Chapter 32: The Next Phase

Marina's ears were ringing as she returned to Octavio Tower, surrounded by multiple armed Eightfold Order agents that led her down a strict path down the hallways. She kept her eyes locked forward, only briefly moving them as she saw Lydia, surrounded by her own Eightfold team, converging with hers in the halls. Silent rage filled her in that moment… but she said nothing, opting to remain silent as they were led to their destination.

The next thing she knew, they were back in Octavio's throne room, on the somewhat thin platform that held them up above the dark pit. She slowly looked up toward Octavio's massive throne that floated before them.

Octavio was pissed, and was repeatedly slamming his tentacle down on his own controls as he screamed at them. She did not listen to too much of his rant; All she really picked up was that he was angry at her about letting the Ray get lost, about how the rebellion was still out there and was getting what they wanted… yada, yada, yada. Lydia had made a sarcastic comment or two, Eva at one point stood in front of them and held her arms up in an attempt to calm the situation, and Marina simply stood there like a statue, occasionally responding with nods and "Yes, sir" as she tuned out the world around her, trying not to break down crying.

After what felt like an eternity, Octavio had finished with his rant, given some not-so-vague threats relating to his disappointment, and Marina and Lydia were let back out. Marina's eyes locked on Lydia as she followed her from behind, glaring at her.

It wasn't until they were finally out of the Eightfold's sight when Marina grabbed Lydia and shoved her into another room, pushing her against the wall. Lydia barely even reacted or fought back as Marina stood in her face.

"You told me that you had Pearl handled." Marina hissed.

"I did."

"Then what the hell did I just see back there?"

"From the sound of it, you didn't see or do much of anything."

Marina shakily clenched her fist, trying to stop herself from slapping her. "This wasn't how this was supposed to go. The Splatoon wasn't supposed to follow us, and Pearl was supposed to be kept in comfortable conditions in our custody."

At this point, Lydia shoved her off. "It was those comfortable conditions that helped her escape. You want to know what happened? She attacked my guards, she ran to the exit, and jumped out before we could take her out. 100 years ago. Her appearance here was as much a surprise for me as it was for you."

Marina stared at her, feeling more and more shocked and angry. "She… she what? 100 ye- that's not possible."

"However it is possible, it was your decisions that led us here, Ida."

"I didn't want any of this to happen!" She snapped into a rage, grabbing her again.

At this point, in retaliation, Lydia grabbed her and punched her so hard that she fell onto her side. Marina gasped and held her cheek.

Lydia stood over her, fists clenched. "You're the one who strung Pearl and the rest of the Splatoon along all those years, Ida. My father didn't make you form that relationship with her."

Panting and gritting her teeth, Marina tried getting back up and swatting at her, but Lydia was far too advanced for her. She kicked her leg, grabbed her, twisted her arm, and then threw her away as hard as she could. Marina landed on her face, groaning.

Again, Lydia stood over her. "Now look at you. Still as twisted up in your own hypocrisies as you ever were. Pearl never should've been able to sneak aboard our station to get this far, but your incompetence allowed her to. You should've put Pearl down much earlier and you know it."

Marina slowly pushed herself up. There may have been truth to what she was saying… no… not 'may'… it was true and she knew it. Realizing this, she started softly crying.

After a moment, Lydia held her arm out toward her to help her up. Marina swatted her hand away and sat down, looking up at her. "…So you just… let Pearl escape… into the past…"

Lydia didn't respond.

Marina shook her head, realizing more and more just how much this has all go wrong. "…This wasn't supposed to happen this way… we're both liable for this…"

"I created my demons… and you created yours."

"You don't get it, do you? Our simulations didn't show this… We created unintended ripples. Both of us. We…" She slowly pushed herself back onto her feet. "Pearl herself is a ripple now."

Again, Lydia paused as she considered this.

Marina was nearly breaking down into tears again, but fought them off. "Oh, no… we don't know how much she might have changed."

Lydia got in her face, squinting. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Marina stared back, not responding.

"Is this how you react to every failure that you make?" She got somewhat closer. "How will you be willing to deal with this, if Pearl is as much a problem as you say? Will you be willing to finally put her down?"

Marina fell silent for a good long moment, staring off to the side as she thought over her next words carefully. With tears in her eyes, and somewhat shaky limbs, she looked Lydia in the eye once again. "…No. I'm not that kind of person."

