Splatoon: Unnamed [AU]

Chapter Fifteen

Rain felt horrible. He was alone in the dark of night, and the person he'd wanted to befriend most was gone. He'd probably just ruined everything, and he didn't know how to make himself feel better. Perhaps he didn't deserve to feel better. He felt a buzz in his pocket, which reminded him of Eight and how they were finally explaining, giving answers to questions Rain thought would never get answered. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and opened it up, seeing the notifications Eight had given him. He began to walk while reading, hoping it'd help him feel less horrible. The texts read:

"A year and a half ago, I woke up in a metro station with no memory of who I was. Our ex captain had been with me, and he told me that somebody had dragged us down here, Isabella, Cuttlefish, and I. Izzy was gone, to this day I have no clue where Isabella was while everything happened. Cuttlefish and I decided to ally, and we found this.. Phone, in the metro. It told me I would be a test subject, and that I had to pass tests to find four objects that would allow me to get to the surface." The first text read. Rain was already wildly confused, but continued to read. He knew Eight was probably one of the escaped soldiers that heard the inkantation and came to the surface, but he didn't know a lot about the memory part. He guessed Eight really didn't have any other name, at least to their knowledge. That explained why their agent number was the same as their name, which Rain had always wondered about. He continued reading.

"The phone told me I was test subject 10,008, and so I began passing tests with a little help from some friends. I collected those four objects, and they formed into a blender! That phone almost blended me into mush, but Izzy came out of nowhere and saved us! I escaped to the surface, but.. Izzy was.. How do I put this? Mind controlled by the enemy. I fought her, and I won, but Izzy got that nasty scar and she's been paranoid and unstable since. I think she thinks she's less of a leader because she fought against me, or that she's unworthy or something. We defeated the phone, who turned out to be a little genocidal? But I think he's escaped somehow, and that he's planning something. His name was Tartar, he's obsessed with the idea of cleanliness and peace, so much so that he's willing to wipe the earth of all sentient life to restore his idea of peace. He is extremely dangerous, and Izzy's too afraid to believe he's still out there, so we need to be extra alert for any signs he's still around. Anyone with blue or green skin, anyone who acts like him is suspicious."

Rain knew somebody with green skin, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. For all Rain knew, Eight was paranoid. He texted back finally:

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out." He texted Eight, "Please stay safe, I care about you a lot." Rain put his phone in his pants pocket again and went to go search for Riot to apologize. He didn't know where he was going to start, but he needed to at least find her before sunrise, or Captain Three would have his head.

He wandered the dark city streets, the people of the night beginning to roam. Those who had late shifts, those who dwelled in darkness began to wander the streets in a similar fashion to Rain. The empty streets began to gradually fill up again as the night progressed. It felt like Rain had been walking for hours, although when he checked his phone, only 35 minutes had passed. Rain was beginning to grow hopeless. He didn't know where Riot was, and he had absolutely no hints to help find her. He considered asking around, but quickly rejected the idea. If he started asking random strangers if they'd seen a salmonling run through here, they'd think he was crazy or on drugs or something. Rain's legs were growing weary and as he continued to aimlessly walk, he wanted to give up on this wild fish chase more and more.

It was only when he saw a small splatter of orange ink in the shape of a boot print that he regained some semblance of hope. His eyes widened as he saw his singular clue. Riot must've stepped in enemy ink during the battle, leaving tracks to wherever she had run off to. He swiftly looked up to see if any other neon boot prints were present, and to his delight, a trail led him down another road and into a dark, secluded dead end between two large buildings.