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Tartar had been inactive since its defeat for nearly half a decade. However, a few months after Mr.Grizz’s defeat, Tartar reactivated. Whether it was from the activity in Alterna or the activity in the Memverse, no one knew. What Eight and the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon knew, is that society had nearly collapsed in the five months that had passed since then. In the base of Alterna, Agents Eight and Neo Three, alongside Pearl, Marina, Marie, and Callie were all huddled up to discuss their next plan of attack.
Everyone present was overlooking a map of the Splatsland and Inkopolis. In that map, the Houzuki Mansion was a major base of operations for the enemy. Everyone knew who was housed up there, but no one dared speak a word on the topic. Pearl scoffed.
“What happened to our home? Do you have any details on the state of the Houzuki Mansion?”
Eight, the De-Facto-Captain, bit her fingernails.
“Neo Three reported that that area is being held by our previous, and now traitorous, Captain, Three.”
Marie bit her cheek before speaking.
“Three… In retrospect, I realize she’s been acting odd for a while now. She seemed so… dispirited.”
Eight nodded, and added on.
“Her boyfriend, Four, passed away some six months back due to Order’s… manipulation. I regret it even now, but there was nothing I could do to bring him back after that battle. The loss may have been too much for her mind to bear. Her love and devotion for her boyfriend were well known among us. The two were nearly inseparable.”
Neo sat in silence, listening in.
“Now, she sits alone in Pearl’s former bedchambers. She makes no effort to govern or push attacks. No one is allowed to enter the chambers, and she takes no meals.”
Marina spoke while she twirled her tentacles, deep in thought.
“What could she possibly be doing?”
Eight looked towards Neo for an answer. Neo was quite the capable spy, and was able to sneak in and out of all places.
“I.. don’t know. I wasn’t able to gather any insight into her behavior. She does nothing to deal with those sludge-like creatures and thieves that roam the area. I could go as far as to say that all of the area controlled by her is engulfed in chaos. Her reign is already crumbling. Left alone, it may very well collapse under the weight of its own neglect.”
Pearl slammed her fist on the table, which spooked Neo Three. Her apparent anger was obvious.
“We can’t let that happen! I’m going home, and I’m going to take it all back!”
Marina nodded.
“I hear you, Pearlie. I think we have to try to get Three back, or at the bare minimum, take back that land.”
The group all nodded in agreement, and started preparations to raid Pearl’s former home.
—------
Pearl’s Bedchambers
—------
The room was dark, with no lights, save the sanitization scar on Three’s face. Rumor has it that they willingly allowed Tartar to place it back on them, but no one could even begin to fathom why.
Three sat at the bedside, talking to a figure in the shadow. In her hands was a small box.
“What is it, Four? You seem so happy today.”
The figure in the shadow didn’t respond, nor showed any signs of emotion.
“Of COURSE I know what today is. I’d never forget your birthday!”
Three lifted the box to the figure in the shadow, giving a soft smile.
“I have a present for you, dear. I think you’ll like it…”
Right as Three was about to hand the figure in the shadow the present, the telephone rang. Three begrudgingly lifted herself and placed the phone on speaker.
“...Get out. This is Four and my place. I will not have our home disturbed by anyone. I did as you asked. I betrayed the New Squidbeak Splatoon. My promise has been kept.”
The eerie electrical voice of Tartar spoke on the other side.
“Of cOuRsE! i aM ExTaCtIc tHaT YoU AcCePtEd mY OfFeR! i oNlY CaMe hErE To gIvE SoMe aDvIcE. pEaRl aNd tHe rEsT Of tHe nEw sQuIdBeAk sPlAtOoN ArE CoMiNg.”
Three spoke with a tad bit of hesitation in her voice.
“Pearl?”
“YeS. pEaRl iS CoMiNg bAcK. sHe’s vErY AnGrY, yOu sEe? ShE WaNtS To bReAk tHe tWo oF YoU ApArT FrOm eAcH OtHeR. pErNaMeNtLy.”
Three’s eyes widened.
“No! That can’t happen-”
“Oh bUt iT WiLl. UnLeSs yOu fIgHt bAcK AnD DeFeAt tHeM. tAkE ThIs aS A WoRd oF CaUtIon, AnD NoThInG MoRe.”
The call ended, and silence once again filled the room. Three grabbed her hero shot.
“...Four, I’m sorry. I have something I must do. Please wait for me here.”
The figure barely lifted its head towards Three.
“Oh, darling, don’t look so sad. I’ll be back soon, and then I’ll never leave. I must do this to protect our happiness. You understand that, don’t you? All right then. I’ll be back.”
—-------
Outside Pearl’s Home
—---------
Pearl looked at the gate. It was wide open. She could see Three inside the building waiting for them. Pearl looked back at everyone. Callie was holding the base back at Alterna, but Neo Three had their heroshot, Eight had her Octoshot, Marie had her Hero Charger, and Marina had her Brella. Pearl felt her dualies in her hands. Not as heavy as she recalled them to be, which was a sign that she was getting stronger on a physical level. With a nod, the group marched towards the building.
Having reached the main living room, Pearl could tell that it hadn’t been used in the time that Three had taken residence in the mansion. Dust was lining the coach and the tables. The TV hadn’t been turned on in ages. Pearl could tell that only the bare minimum of food in the kitchen was eaten. She could only wonder what the hell was Three doing in those five months. Three’s empty eyes stared back.
