Chapter 6: Attack of the Steel Twins… Again
"You're never really safe, you're just buying time."
After settling their little situation, things had been more or less shaky between Akikta and the cephalopods. He never saw Callie return from the tent, and most of the group kept their distance. But a couple of members, like Marina and Eight, had a lengthy conversation with him.
Marina asked all sorts of questions, most of which were unnecessary. Eight was the one who asked the more important questions, like why didn't he have much time left? What was the deal with Rick and Biggie? How could he understand them and speak their language? What was Sal planning?
Important or not, Akikta was more than happy to answer all their questions to the best of his abilities.
After revealing Sal's plans and how many captives he had, Eight told Akikta that the New Squidbeak Splatoon—or at least her—had been hunting the mutated salmonid for quite a while. She admitted the hunt for Sal was extremely difficult due to his "elusive" nature. Not to mention the more active threats roaming around the world.
Akikta didn't think there was anyone capable of hiding from the New Squidbeak Splatoon, since he sure as hell couldn't. Speaking of the Splatoon, he learned quite a bit about its agents.
There was Agent 8, commonly referred to as Eight. Akikta was certain Eight wasn't her real name, but she was reluctant to share any other name. Eight is the first, and currently, only Octarian to officially become an agent within the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Akikta thought Marina would've counted as an Octarian agent, but, like Deep Cut, the idols of Off the Hook weren't official agents but rather heavily involved affiliates.
The group's newest member was Metta Wasabi, the only inkling to have a salmonid as a companion, which Rick and Biggie found most curious. Prior to becoming Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, she was a scavenger in the Splatlands. During one of her many scavenging sessions, she bumped into Little Buddy. They've been practically inseparable ever since.
Finally, Akikta also got a name for that lone inkling agent he met back at the concert. Her name was Misaki Aqua, dubbed Agent 4 within the Splatoon. Despite what the numerals suggest, both Agents 4 and 8 were members of the Splatoon way before Metta. Misaki wasn't much of a talker when on a mission, but she was friendly enough.
Of course, Akikta couldn't forget about the captain. Her name was Coral Tenta, and she was one of the Splatoon's first agents. In fact, she was Agent 3 before being promoted to captain. The previous captain, some old dude named Craig Cuttlefish, retired. Akikta couldn't help but recall hearing that name from somewhere.
Craig's still very much alive, according to Eight, just on a much-needed vacation away from all this nonsense. Akikta was glad the old squid wasn't here. Apparently, he was the grandfather of Callie and Marie, who were agents 1 and 2, respectively. Getting an earful from an angry grandpa is not something he wanted to deal with right now.
Honestly, he expected to get some choice words from Callie, if anyone. Alas, she was still isolated in the tent. Eight suggested leaving her alone for the time being, seeing as she needed some time to herself. Though, if he had to guess, letting her be alone with her thoughts would probably do more harm than good.
If he were her, he'd feel responsible for getting his cousin kidnapped. Who wouldn't? She was basically standing right next to her when it happened! Then again, they both were agents. And from the information he's been given, this isn't the first time either of them has been snatched.
Akikta pondered why Callie was so stricken with grief and sadness, seeing as these types of incidents were in their line of work. Then Marina informed him of Callie's supposed love for humans.
Like Marina, humans fascinated Callie. Though, with the latter, one could claim she was borderline obsessed. After being told that, Akikta figured it was less about Marie being kidnapped, and more about how a human was the one who did the kidnapping. Callie probably felt betrayed, knowing something she adored put her cousin in danger. Not only that, but there was a good chance she was severely disappointed. Akikta knew the feeling of being obsessed and having that obsession disappoint you all too well.
And still, instead of trying to cheer her up, the others thought it best to leave her alone. Some friends they were, but who was he to talk? It's not like Akikta could turn things around anyway, even if he tried.
The only possible way he could redeem himself in Callie's eyes is if he saved Marie. But honestly, was that even possible? Sal was a glutton, so he might've already cooked and eaten her... and Inka... No, none of that, Akikta. They're both alive. They have to be...
Before he could dwell on the statuses of Marie and Inka, the sounds of a blaring horn snapped him into focus. Akikta almost believed he was experiencing an auditory hallucination, but to his horror, everyone else reacted to the sudden noise. He had heard this horn once before, which could only mean one thing...
