Chapter Text
Eight sighed, checking over her bags once again. Nearly half the Splatoon had headed off to Splatsville, and now it was her turn. The thought made her anxious, to leave everything behind and start anew. Well, it wasn’t foreign to her, especially since it should be a less stressful adjustment than going from the dark, eerily quiet, and downright horrifying kambaco to inkopolis, a city bustling with life at every turn.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when a loud horn sounded, a train coming into view from the distance. It had been nearly five years since being forced to ride on a train not too different than this one, but she could still feel her heart picking up its pace, and curling her hands tighter. If it weren’t for the sun beating down on the platform, reminding her she wasn't back in those labs, she might have very well chickened out of this.
The train roared yet again, big metal doors opening with a loud click. Eight, somewhat hesitantly, stepped in- quickly finding a spot to sit and rest, before pulling out her phone to alert the other agents when she would be arriving.
E8ght : Just got on the train; it is an hour's ride.
She could hear a soft ding from the device, but slipped it back into her bag, assuming that it was nothing more than acknowledgment.
It had not, in fact, just been acknowledgment.
Call1e : Great! By the way, we got a new agent, Neo Three! They should be at the camp when you get here- so you’ll have to meet ‘em later!
Call1e : Oh, and don't tell Capn’ I said this, but they’ve been worried sick for ya.
Call1e : Stay fresh!
Eight spent most of the trip watching as the landscape changed around her. About a quarter through the ride, the city buildings and smaller neighborhoods had been replaced by lush, green forests. The trees slowly changed to shades of tan, and we now have tall, sandy hills. Eight squinted, watching as the towering city slowly came into view. It was certainly much larger than inkopolis, and, as the train pulled to a stop and she stepped out, it was slightly overwhelming. Inkopolis had been extensive, sure, but it was always easy to navigate it, as long as you stayed close to the square. Eight could barely even count all of the different allies and paths she could see just after stepping off the train.
Fortunately, she could see the group of agents waving to her, bright yellow jackets making them stand out like a sore thumb. She quickly walked over, before being bombarded with questions and tackled by Four.
“Hey, eight! I told you this place was huge, didn’t I? You could fit, like, three inkopolises in here, and now we’re gonna have to show you around!” Four was quick to back off from the hug, still grinning wide.
“Give Eight some space, four” Three, now known as the Captain, stepped forward, a small smile visible on their face. Eight had to strain to hear the now quiet voice, quite unlike the confident, bold, and, even if the Captain wouldn’t admit it themself, rather loud voice they had once possessed. “How was the trip?”
“It was good! Although this city seems very overwhelming, I am excited to explore it,” Eight spoke, “The scenery is quite the sight, as well!”
Both the other agents chuckled at that, considering the scenery that Eight was speaking of was no more than dunes of sand, and the occasional old human structure. Their laughter was short-lived, however, when Marie spoke up, “However heartwarming this reunion is, we did leave Callie and Neo three back at the camp. It’s not that I don’t trust them; it’s just that I don’t trust the fact that Callie is unsupervised.” She cracked a smile. “It's nice to see you, Eight.”