[A/N] Work is keeping my schedule busy, but I will press on! I'm excited about this one.
Also, emmz20 asked a question in a couple of other stories. You've got PMs off (for some reason), so I'll address this right here. My stories take place in two different universes, and that's the reason for the discrepancy. If you need to know exactly which stories are in which universe, that information is in my profile.
Jake tapped his foot impatiently. "He's late."
"We haven't even been here a minute yet," Tori reminded him.
"I told him," Jake began. Tori felt a rant coming on. "I told him eight o'clock. He isn't here."
"It's eight-oh-two," Tori said, exasperated. "Give him time."
Jake grumbled under his breath as Michael popped out of the grate. He wore his Hero Suit.
"Rise and shine," he said. "You two ready?"
Jake shot him a glare. "You better have a damn good reason for being late." Tori rolled her eyes.
Michael raised one eyebrow, and glanced at his watch. "What are you talking about? It's eight."
"Eight-oh-three," Jake corrected.
Michael shrugged. "Potato, potahto," he said. "Anyway, I happen to have something you might want." He pulled an Octoshot Replica out.
Jake narrowed his eyes. "What's that for?"
"Gee, boss-man, I thought you'd know," Michael teased. "Infiltration mission, right? I figure we get your girlfriend here to act like she's taken us hostage." He fished a pair of Octoling Goggles out as well. "And she can wear these, too."
"Already covered," Tori said, holding up her own pair. "These are genuine, too."
Jake looked back and forth between the two of them. "And here I thought I was prepared… gimme a second." He disappeared into Cap'n Cuttlefish's shack, and came out a moment later with his own Hero Suit. He started making careful rips in the material.
"What are you doing?" Tori asked curiously.
"If it looks like you beat us in a fight, it'll make the whole capturing story more convincing," Jake explained. Michael nodded and started doing the same as Tori hooked up the Octoshot to her ink tank.
Soon, they were done, and trekking across the valley.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Jake asked.
"HQ, as far as I can tell," Tori said. "I got considered for a promotion once, and this is where they took me. With any luck, they're still using it."
Michael didn't respond. He held his weapon defensively, keeping his ears open.
The walk continued in near silence. Following Tori's lead, they Super Jumped off to new areas every once in a while. After a few hours of this, Michael stepped in front and held up one hand. "Hold it."
"What is it?" Tori asked.
"Are we getting close?"
"Yeah. It's just ahead."
"We need cover."
There was a twisted metal structure close by, and the three of them hid behind it. Michael peeked out behind it.
"Guards. Four of them," he muttered. "We ready?"
Jake and Tori nodded in response, and Tori took both of their weapons. She put the goggles on and the three of them stepped out, with the boys in front and Tori in the back, aiming her weapon in their direction.
The guards happened to be Twintacle Octotroopers. They stared suspiciously at the trio for a moment before Tori spoke up.
"Reporting with a pair of hostages," she said in a flat voice. "Requesting access for interrogation and assessment."
The guards shared a look and stepped aside, opening the way to the kettle. Tori entered first, and the boys followed close behind.
Meanwhile, another figure watched their entrance from behind the metal structure. As the trio swam through the kettle, the figure threw a Burst Bomb to catch the guard's attention. As the Octotroopers investigated the source of the explosion, the figure dashed forward without a sound and entered the kettle.
[asterisks]
They popped out at the other end and landed in a dimly lit hallway.
"This seems awfully familiar," Michael said.
"Keep your voice down," Tori said. "This place is gonna be crawling with Octarians. Don't say a word, or someone will get suspicious."
The two nodded in response, and they started their trek down the hallways.
They occasionally passed other Octarians in the halls, mostly Octolings. Tori tried to keep her breathing steady.
She wasn't exactly sure what it was she was looking for; all she knew about the geography of the place was that it was huge. It would take quite some time to find any area with respawn pads.
Even then, she didn't know exactly what she'd do. She thought to herself that she probably should've come up with more of a plan for that sort of thing than she did.
As she was pondering this, an Elite Octoling came stalking down the hall. Tori snapped her eyes straight ahead, even though she knew no one could see them. Just as they were about to pass one another, the Octoling said two words. "Hold it."
Everyone froze in place. Tori turned her head toward the Octoling.
"What's going on here, private?" the Octoling asked harshly. "I wasn't informed of any sort of hostage situation."
Try as she might, Tori couldn't quite remember who this person was. She kept her tone neutral as she replied. "My squadron and I found and disarmed these two. I was elected to bring them back here for interrogation."
The Elite Octoling narrowed her eyes. "Why weren't they splatted on the spot?"
"See for yourself, captain," Tori said, with a short jerk of her head in Michael's direction.
