Chapter 9: The Piranha League
Jessica didn't bother surrendering as she and Vanessa stared each other down in the hallway. Vanessa, in turn, didn't lower her weapon, or break eye contact. Both of them hardly blinked at all. In spite of the state Jessica had last seen her a couple years ago, in which Vanessa had lost her own knee by the hands of Daniel, she was still standing on both legs, as if she was never injured at all.
Jessica gave her a nod. "Been a while."
"Yeah, it really has been." Vanessa replied.
"Heard you were with Dana, being taken care of, and one day when she came back to check on you, you and all your things were just gone."
"Fair to say I had quite enough of Inkopolis."
She took slow steps forward. "Not one phone call since, not one peep, and now I find you in a foreign city at the end of a spook trail associated with piranhas. You wanna explain?"
"Hey, that's just another day in the life of Agent 3, right?"
"Lower your damn gun."
"You first." She backed up out of the hall as Jessica slowly approached her, only clenching down her grip on her weapon.
Regardless, as Jessica lunged her hands forward, the gun was yanked fairly easily from Vanessa's hand as Jessica ducked her hand under her wrist and pulled it from her. To Jessica's surprise, however, within that second, Vanessa was also able to snag her Hero Shot from her grip, and they swiftly aimed at each other with each other's guns. Jessica squinted at her, and swiftly reacted as Vanessa gritted her teeth and lunged the gun forward in an attempt to splat her; She pushed the gun to the side as Vanessa opened fire, and the standard ink flew to the side as Jessica wrestled with her, shoving her back. With a swat, the gun was then knocked from Vanessa's hand entirely, sliding across the floor.
Vanessa swung her fist at her, then her leg, only for Jessica to dodge and then block with ease. As Jessica responded with her own retaliatory punch to her hip, it was again to her surprise that Vanessa also dodged, briefly spun, and then grabbed her arm. Vanessa was actually putting up a fight, and actually had pretty swift reflexes, something she had absolutely never demonstrated before.
Yet, as Jessica kept wrestling with her, she still came out superior as she was able to kick off the wall and throw herself backward, using her weight to bring the both of them hurling into the stand by the couch. The stand fell over as they crashed over it, sending everything on top to the ground.
As they both sat up, Vanessa glanced over to see that the framed photograph of Dana and the orphaned kids, with the younger Jessica and Vanessa both on it, was now cracked on the ground, with the photograph itself that housed inside now creased. Vanessa again clenched her teeth. "You mothe-"
As she got on her knee and prepared to swing her fist, and Jessica did the same in defense, they both looked up as the window shattered, and a high-pressure ink-shot from Bridgett's charger struck the wall on the opposite side of the apartment, flying high above their heads. They both fell into silence as they looked toward the window, then back at each other. Vanessa huffed as she sat back on her butt.
Jessica huffed as well, shoving herself onto her feet. "'Excited to see me' my ass. You've still got some fucking anger issues you need to work out."
Although Vanessa was still glaring at her, she couldn't help but smirk. "Huh… that's rich, coming from you."
Rolling her eyes, Jessica reached her hand toward her, which Vanessa accepted. She pulled her onto her feet.
Vanessa brushed some of the broken glass from the photograph off of her clothes. "And it wasn't a lie… I have missed you. More than you might think."
"You haven't reached out in two years, Vanessa."
"Honestly, I didn't think you or anyone else in that god forsaken city would care to see me again." She reached down to pick the photograph up and assess the damage. She brushed it of as well, hesitating on her next words: "…I thought disappearing would just be better for everyone."
Jessica didn't respond to that, looking around the apartment. Vanessa had undoubtedly built a new life for herself, even if she still seemed to be living in this apartment alone.
Vanessa lifted the stand up, straightened it, and placed the photograph back where it belonged. She looked back at Jessica. "I still see you on the news quite a lot, though. A lot's changed, huh?"
"You're telling me." Jessica was still studying the apartment. There were self-help and mental health books stacked up on the coffee table in front of the couch, and even some recipe books.
