Alright, send in a review or leave in a favorite/follow if you are liking the story so far!
"Wh-why she keeps calling me 'true friend'?!" Mirii rose her posture, keeping her mouth open and shrinking her irises. "I don't even know her…! What is she"
"Here." Scarlet thrusted her arms again, showing Mirii's former weapon with both her hands. "Pick it up."
The girl carefully inspected the firearm… she inhaled the air from her nose, approaching her hardware and pointing her hands over it. Her feet were stamping themselves, as they were closer to the woman. Mirii's head rose, as she went on her weapon and grasped it without hesitation… pulling it closer to her chest.
"Thank you." She nodded, tilting her head back up. "She would better forget about that 'true friend'"
Suddenly, Scarlet's facial skin began moving on its own… same for her facial features, including the top of her head. Mirii stepped back, as her mouth flattened: long tentacles blossomed delicately, reaching the woman's knees. Her ears got pointer and a thick, black line surrounded her eyes.
"Eh?!" Scarlet twisted her shoulders to her right, watching the swinging tentacle.
Her hands clasped, moving near her throat… she shouted some unknown words, aiming back at the ceiling.
"To think carefully, I told you… said as I, no longer are, one of us you. One of them, you are."
Scarlet began throwing her arms down, as her hands passed through her tentacles.
"Not care, I do. Chances, no more. Now from on, stupid language I will use, speak with you in order to."
The woman frowned, as her eyes returned slightly watery.
"Ship piece to the end!" She snorted, twisting her head the other way and folding her arms. "Fine! Use Squid language from now on you too!"
"… she looks familiar…" Mirii's eyes squeezed slightly. "Could you please look at me?"
"Sure!" The disguised Stingray twisted over her friend, smiling widely and lowering her hands on the middle. "Anything for friend!"
"Her face… … she resembles that nurse." The girl walked closer, inspecting her face and body. "That Stingray might had utilized the presentation of another Agent… or perhaps there is"
"True friend! I'm ready to help you, forever!" She giggled, closing her eyes. "Best friends always help! Always in gratitude I will be!"
"I have saved your life, yes…" Her head shook a bit. "… but I don't see why are you calling me 'true friend', if we just met several minutes ago."
The woman opened her mouth, enlarging her eyes.
"But… but you saved my life!" She bended forward, raising her eyebrows as well. "Only true friends would do so!"
"I rescued you, just because of my duty as an Agent." As the girl's eyes closed, she walked past the woman. "I haven't proved anything that"
"No say that!" She shook her head, opening her arms. "No one saved me, before! No one cared about me, before!" She began walking after the young Inkling. "You cared, even when you were enemy!"
"There wasn't a single hint of sheer care in such actions." Her head rose, as she was approaching the opened door. "Drop this title out of your mind."
"No!" Scarlet frowned. "Never! You are true friend."
"I said DROP THAT RIDICULOUS TITLE!" The girl twisted behind, while frowning. "I refuse to consider a friend, an individual I do not even know correctly… and right now I have an important mission to attend, instead of spending my time talking with the likes of you."
She returned forward, looking back at the opened door.
"Now, let me stop that ignorant you previously followed…" Mirii resumed her walk. "… and don't you dare interfering with"
Rapid step sounds came from behind: as the girl turned behind, Scarlet's arms wrapped around Mirii. Her eyes went watery yet again, as she sobbed twice.
"N-no abandoning me, please!" She sniffed. "No more b-being lonely, again!"
"Take your arms off my shoulders!" A vein popped out from her forehead.
The woman's head shook, as her eyes closed and tears fell from both.
"Yo-you saved my life! You m-made me see tr-truth!"
"My actions proved nothing!" Mirii growled. "Even that perfidious commander would have saved your life, if she was here!"
"N-no! Not true!" Scarlet shook her head again, jerkily opening her watery eyes. "Sh-she would abandoned me! Sh-she would say I'm useless and worthless!"
Mirii's mouth opened.
"I-I got sick of her from long time!" The woman's arms tightened. "I got sick of m-my days with Stingrays from long time! E-ever since I was small, I was taught to hate and fight! Th-they took me away from parents and brother…"
"WH-WHAT?!" The girl's eyes expanded.