Annoyed, Lydia started to circle her. "From the moment you joined my father on his quest, from the moment you allowed these atrocities to happen, your hands were dirtied. And they were drenched, ever further, with every single lie you told your 'friends', each with their own sins. You've known it from the beginning. You know it now. Are you going to let these past mistakes destroy everything we've built here?"

Marina closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

She sighed. "…Perhaps my father put too much faith in you, then. Perhaps… his faith was misplaced from the beginning. That's… a shame."

Marina side-eyed her. "You're not any better. You made decisions that led to this as well. And you've done far worse things than I could dream of."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. Don't think I've forgotten the Safe Zone. Needless acts of violence you carried out in Gideon's name."

"Because I make the hard choices that you can't."

"You know that you did it out of rage, not reason."

"And… does this make me any lesser than your own Agent 8?"

"...You're not even half the person that Eight is. You never were."

At this point, Lydia just glared at her. She actually seemed particularly bothered by that comment, and Marina, in turn, glared back at her. Lydia even clenched her fists a bit.

Finally, Lydia bitterly scoffed a bit. "…Perhaps so. But at the end of all of this, when our fates have all been decided, we'll see if that rings true." She turned to walk out.

Marina stood where she was, as she broke down into a full crying session, sitting at a nearby chair. As she sat in silence, she looked out the open door.

She knew that Lydia wasn't wrong… Pearl was still out there. She was with the rebellion. She was now a new person that Marina herself had helped create… and now, a war was waiting for them both.

Eventually standing back up, she wiped her tears and walked out.

Inker Valley

Bridgett was left unsure how long she had been out as her eyes fluttered open, and her mind returned from the best nap she had in a long time. She blinked as she looked over Jessica, whose eyes, previously staring at the pillows, moved to meet hers. Again, they stared at each other, blushing a bit.

"Hey." Jessica told her.

"H-Hey." Bridgett replied as they both sat up. "You… actually stayed here with me."

"Yeah… just, uh… figured we could both use the rest."

"Yeah… well… I do feel rested. Thanks."

"Good." She nodded.

"What… about you? Are you rested?"

"Mhmm."

She smiled at her as they simply stared at each other, when Bridgett realized, at the moment… she didn't even feel like leaving. She rested her head again, as did Jessica in response.

They rested there for a few more minutes until they heard some boots running in the halls outside, and they both looked over.

"Are they back?" Bridgett asked.

Jessica just got up with her, and they headed out to see what the ruckus was, following some of the other soldiers that were running down the halls. This led them right back to the garage, where indeed, soldiers and citizens were gathering around to watch as the newly stolen Goldship came into their dome and slowly settled down. Bridgett got up close in anticipation as it landed.

When it opened up, the surviving members of Pearl's team, led by Jaxon and Lucy, stepped out to some applause despite the visible wounds they had sustained. Bridgett looked past them, eagerly and nervously awaiting the more familiar faces.

Marie and Pearl came out last, a bit more slowly than the others. Bridgett exchanged looks with Marie as Marie walked past her, sighed in relief, and turned to Pearl. "You made it back."

Pearl stopped before her, but didn't respond. She did seem bothered, but it was hard to tell from what.

"...What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Did you two take care of Daniel?"

She nodded. "No problems here."

"Good."

"Did you… did you get it?"

Pearl simply responded by pulling the miniaturized Ray out of her pocket, holding it up so that she could see.

Bridgett squinted. "I, uh… wow."

"Give me some space." She finished as she went to find a nice open space to set the Ray down. She placed one of her discs on it, backed up, and watched with the others as it suddenly grew to its proper size with a flash of light. Marie and Jessica blinked as they watched that. Bridgett stood by Pearl's side, staring at it along with everyone else.

"She's a beaut, isn't she?" Jaxon smiled.

"It was designed by Marina…" Jessica bitterly crossed her arms.

Pearl stared at the Ray another moment before she turned to the others. "Alright. Let's get our injured tended to."

Some of the soldiers nodded and started leading the injured out of the garage, including Lucy and Marie. Lucy limped slightly as another soldier helped her walk.

Jaxon saw Lucy and the others off before he joined up with Pearl and Bridgett, where they stared up at the Ray together.

"So what do we do now?" Bridgett asked.

"Well, I'll be taking a good look at it." Jaxon nodded. "We'll get our best guys on it and make sure it's repaired."

"It uses energies that you… might not be used to."

"Currently, it's powered down, so, shouldn't be a problem. But we'll take our time."

"Thanks, Jaxon."