"Heard your piece of shit brother is back out and has been making a big mess out of everything." Vanessa continued. "He's not here with you, is he?"
Jessica looked back at her. "I don't know where he is."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm serious. It's just me and Bridgett."
Vanessa was staring into her eyes. "…So you don't know anything about those rumors that it was the Splatoon that broke him out?"
Jessica stepped toward her with an honest gaze. Yet, she too hesitated. "The rumors are true." She admitted. "But it wasn't me. It's just… it was a really complicated situation, so maybe I'll explain more another time."
"He deserves to be dead, Jess. And I mean decapitated-and-tortured-like-Hugh-Ward-dead. People like him are the absolute scum of the Earth and you just let him go."
Jessica scoffed. "Then maybe you should be the one to explain to KRAKEN how he got out of our custody right before he tried to destroy the city."
Vanessa didn't respond.
Jessica walked toward the couch and plopped down with a sigh, where she leaned forward and rubbed her forehead. There was still a lot to unpack here and a lot to think over, which truly didn't help her stress levels. Also not helping was that she didn't know how much Vanessa knew about… recent events…
Vanessa, quite shaken by Jessica's last comment as well, looked down, straightened her shirt, and moved to sit on the perpendicular armchair. She stared at Jessica, thinking of ways to start the conversation over. "I'm… glad that things worked out for you. Before all this, I mean. And… maybe once you get this whole on-the-run-from-KRAKEN thing sorted out, you can tell Dana that she's been in my thoughts as well. Because I really have missed you both."
Jessica's hearts sank. She didn't know. Had the news not gotten out? She looked at her, fighting back tears.
"...What?" Vanessa asked.
Jessica desperately shook her head and looked away. "Nothing." She knew she would have to tell her at one point, but… not right now. She swiftly changed the subject. "The hell's going on, Vanessa? Where'd you learn to fight like that? And why have Bridgett and I been chasing piranha drawings all over Conch City with you at the end of the trail?"
"Because we called for you. And you answered."
"Who's we?"
"You'll see."
"And… you're even walking? How? I thought you lost your knee."
Vanessa nodded, and slowly pulled her pant-leg up. Jessica paused as she saw; Vanessa's torn-apart skin around her knee was clearly still damaged, with entire chunks of flesh missing, that partially exposed the prosthetic, metal ball inside that now substituted for her important lost joint. With a couple of leg-kicks, however, Vanessa demonstrated that her leg still moved perfectly fine, as if it were a normal knee.
Jessica looked back at Vanessa's eye-level, confused. "…How?" She asked again.
Vanessa lowered her pant-leg. "A lot's changed for both of us, I guess."
"You gonna be vague, or are you gonna answer my damn questions?"
Vanessa again hesitated before she stood up. "I'll explain… but not here. Maybe if Russell allows it, I'll even let your friend come with." She nodded toward the window where the shot had come from.
Jessica followed her gaze toward the window, confused.
Vanessa moved over to turn the hall lights off, then grabbed her keys from her pocket as she walked toward the front door. "You coming or what?"
Jessica stared at her before she stood up and followed.
Jessica's confusion remained even as Vanessa led her down the elevator, and out the lobby, where Bridgett and the dark-skinned Inkling, who was apparently named Russell, was waiting for them. Russell was dressed in dark, navy-like armor, but they were both unarmed, even if Bridgett seemed somewhat unsteady.
Jessica glanced at the two of them before she went up to her girlfriend. "Oh, Bridge." She took her in her arms.
"I'm ok." Bridgett showered her face with a few kisses before she returned the hug, leaning her head on her shoulder. "I'm ok."
Vanessa and Russell both stood to the side as they watched their embrace. That was, only for a moment, before Vanessa aggressively cleared her throat. "Let's go." They started walking.
The couple hesitantly broke off before they followed them, as Vanessa led them to her car. It was actually a nice, expensive-looking silver car, with perfectly clean windows and a nice, leathery smell that came from within as Vanessa unlocked it and got it opened.
