Chapter 15: A Rift Expands

"The crack grows."

Some time had passed before the agents enacted their plan.

After searching through some dense vegetation, they ended up finding the secret entrance to Cephalon HQ. Finding it was, by far, the easiest part.

As much as Sal disliked Pacifica, he was thankful Octavio assigned her as Team Hardbeak's guide through the maze that encompassed the secret entrance. Unlike Cal, she knew her way around the tunnels and halls, even without the aid of a map. Without her, they would've no doubt gotten lost.

Within minutes, they were in.

The group wasted no time prowling around the facility. Like Octavio warned, the place was crawling with guards.

The soldiers patrolling the halls were different from the ones they'd usually come across. For one, they wore slightly different sets of armor. For two, their 'skin' wasn't as seamless as before. Sal could clearly see the bolts and mechanical joints that made up each machine.

Guess they're not trying to hide it anymore. Sal thought, creeping after Pacifica with Cal right beside him and the twins trailing them from behind.

Since this mission was stealth only, Cal left his dual Hydra Splatlings back at Tentakeel Outpost. All they'd do here is slow him down. In exchange, he got to wield the weapon Marina built for them. What's more, it worked like a charm.

For the few enemies they had to incapacitate, all Cal had to do was point and click. The end of the antenna would glow a dim yellow, and seconds later, the robot he pointed it at would collapse, becoming unresponsive.

Sal was already scratching his head at how Marina could build something like that under such short notice. But for it to also work like a dream without any testing? He could see how she was the best in Octavio's army. Even now, it seemed her skills remained unmatched.

"This thing is beyond fresh." Cal complimented after shutting down yet another drone.

"Try not to enjoy it too much," Samuel warned. "At this rate, you'll leave behind a trail of deactivated bots."

Pacifica clicked her tongue, her expression unamused. In her hands was the device used to detect the electrical energy signature of zapfish. "All the more reason we need to pick up the pace." She darted across the hall, forcing everyone to keep up lest they wanted to be left behind. "Those drones could discover one of their deactivated brethren at any given moment."

Sal furrowed his eyebrows at the tone she took with them. It almost felt as though she was complaining about their speed, even though she was the one leading them. "You do understand the pace we're moving at is the one you set, right?" He couldn't help but have a little sass in his tone, probably seeping in from the irritation Pacifica's voice gave him.

Pacifica looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at Sal. "Your competence may have increased slightly, agent. But remember, I am still your commanding officer."

"Then act like it."

Pacifica stopped dead in her tracks, turning around to face Sal. "Excuse me?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me." He stepped forward, now being a few feet away from Pacifica. "You've been acting like a thorn in our side ever since we got here, rather than a superior. And for what? Maybe you always wake up on the wrong side of bed. Or maybe you've got somethin' stuck up your tentacles. Whatever the case, keep it to yourself because nobody cares."

Pacifica's face scrunched up in what had to be anger. "You—"

Sal immediately cut her off. "We're all here to do a job, aren't we? And right now, you're holding us up. Y'know what? You've done your part already, so take a back seat and let us handle the rest."

Before Pacifica could respond, he snatched the energy-reading device out of her hands, then shoved her to the side like a child, continuing onward.

The audacity of his actions shocked the whole group, Pacifica especially. He could hear her growl behind him, followed by some light shuffling sounds. Even if she was about to do something, he didn't bother to turn around.

"Wow, I am so sorry about that one, lieutenant," Cal said awkwardly, standing in front of Pacifica. "Lemme just talk to him real quick." He murmured before rushing to Sal's side.

"Sal!" Sal ignored him, keeping his eyes pinned to the device. Instead of waiting for a response, Cal continued. "Sal, what's the matter with you, man?"

"Nothing." He responded blankly, turning around a corner.

"Nothing? That didn't look like nothing to me."

"It really was nothing, Cal. I just don't want to waste any more time." He turned another corner, exiting the halls and entering an enormous room.

