Alex and Kiaria are the last to arrive, but Marie and Jay look just as displeased about being here as they are. Alex knew it was due to being well before noon. Jay was not a morning person at ALL, and neither was Marie. Speaking of the Squid Sister, Alex could swear she spotted marks on her neck that weren't there the last time she'd seen the idol. She'd have to ask Jay how Marie got those later though, since it seemed Sheldon was standing in front of a whiteboard and on top of a soap box. Sheldon even seemed to be tapping his foot, looking like he's impatiently waiting for them all to get situated. Alex and Kiaria quickly find a place to sit and get ready for the incoming informational tsunami. Everyone braces themselves as Sheldon finally opens his mouth to begin.
"Ah you're all here, fantastic! The meeting can finally start! Okay so normally there would be someone keeping track of what I say but it's far too early for any of you to be trusted with that, so instead I have opted to record the session with this camera in front of me, so in the future if you require a reminder of anything I say today, there will be a video to refer to. I can time stamp it with topics of interest once I've had a few days to look over the footage and compile my thoughts properly. As such, there will be no excuses for not knowing the details of what we talk about here today.
Okay on to topic number one! Jay reported a Salmonid smallfry in Inkopolis park to me. This confirmed my suspicions that the Salmonids are migrating, not merely for salmonid spawning season like previously. They must desire new ground to inhabit. Since we don't know their numbers or how they will attempt this migration, it's best to be on your guard. That being said however, I will be working with the Inkopolis government directly for this one since the Salmonids are a major threat. You might not even need to think about them should they choose to commit a larger force to the issue, but just in case, be on your toes. The last thing we need is an army of Salmonids waltzing through the city trying to claim it as their own.
Second topic. Agent Eight, your power armour is coming along nicely, I just need a few more days to work out the kinks, the next revision shouldn't shoot ink up your nose. Once again I am very sorry about that. The sooner I can have yours perfected, the sooner I can start working on armour for the rest of you. I've been having tremendous success using power eggs to, well, power it for a while, but recently I attempted a test with a micro zapfish, and the results were surprising! It was about the same size as a power egg, but far more power output, and for longer too! Unfortunately micro zapfish are incredibly hard to come by, so my supply of them is limited.
That brings me swiftly into topic Three! Agent Four, we've noticed several zapfish have gone missing again, but they haven't gone to the Octarian bases like usual, we even checked the old bases in Octo Valley to be sure, and found that they were occupied mainly by Rebels, with no zapfish to be seen. We do have a lead though, we need you to go in and get those zapfish back, I'll fill you in on the specifics after the main briefing, but just know you'll be going in guns blazing. I'll cover who has them in a moment, as it's relevant to a later topic.
Topic number four, Agent Three you've been mostly back on your feet for a while but haven't been doing much agent work, and it just so happens that I am in need of help testing some new weapons! A couple of them are brella mods, merging a brella with a charger, a splatling, or dualies. I need battle tests so just head down to some of the Octoling levels, Agent Four can tell you which ones to go into. Don't worry they're properly powered so the respawn pads will work for both you and the Octolings. I'm sure the Octolings down there would appreciate the chance to have some battle training, hell I bet some might've even been willing to pay for the chance to train against you.
Into topic five now. Agent's One and Two, I know you have a huge life outside of agent work but I need you two doing extra reconnaissance. The salmonid issue mentioned previously could be a cover for something else, and Zod hasn't shown his ugly mug since the fiasco at the End of Line club. It's possible he may be connected in some way. We know Tartar isn't an issue anymore, but Zod must've been working with him in some capacity, and we really need to find out why. I'm not convinced we've seen the last of him, even if his club has been forced to shut down in the wake of the ambush.
Topic number six. Cap'n, I've looked over the schematics you gave me, and while it can be done, it'll take some time, especially since I don't have much manpower. But you can count on me to get it done, and get it done I shall do! I still don't exactly know WHY you need this, but I will trust your intuition. It will call for a lot of parts, most of which are going to be difficult to source, but fortunately there's plenty of scrap and spare parts I can scrounge from the downed Octo Bosses to make it all happen. Agent Four can be thanked for the surplus.
Onto topic number seven. This one applies to all of you. The Octarian loyalists, that is, the Octolings loyal to the old regime Octavio helmed, have largely surrendered. However some have splintered off and become… Well there's no better term than "extremists". They haven't been able to cause any damage YET, but that's because we were able to get involved and prevent it. There were bombs that were planted inside of Deca Tower, and were it not for Marina's paranoia it would've gone up in smoke. She put monitors all over the studio and it was able to notice the electromagnetic field the bombs put out. That said, they weren't very powerful and likely would've caused superfluous damage that could easily be repaired with time… unless someone happened to be walking by at the time they went off.
