Chapter 14: A Rift Forms

"The crack appears."

After the operation in Slimeskin Garrison, Team Hardbeak escaped the premises with the zapfish in tow. Surprisingly, they did so without much trouble, as not only did Pacifica and her squadron distract the main force of enemies long enough, they also suffered zero casualties. Sal figured the reason was simply because she and the others now knew fighting head-on was pointless.

Whatever the case, he couldn't deny—when it came to fieldwork, Pacifica was good at what she does. Though, he'd still prefer to work parallel to the lieutenant rather than directly with her.

Team Hardbeak and Pacifica's squad regrouped a good distance away from Slimeskin Garrison. Once Sal showed them the zapfish, the mission was considered a success.

They all trekked through Octo Canyon to Tentakeel Outpost together. Of course, Pacifica and her team took the lead while Sal and the others hung in the back.

"Two octoweapons," Samuel said, grinning from ear to ear. "We took down not one, but two octoweapons!"

Cal shot at him with finger guns, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. "I told ya we could do it, didn't I?"

Samantha walked up beside Cal, sporting a small smile. "You'd-a think by now we'd learn to stop doubtin' you."

Well, at least some people were happy about the mission's outcome. Sal most certainly wasn't. He'd keep to himself, trailing a small distance behind the three while staring out at the canyon.

The sun was setting, bathing the horizon with an orange glow. He would've said the scenery was beautiful were it not for the other thoughts running rampant in his mind.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Sal jumped, whipping his head to the sudden voice at his side. His hearts quickly calmed when he realized it was just Cal. "Cod damn. There was no need to sneak up on me like that."

"Wasn't trying to." Cal crossed both arms over the back of his head. "Didn't answer my question, by the way."

"Because the answer is nothing."

"Pretty sure if that was true, your attention wouldn't have been elsewhere." He chuckled.

Cal could see right through Sal, as usual. The younger brother exhaled an exhausted sigh. "I don't understand how you, Sam, and Sammy can be so hyped."

"What's there not to be hyped about? We beat another great octoweapon and sent Marinus's second-in-command runnin'."

"Yeah, for now. But what about next time?"

"Oh, quit bein' such a wuss. We did it twice now. We can do it again."

"I'm serious, Cal." Sal scowled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Between those robot octolings and Kuda, we're dealing with something out of our element here. And that Octobull... Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"Yeah. The Octostalker."

"No, seriously. That thing looked nothing like an octarian machine, let alone a bull shark. And what about what Marina said?"

"Remind me again what she said?"

"She said the Octostalker was the most offensive of her two octoweapons, and clearly, that Octobull was on a whole other level of offense. Either she's lying, or Oct. Co Facilities is building their own great octoweapons."

Cal dropped his arms to his sides, shrugging. "So what if they are?"

"Obviously, that's not a good thing! Oct. Co Facilities has no reason to build them. So why on Earth would Urus be making his own?"

"To help Marinus, I guess. Shell if I know! It's not like we can just ask the guy."

"But we can make Marinus show us where he is. Instead, we're here playing agent with Sam and Sammy!"

"Come on, Sal. You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Because it is!" Sal snapped back, almost snarling at Cal. He kept his voice low, not wanting everyone ahead to hear. "We're wasting time. Does that not matter to you? We should march right up to Urus and throttle him until he spills everything he knows!"

"And we will," Cal said calmly, raising a hand and gesturing for Sal to simmer down. "I promise. We will. This is as important to me as much as it is to you. But we only got this far because we're playing agents. We just have to keep it up a little longer." Sal frowned, holding back words he so desperately wanted to shout. "Just a little longer. Okay?"

Sal faced forward, unable to stand looking at Cal. For someone who was so bold and reckless in everything else, he seemed the most hesitant with their main goal, which was precisely why Sal couldn't bring himself to believe Cal meant what he said, even if deep down, he knew it was true.

For now, he kept his mouth shut and his eyes forward, doing all he could to keep from popping an ink vessel. It was going to be a long walk back to Tentakeel Outpost...

"Well," Octavio said, staring at Pacifica, who held the zapfish. "Yet another zapfish has been retrieved." He clapped his tentacles together, his applause directed towards Team Hardbeak. "We haven't made this much progress in months." For once, Octavio sounded genuinely happy.

"Told you I knew how to pick 'em," Callie boasted, getting in front of Sal and the rest of the team. "And guess what? That's not the only thing you've accomplished." She smiled widely.

"It isn't?" Samuel questioned, followed by a confused glare from Sal.

"Suction-Cup Lookout," Octavio started, "Beaker's Depot and Slimeskin Garrison. You've hit every major outpost under Marinus's control and retrieved a single zapfish from each."

"Which means?" Sal said, subtly urging Octavio to get on with his point.

"The fool's gotten scared." Octavio looked elsewhere. "During your little operation at Slimeskin Garrison, my forces reported his drones transporting everything they have to the heart of the canyon: Cephalon HQ. He's hunkering down."

"Well, that's a good thing. Isn't it?" Cal replied.

