Centum 100th, 20XX -

You were living in a nightmare. A world that stopped you from seeing the girl you loved and made you suffer through ten years of unruly depression. A world of tragedy. A world that couldn't change.

The lifeless Callie flops out the cylindrical tube with a surge of freezing water pouring out. Callie's eyes flutter open, and she slowly inspects the ancient scenery.

"Thirty seconds."

With no time to spare, you hook the numb Callie around your back and charge out of the archaic chamber. You secure Callie's cold feet with your fingers and lean forward during your run to prevent her from falling off.

Callie starts regaining her senses, touching and smelling the rear of your jacket. She struggles to recall her environment, continually tortured by blurry vision, and a lack of awareness. Even with Callie being in a state of mental shock, her body naturally wraps her arms around your neck.

You reach the deserted control room. Documents and torn records are randomly strung about the place. You spot a paper clip chain extended out the glass window. With no other forms of a quick escape, you tell Callie to "buckle up" and proceed to glide down the metal chain.

"Twenty Seconds."

You endure multiple small cuts along your fingers when descending on the metal rope. Callie's extra weight also makes it more laborious for you to keep your balance.

Callie tries to remember her identity, seemingly bewildered by the current circumstances. Even her grip on you is a bit shaky, she probably didn't know whether or not she could trust you.

"Ten seconds."

Your toes touch the tip of the wire-filled floor. You then hasten towards the large broken glass pane, grabbing a Grizzco branded parachute along the way. You accidentally drop the VR system, when trying to fasten the chute. When you finally get to the busted window, you realize your grave mistake. You turn around and dash towards the device, seizing the machine's tiny strap and clasping it around your finger.

• Hold on, Callie. I have to grab someth-

"One"

The room erupts into a swarm of high-intensity flames. With Callie and the headpiece in hand, you race to the glass partition. A swell of flares creeps up from behind your back, with smoke and ash pushing you forward. You leap out the window, barely escaping the moving storm of heat.

You face a similar scenario to the one you experienced before. The world is quickly approaching you and your dazed girlfriend. However, you didn't need to use the helmet this time. The girl of your dreams was currently pinned to your stomach.

"Pull the chute," Callie mutters.

Did my ears just deceive me? It sounded like Callie was actually talking. It wasn't a computer software or a faded memory. It was... real.

"PULL THE CHUTE," Callie sounds.

You immediately yank down the thin string and watch as an enormous orange balloon unfolds. Your drop is ultimately halted by the giant Grizzco sailplane emerging, and Callie promptly celebrates.

"What's up Arthy, I haven't seen you since Monday, or maybe it was Tuesday, I don't really remember."

More like I haven't seen you in ten years. But I'll refrain from disclosing that information.

"Woah, what happened to Inkopolis. It looks so rundown and decayed. I'm at a loss for words."

While Callie intently focuses on the state of the city, you find yourself lost in her golden eyes, her real irises. You could stare at them for hours, with no hope to look away. You're so mesmerized by her lustrous jewels that you briefly forget about your surroundings.

"Hey, um, there's a lampost, uh Arthy, can you hear me?"

"Arthur! We're about to hit a-," Callie screams.

The parachute's twine wraps around the neck of the long iron light fixture and promptly dumps the two of you soaring individuals on the ground.

"Lamppost.. urgh."

You and Callie faint upon impact, your bodies collapsing onto a strip of solid pavement. When you awake, a group of ecstatic squids encircles you.

"Oh my goodness, you two made it. I'm so overjoyed, this is like a miracle," Marie gushes.

Marie embraces Callie in a firm hug, she's too scared to let her best friend go again. It was a short moment of serenity for the cold leader Marie as she revealed her real mushy side to the pack.

"I don't really know what's happening right now, but it seems good," Callie expresses.

"Get over here, Agent 4," Marie demands.

You share a compassionate group hug with the flustered girls, intentionally squeezing their ribs to lighten the situation.

"Okay, you're... a ...little tight, Agent 4."

Marie lets go of the intense clinch and commands Callie to award you with a sentimental hug, "I'll give you two a moment." You hold Callie in your arms, gently rubbing her chilled body. She buries her hair under your chin, gripping you're back for support. You wait a few moments before articulating, letting the hug last as long as possible.

You whisper in her frozen ear: I don't ever want to let you go.

"Me, either," Callie whispers back.

"Okay, so, I can't be the only one who's confused about this whole apocalyptic city thing. Did I miss something, or are we in the middle of a really good Halloween party," Callie ponders.

