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She sat in the old rickety house that she effectively started calling home. All of the Squidbeak Splatoon were mostly retired to their own homes, or out on recon missions. Agent Four left to check on Hammerhead Bridge since there were recent UFO sightings, while Agent Two accompanied them—typically, there was no separating those two. Agent One and Cap'n—oop. There she goes again, calling him Cap'n—and...Craig were on their own doing some more intel investigating the mysterious Alterna. But her, the old Agent Three. The new Cap'n Three. She was writing in her log; she kept a small log in her room of things that were either on her mind or notes that she had to prepare. She wanted to help Agents Two and Four but Four only responded by putting a hand in her face and saying, "Oh come on! You know I can handle it myself!" He flashed that cheeky smile he was known for, but in reality, Cap'n Three already knew this was code for, 'Let me talk to Marie!' even if going to somewhere as mundane as Hammerhead Bridge would even be considered a 'date spot'. Maybe if you weren't afraid of getting wet or didn't mind the soft sounds of oncoming traffic, but besides that, there were better places to go to than there. But after checking her communicator and seeing that both Four and Two were there and giving actual reports on the crash landings, she sighed and shook her head.
"I think I need to trust them more." She said to herself in the bleak room, the only thing adorning the walls were a few posters and a theory board with all of the agent's pictures, including herself, several Octolings and Octarians of interest, DJ Octavio—a big question mark was drawn on his image—Commander TarTar: eliminated, and Mr. Grizz: MIA. After putting in a detailed account of who was where and what everyone was doing, she decided to call it a day and finally shoved the tacky, college-ruled notebook, underneath her mattress.
She slowly got up from her desk and turned off the dim lamp from her table, with a long stretch and quick brush of her tentacles she walked outside and saw the old desolate shack she started dwelling in. On the outside, it was nothing more than a small pavilion that could barely protect you from the rain. A bunch of wooden and cardboard boxes littered the outside, some of them were full of gear that the agents used on recon missions, more specifically agents One and Two, since they were already so well known. One of the boxes was overfilled with little plushies of Mini Zapfish, they smelled horrible and hadn't been washed in years, but that never stopped her from patting one of the innocent toys on the head. To the right was a blue loveseat that was only two more sits away from collapsing and the TV that only played one channel. She opted to sit on the cobalt couch and looked out at Octo Valley.
Despite the inside kettles housing all sorts of fancy lighting effects and electricity, at the end of the day, Octo Valley was...just that. A valley. And a damn beautiful one at that. Sometimes she'd sit outside and just look at that manhole, truthfully, she wasn't really sure what her expectations were.
For the past couple of days that's all she's been doing. Logging, sitting, staring at the manhole. She expected an overly curious Squid or Octopus to stumble through and have the same bewildered, 'What the hell..?' expression she wore about eight years ago. Is that how he felt? Anytime there would be something from the grate it wouldn't be anything but some clattering from the other side, or one of the other agents—usually One or Eight—popping through. But every chance that would happen, she'd feel her hearts race, it beat with passion, a fire was ignited and her amber eyes turned to ember.
"That look in your eye...that's the determination I need." She grinned, already memorizing her whole spiel on saving Inkopolis from outside forces. But after stifling a small chuckle from her unjust optimism, she turned towards the grate and saw a little Octopus pop out, before reforming into the little Octoling girl she admired.
"..."
"..."
Interesting conversation.
Cap'n took note of her attire, she wasn't wearing her usual agent getup, but instead wearing something a lot more casual. She wore her Fishfry Headband and Octoking Jersey, and she still wore the platform boots she had in the Deepsea-Metro, but besides that, nothing about her screamed on-duty. Eight noticed the Cap'n not-so-subtly checking her out and decided to start.
"I-I was doing some recon missions, courtesy of Agent Three." She still found it awkward when people referred to the new agent as 'Three'. She was supposed to be Agent Three. After realizing her slight jealousy, she mentally reset herself and decided to eye the Octoling another time, catching a glimpse of what looked like turquoise ink on her left hand.
"Reconnaissance where?" She drilled, already having an idea of what the answer was going to be.
"Reconnaissance at the old rendezvous point on Snapper Cannal." The green Inkling raised her eyebrow.
"Playing Turf War?" When she saw the tiny Octoling jump, she had a sly grin on her face. "Cut the formalities Eight, I'm not Craig, you know I wouldn't get mad at you for taking time off."
"Yes Cap'n, I know, but!" The Octoling got herself flustered, "Yes ma'am, I know, but...er. Yes, Jade...but..." Cap'n pat the hard seat next to her, ushering her friend to sit, which she eventually did. She swore in Octarian, causing the young woman to laugh.
"There was something that Craig told me ages ago when we went on a camping trip together." She already started laughing from the memory replaying in her mind, "He said, 'Squiddo, sometimes the best way to handle life is to throttle it by the neck, spit on it, and apologize profusely because you just realized you accidentally crossed the line.'" She was guffawing from how out-of-pocket the anecdote was, but Eight didn't appear to be laughing, instead, she had this smile on her face. A smile that Cap'n came to recognize as her, 'I don't get it' smile. With an awkward cough, she explained what he meant. "I think you should go out more and do the things you want to do, whether it be play Turf War, talk to Pearl and Marina, write your little stories-"
"They're poems."