Callie rubbed the back of her head. "Yes and no." She awkwardly chuckled.

Before Sal could ask what that meant, Octavio continued. "We've detected a massive energy signature deep within Cephalon HQ. It's unlike any other we've seen thus far."

"It's the great zapfish?!" Samuel blurted, followed by Octavio shaking his head.

"Unlikely. The idiot more than likely hoarded the remaining zapfish all in one room. Good news for us. At least, it would've been. But he recalled the rest of his forces as well. Now, that place is beyond heavily guarded."

Cal crossed his arms. "Sounds like a job for—"

"You're not going in splatlings-a-blazing this time." Octavio interrupted. "This will probably be the last chance we have at retrieving the remaining zapfish. Stealth is of the utmost importance here."

Cal's shoulders slumped, emphasizing his disappointment. Samuel spoke up. "But if all of their drones are guarding the HQ, how do you expect us to even sneak in?"

"Cephalon HQ has a secret entrance. One not even Marinus or Kuda know about. You, along with Lieutenant Sepia, will sneak in."

"What?" Sal said aloud, unable to hide the bitter tone in his voice. "Why does the lieutenant have to come with us?"

"Because the secret entrance is a labyrinth, and we don't have a map detailing its passages. Not anymore. So unless you'd like to get lost, she's your best bet." Octavio quietly eyed Sal. "Will that be an issue?"

As much as he wanted to say yes, Sal wasn't exactly keen on getting lost in a maze and dying a slow death. He glanced in Pacifica's direction, seeing her giving him a look full of contempt. "Not at all." He said slowly, crossing his arms before looking back at Octavio.

"Good. Once Lieutenant Sepia guides you through the labyrinth, the five of you will sneak through the HQ and steal back all the zapfish."

"Wait, what about Marinus?"

Octavio raised a brow. "What about him?"

"He'll be at the HQ, won't he? Aren't we gonna get the drop on him while we're there?"

"What part of heavily guarded did you not understand?" Octavio sighed. "Even if you have the element of surprise, with all his drones present, you won't be getting even a yard near him. Not without being noticed, anyway."

"So what? We're just gonna coast by and let Marinus off the hook?!" Sal raised his voice a little, unable to hide his frustration in letting Marinus slip away, even though they'd be in the same building.

"I know it's frustrating," Callie started, "but right now, we need to prioritize retrieving the rest of the zapfish! Afterward, we'll think of how to bring Marinus down. Without any power, he won't be much of a problem." Although she explained in a way he understood, Sal still couldn't accept that was really the plan.

Before Sal could voice his issues, Cal wrapped a shoulder around him, taking the spotlight. "Steal back the zapfish without making a scene? Sounds like a piece of crab cake." He smirked.

Octavio grunted. "If you understand the assignment, then freshen yourselves up. Meet with the lieutenant when you're ready to leave."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Octavio."

Octavio's eyes curled in anger. "It's DJ—Oh, forget it!" Octavio piloted his mech elsewhere; Callie followed after him while Pacifica marched off somewhere else.

Cal unwrapped his arm from Sal. "Well, that went well. Let's get geared up!" He said with a cheeky smile, but Sal didn't respond. He stared straight ahead, not paying his brother any mind. That alone wiped Cal's grin right off his face. "Sal?"

Still, he refused to respond. Even the Sam twins looked a little perturbed at his sudden silence.

The only reason Sal stayed quiet was because he had nothing nice to say. Not right now. He felt as though he'd blow a fuse if he didn't do anything about the anger that swelled up within.

Luckily, Marina stepped up to the group, giving him something else to focus on.

"Before you guys go, I want you to take this." She handed Sal a strange-looking device. It looked like an antenna rod.

"This is...?" Sal questioned, hesitantly taking it.

"Something to help fight back." She answered with a smile. "I don't know how we never realized Marinus's soldiers were machines, but that explains why Octavio and his forces were having so much trouble with them." Marina pointed to the antenna. "Just point that at a drone and press the button on the side. It should shut them down. You'll have to be within a certain range, though."

"You built something like this just to combat them?" Sal said, both surprised and amazed. It had literally only been a few hours since they discovered the enemy octolings were machines. "How?"

"Oh, well, y'know, after you guys mentioned you used the zapfish to short-circuit them, I figured I could make something to achieve that same effect."

I honestly didn't think you were listening that intently to the conversation. Sal thought, but kept it to himself.

Suddenly, Samuel slid in. "Oh wow. That'll be handy. Got any more?"

Marina sheepishly shook her head. "S-Sorry. I only had enough time to make one. But I should have more by the time you guys come back from your stealth mission!"

"O-Oh. No worries then." Samuel laughed awkwardly before backing up.

Marina focused her attention back on Sal. "Oh, just a heads up, but I don't think it'll work on any great octoweapons since they use a zapfish as their power source."

Sal figured as much, but her mentioning a great octoweapon reminded him of a question he wanted to ask her. "Speaking of, you said you only ever designed two octoweapons, right?"

"That's correct."

"Was the Octobull the other one?"

Marina froze, then tilted her head. "The octo-what?"

