Agent 38: In The Making

Chapter 33: DJ Sango

*Reference to Chapter 26... Also this chapter starts with Eight dreaming after Aaron walked them home*
     Sarai surges up from a puddle of her own ink, gasping for air. The world around her suddenly looks much different from what she remembers. Smoke billows out from several buildings, the explosion of bombs can be heard in the distance, along with fires ranging from embers to wild walls of flames.
     Her body stands up and starts sprinting towards one of the plumes of smoke and she realizes with a jolt that an Octo Shot is in her hands. Sunglasses are over her eyes, the same glasses that took control over her for so many years.
     Wait... Commander Sarai thinks. Where am I? What's happening?
     Suddenly she recognizes the torched buildings that surround her.
     Inkopolis Square.
     Out of nowhere, the world goes dark. Now she is in a room with black walls, floors, ceilings, everything so black she can't see where she is going since there is no light. With a startling popping sound, eight blocks covered in teal green ink materialize in the air, forming a circle around her. Eight people rise from the floating ink blocks, each with a panicked look on his or her face. Sarai's eyes widen when she realizes who they are.
     On the first block, right in front of her, Agent 3. On the block on her right, Agent 4. On the left, Gabriel. Next to her brother, Cuttlefish, and next to Aaron, Marina. Pearl is sinking into the ink block next to Marina, while Callie and Marie struggle to get out of their own blocks next to Cuttlefish.
     Suddenly, they all start sinking into the teal green ink.
     "Agent 8, help us!" Marina cries, one arm twined around Pearl's and another reaching for her.
     "Sarai, we're going to die!" Gabriel calls, his legs fully submerged.
     "Eight, HELP!" Aaron shrieks.
     Tears fill her eyes as she spins around, reaching for her friends but unable to grab on. And, in the middle of it all, Three crying out for help.
     "Eight, a little help, please?" He calls, his chest now submerged. She whirls towards him, only to see Cuttlefish's head the only thing left on the block.
     "CUTTLEFISH, NO!" Sarai shrieks. She lunges towards him but is repelled like a bird to glass. Callie and Marie are gone along with Pearl and Marina, their screams echoing from beneath the ink and worming into her ears and making her hearts shudder. Four slips away just as she starts bashing the invisible barrier, and Gabriel sinks beneath with a gurgled screech.
     Three is the only one left.
     With a cry, she forces all the will into her fist and breaks through the barrier. Sarai leaps onto Three's block just before his face sinks in. Three's hand bursts through the ink and reaches for her, and she locks her feet onto the edges of the block and desperately tries to pull him out.
     "Eight," He gasps, the smallest of smiles crossing his ink splattered face. "Please don't let go."
     The tears come, and Sarai lets them drip down. "I won't," She says, trying to stop the shaking in her voice. "I swear I won't."
     His other hand pierces through and she grabs it as well, her muscles straining to keep him from sinking. The ink seems to be pulling him down with the same strength she's pulling him up with. She realizes her own feet have teal green ink all over them now, but she doesn't care.
     Just get him out, Sarai's thoughts say. Just get him out and everything will be fine.
Her muscles feel as though they might tear apart at any given moment, and the ink feels like it will yank her down with him.
     "Come... on!" Sarai yells, pulling him out a bit more. She has an idea of how to get him out, but it's risky and might result in death for her. She looks him in the eye, smiles, and says, "Your turn. Don't let go."
     With a deep breath, Sarai reclines herself over the edge of the block and drops down to one of the vertical faces of it. Almost instantly, Three slides out of the ink a bit more, so his legs are exposed. Now it's just his feet, but she suspects this'll be the hardest part.
     "Three," Sarai starts, breathing heavily. "Promise you'll catch me if I do what I'm about to do."
     "Always," Three says with a charming grin.
     With a yell, she leans back all the way so she's almost upside down, and sends all her power into her legs and arms, pulling him out that last bit. As she had suspected, this causes her to fall.
     "Three!" She yells, reaching for him just as her feet slip off the block. Sarai slams her eyes shut and waits for pain.
     Suddenly, warmth wraps around her like a blanket, and she feels lips press against her cheek. She opens her eyes to see Three in front of her with a smile.
     He leans in and whispers in her ear, his words not sounding as distorted as they would in a dream.
     "I love you," He says.
     Eight's eyes fluttered open to darkness. It took her several moments of panicked silence to realize she was in the bedroom of the apartment. She shuffled around to hug Three, but didn't find him in the bed. The door of the bedroom was open a foot or two.