"-Poems—sorry—and try to have decent control of your life, because if you have too much of a choke hold on it, it won't be any fun." She looked over at the waterfall in the distance, "Or that's at least what I gathered from what he told me." She grimaced as she side-eyed the Octoling who still looked lost in thought from her explanation. She gave a soft sigh and shrugged, "I'm sure you'll get it eventually," she reassured the Octoling who still sat uncomfortably in the chair. Not from the conversation, but from the wooden frame being mangled and splintering her thin pants.
There was now silence between the two, it was slightly awkward, but it's not that Cap'n minded. She was too busy enjoying the view to attempt to correct her socially inept behavior toward her friend. But the fictional ducktape ripped off of the little Octoling's mouth as she spoke up, softly. "Do you get it?" The Inkling's expression changed from a carefree smile to a perplexed solemnness. She was almost certain that was just from Eight's childlike innocence taking over and asking her what she thought was a simple-minded answer, but Cap'n didn't even know how to respond. The Octoling's shrill and singsonged question rang in the woman's pointed ears and stuck in her mind like a Suction Bomb.
"I don't know." She said plainly, not wanting to face her Octoling companion, in fear of embarrassment. "What brought you here?" She immediately switched topics.
Eight noticed her uncertainty but decided not to pry. "Pearl and Marina are out on another tour again...they told me to stay with Cuttlefish till they got back."
"Looks like Candy-Coated Rocks broke the charts huh? I can't believe they're going on another tour." The Octoling sighed, causing Cap'n to really look at her for the first time once she sat down. "Do you miss seeing them around?" She was silent, but Cap'n saw the Octoling give a depressed nod, moving her stray tentacle out of her face.
"Ever since they formed that new band, they've been leaving me alone in their big house. I think I'm annoying them." Cap'n furrowed her brows which caused Eight to continue. "I...I still don't understand many things...so when Pearl says that if I need help, just call her or Marina and they'll help me as fast as possible..." Cap'n could already see where this is going.
"You'd call them while they're in meetings or in a recording session?"
"Yea...and they'd say they call back, but they never do." Cap'n rested a delicate hand on her shoulder.
"Why wouldn't you ever call One, Two, or Four? Craig even?" Me?
"I-I'm not sure. Pearl and Marina seem so happy to help that I thought they wouldn't mind."
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what were you trying to figure out how to use this time?" Agent Eight sighed, which caused Cap'n to have a tiny smile emerging from her face. "It's not important," she decided to save the Octoling some embarrassment. "How about we just talk about the Turf War games you played, you think that'll take your mind off things?" Agent Eight's expression matched Cap'n Three's and she decided to go into a long discussion about why she hated fighting one of the opponents on the opposite team.
As Eight was detailing her getting the jump on one of the Splatlings on the other team, Cap'n Three's attention was shifted towards the waterfall, they engaged in a staring contest. It was the clearest of blues, and there it went, down into the bay that surrounded the Valley. If she weren't so inky, she'd take a dive into the waterfall, into the water, just to see how it feels. Of course, Craig would always give her the, "We sea creatures can't swim!" line anytime she'd look at it, but more and more she wanted to tempt fate. Maybe ask Marina to set up a Spawn Pad near the dilapidated shack—one just for her—and then she'd just cannonball into the water as many times as she could. Or maybe if she dipped into the water with a waterproof suit, she'd be able to take a refreshing dip? Or maybe she could ditch the rubber altogether and just brave the water's slow-burning?
BEE-BEE-BEEP
Eight's talking hushed and she quickly checked her phone. There were a few frantic texts from Agents Two and Four. After reading them quickly, she ran inside of the shack and turned on the communicator. Eight followed suit, timidly crouching behind her as she used the old radio.
"This is the Cap'n, I got your messages. What's going on over there?"
"H-Hey! C-Can you KRZZT!~ —e?" She jolted from his mic's audio constantly peaking.
"Agent Four, you're breaking up, move to a clearer signal if you can."
"—ay." There was the sound of quick shuffling and rapid panting before he responded. "This should be clearer."
"You're crystal, what's the report?"
"So, me and Marie." He halted, "Me and Agent Two were checking out the recent landing of the UFO and another happened to fall straight outta the sky! It nearly hit the both of us, but thankfully I was able to save Agent Two before we got hurt."
"Is t—"
"She was all like, 'Agent Four look out, I think I'm a goner!' and I was like, 'Don't worry Two! I've got you!' So then I grabbed her princess-style and leaped out of the way. It was a pretty big leap too! Had to be like, ten feet—no no. TWENTY feet. Yeah!" Eight and Cap'n Three looked at each other before Cap'n eventually rolled her eyes.
"Is that all you saw, or was there more to report?"
"Uhh let's see..." There was the sound of a bit more shuffling before the sounds of distant yelling could be heard on the other end. "Hey, Two?!"
"Yeah?!"
"Is there anything else that happened with that UFO?!
"...Just this fish!" Shuffling.
"Something about a fish. It just landed so, we don't have a lot of info on it right now, but it'd be nice if you or Three could support us. I think Eight would be nice to tag along too, maybe she'd know how this machinery works."
"I'm right here," Eight spoke, grabbing the microphone out of Cap'n Three's hands. "You think you could describe it to me?"
"It's better if you come! I don't know how this thing starts and ends!"
"Got it."
