"Hey Sinamoi, you got a minute?"
Sinamoi looked up from the magazine he was reading and looked up to see Hector standing there in his doorway. "Of course, what's on your mind?" he asked, setting the magazine down.
"I don't suppose you've heard from this colonel you spoke to at the police station," said Hector, entering the room.
"Nothing yet, but it's still a couple of days to go until a week has passed," said Sinamoi. "Feeling impatient to get things going?"
"A little bit," said Hector. "I'm also concerned about the potential for another attack. You know that assassination squad won't be the last one. Next time I'm worried they might send other Sharklings after us."
"Yes, I understand your concerns," said Sinamoi. "Still, you know what they say about worrying what might happen."
"What's that, Sinamoi?" asked Hector, tilting his head slightly.
"Worrying is like riding a rocking seahorse," said Sinamoi. "It's something to do, but you don't get anywhere."
"In other words, I should just shut up and wait until I have something to work with, and go from there," said Hector.
"Maybe I wouldn't have put it quite like that, but yes," said Sinamoi with a chuckle. "And, as you know, that's not something I'm very good at myself."
"Well we're all a work in progress," said Hector. "Thanks for hearing me out, Sinamoi. It really does help."
"Hey, it's what I do," said Sinamoi. "I'm not just your team leader, I'm also your friend, right?"
"Yeah, that's very true," said Hector.
"Yeah…so what are Keket and Jabb up to?" asked Sinamoi. "Haven't heard from them all day."
"I think Keket is doing that 'yogurt' stretching thing she learned from Zuni's sister, Kyla," said Hector. "Jabb, I think he went out to see more of the city."
"I think the word you're looking for is 'yoga'," said Sinamoi, resisting the sudden urge to laugh. "Yogurt is that food you and Jabb brought back from your shopping trip."
"Oh yeah, that's right," said Hector. "It's a weird name but it's actually quite tasty. Especially when mixed with fruit."
"Yes, I agree," said Sinamoi, standing up. "I think I'm going out for a short little stroll. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, will you?"
"Yeah, you can count on me," said Hector.
Sinamoi exchanged a quick nod with his teammate and then headed out into the city. It was more quiet than usual, which suited him just fine. He needed some air, but he also needed some time to think. In a few days they'd have some kind of a plan to rescue the other Sharklings, but a lot could happen in just a few days. Especially when you may have enemies on your tail fins.
He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he spotted someone step out of an alley up ahead. He instantly felt his blood freeze and his heart skipped a beat as he ducked out of sight. It couldn't be, could it, he wondered as he risked a peek around the corner. No, there was no mistaking it, there was another Sharkling out here in the city! And it was a Sharkling he definitely didn't want to see!
"So this is Inkopolis," said Caliga as she stood on the sidewalk, looking around. "So bright and shiny, so fun…makes me SICK!" she finished, practically spitting out that last word.
"Yes, it's completely devoid of structure and order," said Nero, glaring as he came to stand by her. "Some mandatory military service would shape these Inklings up in no time."
"I'd rather just give them a good solid fist to the beak myself," said Ornus, cracking his knuckles. "These overly-happy personalities just make me itch."
"Yes, it's…not normal," said Noctis, sticking to the shadows of the alley.
"Well, we'll just have to deal with it," said Caliga. "Sinamoi and his guppies are somewhere in this city, and we need to find them. We do that, we can go back home and get out of this coloring book hell."
Sinamoi was listening in from his hiding place, feeling himself starting to sweat slightly. They had sent the Black Fin Squad after him and the others? This couldn't possibly get any worse. The Black Fin Squad were the top ranked unit among the Sharklings. Ruthless, efficient, practically hungry for blood, they were the perfect batch of soldiers. Even he and his team could only manage to come in second to them.
He blinked when he heard approaching footsteps. They were coming his way! He quickly ducked behind a dumpster and waited for them to pass. They were still talking about their mission, specifically what they would do to him and the others once they found them. Sinamoi had to fight to keep a level head as he listened to them, even though his first instinct was to rush them in order to protect his friends. But he knew he couldn't take them all on alone, and even with help he would be at a disadvantage.
No sooner had the footsteps passed that his phone started to vibrate. It was a message from Dr. Angelfish. He picked up the phone and read the message.
"Sinamoi, it's the Doctor. I've got some bad news! The General sent Black Fin Squad after all of you!"
He started texting back to her. "Yeah, I know. I just saw them on the streets. I just managed to duck out of sight before they saw me," he typed to her.
"At least they didn't see you. How is the mission going, by the way?"
"I've got a meeting with the Army in a few more days," Sinamoi typed. "Hopefully they'll have something for us. And hopefully Caliga and her goons don't catch us before then…or afterwards."
"Good to know. I'm doing what I can to stall the mind-wipe program, but it won't work forever. It's only a matter of time before they get suspicious, if they aren't already. Please, be careful up there. I'll be in touch."
He sighed as he turned off the screen on his phone. "Yeah, be careful…that only goes so far when you think about it," he said, looking upwards. Then he headed back to the apartment as fast as he could. He had to warn the others, and warn them fast.
Jabb was just getting back when he saw Sinamoi coming his way. "Oh hey Sinamoi! How was- Are you okay?" he asked, seeing the panicked look in Sinamoi's eyes.
"We've got a problem," said Sinamoi, "a really big problem! Come on, let's get inside and I'll tell you what happened."
"Oh…okay," said Jabb, opening the door and heading in.
"Guys! We need to talk, we've got a situation!" Sinamoi called out as soon as he was in and the door was locked.
Keket came out of her room, and Hector came out of the kitchen. "Hey, what's the matter?" asked Hector.
"Yeah, you look like you've just seen a ghost," said Keket.
"Worse than that," said Sinamoi. "I just saw Black Fin Squad…they're here in the city."
The other three immediately froze, the color draining from their faces. "Please tell me you're kidding," said Jabb. "There's no way they sent…them after us."
"I saw them with my own two eyes," said Sinamoi. "They're here in Inkopolis, looking for us. Which means our whole operation, our very lives, are at risk now."
"Those guys are the best of the best," said Hector, "how are we supposed to stop them?"
"Wait a second, don't tell me you guys are turning yellowtail now when we're so close to victory," said Keket, regaining her composure. "I get it, I'm just as freaked out as you all, but we can't just start losing our heads now. All we must do is duck them a few more days, and if they interfere with the rescue op, we can them like the glorified sardines that they are!"
"Keket is right," said Sinamoi. "I didn't come this far to fail. And I know neither did the rest of you. We're going to accomplish our mission, no matter what happens. And we're going to be alive to celebrate it afterwards."
Hector smiled confidently and said, "You're right, we can't lose hope now. I say we finish this and show Black Fin Squad that they're not number one anymore!"
"If you guys can do this, then so can I," said Jabb with a nod. "These guys are going to be fish and chips when we're done with them."
"Alright, then we're all agreed," said Sinamoi. "When and if we meet Black Fin Squad face to face, we're going to bury them."
Keket grinned and said, "I can't wait to see the look on Caliga's face when I finally put her in her place."
"So Sinamoi, what should we do now?" asked Hector.
Sinamoi thought for a moment, then a chorus of growling stomachs interrupted his train of thought. "Let's eat," he said finally. The others voiced their agreement and set about getting dinner ready.