Neo Three shouted.
“WHY? You were my mentor, my teacher! You were friends with us all! How can you just stand there, with the enemy? You can’t be happy with Tartar! He’s made our lives mise-”
Three spoke.
“Neo…”
Three shook her head in disagreement.
“You know nothing… I am happy now.”
Eight stepped forwards, and spoke.
“... you’re outnumbered and outgunned. Do you really want to fight us?”
Three didn’t respond with words. Her stance shifted to a fighting stance. It seemed that she was willing to fight till the bitter end. Eight closed her eyes, and made a silent prayer to whoever could listen for Three to stop before it got to that point. The rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon got into their battle stance.
Pearl was the first one to fire. She rushed towards Three’s side, trying to take her attention away, as the rest tried to cover more ground. Despite looking malnourished, Three’s combat abilities had exponentially grown due to the sanitization’s sludge. Perhaps it was directly feeding her nutrients. Three expertly dodged Pearl’s shots and rushed towards Eight. As the two fired at each other, Eight spoke.
“Why? Why did you have to betray us? Your departed Four is weeping in sorrow.”
Three’s eyes only grew colder at the mention of Four.
“You’re wrong, Eight. My boyfriend is happy. We are so very happy.”
Eight struggled to keep up with the fighting, with how Three worded that last sentence. Still, for a while, she managed to keep Three distracted. While covering for turf, Marie placed herself at an ideal position. Whilst taking aim to fire at Three’s sanitized goop, Three noticed and dodged.
“You’re an impressive agent, Marie. You would sacrifice your life for the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Not even a moment’s pause. It’s a pitiful, unrewarding life, through and through.”
Marie didn’t bother responding. She knew what the agent would be like when she signed up with Callie all those years ago. So did Three. And Four. And Eight. And Neo Three.
As Eight and Three fought, Three got a good shot on Eight, and Pearl pulled Eight under and swam out of the situation. As Marie aimed for another shot, Three threw a bomb her way. Thankfully, Marina managed to block the bomb.
“...Marina. If anyone could understand my feelings, it might be you. For the one I love… I betrayed everything. My friends, my family, the New Squidbeak Splatoon… Everyth-”
Marina heard a shot behind her, and saw a stream of ink slice through Three’s right arm. She grimaced in pain, and tried to use her left hand to grab the weapon. Before she could, Marie snipped her left knee off. Thrown off balance, Three fell down, facing the group. Marie snipped off most of the sanitized goo, and Three yelled in pain. Still, Three stayed steadfast, trying to keep balance with the reduced number of limbs.
Eight walked up to the former captain. She could see that the fight in her hadn’t left. There was blood seeping from the stricken limbs. She got down, and looked at Three.
“Why did you betray us?”
Three, with near bloodshot eyes, spoke.
“...I can’t let you come between us. Four and I will live here happily together.”
Eight narrowed her eyes. What on earth was she t-
From the bedroom, Marina shrieked in horror. Three tried to get up, but failed. Eight kicked the gun out of their reach. Turning into a squid at this rate would kill her, so she was confident that Three would stay in place. Eight started to rush towards the bedroom. Three tried to speak in retaliation, but only managed to cough up blood.
As Eight entered the room, she saw the figure. Cloaked in an iron mask with two red lights imitating eyes, sat a pale imitation of Four. The figure croaked, in a recorded, yet eerily inkling voice.
“...Three…”
Eight could only look in horror as she spoke.
“You, you’re Three’s…”
The figure spoke in the raspy, almost recorded-like voice.
“Three. Three. Three…three…three…three…”
As the figure shuffled into the light, Eight could see more of this ‘Four’. Body parts were stitched together, the muscles swollen and weak, wounds patched like sewing work. It was a miracle that the figure could even move so far. While Eight had seen some horror flicks on zombies, this was a completely different situation. Eight could only manage to speak a few words.
“This…is horrible… He’s already dead, and his corpse is being used to…”
Marina finally spoke after that initial scream.
“Who? Who could…”
Pearl, who had also rushed with Eight, took Marina by the hand.
“You needn’t look any longer, Marina. Let’s go outside.”
“Three. Three…three…”
Marie looked upon her former agent.
“...You can’t say this thing is truly alive anymore. I’ll…”
From behind them, Three shouted.
“PLEASE!”
Eight and Marie spun to look behind them. Three slowly was crawling to Four with what limbs she had left. Her gun wasn’t on her person. Eight looked to see that Neo had safely obtained her gun. Eight turned back to look at Three. For the first time that day, Eight could see a genuine emotion on her face. Fear.
“Please…… I.. can’t lose him again…… please don’t kill him…… please….”
Tears were streaming down her face. She seemed desperate. Eight looked at the disfigured Four, and looked back at the amputee Three. She had felt angry at Three for betraying them, and for this? Only someone who was completely mad would have done all of this for a reanimated corpse of their boyfriend. And yet…
Eight let out a sigh.
“We’re going to help both you and…. Four. We’re going to get you both fed. I’ll… try to help however I can.”
Eight turned back, and saw ‘Four’, slowly shuffling to Three. Eight moved out of the way. Watching ‘Four’ slowly walk towards Three, Eight wondered if it was even possible to bring Four back to a living state.