"Welcome." He then turned with the others as, at that moment, they all heard crying. They all watched as some nearby families, talking with some of the soldiers that returned from the mission, were informed that their loved ones didn't make it back. Some of them started sobbing, as they all engaged in hugs. The others remained silent as they watched.

Jaxon sighed. "Always the hardest part…"

"Does… this happen often?" Bridgett asked.

"Yeah." He nodded a bit. "Just about all of our major missions."

She nervously cleared her throat, feeling a twinge of guilt knowing that those soldiers had died for the Ray. "I'm… sorry."

He continued to watch, deep in thought, before he spoke again. "We can't let the grief get us down, though. We've been through a lot… we all deserve to unwind." He turned to Pearl. "I was thinking. We've still been having some major successes lately, and, well, I was thinking this might warrant me to get out your old stuff for a bit. You know?"

"No." Pearl replied. "Don't we have enough on our hands right now?"

"I didn't say a thing about abandoning work. But, while we're in this position of sitting and waiting, I figured, you know, why not? We could try to unwind. And it'll help cheer everyone up."

Pearl looked down, thinking.

"C'moon." He patted her arm. "It'll be fun. Like when Lucy and I were younger."

For the first time Bridgett had seen since coming here, Pearl smirked slightly. "Alright." She pointed at Jaxon. "But no one's going to go crazy and get hurt this time."

"You got it." Jaxon walked backward. "Later tonight? Don't answer that. Later tonight." He turned to walk out properly.

Bridgett couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she watched him all the way until he had left. "You know… you've gotten quite the team in this world. I might be slightly jealous." She turned back to where she thought Pearl was standing. "P-Pearl?"

Looking around and not seeing her anywhere, she turned as she noticed some noises coming from inside the Ray.

"Pearl?" She quickly followed her inside, starting to look around.

It wasn't until she noticed that the former bedroom of Marina and Pearl inside had been opened that she located Pearl once again, and as she came inside, she saw Pearl simply… standing there, silently, with her head down.

With her own silence, Bridgett stepped in as well. "…Pearl?"

Pearl didn't really acknowledge her at first, as she looked around at some of the old Off the Hook stuff. They both remained silent as Pearl eventually stepped over and grabbed the picture of Marina, Bridgett, and herself at the park. She stared at it.

Bridgett nervously stepped toward her. "Yeah, I uh… remember that picture, too."

Pearl nodded slightly and set it back down. She looked around at the other stuff as well, even feeling her old guitar.

Bridgett remembered what Pearl had said about Marina before, about how she had seemingly tried to move on from her… so she knew something had changed. "…You saw her there during the mission… didn't you?"

Again, Pearl didn't respond.

Bridgett started tearing up. "Pearl, please talk to me."

"Yes… Marina was there."

She took a moment to think about that. She sighed. "...So, she's not going to stop until we do, I'm guessing…"

"Well, I know I'm not stopping." She faced her. "So we're likely to see her again."

"...I figured we might… eventually."

Again, finally, another small smile formed on Pearl's face. "Well… it's fitting that the both of us are here for it, then."

Bridgett was brought even closer to tears, but she fought it off. "I… wouldn't have it any other way."

Pearl nodded and moved to sit on the bed she once shared with Marina. She did so slowly, hissing in pain somewhat and holding her side as she did.

"A-Are you ok?" She moved to sit next to her.

"I'm fine."

"...Are you… really, though?"

Pearl gave another look around the room. "None of this has been easy. It's never easy. Not anymore. But I'm not going to give up. So if we're going to confront Marina again… I'll be ready. I know that much."

"And I'll be there with you. A-Assuming you don't keep kicking me out of missions, at least. We'll stop her. We'll take care of this entire mess… one way or another." She finished, trying to hide that uncertainty in her voice.

Pearl faced her again, smiling slightly. Although she didn't respond to that, she regardlessly nodded toward the exit. "Jaxon's going to be throwing a party, so you should join with the others."

"What about you?"

"I'll join up with you later. But you should worry about yourself at the moment. Go have some fun, Eight. Live a little."

Bridgett stared at her another second, before she hesitantly stood up. "If you say so… You sure you're gonna be ok?"

Pearl nodded.

"...Ok…" She slowly backed up, hesitated one more moment, and then headed out. Pearl turned back to look at some more of the room decorations, sighing to herself.

