Chapter 4: Man on Top

The gruesome sight of sprawled dead bodies and their dried ink all over the place still littered the Hodgson Syndicate base by the next morning. The place had already been turned into a crime scene, with yellow tape that cut off the building. At the moment, however, the place was quiet, left in the calm stillness that came after the storm.

The only officer in here was Lieutenant Johnson, who stepped among the bodies and pointed his flashlight around, searching for anything he may have missed. He and the police had already combed this place, but were finding no signs or clues of what may have caused such a violent shoot-out. Aside from the doors they had found kicked down, there were no signs of a third party, no signs of what they might have had a dispute over… it was truly like they were fine one moment, and then had all collectively gone rabid the next. The police of course had a history of investigating gang shoot-outs like this, but on this one, everyone on the scene was quite frankly stumped. And the fact this happened on the same day as Richter's mysterious death, that had already shaken the force…

Johnson himself felt unusually shaken, like something wasn't quite right with it all. It was a deep, harrowing feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite explain. He was even trembling slightly as he stepped around, making sure to not step on any of the evidence, when his already rattled thoughts were shaken:

"The Executioner was here?" He heard Jessica's voice.

Johnson jumped and pointed his flashlight toward Jessica, who was standing in the doorway in her full Agent 3 gear, within the shadows like a ghost.

Johnson muttered a swear and looked around to double check that there weren't any officers nearby who could hear them, before he stepped forward. He kept his voice low. "We're still figuring out what exactly happened here. But there was no external party in the conflict." He looked around at the crime scene. "Everyone here was killed by each other. But we have vomit…" He motioned toward the three different dried puddles of vomit, from three different people, that were spread across the room. "Just like with Richter. Could've just been weak stomachs, but…"

"You think they were poisoned?"

"That's for the forensic pathologists to sniff out. They did find something in Richter's system, but…" He let out a deep but shaky exhale. "They're stumped on what it is."

Growing steadily concerned over the situation, Jessica stepped forward and pressed a button on her goggles, turning it to scan mode. Her goggles immediately began scanning around the room, with her UI bringing up the results.

Leaving Jessica to her business, Johnson glanced out the window to make sure the other officers weren't coming back. There were indeed some officers still outside, currently studying the parking lot. "Be quick. I don't know how long you have."

Jessica nonetheless took her time, and took slow and steady steps around the room as she looked to pick up any scan results the police may have missed. It was after a few moments that she noticed a safe in the corner of the room that had been hidden in the wall, that was now blown open by a fiery explosive, revealing the stacks of paper inside. She immediately walked over to investigate.

Noticing, Johnson quietly took a couple steps forward as he pointed his flashlight at it. "Forensics already determined that was blown after the shootout. The debris struck some of the cadavers but they weren't injured by it beforehand."

Jessica pulled out and looked through some of the sheets of paper they had in here. There was drug trafficking notes, money laundering schemes, and files of targets that the gang planned to hit in their quest to regain control of Inkopolis. Most of it had been left alone by whoever blew the safe, but one thing caught her eye: An opened file with discarded crumpled sheets of paper on top. She unfurled them to reveal the target notes of Senator Garrett and Senator Keller.

She stood idly as her goggles automatically scanned the sheets for residue, and sure enough, her UI pulled the scan results with the slightest trace of fingerprints. One of which belonged to Daniel Murdock.

She glanced toward Johnson. "Daniel was here."

Johnson sighed as he simply stared at her, thinking over this new information. They were both fully aware of Keller's current campaign against vigilantes in the city. Before he could say anything, he jumped at a slight thud sound behind him, and turned, pointing his flashlight.

Two other officers were coming back into the crime scene, stepping over all the evidence as the came toward him. One of them faced him. "No patience for a break, huh?" He remarked.

Johnson immediately turned back toward Jessica, only to find that she was already gone, with the evidence placed neatly back just where she had found it.

Daniel's Hideout

Like usual, light poured into the dark garage as the door slid open, and Daniel's van pulled into the room. As it shut off, the door opened and out came Daniel himself. His heavy boots thudded against the ground as, without even bothering to shut the car door, Daniel took off his mask and dropped it to the floor. He looked around the room, trying his hardest to control his breathing.