Jessica blinked before she moved toward the car's opposite side, and tried opening the passenger seat. She was cut off, however, as Russell grabbed the car handle before she could.
"Shotgun." Russell replied snidely before he opened the door, almost striking her with it.
Jessica shot him a glare before she opened the backseat door instead, and got in with Bridgett.
It was a matter of minutes before they travelled right back to where Jessica and Bridgett had initially been led by those coordinates Russell had slipped them: The barricaded Church of Occius, with the painted Zodiac on the ground directly up front.
Jessica looked around as they approached the building. The previous group of kids who were playing soft ink battles had cleared out, but some of the suspicious adults had returned. This included the man with the cigarette, who was once again leaning against the church in the same position Jessica and Bridgett had last seen him in.
Russell approached this same man, and they made eye-contact. "We are lost and we seek help. We seek the Zodiac."
Jessica and Bridgett watched on as the man again flicked his cigarette to the ground, before he walked over to the nearby storm drain, which was itself blocked off by a drain lid. Pulling out a crowbar from underneath his coat, he reached it under and lifted the lid off, revealing the grate beneath.
As the man stepped aside, Russell turned to his Squid-form and dived in without hesitation. Vanessa walked up to it as well, before she turned to face Jessica. "After you." She waved her hand over it.
Jessica stared at her, not feeling any less uneasy about this whole thing. Regardless, she was brought back to the time when she was merely 14, and her curiosity had gotten the better of her, leading her to follow Cap'n Cuttlefish down that original storm drain… which of course, started the chain reaction that led to everything else in her life since. She sighed before she transformed and jumped in next.
She plopped into the sewers below, where Russell was already standing and waiting to hand them flashlights. As Bridgett and Vanessa followed, they switched them on, and walked down this pathway together.
"Nice spot down here, huh?" Vanessa remarked sarcastically. "Gotta love the smell, too."
"This is really what you've been up to for two years?" Jessica replied. "How'd you even find all this?"
"Let's just say for now that there's an… organization. Under the watchful eye of the Piranha. Who leads lost people… and people who seek repentance… and gives them an opportunity to find new purpose. To find God. It's not too easy to find your way to the Piranha, but… I think I've proven multiple times at this point I'm a damn good detective."
Jessica looked around the sewers in disbelief before she side-eyed her. "All this to say that you joined a cult."
She shot a look back at her. "Sticks and stones, Jessica. At least we're not worshiping a washed-up old war veteran who lures 14-year-olds like yourself."
"In here." Russell interrupted as he led them to the metal door that was situated in the wall, and pounded on it, in a specific rhythm.
There was a pause, then a click on the other side of the door before it opened.
Jessica and Bridgett watched on as Russell and Vanessa led them into the next halls here, with their ugly stone walls that were lit by luminescent lights. After a bit more walking in which they passed a few more rooms, they then walked into the large, central room that was well-lit by more lights and orange lanterns.
"Wait here." Russell told them as he walked to the side, breaking off from the group.
Jessica and Bridgett took the opportunity to look around. There were already plenty of people in here, whether they were Inklings, Octolings, or other races, and all of them seemed to be some kind of soldiers. They were engaged in all sorts of different kinds of ritualistic training, whether they were just practicing their ink weapons on the standard dummy balloons as if they were practicing for Turf War, or otherwise. They were doing fancy stretches, work-outs, and martial-arts practices, or more complicated, dangerous activities like sparring. These sparrers fought each other with dangerous, complicated fight moves, or even lethal weapons like swords, as they tried to kick each other out of the circles they stood in. Their instructors, mysterious individuals in full-body robes, were in attendance to all this training, whether they were spotting the trainers or overseeing these dangerous spars, and studying them closely.
Jessica and Bridgett stopped a moment to watch these people. Some of these trainees were handicapped, whether they were missing one or two of their limbs, or hell, in one person's case, both of his eyes. Yet, they were trained just as hard as the non-handicapped. Furthermore, she could see that most of these trainees had gnarled scars on their bodies, that seemed to be induced from a whip or other major injuries. Whenever one of these trainees got knocked down, or even stopped to take a moment to breathe, they were immediately shouted at and pushed back into action by their instructors.