As some more time went on, and the soldiers that returned from the mission recovered from the aftermath, more word spread about Jaxon's upcoming festivities, and more people gathered in another larger room, where Jaxon was setting up. People looked around as, under Jaxon's control, the room's lights were dimmed, and replaced with other disco-like lights.

The equipment that Jaxon had at his disposal was dated and rundown, but that didn't stop him from placing his vinyl in his record player, and then playing that over the room's speakers. The music that came on was custom, with a mix of different hip-hop beats, rock melodies, or other more party-orientated electronic tracks. Jaxon smiled to himself as he worked the DJ table, nodding along to the music.

As the first tracks came on, the children were the first to get more riled up, shouting among each other and beginning to run around, dancing frantically or just playing with each other. The adults who were into this sort of thing danced more casually, starting to hang out among everyone else.

As Bridgett and Marie came in separately and noticed the scene, they both looked around. Bridgett simply leaned against the wall at first and stuffed her hands into her pockets as she listened to the music. Marie, meanwhile, while listening to the music, studied all of the Inklings who were partying here; From the excitement and energy that people were giving off in response to the music, it didn't seem that they even listened to music that often. This was a special occasion. As she listened to more of it, becoming more curious as to where it even came from, she walked up toward Jaxon.

Jaxon, still running the DJ table, looked at her. "Hey."

"Hey. Uh… quite a selection of music.

"Thanks, Marie."

She hesitated somewhat before she asked: "…Who made it?"

"The music?" He chuckled. "I did."

"You made them?"

"Hell yeah."

"Wow. That's… impressive."

"Well, I learned from the best." He smiled.

It didn't take an expert to recognize that 'the best' was Pearl; There was most definitely Off the Hook influence in these pieces. It brought her a bitter-sweet feeling to know that this was Off the Hook's legacy, as she sadly stared outward. She wished that Callie could be here to hear it…

"...Need any help?" She turned back to Jaxon to get her mind off of that.

"Not needed, but you're welcome to help with whatever." Jaxon replied, smile still on his face.

Marie smiled slightly as well as she stepped toward the DJ table.

Bridgett on the other hand, didn't even need a hint from Jaxon to recognize the Off the Hook influence in this music, and as she realized what that meant, another pang of sadness ran through her chest. She sighed and looked around, seeing if Pearl herself was coming in.

There was no Pearl yet, but soon enough, at least, she saw Jessica wander in, who didn't even really appear to be sure of what she was doing here or what she should be doing here. Bridgett looked down, hesitating for a second. Her current feelings toward Jessica were… extremely confusing to her, to say the least, and she wasn't 100% sure what kind of moment they had shared together on that bed. Yet… the calm feeling returned as she started to think back on her, and almost without thinking, she stepped over toward her.

"Hey." She greeted.

Jessica looked back at her. "Hey."

Bridgett looked around slightly. "You, uh… like the music?"

"Sure, it's alright." She did as well.

Bridgett found herself eyeing her, wondering what to say next. Again, almost without thinking, she opened her mouth. "Do you… want to dance?"

Jessica looked at her, and Bridgett felt her hearts sink. At the cost of not thinking, she forgot that she had literally never seen Jessica dance. She wasn't a dancer, why would she be?

"F-Forget I asked that-" She turned to walk away.

"No, I'll… try it with you." Jessica returned, almost desperately.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

She couldn't help but smile, although at the same time was now internally freaking out. "O-Ok." Unsure of what else to do, she held out her hand. Jessica stared at it for a second before she took it, and they found a place to dance together.

As they continued with the dance, it did become confirmed to her that Jessica wasn't much of a dancer, but regardless, she picked up moves quickly and naturally, just as she did with fighting.

As Marie watched on from behind the DJ table, her eyes eventually locked onto the pair as she noticed them. Although it took her a moment of pause for things to click together for her, her eyes widened slightly as she realized one of the reasons that Bridgett and Dylan might've broken up. "…Oh." She said to herself out loud.

As the festivities went on, more people would come and go. Bridgett and Jessica continued their dance for a good chunk of the while, even smiling and laughing at each other as they learned new moves together.

Daniel would eventually notice the situation for himself and swing by, staring at the pair from across the room, particularly at Jessica. He kept his distance, wondering if he was even wanted at such a happy event, but sighed to himself as he noticed just how… happy Jessica seemed now… the one emotion that he himself had not felt in… ever?

After putting some thought into joining them, he simply sighed and walked back out, heading back down the halls as he studied the layout and residents of this supposed prison they were all trapped in. He had actually been spending most of his time here, just… studying, and analyzing this place, looking for exits or loopholes to the security. He was slowly figuring this place out… but for now, he silently continued onward, steadily tearing up.