The Octoling walked in front of Michael and stared him down. He returned her gaze just as sharply. After a moment, her eyes widened in recognition.
"This is Agent 3," she said, apparently unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. "Unbelievable… Oh, you will be very… very interesting."
"Bite me," Michael spat.
The Elite Octoling let out a cruel laugh. "I will do much worse than that. By the time I'm finished with you, you will be begging for your end to come."
Michael's gaze never wavered. The Octoling moved on to Jake. "I don't recognize this one."
"He was found working with Agent 3," Tori said. "A new recruit, perhaps."
The Octoling gave Jake a hard gaze. "Hmm… this is good information indeed. Good job, private. Keep it up and a promotion may be in order. What name do I pass on?"
Tori hesitated for a moment, trying to think of a fake name to give her. "Cail," she finally supplied.
"Private Cail, good," the Octoling said. "I'll put in a word." She started to walk off in the other direction.
Tori started to continue when she turned around. "Private!"
"Yes, captain!" Tori said.
"You've never been in here before, have you? The interrogation area is the other way."
"Ah… thank you, captain."
"You know, I'm heading that way myself. I'll take you there. Never know when you'll need an extra pair of eyes on these scum." The Octoling waited for Tori to catch up before they continued on their walk.
It continued mainly in silence. Tori couldn't stop herself from peaking into any open doors that she saw.
"Impressed?" the Octoling asked.
"Yes, captain," Tori replied.
"We may be of the same rank soon," she continued. "Call me Alanis."
Tori froze in place. She finally realized who this person was. Stories she heard when she was still a part of the army began to run through her head.
Alanis, Jake, and Michael looked back at her. "What's wrong, Cail?" Alanis asked.
"N-nothing, captain," Tori said shakily. "I-I mean, Lieutenant… ah, Alanis! I'm sorry!"
Alanis chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Cail. Now come with me."
Tori quickly caught up again, trying to keep her breathing steady. She kept her mouth shut for the rest of the walk.
It didn't take them much longer for them to reach the interrogation area. Alanis gave Tori a pat on the back. "I'll leave you to it, Cail," she said, and left the room.
Tori whispered to the boys frantically. "Guys, what do we do?"
"What's wrong? Who the hell was that?" Jake asked.
"Lieutenant Alanis is the highest-ranked Octarian in the army," Tori said. "The only one who's higher than her is DJ Octavio. She's absolutely ruthless, and she hates Inklings more than you guys could comprehend."
Jake pondered that. "Well, that complicates things a little," he said.
"We have to get out of this room now," Tori hissed. "Come on."
"If she sees that we aren't here, we'll all be in huge trouble," Michael warned.
"I'll come up with something," Tori said. "We have to leave here. Now come on!"
They didn't waste any time leaving the room. Tori peaked her head out the door, making sure no one was coming, and started sprinting down the halls. Jake and Michael followed behind her, moving as quietly as they could.
"This is a terrible plan…" Jake muttered. "This is never gonna work…"
"I know," Michael replied. "But I know you'd rather not leave her alone."
Jake silently conceded his point, and they continued following Tori.
{asterisks}
Alanis made her way toward the conference room. She could only imagine what Cail would have in store for those two Inklings. A cruel smile spread across her face.
Soon, she entered the conference room. Alanis found herself facing a male Octoling in a dapper suit. "Hello there," she said.
The man watched her and nodded. "Lieutenant. What is it today?"
"I met a private today," Alanis explained. "She had quite the accomplishment. I want the board to consider her for a promotion."
The Octoling raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. What was this accomplishment."
Alanis smiled. "She's captured Agent 3 and his accomplice."
His eyes widened. "Well! That's quite impressive! What's her name?"
"Cail."
The Octoling turned around and started typing on a little laptop. After a moment, he frowned. "Are you sure?"
Alanis frowned back. "Quite sure. Why?"
"I can't seem to find that name."
"Impossible. I just met her."
"See for yourself if you like." He swiveled the laptop toward her.
Alanis watched the screen. There were no results.
"Why would… then what happened?"
"I believe you may have been had," the Octoling said.
Alanis narrowed her eyes. "Then I have someone I need to talk to."
{asterisks}
"Shh!" Michael hissed. "Do you hear that?"
"Yeah," Tori replied. "Someone's laughing."
"We should stay outta there."
"No, wait," Tori said. She listened for a second. "I think I know that voice."
"Should we go?" Jake asked.
"If it's who I think it is, we should be fine," Tori said. She sprinted after the noise. The boys followed her.
She peeked into the room.
"Is it who you thought it was?" Jake hissed.
"Yup," Tori said. She smiled and entered, removing her goggles.
Someone screamed, and a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her forward.
