Blitz and the Barracuda Brigade

Outskirts of Calamari County, 0723 hours.

The shining beams of the morning sun gleamed through the clouds of the prior night, a few illuminating the small outpost stationed a few hundred meters from the border that defines the territories between the Inkling and Octarian peoples. Despite its seemingly unimportant appearance the outpost, designated as Bakery Battlement, served as a first response checkpoint should the Octarians ever attempt to invade and cross the border with military force. Established mere months after the end of the Great Turf War, the Inkling military established dozens of outposts such as this along the entire border to ensure that no one sector was unchecked. The Octarians, however, wouldn’t accept this and have established their own checkpoints as well, known as Kettles, where they stationed their troops in underground bases. But due to the efforts of the newly formed Squidbeak Splatoon, Agents 3 and 4 have successfully managed to effectively demilitarize their forces via retaking the Zapfishes when they were stolen. Without this vital power source the Great Octo weapons were rendered useless, forcing the Octarians to rely on less effective sources of energy. Ever since then the relationship between the two countries have devolved into a thinning line of tension and suspicion, as neither side are willing to come to peace and reestablish negotiations. 

As the sun rose to bring its warming rays to the surrounding barren landscape, the occupants of Baker Battlement awoke and began to gear up for the resupply convoy. Numbering 5 in their squid squad, the members of Baker Company include: Sergeant Cutter, Privates Rollpin, Lowbs, Spatlas, and the newest transfer Pan. Cutter buttoned up his uniform before pulling up his pants and tucking in, tighening the belt to ensure it’s secured. Rollpin, Lowbs, and Spatlas followed his example and tucked in their own uniforms before grabbing their standard issue helmets. Meanwhile Pan was still out of it, her pillow covering her face and an arm and leg hanging out from under the blanket.

“Hey, someone wake her up.” Cutter barked back to the privates. They looked at each other and decided that Spatlas is to be her alarm clock.

“Ugh, fine.” He groaned and walked over to the sleeping trooper. “Oie, wake up.”

She barely moved a muscle, instead letting out a light snore.

C’mon kid, wake up. Spatlas furrowed his brow and lightly kicked her leg. 

She quietly groaned and shuffled slightly under her pillow.

“Oh for-” He grabbed the feather-filled cushion and yanked it off of her face, a faint beam of sunlight hitting her closed eyes. This was enough to get her to sit upright, a look if disdain forming on her face.

“What?” She said in a daze, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

“Get up kid, we got work to do.” Spatlas threw the pillow back to her before following his comrades out of the sleeping quarters.

She sat on her bed staring at her new squadmates, finding it oddly surreal that she was here in Baker Battlements. Never in her life did she expect to actually be stationed so far from home. She slumped out of her bunk, not realizing she changed into her squid form, and proceeded to her gear box to put on her own uniform. Slowly but surely she slipped on her boots, pants, and uniform and slogged her way to the mess room. As she peered in she saw that Cutter and Rollpin were already bringing out pre-cooked MREs while Lowbs and Spatlas were organizing their inventory. Pan wasn’t sure of what to do or whether she should be doing anything, as she was only stationed there for just over a week. Regardless she took in a deep breath and walked inside. For a moment her squad stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her. She shuffled her feet a few times before looking up to the sergeant in command.

“...what?” Cutter said monotonously, glancing back to the others.

“Eh? N-nothing.” She quickly looked down to her feet and made her way to an empty chair. She refused to look up at anyone else until Cutter placed a tray of rehydrated hashbrowns, refried beans, and a few cooked eggs. 

“Thank you...” She grabbed a fork and quietly ate her breakfast, leaving the others to their own devices. Cutter went back to get himself a helping of food while Rollpin, Lowbs, and Spatlas went back to discussing the schedule for the day. 

“First things first, we gotta take inventory of all the provisions so we get enough to last us another month,” Lowbs motioned to the top of a list laid out before the trio. “afterwards we restock our munitions because someone can’t control their itchy trigger finger.” Lowbs and Rollpin glanced at Spatlas, who was in the middle of wolfing down a concoction of scrambled eggs, ham, and toast.

“...what?” He mumbled through his food.

Lowbs shook his head and resumed the last items on the list. “Finally we need to recheck all the sensors that run the perimeter of the outpost.”

“Again? But we did that 3 days ago!” Rollpin groaned as he tossed a piece of toast on his plate.

“Yeah, well the sensors are acting up again because of all the sand blowing around recently. And it’s starting to gunk up the barometers.” 

“Ugh, fine.” Rollpin leaned back on his chair, reluctantly accepting the task. “Anything else we need to do?”

Lowbs tapped his utensil against his chin, thinking deeply whether there was. “Ah! One of the Commander’s secondaries, Nhan-Tu, is making an inspection visit after we are to be resupplied.”

Rollpin merely sniffed while the others resumed finishing their breakfasts. However Pan gave the private a quizzical look. “Who’s Nhan-Tu?”

The private gave her a raised eyebrow but Cutter intervened before he could make a comment on her question. “She’s one of our Commander’s closest colleagues. One of the leading combat medics back at HQ. She trains all the new field docs that want to help people out, ya know?”

“Oh, okay.” Pan nodded, scooping a mouthful of beans into her mouth.

“Yeah, but she ain’t as strict as you might think. So don’t worry about being all proper and junk,” Spatlas mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes. “In fact she almost acts like a...” He stopped eating for a moment to scratch his head.

“Like a mother,” Lowbs finished his comrade’s thought. “In a figurative sense at least.” He reached for a cup of coffee and took a long drink before setting it back down.

“Yes, she does tend to do that. But it’s just in her training as a medic.” Cutter reminded the other privates. “She does a damn good job of patching anyone up when they need it. Fixed up my arm here when I got hit when I was doing operations over in the Urchins’ home territories.” The squad leader lifted up said arm to show off a shot wound on his forearm. He glanced back to Pan and gave her a reassuring nod to calm her nerves. She nodded back and quickly shoveled her breakfast up before taking her tin plate to a cleaning tub. One by one the others finished their meals and piled their dirty utensils and tins next to her.

“You got it covered Pan?” Spatlas joked as he gave the recruit a nudge on the shoulder.

“Y-yeah, I got it.” She replied to him, making an effort to keep her eyes trained on cleaning up the tins thoroughly. Hearing the privates laughing as they went to begin their assignments, she slowed her efforts to a crawl. Her mind was elsewhere as she barely held on to a tin plate and scrub. Is this really what I spent the last year training to do? She wondered. She could still remember when she first arrived at the Inkopolis Military Training Grounds, where she first met the heroes that saved the city from an imminent Octarian invasion. She even recalled shaking the hand of the leader of the Barracuda Brigade, Blitz Phalanx himself.She worked her rear off every day from then on to train as hard as her hero did, never stopping except to rest, eat, and sleep. When she finally completed her training she was almost dumbstruck when she found out that she was to be transferred to a far off sector of the county’s territories. Despite feeling disappointed that she wasn’t able to join a proper military unit, Pan shook her head to clear her head and swiftly washed everyone’s tins and utensils in record time. She left no plate, fork, or knife unchecked before storing them away in a storage crate. Feeling a lighter mood after her diligent work, Pan went off to meet up with her sergeant to receive her next task.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At a roadway checkpoint between the territories of Calamari County and the Octarian Lands...