Jessica looked back at Vanessa, concerned. "…You learned how to fight here?"
Vanessa looked her in the eye, but didn't respond.
Jessica just kept walking forward, toward where she saw yet another Piranha painting on the wall that overlooked the room. She stared up at it.
"We call ourselves the Piranha League." Vanessa told her. "And we train and fight from the shadows to make the world a better place. Sound familiar?"
Jessica looked down. Vanessa had definitely seemed dangerously envious of her own vigilante life the last time they were together… she should have figured Vanessa would have gotten herself mixed up in something shady like this after she left. She glanced back at Bridgett, who seemed just as concerned.
Vanessa took a step forward. "What, you're not impressed? Come on, say something."
Finally, Jessica turned her left shoulder to face her. "…This doesn't have anything to do with a bio-weapon called Zodiac that we've been dealing with, does it?"
"Perhaps the Piranha himself can explain that."
"Good timing." Russell said to them as he walked up to them, rejoining with them. "The Piranha wants to see you." He told Jessica, before he glanced at Bridgett as well. "With you in attendance, as well."
Jessica and Bridgett again shared a look. Bridgett silently shook her head, but Jessica remained just as determined to see what they were dealing with here. Ignoring Bridgett's advice, she turned to Russell. "Ok."
Russell nodded, and led them through the doorway on the right into the next, much darker room. Jessica, Bridgett, and Vanessa all followed as they headed into this place, where the door shut behind them. They stepped onto the red carpet, which was completely surrounded on all sides by candles. They followed it down, all the way toward the figure who sat on the floor by the center of the wall at the carpet's opposite end, in the far-end of the room. Other fully-robed figures stood by each of the walls, standing perfectly still with their arms together.
There were two Zodiac wheels painted in the room, both with that same, large Piranha image painted in their centers; One on the floor, and one on the wall behind this figure. The one on the floor had several candles placed in a circle around it, one for each symbol.
This hunched figure who sat on the floor wasn't an actual Piranha like his name suggested, but rather a Sea Urchin. He had skinny arms that draped over his knees, and his long, red, hooded robe that covered most of his body and only partially revealed his face, just like the large spikes that protruded from his head. He raised his head a couple inches as his guests stopped before him.
"Jessica Abbygail Murdock…" He spoke with a slow, calm, yet nasally voice. "Famed Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon."
Jessica didn't respond as she stared him down.
"Step within the circle." He held his arm out toward the lit Zodiac on the floor. "Alone."
Jessica gave one more glance at Bridgett and Vanessa before she obeyed, stepping over the candles and onto the center of the Zodiac symbol.
"I've spent quite some time studying you." The Piranha continued. "You're certainly among the more fascinating creatures out there in Inkadia. With many impressive feats… this is why I had you called here. Especially because now, we have a mutual problem."
"Mutual problem as in Ayesha and her Zodiac bio-weapon?" Jessica asked.
"Precisely."
She glanced down at the Zodiac under her feet. "Did… they come from here?"
He held his hand up toward the symbol on the wall behind him. "We worship the Piranha, but one symbol in the larger Zodiac wheel. Of course there are other parties out there with similar, yet different beliefs from ours. The origins of such a bio-weapon is something we're actively investigating… and with it, your enemy."
"If we're both in the dark, then maybe we're no use for each other, and are better off going our separate ways. I'm wasting time here, with a lost brother out there among other problems."
"You should be so kind to not be hasty with me. Such an airborne yet deadly virus and sanitized Octolings you cannot merely kill are not a task you will be able to take on by yourself."
"A virus? You do know about it, don't you?"
"We know about Zodiac and the Octolings who cheated death that now wield it. Yes. The question I have for you, however is… what are you willing to do to stop them?"
Jessica took a step forward, squinting at him. It didn't take much of a thought process at all: She, in a way, had started this. She had to end it in turn. "Whatever the hell it takes."