"I'll take that as a no." Sal sighed. "I guess drones aren't the only thing Oct. Co Facilities is building for Marinus."

Marina's eyes widened. "Wait, you guys fought another great octoweapon?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't one of yours."

Cal butted in. "Don't worry, we handled it!"

Marina stared at the two for a long moment before sighing in relief. "Well, at least you guys are okay. Still, what would a robotics company need to build great octoweapons for?"

"That's something I'd also like answered." Sal huffed. Then, another thought crossed his mind. "Actually, why did you make those designs, anyway?"

A robotics company making great octoweapons was one thing, especially since Urus was the CEO of said company. But Marina? Even if she didn't actually build them, why would she ever need to design them?

"That's..." She turned away, staring off in the direction Octavio went.

"They were for Octavio?" Cal blurted, catching Marina off guard. Sal thought the guess was completely off the mark until Marina's surprised expression softened.

"They were." She confirmed in a hushed tone.

Now Sal was caught off guard. "Why would you design those for him? I thought you hated each other."

Marina shook her head. "No. I don't hate him."

Sal paused. "Why does he hate you?"

She exhaled slowly. "...I served under him a long time ago. Used to be one of his best, too. But then I left."

"What? Why'd you go and do that?"

"Because I wanted a better life." She exclaimed, looking down at Sal. "Do you know what it's like living in an underground dome? Watching as the infrastructure collapses all around you in real-time—always knowing the power could go out at any given moment? Do you?"

Sal was once again caught off guard by the emotion in her tone and the slightly angered expression on her face. The whole team was. Nobody knew how to respond.

"I was scared..." Marina continued, having calmed down. "There was only so much I could do to improve things. I thought maybe if we tried hard enough, everything would get better eventually. But then I had my eyes opened. So, when I saw the opportunity, I... left." She admitted, guilt heavy in her voice.

"I don't regret what I did. But I do feel bad about it. Especially after learning others followed my example... I never meant to make things worse for Octavio. I know he did everything he could. Even when we were at odds with the Splatoon, he only did what he thought was best for us." Marina hugged herself, making Sal feel bad that he even questioned her in the first place.

"S-Sorry."

She shook her head. "You didn't know. Besides, what's done is done." She stopped hugging herself after taking a few deep breaths, turning to look over at the canyon. "I made those designs with the intent to present them to Octavio. I thought they could serve as a personal apology from me to him."

"How come that never happened?"

"Because I realized his goal was to make amends, and giving him weapons of mass destruction wouldn't exactly help with that. Plus, I didn't think the apology would be genuine if the idea was from Marinus rather than me."

"Hold on, hold on. You mean it was Marinus's idea to design those octoweapons?"

Marina nodded, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Wow. I didn't think you and Marinus were close." Samantha muttered, causing Marina to turn back and face them.

"Marinus wasn't always like this. He used to be sweet and extremely helpful." She smiled softly. "He was clumsy, too. Oh, so clumsy. One time, he helped give a deep clean to my work area, but ended up making a bigger mess 'cause he kept slipping on the wet floor!" She laughed at the fond memory, only for her to stop and suddenly frown.

"Then he started acting strange. Meaner, even. Especially to..." She stopped herself, quickly shaking her head. "A-Anyway, he ended up disappearing. I don't know why he left or where he went, but by the time I found him, he was calling the shots here." Marina looked back at the canyon, this time staring in the direction of what Sal assumed was Cephalon HQ, as he could see it in the distance.

"Even if Callie didn't contact me, I probably would've come to help out anyway. Octavio might not appreciate me showing up unannounced after all these years, but if anyone knows Marinus, it's me. He needs the help... Honestly, we all do."

Suddenly, Cal came up beside Marina, patting her shoulder. "That's why we're here!"

"Yeah." Samuel agreed with a smile. "I don't know how things got so messed up between you and Marinus, but maybe we could smooth things out between you two."

Marina looked a bit shocked at the suggestion. "You'd do that?"

Samuel nodded, adding a thumbs up. "We might not know the guy, but you seem to still care a lot about 'em. If we can help it, we'll try not to splat him."

"Besides," Sal said, "I need to ask him a few questions myself. Can't do that if he's dead."

Suddenly, Marina lunged at Sal and Samuel, surprising them both. Before either could react, she grabbed and pulled them into a tight hug. "Thank you." She whimpered, sounding like she was about to cry.

Samuel froze up, whereas Sal slowly patted her on the back. "R-Right." He said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

Finally, Marina pulled herself off of them. "S-Sorry, sorry. It's just... that means so much to me." She wiped her eyes a few times. "Okay. I'll leave you guys alone now. Good luck on your mission!" She waved while walking away.

Sal was a bit awe-struck by the sudden hug from the idol. So much so, it took him a minute to realize Cal had been uncharacteristically silent the whole time.

He turned, seeing Cal staring at Marina with a hand on his chin. Before Sal could ask, he spoke. "You think if I ask, she'll give me a hug too?"

Sal's face immediately fell into an unamused expression. "Cal, shut up."