"Okay!"
Three grabbed the microphone again, "Give us a couple of minutes to prepare and we'll be there."
"Come quickly, I think Marie is talking to the thing inside the UFO!" Cap'n Three nodded at the radio, "Four's no more!"
"Cap'n out." She sighed to herself, "I told Four to stop signing off the communicator like that, it makes it sound like he died or something." After slamming the microphone on its stand, she pointed at Eight, causing her to stand to attention. "Okay, get dressed Eight, I'll go ahead and grab the toolbox and almanac from out back. We meet in no more than two minutes, right?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I'll see you outside." Both agents darted in opposite directions, Three heading outside of the shack, while Eight going inside further to find her agent gear.
As she rummaged through the old items, she found the rusted toolbox full of assorted items and tools, many of which had been provided from recon missions from Agent Four and Marina happening to have them lying around. Inside that same toolbox was a little almanac that Marina had provided Agent Eight as a little gift, but it's been an exemplary gift for all of the agents. It was a small little Octarian book that distinguished some Octarian technology and Inkling technology from each other. It was originally a gift to show, "That Octoling influence is everywhere! So don't feel too left out, Eightie!" and the book's title once read 'How the Inklings Stole our Technology' according to Eight, but she since scratched out the whole title and changed it to the 'Agents Guide to Octo and Squid Technology.'
Eight popped out seconds later with a modified version of her midriff suit, a coal black, hero suit fashioned similarly to Agent Three's old baggy suit, but a lot more slim fitting and still rocking the platform boots she liked. Eight also donned a pair of goggles to match the whole outfit, which not only looked cute but also helped protect her eyes from any mechanical work she had to do. As she lowered her goggles and gave a nod, the two coiled into the respective Squid and Octopus forms and sprung kilometers into the air, leaving an inky trail behind them.
Cap'n Three and Agents Two, Three, Four, and Eight were all huddled around the the tiny UFO. As Four discussed with the agents before, Agent Two was talking with the little pilot of the vehicle, but when it was revealed to the whole team that it was a Salmonid, Agent Three was called due to her communication skills with the species. However as she was communicating with the little fish, Agent Eight decided to grab the UFO. Despite its large size, it was relatively lightweight; she was able to examine and spin it around with ease, shocking everyone else.
Referring to her manual several times, she concluded that, "This is Octarian technology." Everyone glanced at her, sans Agent Three who was still talking to the hyperactive fish. "It's something that General Octavio used back during the first Zapfish scare. I remember him making these UFOs for these Octarians called 'Octostrikers'."
"Yeah, I remember those things. I remember one of them trying to destroy Blackbelly Skatepark back when I was still a rookie." She chuckled at the somewhat fond memory. She never knew how to skateboard, but using one would've come in handy for the many halfpipes and ramps that populated the park. How people loved to play Turf Wars and Ranked Battles on that stage never made sense to her, any time she'd swim too far, she'd slip off the ledge and end up in a ditch with another bruise. She remembers narrowly dodging an Inkstrike, but finally making it to the massive saucer that threatened the skies above. It was a long fight of Agent Three—or at least she was Agent Three at the time—dancing a deadly tango with weapons of mass inkstruction, of course, she came out victorious at the end and saved the baby Zapfish from its filament prison, but a sharp thought crossed her mind as she looked at the UFO her comrade was examining. "I remember them being so big though...Has my memory gone that bad over the years?"
Eight shook her head, "No, I don't think so, but DJ Octavio did an underground trade deal with the Salmonid years ago. We get their Power Eggs to power our machines and weaponry, while we give them some of our outdated tech. It's not too farfetched to think some Octoling Mechanics had retrofitted those UFOs to fit the Salmonid."
Cap'n Three hummed to herself, Of course. It only makes sense the Octarians would want Power Eggs...Agent Four walked up towards Agent Three who was having a full conversation with the Salmonid, although it looked to be fairly one-sided. "Do you know what it's saying, Three?"
Agent Three shook her head, but pinched her temples together, "It's something about these seven rings." She gave an exhausted sigh, "I can't wrap my head around it, because Lil' Buddy spews the same stuff too from time to time. I looked in guide books, I looked in the Grizzco manuals—nothing!"
"Do you think it's related to Grizzco, Agent Three?" Agent Eight asked her, setting the machinery back to the ground.
"I know it has to be, but I'm so out of the loop with Salmon Run now. Ever since Lil' Buddy approached me that day I was trying to make it to the Splatlands, I couldn't bring myself to just...kill its family. And now look, turns out the whole Salmon Running process was a ploy for that stupid bear to take over the world and where did that land him?" She gestured to the sky greatly.
"Agent Three, I think you need a break." Agent Two rested a comforting glove on her shoulder resulting in Agent Three nodding and plopping to the ground.
"Get the Salmonid away from me, it keeps shouting about these seven rings, and I can't take it anymore." All of the Agents rushed to Three's aid once she plopped backward onto the ground with a pained expression on her face. "The little thing is going crazy."
Everyone glanced at the small fish that seemed to be harmless for the most part. It had a small ladle and a crooked smile to match. It smacked its ladle on the ground where Agent Three was standing and started chanting several things in its tongue before scuttling off away from the rest of the agents.
"Something something, rings, pink sky. It apologized too." She automatically translated, still pinching her temples together. "Ugh..if only Lil' Buddy were here."