"Incoming wave! Prepare for hostiles!" Eight shouted, and immediately, everyone sprang to action. Akikta looked to see some members of the Splatoon take defensive positions behind the makeshift barriers, while others perched themselves on top of their handcrafted towers. Then, right before his very eyes, all the cephalopods changed their respective ink colors to a bright yellow. Even Big Man was a tinted shade of yellow now.
"Barnacles! They must've locked onto your scent!" Rick exclaimed, pulling out his frying pan. "Shooter, protect the human at all costs!" Biggie nodded to Rick's command, only for Nakji to unsheathe her blade.
Akikta lightly grabbed her arm. "Nak, don't overexert yourself. You haven't fully healed!" The teen pleaded, not wanting Nakji to put herself in harm's way.
"Don't worry, Aki. I can handle some salmonids, even with these injuries. I'm a splatlandian!" She assured him with a smirk. "Besides, all salmonids are as weak as Smallfry once you know their moves."
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that," Rick commented, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Nakji.
For a short, calming moment, there was nothing after that horn. Just the agents and idols waiting for their enemies to show up from the darkness.
Akikta felt a pricking sensation jab at his neck, causing him to turn his head to the side. A little red bulbing light resembling a ball headed towards him, leaving behind a dark green trail of what he assumed was ink. No salmonids aside from Rick and Biggie were in sight, so Akikta was stumped as to what the ball was. It gently bumped into his foot, then stopped moving entirely. "What the?"
Akikta's audible confusion made Nakji look over her shoulder. She did a double take before lunging at him, tackling Akikta to the ground and away from the red ball. "MAWS!" She shouted.
Right after they rolled away, a large pinkish fishlike creature jumped out from underneath where Akikta stood seconds ago. Its huge mouth was agape, clearly able to swallow anything whole. While in midair, Akikta noticed the red ball was attached to the creature's head, acting like a lure.
The Maws fell back into the green ink when it missed its initial target, disappearing as if it dove into an ocean. Akikta couldn't understand how the Maws could completely submerge itself in such shallow ink. Regardless, it moved on to a different target—Rick.
"Rick!" Akikta called out in an attempt to warn his salmon friend. His efforts were in vain as the Maws moved faster. When the red ball got underneath Rick, the Maws erupted from the ground, hurling Rick into the air. It seemed like the end for him.
Before the Maws could clamp down, Coral leaped over the wide jaws. As she passed, she grabbed Rick with one hand, and with the other, she threw one of those triangular splat bombs into the gullet of the Maws.
Rick and Coral barely avoided the Maw's teeth. It ate the bomb instead of them, exploding into a mess of yellow ink soon after.
Coral landed near Akikta, holding Rick bridal style. The salmonid squinted his eyes and turned away. "I'm not thanking you." He said sternly. Coral didn't respond. Instead, she put him down and went back to her makeshift watchtower.
"Hey man, what was that? She saved your life!" Akikta complained, finding Rick's ungratefulness insensitive.
"To die being eaten is the greatest honor any of us could receive! She robbed me of that."
"You got issues, bro," Akikta responded without hesitation, staring blankly at Rick.
Before Rick could respond, another horn sounded off. This time, a horde of salmonids stormed them from the front. The lone Maws must've been their idea of a sneak attack. They probably would've had a lot more success if they hadn't announced their presence beforehand. Either way, the real fight was to begin now.
While the group dealt with salmonids of varying sizes, Akikta, who could not do much, stayed behind Biggie, Rick, and Nakji.
Nakji watched as Frye rushed in with what Akikta assumed was an inkling's version of a katana. He never noticed it before, but Nakji's blade differed significantly from the ones other inklings and octarians used. Had she been using a human relic as a weapon this whole time? They'd have to talk about that later.
Frye's first targets were the cohocks, which she made quick work of. But, because she didn't see—or maybe outright ignored them—Frye was quickly overrun by a large group of Smallfry.
Before Nakji could dash to the rescue, Akikta grabbed her arm. "Wait!" He said fearfully. She looked at him in confusion, and Akikta realized he grabbed her harder than intended. He let go, exhaling a tired sigh.
Akikta hated being unable to do anything, but in his current physical state, he'd just be putting himself and others in danger. He wondered how Nakji was able to recover so quickly. Both of them barely got any proper rest, and quite frankly, Nakji was the one who suffered the most, in his opinion. She was definitely something special, or maybe all Octarians were?
Akikta patted her back, convincing himself that she'd be fine. After all, she was the better fighter out of the two. "Come back in one piece, alright?" She gave him a reassuring smile before running to aid Frye.
