Agent 38: In The Making

Chapter 46: Betrayal

*Guess who's turn it is? Agent 4 babyyyyyyy*
     Four had walked home after practice with Eight. Not much had been going on lately either. And, to be honest, he felt very very very very super duper extremely bored. And that wasn't something he was comfortable with feeling.
     Aaron was always entertained. Whether he be playing a videogame, watching TV, doing Turf or Ranked or League Battles, or doing random things with Gabriel. Speaking of which, the Octoling had been acting strange lately. Since they sometimes hung out with each other (Gabriel also enjoyed videogames), Aaron kinda constantly knew where he was. However, the past few weeks had been odd.
     Whenever Aaron wanted to plan out a hangout between him, Gabriel, Eight and Alex, Gabriel would initially say yes, but fall out a few days before the time came. It was a bit dissapointing, to be honest.
     Even stranger, when they DID meet up or something, Gabriel would have to leave for some random reason like having already planned something with another friend or having a very specific and unimportant chore to do.
     Aaron sighed. Whatever. He can go do whatever shenanigans he wants to. I've never needed anyone to babysit me. He opened the door to his house and walked in. Something he'd learned to do, and also something he did everyday, was to keep the remote of the TV in a very specific place on the couch so that when he jumped on it, the remote would bounce up from the impact and land in his hand. Aaron lay down on the couch and got out his phone.
     Before long though, he started to hear very faint noises from the hallway. At first, he thought it was the tree outside bumping into his window. It could've been the curtains swaying in the breeze from the open door. But then, there was a noise that sounded like one of his Nintendo controllers falling on the floor.
     C-c-clatter!
     His ears flattened against his head and he felt his eyes narrow. This was something that continuously happened whenever his "dangey sense" (as he liked to call it) was turned on.
     Nobody touches my videogames.
     Aaron slowly rose from the couch and shoved his phone in his pocket. Another slight clatter echoed from his room.
     Aaron ran silently down the hall and shoved open the door-
     Gabriel stood inside, ransacking all the cabinets with a panicked look on his face.
     He stared in disbelief. The Octoling whipped around and stared back at him.
     "O-oh," Gabriel stammered. "H-hey, Aaron. Uhm... this isn't what it looks like-"
     "Gabriel, what the actual shell are you doing in my house!?" Aaron yelled. "And why are you taking all my stuff!" He pointed at the small pile of his belongings that were actually worth something, which included his safe with the past 7 years' worth of savings in it. "How did you even get in here!?"
     Gabriel put down the things in his hands and blew out a deep breath. "I'm in trouble, dude. So, so much trouble." He turned and looked him in the eyes, with nothing but sincerity and fear in his voice. "I made a deal with the devil, Aaron."
     "What?" He said. "What do you mean?"
     "Back when I was an Octarian soldier, I was part of this... club, we'll call it." He started. "It started out as a joke sort of thing. We went from bullies in primary school, to vandals as tweens, and it just got worse. All the way to..." Gabriel hesitated for a moment. "Assassins."
     Aaron's eyes went wide.
     "At this point, there was no backing out, or you would be killed, too." Gabriel said. He had a distant look in his eyes, as if the memories were playing back behind them. "I remember swearing an oath to them. We all did. It was an oath of eternal loyalty and sacrifice if needed. I wanted to back out so badly, but I knew these boys as if they were my brothers. If someone left the group, both him and his family would be killed. And I couldn't do that to Sarai. I would fight a million of those guys if it saved my family."
     "A few weeks ago," Gabriel continued. "I had a letter slipped under my door. I remember grabbing it and opening it up, and the only thing inside was, 'Lieutenant Gabriel. It's your old friends. We know you know that we don't do preambles, so I'll just cut to the chase. We have an ultimatum for you. Either you give us your most valuable belongings and we decide your fate... or we kill all of the wimps you've been with. Remember.
     We
     See
     All.
     - Lyle'"
     Gabriel stood up, hands trembling slightly. He turned and glared deep into Aaron's eyes.
     "So you see," A pocket knife unfolded from his sleeve. "I have to do this. Try and stop me... and you'll officially be my 50th assassination."
     Aaron felt as though all the air had been crushed out of his chest. As if his lungs had been squeezed with the force of a lion's jaws. As if one of his closest friends (Well, not anymore) was going to try to assassinate him right here, right now.
     Oh, wait.
     He was.
     Aaron crouched down, on his knees, and put his hands up in the air. Gabriel no longer resembled the sarcastic, sassy, punky friend he usually was. The monster before him looked like a stone-cold killer ready to murder or die trying.
     The Octoling smiled grimly at him. "See? Isn't that bette-"
     Aaron lunged across the floor and took hold of Gabriel's legs, tripping him. He slid out from under him and drove his elbow right into Gabriel's back-
     He rolled out of the way just in time and swung the knife a hair away from his face. A tiny sliver of his tentacle swung off with the knife.
     The world dropped into slow motion.
     Oh my cod.
     He's actually trying to kill me.
     Back when Aaron was trying to stop the Octarian menace and defeat Octavio, there had been a few times where the battle had gotten so intense that his body and mind went into autopilot, and he just obliterated everything in sight.
     This was one of those times.
     Aaron's eyes narrowed to menacing slits. His ears flattened and his sight went sharp around the edges. He felt his hands tighten to fists and his body tense up.
     "Oh," He breathed, shaking his head with mock regret. "You have messed with the WRONG INKLING."
     Gabriel tackled him to the floor, trying to keep him still. "This is for your own good!" He jabbed the knife down towards his hearts- Aaron's eyes glinted in the steel of the blade-
     He punched him as hard as possible right in the jaw. Gabriel screamed.
     The Inkling rose like smoke rising from a wildfire. He grabbed the knife that had flown out of Gabriel's hands and walked until he stood above the Octoling. Aaron couldn't tell if Gabriel was still conscious or not.
     He raised the knife to eye level, glaring down at him. He glanced up at the blade-
     -And saw nothing but the crazed look in his eyes that had matched Gabriel's.
     Aaron gasped. He threw the knife at the window with a yell of fury.
     What am I DOING!? His thoughts shrieked. Trying to kill one of my best friends? I don't want to be like him.
     I'm NOT going to be like him.
     "I'm not going to end it this way." Aaron said to himself. "I'm not a bad guy."
     A low chuckle echoed through the room. It escalated to a little giggle, a tiny laugh with malicious glee housed in it. A cackle, a howl, a roar of murderous joy. Gabriel rose to his feet with an utterly insane smile on his face.
     "Oh, and you were doing so good, too." The Octoling giggled. "Number 1 rule of being an assassin: you never show mercy. The only thing an assassin decides is life and death."
     In an instant, Aaron was pinned against the wall, Gabriel's hand to his throat as he pushed him upward. For a moment, the mad look in his eyes eased, and his smile dropped into sadness.
     "Goodbye, Aaron."
     The impact of the punch was so hard it was an almost instant blackout. Aaron felt himself drop to the floor, and the last thing he saw was Gabriel escaping out the window, his hands full of stolen belongings.