#7 - Sanitized

Gone.

(Please don't ask why I put this video here. It does not fit the story or theme of the chapter but I absolutely love it, soo...)

Agent Four's POV

"W-what do you mean, you can't?" Callie sounded like she would burst into tears soon.

"I'm sorry, but...I don't know how to fix this!" said Marina. "The best thing to do right now would be to get out of this weird place and bring her to those doctors. They might be able to help,"

"What if they can't?!" asked Pearl. "We just leave her like this?!"

Everyone was silent, and I knew we were all thinking the same thing.

"I need...some time to think about this," said Three as she walked back to the inkrail we had set up. She looked back at Ahato one more time before she swam up to the Crater.

Ahato's POV

i need to be careful
with my energy
so i dont run out

i cant go back
even if i tried
even if i used all my energy

now i feel something
its not good though
i feel a dark presence
its coming my way

im scared
its huge
its covered in the ooze

i cant run
my legs are stuck
in the ooze
its spreading

its at my neck
i cant breathe
i break out of the ooze

i run to marissa,
I run to Marissa!

She's right here, she's in my mind, right here, and-!

...She's gone.

It's not her.
She turns around. It's not her.

It's not her.
It's not her.
It's not her.

Her short, pinkish-red tentacles are covered in fuzz,

Just like mine.

I feel myself in the real world, it hurts.
It hurts so much.

Her eyes are covered with strange glasses. They're full of Fuzzy Ooze.
Her plain Octarian soldier outfit has been replaced with a white coat.
And now my friends appear. Three, Four, Callie, Marie, Pearl and Marina are all wearing almost identical outfits. Cuttlefish is dead, and so is Octavio. I'm holding a Splatana again.

The floor disappears.

We're all in space now, looking at Earth. It's covered in ooze. We lost.
Everyone except me is looking at Earth.
I'm not there.

"You will be joining us shortly."

I jumped. I looked around, but there was no one there.

I have a really bad feeling.

Octavio's POV

I woke up to a bunch of the Agents surrounding me.

"GAH! AWAY, YOU!" I jumped up and tried to get away, but there was something wrong with my leg. "Whad'ya want?!"

"You were passed out, yo! We couldn't just leave you there for it!"

I sat up a little bit. I was in a...hospital?! "They said your leg was hurt pretty badly in that battle," said Marie. "Oh yeah, why are you in your Octoling form anyway? Isn't that your weaker one?

"I am not weak!" I said. "I just had to gather some stuff to fix my Octobot King,"

"You made another?" asked Marina. "Yes, and it broke when Ahato n' I fell!" I exclaimed. "Speaking of that, how is she? I assume that she's here. Unless you finally put 'er in an insane asylum,"

"Octavio!"

"I may be in Inkling territory right now, but I am still a king, Marina Ida!"

"TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION," said Marie, interrupting us, "Ahato is in fact in this hospital,"

"Is...she okay?" I asked. "I know somethin' is wrong with her,"

Everyone went quiet.

"She's alive...if that's what you want to know," said Marina. "They don't know what to do. Y-yet! And she's still unconscious, so she can't hurt anyone,"

"So she's a goner."

"W-well, we don't know that y-"

"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I DON'T KNOW!"

If my leg hadn't been hurt, I would've jumped right out of the bed and stormed away. But I couldn't right now, so I just covered my head with the pillow. Everyone was quiet, and then I heard footsteps.

"Well, have fun, I guess. Bye." Marie and the others had left.

I couldn't believe this right now.

"So she's a goner."

"She's...alive, if that's what you want to know,"

"Well, have fun, I guess,"

I pulled my head out from under the pillow.

"So she's a goner."

Who knows.

Maybe they could fix her, somehow.

Maybe.

Maybe I won't have to discard...all that.

Or maybe I should tell them.

Ahato's POV

I messed up. What do I do? Will they forgive me? I... I...! I need answers!

But I can't get them yet. I want them. I want so many right now. But I can't ask. 

I can't...

...