This went unnoticed to the others, as Jessica and Bridgett finished up their current song; Bridgett was still giggling in the aftermath as the room fell silent, and Jessica stared back at her, looking her in the eye. To neither of their expectations, the next song that came on was something far more soft and slow, prompting them to look up. Again, they looked each other in the eye.

This time, however, the vibe wasn't as fun as she might've expected, and she instead suddenly fell a bit more uncomfortable, wondering how they were even supposed to proceed. "Um…"

"What's wrong?" Jessica asked.

Instead of answering, Bridgett nervously looked around as she instead put her mind back on Pearl. She still hadn't shown up yet.

"What?" Jessica repeated.

"N-Nothing…" She backed up somewhat, smiling. "Um… that was fun. Wasn't it?"

She stared back at her. "…Yeah."

She awkwardly tapped her fingers together, before she stepped away. "Well, uh… I'm gonna go… see if we can get some water." She then walked away entirely, rather to see if she could find Pearl anywhere.

Jessica watched her leave before she slowly moved toward the closest table and leaned forward against it, exhaling sharply.

She wasn't left alone for long, as at that moment, Marie, having seen them just now, came over and sat on the table next to her, getting her own cup of water. "…So."

Jessica just side-eyed her.

"That, uh… seemed fun. Between you two."

"Sure." She dropped her head somewhat.

"You can relax, a little. You know she just has a lot on her mind."

Jessica didn't respond.

Marie sipped her drink. "But, uh… I'll go ahead and say it. That was cute. You're cute together."

Jessica sighed and turned around. "I figured that you of all people would've thought I'm not good enough for her."

Marie paused, having to think over her next words. "…Well… it can get complicated. But… I can tell she likes you."

Again, Jessica didn't respond.

"Not trying to imply anything, just… pointing it out. And wondering where it'll go."

She side-eyed her again. "I thought that… for quite a while, you just… didn't like me. That you've thought I'm a bad influence on the team and on her. Aren't I? Why would you support me?"

She sighed. "…Well… I used to disagree with your line of thinking, but…" She stared outward, at nothing. "…Then I had a moment… out there… after what happened with Callie… and…"

"And… what?"

"And maybe you and I aren't as different as we thought."

Jessica looked at her, somewhat surprised to hear her say that, before she looked out as well. She didn't know what else to say, so Marie just patted her shoulder a bit before she walked away again. Jessica watched her before she leaned forward and kept watching the party.

The party music echoed down the nearby halls where Bridgett now walked, as she looked around for any signs of Pearl's presence.

Pearl, meanwhile, wasn't even close enough to hear the music, and was currently spending her time all the way back in her own private quarters, in the process of changing from her shrinking suit and into the typical Inker Valley pajamas. She hissed in pain somewhat as she initially got the suit off, painfully rolling her shoulder.

By the time she was fully re-dressed, she moved to sit down in her bunk, where she slowly sat down, holding her side. She groaned to herself.

When Lucy came in soon after, Pearl was simply sitting there, staring at nothing. They looked at each other before Lucy walked over to her dresser and set a gray briefcase on top. She typed in the code on its keypad to unlock it before she sorted through its contents.

Pearl stared blankly ahead, merely listening to her actions as Lucy pulled out a syringe and filled it with an orange ink-like liquid.

Lucy stepped toward her, then paused. "Pearl… I, uh… we really don't have a lot of this left. Are you sure we want to be using it so hastily? When we run out…" She trailed off.

Pearl hesitated a moment before she nodded. "Do it."

Lucy sadly stared at her before she lightly pushed Pearl forward. "Alright…"

Pearl leaned forward and pulled her own hair up, closing her eyes. She tried her best to hold back her pained moan as she felt the needle enter the back of her neck. Only a whimper escaped her mouth as Lucy carefully gave her the injection, then withdrew the needle and placed a rag over the same spot.

Afterward, Lucy placed a small adhesive on her new mark, then pet her hair somewhat. "Get some rest."

"Thank you, Lucy." She shakily laid back and got under her covers.

Lucy gave her a small but sad smile before she put her things back in the case, sealed it up, and carried it out with her. Pearl shakily held up her hand in front of her own face, briefly testing out her finger strength by closing and opening her fist, before she let herself rest, closing her eyes.

