"That's it, I don't know what else we can do." Marie snapped, unhappy to say the least with this turn of events. Her frustration growled within her, however, she had not yet reached maximum grump.
"It's a big city, but I cannot imagine them disappearing on the first day unintentionally." Inko responded. The professor had joined the two idols in their search for Pat and Loorea. Having contacted Kathleen by noon, he was trying to puzzle together what he knew. "We can't search this whole city for the two of them in the time we have left today."
"They have to be here, I can't imagine the two of them just leaving." Callie tried to think of any reason Pat, or Loorea would disappear.
"I can, there's nothing tying that human to us or this city than trying to stay away from those Octarians." Marie grumbled.
"But what if... what if one of them came back and swiped them?" Callie suggested.
"Agent 3 drove those suckers out of here when they came, I doubt any others would try."
Inko sighed. "There's no point in bickering, it's getting dark, and I need to head back to my house for a special project. I'll tell you if I come up with any possible way to narrow down this search." The middle-aged inkling bid them farewell, heading back to his place.
"I don't like this, that creature is too worrisome for us to babysit." The singer sighed.
"We'll find him, we only have so much land between us and the Octarians."
Marie sighed, searching unenthusiastically down the next alley, Callie followed, her own doubts silently brewing on their predicament. "We could involve Agent 3." Callie suggested.
"She's off with her family. Let her enjoy her time with them." Marie said. "I don't want her worrying about something while she takes a break, we don't know enough about this current situation."
I * I * I * I * I
A fire burned west of the city of color, overlooking the neon aura that dominated the city's skyline. The flame stood at attention in the presence of trees that shared the cliff with it, rewarding their presence with its light. Under one of the trees was seated the human, staring intently into the embers. Loorea was seated next to him, sleeping to recover from the butchering she had just inflicted. Her dress was stained red and purple, looking like it was taken from an abstract art gallery, having completely dried by the fire. Any of the substance that was on her face and arms had dried, having peeled off by now.
From across the fire Amber leaned against a tree, Looking down on the city below. The seaweed in her tentacles swayed in a nonexistent breeze. She kept that this was part of the same hill the octopi used to observe the human and agents days ago. After sneaking out she had returned Pat's coat back to him, still holding onto the shoulder bags just in case.
Amber sighed, turning back toward the other two, pulling off her goggles. "Rollercoaster of a week this has been." She murmured, taking a seat.
"When you put it that way..." He says, trailing off at the end.
"Preserve our kind my foot, that bitch only cared about herself and her fellow snobs. Just wait until we let the whole world know." She carried on through the silence. It became difficult to tell if she was speaking to herself or the two oddballs sharing the circle with her.
Pat turned his eyes down, feeling that any further comment would only drive on a bigger rant.
"If your kind hadn't ruined everything then none of this would have happened." The Elite grumbled. "This war, those fish, all of it."
Pat continued to stare down. "But because we fell and everything else that came along with it, your kind had a chance to grow." He picked up a stick, scratching it against the ground as he said that.
"True, you've influenced our culture a bit as well." Amber said after struggling to find a counter argument. She then returned to her frown.
"What does that mean?" Pat looked up, trying to understand what her first statement meant. "I mean, It is rather obvious that your society mimics ours..."
"It's not quite that." The Elite flipped her goggles over in her hands. "Stories kept by the historians suggest that when our ancestors came to this land, there were these small kettles everywhere. Before our kind learned how to build, they used those to live in."
"There were kettles, like the ones you supposedly have littered around the place?"
"Yes, but back then those were probably not for transport, they were... for something..." She tried to think, but the answer refused to come to her. "This is still your kind's fault."
Pat sat there, thinking. He was about to remark on how were there so many kettles there, or debate who's fault the situation fell on, when he forcefully held back a sneeze. Loorea shifted with a groan, changing to her squid form while staying asleep. He blinked before realizing what he had forgotten.
"Oh I-I gotta get back, I promised that I'd head back with my condition."
"Ha, we're not heading into that squid den. We need to head to the other domes, warn people about this." Amber stated, unwilling to compromise.
"I rather not die to what is your version of the common cold." He states, getting up while trying not to disturb Loorea.
"Let me guess, you aren't willing to see our scientists again." Amber predicted through her gritted beak.
"No."
They exchanged a stare down, neither threatening nor passive. Octoling and human glared, arms crossed and unwilling to back down.
She turned away from him, glaring at the city. "Fine, we'll leave in the morning." She spun back, pointing a finger. "But, If we are caught by someone who is willing to turn us in then you're on your own."
"I suppose it's good enough." Pat murmured, at this point he was willing to take it. He sat back down next to Loorea, still sound asleep.
Pat sighed, waiting to find some form of rest.
I * I * I * I
Inko sighed, having worked and studied through the night. There were questions he had about the object in front of him. The golden egg in front of him figuratively mocked him, as the professor still couldn't figure out quite what it did, or how it worked. He itched to learn more about it every passing minute with it in his presence, yet he was in desperate need to rest.
