Chapter Text
Near the Ammo Knights in the Square was a grate not many pay particular attention to. Perfect for covering, let's just say, a base of operations for an organization dedicated to keeping Inkopolis safe. The New Squidbeak Splatoon: a team of inklings (and a couple of octolings) working to keep the peace of the city intact. Not much was happening in terms of danger now that the King of Octarians was defeated and imprisoned, for a second time, as he was watched over by Agents 1, 2, and 4 in his snow globe jail.
Agent 4, also known by her name Faye, was out on patrol for the day. Even though there was not as much thrill and excitement in the act of scanning the landscape of the Octo Canyon as there was in defeating a King, the agent still enjoyed her work. Usually nothing happens on these patrols, and it gave her a chance to look at the scenery of the Canyon. It felt so different from Inkopolis, so surreal and alien, yet it was, in her terms, cool. All the floating rocks and machinery was something never seen outside the underground; sometimes, the agent would grab her hero charger and shoot a full charge of ink at a floating rock and let gravity work its magic, just to see it float around in the sky.
But that's not what she is here for. She was here for work, and work was in a sector called Suction-Cup Lookout. It was a place with tall structures, almost like a small town of sorts. Grates to make bridges and boxes sprawled out in corners no one goes to. It wasn't abandoned, that much is certain, which is why Agent 4 was put to patrol here. Agent 2, known as Marie, put 4 here to make sure no Octolings or Octarians were causing trouble. Despite them being seen as threats, Agent 4 knew they wouldn't do anything bad now that the King was gone for now. They were just cephalopods trying to survive, and 4 knows that. She would always visit the octolings when she had the chance to, and collect data for Sheldon's weapons he wanted her to test out. Letting them try out the weapons in what she told Sheldon was 'a better way to collect data'. He let it slide. For now.
"Hmmm. I wonder if I should say hi to the octos in the kettles?" Agent 4 was talking to herself. She did it quite often since she was alone a lot of the time in her patrols. She didn't mind, but it did feel awkward. Walking around the structures, painting walls to climb up top, and searching through the kettles (and stopping to say hi to some octolings and octarians in them) was quick and easy work. No one coming in or out of the kettles or through the super jump spots. "Okay. Now that that's done, time to enjoy the sights," the inkling went to one of the higher structures in the sector, painting its side to climb to the top and watch this under-world from above. This was the agent's favorite spot in the whole sector, maybe even the whole Canyon. It saw everything except for the Outpost. The machinery, vertical and horizontal cubes that moved along in a pattern, the inkrails that you can surf on, and moving cranes that made up the Beaker's Depot; the obstacles for training and the jump pads for fun exercise at the Slimeskin Garrison; lastly, the deep, dark purple ink-like liquid that made up the bottom of the Canyon where 4 defeat King Octavio. She loved it all. "Nothing can beat this view," she puts her hands near her ears to take off the piece of headgear she was wearing, wanting to hear the sounds that go along with this sight. She could hear the chirping of birds and the flaps of their wings as they flew in the sky, making the scenery feel more peaceful. The agent let out a content sigh, and sat down to enjoy relaxing. "Love this place."
*Crack* The sound of, oddly enough, a box breaking caught her ear. A single box. Strange. Agent 4 got up to the sound, looking down from where she was perched and in the direction of where it came from. What she could see was two shadows, one being shorter than the other. Conveniently for whoever was there, their figures were hidden from view. From where she was, she couldn't tell if the shadows were inkling or octoling, but since no other inklings knew of Octo Canyon except for a select few, she believed it to be the latter. The agent puts her headgear back on and discreetly makes her way down the structure so as not to startle the two beings. The closer she got to them, the more she heard a conversation. Was one of them speaking Octarian? The agent couldn't tell what they were saying, but judging from the tone, it sounded like the one speaking Octarian was mad at the other. She made her way to the side of a structure closest to the two while not being spotted. She still couldn't see what they looked like, so she had no idea what she was up against. Agent 4 decided now would be a good time to strike. Preparing her Hero Shot she emerged from behind them. "Alright. Don't move!" And aimed her Shot at the two, now confirmed, octolings- a taller octoling with black tentacles and a shorter octoling with blue tentacles.
The taller octoling looked to have deep scars along her arms and neck from the looks of it, and her eyes were the common yellow, but with blue irises instead of the purpleish color 4 has commonly seen. The tentacle hair was shorter than the common octoling soldier's hairstyle and was in a ponytail, indicating that maybe they aren't in the military or possibly no longer serving. This octoling immediately reacted by pulling out her weapon, which caught the agent off guard for a split second as it was a weapon she had never seen before. Since when did we have bows? The bow in question looked quite shabby. It looked like a piece of wood with string and small parts of metal to hold it together; the center of the bow had three tubes which, the longer this octoling held what the agent assumed was a charge, a mechanism pushed the tubes closer together in the center. " Lower your weapon and I shall lower mine! " The octoling shouted a demand at the inkling.