”Ugh, this is so lame...” A border guard groaned, leaning against his tiny toll booth. He tried, for the past several hours or so, to alleviate his pseudo-dire circumstance from organizing and reorganizing the folders and files in his floor box, counting the amount of money in his booth’s cash register, and even cleaning the outside windows despite their tendency to get coated with sand and dust. The guard even tried to count the vehicles that passed through the gateway between the two countries. “I’m stuck in this goddamn post doing nothing but counting cars and collecting cash.” He looked towards the Octarians’ side of the border and saw the same sight as always: a barren landscape with piles of scrap metal and junk littering the scene. He then looked to the other side and saw a completely different picture: green rolling hills with small bushels of flora as well as small outlets off-shooting from the main highway that led to various pit stops and towns. He wished that something, anything, would make his day more exciting-

“What the...?” He glanced over to the Octarians’ side of the border and noticed a change he hadn’t caught a few moments before. He eyed a particularly suspicious pile that he swore was about 10 meters to the right. Along with the slight change in its position, the guard also saw a faint glimmer coming from the top of the pile. He tried to squint to see what it could be, but the next thing he knew he felt a sudden hard hit on the back of his head. He fell to the ground in a daze, his vision blurred from the blunt force trauma, and took a moment to see a group of figures circling him.

“That should keep the security here quiet.” He heard a voice as his vision began to black out.

“Yep. Now to the inkling outpost...” Was the last he heard before he went unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Back at Baker Battlement...)

The squad of inklings within the small bunker were hard at work tidying up before the arrival of Blitz’s secondary. Rollpin and Spatlas were busy de-gunking the sensors that bordered the bunker, Lowb and Pan were off in the sleeping quarters cleaning up the bunks, and Cutter evaluating inventory (or rather the lack of inventory). The first two made quick work on the sensors, the simple task of pulling out the barometers and shaking the sand out, before returning to grab a quick cold one. The second pair took longer with the bunk cleaning, but nonetheless cleared out all the dust, dirt, and debris hiding in the nooks and crannies of each sleeping mat. Finally Cutter was counting the last of the base’s meager supplies: a single filled ink tank for each of them, 2 tank cans for the bunker’s light machine gun, and rations for another 2-3 days if they have to get resourceful. 

“Alright, just gotta make sure I get what we’re lacking written down.” He scribbled a few notes onto a clipboard and proceeded out of the supply cache. He took a look around and let his gaze stop at the border checkpoint. He reached for a pair of small binoculars and looked to the small booth. Despite the mild sandstorm blowing around the base he could make out the border guard sitting at his post. Good, he’s still doing his job. Cutter went back to finishing up his task and locked up the cache before meeting up with the other 4. Once inside he saw that everyone but Pan was enjoying a few bottles of Juddweiser and Heinekraken beer.

“Enjoying some drinks eh privates?” Cutter remarked as he walked past the preoccupied troopers. The trio stuttered at first but regained their composure as they watched their squad leader open the cooler containing the refreshments and pulled out a bottle himself. He popped the cap and chugged a few gulps down before taking a seat next to the drinkless inkling girl. “Can’t be mad when you guys have my favorite!”

“Oh please sir,” Spatlas scoffed. “Everyone knows that Heinekraken is only a cheap knock-off to the light and airy feel to Juddweiser!”

“Oh yeah?” Lowbs gave his comrade a light tap on the shoulder. “At least Heinekraken sounds like a proper beer, rather than the drink that sounds like it came from Judd’s unmentionables!” Rollpin and Cutter chuckled gleefully at the joke, even managing to get Pan to giggle as well as she watched her squadmates continue on bickering about their preferred alcoholic beverage. She relaxed her shoulders and felt a weight lifting off herself as she heard the conversation change every so often, from the current leading teams of Ranked and League tournaments to the finer things like their lives back home in Inkopolis: Cutter wishing to get back to his wife and newborn of 3 months, Rollpin wanting to get his dream job as a professional bowler, Lowbs looking forward to finishing his last tour of duty as the base’s defender, and Spatlas... he never gave a clear answer during the conversation. Something about eggs...?

Just as the group were finishing up their drinks and talks, they heard a radio crackle behind them.

“Come on Baker Battlement. This is Lieutenant Nhan-Tu radioing in.”

Cutter set aside his empty bottle and stood up to reach the radio. “This is Sergeant Cutter, we hear you loud and clear Lieutenant.”

“Good, are you ready for the convoy to resupply?”

“Yes ma’am, we are awaiting your arrival.”

“Copy that, we’ll meet with you in approximately 5 minutes.”

“5 minutes, understood. Baker Battlement, out.”

*Beep beep beep beep!*

“Mmm... not now babe. A few more... minutes.”

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

“Damnit alright I’m up!”

An inkling grumpily slammed his hand down on an alarm clock next to him, causing the blaring device to go quiet. For a few moments the inkling smothered his face on his pillow in an effort to clear the sleep out of his eyes. Eventually he pulled himself off his bed and clumsily stood up and walked to his bathroom. Looking into the mirror he reached a hand to his cheeks and pulled them down, trying to get his eyes to widen.

Ugh... I knew I shouldn’t have had those drinks last night.

Despite his groggy condition he had to get himself together for his new job. He hastily brushed his beak, took a quick shower (a cold one at that), and went to the kitchen to grab a snack. He glanced to his phone and saw that he was running late to his job; a first for him.

Damn, gonna have to call a guy to get me on time.

Keeping his phone out he taps on the Sc.Uber app and scrolls down the list of drivers. Finally he spots one he knows is reliable.

“Yo how’s it going? Uh I need you to pick me up asap. Yeah I-I know it’s pretty early but I’ll pay you compensation for it. Alright, cool.”

The inkling was about to put his phone away he heard tires screeching in the distance before a sports car pulled up to his house.

“Hey,” the driver yelled as he pulled down his driver side window. “you ready to go?”

“Yeah I am!” The inkling ran down and got into the passenger side before the car revved up and sped off, leaving behind long tire marks on the street.

“Hey, thanks again for picking me up at this hour. The app showed you were the only one available and-”

“Don’t sweat it dude!” The driver bumped his client’s shoulder with a fist and clutched the gear up a notch. “Now where to my good sir?”

The passenger pointed towards Inkopolis Plaza. “That way.”

The driver nodded with a grin and pressed down on the gas, pushing the car’s engine to the max and speeding through the light traffic. The inkling sat back and looked out the window, watching various landmarks pass by like Moray Towers and Urchin Underpass. A few minutes later the car arrived at the square’s parking lot. 

“Alright, here’s your stop.”

“Thanks,” The inkling took out his wallet and gave the inkling a roll of cash. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks Aeto!” The driver gave him a sincere smile and rolled up his window. 

Aeto grinned back and took a bite of his snack. “See you again Akio!” He turned to the inkling social hub and started making his way in, wolfing down his food along the way. He looked around to see that the local shop vendors were just getting their doors opened up and waved to a few. He even saw Crusty Sean pulling in with his food truck.

Hmm, maybe I’ll get one of his Seanwiches during my lunch break.

A few minutes later he reached his destination: the GrizzCo. Industries building. Albeit looked more like a run-down store than a true building it was where Aeto’s latest occupation was located. He walked inside and set down the few possessions he brought with him into a locker before reaching up for his work uniform. In a moment’s notice he donned the company’s signature hat, rubber overalls, and a white jumpsuit before heading for his desk. He took out a pen and clipboard and scanned over the list on top.

Looks like we’ll be getting 3 volunteers for the morning shift. 

Aeto set down the clipboard and tapped the pen on his head. 

But they’re new to the business so that means I’ll have to show ‘em the ropes huh? Oh well, guess that’s why Mr. Grizz gave me that new job as trainer.

He pushed back on his chair and got up to stretch his arms over his head, feeling his back finally getting some much needed attention. He looked to his locker and pulled out a rental Splatterscope and strapped the charger over his shoulder, waiting for the volunteers to arrive.