He sighed, pushing the case that held the object away from him. He picked up his phone, that was seated next to the jar, taking a look at the time. He stopped and gawked at the device, taking a look at the charge it had. He looked back to the egg in newfound awe. "How..."
He quickly reached for his notebook, flipping through the notes he had to before yesterday's conversation with Pat and Loorea. He crossed out some ideas and previous misconceptions, putting his name and date next to the scratches for future reference. He furiously scrambled down the observation he had just made. after the furious writing he had put down he hurried over to one of his drawers.
He pulled the shining egg out of its container, carefully placing it down on the table. He sprinkled down the object he had grabbed, fine iron filings. He watched as the iron particles moved around the egg, making a magnetic field. This could be the biggest find since the Zapfish themselves. He frantically thought, filled with newfound energy. He quickly documented what he saw, sketching down a visual with an explanation of what exactly was going on. In his mind he thought of an abundance of tests he could now perform, having a clear idea what he could test for.
I'm scratching all, if not most notes taken after today's findings. I'm probably going to break a few light bulbs in the process if this goes anything like Simpson's experiments... He wrote down.
I * I * I * I
The Elite woke up, her eyes shot all around her until they fell on Loorea. The Vinkling was napping peacefully, softly snoring in her sleep. "So much for seeing the Landfall Festival." She muttered, looking for the human, who appeared to not be present.
Pat stared over the horizon, watching as the sun continued to rise up through the clouds. He had walked and taken a seat over at the cliff edge when the sun had begun its climb. His mind was deep in thought as his eyes drifted over to the city, thinking of what he perceived to better times.
"Did you stay awake the entire night?" Amber asked as she seemingly appeared to his left. He jumped, nearly leaning over before he felt a yank back on his collar. Looking up the human saw the Octoling stare down at him through a pair of goggles.
"No." Pat simply answered as he was pulled up.
"You didn't?"
"Not one moment." Pat responds.
"Do you realize how unhealthy doing that is?" Amber pointed out to him.
"I've been like this ever since that car accident." Pat says as he stretches, running his hands through his black hair.
Amber watched him as he began to dust himself off. "We leave in ten minutes." She said as she turned to move back toward where the fire was the previous night.
Pat looked back over the horizon again before turning to follow. Loorea had just woken up by then, being perfectly fine until she had looked down at herself. She sat there feeling chills dance up and down her before noticing Pat was walking over. She stayed silent as he took a seat, trying to avoid looking at him.
After being seated for a moment Pat speaks "So-"
Loorea interrupts him, burying her face into his coat. "I-I'm scared..." She shook, holding onto him.
"Don't worry," He looks to Amber, who is packing up much of her gear into a backpack. "I'll keep an eye out."
"Not her, me..." Loorea looks up at him, eye twitching. "...what happened i-in that ro-room..."
Pat looked down, remembering the scene he had walked into the day before. The image was just as stuck in his mind as the Vinkling next to him. Unlike Loorea, who was terrified of what she had done, he couldn't put a finger on what he thought. "It's... ok." He says after some time, at loss for any other answer.
She responds with a shiver, not moving from the position next to him.
Amber walked over to them. "Let's go." She ordered, impatiently waiting for their response.
They got up, or Patton did, as Loorea simply changed form and stuck to his side. She smoothly slid up onto his shoulder rather quickly, her sharp spikes sliding over instead of grabbing hold of him.
"Would you like to... lead the way?" Pat asked with a theatrical bow.
"Fine." Amber snarled, not thrilled to be making this journey for the second time. She took the lead while Pat made his way behind, following. Weapons were at her sides, the Octoshot and ancient gun in their respective holsters.
No real conversation happened on the descent down, it was rather peaceful, civil even. It was the on the base of the cliff that complications arose, starting with Pat as he began to stumble.
Amber heard stomping sounds behind her, she looked over her shoulder. She stopped when she saw the sight of Pat leaning against a lone tree. "What are you doing?"
"I... don't feel..." He said right before he collapsed.
Amber reacted after a moment of shock. Hurrying over to both the disabled boy and Loorea, who had gotten into her bipedal form. The Elite tore off her tactical goggles as she checked for a pulse. "Get up, dammit." She grunted, a furious growl on her face.
"Whu..." He groaned after a few seconds, blinking.
Loorea smiled, throwing her arms around him. "Bro..." She smiled. Pat struggled to get up with his dizziness and the Vinkling ahold of him.
Amber raised an eyebrow, looking at them both.
"Wha-w-what happened?" Pat finally got out.
"You just blacked out, you're in worse shape than I thought." The Octoling reported, looking him over. His blueshot had become far more noticeable in the light of day. There were bags under his eyes, and his stomach growled at all three of them.
"Give me my bags." Pat pointed to the bags slung over Amber's shoulder. "I need to eat something..."