Already on the verge of a mental breakdown, Daniel spun around and darted his eyes around the room, looking for anything that he could identify as familiar, and thus likely real. He could see his gear and notes, just where he had left them… good, good… his make-shift kitchen, and all the pots and pans that were laid about on the counter… yes, good…

Yes, he still had a grasp on sanity, that was good. Inhaling sharply, he chose to get right back into business, and he turned toward the chair where he had restrained that green Octoling. "You. Do you know who-"

He paused, and then blinked. The chair was empty, with the bonds used to restrain the woman just lying there on the chair. No…

No breath left Daniel's face as he took slow, cautious steps forward. She couldn't have escaped, could she? He must have been hallucinating an empty chair, and she was still there, right? He jumped as he heard a brief buzz sound, confirming that he wasn't alone.

A house fly, rubbing its two front legs together, was all that sat on the chair within the bonds. As Daniel slowly reached his hand out toward it, it dodged by flying upward and instead came to sit on the backrest. He reached for it again, and this time, it took off into the air, and began circling him.

Gritting his teeth, Daniel swatted his hand at it. It dodged. He swatted again, and again, and again, but it was too fast for him, and soon out of reach altogether. Just like everything was out of his reach. Then he realized… the girl wasn't even ever real… wasn't she? Had he really just been sitting here interrogating a house fly?

As quick, angry huffs escaped his nose, Daniel suddenly turned, and flung his leg toward the chair, knocking it down with all his might. "GRRRAHHHHH!" He shouted.

He turned back to locate the fly, which had come to settle on the wall near the ceiling, right above the kitchen. Swiveling to grab the chair, he chucked it across the room, up in its direction, which sent the chair bouncing off the wall and plummeting onto his kitchen set-up.

Not bothering to check if the fly survived, huffing in pure rage, Daniel threw himself onto his butt, sitting on the ground.

'You're crazy.' The voices in his head began in a chorus.

'You're too crazy for this.'

'You're incapable.'

'You were never capable.'

'Daniel?'

'Kill yourself.'

'Daaaaniel…'

'Cut your own head off and dump it in the river.'

Daniel did nothing to respond to the voices, and his eyes darted upward as he came to notice that the fly, drifting aimlessly through the air, had come to settle directly on his discarded Executioner mask, which still laid on the ground. As he stared at it, suddenly… the voices calmed.

'You know what you have to do now.' A calmer, female voice, that almost sounded like Jessica herself, echoed through his head.

The voice was right. Daniel wasn't done yet. He had work left to do. With newfound confidence and motivation, Daniel sucked in his breath, stood up, and swiped the mask off the ground. The fly flew away to who knows where, which Daniel ignored. Now, he just had to prepare.

First, he moved toward his laptop that was situated on the desk near his gear in the corner of the room. He opened it up and did a search for Senator James Keller, browsing through his Inkipedia article.

Once he had everything he needed, he made sure to double check all of his gear, and grabbed a screw driver to change out the licensing plates on his truck, as well as the labels on the side of the vehicle to help disguise it. Then, re-equipping himself with everything that he planned on using, he got right back into his truck and headed back out.

The Orphanage

It was playtime in the building where Dana took care of all of these orphaned kids, and the screams of many different excited children filled the halls as Dana made her way through the crowd. She occasionally had to shout reminders at the particular kids who weren't being obedient: "Jason, put those scissors down! Amanda, we don't eat toothpaste!" She pulled the tooth paste from that particular girl's mouth, grabbed a tissue, and knelt down to wipe her face off.

She looked up as she heard a knock on the door just down the hall at the front entrance.

"Alright, alright! Everyone, calm down a little!" She stood up straight and walked over to answer the door. To her surprise, it was Jessica on the porch, in her casual clothes and jacket. While it was true that Jessica tended to stop by once a week, seeing her any more often than that was a bit unusual. "Jessica." She smiled. "How unexpected. Did you need something?"

Jessica could barely return with her own smile. "Just… wanted to talk real quick." She glanced at all of the screaming kids inside. She stepped back. "If you're busy, though-"

"No, no, we have staff here for a reason." She chuckled and opened the door wider. "Please, come in."

Jessica stepped inside, and came up to one of the classic green armchairs that rested here in the foyer by the fireplace. She looked around as she leaned forward; Although she had plenty of both good and bad memories here in this building, she tried her best to only allow the more nostalgic childhood memories in, for the sake of keeping herself calm.