(One hour later...)

The first of the volunteers arrived as Aeto leaned against the doorway to the building, eyeing the crowds of inklings and jellies that walked to and fro. He glanced down to his clipboard and saw three names scribbled down and tapped on each one.

They should have came in almost 15 minutes ago...

The inkling sat back down behind his desk and kicked his legs up, leaning back on a worn out folding chair as he flipped through the few papers attached to his clipboard. However he didn’t hear a pair of footsteps walking to the building until someone coughed.

“Excuse me, is this where we sign up for Salmon Running?”

Aeto hesitated for a moment before sitting upright and fixing his cap. He looked to the entrance and saw two inklings looking at him quizzically.

“Uh yes this is it,” He stood up and walked towards them before reaching out to shake their hands. “And you two are...?”

“My name’s Hazel, and this is my little brother Filbert!” The inkling girl wrapped her arm around the younger sibling, who shyly smiled back.

“Come on sis, it’s Fil!” He hissed back to her, causing the older sibling to giggle mischievously. 

Aeto nodded and looked to his clipboard, seeing their named printed on the top of the recruit list. He lifted the paper up and saw two pictures of said inklings.

“Alright, please come inside and wait in the lobby while the other two show up.” He motioned with his hand for the pair to take a seat by a set of chairs. As the senior freelancer was about to head to his desk he noticed another inkling standing at the front door waiting.

“Ah, are you here for the morning Salmon Run shift as well?”

The inkling nodded, a stoic silent look stared back at Aeto as he glanced down to the clipboard.

“Brayden, correct?”

He nodded again.

“Okay, please come inside and take a seat by the other recruits.”

He nodded once more and walked in before setting his belongings under his seat. At the same time Aeto took a moment to himself to check off his list.

That’s three present. The last one to arrive is-

“E-excuse me?”

Aeto heard a soft and slightly jittery voice calling from the doorway and looked to see an octoling boy peeking in.

“Ah, hello there. Are you, by any chance, Andy?” He looked back to his list and saw the last name printed.

“Mhmm.” The octoling nodded and peeked in a little more.

“Well, welcome aboard!” Aeto reached to him with an open arm. “Glad you could make it young octo!”

At first Andy recoiled from the sudden loud burst from the senior inkling but felt himself calm down before reaching out to shake his hand. 

“Thanks.”

“Now come in, the others are waiting for you to take a seat. I’ll get with you all in a minute.”

The octoling thanked him again and hurriedly found a seat a row ahead of the others before setting down his own items before sitting down. In a few minutes Aeto approached the four with a projector under his arm.

“Alright recruits! Now, Mr. Grizz has told me to show you this video tape of the basics on how we run things around here,” He then placed the device on a stool and pointed it towards a tarp on an adjacent wall. “But I thought that would be pretty boring so we’re just going to say that you watched it.” He pushed the stool aside and dragged a crate to the front of the room. 

“So... what are we going to do instead then?” Hazel questioned, crossing her arms.

“Glad you asked!” He took out a crowbar and cracked open the container. The lid flew off to the side, revealing a plethora of ink-based firepower to the group. “Because I’m going to show you how to Salmon Run myself!”

All four looked into the crate and reached in to get their hands on some of the weapons inside. Brayden pulled out a Heavy Splatling, looking it over before making a nod of approval. Hazel and Fil picked out a pair of Dapple Dualies and a Splattershot respectively. And finally Andy chose an E-Liter 4K Scoped. He looked through the sights and smiled that they were just right for him.

“Now remember, these are rental weapons so don’t go losing or breaking them. I’d rather I not have to pay for damages,” Aeto joked as he grabbed a large duffel bag from his locker before slamming it shut. “Anyway just follow me to the tram and we’ll get on our way to the work area.” He watched as all of the freelancers readied their rentals and trailed behind the senior trainer through the back of the building and out a back door. There the group approached a large truck and piled in the back as Aeto took seat in the driver’s position, fired up the engines, and drove to Port Mackerel.

(A few hours later...)

“Hey, Mr. Aeto?” Andy called to the trainer. “Are we there yet?”

“We’re a few minutes from reaching the Spawning Grounds Andy. Why?” Aeto looked back from his spot on the boating wheel, the sea-worthy vessel the group was on cruising through green polluted waters.

“Oh... no reason.” He replied back as he held a hand to his mouth.

“Yeah,” Hazel grumbled to them, her face having lost some color since disembarking from Port Mackerel. 

“Oie, if you’re feeling seasick take one of these.” Without looking away from his post he reached for two small paper bags and waved them to the seasick pair. Almost immediately the inkling and octoling grabbed them and hurled their breakfast into it before closing it up.

“Thanks...” The two grimaced before tossing the filled bags into a trash can.

“Just sit back down in the cabin and take it easy,” Aeto motioned to a small room behind him. “I’ll let you know when we’re there.”

The now sickly duo took his advice and found a bunk bed inside and laid down on it. Meanwhile the other two recruits were staring out at the open waters, taking in the not so graceful sights around them.

“Geez, the seas here are gross,” Fil mumbled to Brayden. “There’s piles of trash all over the place.”

“Yeah,” Aeto yelled over the sound of the boat’s motor. “The Salmonids around these parts just let their waste and junk float back up to the surface. They’re not exactly ‘eco-friendly’.” 

“How come they make so much trash then?” Brayden asked out of curiosity.

“Good question but for another time,” Aeto powered down the boat’s motor to a slow drift. “We’re here freelancers.” He then knocked on the cabin door to get Andy’s attention. “C’mon, it’s time to show you how Salmon Running is done.” The octoling, feeling slightly less seasick, walked out and followed the group to the back of the boat.

“Now before we head to that big island you see over there,” He pointed behind them towards a large landmass. “There are a few things you need to know. One: the areas where we freelancers work in are surrounded by an unexplained barrier that prevents us from super jumping at will. So we have this giant satellite dish on this here vessel,” He motioned to them said device. “to temporarily break this barrier in order to send ourselves onto land.”

“So that means we can’t super jump to each other?” Fil cocked his head, a pang of worry in his eyes.

“No, but the islands we’ll be on are pretty small so super jumping is kind of redundant.”

“But what if we get in trouble?” Brayden pointed out.

“I’ll explain that later. Two: Each of you will be carrying Splat Bombs as your secondary weapons. Out of all the explosive subs we tested, Splat Bombs are the most effective when tackling the Salmonids.” 

“Why not something like Burst Bombs or Auto Bombs?” Brayden 

“Long story short, Mr. Grizz finds Splat Bombs to be the best,” Aeto shrugged the question off. “And three: Since this is a training run you won’t have to worry about being overrun by Salmonids. Understand?”

The group nodded in agreement.

“Great. Any more questions?”

“Uh...” Andy was about to raise his hand when Aeto clapped his together.

“Wonderful! Now everyone please stand on this platform behind me.” The senior trainer stepped forward to allow the freelancers some room to get on.

“Uh, Mr. Aeto? Are we going to have a lunch break when we’re done?” Andy tried to ask.

“Ready?” The inkling opened a panel on the satellite.

“W-wait you didn’t answer my question-”

He pressed a few buttons and reached for a lever.

“Mr. Aeto! Are we gonna have a break at all-”

He pulled the lever, which caused the dish to activate and started spinning. A moment later the group watched as the air around them momentarily wavered before it went back to normal. “Everyone, super jump to the island now!”

