Chapter 18 ~ Unfamiliar Ink
Octavio stood by the wall, his expression blank and emotionless as he stared into nothing… not taking any notice of his surrounds or the person standing in front of him at all.
The room in which he stood was rather large in size, but most of its space was taken up by strange looking machinery almost making it look like some twisted version of a hospital room. The only source of light came from long shaped panels on the walls, giving the room an unhealthy sickly glow.
"Hmm… The TC serum seems to be working… I was a little worried it wouldn't work." The figure stood up a little straighter and smirked before staring over to the corner of the room where a large glass tank stood, filled with a strange type of liquid.
He stared at the lone body inside of the tank before nodding at an Inkling standing quietly by the tank, she seemed to be writing notes on a clipboard, her facial expression just as blank as Octavio's.
"Get your team and ensure the specimen survives until she lays. I want that egg for testing. You know what will happen if you fail me…"
The Inkgirl nodded, showing no signs of reaction to his threating words and walked off. The room fell into silence the moment the door closed behind her.
The figure turned back to Octavio and grinned, raising a hand to brush back his rather messy black hair. "Time to begin Operation… Separation. You know what to do Olly… Inklings and Octolings must not be allowed to live together, the possible results of such a union is dangerous to my future plan."
Octavio gave a blank look and slowly nodded, his eyes still staring into space as he began to move, the sole purpose of following out his orders.
His eyes moved to glance at the body in the container as he past, a fleeting emotion filled his face for a split second before it was gone. He paused slightly however and gave a twitch, then continued on his way out of the room.
The figure watched him go before sighing and rubbing his face. "So much work and preparation… but it will be worth it in the end…"
He walked over to the container and stared at the body of Felica. "I admit… the evolution of your species and his of course, has caused a slight snag in my plans…"
He suddenly smirked.
"But where is the fun without the challenge huh? I have all the time in the world… plenty… of time…"
Tela cried out in alarm as she went tumbling down along with the platform, her surroundings a blur of colour as everything came crashing down. The sound was deafening as she was hit repeatedly with falling debris, one hit her head particularly hard and caused a small gash that bleed purple ink.
Finally everything settled down and when the dust finally cleared, the Octoling cringed in pain from the fall and slowly looked up.
Octavio loomed over her, a look of shock on his face. No one seem to say a word, too stunned at the events that had transpired. Tela swallowed hard as she slowly pushed herself free from the debris and stood up on shaky legs, Sora is so going to kill her for this.
Octavio gave a sudden jerk, quickly glancing at the two White Suits before staring down at Tela again.
"Sorry about that solider!" the elderly Octarian said with a grin while shaking his head slowly, his eyes wide as if trying to tell her something. The White Suits looked at each other before turning towards Tela, the visors in their helmets giving nothing away.
Tela stared at him in confusion, wondering why the Octarian was acting like he didn't know who she was. Nevertheless, the girl decided to play along and stood up, giving her old boss a salute.
Octavio casted an almost worried look at the White Suits before addressing Tela again. "Return to the barracks at once yo, I'm digging an important meeting right now yah dig?"
Tela gave a strange look at Octavio before nodding and heading off, however the White Suits quickly blocked her path. "We don't think so."
Tela halted and took a quick step back, alarm on her face. Octavio too looked alarmed as he nervously rubbed his face.
"We know who you are... and so does he." The White Suits both pointed towards DJ Octavio. "Master Morida knows... and we have orders. Eliminate all that are not pure."
Not pure? What do they...? Tela gasped as the white suits pulled out identical weapons similar to an Octo-Blaster and began to charge forwards. With a panicked hiss, Tela slammed her Octo-Brush to the ground and began to run, putting some distance between them.
The white suits were relentless as they followed, shooting bright yellow ink. Octavio hovered above the scene, looking unsure and conflicted as he watched. He twitched slightly as he began to twirl his wasabi sticks in an agitated manner.
Until finally...
"That's ENOUGH!" Octavio roared as he slammed a giant metal fist from his booth to the ground, separating Tela and the White Suits. "I will NOT have any senseless fighting in MY domain!"
The White Suits looked up calmly, not lowering their weapons. "She is to be eliminated. Master Morida's orders, failure to comply will result in subject Olly Octavio to be re-introduced to the TC serum."