"Where is the little freak anyway?" Agent Four asked callously, "Aren't you always stuck to each other like glue?" Agent Three glared at his rude remark.
"He's somewhere in Inkopolis."
"What do you mean he's somewhere in Inkopolis?" Cap'n Three scratched her tentacles, completely unamused by her response.
"He's somewhere in Inkopolis." She parroted, finally getting up off the ground, the other agents backing up and giving her space. "A lot of the time he just likes to leave my room. He knows how to open doors now, so he just...leaves."
"Oh no," Agent Eight said in genuine shock, "Won't he get hurt doing that?" Agent Three chuckles.
"I nearly pissed myself the first time he left, but about a few days later he came back. He'd always say something like, 'I was doing something' or he 'Had a mission' whatever that meant—" The agent shrugged her shoulders and looked over at the salmon that was eventually jumping off the bridge to make its escape in the water. "I know it has nothing to do with the Salmon Run or else he would've been splatted by some part-timer. But every time he leaves he's talking about those rings about a day or two before he goes."
"It's probably related." Agent Two spoke up garnering everyone's attention. "We know the Salmon themselves aren't very dangerous, a bunch of Turf War newbies could take them out. But they have access to very powerful weaponry, I say we try to figure out what these rings are." Everyone agreed in unison.
"Good call. Agent Three, next time Lil' Buddy goes out, try to keep watch on him and see what he does. Four, I want you to go on a few Salmon Run shifts to see if there's any changes in their behavior." Agent Three silently grimaced, in an attempt to keep her face straight she shook her head, an action which went unnoticed by everyone, besides Cap'n Three. "Two..." She sucked her teeth unsure of what she could do, "Oh! Maybe ask around and try to figure out what these rings are—maybe someone in the industry knows. And Eight take the UFO back with you. The Salmon pilot left, but we probably don't want this stuff lying around Inkopolis like that." With several curt and one reluctant nod from Agent Three. Everyone had their mission.
Three and Four Super Jumped to Splatsville while Two and Eight dawdled around watching everyone disperse. Eventually, it was just Cap'n Three by herself. The sounds of traffic swelled her ears and the gentle crashing of the seas hundreds of feet below did wonders quelling her spirits. There was another long sigh as she pressed against the railing.
The woman in charge.
That was her.
Fond memories swelled through her head as she joyfully fought on the unfinished bridge as an inexperienced fourteen-year-old. Wielding the Splattershot Pro and being able to paint the battlefield carelessly. She'd go home and eat whatever junk food she picked up on the way home and watch whatever cartoons were on the television at the time.
And just like Hammerhead, she was completed. She had matured—although a little rough around the edges, same as the stage. The once reckless girl she knew had responsibilities to handle. She had lives to save. Cities to protect. Going into Saltspray Rig and thoughtlessly battling and teasing many of the Octoling soldiers was once this game to her. A thrill even. Despite how psychopathic it may sound, she single-handedly felled an army and she loved it. Not a soul outside of the Splatoon gave her any praise for it, but going around Inkopolis Plaza and hearing the many rumors of who did it and how, 'Fresh it was to do something like that!' gave her everything she needed.
But now she was in her early twenties. The only benefit was that at least now she didn't have to worry about doing homework. The Splatoon overtook her life in the way that she originally thought was a blessing. As she matured more agents started to assemble. This ragtag group of rowdy teenagers and young adults started to feel less like a game. Witnessing Agent Eight fell her in combat after she went rogue did a number on her mentality.
She felt her head pounding from the awful what-if scenario of Agent Eight not being able to win their petty fight. Inkopolis would've been doomed. And it would've been her fault for not thinking straight. For being so easily swayed by the sanitized ink controlling her. I need a break.
She Super Jumped away.
She was home now. Home was the dilapidated shack. Cap'n Three, now Jade, took off her Splatoon attire and sat in her room silently. She sat there trying to wrestle with her thoughts, she was losing. "Hey ho, kiddo!" A voice spoke from the other side of the door. She could recognize that campy, cheery voice anywhere.
"Cap'n?"
"Aye! Though, I'm not the Captain anymore, you know that!" He chuckles proudly, "Just wanted to see how you were doing, I didn't get a report from you today!"
"Oh! Yes sir! Uhh..." She blinked lamely and opened the door to her tiny room. He floated through nonchalantly and nodded—as best as nodding could look for him at least. "Nothing spectacular happened. A UFO sighting on Hammerhead Bridge. No Octotarian though, but there was a Salmon." Craig scratched his beard.
"A Salmon eh? That's nothing. These things are nothing more than a pet to some of us seafolk nowadays." He laughed heartily, remembering when he first encountered Agent Three with Lil' Buddy on her shoulder.
"That's what I figured, but Agent Three was there to translate what it was saying—maybe you'd know about it?" He stood attentively, "It spoke about some pink rings." The old squid closed his crusty eyes solemnly and hummed softly.
"They could be referring to the day the pinkfish took over..." Her eyes widened and the dried-up squid decided to elaborate. "Every 70 or so odd years, salmon will emerge from their waters and try to migrate north. But an odd occurrence tends to happen when these fish overstay their welcome. If the salmon are unable to migrate successfully, an event known as 'The Massacre' occurs."
"How do you know about this Cap'n?" He chuckled.