4 couldn't understand what the octoling said except for 'weapon'. "Look, if you can understand me, you and your other octo friend need to leave please. I don't know you or even if you are a threat, but this area could be dangerous, and I would appreciate it if-" she then made eye contact with the blue octoling, who was behind the taller one, and got a better look at her. The blue octoling's tentacles were more flat, a strange thing to see on one since the only hairstyle she's ever seen the species have was thicker and poofy. Her eyes (or in this case, an eye since the left one was covered by the octoling’s tentacle) were also different, yet somehow familiar; they were red and the pupils were an infinity shape like Marina's, but they were just red and the pupils had barely any color to them. Was she blind? No, she couldn't be. She's staring right at me. This octoling was also wearing clothes similar to Marie; a blue kimono with a darker blue haori (it seemed to have shark patterns on it) over top of it, and white tabi socks with red geta sandals. She was brought back to reality when she heard the blue octoling gasp. She had a wide smile on her face.
"It's you!" The octoling popped out from behind the taller one and ran at 4, the clicking of her geta sandals echoing throughout the sector.
"Wha-" was all the agent could say. She was too stunned to react in time and soon enough, she was on her back with the blue octoling on top of her; her hands on either side of the inkling's head.
"It is you! The Hero of Greater Inkopolis! Momo! It really is her! " The octoling turned her head to the other one and started speaking Octarian, which prompted the taller octoling to lower her bow. After speaking to them, the blue octoling turns back to 4 with a big smile on her face. "I finally get to meet you, my hero!"
"Your.... Hero?" 4 was confused. Has she met this girl before? No, she didn't, but then how did she know about her? Why was this girl and another octoling here? The more questions 4 asked herself, the more confused she got, and she didn't need more on her plate than what was already on it right now. And right now, she needed this octoling off of her and to get on her feet. "Can you... umm... get off of me please?"
"Oh! So sorry. I was just really happy to see you," she finally got off the agent.
"Mhm. Have we met before?" 4 asked while she patted herself down, front to back to get any dirt off of her. "Or at least, how did you know I saved Inkopolis?"
"Ah! The DJ King had a broadcast of the fight live to all octolings, and I saw it too! It was amazing!" The blue octoling was gushing about the recent events that the agent didn't even know was live-streamed, it made her feel embarrassed enough to blush blue. The octoling saw this and stopped to look surprised for a second, then resumed her smile, growing even more on her face.
"W-wait a second. Why are you even here?" As soon as 4 asked that question, the comms in her headgear went off.
*Krrr kzzrrtt* "Agent 4. Come in, Agent 4," it was Marie calling her.
"Yeah, Marie? What is it?"
"Come back to Tentakeel Outpost. There is something important I need to discuss with you."
"Um. I might run late cuz I have a problem," she looks at the two octolings. "Make it two problems."
There was a brief moment of silence before Marie spoke again. "Do these two 'problems' happen to be blue and black haired octolings?" Right on the money.
How did she know? "Um, yes? How did you-"
"That's what I wanted to discuss with you. Bring them with you. See you soon," and the conversation ended there.
"Who was that?" The blue octoling asked the inkling.
"That was my boss. Said she wants me to head to Tentakeel Outpost and bring you two with me as well," she points at both of them. "I wouldn't want to make her wait, so let's go.... Um..."
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," she bowed as she apologized. "My name is Shiver, and this is Momo, my guard."
Momo, the taller octoling, did not react to her introduction. Still being on the defense, which was understandable to the agent as she did draw her Hero Shot at the two just a moment ago. " I do not trust this inkling, but if you trust her, I shall go with you as well ," Momo then walks towards Agent 4, glaring at her as they made their way to her and continuing to glare as she stood in front of the agent. " Do not try anything, inkling. I will show no mercy if you hurt the young lady. "
4 swallowed a lump in her throat. She had never been this intimidated by an octoling before. Even if she didn't understand a single word of that sentence, she knew a threat when she heard one. "U-uh, I don't think your bodyguard likes me. Heheh," 4 felt like she was sweating bullets from all this tension.
"Momo! Be nice to her. She is a hero! " The smaller octoling pouts and scolds them. "I apologize on their behalf. She has been protecting me since I was born. She means well, I promise," she reassures the inkling that no harm would come to her. After that, Shiver makes her way to 4's side, and wraps her arms around the inkling's right arm. "Shall we get going, then?"
"Y-yeah follow me," 4 was very anxious at the moment. Not because Shiver was holding her, but because she could feel Momo's eyes piercing her like they would annihilate her this instant.