The four didn’t have time to ask any more questions as they all changed into their squid and octopus forms and flew away towards the isolated landmass. Aeto then reset the lever and reached for a pair of binoculars to see if they landed safely. It took him a moment to find all 4 flying towards the island before they landed on what they guessed was a landing pad. The four took a second to recover from their surprise flight and changed back to their bipedal forms.

“Ugh, my head...” Fil grumbled as he rubbed his temple.

“Ugh, my face...” Brayden groaned as he touched his nose.

“Oooh, my stomach...!” Andy held his gut before running to a trash bin and hurling once more into the container.

“...ome in freelancers! Ca... you hear me?” 

All four heard a static voice coming from around them.

“Did you guys hear that?” Hazel asked as she continued glancing around. Fil and Brayden nodded while Andy recovered from his episode of illness.

“Hold on... a sec.” Another moment passed as they heard more static and inaudible chatter until they heard Aeto clearly. “There, that should do it. Can you four hear my voice clearly now?”

“Yeah, we hear you loud and clear.” Hazel replied, grabbing a Dapple Dualie in one hand.

“Excellent, it looks like you all made it in one piece.”

“...mostly.” Andy mumbled.

“You’ll be alright Andy. Now take a good look around you,” The group did as such and saw that the island around them was more than just a patch of dirt in the sea. They saw several structures built around the landing pad, such as ramps, catwalks, and walls. “You are currently at the Spawning Grounds, one of the first locations where Salmonids go to migrate and... well spawn. You will also notice next to where you all landed a square metal panel.”

“You mean this thing?” The group looked to Brayden who was standing on top of it, a raised eyebrow looking down at it suspiciously.

“Yes Brayden, that square metal panel,” A moment later the panel opened up and a large cylindrical net popped out and launched the Splatling wielder into the air, falling back on the landing pad. “Don’t stand on the egg basket please. I told you that I really don’t want to pay for damaged property of Mr. Grizz.” 

“Ugh... sorry.” He stood back up while rubbing the back of his head. 

“No worries, just stick together and I’ll run you all through the training exercise.” The four heard a horn blow from the boat Aeto was in. “Alright, the first thing you’ll notice is that the egg basket is empty. Look around for a big glowing fish that’s holding a big frying pan.” 

They looked around but didn’t see any such creature. 

“We don’t see it.” Fil said as he glanced around the area.

“You’re gonna have to look for it yourself,” The trainer sighed. “Go check around those catwalks. There should be one hiding out over there.”

The group then headed to where Aeto suggested and, sure enough they saw a large gold-scaled fish wandering around. The late morning sun glimmered off its metallic body, causing the freelancers to stare at it in an almost trance-like state.

“Oie, noobies. Don’t just stare at it. You need to take it down to collect some Golden Eggs!” Aeto radioed to them, causing the group to snap back to reality.

“Uh, sorry.” Andy blinked his eyes until he could see clearly. He then aimed his charger and lined up his sights on the Salmonid. He took a moment to breathe out before releasing the trigger and-

SPLAT!

They watched as the toga-totting fish turned into an ink splotch on the ground as well as 3 glimmering orbs.

“Woah, those must be the Golden Eggs.” Fil muttered to his sister before heading down a ramp to get them.

“Wait, Fil!” Hazel yelled to her younger sibling, racing behind him. Brayden followed suit to grab an egg of his own leaving the octoling charger to watch their back. But as he watched his new squad mates he noticed that small bubbles were forming by the edge of the island next to the eggs. He aimed to them only to see another Salmonid popping out of the water and headed right for the eggs.

“Guys! Watch out!” Andy warned as he took aim at the intruding sea creature. The others stopped dead in their tracks to see it going straight for the eggs instead of them.

“It’s trying to steal the eggs!” Brayden prepped his Splatling while the other two made a mad dash for their objective. In what they felt was a small eternity, Andy lets loose another shot from his E-Liter while Brayden unleashes a torrent of ink shots. At the same time Hazel and Fil changed into their squid forms and grabbed hold of an egg each. The two looked up to see that the overwhelming firepower did more than enough to splat the Salmonid, leaving one last egg for Brayden to simply walk up and take.

“Alright!” Fil leapt up with joy as the others cheered. 

“Good job freelancers. Now get those gold goodies back to the basket and deposit them in.”

The three egg holders regrouped to Andy before heading towards the basket. As they stood by it a slot underneath the container opened up, allowing them to drop their prize in and see the eggs pop up within it. 

“That wasn’t so hard.” Fil chimed as he waved his Splattershot around.

“Trust me kid, this job is a lot tougher than it seems,” Aeto radioed in. “Don’t forget that this is just a training session.”

The four drew silent for a moment before they heard their comms crackle. 

“Now, what you just saw were Salmonids called a Goldie and a Snatcher. Obvious of what the big glowing fish is but the Snatcher will come ashore and try to steal any eggs you might leave out for too long. So be sure to collect as many Golden Eggs as you can.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Brayden calls to the others, his weapon in hand. The others nod with him approvingly.

“Looks like you all are ready for some more action,” they heard. “Now let’s see how you lot handle a wave of them Goldies.” A moment later a foghorn blew from the ship, followed by bubbles forming around the edges of the island. One by one the group watched as the bubbles slowly became Goldie Salmonids, leaving behind a thick, viscous green slime as they made their way inland.

“Let’s take them out!” Hazel rallied to her team as she ran down towards the beach section of the Spawning Grounds and immediately started taking on a pair of Goldies. 

“Well, you heard the lady. Take out those Goldies and get those eggs in freelancers!” The others heard Aeto order through their radios. They readied their ink weapons and joined Hazel, splatting the Goldies as they showed up. For several minutes Aeto watched from the boat as the recruits worked on their egg collecting. Andy stayed on top of a high wall and provided long range support by taking out sneaky Snatchers or lone Goldies that tried to ambush the others. Brayden took it upon himself to keep himself a good distance away from the shorelines, keeping the beach inked in their color. This left Hazel and Fil to the task of luring the Goldies in closer and grabbing eggs as quickly as they could. 

Not bad for a bunch of noobs. Aeto thought to himself, keeping an eye out behind them in case the Goldies attacked from a different angle. As he panned his view towards the docks section he noticed some bubbles forming by the far left pier. He was about to reach for his radio to warn the others when, instead of a Goldie coming up, he saw the all too familiar sight of a gigantic armored Salmonid with pipes protruding from its mouth that led to a launcher on top of its head.

“Freelancers look out behind you!” Aeto warned. The first to look was Andy and when his gaze fell upon the looming Salmonid closing in on him he yelped in horror and started to slowly back away. Brayden glanced back and saw the behemoth and turned his weapon to it, charging his weapon fully before blasting away. But he could only observe as his ink shots splashed harmlessly off the massive fish’s body.

“Uh, guys. What do we do?” Brayden gulped and backed up as well. Hazel and Fil stopped their egg harvesting and gazed in fear at the new Salmonid. 

“S-Sis, what is that?“ Fil stuttered, almost dropping his weapon.

“Everyone! Get back from that Salmonid!” Aeto called to them. “That’s a Steelhead! Attacking its armored body won’t do a thing!”

“Then what do we do?” Andy cried out. Just as he said that the Steelhead stopped moving and began to tremble. The octoling looked up and saw that the monster fish was gurgling green spit in its mouth, causing the charger user to almost vomit a third time. But he also noticed that a plastic sac was beginning to inflate on top of the Steelhead’s face.

“Quick Andy! Splat that inflating bomb before it launches it at you!” 

He reached for his E-Liter and aimed it right at the bomb. The others rushed to his aid and tried to distract the giant but to no avail, as the Salmonid filled the sac up with more slimy drool. Andy took one last moment to aim and let loose a discharge of ink and watched it pierce through the explosive. The Steelhead recoiled from the implosion and ruptured, leaving behind bits of armor and three eggs.

