Begin Log.

I am Doctor Sophia Angelfish. I am a scientist in the Octarian army. For the past few years, I have been a lead member of the most ambitious Octarian military project to date. We called it CARCHARADON, and we had hoped it would change our fortunes in our long-standing conflict with the Inklings. It all began with the search for the next generation of soldier.

For so long, Octarians and Octolings have carried this conflict. But, we sought a new soldier. One that was stronger, faster, and more ruthless in battle. How to create such an efficient fighter, we all wondered. Well, our search for answers brought us to the same answer: the shark. One of the most ancient and well-adapted predators in the history of this planet, having witnessed the rise and fall of countless species, including the ancient human forebears. They were the perfect subject, and so we began our work.

So many years, so many experiments, countless hours splicing the DNA of our own kind and that of our Inkling enemies to that of the great sharks. So many failures and dead ends…but we never wavered in our determination. We would have our new soldiers, no matter the cost. Onward and upward we pushed, getting closer and closer with each new test, each new batch. Until finally, we had it, our long-awaited success.

These new soldiers, called Sharklings, were everything we had hoped they would be. Incredible physical strength and speed, finely honed instinct, and a lust for battle that we could never hope to match. And above all, they were loyal. Our leaders couldn't wait for the chance to unleash our new forces against the Inklings, to finally show them who was boss, so to say.

Unfortunately, after all our labors, all of our preparations, that chance never came.

The Squid Sisters, aided by their ally Agent 3, successfully defeated DJ Octavio. That Calamari Inkantation…something in it changed everything. My fellow Octolings began to leave us behind, to pursue new lives on the surface. Even our Sharklings, who had not participated in the battle itself, were changed. They had been given their first taste of a new world, a life they never would have had below. And they wanted to know more. As a scientist and a woman of progress, I admit even I was curious for a time. Sadly, my superiors didn't respond well in the slightest.

Fearing an uprising from the Sharklings, they ordered CARCHARADON to be terminated immediately. All work bioengineering and incubating new soldiers was halted, and we were ordered to place the entire Sharkling population into cryogenic sleep. Never to be released, until they could be certain that our "pets" would not betray them. I tell you, I have never felt such blind rage in my entire life. I had given everything to this project, been there for each of these beings when they first opened their eyes, took their first steps, began their lives.

I sometimes wonder, is this how a mother feels when her children are snatched from her arms? I certainly felt that way. And I vowed I would not let it stand. I would see my…my children freed, even if I had to betray my own people to do it. And so, I began the planning process yet again.

For several years I learned as much as I could about the storage facility that held the Sharklings, the general location, what lay on the surface above, and what they would need to know to survive. Then I set about selecting the small team that I would liberate from cryo sleep. In the end I have chosen four: Sinamoi, Jabb, Hector and Keket. Their teamwork is second to none among the Sharklings, and it will take all of that and more if they are to help me in liberating the others.

Now I must go. The sooner I release them and brief them on their mission, the sooner they can begin. I pray I do not fail.

End Log.

Octoling Base Glass Lake

Dr. Angelfish was walking down the halls of the base, nose buried in a tablet. Soldiers passed by her occasionally, none of them paying her any mind. Which suited her just fine. She had never bothered to waste her time on these mindless drones before. And with the task ahead of her, she had even less time to deal with them. She glanced upward just to confirm she was approaching the cryo bay, then proceeded.

"Identify yourself immediately," droned the automated door security as she approached.

"Dr. Angelfish, head researcher of CARCHARADON," she said, lowering the tablet to look at the door's retinal scanner.

"Voice recognized, hold still for retinal scan," the door continued, shining a light across the doctor's eyes. "Retinal scan positive. You may proceed." The door slid open slowly.

Dr. Angelfish walked right on through, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She was far past the point of no return now. If she failed here, there would be no hope for the Sharklings. No, she couldn't let herself think like that. She'd worked too damn hard for too many years to make this happen. She had to succeed.

As she walked, the walls on either side of her were filled with rows and rows of cryogenic storage pods. Contained in each pod was a single Sharkling, deep in hibernation. For years they had stayed like this, ever since the defeat of DJ Octavio and the end of the conflict. Locked away like frozen TV dinners, denied the basic right to exist and live free. Well, not much longer, not after today.