"Shooter!" Rick called out, drawing Akikta's attention. He looked over to see what appeared to be a vehicle made of junk barreling towards him. On cue, Biggie placed himself in front of Akikta, blocking the vehicle's path. A loud thump came from the other side of Biggie, but he did not move. Akikta peered over the Big Shot's side to see his large fins grasped around the front of the vehicle, stopping it in its tracks.
Rick moved around the back of the vehicle, smacking his pan onto the driver until they were out cold. "Dang scrappers." He garbled, looking at Akikta. "You need to hide!"
"And leave the rest of you out here alone? Not gonna happen!"
"Human, in case you haven't noticed, you're the only one who can't fight!"
Just as Rick was proving a valid point, a concentrated beam of reddish-orange ink flew right over them. It struck the foundation of a nearby watchtower, which Metta and Misaki were sniping from. Both inklings morphed into their squid forms and blasted off the collapsing structure. Unfortunately, Akikta and the two salmonids were not as fast as them.
"Akikta!" Rick shouted before violently pushing Akikta away. He rolled back a good distance, surprised at the strength Rick could exert.
Akikta looked up in time to see Bigge shield Rick with his body. "GUYS!" he shouted, but the collapsing tower drowned out his voice as it crashed on top of the two. A plume of dust showered the area upon impact.
When everything settled, he spotted Biggie's body sticking out from underneath the debris. "Biggie!" Akikta ran over to the salmonid with no concern for his own well-being. He was immediately horrified at the sight, believing Biggie was dead. Fortunately, the big guy groaned.
"Biggie? Bigge, you alright?" He instinctively asked, only to facepalm himself. A tower just dropped on him. Of course he's not alright! "Actually, don't answer that."
He kneeled to Biggie's level. The salmonid had their eyes partially open. "Akikta...?"
"Yeah, Biggie, it's me! Can you move?"
Biggie shook his head. "Risky is...underneath me. If I move...I might crush him..." Biggie voiced his concerns.
"Ok... Ok, hold on! I'm gonna get you both out."
"No, I don't think you will."
Akikta whipped around to see a humanoid figure standing a few feet away. "Not you again!" He snarled, remembering her from the trash city. Of course she'd be here. Who else could've shot the tower down?
"It's... Lady Masu..." Biggie whispered, very concerned. Akikta didn't know who this Masu person was exactly, nor what she was capable of. But seeing as a big guy like Biggie showed fear, Akikta couldn't help but get a little nervous.
"Father was afraid the squidbeaks would be here. Luckily for us, they're all occupied now." Even though Masu's mouth was covered, Akikta swore her cheeks went up, implying she smirked.
"Run!" Biggie yelled, spooking Akikta to where he sprinted out of reflex.
"Hucho!" Masu called out, only for the hockey-masked humanoid to drop in front of him.
Where did he come from?! Akikta nearly stumbled as he forced himself to a complete stop.
He backed up and realized the twins had him right where they wanted him. However, instead of feeling scared, irritation ran through him. "Fine!" He spun around, facing Masu. "I'm tired of running anyway! You wanna fight? Put 'em up then!" Akikta raised his fists and took an amateurish fighting stance.
Masu raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "A fight, eh? Sure, I'll oblige." She looked him up and down, placing a hand on her chin. "But there isn't much honor in beating an unarmed opponent." Masu turned to the collapsed tower, staring at the wreckage. She'd then remove a small piece of its foundation, swinging it a few times. "Alright, human." She'd toss the metal piece to him; he barely caught it. "Show me your best."
Masu stood there, waiting for Akikta to engage her. He looked behind to see her twin staring into his soul. Aside from that, the masked salmonid didn't make any moves toward him.
Akikta stared back at the weapon given to him. It matched a metal pipe in both weight and appearance. He shrugged his shoulders, knowing this was better than nothing.
With a burst of speed, he jumped at Masu and swung downward. She blocked his attack with her metal arms effortlessly and shoved him back. Akikta staggered but easily regained his balance. Right after, Masu closed the distance between them.
She'd jump and swipe at Akikta repeatedly with her suit's metal claws, acting like some vicious animal. He was quick enough to barely block each attack, but not to counterattack. Each blocked strike pushed Akikta back a few inches.
After the tenth strike, Masu dropkicked him, sending him hurling backward. While she was able to backflip and land back on her feet, Akikta tumbled and rolled, dropping his weapon in the process. The shock from the dropkick sent a strong and unrelenting pain throughout his body, most noticeably his back, preventing him from getting back up.
