Chapter Three:

Taking Care of a Hostage Crisis

In the rural district of Inkopolis Plaza, the jumbotron that often depicted stills of Turf War photos flashed and the logo of the Squid Sisters appeared as pop music played. Inklings halted their current activities, turning their attention to the big screen, as Callie and Marie made their latest appearance.

"Hold on to your tentacles, fellow squids." Callie declared.

"Its Inkopolis News Time, here to give you the news." Marie nodded.

"Today's weather has been reported to be one percent cloudy and ninety-five percent warm, which makes it all the more easier to go walking." Callie then reported, "Now, with the weather report out of the way, its time to deliver the breaking news; A hostage crisis is taking place at the Plankton Tower construction sight."

"Reporter Alie Plankwel is on sight to deliver the coverage." Marie added.

The scene shifted and a red-haired Octoling girl in a reporter dress appeared with a construction sight behind her. A pair of cop cars were on the scene and the police had drawn their Splattershots, every Inkling in the area was anxious and terrified all at once.

"Happy to report for Inkopolis News, Callie and Marie." Alie said, "Gunmen raided the site and the tower is only in phase two of construction. Several workers are being held hostage and the police are trying to defuse the situation, but the leader of the group is demanding a ransom and won't let the workers go until they are given their due."

"I'm glad I wasn't here when the crisis started." A young Inkling in construction gear quipped as the reporters focused on him, "Kinda slept in and I only just arrived. Man, I hope the boss lets me off for being late, but we gotta get back to work and we ain't getting paid enough. Sometimes, I wish I could work for GrizzCo instead."

"This is quite perilous, folks." Callie said as the Squid Sisters' studio reappeared, "But let us hope that things calm down soon."

As the Squid Sisters continued with their broadcast, a red-haired Inkling was swinging through the city in a red-blue costume with a spider symbol and a mask, dressed and pressed for his near-every day routine of fighting bad guys. Parker had agreed to have coffee with Saya, but that would have to wait until he'd dealt with the current situation.

'Just when I was hoping today would be an easy one with no crooks or villains to worry about...' Parker thought, 'But some gunmen had to throw a temper tantrum and take a bunch of construction workers hostage. I'll give 'em a ransom, and they're going down hard.'

He swung towards the construction site, which was located east of 6619 Tentacle Avenue, and saw the police cars on their routine patrol while a squad headed towards the area where the crisis was taking place. Parker was halfway there when a jumbotron lit up and a voice announced that Jameson was making a public announcement.

"Greetings, listeners and viewers!" Jameson said in a half-happy tone as his face appeared on every TV station in Inkopolis, "Jameson here to deliver the news. We have received wind that a hostage crisis is taking place..." He then shifted into an angry voice, "...AND WITNESSES REPORT SPIDER-SQUID IS ON HIS WAY TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME!

"I do not care if he is a 'hero', THAT *beep* TWERP HAS BEEN INTERFERING WITH POLICE BUSINESS AND OUR WAY OF LIFE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE *bleep* YEARS AND HE SHOULD BE ARRESTED! I WILL NOT REST UNTIL YOU'VE BEEN UNMASKED, YOU *beep* WEB-SWINGING INK SACK OF *beep*!

"YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I HATE YOU?! YOU ALREADY *beep* KNOW WHY, NOBODY GIVES A HOOT IF YOU'RE A 'HERO', YOU NEED TO *beep* RETIRE RIGHT NOW, YOU *beep* *beep*! I'M NOT GONNA ENDORSE YOUR WEB-SWINGING *beep* AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE WITH THAT *beep* MASK!"

'Jeeze, dude.' Parker thought, 'Are you gonna complain if someone wears a mask at a wrestling event? You should get a life or be shut down, I don't see how you can continue your show as long as you're blasting me.'

He swung to the roof of a building, just a street away from the construction site. Parker observed the scene, and his eyes zeroed in on one of the under-construction building levels, spotting the workers on the ground, surrounded by Inklings and Octolings holding Splat-chargers. One pull of the trigger, and those guys were toast.

Not on Parker's watch.

The web-slinging squid leaped off the roof, diving towards the construction site, and he thwipped his web, swinging from a nearby crane. He swooped into the site, avoiding the under-construction scaffolding, and kicked an Octoling gunman in the face, knocking him out cold before webbing the criminal up.

Parker was in motion. He thwipped up a pair of bad guys and pounced on a couple, knocking an Inkling out cold. The web-slinger kicked a masked Inkling in the shin, then he judo-flipped him, and webbed up the crook. An Octoling fired off a shot from his weapon, but the Spider-Squid dodged and thwipped the Splat-Charger out of the octopus' hand.

"You guys should be construction guards instead of deconstruction mercenaries." Parker remarked, facing down a pair of Inklings, who had one of the workers hostage.

"Think you can help us catch up?!" A worker Inkling asked, "The boys and I need to get back to work, and the foreman is not gonna appreciate the delay. We're on a tight schedule and these morons, ain't helpin'?"

"SHADDUP!" An Inkling with a machine gun yelled, bonking the worker on the head.

'Now that is just mean.' Parker flicked his wrist, unleashing a wad of web that stuck to the thug's mouth, and silencing him. Parker leaped towards the criminal and punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. A group of gun-squids ran towards Parker, trying to get the jump on him while he freed the workers, even as the crooks came for him.

BIFF! POW! CLONK! BAFF! BAM! THWIP! Parker clobbered and webbed the gunmen until they were down and out. He worked to tie them all up, even as some remained conscious long enough to resist, and proceeded to hand them off to the nearby police force.

"Thanks, Spider-Squid." A worker with green tentacles said happily, "You really saved our bacon."

"You should get more security, helps prevent hostage situations." Parker suggested, 'Now I can get some coffee with Saya.'

He thwipped another web, and left the construction site, swinging through Inkopolis as Parker breathed easily, knowing there hadn't been any casualties. Parker smiled beneath his mask, knowing that he would be getting his reward in having coffee with Saya, and justice had been restored to the city of Inkopolis until the next crisis arose...