She walked to the main control panel at the end of the walkway and began inputting commands. Carefully selecting four specific pods from among the two thousand, punching in access codes, and beginning the thawing process. Frequently she looked over her shoulders, half-expecting to see a guard or two rushing in to splat her on sight. Thankfully she was unnoticed; now it just had to stay that way.

Slowly the pods began to open, cold air hissing out from the openings. Little by little, the occupants began waking up.

"Ugh…what time is it?" groaned Jabb, rubbing his face. He had dark skin, his hair in a short shark tail style with a small dorsal fin on top. He slowly opened his brown eyes and looked around.

"Whatever it is, I'm not getting paid enough to deal with it," said Hector, rubbing his head. Copper-toned, with some kind of cybernetic visor over his eyes, his hair hung to his shoulders, styled into a triangular point with long fin-like sideburns.

"We never get paid," said Keket, the only female in the group. "Certainly not enough to look at you every morning," she added with a smirk. She was slightly darker than Hector, with white hair styled into a short shark tail tied off near the fin, with short sideburns. She was dressed in a bodysuit resembling a one-piece swimsuit that hugged her body so tight it left little to the imagination.

Hector just smirked back and said, "That's my line to you, Keket."

"Come on, you two, it's too early for this," said Sinamoi, the tallest of the group. Copper skin, a long black shark tail hairstyle with bangs that pointed out like a shark snout, and a facial tattoo combined with a perfectly toned physique. He looked every bit the perfect Sharkling warrior.

"Leave it to you to interrupt our fun," said Keket, sticking her tongue out. "Maybe your shorts are too tight."

"Glad to see you're all so spry after so long in cryo sleep," said Dr. Angelfish, unable to hide her smile.

They all looked at her. "Doctor, was it you who let us out?" asked Jabb, climbing fully out of his pod.

"That's right," she said. "You've been in there for too long. Same with your brothers and sisters. It's time to remedy that."

"I couldn't agree more," said Hector, stretching out. "How long were we in there, anyway?"

"Several years now," said Dr. Angelfish. "Far longer than I'd hoped."

"Several years! I still have that library book out!" Jabb exclaimed.

"Never mind that," said Sinamoi. "Doctor, far be it from me to question you, but how are the four of us supposed to liberate all of them alone?" he asked.

"I never said you would be alone," replied Dr. Angelfish. "I'm sending you to the surface to find help in liberating the others. You can start your search for help in Inkopolis."

"Inkopolis? You mean the Inkling city?" asked Hector. "Why would anyone there help us? They'll probably take one look at us and lose their minds!"

"Highly unlikely," said Jabb. "When rebel Octolings first started going to the surface, they didn't even notice. They just thought they were Inklings with unusual hair. I doubt they'll suspect anything fishy from us."

"Good point," said Hector. "Still, who would want to help us break back in here and perform a massive rescue like this?"

"That's our job to figure out," said Sinamoi. "Doctor, you can count on us to do this."

"Hey leader, aren't you forgetting one big issue?" asked Keket. "We can't go traipsing around in public without clothes."

"Like you wouldn't go running around stark bollock naked if you could," snickered Jabb, earning him a glare from his teammate.

"I've hidden some clothing and some basic supplies in one of the tunnels that leads out of here," said Dr. Angelfish. "This tunnel leads to a kettle that's just outside of the city. You'll be able to just walk in on foot without anyone being the wiser."

"Understood, Doctor," said Sinamoi. "We'll head out immediately."

"Be careful, all of you," said Dr. Angelfish. "Everything depends on your ability to succeed. Don't let me down."

"Don't worry," said Keket, "we got this."

"This will be a piece of fish cake," said Jabb with a wink.

"Just leave it to us, Doctor," said Hector with a nod.

"We won't fail you," said Sinamoi.

"Good" said Dr. Angelfish. "Use the ventilation system to escape the building, from there head to the tunnel. Good luck out there."

"Alright team, let's move out," said Sinamoi. He switched to shark form and slid into the vent, followed by the other three.

Dr. Angelfish watched them go and then quickly deleted all records of her activities from the system before leaving the cryo bay. "Now it's all up to them," she said. She paused just once to look back at the other pods and whispered, "Soon, my children, very soon."