"You want a drink?" Dana asked.

Jessica shook her head.

Dana sat down at the armchair placed perpendicularly to her, and put her hands together as she faced her. "What did you want to talk about?"

Jessica glanced over to make sure there wasn't any kids eavesdropping on the conversation, before she turned to her as well. "There's… something going on in the city, Dana. Not just with KRAKEN, and the Senate, but something…" She looked down. "I don't know what it is, but… it may involve some kind of… new drug. Something possibly airborne that the police can't trace. And if that's the case, it's looking like it could be potentially Underdogs Incident big. I mean, I hope not. But things… Everything is just piling up."

Dana didn't respond. Although she tried her best to hide it, her cheerful attitude melted into worry.

"I'm not trying to worry you." Jessica rubbed her hands together. "I don't know what's going on, yet. But I felt that you should be warned."

"Well… you have it handled, right?"

Jessica hesitated, avoiding eye contact. "Daniel's involved."

She frowned. "Oh, sweetie."

"I just wanted to ask…" She again had to think over her words. "You're always talking about, how… we can't change the past. How we can only try to move forward. You say that about Vanessa, and how she left, and about everything I've done before, and I understand it. I've been trying to live by it. But… if I really have to… fight Daniel, again… my own brother… and things get bad between us again…" She finally looked her in the eye. "What should I do?"

Dana mustered a brave face for her. "Well… what do you want to do?"

"I don't…" She looked down. "I don't know. All I know is that… I don't feel like I can keep going through the same cycle. With me and him." She looked back at her. "Not with how stubborn he is. So I wanted to ask… how do I end it? How do I… truly move on from that? What… What do I do?"

Dana herself had to think her answer over for a few moments. And as she came to her answer, she stood up, stepped over, and put her hand on her shoulder. "You follow your heart, sweetheart. You'll know what to do in the moment."

She looked up at him. "But what if I can't trust my own decisions in those moments? With all the times I've already screwed up with him?"

"Jessica…" She rubbed her arm. "Whatever happens, whatever mistakes you make, the city needs you. And Daniel needs to be stopped. Doesn't he?"

Jessica didn't respond.

"Experience is the best teacher." Dana continued. "You've been in and out of this before. And no matter what happens this time… you'll come out of it stronger. I promise."

Jessica still didn't have any words to say, but hope filled her eyes, shining through to Dana like a beacon.

"There's more to this than just you." Dana reminded her with a smile. "You've created an idea of Agent 3. Something unfading, something intransient." She squeezed her arm. "So go make the city proud, Agent 3."

Jessica saw her off as she broke off, and watched as Dana walked down the hall to attend to the horde of children. Left by her lonesome, Jessica stood up, stared down the hall another moment, and turned right back to the door.

She replayed Dana's words to herself in her head as she exited the building and walked down the steps onto the sidewalk. Dana was fully right, there was no questioning it. She just had to keep her head in the game, no matter what.

And she knew exactly where she needed to go next.

That Evening

It was in one of Inkopolis' many skyscrapers, with this one in particular being a high-rise office building, where Senator James Keller's secondary office was situated. It was a medium-sized but gorgeous room with sleek, modern furniture and decorations, including classic paintings on the wall. Its desk was placed squarely in the center of the room on top of the red carpets, with the large panes of glass that made up the wall behind it, allowing the sunset outside to paint the room in its beautiful orange hue.

As the day grew progressively dark and night took hold, Senator Keller himself was just walking down the hall and turning the corner into his office's doorway when he paused, seeing the large, shrouded figure that was sitting in his own chair.

The shadows hid many of the features of this large Giant Isopod man, who casually stood up upon seeing the Senator. With his six arms, he buttoned up his business suit jacket.

Keller quietly gulped as he stepped in fully, and they eyed each other. "…You want a drink?"

The figure just glared at him.

Keller reached toward the large bottle of Bourbon that was on the desk, and poured himself a glass. "We're still handling the situation."

"You let the Splatoon make an ass out of you." His deep, gravelly voice returned. "On live television, no less."

Keller's expression briefly turned to that of pure, thinly-veiled rage, before he put on his poker face and walked toward the massive window, sipping his drink. He stared out toward the ever-darkening city skyline, and its many lights that were turning on one-by-one.

