1 day until the Presidio…

This was it, the last day before the raid. Michael woke up with a cold sweat, his dreams hadn't been pleasant that night. He looked to the clock, it was 8 am. He still had a full day ahead of him. Getting out of bed he found everyone else in the living room of the house, all going about different activities. Shelly was polishing her E-Liter, Angela was half-asleep and drinking coffee, and Randy was watching TV. Michael went through his own routine of activities and made a quick breakfast.

Nobody spoke, nobody needed to at that point. Everyone just did their own thing. It relaxed everyone to have a quiet morning like this, they needed it after all of them being so anxious the past week.

The morning passed, and everyone agreed to go to Octo Valley and meet up with the rest there.

Arriving there, they found Junko and Cuttlefish leaned over an old table. They were looking at a crudely drawn map of various areas in Octo Valley.

"If memory serves me correctly, the Presidio is somewhere near here, but that's only taking into account the main entrance."

"Are there any other entrances?"

"There's a lot of small entrances around the cliff that it's on. I remember there being a large drainage system the team and I might be able to go through, if it hasn't been covered up by now, that is."

"The Presidio is on top of a cliff? Well, this place is starting to sound more and more like a movie villain's secret lair than an actual military facility."

"Octarian scientists work day and night with little free time, I wouldn't be surprised if they seriously thought a stormy night with a lightning bolt would make the Presidio look more threatening."

Cuttlefish chuckled at the remark.

"Don't worry Michael, I know you four are here too." Cuttlefish said without looking up from the map. Junko turned her head and quickly waved to them before turning back to the map. "Do you need anything or are you all just stopping by?"

"Hey, Captain. We were planning on staying here for the night since we're gonna be leaving tomorrow, that alright?"

"Yes, that's fine. I have some sleeping bags behind the shack. Also, Callie and Marie will be here soon, just in case you were curious."

"Thanks, Captain."

"Eugh, this one's got some spider webs on it." Randy said, unrolling one of the sleeping bags.

"Ooh, I wonder what this one's got in it, a bees' nest?" Angela said.

"Don't you even joke about that, you know how much I got stung that time."

Angela laughed while Randy angrily grumbled.

The team spent the rest of the day resting. Junko joined in soon after, apparently finishing her planning with Cuttlefish. Michael decided to start a conversation with her.

"Hey Junko, what've you been doing this past week."

"Mostly making use of the time off I got to map out Octo Valley, my commander let me take a break from my work for a while because you guys captured me."

"So, Junko, I wanted to ask something."

"What is it?"

"Why were you so quick to join me in this raid? You said yourself why it might be a bad idea."

Junko took a moment to think of a response.

"I think it was because I figured that if we don't take action now and shut down whatever it is they're developing, they'll end up using it against Inkopolis. Those who are still in Octo Valley are not happy about Octavio being defeated, and if they're left unchecked they're almost certainly going to try and take revenge."

"Aren't you worried for the safety of the Octarians who are hiding out here?"

"Of course I am! Them launching an attack on Inkopolis means that the Octarians that are living here are going to get caught in the cross fire. Besides, once we've dealt with the Presidio… I have hopes that maybe we can start better lives in Inkopolis, maybe we can stop hiding underground. I-It's unlikely, I know, maybe even nonsensical to think that it can be that easy, but I'm hoping we can do it someday."

Michael put his hand on Junko's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry, we'll deal with whatever's going on in the Presidio, and after that, maybe Cuttlefish and I can help your people out."

"Y-Yeah, I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Michael."

The team wasted the rest of the day away, with Callie and Marie arriving soon after. They all went to sleep early, so they could wake and be setting out for the Presidio early in the morning.

8 hours until the Presidio…

Ooh boy here we go we're gettin' there guys!

Also, I feel like I should mention this. To reduce the need for these notes by me at the end of every chapter, as I feel they're going to detract from some of the moments that the chapters will end on, I'd like to suggest that guests message me their reviews on any of the external websites I have listed on my profile. This will allow me to respond to your reviews in a timely manner, making it so you don't have to wait until the next chapter for you to get a response just because you're a guest. Those who have an account on here, just keep doing what you're doing. Thanks.