Scarlet nodded repeatedly, as she rose her head and sobbed.
"I-I grew in military… they taught on being hateful over my enemies and crushing th-them… th-they taught how Squids were even mean th-than our generals… and said th-that being lonely is str-strength. I followed for all years… and felt not good, n-not understanding why. Had this wish of… just talking. St-staying with others. Stingrays were always cold on me, c-caring more about jobs or Stingrays wh-who were top-sea dogs. Never had a true friend, before…"
Mirii's eyes were slowly appearing watery…
"M-my life was at risk, before… always saved m-myself out of luck. Stingrays would complain on me, a-all day… and I cried alone. Stingret d-did it again, just before… Stingret is commander." The woman's eyes blinked.
The girl's mouth waved, as her eyebrows were shyly raising towards her forehead…
"St-stop crying, please…"
"Stingret is worse of all Stingrays!" Scarlet frowned. "Sh-she enjoys kicking us around… she laughs at us b-being inferior in intellect. She would scold me and th-throw me back in me room, if I escaped you… e-even without eating for the day."
"Th-that's…" Mirii sniffed too. "… d-disgusting…!"
"And… for long time, I wanted to see br-brother… it's been a great while since. Always denied permission from Stingret." The woman's shoulders rose. "Sh-she even insulted for it."
"HOW SHE DARED TO TREAT YOU WITH SUCH DISREGARD?!" The girl scowled like never before, as tears flee from her eyes. "SH-SHE MUST BE PUNISHED BY ALL MEANS! SH-SHE CANNOT BLOCK A SISTER FROM VISITING HER OWN BROTHER!"
"I KNOW RIGHT!" Scarlet nodded. "I-I hated her for long time… bu-but I believed in her lies." She showed her gritted teeth. "It-it was only thing who kept me in place… but you changed everything."
Her head aimed back at the ceiling.
"SQUIDS WERE NEVER EVIL TOWARDS US! SQUIDS ARE FAR BATTER THAN YOU! SQUIDS KNOW BETTER! NO MORE TURNING BACK!"
Suddenly, she busted into tears and descended her head back.
"I-I don't wanna return… I w-wanna better than this! I w-wanna have friends! I wanna see br-brother and parents again! NO MORE BEING LONELY AND HATE!"
Mirii's tears kept descending, as she sniffed and sobbed… suddenly, her arms hugged the woman too.
"Sniff! Th-that nightmare you had to live through…" Her forehead rested on Scarlet's left shoulder. "… it's gone. Permanently."
"R-really…?" The woman kept her mouth opened, watching her friend sobbing.
"I-I can guarantee you that." Mirii tilted backwards, displaying her red eyes and her lowered eyebrows. "Me and my friends will escort you out of this prison… we will grant you the possibility to see your dear brother again."
Scarlet smiled widely, opening her mouth in a similar manner. Her head dived over Mirii's left shoulder.
"YOU ARE TRUE FRIEND! BEST FRIEND! I WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW YOU!"
The girl's head rose.
"However, we must do something else before exiting this vessel…" Her free hand drenched her left eye.
The disguised Stingray's head was still leaning on the small shoulder. Mirii grimaced.
"Your commander… must pay." Her face darkened a little. "She must experience the same pain you had to live through all those years…" Her eyes compressed past the middle. "I want to see her crawling under mine, Hunley's and yours' feet… admitting how pathetic, useless and insignificant she is as a person."
…
"She is in upper floor. Hiding in pretty room."
Scarlet left the shoulder, demonstrating her now scowling face.
"Door protected by two keycards. One is in briefing room, next is behind safe." Her arms released the girl, as they went on her sides. "Safe has important documents too."
As Mirii's arms retreated back to neutral position, her eyes expanded.
"Pr-Project Neo documents?!"
"Yes." The woman smiled. "We took them earlier. Stingret wanted capturing you, since you related with project." Her mouth downturned slightly. "You managed to go loose, though… she changed her mind for fear. Not all Stingrays know about this mind change… I do."