The figure briefly glanced toward the closet in the corner of the room, before he turned back to Keller. "You've been allowing these vigilantes to run around the city for long enough. There's a massive gang war bubbling up in the city, and it's looking more and more like new players just showed up. I highly doubt the Hodgson Syndicate just took themselves out. We need to stay on top. The Splatoon's assets, their equipment… the agents themselves and their abilities, they should already be in our possession by now. But this politics game you're playing with them isn't working. Any more resistance from them, and KRAKEN will come to collect. That won't be pretty."

"I said… we're handling it. I just need a bit more time." He barely even looked to the side. "I don't have anything more to say about it… so I want you out of my office. We'll talk later."

"I have a lot to say about it. My patience is about gone. So you keep in mind what we just had to do to Garrett. Because you're next if you're not gonna be of use."

Keller didn't respond.

"You get 24 more hours." The figure finished. "Barring any more unforeseen elements. And I want what's mine." He turned toward the doorway. After a slight pause and one more glance toward the closet, he walked out.

Left by his lonesome, Keller took the opportunity to messily down his drink, spilling some of the whiskey onto his chin, before he tossed the glass behind him, which shattered on his desk.

He put his hands on his side as he stared out at the city in front of him. His mind was racing, his hearts were pounding… he just couldn't quite relax, even under the sway of the city's beauty that he stood over.

He stood here like this up until his peripheral vision picked up yet another figure that came into view on the window's reflection. His eyes widened as he turned to see the Executioner, with his mask and armor on, that was walking toward him from the corner of the room.

Keller dived toward his desk and pulled out the miniature shelf with his Splattershot inside, but before he could grab it, Daniel unveiled his own charger, and pointed it at his head. As they stared at each other, he slowly stood up straight and raised his hands in surrender. "…Murdock."

"You don't get to use my name." Daniel replied through his voice changer. "You call me the Executioner."

"Alright… Executioner." He gulped again, audibly this time. "What can I help you with?"

"There's talk of a new drug in Inkopolis. A poison. Zodiac." He squeezed his weapon. "I've been turning this city upside down just to find it. And you're my most recent lead. Where is it?"

He chuckled. "D-Don't you think… you've played the terrorism game enough already? You can't let that past you go?"

Daniel suddenly took a step forward, thrusting the weapon toward him. "I'm not a fucking terrorist. I hung that up. I'm better now."

"Really, now… with all of the murder and destruction you've been leaving in your wake lately?"

"All criminals who deserved to die. And don't think I won't do the same to you. I will gut you if you don't give me Zodiac."

Keller held a hand forward. "I don't have it."

"I've been following the trail in all sorts of directions, and now it's been leading to you!" Daniel exploded. "I know you poisoned the Syndicate and had them kill each other! I know you sent that green bitch after me! I know who you really are! WHERE!? IS!? ZODIAC!?" He took another step forward with the last word.

"C-Calm down. Deep breath." Keller spoke with as calm a voice as he could muster. "Remember your schizophrenia… and take control of your delusions."

Daniel stared at him as he breath grew heavier.

"I don't have Zodiac." Keller continued. "But you wanna know something? We have been looking for it."

Daniel didn't respond as they glared at each other.

Keller's eyes darted downward. "But maybe… you and I, together… we can find it."

"What?"

His eyes darted back up to meet with his mask. "I want to work with you."

Daniel slowly lowered his charger to his hip, although he kept his finger firmly on the trigger in anticipation. A moment of awkward air proceeded before Daniel responded: "Why?"

"Because the city is changing." Keller lowered his own hands. "There's gang wars. Chaos on the streets every day. And these days, things require more brutal methods. Like what you use."

"I don't even know you."

Keller took a couple short steps forward. "But you and I could both have a lot to gain from each other. I'm not necessarily in the coldest water right now. And I know you aren't either. Everyone in the city is eyeing that target on your back. So put the gun away so we can talk things out."

"The gun stays." He, in turn, stepped backward. "I've been down this road before. What would I get from helping you?"

"You want Zodiac, right?"

"I don't want it, I want to find it. I want it off the streets. For good."

Keller took a pause. "…Is that really what you want? Executioner? You want me to believe you don't just want it and its potential for yourself, after everything you've done before?"

"I've come a long way trying to do good. Trying to do better. And I'm not throwing that away now." He again raised his charger toward his chest. "This is finally my chance to prove it to everyone else. Do you get that?"