The slightest smile appeared on the Piranha's face. "Then… I believe you'll be a useful member to our league. If you choose to accept the invitation."
Jessica paused there. On the other hand, she didn't really like what she had seen so far with this so-called League… nor did she have any real reason to trust them. She slowly glanced back at Bridgett, who returned with that same uncertain, nervous gaze she had before. She then looked back down at the Zodiac symbol on the ground.
"Do you accept the invitation?" The Piranha pressured after another moment.
Jessica, deep down, remained unsure to some extent, but as an idea formed in her head, she figured this may have been the right action for the time being. This may have been her best opportunity to get answers. Turning back to the Piranha, she nodded.
Again, the Piranha smiled. "The Piranha League welcomes you." He put his fingers on his chin as he lowered his head, thinking. "Given your reputation, I don't truly see a need to put you through our training rituals… but, you'll still have to prove yourself before we can initiate you." After one more pause, he rose his hand into the air, and snapped his fingers.
Jessica looked around as, from different entrances into the room, several armed Inkling soldiers, dressed in dark armor similarly to Russell, ran toward her and then surrounded her, standing directly outside her circle she stood on. They aimed their Splattershots at her, which thankfully seemed to be loaded with standard ink rather than high-pressure.
"Prove your skill, Jessica Murdock." The Piranha nodded. "Defend yourself without getting splatted, or stepping outside the candles that surround you, until all of your enemies have been downed."
Jessica looked around at the soldiers that surrounded her. Her right hand slowly lowered toward the Hero Shot that was hidden in her pants, and dangled her fingers, ready to yank it out at a second's notice. She and her challengers eyed each other up like they were in the wild west.
Bridgett watched with great anxiety, while Vanessa watched with a more casual, yet somewhat uneasy silence.
After a painful moment… the Piranha finally nodded. "Begin."
Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Jessica whipped out her gun, aimed with a slight tilt, and opened fire, immediately splatting the first soldier in her line of sight. As everyone opened fire on her at the same time, she transformed into her Squid-form to dodge, twirling across the floor, before swiftly transforming back, aiming, and splatting her next target before she repeated the process. She only took a few mild hits of ink and barely even broke a sweat; Playing around and shooting Turf War-level ink like this was practically like child's play, and was as natural to her as breathing.
Yet, as she easily took down this first wave, things got more dangerous; The next wave of soldiers that came in aimed their own weapons, that this time indeed appeared to be the lethal, high-pressure kind of ink. Jessica paused as she looked around at everyone.
Seeing this, Bridgett immediately stepped forward. "Jes-!"
Russell grabbed her arm to hold her back. As she looked at him, he gave her a threatening shake of the head.
"Again." The Piranha announced.
Jessica took things a bit slower this time as these next soldiers opened fire upon her, putting in extra caution to not get shot. Yet, repeating the same tactic as last time, she was able to twirl around her given territory fairly easily, and then splat these soldiers one-by-one, until again, she was the only one in the match left standing. As she paused to take a breath, getting back onto her feet, she looked around. It still felt like they were going a bit too easy on her, actually… like despite their high-pressure weapons, they hadn't actually tried to kill her.
The Piranha seemed to agree; It was too easy for her so far. With a smirk and another hand-raise, he again snapped his fingers.
Jessica again looked around as an intense, vacuum-like wind blew threw the room, blowing out all of the candles and slamming them into darkness. In turn, in each of the four corners of the room, four of these robed figures that stood watch turned to re-light one candle each, giving the room minimal light. Vanessa looked around in confusion.
Stepping in from the darkness, with inaudible footsteps, were three barely-visible Inkling ninjas in black, full-body cloaks, with one in front of her, and two behind. They each pulled out their swords with loud shings, revealing their red-hot blades that had been doused in flame. They each held them outward with threatening swings. Bridgett covered her mouth as she saw this, and even Vanessa's jaw dropped somewhat.
"Unhand your weapon." The Piranha demanded.
Jessica stood up straight, panting. After a pause, she dropped her Hero Shot to the ground, and in turn, the ninjas each posed, holding their swords near their heads, just barely illuminating themselves.