“You did it Andy! Well done!” Aeto sighed with relief, watching as the octoling stand up and pick up and egg.

“Thanks Mr. Aeto.” He chimed back with gratitude.

“Just call me Aeto, freelancers,” He chuckled and saw them deliver the remaining eggs left on the beach. “Good work you lot. Now head back to the launch pad and-”

He couldn’t finish talking as he saw the water around the Spawning Grounds beginning to fizzle and boil.

“What the...?” Aeto looked around and watched in utter shock as Boss Salmonids started to surface. More Steelheads began to approach along with lesser Salmonid Chums from the docks, Fly Fishes and Drizzlers popped up from the catwalk area and took positions by the far corners of the sector, and Scrappers charged their way up the beach, denying the recruits’ chances of an escape.

“W-what’s going on!” Fil quivered in his uniform as Hazel, Brayden, and Andy found themselves surrounded by very angry looking Salmonids.

“Hehehe,” One of the Steelheads approached the group with a sneering, cold-blooded grin. “Looks like the hunters have become the hunted!” The other Bosses laughed maniacally as they watched all four freelancers clump together in fear. “For too long we’ve been slaughtered for our eggs. Well,” It grabbed the nearest recruit, Brayden, by the life saver on his back and glared at him. “No longer will our people have to struggle to preserve our own kind.” The monstrous fish tossed the inkling back onto the ground and moved back with its waiting comrades. “Salmonids! Who wants a taste of some revenge?” The others roared with blood-thirsty cheers.

“Hang on you guys!” Aeto tried to reassure them as he dashed to the boat’s cabin. He reached under the bunk bed and pulled out a metal locker, grabbing hold of his own custom charger: the Splat Bolt Action. Please, just hang on a few more seconds! He rushed outside and, hastily switching on the satellite, super jumped to the landing pad on the island.

“G-guys, I’m scared!” Andy huddled close to his coworkers as the Scrappers boxed them in. The Steelheads then began to inflate their bombs, the Fly Fishes opened up their rocket pods, and the Drizzlers aimed their Ink Storm mortars. But just as the Salmonids were about to unleash their attack, Aeto landed behind them all and whistled to the fishes.

“Hey! You leave them alone you slime-sucking freak shows!” The entire island’s occupants looked towards the source of the shout and saw another inkling gazing towards the confused Salmonids. “Recruits, get down now!” They did as he told and hid in an ink puddle. Aeto aimed his charger and fired away, his shots penetrating the Steelheads’ armored plating and causing them all to get splatted. With each shot he cocked back a bolt on his charger, ejecting a glass tube, and loaded another ink cartridge before resuming his onslaught. He redirected his fire at the Scrappers and blasted them to pieces. Reloading his Bolt Action, he scoped in on the Drizzlers’ mortars and disabled them in seconds, leaving them utterly defenseless before piercing their umbrella-shaped shields and killing them instantly. Finally he saw the remaining Bosses, the Fly Fishes, realize their dire situation and attempted to flee. But the sharpshooter ran towards the now retreating Fly Fishes and annihilated the airborne assailants with swift and deadly accurate shots to the pilots. In less than 60 seconds Aeto had single-handedly wiped out the Boss Salmonids, protecting the recruits and leaving behind dozens of Golden Eggs. The senior freelancer took one more scan of the Spawning Grounds and, satisfied that no more Salmonids were present to harass them, holstered his weapon and met up with the others.

“Hey, you four alright?” He checked each of them for any injuries as they changed back into their bipedal forms.

“Y-yeah....” Andy stared at Aeto, though unsure if it was awe or fear he felt at this point.

“How... how did you take out all of those big scary Salmonids?” Fil repeatedly hopped up and down with excitement. “That was awesome!”

“Don’t worry about that, alright?” He patted the young inkling on the shoulder. “Just collect all the eggs around here and head back to the boat when you’re done. I’ll keep watch to make sure no more Salmonids show up, okay?”

They all nodded and headed off in pairs to gather the eggs. Aeto stood by the basket and kept a close eye on all of them while in deep thought. 

Why did all those Salmonids attack? The training session was only suppose to have Goldies show up... In a few minutes the last of the eggs were harvested and accounted for. Aeto closed up the basket and motioned for them all to head back. But as he was about to super jump back he noticed something peaking out from the ink a few meters away. He walked up to the mysterious object and pulled it out, seeing that it was actually some sort of recording device.

(Several miles from the crater in Takoyarkov, 100 feet above sea level...)

“GBR HQ come in. This is Commander Blitz. Do you copy?”

Roger that we hear you loud and clear sir.

”Excellent, me and the other Agents are approaching the drop zone in approximately 5 minutes.”

Understood sir. Tell them to prepare for low altitude jump once you are at the drop zone.

“Understood HQ. Over and out.”

The inkling commander packed his radio away in a pocket on his parka and made his way towards the back of his aircraft, a reverse engineered helicopter from human schematics. He looked to the passenger compartment and saw 4 inklings wearing the latest Agent gear and weapons supplied by Sheldon. 

They sat together in pairs, which he assumed meant that they’d rather work with each other’s pairings. Two of them, a sea foam green inkling girl and a lime green inkling boy, were quietly conversing with their weapons, a Hero Splatling and a pair of Hero Dualies respectively, by their sides. The other pair of inklings,  pink and purple, were keeping quiet with the pink one holding onto one of the purple one’s arms nervously. Blitz took in a deep breath and made his way towards them.

“Alright Agents, we’re almost at our target. ETA 5 minutes. I’ll brief you one more time on the mission.” Blitz motioned for all four to move closer to him as he dragged a small collapsible table to the center of the compartment. He took out a folded map and spread it across. “We’re about here,” he planted a finger over a stretch of ocean. “heading east towards here.” he dragged his finger until he stopped at the center of a large city ruins. “Our objective is to extract two of my commando operatives from what we believe to be is a human weapons bunker.”

“Woah...” the lime green inkling stuttered as he stared at the map in awe. “So that’s where we’re headed to?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re saying that there are Octarians and Salmonids there as well?” the purple inkling huffed, a cross look on her face.

“It seems so. We’re not entirely sure why they are working together but it can’t be anything good.”

“Yep,” the sea foam green inkling nodded, holding onto her weapon close. “as if dealing with those Octarians weren’t bad enough...”

“Anyway our primary entry plan is to conduct a low altitude jump with me on point. I’ll clear a small area so that our pilots can land this bird and get you on the ground. Once we establish a foothold there two of you will move into the crater and find my operatives. Once you’ve found them head back to the heli and we’ll get out of here.”

“And if our plans don’t go accordingly?” the lime green inkling asked as he crossed his arms.

“Then we’ll just have to improvise, won’t we?” Blitz grinned and packed up the map and slid it into his parka. He then pulled out a Bamboozler Mk. 4 and planted the butt down on the floor of the helicopter. “Alright! Agents Phantom, Mantis, Penguin, and Polar Bear, prepare for low altitude drop!”

“Sir yessir!” All four stood at attention and readied their own weapons.

Without looking, the inkling commander swung his left arm back and hit a red button, causing the back of the aircraft to open up.

“W-wait, you were serious?” Agent Penguin sqeaked in surprise as air began roaring in and out of the compartment.

“Yes, this is what I mean when I said ‘low altitude drop’!” Blitz made his way towards the opening door and looked outside. As he gazed at the passing buildings and flora he saw that the surroundings were beginning to look like the ones on the map. He turned towards the Agents and stamped his weapon down again. “Alright, don’t forget the mission Agents! I’ll see you on the ground!” With that Blitz started to fall backwards and out of the aircraft, causing the 4 remaining inklings to stare in shock and disbelief. 

