"We're getting close", Skull muttered, his hero charger slung over his shoulder.
"You said that an houuur ago", Mask said bitterly, his hero roller folded behind his back. Army merely grunted in agreement, the same brand of splattershot held firmly.
"Wow, it almost sounds like you guys aren't having any fun", Aloha chirped, rolling down the Octarian maintenance tunnel with a set of hero dualies. Their footsteps and voices echoed around them.
"We aren't here to have fun, Aloha", Skull corrected. "Stop obsessively dodging. You can walk."
"But whyyyy?" He whined, rolling directly in front of the group and practically tripping him. In response, Skull kicked his leg out forcefully. But Aloha was quicker, leaping into the air and kicking sideways off the wall, bouncing around the channel at a gradually increasing speed.
"Stop." Skull's tone was flat and commanding. With a long sigh, Aloha touched down a few feet ahead of the others, spinning his dualies idly.
"...Why did we take the man-child with us agaiiin?" Mask complained.
"Emperor requested the S4 go, not the S3", Skull reminded him. "He wants those missing zapfish, and we're getting paid, so we'll do whatever he needs us to. Besides, Aloha is more capable of completing this job than Army in terms of skill. If we left anyone behind, it would have been him, not Aloha."
"And yet I am more mature", Army added firmly.
"I can still kick your ass!" He ignored his boastful comment, looking fixedly ahead.
"You aren't anything without your N-Zap", he pressed, ignoring the warning glare he received from Skull. "With these dualies, I can dodge even faster than I could with my gal. You'd stand even less of a chance- not that you'd stand one in the first place, being the weakest of us, and all-"
"Aloha, if you don't shut the fuck uuup right now I will grind you into paste. I swear to coddd." Aloha finally got the message from Mask and stopped tormenting him. His threats were never empty.
Army huffed after a minute of silence. "Skull, are you certain they could not provide us with a hero zap?" He took a sparing glance at Aloha. "...Or a hero gal?"
"Emperor checked in with Callie and Marie about lending us hero equipment more exact to our mains. They said they only made a specific series of hero weapons, and they weren't planning on commissioning Sheldon to create any more." He paused. "Believe me, I would have loved to have a hero scope. This dinky piece of shit is horrible for aim. I don't understand how Headphones can stand this thing."
"...And yet we still have to wear theeese", Mask droned, knocking on his flashing headgear. "What's even the poiiint? We don't have anyone talking to us over theeem, and they just attract attention from the Octaaarians."
"So we don't lose each other. I don't understand how you can see anything through that gas mask." Mask glared at Army, who didn't look back. Skull rolled his eyes.
"Enough fighting. Save it for the Octarians. We're coming up on the first zapfish, anyways."
"There's two, right?" Aloha tossed one of his dualies into the air, catching it. The light at the end of the tunnel was expanding as they approached.
"Yes."
"Should we split into teams of twooo?"
"I call Army!"
"You were just insulting me minutes ago. No, I do not want to team with you, Aloha."
"We aren't splitting up. Now quiet down; I hear electricity." Only the sound of their shoes hitting the steel pipe floor remained as they closed in on the exit. Skull motioned for the others to fall back, and he readied his charger, getting slightly lower and creeping forward. Gradually, he stuck his head out, eyes darting around the area. Eventually, he made a motion with his hand signaling it was okay to go. Everyone remained silent as they piled out of the pipe.