The room looked similar to the many other arena-esque rooms they'd encountered. However, there was one key difference—the room was vacant. There was no dormant great octoweapon, there were crates harboring the Oct. Co Facilities logo, and there were no soldiers in sight. The place was completely barren. More interestingly, the ceiling was obscured by a gaping abyss that stretched upwards for miles.

"Oh, come on, Sal. There's no need to be so hostile." Sal couldn't help but roll his eyes and scoff at Cal's comment. "Would you just relax a little?"

"Relax?" Sal spun around, now facing the rest of the group. "You want me to relax?"

Although confused, Cal stupidly nodded his head. "Well, yeah. You're actin' real tense and takin' it out on others."

"That's because I am tense, Cal! We've been running all around this canyon doing this and that for the Splatoon, all while learning Oct. Co Facilities is building drones and great octoweapons!"

"So? Who cares about any of that?"

"I DO! I CARE! Know why? Because Oct. Co Facilities is owned by Urus, the one guy who has the answers to all of our questions!"

Cal raised his hands, gesturing for Sal to lower his voice. "O-Okay, just calm down—"

Sal wasn't about to hear any of it. "No, Cal!" He stomped his foot to the ground, showing he was done staying quiet about this. "We know Marinus is in cahoots with Urus, but instead of going and making him cough up everything he knows, we're out here doing a whole bunch of nothing!"

"Whoa, whoa. A whole bunch of nothing? We're helping Callie, and Octavio, and everyone else!"

"News flash, Cal. None of that is gonna help us find Mom!" Sal screamed, his voice nearly giving out. This was supposed to be a stealth mission, but he couldn't hold himself together anymore. Not after seeing how casually Cal was taking this.

"Do you even care?" Sal questioned, his voice a little softer, yet still cracking with emotion.

Cal flinched. "What? What kind of question is that? Of course I care!"

"Really? 'Cause you do a shit job at showing it!" He pointed, furrowing his brows further. "We've been looking for Mom for almost two years, and all you've done is sit on your ass and get into fights left and right! Then, the one time a choice you made actually gets us a clue, you don't even jump at the chance to pursue the lead! Instead, you wanna hang back and play agent." Sal growled, lowering his finger. Judging by everyone's shocked gazes, none of them were expecting this outburst.

"Well, you know what, Cal? I'm done." He threw the energy-reading device at Cal's chest, watching it bounce harmlessly off of him before clattering to the ground. "You wanna find those zapfish? Do it, then. I'm gonna find Marinus and make him spill everything he knows—something we should've done at the start." Sal turned, heading for a different exit.

"Sal, wait." Cal outstretched a hand.

Suddenly, something large descended from the abyss hanging above. Soon after, Sal stopped in his tracks, feeling something stab into his shoulder. In that same instance, something else pierced through his ink tank, shattering the glass. What followed was another stabbing sensation, this time in his back.

He yelped in pain before looking over at his shoulder, seeing a long, jointed, mechanical finger digging its tip right into his skin.

"W-What?" was all Sal managed to croak out when he realized some large robotic hand had swooped down from the heavens and grabbed him with two fingers.

"SAL!" Cal shouted, followed by heavy thumping from behind.

The hand retracted from wherever it came from, taking Sal with it. He tried to shift into his swim form to break free, only to find his body remained unresponsive. That's when he noticed a thin-yellow line running along the finger's length. It was a thin tube filled with a strange yellow liquid—A yellow liquid that was currently being pumped into his shoulder.

His shoulder became inflamed. The heated sensation quickly spread throughout the rest of his body; then he felt... nothing. Everything had gone numb.

Sal's went limp as he ascended from the ground. He saw Cal still reaching out to him, calling his name with each second that passed. He saw Pacifica tugging at his arm, screaming, "We have to go, now!"

The lieutenant's voice echoed, same as the blaring alarms that filled his head. He wasn't sure when they started, but they brought an army of robotic octolings right to the remaining four.

Despite the numbness, Sal managed to reach his hand back out to Cal, watching as the four grew smaller and smaller. Before he knew it, his vision went black, with the last thing he heard being Cal's fading voice yelling out his name.