"Come along, I'll explain everything on the way," Maire details.

——————————————————

Centum 101th, 20XX -

Road of Lust -

The group reunites at an abandoned junkyard, repurposed as a squid training ground. A company of warriors uses a stack of tires and overturned oil drums for target practice. It was a surprisingly well-maintained fort, considering the apocalypse's lack of organization and careful coordination.

You approach Pearl's school bus covering, stepping over glass pieces, and broken axles. You enter through the tiny door positioned near the rear of the vehicle. Inside, a peppy girl is making her bed and fluffing up her pillows. Her pajama wear consisted of a comfy cream and dawn-tinted sweater along with a pair of fuzzy booty shorts to keep her rump warm.

"Oh, you scared me, Agent 4. How's the apocalypse been treating you," Pearl greets.

Better than usual, but unfortunately I have some terrible news for you.

"What is it? Did Callie break up with you? Cause that's not necessarily terrible."

That would be beyond terrible. No, you're on lookout duty for tonight.

"Oh, great, that's totally not gonna be a bore."

"Maybe you can join me to pass the time," Pearl suggests, batting her eyelashes.

I don't know, Callie might not let me, you know how jealous she gets.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Ughhhh. Okay! I'm going to go to bed now."

But it's only six o'clock, and there's still plenty of daylight left.

"I'm going to try and catch a few z's before I have to do my shift," Pearl informs, pushing you out of the shelter.

Come on, you can't stay up a little bit longer.

"Read my lips, going... to... sleep."

Okay, okay, I'll leave already. But you're really going to miss out, I think we're roasting smores later.

"I'll be fine, now you go and hang out with Callie."

Pearl forces you out of the canopy with a hefty push. She then rolls up in her sleeping bag and turns off the nearby lamp. She proceeds to cry into her mattress, gripping the edges of the foam and burying her soft tears into the air pockets.

• You step back in.

Hey, I think I left my backpa-

• You notice her crying.

Are you okay, what's wrong?

"It's nothing, I'm crying tears of joy from escaping that dastardly facility."

Pearl, what's wrong? You can tell me. I won't judge you, I promise.

"Urgh, I don't know; I don't want to tell you."

Tell me what?

"I like you... I... have a crush on you."

...

I... know, I remember. And I'm sorry.

"You're not sorry, you're just saying that," Pearl claims, wiping her puffy eyes.

I don't know why you like me. I don't get it. I don't deserve your affection, I don't deserve anyone's affection.

"I just like you. You're heroic, handsome, understanding, kind, and funny. I like the way you style your hair, the way you rock that yellow vest. I like everything about you."

You really like the way I style my hair. I work so hard on it in the mornings.

"Yeah, it makes you look super cute."

Pearl, look ah... that's flattering and all, and I like you too, you're one of the cutest girls I've ever seen. You're smart, sassy, caring, and have some of the cutest eyes to boot. But I could never turn my back on Callie, not after all the suffering I've endured to find her.

"You really like me," Pearl gushes.

Look, I don't deserve you. You deserve someone who will acknowledge those qualities, someone that can make you smile when you're down, someone who will treat you better than you can ever imagine. Someone like...

"You"

No, ...ah, I didn't mean it like that. I meant it like oh, nevermind.

"Honestly, I think I'm okay with things being like this."

You you... are! How?

"Yeah, I just wanted you to feel the same way. And now that I know you do. I can be happy, happy that you're into me."

Well, ah, um... I don't understand why that's a good thing, but just don't go blabbing it around camp. I can't lose Callie's affection, not after I just found her again.

"Don't you worry, I hear karma works in mysterious ways."

Ah...Yep, does it ever.

So you're okay with me dating Callie. You're not going to keep crying, because I don't want to see you in tears anymore. You definitely deserve better than a guy like me.

"I'll stop crying, just hearing you call me all of those wonderful names brings a smile to my face."

...I don't know what you see in me, I really don't.

"You'll understand one day, Agent 4..."

"You'll understand."

Road of Envy-

"You requested me, Marina. I'm a little busy with preparing for tomorrow's invasion, so I hope this only takes a minute," Marie advises.

"Come and sit on this pile of pipes with me," Marina requests.

"Ugh, can I search you first, so I at least feel safe to sit down?" Marie asks.

"By all means."

"What's this in your jacket pocket."

"Is that a Squid Squad CD... I love their music."