“Is he crazy?” Agent Mantis yelled over the sound of the rushing air and propeller engine.

(Meanwhile as Blitz was free falling towards certain death...)

Blitz turned himself so that his body was facing the ground, ever growing closer to him as wind whipped by his face. He made a small grin as he quickly holstered his Bamboozler and pulling out a Hero Shot, aiming at the ground and letting out quick bursts of ink. Once he saw a small puddle of his ink reach the ground he quickly shifted into his squid form and aimed himself right at the colored splotch, landing with a loud SPLASH! 

Looks like I made it to the ground safely... Blitz shifted back to his bipedal form and looked around, seeing groups of Octarians and Salmonids beginning to converge on his location. Switching his Hero Shot for his Bamboozler rifle, he calmly pulled out a bayonet and fixed it onto the end of his weapon before cocking it. “Alright ya bunch of scum sucking suckerheads and fish sticks, you want a piece of me?”

The enemies that were already waiting pointed their weapons at him. But he only grinned as he pointed his own at the closest target. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

(Back in the helicopter...)

“Did... did he really just dive off the chopper?” Agent Phantom stared at the others in bewilderment as the others watched him begin assaulting the surrounding enemy force. One by one he gunned down Octarians and Salmonids in quick succession with his rifle, quickly changing his style of combat from close range fire to close quarters combat with his affixed bayonet. 

“Woah... he’s unstoppable.” Agent Mantis muttered, holding onto her Dualies tightly. Moments later the skirmish was over as dozens of enemy troops lie dead or wounded around the inkling commander, his parka splattered with purple ink and green mucus. 

“Agents... the enemy force has been neutralized. Sector is clear-”

Blitz heard a booming crack from behind and dodged to the side as a large projectile whizzed past his face before impacting a few meters behind him.

“Not clear! I repeat, not clear!” He stood up and saw that an armored tank was rolling towards him, the main gun pointed right at him. Gritting his beak he holstered his Bamboozler and started running to its left side, making sure to keep an eye on where the cannon was pointing. As soon as it was aiming in front of him he quickly turned to rush its right. He continued this zig-zag movement until he was almost face to face with the vehicle. He then pulled out his Hero Shot and inked the frontal plates before swimming up to the top. He was then met with an Octarian trooper who popped his head out from the commander’s hatch, which he quickly took down with a few bursts from his weapon. He stood over the open hatch and threw down two Splat Bombs before leaping off and landing in front of the tank. He heard the sounds of panicked voices before-

BOOM! BOOM!

The Splat Bombs went off and rocked the vehicle, the engine eventually stopping and the gun barrel soon leaked of ink.

“Tank destroyed. Agents, tell the pilots that the area is now secured.” 

“You got it Blitz.” Agent Polar Bear replied before making her way to the cockpit. “Commander Blitz said that the area is cleared out.”

“Understood, prepare for landing procedures. Tell the other Agents to get ready.” One of the pilots ordered as he flipped a few switches. Agent Polar Bear returned to the others and relayed the pilot’s order to them. A few moments later all four watched as the aircraft landed next to Blitz, the inkling standing with both his weapons holstered. The group met up with the inkling commander and gave him a quick salute.

“Good, now we’ll split up into two groups. Group 1 will come with me and venture into the vault to see if my operatives are alive, hopefully. While Group 2 stays here with the pilots and holds this landing zone until Group 1 returns. Understood?” Blitz pulled out his Hero Shot once more and cocked it ready.

“Yessir!” All four replied.

“Good, Agents Penguin and Polar Bear will be Group 1 while Agents Phantom and Mantis are in Group 2.”

“Understood.” Agent Polar Bear nodded.

“We’re on it!” Agent Mantis motioned for his partner to follow him.

Blitz signaled for Group 1 to follow him as he descended down the pit. Don’t worry you two, help is on the way. 

(Moments later...)

As Blitz and Group 1 made their way down the darkened corridors of the vault, he tried to radio to Siemo and Torke. 

“Siemo, come in.”

“....”

“Torke do you read me?”

“....”

“Shit, this isn’t good. They aren’t replying to my radio.” Blitz sighed with frustration. 

“Then we should pick up the pace.” Agent Polar Bear suggested as she looked back to Agent Penguin, who was keeping silent and holding onto her Hero Roller. “Hey, we’re gonna be alright. You saw how Blitz took care of those guys earlier.”

The pink inkling nodded to her friend but kept quiet. Suddenly she felt something wrap around her shoulder and looked up to see that the purple inkling was holding her close, a warm comforting smile beaming down to her. “I’ll keep you safe, don’t worry.”

“Come on you two, stay close to me,” Blitz looked back to the pair. “We don’t know who else might be here.” 

The pair grouped up behind him and continued onward until they came upon a set of metal doors. They seemed to have been cut open and torn to shreds. 

“That... is definitely not good.”

Blitz took cover to the left of the opening and signaled for the others to take the right.

“Alright, on my mark I’ll take the left side. You two take the right.” He whispered to them. He took a quick glance around the door way before looking back to the agents.

“One... two... three!”

The group rounded the corner and readied their weapons. However what they saw instead caught them completely off guard, as all around them were several octarian and salmonids soldiers lying dead. Blitz lowered his weapon and stared at them, memories from years ago coming back. 

Good Cod, what... happened here?

He walked to the nearest corpse and took a closer look, noticing that the body was riddled with holes. 

Just as I thought. This isn’t the work of an ink weapon...

He stood up and looked at the other bodies, seeing that they too had the same type of wounds. He also noticed many small metallic cylinders scattered along the ground.

“We have to find my operatives now!” Blitz made a run through the carnage, leaving the two agents behind. They glanced at each other and knew what to do and followed on his heels. As they moved through the ginormous storage space they kept finding more and more dead soldiers, all of them meeting the same fate as the ones they found earlier. Eventually the trio found themselves in front of what appeared to be a makeshift barricade made up of a few vehicles, crates, and pieces of debris. He motioned his hand for the agents to stay put and carefully climbed up the pile. 

“Siemo? Torke?” He called out, hoping to get a verbal response. “It’s me, Blitz! Are you two alright?” He could barely make out the sounds of someone moving behind the barricade. Unsure of who it was he reached over to his Hero Shot. “Siemo, Torke. Please tell me that’s one of you two behind there...” For what felt like a small eternity he waited to hear anything from the other side. Finally he heard someone grunt as though they were in pain. He took a deep breath and quickly crested the top of the pile and aimed, seeing a certain albino octoling pointing at him with a weapon herself. For a moment the two held their breath before Blitz lowered his sights and let go of his gun, raising his hands in front of him. “It’s okay Siemo, it’s me.” But he only managed to take a few steps forward before the octoling raised her weapon at him.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Blitz raised his arms up high and stared at her. The look in her eyes was of determination... and fear.

“Siemo calm down. It’s me.”

“How do I know you’re not some... mimic octoling pretending to be you!”

Blitz calmly reached up to his beret and slipped it off, revealing to her his hair tentacles. She looked and immediately recognized it.

“It... it really is you.” Siemo’s eyes softened and she dropped her gun, the weapon clattering loudly on the ground as she let out a sobbing gasp. She was about to collapse on the ground when he reached to her and broke her fall. “There... there were so many sir...”

“It’s okay Siemo. I got you.”

“And... and Torke got hit and I didn’t know what to do so I just kept shooting and-”

Blitz grabbed onto her shoulders and stared at her with hard but stoic eyes.