So the key right now is keeping an eye out for these loyalists, especially any that might try and spring ole Octavio free. The key way to identify them is they tend to use the older Octoleet goggles rather than the more modern Hypnoshades. Of course, both are fresh in their own way, but given what they're doing it's best to be wary of ANYONE wearing such gear presently. But given Grizz had the bright idea of using them as a reward for going out on Salmon Run shifts, they're all over the place and makes it much too easy for the enemy to hide in plain sight.
So a brief recap, be on the lookout for any salmonids that are in places they shouldn't be. I'll try and keep it so you don't have to worry about them but some might slip through the cracks. Agent Eight's power armour is nearly finished, and the micro zapfish are proving a far more effective power source than power eggs were, which is good for the suits functionality, but presents its own problem in the way of the scarcity of micro zapfish. Agent Four will be heading out on a retrieval mission to recover missing zapfish, and since I've explained part of the issue now, I can reveal that they're in the hands of Octarian Loyalists.
In addition, I've developed some standalone weaponry and will have Agent Three test them, since I need as much data as I can get before I am able to produce more. Agent's One and Two will need to be doing some reconnaissance to see if we can find out how Zod was tied to Kamabo, and if he's presently connected with the Octarian Loyalists at all. I am working on a project for Cap'n Cuttlefish which will involve salvaging parts from downed Octo Bosses. And finally, you will all need to be on the lookout for Octolings in Octoleet goggles causing mischief, since the Octarian Loyalists are causing a mess for all of us.
Now that those are all out of the way, are there any questions?" Sheldon, finally, finishes talking. He looks around at everyone and doesn't seem to see any raised hands. He'd been gesturing to the whiteboard behind him and the artistic depictions of the tasks as he brought them up, so hopefully that helped with the whole "deluge of information" problem. Of course, the entire session was also recorded so if anyone missed anything it could easily be re-watched so nothing would be missed. That didn't stop the entire group from looking almost glass-eyed after that lengthy tirade of information.
"No, I don't think so, especially since it's all recorded." Marie's voice rings out as she stands to walk over to the camera and save the video, she hadn't really been able to pay much attention since she was still just waking up, but she figured there wouldn't be anything important for her to do today regarding the informational dump, surely it could wait until she'd gotten a proper night's sleep.
"Yeah I second that, no need to re-hash anything that we have access to the information on anyways." Alex stands as well, holding her hand out so Kiaria can get up as well. The Inkling sneaks a smooch to the Octoling's lips with a smirk before turning to sheldon. "We will need a copy of the video though, at least the parts pertinent to us."
"Of course, I would be happy to divide the video into segments with relevant information for each of you. That way you don't have to sift through the entire video just to get the information you need… I will still leave the recap at the end however, as it's good to be aware of what the other agents are up to as well!" Sheldon salutes, grabbing the video camera off the tripod and heading back to his store in Inkopolis Square so he can edit the video in the back office. Everyone watches him leave and then seems to breathe a sigh of relief once he's gone.
"Good lord how does he talk for so long, I swear that man doesn't even need to breathe!" Marie groans, she knew Sheldon meant well, and he was a valuable asset, but he just talks way too much! Marie then glances over to Jay and rolls her eyes, walking over and gently kicking the Agent's foot. "You can wake up now, he's done"
"H-Huh?! Wha-" Jay looks around startled, having been roused from her sleep abruptly, but when she realises Marie is standing over her and Sheldon is gone, she figures out what happened and lets out a small sigh of relief, and a bit of a sheepish blush as well. "Oh thank fuck, I thought he would never stop talking."
"We all are baffled by his ability to speak indefinitely, but he does have good information and good plans. Three, Eight, you two can head back home now. It seems like the things pertaining to you will take a couple more days to be important." Callie smiles cheerfully, seeming like the only person present who isn't half asleep.
"Alright, it was good to see all of you again. We should like, plan a games night or something. Whether that means board games or video games I don't really care, I just want the chance to hang out with you all again." Alex smiles, giving her friends and cousin a wave before taking Kiaria's hand and locking their fingers together, heading towards the sewer grate and heading back to Inkopolis. They're going to go straight home, and right back into bed for good measure.
