Chapter Text
Grizzco is a shady company. I’m not unaware of that. Actually, there’s a big chance that I am more aware of it than the average cephalopod. Being a secret agent really helps with seeing red flags. Yeah, Grizzco’s a shady company, but a gal has bills to pay so I take shifts now and then. Not to brag but I’m a pretty high level exeggcutive, gathered the boss quite a few eggs in my day.
I’ve been doing quite a few shifts lately, and I must have caught the boss’s attention because, after a shift, Mr. Grizz says through his radio, “Kid, your performance is impressive. I have a special bonus for you if you would join me in my office.”
Alarm bells almost immediately start ringing in the back of my mind, “Really?”
“Yes, kid you’ve raised our profit margins significantly and practically single-handedly. Now join me in my office.” The abruptness of the request makes the alarm bells ring louder.
However, a bonus is exactly what I need at the moment. The splatoon wants to move me to Splatsville for some work in the splatlands. Octarian activity has been sprouting in the area not to mention 3 and the captain went missing out there. 1 & 2 really need agents to investigate, so I dampen the alarm bells and head catiuosly towards his office.
Mr grizz’s office is a big mystery to Grizzco employees, a subject of many a conspiracy theory. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a big metal door that looks like not even a booyah bomb could breach it when locked. I open the door carefully, and when Im met with a pitch black room, I know i should have listened to my instincts. But it’s too late to run as a large tentacle springs forward and pulls me in, the door slamming behind me.
I’m set down in something hard and cold. I feel restraints close around my neck, wrists, abdomen, thighs and ankles. The lights above me turns on putting me in a spotlight.
For a moment I think I’m alone but then a large shadow shifts and speaks, “Truthfully kid I expected an agent of the Squidbeak Splatoon to be a bit smarter than that. Though from what I gather you’re not exactly the most cautious of the crew.”
“How the hell do you know about that? That’s top secret only the octarians know about us.” I narrow my eyes at Mr. Grizz’s figure, “You’re working with them aren’t you.”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. I’ve been planning a merger. The complete acquisition of the octarians’ resources is well on its way. The new hires gave me all I needed to know about the splatoon, and so I decided I needed a contingency plan to limit their affects on my plans.”
“And what would that be?”
“You can’t guess, kid? I need a co-hire with the splatoon. You. You’re going to be working for me more directly, kid. You see, the bonus wasn’t a lie, I’ll be providing a new place of residence in the splatlands, all expenses paid, and a promotion to my personal assistant. Of course this comes with the additional bonus of lifetime employment.”
“That’s not much of a bonus.”
“Maybe to you, but it’s certainly a benefit for me.” A massive claw covered in a swirling unnatural ooze comes out of the darkness holding paperwork and a pen as a small desk springs up in front of me. The packet and pen is placed in front of me before Mr. Grizz says, “There’s only one last thing before we get to paperwork.”
His shadow steps forward into the light and the terrifying image of a long extinct bear steps into view. The claw is brought above my shoulder and a glob of ooze begins to drip off of it. I try to struggle away but the restraints keep me in place even swim form can’t slip through, but itdoes keep me further away from the ooze.
“As amusing as your struggle is I’m afraid I’m on a tight schedule. This meeting was a bit last minute.”
Mr. Grizz doesn’t let the ooze finish dripping instead he simply lays his paw on my head. I close my eyes in preparation for a searing pain but it never comes. Instead, I’m suddenly no longer in swim form, and my arm feels heavy at my side. Mr. Grizz moves to sit on the other side of the pop-up desk before he begins flipping through the paperwork, pointing at various lines throughout. “Now Ms. Elkhorn if you would please sign here, here, here, here, and here.” The clamps on my right arm release.
I clench my jaw and stare at him defiantly, “I would never.”
“Oh, but I’m afraid you would.“ He gestures to my free arm, and my eyes widen in horror as it shakily reach for the pen on its own. I try to stop myself but its movements seem independent of me. I can feel the heaviness spreading across my torso. My hand only gets smoother in its movements as the feeling spreads. When my hand picks up the pen, my vision blurs.
“Dont worry you will be compensated appropriately for the increase in workload. I’ll see you at work on Monday. Im sure you’ll make a great addition to the team, Eve” With that the bear retreats back into the shadows as my vision falls completely black.