She silently growled, hending the ancient his bags. Patton wasted no time opening the canteen to pour in some water. The two cephalopods waited while he drank. "Is that water?" Amber asked.
"Yeah," Pat said between a breath. "Is it bad to do that here?"
"It's impossible for us to get any water that's not polluted, or what those squids keep from us." She answers with a scowl. "Any water we have disintegrates anything living when touched. It's revolting to watch, even when someone's connected to a SPAWN Pad."
Pat stopped drinking, he looked over the canteen for a moment, holding back a gag before closing it. "Ok then... let's go."
"Are you sure you can take this? You just passed out after that decent." Amber pointed out.
"About one pint of sweat now can cave one gallon of blood." He got up, feeling slightly better. Loorea let go, standing next to him.
Amber looked at him, she saw that he was not fit for a long distance travel like this. She also saw that he probably wouldn't improve without help that she herself didn't know how to provide. "Alright, we'll need to pick up the pace."
With that, they all continued on, Loorea now walking behind Pat. If they had looked at him closely they most likely would have seen the strain on his face. He moved on, keeping any complaints he had to himself. Now and then he would stumble along the way toward the city, feeling worn out by not just being sick, but other things as well.
They found themselves in the city sooner than they had expected. The place they came upon was a quiet rural neighborhood, nothing happened here that warranted anyone's interest, the street unacquainted with any life. That, however, did not stop Amber from pulling them into an alley when her attention went from her own thoughts to where they were. The place they were was as unremarkable as the block they were on. After being released Pat and Loorea rubbed their arms that they were dragged with. The Vinkling and human took a seat in the alley while Amber stood guard near the entrance.
"What was that about?" Pat got out, half sighing and half yelling. He pulled his left sleeve down, running his hand along the line of pale flesh that resided up and down the length of his arm.
"This is enemy territory, we can't just walk around expect a warm reception." She said, taking a look out to the street.
"Military minds..." Pat muttered, covering his arm back up with the sleeve.
Loorea sighed, turning to look down into the alley. The girl blinked, as went to rapidly tap Pat's shoulder. He turned to look at her, only to find his eyes immediately shifting to look a tan Inkling in a trench coat similar to his own. "Well, I wasn't expecting new customers today." The yellow inked fellow said with a snazzy voice. "It's always nice to see someone who knows how to wear a cool coat."
Amber turned, looking at this intruder. "Who are you, and why are you here?" She asked, her hand falling over where her Octoshot was holstered.
"Oh yes, I'm special kind of entrepreneur." He gave a mighty bow with swagger. "Gregory Inkwell, I've either heard or seen it all here."
"L-like what?" Loorea asked.
"Well, it is a fine honor to be in the presence of one of your kind again." He said to Loorea as he clasped his hands together. "And you are far from the first octopus I have seen." He stopped when he focused on Pat. "However, you... are completely new to me."
Amber stood there, not immediately swayed into believing him. "What kind of businessman are you?"
"Well, I happen to be the kind who's friends with everyone, because let's be real, trust with caution is needed in my trade." The squid stepped back, opening his coat to reveal his N-ZAP to and other assorted items hooked to the coat to them. "I sell special items for people, as well as make deliveries. Heck, just a while ago I sold this weird egg to someone I picked up from the lost mail."
The three of them looked at Gregory with varying reactions. Pat and Amber both glanced at each other, borderline sick. Loorea just sat there feeling unsure about the situation.
He carried on, not minding them. "I also give some really nice services. In fact, I don't mind who I do it for, ladies AND gentlemen."
"That is disgusting." Pat said while Loorea continued being plain confused as what Gregory meant.
"Relax... the law says fourteen and up, and that Vinkling's quite the sight for a young fourteen-"
He was cut short by a blast of ink. Amber had whipped out her gun, apparently having enough of his talk. "You're a liability, these two are my only bargaining chips." She stepped on him before he could scramble away. "And nothing personal, but you're a creep."
The yellow Inkling looked up into the barrel of the weapon pointed at him. Shifting his eyes up a little more would have rewarded him with a sadistic smile from the Octoling. "This... ain't going out in style..." He muttered before reaching for his N-ZAP.
Pat and Loorea winched, turning away as they heard a splat sound. Looking up they saw the orange gun being tossed at their feet. It struck Pat odd, reminding him of something. Loorea hesitantly reached down to pick it up, noticing a small clip attached to it, able to hold a small amount of ink. They both looked up at the Elite, who was standing over a pile of clothes once belonging to the living Inkling. Surrounding her was Octarian ink all around the ground. Gregory lay there covered in the Ink, motionless.
She got up, throwing the corpse into a dumpster. She then tossed down a little Squee-G, letting it do its job before putting it back in her bag. She turned to look at her two gawking audience members. "What?" She asked, walking down into the alley.
"Y-you just killed him."
"So? He'll fade and evaporate away before the moon rises." She carries on, smiling. "Now, come along before I find someone else to have fun with."