The Next Morning

Octavio Tower

The sun was rising over Octo City as Marina continued her diligent work in Octavio's labs. She was becoming increasingly disoriented from her lack of sleep; In fact, she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, and in order to keep her eyes from getting too heavy, she was on her feet and working nearly non-stop, only stopping for bathroom breaks or to get food.

This continued until the reality's native Marina-2 walked in into the room, arms behind her back. "Eyes here."

As if they were greeting the King himself, everyone present in the room turned toward her and slammed their feet down. Marina simply turned toward her, blinking as she shyly moved her own hands behind her back.

To her fear and some annoyance, Marina-2 stepped toward her, where she looked over her work. Taking her sweet time to examine pretty much everything that was on her desk, she picked up some things, looked them over, and then set them back down. She turned to her and looked her in the eye, her glare ever-present even behind her goggles. "You've been up all night?"

She held her hand up. "I have been working extreme-"

"Extremely hard, I know." She tilted her head, smirking somewhat. "But I fear that recent events have gotten to your head… haven't they?" When Marina didn't respond, she again stepped away. "We'll need to talk. Come with me. Now."

Marina took in a breath before she followed.

They walked down a series of hallways, where they were joined by Lydia and Eva, who walked with them. Marina-2 led her to another part of the lab, for which she used her own ID to unlock the entrance.

"I understand that you two have had questions about this rebellion situation that we've been facing." Marina-2 told them as they walked. "We have questions, too."

"Is this going to turn into a lecture?" Lydia asked. "About the Splatoon that your people have also failed to take care of?"

"The rebellion has been in the shadows for a long time… yes." She tilted her head toward her. "I understand now that you played a role in that."

Lydia glared back at her, and at that moment, to quell any conflicts, Eva cut them off.

"What's happened has happened." Eva told them. "What really matters now is how we proceed from here, and handle the threat."

"You've know about this all along, didn't you?" Marina asked. "That Pearl is a part of the rebellion?"

"What if we did?" Marina-2 asked.

"Then… you should've told us."

"Now that you know…" She turned to look at her once again. "What are you going to do about it? Have your plans changed, either way?"

Marina didn't respond.

As they fell into silence, Lydia turned to her. "For now, let's stick with Eva's suggestion. If we are to confront this rebellion… are how we going to do it?"

"That's what we're here to discuss." Marina-2 continued as she finally led them into the next room.

Marina looked around, and her stomach started to sink as she saw the contents this room held. They were now in the parts of the lab where the even weirder and unethical experiments were going on, including biological works on living animals, other specimens, and… even people. Real, Octoling people. Her eyes widened somewhat as she looked around. She could even see the hidden corpses that were hidden under blankets, one of which with a lifeless yet heavily swollen and miscolored hand poking out, hanging off of the table its body laid on. She looked away as she noticed this.

Although Eva herself didn't appear very comfortable in this room, either, she kept her cool and continued walking with the others. "Rebellion activity in recent years has grown and has become more of a problem. Within these years, they have made targeted hits on our resources and have managed to steal some of our technology. This includes the shrinking technology, that Marina has described to be used by Pearl Hime, and other biological experiments that were being transferred from this very lab. Entire experimental serums were stolen. Their usage of these tools have clearly made them much more dangerous."

"Experimental serums?" Marina asked. "From your Marina?"

"From the Laursen siblings, actually. But even before these Axcian crystals you brought with you have come into play, the King has been ordering research into biology enhancements for quite some time now. It's what is worked on in these labs."

"Yes, we've been extra busy in here since you've brought your new research with you. Now comes the next phase." As Marina-2 led them into a much colder room where some more cloaked tables were. She grabbed and threw off two of the blankets, revealing the dead Axcian aliens underneath. They were the same Axcians that Lydia had previously held prisoner on her own station, before she had them killed. Marina paused somewhat as she saw them.

"The biology of these marvellous creatures has revealed much to us once we were able to properly study them." Marina-2 continued. "We're now closer than ever to trumping these previous experiments. This is how order will be restored, and our society perfected. Combining this new alien biology, already enhanced with Axcian energy, with our pre-existing research has given us the key."

"...How exactly do you mean?" Marina decided to ask.

Marina-2 smirked slightly at her, and then subtly pressed a button on her watch. Marina and Lydia looked around in confusion as a big hologram then emerged from the watch and throughout the room.