“It’s alright Siemo.”

The octoling wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Th... thank you sir.”

Blitz patted her head and back to comfort her before he set her down next to some rubble.

“Agents, come up here! One of mine needs medical attention!”

Seconds later Agents Penguin and Polar Bear went over the top of the barricade and climbed down. The first went over to the wounded inkling commando and tended to his injuries while the second kneeled next to Blitz.

“So, what now? We extract and head back to the heli?”

“No, not yet. Those octarian and salmonid forces were here for a reason, despite everything in this vault.” He stood up and looked around again when his eyes fell upon a third sealed door. This one seemed to have even more security locks on it compared to the first and second. “And something tells me that is why they came here.” He approached the door and analyzed it. The structure of it as well as the amount of locks and security grids gave it the impression that it’s impenetrable. For a few silence minutes Siemo and the agents watched Blitz as he was deep in thought. 

He must be thinking of a way to crack open that door. Maybe some highly calculated guesses on the door’s password? Or perhaps some kind of hacking device that would-

“Hiyah!” Blitz kicked at the control panel of the door, which caused a shower of sparks to fly in all directions. Suddenly the door rumbled and gradually opened.

Or... he could do that and skip the thinking all together.

“Heh, pretty sensitive tech.” Blitz scoffed. Once the door fully opened he walked inside, the hallway stretching towards another chamber. Once he reached it he saw a giant container, similar to the one discovered years ago with the cat Judd inside it.

What the...? Blitz cautiously approached the tube and looked through the glass panel and couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside it wasn’t another feline or even an animal. Rather it was-

A human? He stepped back in shock as he realized what he had just stumbled upon. This changes everything! Blitz reached for his radio and quickly contacted Group 2. “Agents Phantom and Mantis! Get my pilots on the line!”

“Wh-what? Why? What’s going on?” Agent Mantis asked but was cut off.

“Do it now!”

He heard him hesitate for a moment before the agent rushed to the helicopter and handed his radio to them.

“What’s the situation sir?”

“Change of plans. Contact GBR HQ immediately!”

“Huh?” The pilots glanced at each other in confusion. “Understood sir, what do we tell them?”

“Tell them to send in everything we have to Takoyarkov!”

“E-everything?”

“Everything!”

The two pilots nodded to each other and began to turn on the aircraft’s communications systems.

Blitz put away his radio and ran to the others as quick as he can. When he reached Group 1 and his operatives he picked up Torke and placed him on his shoulders. “Let’s move! Hurry!”

“What? What’s going on!” Agent Penguin questioned him. 

“I’ll explain on the way to the chopper! Now let’s move it!” Blitz didn’t look back to the others as he ran towards the second door way, leaving the others to catch up with him.

(A few minutes later, back at the helicopter...)

Group 1 along with Blitz and Siemo finally appeared out of the crater to Group 2′s relief. Blitz quickly went inside the aircraft and set Torke down before reaching into a medical box and pulling out an IV bag. He inserted the needle into his comrade’s arm and got the drip to start before moving to the cockpit. 

“Sir, we’ve contacted HQ and they’re sending in as many squads as they can muster.”

“Good, now wait with the others.”

“Yessir.” They obliged and left, leaving Blitz alone. He turned to a small box nestled between the pilots’ seats and opened it, pulling out a koshirae. He then slipped the sheath through a loop on his pants and walked outside. There he saw all four agents, his pilots, and Siemo waiting for him. 

“Everyone, change of plans. We have to hold this area until backup arrives. It seems this alliance between the octarians and salmonids was more than just finding those human-made weapons.” He reached over to a small crate and pulled out several folded panels before giving them to Agent Mantis and Polar Bear.

“Listen up! I’m gonna need you to set up those barriers around the perimeter of the chopper. We’ll form a defensive perimeter and hold off any remaining forces who might try to take back this vault. Understood?”

“Sir yessir!” The two set out and began to place the panels around them. He then took both his holstered weapons out and handed them to the pilots. 

“You two will help the agents and Siemo hold this perimeter.”

“Yessir!” They gave him a quick salute and moved out, pulling the panels up to form cover.

“Siemo,” he called out to the octoling. “I’m going to need you to provide support fire for Agent Phantom and Penguin. Mantis and Polar Bear will be able to help you out as well.”

“Okay...” the albino sighed before stealing a glance at her wounded comrade.

“Hey, I’m worried about Torke too. But you have to keep your mind on the here and now,” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “He’ll make it.”

She looked up at him and nodded before taking out her Octoshot. “Thank you Blitz.”

He returned the gesture and waited for the remaining panels to be placed. Once the last have been placed he called them all back and ordered them into positions so their respective weapons will have the most effectiveness. 

“Alright everyone. I suspect that any lingering enemy forces will have regrouped by now. And as we speak they are most likely preparing a counterattack in an attempt to force us out of this city. But we will stop them here!” He pulled out his sheathed blade and struck the ground, slashing a line in front of him. “If we can hold out until reinforcements arrive then this city and everything in that vault is ours!”

Just as we was finishing a loud booming horn rang out from around them followed by a chorus of war cries.

“This is it people! Keep calm and soldier on!” He swiped his sword to the side and grabbed it with both hands before raising it to his side, the metal shining the rising sun’s rays off its surface. Then the first wave of attackers appeared a few hundred meters in front of them, their weapons primed and pointing right at Blitz. The inkling took a long deep breath before screaming at the top of his lungs and rushing the oncoming force.

(2217 hours, 4 miles above sea level...)

“GBR HQ, this is Remora 2 approaching the drop-off.”

“Uh, affirmative Remora 2 we are calculating that it will take approximately 30 minutes until drop-off. Over.”

“Understood GBR HQ, we’ll keep our altitude high and dry and haul ass asap once we deliver the units.”

“Continue radio silence until you are beyond the designated danger zone. HQ, out.”

The radio crackled into silence as the pilots of a Remora 2 helicopter shut off their communications before focusing on their duty. The pilot signaled his wingman to notify their passengers to prepare for landing. He got out of his seat and made her way to the troop compartment, where two other individuals were sitting opposite each other.

The one sitting on the left was Siemo, a rare albino octoling who’s been lucky enough to escape the dictatorial grasps of General Octorus Krillovsk. She donned a standard issue lightweight padded helmet and padded uniform and pants. On her back was a large utility pack and her trusty Octoshot, refitted with inkling tweaks to better improve its combat capabilities. She was idly kicking her legs to and fro in her old pair of boots, signs of wear and tear still present along the bottom sections of the footwear.

The other occupant, Torke, wore heavily padded armor which protected most of his body. The only visible part of him was his face which was masked by a full tinted visor gas mask. He was focused on cleaning his weapon, a modified Bamboozler, with a rag. The barrel length was increased by one segment along with an unusual mechanism located at the tip of the weapon and the handle readjusted to be held in a diagonal fashion. A moment later he looked up to see the co-pilot approaching them.

“Hey, octoling.” He motioned to Siemo with the rag before tossing it aside. She took notice and collected her gear.

“Okay you two, I’ll give you a briefing one more time. Your objective is to investigate the designated zone known as ‘Takoyarkov’ and see if those rumored weapons are stored somewhere within the city. Once we reach the drop zone you’ll have to go into radio silence until you complete your objective, understood?”

“Yessir!” The two replied, strapping their weapons tightly to their packs before grabbing a parachute. They returned to their seats and awaited further instructions.

(Several minutes later...)

“All passengers this is your captain speaking,” a voice spoke throughout the troop compartment. “we are about to reach our destination so please unbuckle your seat belts and proceed to the big ass door located at the rear of the aircraft. Thank you for flying with Inkopolis Military Airlines, where our ass is only a peg more important than yours-”

“Stop fucking around.” the co-pilot interrupted.