Yeah... I didn't last long at all... Akikta groaned, struggling to at least sit up.
Masu approached him, shaking her head in disappointment. "I fail to see what Father sees in you, human. You're plain terrible." She crossed her arms. "Well, you've had your fight. It's time to–"
Out of nowhere, Eight dropped in, delivering a kick right to Masu's face. Like Akikta earlier, Masu flew back with a hard tumble and roll. Even her little mouthpiece came off.
Her twin was quick to act. He rushed Eight from behind, but she transformed to dodge his right hook. When the attack passed, she changed back and ended up behind him, only to deliver a quick kick to the back of his knee.
Hucho hardly buckled and retaliated by swinging his arm around. Eight barely ducked under the swing, only to deliver three quick jabs to his armor-plated chest. Akikta was shocked that the force of her punches dented Hucho's armor. Had she been holding back on him this whole time?
Eight raised her rifle to shoot Hucho, but he backhanded the weapon out of her hands before she could fire. Eight thought a good Plan B would be to send another jab his way, this time aimed at his face. Hucho proved that plan was flawed by grabbing and stopping her punch, only to mash a nasty haymaker into her face.
Eight fell hard, but with a roll, recovering much quicker than Akikta ever could.
Hucho raised his fists, taking the stance of a professional boxer. It perturbed Akikta on how dissimilar the twins' fighting styles were. Masu fought like a feral animal, while Hucho boxed like a human. Why couldn't he get Hucho? At least that way, he'd have somewhat of a chance!
"Aki!" Akikta's train of thought was interrupted by the worried voice of Nakji. "Are you ok?!" she asked, running to him. Frye followed behind, but she looked absentminded.
"I'm good, I'm good. But Rick and Biggie are trapped under the rubble; they need help!" He pointed to where Biggie was, and his body was halfway visible.
"Whoa..." Frye gasped, processing what was in front of them. "What kind of salmonids are those?"
Eight finally stood up, watching Hucho take some steps back before turning and running to Masu's side, who had yet to recover. "His kind." She responded plainly, though Frye only seemed more confused.
"He never said he had kids..." Eight said, puzzled. Maybe Sal also told her he was incapable of having children. Akikta hoped those were the only two he had, for their sake.
Nakji helped Akikta up. Meanwhile, Hucho attempted to help Masu, but she waved him off. They looked like they were talking to one another. Occasionally, Akikta caught glimpses of Masu's sharp teeth.
Eventually, Hucho gave Masu her mouthpiece back. After a second, she stood up on her own and stomped back to where the group was. Frye and Eight stood their ground.
Before Masu got within striking range, Hucho grabbed her arm. "Merry, stop." He demanded. His voice was lower than Masu's, but equally guttural.
"Merry?" Akikta mumbled to himself, swearing Biggie called her Masu earlier. If the twins used nicknames for each other, then he had to wonder what Hucho's real name was.
"What is it now?" Masu snapped, unhappy with being kicked in the face and kept from getting revenge.
"Look." Hucho pointed to Eight. He didn't say anything, but the way Masu's face morphed into one of realization told Akikta they knew who Eight was.
"You don't think she's... that one?" Masu questioned, leaving the rest of the group perplexed aside from Eight and Akikta. Hucho simply nodded.
Masu looked down, as if gauging her options. "We can't call father again empty-handed..." she growled in frustration, grabbing her head. "But if he couldn't beat her, how could we?" Masu looked to the side, and Akikta followed her gaze.
His gaze trailed over to where the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon was, and the gang was doing a surprisingly decent job at holding the salmonids at bay, even with their injuries. It wouldn't be long before they were free to help deal with the twins.
Masu must've thought the same as Akikta, since the twins were already walking off when he turned back to look at them. Eight and Frye didn't pursue them.
Shortly after the twins disappeared, a horn blared. Instead of another wave coming in, the remaining salmonids retreated. After which, Eight, Frye, and Nakji helped free an unconscious Rick and a barely conscious Biggie from the rubble.
Seeing their location was compromised, Coral signaled for the group to go deeper into The Bowels. Although Akikta swore the captain never actually spoke a word.
Regardless, the group did as instructed. With the help of Eight, and probably Rick and Biggie once they were conscious, the group should be able to find a new secure location for their temporary hideout. Akikta only hoped the salmonids wouldn't be able to track them this time. He got lucky against the twins in these last few encounters. But he knows what people say about luck...
It can't last forever.