Agent 38: In The Making

Chapter 3: Startled And Afraid

Darkness. That was the first thing she noticed after coming to. Utter and complete darkness.
     She.
     She was a she. Female, through and through. And she had been unconscious. From what, she didn't know.
     She opened her eyes.
     "AHOY! OCTOLING!" Said the blurry figure standing over her. "Up and at 'em, ya lazy whiffle-whaffle!"
     She would've gasped if her face didn't feel so heavy.
     "This fight ain't over! Prepare for a royal whoopin'!" He said, pausing for a long moment.
     "But there's no honor in defeating an unarmed opponent... And you seem to have lost your weapon somewhere around here." The old squid said.
     An old man trying to duel me? Her thoughts scoffed. Just try. After a moment, a wave of unsettleness hit her. Where did that thought come from? I'm not like that. But... I don't know what I'm like either. What happened?
     She realized that her head ached with a passion, and groaned a little bit. The Inkling eyed her for a second, before finally opening his mouth to speak.
     "And just where is...here...anyway?" He asked. "Last thing I remember, you were battling my protege, Agent 3, in Octo Valley...when both of you were suddenly attacked by someone. And somehow we got marooned here...So, uh...hows about we call a temporary truce while we find a way to escape?"
     "But where are my manners," He added. "I haven't even told you my name! I'm Cap'n Cuttlefish, leader of the New Squidbeak Splatoon! And you are...?"
She took a moment to try and remember. She squinted, but everything was fuzzy and hazy.
     "........ psst. This is the part where you tell me your name."
     She paused.
     "By kraken... You lost your memory when you hit the ground? You can't remember anything about yourself? Anything at all!?"
     She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to picture herself.
     I am an Octoling girl. I'm... pretty sure I have tan skin. My tentacles are hanging down from my head... I think. And... My eyes are a pale white, almost like opals. This is me... right?
     Yes. This is me.
     "Most interesting..." Cap'n Cuttlefish said after she opened her eyes. "I noticed you were humming the Calamari Inkantation right before you came to... Could it be? Has this heavenly melody been etched into your very soul!?"
     Calamari Inkantation... She thought. Why does that sound so familiar?
     "...............I'll take your stunned silence as a yes!" He paused for a moment, thinking. "I've heard tell of Octarians whose souls were etched by those squidtastic grooves... But that was a couple years back, during Agent 3's battle with DJ Octavio. Still... I can't shake the feeling that this is related somehow. In any case, sorry for siccing Agent 3 on you back there. Any fan of the Squid Sisters is a friend of mine! I mean that with all of my hearts. Now dust yourself off and find your land legs. We need to get moving! Let's find a way out of here!" He pointed his Bamboozler, which she'd originally thought was a cane, to the sky.
     She stood up, touching her head, and shook herself. It was an odd feeling, not being able to remember anything. It felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, nothing behind you to support your body. It was terrifying, in a way. The Octoling took a look around. It looked like they were in an underground train station... Like a subway. She started towards the long, thick train ahead of her, the lights shining dimly against the foggy windows. She cautiously walked through an open turnstyle, the others were boarded up with caution tape and rotting wood, or completely broken. It seemed a little suspicious, but she ignored it as she stepped onto the creaky train.
     It looked abandoned. The windows were slightly cracked, the seats had small ripped magazines on them, and the handlebars all looked rusty and old. She wondered how long this train had been abandoned for. As her eyes darted around, she realized that the train continued to her left, and small ink puddles were scattered around. Instinctively, she dove into the first one, leaping out of it and splashing back into the next puddle with untamed glee that didn't match the current situation at all.
     Oh, thank cod for ink, She thought. I felt so dry.
     After a few splashes, she realized that the puddles were littered over the train tracks, and there was a bright light at the end of the hall. She jumped out of the ink and started towards it, her heels tapping on the floor with loud echoes. As she walked through the hallway, it opened up into a room, with the train track going beneath a big... box?
     "What in the devilfish is this place?!" Cuttlefish suddenly said. "Proceed with caution..."
     As she stepped around the tarps and metal strips that were scattered across the floor, she saw a circular little platform, with two footprints on it, and next to it, the start of an Inkrail.
     "That's an Octarian vault!" Cuttlefish said, pointing at the big box to her right. "You need a key to open it."
     Curious, she stepped onto the two footprints, and the Inkrail suddenly charged with pink ink. She swam through it and jumped out onto another little circular platform with two more footprints on it. Suddenly, a dome of glass surged up, surrouding her. Startled, she started banging on the glass, before realizing that there was a holographic image above her head. It read:
     Splattershot Jr. And Splat Bomb
     She reached up and tapped it, and the glass shot back down, the weapon suddenly in her hands.
     I have questions, She thought. But whatever.
     The Octoling ran into the room ahead, instinctively breaking the boxes in front of her. The start of a ride rail sat in front of her, and she jumped on, adrenaline and confusion pumping through her veins. It dropped her off to a small platform surrounded by boxes, with a red crate wrapped in plastic sitting in the middle. She didn't bother with all the other boxes; she focused all her energy on breaking the red box. Finally, it busted open, revealing a seriously familiar looking key. She grabbed it, busted the other boxes, and jumped back on another ride rail. The training balloons drifted above her head, but she didn't pop them.
     She jumped off the ride rail, back onto the thing that gave her a weapon, and suddenly the key was the only thing in her hands.
     "Hey!" Cuttlefish exclaimed. "That thing stole your weapon back! Buncha hooey if you ask me..."
     She stared down at it in confusion, but kept walking towards the box. Just as she was about to open it, what could have been a memory flashed behind her eyes.
     The Octoling has a small blowtorch in hand, the flames licking across the Vault that she had created only a month or two earlier. An Inkling is trapped inside, banging on the glass, screaming for help. She doesn't know why she is helping her- she's always been weaker than the other Octarians. She cares about others. She's saving her sworn enemy, even though she knows the consequences will be rough. But no one has to know, right?
     It's a miracle that she was able to remove the goggles- a miracle that she actually ended up seeing Agent 3's fight, seated right next to Marina Ida, when she heard the Inkantation. She'd deactivated the goggles the moment she was out of sight, that way everyone still thought she was mind-controlled. Finally, she had traced the circle of flames around a wall of the box. Sarai raised her leg and kicked it as hard as she could, slamming it aside. The Inkling gave her a confused look, but nodded gratefully.
     "Thank you-"
     "Just go." The Commander said, pointing at the door. "Don't thank me."
     Her mind returned to reality, forcing her out of her memories. And forcing the memory of that memory out of her head. The only thing she could remember was that she was a.. Commander?
     Ok, now I seriously need to get out of here, She thought.

Heyo! Me again. Hope you enjoyed this part! Chapter 4 on it's way!
Word count: 1391