"Well, lest you forget how old I am, I've experienced these things for myself. Although I hadn't experienced a Salmon Run in my youth, I've very well had to fight against The Massacre with the old Squidbeak Splatoon—quite an experience. And recently it seems like history is beginning to repeat itself."
"What do we do to stop this? Will they destroy the city?" He nodded.
"They'll ravage anything they can get their grimey little fins on. But it's normally a city-wide effort to stop them from invading, but I wouldn't worry too much. This was in the old days, before your fancy Squeezers and new-fangled Dualies and Splatanas. As long as you somehow rally up all of Inkadia, you'll be able to protect Inkopolis every time."
She immediately nodded and saluted, getting out her notebook and scribbling all of the old squid's details. "Okay," she said not looking up from the journal, "So then, we need a massive group of Inklings and Octolings. But how do we do that?"
"I'm not too sure squiddo, The New Splatoon isn't exactly full of the most influential group of squids around minus my grandkids of course. You'll figure it out one way or another, I'm sure." He patted her slick tentacles with a dry fin. "The good thing is that you know what's happening."
.o.o.o.
Night fell. She was lying down glancing at her phone, still hopelessly trying to figure out what exactly to do. She didn't want to give up so quickly, it would go against all of her discipline. Of course that was reasonably out of the question, so she had to resort to thinking outside the box, at least for a moment. She had already informed everyone of what was going on, everyone gave their own suggestions and ideas, but none of them stuck out to her. The only ones being Agent Four's and him saying 'Why not inform the news stations?'. While that was a good idea, the amount of damage control a group of about seven young adults would have to do would be too much pressure on everyone, especially Agent 8 who still hasn't fully comprehended the Inklish language.
With a sigh, she turned off her phone and wandered inside the rustic cabin. Craig was asleep in the back room, so she decided to be light on her feet and sneak out of the shack, now glancing at her favorite sight.
The moonlit waterfall was a sight to behold, now she didn't have anyone to worry about distracting her from her daydream; passing on the torch to a young student. She had already done it with Agent Three, but she didn't intend for her to completely steal her place. She felt it was unnecessary, but if she wasn't going to be Agent Three, who would? A taste of action would be nice though. Getting to the frontlines, using all of the new weapons she hasn't even had a chance to try out—granted, she could just play Ink Battles like everyone else, but she wanted a challenge! Though her not being as active lately, did cause her to—and embarrassingly so—injure herself over something she probably could've done about eight or nine times over in her prime. Handling that...object was so intense, she hadn't felt her muscles tense like that in years. If ever. Callie and Marie being so gentle and caring for her pulled at her heartstrings, but she could take care of herself! She's an adult now, and the captain, if she were in Three's shoes she would've cooked that bear much faster!
She paused her thinking and shook her head. Easy...
Not that she was jealous or anything. Envious was probably a better word. Agent Three is in her prime. Sixteen, able to play Ink Battles without working up a sweat, extremely athletic to boot, it'd be a shame for her to be jealous over the things she could do, but...Old Agent Three, Cap'n Three, Jade. Jade...missed those days. They've become recurring thoughts as the days pass. About a few months after Grizz's defeat, she can't shake those lemon eyes staring at her. First Eight, now Three. Seeing her in a state so vulnerable, was almost unfair. Even if they were looks of kindness or remorse—in Three's case—they felt judgy. She started scratching her slick skin, feeling the uncomfortable sensation of being watched.
She instinctively looked behind her and she could see bioluminescence in the background. They were tentacles and they were slowly shifting towards her. She could tell whatever they happened to be wasn't a threat or else they would've gotten the jump on her already, but they started moving slowly and jumped the second she locked eyes with them. "Cap'n?" Speak of the devil and she doth appear.
"What are you doing here?" There was more malice than she intended, "W-What are you doing here?" She corrected her tone, "It's nearly midnight."
"I-I thought you were asleep, so I wanted to wake you gently." She was taken aback by her initial response. "I think I figured out more information about The Massacre. Lil' Buddy came back home today and I caught him sneaking in. I made him spill the beans to me about what happens during these little meetings of his." The little fish started speaking causing Agent Three to sigh, "Yes, I'm not feeding you anymore squiddymelon!" He continues, "Because!-Because you!..." She glances at the Capitan with a bashful smile. "Well, you should've considered that outcome." She finishes.
"So then, what's happening?" She instinctively dug in her pockets realizing she wasn't wearing her usual gear and just decided to take out her phone and begin notetaking what she was saying.
"So, he told me that the Salmonid are having what they call, a 'Spawn Spree', where they'll go to unfamiliar territory to hide their eggs and spawn. They go to areas that the Salmon want to inhabit for one reason or another to invade it of its resources and start a new home. Supposedly, that's what happened with Spawning Grounds. Cargo ships used to travel across Inkopolis Bay. But because of it now being Salmon Territory-"
"They can't cross."
"Yes ma'am. It looks like their next target is Wahoo World." The Captain jerked upright.
"Wahoo World? The amusement park in the Square?" She hummed to herself, "What could they want over there? Sure there's a pier, but there's barely enough water for an ecosystem." Three shrugged her shoulders, looked at Lil' Buddy, and started asking him in his tongue.