He sighed, having to think over his next words. "Ok. Ok." He again held his hands forward. "We'll find it, and we'll destroy it. Is that you want to hear? Just hear me out." He eyed him intensely, as if trying to break through into Daniel's tortured soul. "You're a killer. You're a villain. And you wanna know something? So am I. Because you and I, as I said, are the type of people that this city needs these days. Use that brutality and use it for something good. Find your higher purpose. With me. You don't have to keep doing this lone gunmen thing, rampaging through the streets, trying to fight something that you can't win by yourself. Not only that, but I can get KRAKEN and the police off of your back. For good."

Daniel didn't respond, staring at him.

"Come on. You have a higher purpose." Keller continued. "Let me show it to you."

Daniel again lowered his charger as they stared at each other. Keller finally eased up, staring at him, only to fall tense again as he noticed that Daniel wasn't moving or even breaking eye contact.

Finally, Daniel let out a breath. "This is my higher purpose."

Keller shook his head. "You're making a big mistake, Daniel."

"Executioner."

"What are you gonna get out of this path you're on?" His voice grew more and more desperate. "Tell me that much."

"I'm going after what's mine. You stay out of it." He backed toward the doorway. "You talk to that man who was in here before and tell him the same. And if you find Zodiac and take it for yourself… I will come back for you."

Keller, with shaky hands and breath, stared on as Daniel put his back against the wall and turned the corner into the hallway. He then morphed into his Squid-form to sneak away.

As soon as he was gone, Keller lunged toward the phone on his desk, and pressed the button for the emergency line. "Yes, I need security up here, right now. And get me on the line with KRAKEN, too. Immediately. I want Daniel Murdock alive."

Word spread quickly through KRAKEN forces, all throughout the city, about Daniel's latest known location. By the time Daniel successfully snuck out of the building and headed down into the underground parking garage where his truck was hidden, all available KRAKEN that were nearby Keller's office building were already converging on Daniel's location.

As Daniel made his way through the garage, closing in on the specific spot where his truck had been parked by some dumpsters, he was cut off as a large, red, tank-like KRAKEN truck sped down the slope, before coming to a stop just in front of him.

Multiple KRAKEN soldiers, already equipped with their guns, poured out. "KRAKEN, don't move!"

Daniel paused. Already fueled by pure adrenaline, his hearts only began to race harder as he realized his truck was no longer an option. He pulled out his charger as he turned to run down another walkway, but KRAKEN soldiers were already converging on him. KRAKEN agents were coming down each entrance into this isolated area toward him.

Surrounded on all sides, Daniel raised his charger to fire at the closest batch of incoming soldiers, holding them off. He turned the corner to dodge their retaliating gunfire that just barely missed him and struck some cars. He backed against the wall, panted, looked around, and rushed toward the closest doorway that served as an entrance into one of the connected buildings. He kicked it open and ran inside.

KRAKEN soldiers chased him from just behind as Daniel ran through this series of boilerwork rooms. Of course, as more KRAKEN soldiers came into this building through other entrances, Daniel was instead forced up the stairwell, where he transformed into his Squid-form to launch himself up several floors at a time.

As Daniel rushed his way up and out the roof exit, he had only a moment to relax, before he heard helicopter blades approach from the air. Red KRAKEN choppers, shining their lights through the darkened city, were hunting him from above.

Gritting his teeth and sucking in a breath, Daniel wasted no time in launching himself in more super jumps across rooftops, distancing himself from the helicopter searchlights as much as he could.

After jumping across several rooftops, putting as much as 10 city blocks worth of distance between himself and Keller's office, he again transformed into his Squid-form and slid underneath some dumpsters, just as another incoming helicopter was passing by. He hid here and waited until its light searched this roof, and then moved on, leaving him alone.

Sighing in relief, he climbed right back out, transformed back into his Inkling form, and rolled his shoulder as he got right back to speed-walking down this rooftop. He wasn't in the clear yet, but he just had to keep staying out of sight and figure out his next move. If he could get back to his hideout, he would be in the clear then.

He barely even noticed as the sound of a distant super-jump blasted through the air, and a moment later, he was knocked off his feet as another Squid barreled into his back. He grunted as he fell down, and hurriedly turned to see who the hell this was.