"Again." The Piranha announced.
The first ninja rushed forward, and swung at Jessica.
The rest watched on, barely able to see what was happening; They only really caught glimpses of the action that the red-hot blade illuminated, as Jessica fought the first ninja in intense, life-or-death melee combat. Bridgett jumped as they heard Jessica's scream, and then, watched alongside Vanessa with great anxiety as the action seemed to calm.
Holding up their swords, the next two ninjas ran forward, again swinging their weapons. Bridgett intensely squeezed her palm against her mouth as she heard Jessica scream out yet again, and then a gagging sound as ink splattered across the floor. Then, a body finally hit the ground with a thud. Bridgett's breath grew shaky, and even Vanessa anxiously rubbed her hands together as she watched.
Finally, the luminescent lights on the ceiling turned on with loud thuds to reveal the aftermath. The three ninjas laid dead on the ground, while Jessica was hunched forward on her knee in the center of the circle, holding one of the ninja's swords in her right hand and one of her fresh burn-marked on her hip in her left. Panting heavily, she looked across the room at Bridgett and Vanessa.
Bridgett let go of her mouth, letting out a dramatic sigh in relief. Vanessa, while trying to play it cool, let out her own quieter relieved sighed.
"Mm." The Piranha smirked. "Your great lethality pleases me, Jessica Murdock."
Jessica grunted as she pushed herself back up onto both feet, dropping the sword. She glanced down at the dead bodies by her feet.
The Piranha suddenly stood up as well, putting his hands together. "There is but one more part of our initiation. Something special, that we've saved for someone like you."
With slow, pained steps, Jessica turned to face him, still holding her burn. "Something more special than ninjas?"
With another hand-raise by the Piranha, two more soldiers came into the room, carrying an Inkling figure with a bag over his head. Jessica watched as they carried him in front of the circle, and shoved him down onto his knees just between her and the Piranha.
"The Piranha League apprehended this Inkling right here in Conch City." The Piranha explained. "He started a fire that killed his own parents, three civilians, and one police officer. All while showing no remorse." He again snapped his fingers.
The soldiers ripped the bag off of the Inkling's head, revealing… a teenager. A simple Inkling boy, no older than 14, clearly just going through early puberty. Furthermore… his hair was blue, and done up in a single top-knot, just like… Daniel… A lump formed in Jessica's throat as she and this Inkling made eye-contact; The Inkling glared daggers into Jessica's eyes, his face riddled with pure fury, murderous rage, and… fear. Seeing this same thing, Vanessa closed her eyes and looked away.
Jessica gulped as she took a step back. "What… the hell is this?"
"The final part of your initiation." The Piranha repeated. "Take the burning sword of the Piranha you have at your feet and strike down this Inkling to prove your undying loyalty to our cause. Just as you have many times before."
Jessica began to sweat as she stared ahead at this Inkling. He wasn't an exact look-alike of Daniel, but… that hair… it was like they purposefully set it up this way, in a way they knew would get her to tick. She again gulped.
"Well?" The Piranha continued. "You see your brother in this child, yes?"
Jessica just stared ahead, thinking rapidly. She let out the slightest nod.
"Then… prove your desire. Prove your unbreakable morality, no matter of what 'normal people' may think."
A few painful moments followed, before… she knelt down to pick up the sword.
"No, don't do it." Bridgett mouthed, again covering her mouth.
Jessica eyed the sword, then looked back at the Inkling. The Inkling started to hyperventilate with a whimper, looking away as tears swam down his cheeks. With another gulp, Jessica held the sword up with both hands and walked forward.
Outside of his crying, the room was dead silent, and all eyes were on Jessica as she stood there with the sword, ready to strike. Jessica briefly closed her eyes and let out a sharp exhale, before she again opened them. With a scream, she held the sword up and instead lunged at the soldiers that held this boy.
She was halted in her tracks as, all around the room, more soldiers ran up and pointed their high-pressure weapons at her, surrounding her. She looked around.