"Oh, you do. I love them too. The male singer is really handsome."

"I know right, I got to meet him once."

"You did! What happened?"

"Just a little bit of chatter, but I could totally tell he was into me."

"That's so cool, I wish I could meet him too, I wish I could meet all of them, I love their voices, they all sound so angelic."

"Maybe, I could bring you to them sometime."

"Really, you would do that for me."

"...Yes, I would do it for you."

Road of Pride-

"Cod, why did I agree to this, I hate speeches."

"Hey, Agent 3, are you ready for your speech? It's almost time," Callie queries.

"Oh, ho ho I can't do it, I can't do it, I'm way too nervous," Agent 3 stifles.

"Come on, you got this. Don't sell yourself short," Callie motivates.

"Nope, I'm terrible at this sort of thing. How did I get myself in this situation in the first place?"

"Because Marie believes in you, she thinks you can rise to the occasion and deliver a star-stunning speech. And she's also too lazy to do it herself."

"Look, I know what you're going through, I've tried to run away too, run away from my greatest fear," Callie narrates.

"What happened, did you end up back where you started?"

"No, It tracked me down and chased me through Inkopolis' gorgeous city streets on Christmas night. It never left me. He never left me."

"You shouldn't run away from your fears because it'll only catch up to you one day. And once you embrace it, the fear subsides.

"Agent 3 to the stage. Calling Agent 3 to the stage."

"Urghhh, I'm not ready yet. Please, don't do this to me."

"Relax, Agent 3, you'll be fine. Just calm down and focus on your breathing.

"Calm down, okay, calming down."

Agent 3, leaves through the ripped screen and surmounts a ladder before emerging on top of a dilapidated firetruck.

"Stay calm, you can do this."

"Calm."

"Greetings squids... cough* cough*."

Callie gives Agent 3 a thumbs up from behind a shattered Volkswagen.

"We, we... can't let this stand!" Agent 3 says, gripping her notes. "We can't let them do this anymore. We've... been their little guinea pigs for far too long," Agent 3 cries, throwing down her speech.

"Now it's... it's... it's our goddamn turn! Our turn to take what's rightfully ours! To release our friends and rebuild... society. We can do it. If we all work together, if squids and octolings, if rivals, if friends and foes unite. Then we can... beat them, we can put an end to their reign of tyranny. We shouldn't be scared of Great White, he's just a myth, an urban legend, he's probably too afraid to even show his... dumb face. He's a coward, but we aren't. We're strong, we're confident, we can do anything we put our minds to."

Now, who is WITH ME? Who will stand tall? Who will fight for their friends, family, and their loved ones?

• I WILL

"I will, I will, I will, I will," The mob chants.

"That's the spirit. Come on, we need more people to fight."

"I will, for my friends," Callie shouts.

"I will, for my family," Marie screams.

"I will, for the ones I love," Pearl squeals.

"I will, for those I've hurt," Marina yells.

"And I will, for all the kind people I've met," Agent 3 whispers.

"In the morning, we invade that crummy amusement park and release all our friends from captivity. Now let's get some rest before the main event. This meeting is now over." Agent 3 vocalizes, delivering a powerful end to her address.

Road of Wrath -

It looks like she's not showing up. She probably dumped you for a more muscular-looking guy.

Would you just go away already?

I'll be gone soon. All that medication and exercise your getting is bound to push me away.

I haven't used the VR helmet in days; I thought you'd be gone by now. Oh, there she is, she's almost nearing the top. It looks like you lose this round.

Ugh, I'll win someday you annoying little brat. I'll always be in the back of your head criticizing you.

Yeah yeah, whatever.

Don't treat me that way, you piece of sh-

"Agent 4, huff puff* I'm here, I just had to give Agent 3 some pointers on public speaking," Callie apprises.

Callie sits down with you on a cliff face that overlooks a rampant junkyard. An array of inklings sit on tires that surround a massive car fire. They chat about stories from the good old days, the days before the awful bombing incident occurred. They even roast marshmallows and play charades to pass the time, just like activities their younger selves would perform.

You stare off into the ever-expanding universe with Callie locked in between your fingertips. A shooting star lingers from above.

"Wanna make a wish," Callie reports, submerged in your left shoulder.

Yeah...

Everyone that night felt ten years younger. It was almost as if time itself had been rewinded. Like we were living in the VR world, without bulky helmets or clumps of wires attached to our skulls. It was a world that you and Callie both existed in. A world that could change.

I wish for world peace.