The orange squid, after hurling into his back, rolled across the ground and swiftly turned back into her Inkling form, revealing his own sister: Jessica Murdock, with all of her Agent 3 gear ready for combat, and her cape swinging behind her. Coming to stop by grabbing the ground with one hand, raising a knee, and raising her Hero Shot in her right hand, she glared at Daniel through her goggles.

Daniel froze there… but only for a moment. After that one moment of shock passed, his violent, murderous instincts kicked in, and he gritted his teeth, growling angrily as he lunged forward. He swung his charger horizontally at her.

Jessica moved to easily dodge his first strike, then grabbed his charger to hold it to the side as he tried shooting her point-blank in the face. She kicked him to hold him off, although her melee attacks did little against all of his armor. Upon finding another opening, Daniel went for the exact same killing move, which Jessica again knocked off course, sending his high-pressure ink soaring through the air. She ducked her hand behind Daniel's, pulled hard, and yanked the charger from his grasp.

Screaming like an angry animal, Daniel dove at her, trying to punch her face and then tackle her, but Jessica was too quick, and countered all of his strikes with swift arm-swings. Grabbing his arm, she leapt into the air and locked her legs around Daniel's neck, using her own weight to throw them both down.

As they both collapsed, Jessica maintained her grip on Daniel's arm as she got up first and then delivered a round-house kick to his head, striking his mask hard enough to again knock him down.

Daniel hyperventilated there, both from exhaustion and pure rage.

Jessica stood over him. "Stay down."

Unable to think clearly, and fighting off all the voices in his head, Daniel stealthily pulled his knife from the hilt on his calf. With a warning scream, he got up and slashed at her, only for Jessica to again grab his arm, and punch his mask as hard as she could. He fell back against the brick wall, hitting the back of his head. Finally accepting defeat, he sat there, panting angrily.

As the two of them stood there in silence, Jessica hesitated before she reached her hand toward him.

"GET OFF!" He swatted her hand away before he pushed himself off the ground and onto his feet.

Jessica watched as Daniel marched toward the edge of the roof, where he angrily kicked the small wall here. "GRAHHHH!"

"Talk to me, Daniel." Jessica sighed as she watched his latest tantrum. "And take off that damn mask."

After a moments' hesitation, Daniel reached to pull it off, finally revealing the face of the brother that she once loved. "You just had to ruin it… You just had to ruin it all over again." He growled as he paced back and forth.

"Ruin what?" She shot back. "Executioner terrorism round 2? Do you know what kind of mess you've been creating?"

"I'm not a fucking terrorist!" He shouted, whining.

"Yeah, then what else would you describe yourself as?"

"A vigilante!" He looked at her, flinging his saliva through the air. "Like you! Someone who can do the ugly stuff that weaker people aren't capable of doing."

"So this is your idea of getting better? With that broken mind you have? After the last time we talked, where I tried for once to turn you back into a normal fucking Inkling being, you instead have to steal back that mask, put on all this armor, and turn right back to that life of violence that Ward converted you to? When the hell is this gonna end, Daniel?"

"There's something called Zodiac out there, and-"

"I should've just slammed you back into a prison cell the first chance I had. Whatever's going on out there, is my responsibility-"

"You don't own this life, Jessica!"

"The Splatoon was making progress with getting people's good faith back before you decided to continue this stupid charade of you-!"

"Because I'm TRYING!"

Jessica paused as they glared at each other. Breaking eye-contact, Daniel sank down and sat against the small wall, where he reached to wipe the sweat off of his face.

He sighed. "The last time we talked, I asked what it would take… to get everyone to forgive me. To put my past behind me. You said it wasn't going to happen. Because I had done too much." He was on the verge of tears. "So I'm trying. I'm trying to do good. By doing what you do… and have been doing so well, for seven years. Because you and the team gave me a glimpse of what that life could be like. Except… I haven't had support. I haven't had Cap'n Cuttlefish's training, or all of your fancy agent gear, because you all cut me out. So it's just been me." Some tears finally did come sliding down his cheeks. He reached toward his ear. "And these… voices. That won't shut up. But I'm trying. I'm trying to rise above them."

Jessica took off her goggles and knelt before him. She put her arm on her knee as she listened sincerely to all of his words.