"Really?" More mumbles, "Really...? They've heard many Inklings and Octolings talking about it, saying that it's a 'fresh' place to go to." She referred to Lil' Buddy again, although Jade couldn't understand the Salmon language, she could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "It's complicated." It's not. She just didn't want to admit to her captain that a nationwide threat was occurring because some rowdy fish wanted to ride on the Ferris wheel.
She scratched her tentacles. "Ehh I could never understand those damn things anyway," Agent Three wasn't particularly fond of her crass tone towards the salmon but chose to ignore it. "Do we know when they're going to invade?"
"He said December 10th, that's about a month from now." Both Inklings nodded.
"Okay, so tomorrow let's rally up the whole Splatoon and we can figure out a way to deal with this. You get home and get some rest, okay?" She gave a soft gaze to the Inkling in front of her and shook her head, "What am I saying, from here to the Splatlands is way too far out. Sleep here tonight."
"W-What?" She said slightly confused, "W-Well. Okay." She shuffled into the shack and her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she had seen how furnished it was. "Woahhhh, it's so big!" Jade chuckled.
"Ha, yeah that's what I said when I went inside the first time. Craig used to let me sleep in the supply room when I was still Agent Three, but now I've upgraded to a bed." She chuckled to herself, "I guess that's one of the perks of being captain now." She softly turned on the light and showed off her room. It was her little slice of heaven. The walls were adorned with Squid Sister's merchandising, there were a few pictures of her and Craig on her nightstand and one of the Zapfish plushies sat cutely on her bed waiting for its owner to hug it again.
Jade could see her comrade glancing at her awkwardly, and she retorted with a funny look. But it wasn't until she looked at herself, did she see a problem. She was only wearing a bra and some short shorts, common attire for her when she was going to sleep. She never had to worry about Craig. Despite his being old-fashioned, he was always courteous and knocked before he came into her room. "Sorry." She said slightly ashamed of herself.
"It's okay, it's nothing I haven't seen before." Jade blushed angrily and searched in her drawer before pulling out an oversized shirt.
"Sit. Make yourself comfy. I'll just sleep in the chair." She pointed at the pink, sequin beanbag chair Callie gave her for her sixteenth birthday. It looks hideous, but it's a pretty nice seat.
"Yes ma'am."
"No need for formalities, you don't have to refer to me as ma'am outside of agent duty. You can call me by my name."
"Okay," She and Lil' Buddy sat on the bed awkwardly looking at the woman—who was effectively their boss—expectantly to tell her what her name was. But it occurred to her, that she's actually never told anyone on the team her name either. "Well, I'm Jasmine..."
"Jade." It was a quick response.
"That's a pretty name."
"You too." Silence. Awkward silence. "I don't want to keep you up or anything, so I'll let you get some sleep."
"I'm not really tired, but I did want to ask a question." Jade motioned for her to continue. "I've noticed that you're close with some of the other agents...what do you usually do with them?" Jade looked at her strangely, it was slightly intrusive, but she didn't mind answering the question.
"Well, sometimes we go out and eat. Or..." she hummed to herself, "Well, most of the time that's all we do. Maybe we'll train together, but that's it."
Then why don't you ever invite me? "What about Agent 8? I heard that she's the newest recruit in the Splatoon—besides me—do you do anything with her?" Maybe it was something she did with the new agents. Maybe she had trust issues? That's why she doesn't seem to like her. That's why she might be so cold to her. Jade looked at her again, slightly blushing, which in turn, caused Jasmine to slightly frown.
"I admire her, she's a wonderful addition to the team, new or not." What is she trying to do? Is she trying to undermine Eight's abilities because she's foreign? "There's a few too many things going on in the team for me to try and pursue a personal relationship with the other agents." She attempted to shoot down and de-escalate her bizarre question. Relationship?
"Was it like this before? Even before Mr. Grizz? And before this whole massacre thing that's going on?" Jade rubbed her tentacles self-consciously.
"Well...it'd be weird for me to be in a greater relationship with any of the agents. I like Agent Four, Eight, the Squid Sisters...but it'd be unprofessional for me to have any sort of relationship outside of work." She hesitated, "I'm the captain now...I can't do that stuff anymore."
"Do you have favorites?"
"No?" She blinked a few times, before continuing, carefully watching her words, "I wouldn't pick favorites on the team, it's not ethical. Everyone's a good asset. Saffron, Rose, Craig, Callie, Marie..." She paused, "...You, Jasmine..." The girl on the bed winced at her name as if someone had burned her hand. Jade could feel the sudden tension in the room and it was starting to get on her nerves. "Look, I thi-"
"You just hate me, don't you?" She ripped the band-aid off now, causing Jade's expression to darken.
"No! I don't hate you! I'm just...there's a lot that happened and I-" She got up from the bed slightly startling the salmon that rested in her hands.
"So that's it. You make up all of these little lies so you can somehow justify not seeing me as an equal huh?" She frowned. Forget tact and grace. She always preferred head-on aggression.
"I'm envious of you." She said, cold as Alterna causing Jasmine to halt abruptly.
"What?" She murmured, her statement paralyzing her.
"P-Please don't make me say it again." The yellow Inkling's eyes widened. Jade stared at her, her ember eyes looking down in both embarrassment and defeat. "There's a lot of things that you are. It makes me upset realizing that I see a lot of myself in you and I can't get that back." Jasmine, now befuddled, approached her.
