#css line

If they investigate, and tune it just right, they can barely hear half of a conversation.

"...walked in smelling like--I can't even describe it," a nasally, masculine voice says. "They said something about needing their splatana fixed and then just collapsed on the floor. ... Yeah, I called ... hope they're okay ... yes I cleaned everything ... no I didn't actually fix the splatana, it was covered in that gunky ink, I wasn't touching it! ... Yeah, I think I'm okay. Just a little shell-shook, that's all. Didn't sleep great ... I sleep fine sometimes! ... have to go open up ... later."

( @askammoknights )

What? ... No this cannot be-

Pyro rushed over to the radio, nabbing the other members from the break room. All now gathered around the device, the air tense around them.

"Shelby, can you see if you can get this radio to get a clearer signal?"

"I can try. Just give me 5."

The Ammo Knights shopkeeper carefully dialed the radio's buttons carefully, seeing if the radio waves could match the signal. Pyro was sure they heard every detail they could grab from the distorted calls. "Gunky ink" was something very common amongst the infected. They also heard "smell" and "collapsed on the floor".

When the radio waves synced with the signal, the CSS team all heard the horrific message that the radio had begun to relay.

"Could it be...? No-"

"Patient zero," Line and Sinker both usher.

"Impossible! This makes no sense in a scientific or medical matter!"

Shelby furrows his brows, listening in to the static voice.

"Wait, this is someone who runs Ammo Knights. A Shellendorf..."

"He succumbed to Ink Rot centuries ago, didn't he?"

"Yeah..." Shelby replies solemnly. "We can only hope he'll not end up as their universe's Patient Zero."

"Depressed?"

"Drained?"

"Dumb?"

"Disliked?"

"Don't ask us that."

The two cohock twins look at the baby inkling. They wonder what to do as they share glances.

"Who's child is this?"

"GLOWFLIES-"

"Wait guys nO-"

"A lot of us used to work for Grizzco. But because of the infection spread, it shut down a few years back. And thank you for the sounds. White noise usually helps me when I'm struggling."

"I'm fascinated by Grizzco weaponry actually! I've made some weapons based on Grizzco's weapon design. You know, with Grizzco shut down and salmonids joining for our cause, I don't think there'll be a reason to keep Grizzco running. Golden eggs will always be useful to us, but we don't get them from enemy salmonids anymore. Instead they hand them over in exchange for protection."

"Grizzco caused a bit of discrimination between our kind and others prior to the Ink Rot pandemic. We still aren't fully trusted, but it's better than nothing."

"My cod, you guys are clinically insane. I'm not even the medic on this team and I can just tell by your responses."