Daniel glared at her. "I'm not going to let you stop me. Not again. You don't own me, you don't control me. This time, nobody is controlling me, and it's better that way. I don't care what you think about it." He pointed at her. "Just… Just let me have this."

"Daniel…" She spoke calmly. "Take it from me… turning to violence isn't your answer. It's necessary in this line of work, I have to agree, but it doesn't heal you. It took me way too long to realize myself, but if you don't have something else to hold onto… it will eat you up. And I know how that feels, Daniel, it was the darkest point I ever felt in my life. And I had to rise above that. I found a balance. And now… for once, I'm finally happy. But the path you're on isn't going to give that to you."

Daniel stared ahead at her. "So, what, you just… expect me to sit by? Or rot, in a prison cell with the demons for the rest of my life?"

"I told you I would visit you. I wanted to try being closer. But you're the one who shut me out this time. I don't want you to rot… but I don't know if I can allow this to continue, either. Not with everything that's going on."

Daniel didn't respond, staring at her.

Jessica looked down, thinking. "…What is Zodiac?"

He shook his head. "I don't know exactly. It's… some kind of bio-weapon. Everyone has been looking for it."

"Is it what poisoned Richter? And the Syndicate?"

"I… I think so, maybe."

"Because if it is… the officials are stumped. It's undetectable and untraceable." She got closer. "Agent 3 is needed right now, and I can't have you screwing things up. Tell me everything you know, Daniel. And I'll shut it down. And for you, you'll… you'll get what you want. To be better."

Daniel stared at her. The voices and the buzzing he always heard in his ears were on full attack, but… Jessica's voice was also getting through to her. He couldn't detect any kind of aggression in her voice.

"Please." Jessica insisted.

Daniel hesitated another moment… and then opened his mouth to tell her everything he knew.

Keller's Office

Keller was standing by the large window that made up the back wall of his room, staring out at the city skyline, waiting anxiously for any news from KRAKEN about Daniel's whereabouts. His very career, position of power, and his life rested on this, now… and if things didn't start going his way, he was done. He nervously rubbed his hands against the insides of his pockets as he stared blankly outward at the many buildings.

When his desk phone finally rang, he immediately turned to pick up and answer. "Did you find the Executioner? Is he in custody?"

"Oh, don't be so hasty, darling." A venomous, female voice responded on the other end. "I can't have you screwing up all my fun. We have our own plans for him and his sister."

"...Who is this?"

"Just someone who heard you were looking for Zodiac."

Keller turned to his desk, hunching over it. "Do you have it? Do you know where it is?"

"As a matter of fact, babe… I do!" She giggled. "It's with me right now."

He gulped, starting to shake. "Let me make a deal with you-"

"Oh, patience, hooney." She could be heard vigorously licking her own lips. "It'll be coming to you. Aaaany moment now."

"...W-… What do you mean?"

"Let's see how long you can hold your breath. The timer starts…" A pause. "Now." The line then went dead.

"Hello? H-Hello?" He pulled the entire phone close to check the number that just called him. Just as he pressed the button to access his call history, he paused as he sensed a bizarre smell that was starting to fill his room. With wide eyes and shaky breath, he lowered his phone as he looked around, noticing a small amount of gas that was pouring in through the air vent by the ceiling.

As the smell continued to fill the halls and rooms, a moment later, he heard screaming down the hall.

"O-Oh god…" Trembling, Keller pulled his suit jacket toward his mouth to block his airways. However, he was a bit too late. He abruptly coughed into the fabric.

Jessica and Daniel were still on the rooftop several blocks away, discussing Zodiac, when Jessica, hearing something in her headset, abruptly turned from the conversation toward Keller's building. She stood up and walked to the opposite end of the rooftop for a better look toward the building itself. She put her goggles back on.

"What?" Daniel slowly pushed himself up and followed.

In real time, Jessica's UI was feeding her frantic emergency KRAKEN reports that were coming from Keller's office building. These reports described an unusual gas, and sudden panic that was breaking out throughout, including sudden fits of violence. Then, there was reports of unusual… green-skinned… Octolings? Jessica's hearts leapt as she recognized that description.

"What?" Daniel repeated.

"Time to go. Follow if you want." Without further explanation, she transformed into her Squid-form and blasted off toward Keller's building.

"Jessica!" He shouted after her. After only one moment of hesitation, he clenched his fist before he did the same, following suit.