"You don't have anything to be envious of. I'm just Agent Three. Not like there's anything special about that role. I'm no Pop-Idol, I'm just a girl that lives in some apartment barely making ends meet." She rested a soft hand on her, but Jade simply shrugged it off, her simple sentence stuck on repeat.
Not like there's anything special about that role. Eventually, green streaks of ink strolled down her face. "Cap'n?" It fell on deaf ears, and she glanced at her. The band-aid ripped off some flesh and she was left bleeding. Wounded. "Jade...? Are you okay?"
"I used to be Agent Three. There's so much special about that role! That was my thing before you stripped it away from me! I used to go on the missions and I used to defeat the Octarian Army! I rescued Captain Cuttlefish too! I-I saved Inkopolis Plaza from losing power! I saved the city for fuck's sake!" She paused before sitting upright and staring at her veiny palms. "Callie and Marie aren't just telling stories, these things happened!" She pointed at the scar on her tentacle, her hand jittering like she downed several cups of coffee, "This wasn't because I fell down the stairs Jasmine! I bust through a window. A WINDOW to stop Craig and Rose from being turned into a smoothie!"
"Woahhhh," she said in genuine awe, "I didn't know you were capable of doing that kind of stuff." She really did mean it as a compliment, as poorly worded as it was. However, the green Inkling saw it as a challenge.
She jumped from the beanbag, hopping onto her feet and dashing out of her room. Jasmine followed and watched her attempt to make a dive into the water. The frigid water harmlessly spilled from the cliffside, witnessing the ongoing fight. "You think I can't do anything cool huh?! You think I haven't made any sacrifices?!" She had inky tears in her eyes, but she had to prove to her how she used to be able to do this stuff daily. Jasmine reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Cap'n! No!"
Jade broke away from her grip and backed up several paces to try and run and jump into the bay of water, but all of that was cut short as one of the wooden boxes was in her way. It was so dark that it blended in with the night sky; she tripped over the crate and smashed it open, several splinters covered her body and out came several dozen of the hand-sewn plushies, their big eyes staring at her like the idiot she was. They pelted her in the face and she buried underneath the mass of fluff. The only thing she could see was a stray hand digging into the plushies and attempting to pull her up.
Jasmine looked at her.
Jasmine leered at her.
She was weak, injured. Vulnerable. Those lemon eyes staring straight into her soul, asking, "What the hell did you just do?" Jade glanced up at Jasmine and remembered the little green Inkling girl who got bullied out of the Turf War lobby. She was laughed out of almost every store, just because she wasn't "Fresh" enough. She pictured that girl who went home and cried for hours, leaving her family saying, "I'm going to be okay!" And "Don't worry about me!" She remembered flopping in her bed and crying her eyes out.
The young adult started to do the same, she couldn't stand the eyes on her and self-consciously shielded herself by turning away from her comrade. "I lost myself." She mumbled mostly to herself, trying to regain her emotional center. Jasmine looked at her with slight concern, causing the green squid to flinch. She sniffled and wiped the few tears that started to well in her eyes. "Look, there's a lot for me to be envious about, Jasmine. You may see yourself as plain ol' Agent Three, but it's a badge of honor. At least in my eyes." With a soft sigh, she finally got up from the cold ground and plopped in that navy loveseat that she hated sitting in. "You're so dexterous, able to handle all of these weapons, you're agile being able to do all of these rolls and flips that I can only dream to do now." She beckoned her with her index finger and she followed, sitting next to her, their tentacles softly glowing in the night. "Seeing you save the whole world without breaking as little as a sweat gave me confidence that the New Squidbeak Splatoon would thrive." Jasmine gave a warm smile, just as bright as her tentacles.
"Thank you, ma'am." She sighed frustratedly, "I-I'm sorry for saying all of that stuff to you. It's just that you've got all of these people that look up to you, I wasn't even sure how I could compare myself as an agent to the Splatoon. I really am just some girl in the desert. I sell junk to make ends meet for cod's sake..." Jade rested a soft hand on her shoulder.
"When I was a rookie, I didn't know left from right. I barely knew what I was doing. When Cap'n—when Craig, was kidnapped, I almost lost control. Sure, Callie and Marie were there to give me insight or tell me what to do, but...his dumb anecdotes, his raspy voice, his determination. It fueled me. And when I beat Octavio in that big mech and rescued him and the Great Zapfish," she paused, sighing to herself in a sense of relief she didn't know she was holding. "I felt unstoppable. Invincible." She glanced at Jasmine, she couldn't make out her expression, not like she wanted to. Whether she was listening or not, she had to get this off her chest anyway. "Seeing you already knowing what to do, almost as if you've done this before." It made me nervous. She bit her lip. "It made me happy, that the future of the Squidbeak was in good hands. Not to say that Saffron or Rose weren't already proving to be great assets themselves, but..." she couldn't find the right words, causing her to trail off. And for a while, it stayed like that. Both women were silent, unsure of what to say next, or how to proceed, but something caused Jasmine to giggle.
"You're jealous of me because you're a bitter old woman?" She started to chuckle louder after saying it aloud. Jade blushed and huffed to herself causing Jasmine to laugh even louder.
