Splatoon 2: Lost In The Dark

14- Spaghetti Plans

"How much farther?" Katsu asked for maybe the tenth time.

"We haven't left the Suction Sector yet," Kia squeezed through a tunnel spot so narrow she had to sidestep, "After that, we'll have to skirt around the entirety of the Depot clusters, and then we'll reach Slimeskin Garrison."

Behind her Katsu fired her hero shot, a few stray drops clawed Kia's arm.

"Watch it!"

Diving into her ink, Katsu crossed the crevice in seconds.

"There has to be a faster way, can't we cut through this Depot place."

"The outskirts are safer. What if someone notices you?" or me.

She brandished her weapon, "I'll deal with it. Let's cut through the depot."

Kia climbed over a boulder to reach the mouth of a dilapidated shaft. At the top she reached back, offering a hand up to Katsu.

"Have you considered any less violent alternatives?"

She stuck her shot in the pack, far away from Kia's trigger fingers before accepting the hand.

"Have the Octarian soldiers?"

Kia buried her hands into the long pink sleeves of her hoodie, playfully kicking a pebble that ricocheted off the walls of the cave, like a pinball in one's of Inkopolis' arcades.

"What if a child sees you?"

Kia kept a steady pace. Behind her, the tempo of Katsu's steps slowed. Fighting a smile, she stopped by the next muted orange lantern that marked their path. Katsu's mouth formed a thin line. Pouting over morals, are we?

"We'll take the outskirts."

Huh.

Katsu caught up and Kia fell in line behind her, allowing the inkling to set the pace over the crevices and boulders.

---

The tunnels took on an extra air of familiarity as Kia neared the Garrison. As dim and rugged as ever. Yet everything from the graffiti on the wall or the particular arrangement of stalagmites echoed a sort of deja vu. Her pace quickened.

"Almost there."

Ahead the tunnel took a sharp left. Kia held a hand out.

"Wait."

She inched to the corner, peeking out. In three paces the tunnel ended. Outside an underground lake filled the cavern base. In the center a three-story facility piled on a large rock island with guards slowly circling the only bridge across like sharks.

"How can we get in?" Katsu asked at Kia's shoulder, blatantly ignoring her 'wait'.

"We jump, and hopefully don't fall."

"Got it."

Katsu crouched down, preparing to super jump over the lake.

"Woah! Hold up, not that kind of jump! Do you want those guards to see you?"

"Then what are you proposing?" Katsu snapped.

Kia jogged down the shoreline, away from the guard-infested bridge.

"Come on, I'll show you."

Underneath static green sky screens, the pair made their way to the back of the building. Pipes maintained a trickle of sludge into the backwater of the lake. Lodged in the water, a sporadic path of boulders littered the clouded surface.

"Behold! Our bridge. Glad they still haven't dealt with these rocks."

Backing up a few paces, Kia surveyed the scene. The first jump was always the hardest. At least two meters off the gravel-littered shore. Back then it had taken seventeen tries before she cleared it for the first time. Beside her, Katsu looked at her expectantly. No room for messing up now.