     Uh oh, Eight thought. Up to some midnight expeditions, is he?
     Eight slid out from under the covers and tiptoed out the door, only to see him packing a small bag. He was wearing a backwards white and orange hat, a layered white T-shirt with an orange stripe down the sides of the arms, and baggy pants with the same orange stripe down the legs. She immediately realized what he was wearing and where he was going, and leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
It took him several moments to see her, and he jumped about five miles when he did.
     "E-Eight!" Three stuttered, looking startled out of his mind. "Uh, what're you doing up?"
     "I think I have the right to ask you the same question, my love." Eight said. "Where are you going that's so important you couldn't do it during the day?"
     He smiled in a way that made her want to hug him. "I'll let you come with me if you never tell a soul about what you're going to see."
     "Of course," She said. "Give me one minute." Eight went back to the room, quickly got changed into a black short sleeve crop top with one long black glove and black pants, then put on her boots as she and Three walked outside.
     Chilly coldness blasted her skin, making her shiver a little bit.
     "Hey, Eight," Three started as she walked beside him. "Could I show you something a little bizarre?"
     "Bizarre has been my entire life since the Metro." Eight joked. "Give it your best shot."
     Three pulled a small orange crystal out of his bag that pulsed with light, giving off the impression that something living was housed inside. He set it down on the cement and stepped away from it just as the ground around it started cracking.
     "What the-" Eight said, startled.
     "Just watch." Three said with a smile that screamed "haha, I know more than you do!"
Now that she focused on it, she could see it was forming into the shape of a giant rock bird with a beautiful row of orange crystals snaking down its back. Three went up to it, patted its neck, and clambered up the wing to sit down on the crook of its shoulder and neck. He held out his hand and pulled her up as well, and the bird immediately launched into the sky with an excited caw. She wrapped her arms around Three's waist and rested her chin on his shoulder as wispy bits of cloud parted around the rock bird and gently flew into her face.
     "Three, what in the world-?" Eight asked.
     "I'll tell you about it all later. Right now, we need to get to the club." He said. "But first, Pheonix, maybe a few tricks to impress the lady?"
     Pheonix cawed again and sped up a little, only to suddenly bank upwards and flip around a cloud. She giggled from the tickle bumps and nuzzled her nose into Three's neck. The bird flew around the same cloud, using the tips of its wings to make it spiral upward towards the moon and stars. Once done with that, the bird ascended high into the sky, so much so she thought they might reach the moon. Pheonix suddenly tucked in his wings and spiraled into a nose dive.
     Eight let out a shriek of fear and laughter, and Three whooped and laughed as well.
Pheonix threw out his wings and banked upwards just before they hit the ground, making for a safe landing. Three helped her down and caught her as she tripped on one of the little crystals in the bird's wing. Eight realized where they were almost instantly; the little secret door near the Grizzco shack. Music echoed from it, sounding a lot like a remix of Fly Octo Fly.
     Three knocked on the door a few times, two fast, three slow, three fast. A small slit in the door opened up and a pair of Inkling eyes stared back at them.
     "Password?" Said the Inkling.
"Sango." Said Three. The slit slid shut and the door opened, revealing a wiry female Inkling standing in front of the door, and her face lit up when she saw Three.
     "Go ahead, sir." She said. Three took Eight's hand and led her inside to a whirlwind of dancing Inklings and Octolings, music, and disco lights. A bar sat in the corner with bottles of wine and beer stacked upon it's shelves. The dance floor was a mix of colors, ranging from the brightest to darkest shades she'd ever seen. However, the DJ booth was empty, though Three seemed to be headed straight for it.
     "AYO, EVERYONE!" Someone shrieked through the voices and music. "DJ SANGO'S IN THE HOUSE!"
     The club went wild with cheers and whoops.
     Three headed up the stairs to the DJ booth which overlooked the entire club. He put on a pair of headphones and tapped on the microphone until it started working.
     "Hello, everyone!!!" Three said. "I know it's been a while since I've been in the house, but things have changed since I was last here. For example," He winked down at Eight and beckoned for her to come. "I've got a girlfriend now!"
     The silence instantly turned into roars of approval as she took her place next to Three and kissed him on the lips.
     "But enough about me," He said. "Let's get on with the music and party the night away, shall we!?"
     "YES!" Shrieked the crowd.
     Eight could already tell it was going to be a wild, wild night.

So... shenanigans.
Word count: 1857