"Our best biologists are already working on perfecting our next formula, and progress has gone far faster than expected. It's like this new power you brought with you is just begging us to use it to its fullest potential." Marina-2 spoke over the presentation as the hologram showed the 3D image of an Axcian crystal, slowly being broken apart as its energy was extracted into a green liquid substance. The liquid was then seen being combined with Axcian DNA before being stored safely inside a syringe. From there, the syringe was shown being injected into the outline of an Octoling man, who in turn started to turn fully green. Electric bursts and energy waves emitted from the man's hand and head.

"With this formula, we will create the perfect Octarian form." She continued. "With psionic telekinesis and control over Axcian energy, just like these Axcians here. And that's just the start of its fullest potential. With further development, this formula will be able to alter its users very cells to achieve advanced strength, durability, stamina, healing, and of course… permanent aging resistance. All things we've already been working on to limited results. This… will cure… everything… and the first thing to be cured will be the rebellion, and all other objectors to our society."

Marina, Lydia, and Eva all stared at the holographic presentation as they listened to Marina-2's words. While Marina and Eva both had their own reactions, Lydia simply… stared, with her eyes drawn completely to the visuals without distraction. She stepped forward somewhat, without blinking. Was this what her father's work had been leading to after all…?

Eva and Marina, meanwhile, appeared much more uncomfortable as they watched all the way until the hologram faded away. Eva cleared her throat and looked down.

Marina herself was more visibly horrified as she listened to more and more of her words. She stepped back somewhat, without a word herself.

Marina-2 put her hands behind her back as she stared at her. "It'd be a pity, however, if we're not all on the same page."

Marina didn't respond. She looked back at the dead Axcians, who had been so senselessly dissected in this very room, then turned around and looked around at other parts of the lab. So many horrifying experiments were happening in here, she could see all of it…

Feeling more and more light-headed, she held her chest and leaned in the doorway, fighting to hold back her nausea. This world they created… the presentations she had just seen, the work she had been doing… what were the long-term consequences? What was going to happen to her former friends who had followed her here? What had she done?

Marina-2 again stepped toward her. She pressed the button on her goggles to take them off. "Is this not what you wanted?"

Marina stood still in that spot for a few moments before she slowly turned toward her. Marina-2 and Lydia had both stepped forward and were staring at her. Swallowing her saliva, she opened her mouth. "…I was just thinking that perhaps… this is too far."

"Creating perfection is too far?"

"If you create atrocities to get there, yes."

"You've created a mess. This is how it will be cleaned." Marina-2 continued. "The King has already decreed it so. We offer our gratitude for what you've done for us… but if you're not going to be of any more use, you will be removed." She looked around. "Or, perhaps more likely, you will stay in-house and end up like one of these experiments, under these cloaks."

"That you murdered?" She hissed, looking back at her. "What about when we fight the Splatoon, huh? Are we supposed to murder them, too?"

She stepped closer still, smirking. "Are you any different?"

"You and I couldn't be more different if this is the direction you'll take."

"You're right, but not for the reasons you think. When I heard of another Marina that had entered our reality, I was almost excited… but you've shown nothing but weakness. You're a strong disappointment. And when the time comes, your shortcomings will get the best of you. You'll see."

Marina kept glaring at her, without another word. She gave another look at Lydia before she turned to march out.

Lydia and Eva both stared in silence as they stood about awkwardly.

Marina-2 turned back to them. "As we speak, plans are already in motion. We have designs ready to go to retrieve more of the necessary energy… be ready." She walked out as well, equipping her goggles once again.

As Lydia and Eva exchanged last glances, Lydia turned to walk out next. Left on her own, Eva gave another look around at the horrors that this room held, taking slow, but somewhat shaky breaths as she re-composed herself. After another few moments, she walked out last.

Later

Marina had returned to her aggressive work routine as she continued desperately on her projects, her mind racing nearly to an overwhelming point the whole time. A haunting feeling fell over her once again: This world wasn't what she wanted, but… could she blame anyone other than herself?

How had she let it all come to this? What went wrong? This particular burning question was on her mind as she re-entered the Subgrid that night, using her personal time to revisit her previous simulations she had run on how to create this world.

Had her plans come to fruition, the world of Octo City would've been… perfect. It would've been a world that all species could share, including Inklings, but with Octarians and their revolutionary science at the forefront of society. It was the world she and Gideon Tecca had dreamed about for so long… that felt almost like the opposite of what they had now.

She worked at these simulations for the next couple of hours straight, as she looked through to see just where things had gone wrong, and how she could rectify this from here. She simulated and looked through several new scenarios, searching for a new understanding of her predicament.