"I'm not surprised." Mirii folded her arms. "That illiterate knows my capability of tearing down any wretched strategies, no matter how craftily they were conceived."
"Exactly!" Scarlet clapped.
"Hypocrite, you are. Fake Stingray, illiterate more me than."
"Hmpf!" The girl looked over the ceiling. "You keep inserting the last parts of all phrases as the first and viceversa. My friend does not." Her eyes blocked. "Do you still claim hypocrisy, you heartless beast?"
"All style, it is! Not conform, I do!" A growl came right after.
"… is your name Scarlet?" Now Mirii pointed her sight over her newly-found friend. "That worm pronounced such name…"
"Yes!" She nodded, lowering her hands to the middle. "Yours is Mirii? Heard it you."
"Correct." The girl smiled. "I'm Mirii Hanache, perfectionist extraordinaire."
Her free hand caressed her left tentacle.
"I should provide lessons, in order to improve your language skills…" Her eyes closed, while keeping her smile. "Communication is the essence of teamwork… thankfully, your speech is decently understandable."
"Thank you!" Scarlet lifted her posture. "Thank you and thank you!" She chuckled. "I will never stop thanking you!"
Mirii nodded, as she reopened her eyes and twisted behind.
"Now, Scarlet… I want you to guide me through this vessel and help me find my other friends: we were inside a hall, before I fell into one of Stingret's traps."
"I know it!" The woman walked in place. "Easy reaching!"
"Speaking of my friends…" Her left hand went over her clothing.
The fingers felt various little pieces… as she gasped loudly. Her hand grabbed the pieces, carrying them in front of her face.
"Nnnnnnngggghhh!" Her face went paler. "M-my device…!"
"Wh-what's that?!" The camouflaged Stingray brought her hands on her mouth.
"Th-the remains of a communication device…" Her left hand grasped it, while frowning a lot. "Curses! How am I going to talk with Vira, now?!"
"Is it big trouble?" Scarlet downturned her mouth.
"We can get around it." Mirii stored away the pieces. "We have to reach the hall and start the searches from there."
"Hmm!" The friend gave a quick nod, raising her mouth.
Mirii's free hand grasped her firearm's handle, as both hands lowered it down.
"However, if we are approaching one of the keycards' location, address me so." Her irises went onto the green ink standing after the opened door. "… urgh…" Several sweat drops appeared from behind her head.
"Yes, yes!" Scarlet hummed a little song, as she walked in front of the girl. "This way!"
"Be careful!" Mirii bended ahead, while approaching the altered Stingray. "There is green ink in the way!"
She felt a weight in her throat. Instantly, a memory sprung in her mind: her feet pressed down, as she turned the other way and immediately tracked down a Stingray weapon laying near a small group of smaller variants. She walked towards it, bending her knees properly and grabbing it with her left hand.
"Here." The girl targeted her friend, while smiling and exposing the obtained hardware. "Form your own path on the ink."
"Thanks!" Scarlet smiled as well, nearing towards the discovered firearm.
"So far, no Stingrays attempted any attacks towards us…" Her head rose. "… did Stingret sent the remaining soldiers over Hunley instead?"
Her face went slightly paler, remembering Vira's previous words. The woman clutched her hands onto the weapon, bringing it over her stomach and turning behind.
"Scarlet, how many Stingrays are residing inside the vessel?" Mirii observed her friend walking away, imitating the same path with her own steps.
"Not many." The woman's right forefinger went onto the trigger. "Splatted by Squids, as I know."
"Good." The girl's eyes closed. "Rushing through the corridors wouldn't have been an impeccable choice… but thanks to this fundamental information, I'm not in the position of even considering such possibility. … urgh…"
She sighed loudly, as her eyebrows went up.
"Scarlet."
"Yes?" The fake Inkling twisted her head to her left, while still stepping in the direction of the ink-covered floor.
"Is there a restroom nearby?" The girl's own legs touched together.
"Sure!" The woman nodded, twisting her head back to neutral position. "Near is! Follow me!"
"Phew…" Mirii's shoulders lowered, same for her eyelids who arrived to the middle. "It's a matter of seconds… muster your patience, Mirii! I'm almost there!"