving behind. He turned to make a comment when the sound of footsteps stole his attention. He glanced to his side to see bright red eyes locked onto his position. He closed the door to his room as inconspicuously as he could.

"Sup boss? What're you doing in these parts?" He chuckled softly as the figure approached. When he got close, Dao almost shuddered at the look on his face.

"I've learned quite a lot about our enemies. We may be closer to our end goal than I anticipated. Don't do anything that will draw attention to you. You are to remain in the hideout until further notice." The figure began to walk past Dao as his eyes widened.

"What? What do you mean stay here? Don't we need to get more test subjects?" He said as he began to follow behind the figure.

"What we have now will suffice. I can continue my research and let everything else just fall into place."

"So what, we're just going to wait?! Sit around twiddling our thumbs?!"

"Yes," the figure roared, turning towards Dao and having his bright red eyes to glare down at the younger male. Dao wilted under his gaze. The figure turned his back towards Dao and continued walking. Without the demonic orbs peering down on him, Dao found his nerve and continued after him.

"But we can't just disappear! That would be even more suspicious! They'll investigate more and try to figure out where we went! And what about your followers? They'll get impatient if you tell them to just wait and nothing else." The figure growled at Dao's insistence and Dao took a few steps backwards. He let out a growl of his own.

He was not gonna get trapped in this leaky hunk of junk again. He had to think of a way to change his mind. His eyes darted around, trying to remember everything that he was taught over the years. Every battle strategy, every history lesson, everything that could possibly cause a change of heart. "We could go out with a bang! Listen to me," Dao said as he stepped in front of the figure. The figure stopped his movement but continued glaring down at Dao.

"If we start a big scene, then everyone is of course going to get riled up. Blow up a few buildings, kill a few innocents, and then at the end of it all, fake your death, then they'll all be so relieved that when we unleash the real attack, they'll never see it coming!"

"That idea is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Now get out of my way. There are other things I need to do." The figure pushed passed Dao and the Octoling growled.

"If you weren't always waiting for shit to come to you, you would've perfected the world decades ago, old man!" Dao screamed. The figure turned towards Dao and the younger male shuddered.

"Need I remind you that your life is in my hands, and if I want you dead, then you have nothing else but to crawl into the corner and accept it. You can leave, but I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the fate of your sister." Dao shuddered again and lowered his head. "I'm sure your brothers wouldn't mind ending you like her when you inevitably come crawling back." Dao was now shaking in silence. With nothing else to say, the figure turned around and continued to walk off. Dao simply stood there cursing his life. Fists clenched at his sides and eyes glaring forward, he refused to sit idle.

Guys still enjoying the story? I'm sure Inkay's not enjoying having to be saved every time he runs into Lucius. Sorry if you guys got tired of seeing numbers in this chapter. I was just tired of typing "Agent" so much. And since they are in their agent personas, they would be referring to each other as such. Except with Callie, when she called out Inkay's name in worry. Out of the Squid Sisters I feel Callie would be more likely to make that kind of slip up.

Apalo has delivered the gauntlets to the Squiliam household. Does this mean we're gonna see Cerata kick some ass soon? Will Inkay finally stop getting his ass kicked? Only time will tell.

Luca also all but confessed his feeling to Senia and she's taking it...strangely. That dynamic will be on ice for a bit as we focus on Luca and Sebastian and let Senia stew in her own thoughts next chapter.There will also be more time given to Cereza and Matzuo next chapter.

Finally, Dao doesn't seem to see eye to glaring red eye with the figure. If he's not going to sit idle, then what exactly is he gonna do. You'll have to come back next time to find out.

Again, thanks to all who have read this far, and a special thank you to all who left a review on both the previous chapter and the "Alone" side story. Until we meet again,

Astalabyebye,

Bang