Octavio flinched as a flash of fear filled his face. After a moment he sighed. "I… do we have to eliminate her? Can't you… find another solution?"
The White Suits merely stared at him in silence, the visor of their helmets giving no hint to what they were thinking.
Tela breathed heavily and stared in bewilderment at the elderly Octarian, completely taken back by his words. He showed no concern for my life before… so why now? Just what is going on here?
"Unacceptable…" the White Suits spoke at the same time, causing Tela to shiver at the creepiness of it. "Only your daughter is allowed to live… your request is denied."
Octavio flushed as Tela gasped loudly. Octavio has a… daughter!?
"Why is her life worth saving? You did not care before." The White Suits said at the same time, the visors of there helmets turned towards the giant floating booth and its occupant.
"That… I…" Octavio seem to struggled finding the words he needed to say, his eyes filled with a variety of emotions.
Suddenly a shot rang out as the elderly Octarian squealed in alarm and pain, a blob of light blue ink had hit his turntables and splashed over his face. Tela snapped her head to the source of the ink shot and gasped at the sight of all three Agents side by side, all sporting the same colour of sky blue as they stared down at them from a platform.
"Unwanted distractions… Take care of them Octavio." The White Suits demanded, both still talking at the same time. "And we will take care of the non-pure."
Octavio rubbed his eyes and was about to retort when he was forced to pay attention to Agent 2, the Inkgirl once more firing off a shot from her charger. A Metal fist rose to block the attack and then began to spin around before launching itself at the Agents, a snarl appeared on his face as all three simply jumped out of the way with ease.
Tela didn't have much chance to watch the unfolding battle as the White Suits quickly approached, shooting a volley of yellow ink in her direction. Going against two range attackers with a melee weapon was near impossible in her position, so Tela simply retreated, using her Octo-brush to gain speed.
This tactic worked quite well in keeping her from harm's way… until her ink started to deplete. "No no no!" Tela hissed in alarm, her eyes wide and fearful as she turned her head around, just to see her pursers gaining ground quickly.
A loud crack made her flick her head towards the side where she spotted a large metallic fist on the ground a few feet away, obviously in an attempt to flatten what seem to be Agent 1. Tela noticed the large pool of purple ink surrounding the fist and made a split-second decision, running full force towards the ink.
The White Suits instantly clicked on to what the Octoling was doing and began to run in a different direction, in what seem to be an attempt to cut her off.
"Dammit!" Tela growled as she as was forced to stop and step back, the path in front suddenly covered in yellow ink. She turned to face the mysterious pair, pure anger and panic on her face.
"Why are you doing this!?"
They didn't answer but merely raised their weapons, their visors blocking any expression that could be on their unknown faces.
Octavio glanced in their direction after launching a barrage of Ink bombs at the Agents who had scattered to avoid the explosions and hissed angrily, his eyes wide. "That's ENOUGH!"
He launched a metal fist which collided the ground in front of Tela, spraying her with ink that felt cool and pleasant, it also shielded her from the White Suits who paused in their advancement.
Unfortunately for Octavio, his sudden shift in attention allowed Agent 1 and 2 to quickly advance, their weapons trained on his booth as they open-fired. Tela saw Agent 3 run towards her and went to meet him half-way, feeling a sense of relief at his presence.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" Sora said breathlessly as he wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, pulling her close as he hugged her tightly. Tela hugged him back with just as much enthusiasm before pulling away.
"How did you and others get in here without being caught?" She asked looking curious and bewildered.
Sora went to open his mouth but stopped and roughly pulled Tela behind him, his scattershot Pro rising to fire at the White Suits who had walked in a calmingly manner around Octavio's giant metal fist.
They dodged his attacks with ease and suddenly split up, both moving with an almost sense of grace as they came from either side. Sora growled and concentrated on the one to the right as he backed up, pushing Tela along with him.
Tela glared at the White Suit coming in from the left and moved her hand to her belt, intent on lobbing a bomb at his direction when she paused, her ear twitching as the air filled with a weird whirling sound. She looked up and gasped, eyes wide as Octavio's booth fell through the air, covered in blue ink.
Seconds later it crashed to the ground with a mighty bang, sending tremors through the floor and knocking the White Suit on the left flying, his helmet hitting the ground with a resounding crack.