"Stop." The Piranha held his hand up, silencing everyone. Everyone lowered their weapons, except for Jessica, who remained on alert as she looked around.
The Piranha put his hands together. "Your initiation is complete. Welcome to the Piranha League… Jessica Murdock."
Jessica lowered her sword as, all around the room, these soldiers took a bow before her, and placed their fists over their hearts. She dropped the sword to the ground with a clang, as the two soldiers that held the boy got him on his feet and dragged him back out of the room.
As everyone in the room eased up, Bridgett and Vanessa immediately walked over, where Bridgett walked to Jessica's side and put her hands on her shoulder and her hip. "How bad is it?"
"It's just a burn." Jessica hissed in pain.
She looked back at Vanessa. "We have stuff here to treat this, right?"
"You're welcome to all medical supplies and medicines we have." The Piranha continued. "Take your time. And, in a short while, Jessica Murdock… you will be called back so that we can discuss our mission further."
"...Thanks." Jessica replied with an insincere tone before she turned to walk out, doing so with a visible limp. Bridgett put her arm around her as she helped her walk straight.
Vanessa glanced at the Piranha one last time before she and Russell turned to follow them out as well. As they left the room, the Piranha sat down in his previous position.
"Why would you join them so quickly?" Bridgett asked Jessica as they walked back into the hall.
Jessica glanced back at her. "Gotta play the long game, right?"
Bridgett didn't respond as she looked back ahead, as they went to find a place to get her patched up.
As Vanessa and Russell walked behind them, Vanessa faced her partner, speaking with a quiet-enough tone that Jessica and Bridgett couldn't hear. "What about Bridgett?"
"The Piranha deemed her too enigmatic." Russell replied. "There's simply not enough information on her or her past to even begin earning his trust. He didn't even humor the idea."
"And…" She hesitated. "Jessica's brother?"
"He's of interest, but right now, his location's unknown."
"Hm." She stared ahead at Jessica as they walked. "Well, let's hope he's dead in a ditch somewhere, then. Or worse."
?
Daniel's eyes shot open again as a harsh light shined down directly on his face. He tried to raise his arm to block the light, but was unable to move his limbs, for whatever reason that was. He could barely even groan as he tried shifting his head to the side. A harsh beeping sound grated at his ear, accompanied by… opera music?
He couldn't tell what was real. The last thing he could remember was that Ayesha, if that was even really Ayesha, blasted that Zodiac gas in his face, and he had proceeded to experience some of the most terrifying hallucinations and feel the most adrenaline he had ever felt in his life before he blacked out. In fact, he could still feel that same adrenaline, that same pressure like his hearts were about to pop from his chest.
He glanced ahead as these Octoling doctors above him, with their gowns and masks on, stood over him and got their surgical tools ready.
"We're ready to proceed, Doctor Finch." A female voice could be heard from one of these doctors.
"Good." Doctor Finch replied.
Hearing his words, Daniel tried his absolute damndest to move and break free, but still found himself unable to. All he could do was stare on in terror.
The opera music echoed through his ears as Doctor Finch stared down at him, holding up a syringe. "For what it's worth, it's nice to see you again… Daniel." He flicked it and looked it over. "Now… shall we begin?"
Hey, so has anyone been wondering what Agent 4 and the rest of the Splatoon has been up to during all these events? ...No? ...*ahem* Well, anyway, as I previously announced when I finished NSS:A, I'm working on a second major story that will be centered around my Agent 4 himself, called Operation 4, and it will be acting as a so-called sister story to the one you've been reading. It will be taking place at the same time as these events, and will be further delving into the gang wars and conspiracies that are happening back in Inkopolis while Jessica and Bridgett are out on their newest adventure. These two stories don't have to be read together, but if you do read them both, they will both assemble more puzzle pieces in a larger picture, all while telling their own stories, so, I'd love for you to check out both. I'll be publishing the first chapter next, and am planning on juggling the two stories from this point on, with a chapter for this, then a chapter for that, then back around again until both are finished. Keep an eye out. In the meantime, as always, see you next chapter! *waves*