Just like in a lot of her previous simulations, too many scenarios involving the relationship between Inklings and Octarians ended in just… war. Terrifyingly, many even went to the lengths of large-scale nuclear war, prompting entire nuclear holocausts that would wipe both races and many others off of the planet for good. Others were closer to the realities she knew, in which one race would manage to secure a hold over the surface world, and the other was forced underground, leading to undesirable conditions that would lead to more cold war-scale conflicts in the future. It was almost inevitable… no matter what she did or whether Axcian crystals were involved…

Finally, after several of these scenarios, she began to fully understand what had gone wrong with this reality. It was Pearl's presence after all… 100 years ago, when they had gone back to take the original Squidbeak Splatoon out of the equation and ensure the Octarian's victory, Pearl escaping the Octarian station, and whatever she had done there afterward, had planted the seeds for the new Inkling rebellion no matter the existence of the original Splatoon. This rebellion would go on to convince the Octarians that the world could not be shared… and the cycle of conflict had continued, leading to the Octo City as she now knew it.

Standing within the Subgrid's silent, black void, Marina backed up as she closed these simulations, slowly tearing up. It truly only took a small change to the timeline to throw everything off… and if she wanted to fix it… she had to take Pearl down. Pearl and the rest of her friends had to be removed. Otherwise… things could get much, much worse from here.

She could hardly even believe it as she simply stood there, with nothing but her own thoughts to accompany her. Would things have been better off if she hadn't taken such a large risk after all? Should she have just let the natural timeline take its course? What should she have done? Tears fell down her cheeks as she slowly sat down, thinking about how things could have gone… and she closed her eyes.

She was so deep into these thoughts that, under her subconsious commands, the Subgrid environment around her began to reform and shape into a more familiar setting, bringing one of these scenarios to life. By the time she opened her eyes, this environment had fully formed into… her own house. She was sitting on the floor in her old living room, in the original timeline, that she had shared with Pearl and Bridgett themselves. Blinking, she stood up, and reached over to feel the couch. Nostalgia instantly filled her…

Then, a moment later, she felt familiar arms wrap around her from behind. "Man, you've been missing all of the festivities! Where you been, girl?" Her lover's voice spoke into her ear.

With wide eyes, she reached to feel the Inkling's hand. "…Pearlie…"

"Yeah, that's me." Pearl chuckled, kissing and nuzzling her neck.

She slowly broke from the embrace and turned to her. It was truly like she had travelled back in time merely a few months, and was back with her again. It was like she had never left. Her eyes again welled up.

"What's wrong?" The simulated Pearl asked her, her concern just as real as it could be.

"I… I…" Without thinking, she leaned forward and hugged her once again. She squeezed her as if she was holding her for the first time… or the last.

"Aww…" She rubbed her back. "Are you ok?"

"...No…" She whispered.

She pet her hair, thinking. "Well… I dunno what's wrong, but… I'm here for you, 'Rina."

Hearing her words, Marina broke down into further hysterics, starting to sob on her shoulder. "I-I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" She told her after another moment.

"What?" She broke off partially and cupped her cheeks, looking her in the eye. "What're you sorry for?"

Marina didn't respond, staring back into her eyes.

"Hey." She rubbed her cheeks, reaching her thumb to wipe some of her tears. "Whatever it is… you fix it. Right? You're Marina Ida… you always fix things."

She didn't respond, looking down.

She sighed. "Well, either way, for now, you look exhausted…I'm guessing it's about time for bed? That should help you feel better."

Pausing, Marina turned to look out the window, where the sun was visibly setting outside. She looked back at Pearl.

"C'mon." Pearl took her hand and led her back to their bedroom. Marina silently followed, squeezing her hand somewhat.

It was a mere moment later that they were now curled up under the covers, where Marina looked her in the eyes here as they laid together. Guilt and torment was still eating her up on the inside… she knew that this wasn't going to last. She knew it wasn't even real. She knew that she was going to wake up and again be on the opposite side of a war from her. She knew that, eventually, she was going to have to face the true Pearl again. She knew it all too well that… it wasn't going to be a good outcome… but… for now… this Pearl was right… she was exhausted. If she could hold onto this moment… even if just for a temporary time…

Allowing herself to drift into sleep, she put her arms around Pearl. Pearl again nuzzled her chest as they held each other close, snuggling up.

Her eyelids started to close as she stared into Pearl's face for as long as she could. "Good night… Pearlie…"