"Woohoo!" cheered Callie, rising her roller in victory as she jumped up on the booth. "Take that you slimy old Octopus!"
"Concentrate Agent 1!" scolded Marie as she appeared next to the booth, her charger raised at the still figure of Octavio. "The battle isn't over yet!"
The other White Suit turned to his comrade in silence, his weapon lowering.
Suddenly Tela was hit with a strange feeling of dread, her eyes locked onto her previous attacker as he slowly gets up from the ground, shaking his head. At the same time Octavio groaned and sat up, his samurai helmet fell off and hit the turntables with a clang.
The White Suit looked up and turned his head towards Tela, revealing a large missing chunk from his visor where it had cracked upon impact. Two emotionless pink eyes stared out…
Inkling eyes…
Time seem to stop as everyone turned and finally saw the true identity of the mysterious couple.
"What!?" gasped Marie, her charger almost falling out of her hands as she stared in bewilderment and shock, her yellow eyes wide.
Octavio remained silent as he began to shake, a dark expression filling his face as he stared.
"I… don't understand…" Tela stuttered, her Inkbrush lowering to the ground. "You're... the ones been giving orders to Octavio? Why would you want to attack Inkopolis… attack your own kind?"
Nothing made sense… The weapon… everything… the more they learned, the more questions that seem to pop up.
The White suits moved to stand side by side again as their weapons raised once more, Sora hissed and raised his own instantly.
BANG!
Tela and Sora gasped in shock, stumbling backwards as the ground shook. A large metal fist was embedded in the ground where the White Suits were only a moment ago, the floor washed with a generous amount of purple ink.
"Holy Cod…" Callie whispered, her usual playful smirk gone to be replaced with horror, her hand raising to her mouth.
Marie said nothing as she stared in equal shock, her charger DID fall to the ground this time.
Tela gave a shudder at the sudden violent deaths of the two mysterious Inklings and then slowly looked up at Octavio, the elderly Octoling was breathing hard, a wild crazed look in his eyes.
He glanced at Tela with a strange expression before suddenly preparing himself for a Super jump.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Callie as she recovered from the shock and raised her roller, ready to slam it upon the Octopus, but Octavio had already shot into the air and landed on the far side the area. He quivered for a bit before slowly returning to normal size, his eyes once more on Tela.
The two seem to stare at one other in silence, neither one breaking eye contact. Then finally the elderly Octoling blinked and staggered slightly, looking worse for wear.
"Where's my sister!" Tela yelled, taking a step forwards and ignoring how Sora suddenly moved close with a look of alarm. Both Callie and Marie also took a cautious step forwards, their eyes glaring at Octavio as if to dare him to try anything funny.
Octavio sighed deeply and closed his eyes, a tentacle moving to rub at his tired looking face. He looked so strange and odd without his DJ helmet on, Tela couldn't help but notice he looked more vulnerable…
"You're making a mistake, being with him…" he finally muttered, gesturing towards Sora with one of his tentacles.
"A mistake… being with his kind… I made that mistake… and it ruined my life…"
Tela hissed and took another step forward, raising her Octo-brush with a snarl. "I don't care about your opinions! Where is she!? "
Octavio opened his eyes and looked up at her, a kind of sorrow and desperation on his face. "You remind me of her sometimes… of my Felica…"
He slumped over slightly with a look of defeat, clearly injured from his previous battle with the agents. "Your sister is with Janjan… above ground…"
The Octo-Brush dropped as Tela stared at him in bewilderment and confusion. Levi and Janjan are together… on the surface? Yet that made no sense… like everything else that had been happening lately.
"Heh… my old apprentice came here hours before you did… thankfully before they turned up." Octavio glanced at the remains of the White Suits. "She was as crazy and feisty as I remembered her, all those years ago…"
Callie and Marie walked up beside Sora, their weapons still raised as they glanced at Tela with a look of confusion and curiously. The Octoling paid them no mind, her attention fully focused on her old boss.
"And you just handed Levi over like that?"
Octavio frowned at her tone. "I don't have to explain myself! Especially to a soldier who decided to abandon her own kind for the likes of them!"
He jabbed a tentacle at Sora who merely hissed in response, baring his fangs.
