Agent 38: In The Making

What An Adventure

     And this, my guys and gamers, my gals and pals, is where our story comes to a tragic end. I know what a few of you might be thinking; Does Eight stay sanitized? Does she die? What does Three do?
     Well, my friends, I'm going to provide a small sneak peek. Originally, I was going to add this as another chapter, but it was kinda short. So, here it is:

     *Switching off between Four and Three POV*
     Aaron gripped his Captain's wrist, fighting back tears. "Cap, we have to go, RIGHT NOW."
     He tapped his earpiece. "Agents 1 and 2, roll out immediately. We'll meet you at Cuttlefish Cabin."
     Three ripped his hand out of his grasp. "No- we have to go back for her- she might still be alive-"
     "Three, we have to leave!" Aaron cried.
     Hiss eyes overflowed with tears. He looked like a little boy all of a sudden, tears streaming down his face, fidgeting with his fingertips.
     Four grabbed his wrist and ran down the passage as the horde climbed into the hall. They squeezed into the narrow way ahead, running out before the mob could catch up.
     Three yanked his hand away again. "Aaron, we have to go back! She'll die!"
     Four kept walking, his Captain's footsteps shuffling behind him. "Enough, Alex."
     "No, not enough!" He screamed. "We have to go back! We have to save her!"
     "That's enough," Aaron said, his voice rising as anger bubbled up in his chest. "We have to go or we'll die, too."
     Three gripped his wrist. "If I am your Captain, then we are going back."
     "SHE'S GONE, ALEX!" Aaron roared, whipping around.
     Three let go of his hand with a gasp, his eyes scared.
     "Eight is gone!" He said, his voice cracking. "She died because of us. She died because we were too slow. Because I was too hesitant to let you go." Aaron let out a sob, wiping his face. "I"m not losing you too. No one else."
     *Three POV*
     Aaron's words slowly sunk in.
     Eight's gone.
     She's gone.
     She died.
     They killed her.
     Seeing the person you love most being dragged away in front of your eyes hurts. You see the fear in their eyes, the terror in their body. You can see the hope draining from their eyes like water draining from a sink- quick and sudden, like the blow your heart just took. They'll tremble and shake, whispering, "I love you," for the very last time, as you try not to cry. You can't. You have to stay strong for them.
     And when you know they'll die, when they're being sent to certain death- well, your world dies with them.
     The tears stopped flowing from his eyes.
     Three stood there, lifeless, as if the will and determination had been sucked out of him.
     Aaron grabbed his wrist and guided him out the passage, out of the Metro, into the dim light of the moon. He didn't try to stop him. It was too late. All he could think was two words, two horrible words that kept repeating over and over.
     She's dead.
     She's gone.
     They rung in his ears, worming into his head, his eyes filled with the scene of Eight being taken away as he stood there, being held back by Aaron. He didn't realize when ink sloshed around his legs as Aaron pulled him through the manhole. He didn't notice when they got to the Cabin. He didn't react when he heard Emerald's voice and the hubbub of more people talking in the background. Three didn't register when Aaron sat him down and placed a cup of ink in his cold hands. He didn't think when Emerald's people filed away from the Cabin, further into the Tentakeel Outpost, and the sun set, and the stars started to shine.
     All he could think of was that he should be sharing the sunset with Eight. That she should have been in his arms, that they should have been talking about the huge thing they'd just accomplished.
     This wasn't the plan.
     This wasn't how it was supposed to play out.
     Something inside him twisted, shriveling, contorting and losing its warmth, until it was nothing but a cold stone of agony.
     *Back to our precious boi Aaron*
     Aaron guided Three out of the Metro, crying. His best friend was gone. And it was all his fault. Callie and Marie and Cuttlefish would try to deny it, try to justify it, saying that he was doing what he thought was best, but really, deep down, they would know, too.
     Under the cover of darkness, the pair descended into the manhole.
     Aaron waved a hand in front of Three's face. His friend looked dead, lifeless, like he'd been drained of all emotions. He didn't move, he didn't flinch, didn't even blink. Three just stood there like a statue, eyes wide and bland, until Aaron realized he'd have to drag him out of the manhole.
     Not long after, they were out of the sewer, and thousands of sanitized Octolings were gathered around the Outpost. They looked normal, in a way, and not even one of them had the shades on. Callie and Marie were conversing with a tall, female one with four tentacles sprouting out of her back. The Squid Sisters noticed him and Three and ran over.
     Marie leapt onto Aaron, hugging him tight. "I'm so glad you're okay," She breathed. "You could have died."
     Callie tapped Four's shoulder. "Where's Eight?"
     Marie slowly released him, horror dawning on her face.
     Callie sucked in a breath, tears already flooding her eyes.
     Warm tears spilled out onto his cheeks. "She didn't make it." He hiccupped.
     Marie thumbed away his tears. "I'm sorry."
     "No!" Callie cried. "This wasn't the plan! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"
     "I know."
     "Cal, it's alright. We'll be okay... somehow."
     "No," Aaron whispered. His cheery tone was squashed. His optimism was gone. His faith was crushed, just as Eight had said. "It's not gonna be okay."
     He stepped aside to reveal the Captain.
     The cousins instantly took note of Three's lifeless, hollow eyes.
     "Is he alright?" Callie whispered.
     Marie waved a hand in front of his face. Three showed no response, not even a flinch. She snapped her fingers. Nothing.
     "No. He's not."
     A few minutes later, Aaron was quietly talking with the Squid Sisters as Three sat silently on a bench in front of the Cabin.
     "What are we going to do with him?" Callie fretted. "The love of his life just died. We can't fix that."
     They each glanced at him.
     Marie touched his shoulder. "Take him home. Stay with him. Make sure he's alright. And make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
     Aaron nodded and walked off. He grabbed Three's wrist. The Captain looked up at him with hazy, mourning eyes, the first response he'd seen since the Metro.
     "Let's get you home."
    
     And that's it. I'm not going to reveal anything else because secrecy and cliffhangers are fun. HOWEVER!
     I've been thinking about names for the next book and I can't decide which one. It's gonna be cheesy, since Three is gonna try and get Eight back once he finds out what happened to her and knows she isn't dead. I'm thinking of these names:
     "Agent 38: I Never Forgot You"
     "Agent 38: You Will Always Be Mine"
     "Agent 38: I'll Never Leave You"
     Which one do you think is best?
     Vote in the comments section please! Whichever gets the most votes is the one I'll use.
     I hope you all enjoyed this story cuz I sure as hecc did.
     Have a great day, night, or afternoon!