“Sorry.”

Siemo and Torke stood up and made their way to the opening. The pair looked outside and saw that they were several thousand feet in the air, barely able to distinguish any landmarks. 

“You ready kid?” Torke made a last minute pat down of his equipment before tightening the parachute over his shoulders.

“Yeah.” Siemo copied his actions and made sure her weapon and pack was secured to her.

“Then I’ll see you on the ground.” Torke took a few steps back before running forward and leaping out of the aircraft. Siemo watched as he spun a few times before positioning himself head long at the ground. Taking in a few deep breaths, the octoling stepped back and followed suit, the noise of the aircraft suddenly replaced by the rush of air racing past her. As she descended, Siemo looked around her and saw something she would never have seen in her dreams.

Stretching as far as she can see, the ground beneath her was dotted with several details almost too numerous to make out specifically. Cities and suburban areas dotted the horizon, more specifically the glimmering metropolis of Inkopolis. She could make out the unmistakable Inkopolis Tower and the Great Zapfish nestled firmly around the structure. For the few minutes she spent free falling she couldn’t avert her gaze from the glowing electric eel, sparks glistening through her visor. 

“Siemo, I’ve reached the drop-off. What’s your status?” a voice crackled through her ear piece. She snapped out of her daze and responded.

“Uh, I’ll reach it in a moment.” She patted herself down quickly and found the release cord. Siemo pulled on it and felt her body jerk before seeing that her parachute had safely deployed. Letting out a sigh of relief she descended towards a faint glow where her comrade was waiting. A few seconds later she landed, quickly collecting the chute and removing the straps to the parachute pack.

“You good?” Torke asked, unholstering his weapon and filling it with ink.

“Yeah, just had to find the cord.” She joked before taking her Octoshot out. “Ready.”

“Alright, we have to find a safe location to set up a temporary hideout.” Torke suggested as he scanned their surroundings. Most of the buildings that once towered around them were now toppled over and overgrown with vegetation with a few exceptions that still remained standing. The paths between them were just as overgrown, the pavement cracked and choked full of grass and weeds.

“You’re right. The sooner we find shelter, the sooner we can begin looking for those human weapons.” Siemo agreed as she stuffed her parachute into her pack. The pair then headed towards what appeared to be the main street and followed it down to the center of the city.

(A few hours later...)

“Nothing,” Siemo sighed as she exited a small building. “no sign of any recent activity.”

“Well that’s good,” Torke replied, standing up and giving the building one last look. “it means that there’s little possibility of anyone getting in the way of our mission in this... codforsaken place.” 

The two have been searching around for a suitable place to hunker down in, but every building they’ve searched through looked as though they would cave in if they so much as sneezed. Worse still, the Geiger devices that were attached to their uniform sleeves began to faintly click indicating they were close to radioactive spots. The octoling looked at hers and saw that the meter read 8% radiation. But this didn’t deter her nor her comrade.

“We should find an elevated spot to camp out for a while.”

“Right,” Torke nodded. “but most of the skyscrapers that are still standing are further down that way, which could also mean higher levels of radiation.”

It was a risk they had to gamble on. They had to inform GBR HQ of their status, so the two ventured deeper into the dead city. After passing several alleys, streets, and empty buildings the pair entered what they could only assume was the inner city sector. The relatively stable skyscrapers surrounded them, giving the impression that they were trapped. 

“I guess this is city central.” Siemo muttered as she checked her geiger device. The needle inched towards 15% radiation. Torke looked at his own device and placed a hand on the octoling’s shoulder.

“We’re still in the safe zones. Now let’s go see if these buildings are safe enough to camp out in.” He patted her a few times reassuringly and took the lead as they approached the closest structure. Torke scanned the seemingly intact doors that stopped them and merely touched the handle when it suddenly crumbled into pieces. He looked back to his comrade and shrugged as he stepped over the pile of dust and entered the vacant building. Once inside Siemo and Torke looked around and saw that the interior of the building was surprisingly roomy. Despite the walls looking severely decayed along with what remained of a tiled floor and ceiling, the space they were in seemed safe enough to hide out in. They pushed piles of debris and rubble aside and managed to space out the center in order to set up their field equipment.

“Home sweet home.” Torke joked as he unpacked his gear: a few boxes of MREs, a portable radio, and two ink tanks for his weapon. Siemo followed suit and laid out her own equipment including a map of the city ruins and a compass.

“Where do you think we are approximately?” The octoling asked as she tried to determine the location of where they landed. Torke took his place by her and scanned the chart. He pointed a finger to what appeared to be part of a highway leading into the city, similar to the one they walked on.

“We took the path here,” He then moved his finger along the road towards a cluster of collapsed buildings. “And made our way through this mess.” Torke then tapped on an open space close to the building they’re occupying. “And now we’re here. So we’re not too far from our objective.”

Siemo nodded in agreement and sat back to prepare an MRE. “We should rest here for now. Better to continue on rested and full than tired.” She ripped open the small cardboard box and pulled out the few contents inside: a pack of crackers, a tin can of refried beans, and a container of pickled veggies. Wasting no time the octoling started digging into the can of beans, barely giving time to chew on the individual pieces.

“Geez, slow down there,” Torke chuckled as he had barely gotten his own package opened. “There’s no need to rush your meals.”

Siemo looked down at the can only to find that she had gulped down almost all of its contents. For a moment she felt her mind was back at the Octarian boot camp she started training at. The same training routines with the same schedules for meal breaks and sleep. She tightened her grip on the container before setting it down gently. “S-sorry... I guess my mind was somewhere else.” 

The inkling commando shook his head and looked down to the makeshift map. Making a few last minute calculations he guessed that they were within a mile east of their objective. Leaning back against some debris he peered over to the octoling and watched her picking at the can with her utensil. “So... the Commander decided to let you come along this mission with me?”

Siemo looked up and nodded. “Yeah. He said that I was ready to take on a mission without the need for his supervision.” Grabbing the can she tilted it up and swallowed the last morsels of beans before tossing the empty tin away. “...I’m surprised you didn’t oppose to the decision. Given who I am and-”

“No, I’m alright to working with you. From what I’ve heard around the base camp you helped him contact Inkopolis a year ago at the Battle of Octo Valley with uh... Echo?” Torke reached in and grabbed a biscuit before breaking off a piece and popping it in his mouth.

Siemo recalled the battle, hearing the distant explosions and gunfire as she tried to convince Agents 1 and 2 of what was happening. “Yeah... I remember,” She slid her MRE box aside and turned to face him. “If it weren’t for him and his brigade... I don’t think Inkopolis would have been around today.”

Silence fell upon the two as time passed, the sky growing darker with each passing minute. They managed to finish their meals without another word before setting up positions to take turns overwatching. Torke offered to take up first shift, allowing Siemo to get some shut eye. Slipping into her sleeping bag, the octoling placed her Octo Shot by her head before closing her eyes. 

The inkling looked back to his sleeping comrade before reaching into his combat vest, pulling out a small radio. Flipping the device on he fiddled with the few notches and dials in order to get the right frequency. After a minute of adjusting he succeeded.

“Torke to GBR HQ. Come in.”

Radio static crackled from the device.

“Torke to Great Barrier Reef HQ, do you read me?”

“...e read you troop... Ho... s the mission pro...ding?”

“Just as planned. We have managed to find temporary shelter within a mile of our objective location. Will update you when we are ready to move out, over.”

“Co... that. Make su... you two find out... at the enemy is planning... over.”