"Alright enough of this you slime ball." Callie hissed, walking forwards with Marie. "You're gonna order you soldiers to destroy the Brine-Bringer, then you're coming with us!"
Marie nodded and aimed with her charger. "Indeed… failure to comply will not end well for you…" She began to charge a shot in order to prove her point.
"Wait!" Tela charged forwards only to be grabbed around the waist by Sora. "Sora let go! I need to know more and-!"
Everyone went still as the air began to fill with the wails of a siren. Octavio went wide eyed as he looked up, looking shocked.
Operation take over is a go…
I repeat… operation take over is a go…
All soldiers to return to their barracks immediately to wait for further instructions…
All Elites to return to HQ…
This is not a drill…
I repeat… this is not a drill.
"Those… good for nothing… they promised…" Octavio growled before suddenly collapsing on the ground. "They promised… not to touch… my Octarians…"
Callie and Marie rushed over to stand either side of the elderly Octarian, their weapons ready to fire. "What was that!?" Callie asked in alarm.
"What's operation take over? Answer our questions!" demanded Marie, looking worried. Octavio breathed heavily as he looked up, his eyes narrowed in distaste.
Finally, he sat up, Callie and Marie stepping back as they kept their distance, their weapons trained on the elderly Octarian. "I don't need to… tell you damned Inklings anything…" He wheezed before looking up at Tela.
"I'll get… moving if I was… you… or there won't be an Inkopolis… to get back to."
Sora growled as he held on tighter to Tela. "What do you mean!? What have…"
His voiced died down as everyone looked around in confusion, the air filled with a kind of strange buzzing that seem to grow steadily in volume.
Tela looked up and tugged on Sora's arm before pointing up, a look of horror on her face. "Is that?"
Everyone stared up with similar expression of bewilderment and horror as a large Octarian flight craft moved through the air, so huge it casted a shadow over the area. The flying craft looking oddly familiar to Tela, then it hit her. It belongs to Octavio, the one he had used to steal the zapfishes from Inkopolis.
The elderly Octarian grumbled as he watched his beloved vehicle move away. "Damn them… bad enough they harmed my Octarians… but to use my ship to carry the Brine-Bringer? That's low… they better not scratch my baby…"
"We need to head back… now!" Marie demanded, looking deeply serious. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but we need to intercept that weapon before it reaches the city."
The Inkgirl turned towards Octavio. "And you… are coming with us… whenever you like it not."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryu sighed as he nudged up his glasses, a look of worry and annoyance on his face. "Come on… pick up already…"
He pressed a few buttons on his phone, trying to call the twins again. Once again there was no answer, Ryu gave a frustrated growl and lowered his phone as he looked around the Inkopolis plaza.
Ever since the twins have been on holiday, all forms of contact between them had suddenly gone dead. This wasn't normal for Maya and Naya… not normal at all…
Ryu leaned back on the bench he was sitting on and swung his legs, feeling like something was wrong… Something pink and sparkly caught his eyes as he looked up.
"Maya? Naya!" he gasped, jumping off the bench and racing towards them.
The twins were walking down the street together, seeming not to care as they bumped into other people. Ryu ran over towards them but stopped as he saw their faces, devoid of any emotion. The sight made him shiver at the wrongness of it.
"H-Hey! I believed the two of you was still enjoying the benefits of your holiday?" He asked, stopping in front of them. The twins stopped and stared at him with no recognition.
Ryu felt suddenly scared as he looked at their faces, feeling that something was definitely wrong here. "Maya? Naya? W-What's the matter? If something is wrong, then as your friend…"
Maya suddenly lurched forwards and slammed her hands into the Inkboys chest, sending him crashing to the ground, a shocked and pained expression on his face. "Out of the way Inkling…"
Naya stepped over his fallen form, not even glancing down at him as she continued to walk down the street.
Maya bent on her knees and stared at Ryu with a blank expression. "Do not intervene with the Master's plan…" She stood up and stepped over him, walking quickly to catch up with her sister.
Ryu rolled over and sat up, watching them go with an alarmed expression. He pushed up his glasses and gave a hard stare at their retreating backs before clambering to his feet.
He brushed down his clothes and began to follow the pair at a distance, hoping to find answers to their strange behaviour. The twins always spoke together at the same time no matter what, and to look at him that way? As if they didn't know who he was?
That was unacceptable…