"I'm twenty-two!" She reeled back in a brief bit of anger, before realizing that, "Well...I guess you're right. But what I said before was true; I can't maintain any relationships with any of the agents. Before being the Cap'n I was talking with Saffron almost every other day, going on tours with the Squid Sisters, and teaching Rose how to speak proper Inklish. If we're off duty, I want people to know that I still have a heart and I want to have casual talks...like this one. But I don't want to get too attached. I'm terrified of what would happen."
"Well it's too bad, I already love the team. Even though I don't talk to Eight, and I've never been good friends with Four, I've always admired you, at least from afar. You were so quiet and mysterious that I just thought I was messing up every time I was around you. You don't need to prove yourself to me or anyone, you're YOU. You're not Agent Three, you're the Captain! I'm the new Agent Three, which is nothing compared to the original." Jade rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well, good job, Agent Three, you hadn't messed up yet."
Agent Four took out his journal and started scribbling down a few things from this meeting. "So, what's our briefing here?" He asked, ballpoint to paper. Both Three's nodded to each other and The Cap'n decided to take over.
"So here's the plan: Your original idea was good, we should try and contact Anarchy Splatcast. Agents One and Two do oversee them after all, so that should be pretty easy." Callie gave a toothy grin, "Once Deep Cut hears about this, they'll reach out to Grizzco. Although we don't know who runs Grizzco now—remind me to look into that later—they'll contact them and create a deal with them. They'll advertise The Massacre as a public event to get all the people around Inkadia to go to Grizzco Industries so an influx of the population will be able to deal with it."
"Do you think Deep Cut will be able to help us?" Agent Three asked slightly cautiously, but Marie nodded giving her some reassurance.
"All me and Callie need to do is go to the Anarchy Splatcast Building and tell them in private what's happening."
"That seems like a good plan." Agent 8 chimed in genuinely satisfied with this outcome.
And with that, their meeting was dismissed and Cap'n swung her imaginary gavel. Meeting adjourned.
"Imagine what a PR disaster this might be..." Agent Four spoke to the Squid Sisters, slightly anxious about the amount of people that may end up freaking out.
"As if Grizzco Industries isn't a PR disaster already?" The green 'sister' shot back, causing him to silence, "If they call it something cute and as long as they don't make a major deal out of it by saying that the world would end, things will be fine." She dismissed, leaving the table and opting for him to follow like a lost dog. "I'm going to the bathroom. Unless you wanna get labeled as a creep, I suggest you not follow me!~" Marie singsonged, Four rubbing his tentacles nervously.
"Don't worry about her Saff, she's just cranky today."
"When is she not?" Agent Four retorted. "Anyway, we still gonna go out together right? All of us?"
Cap'n Three nodded, "I hadn't done anything with you all in such a long time, and we never got a chance to celebrate Grizz's defeat. So I say, let's order a round of drinks for the table and see where the day takes us!" Eight looked incredulously at her comrade.
"Drinking? A-Are you sure that's a good idea, ma'am?"
"Sure, why not! And besides, cut the formalities, the meeting was adjourned." She glanced over at Agent Three and gave a slight smile, "Some of you agents might not be truly acquainted, so this is Jasmine. Our newest asset to the team." Jasmine started to blush, immediately being put on the spot and Jade started to chuckle, realizing she had revealed her name.
.o.o.o.
"Ay! Ay! (Special report! Fresh news, never frozen!)" Big Man announced chipper as he always was.
"Ooo! Wahizit?!"
"Ay! (I'm being told that the Salmonids that invaded Wahoo World have been driven out!)" Shiver nearly jumped out of her seat, the cameraman focusing on her reaction. Ayy...("Looks like we've done it, consider me shocked...)"
"Are you serious, Big Man?" She chuckled to herself, "N-Not that I had any doubts. Another win for us in the books. Well done, Inkadia!" Se gave a few regal claps before Frye interrupted her loudly.
"Haha! Yeah, told ya we'd do it! Don't we rule?!"
She turned off the news and sighed with relief. "Yeah, we do rule," she said to herself, as she threw her phone to the side and lounged in the loveseat that was only a few more sits away from breaking. The waterfall was lovely to look at, and thanks to Eight's guidebook, she created a Spawn Pad tied to Jade's color. She hadn't used the Spawn Pad since it was set up about two weeks ago. But now, she yelled from outside the cabin, springing to her feet and getting up.
"Hey, Craig! Some of us sea creatures can swim!" He meandered outside and watched Jade do a Squid Roll off the cliff into a twisting dive before submerging into the water. Its burning was slow, but she let it encompass her before she began to dilute and eventually dissolve. In only a few seconds though, her inky body reemerged and she gave a refreshing sigh and a few pats as she was still in one piece. Her breath hitched and body jerked in response as she fell to the Spawn Pad, attempting to soak in its ink. The glorified squid jerky flew over the pad, and she glanced at him, her big eyes peering from the liquid.
"It's so damn cold!"
"What did you expect lass? It's December, forget swimming, too cold to be out, period!"
"Well hey, throttled life, spat on it, and realized I crossed a line." Craig shook his head and floated back inside.
"If you catch cold, I won't be responsible for keeping you warm!" He yelled like the bitter old man he was, mumbling to himself about how he was woken up from his crabby cake-infested dreams.
"Doesn't matter," She mostly said to herself as she reemerged from her Spawn Pad, snatching her phone. "I know I've got an agent or three that would love to share some hot coffee with me."