Boy from Nowhere

Unsteady Updraft

"Y'got anything over there, lad?" Cuttlefish's voice cracked through the radio.

"Not yet, sir." Ink flew as the agent strode around the Octoling skatepark, ears pricked for the sound of Kettle shields. Painting so thoroughly was nowhere near fun, but it sure beat kicking around until he stubbed his toe again.

Paint, paint, paint... a gleam of light flashed at the edge of his vision, catching his attention. What was that? Turning, the agent scanned for metal or glass, anything that could have caused the little flash. Nothing. He took a step backward, bobbing his head in an attempt to find its source.

Ah, there. Atop one of the towers overlooking the abyss. Of course. He jogged over to it, frowning as he saw the ramp. A large chunk of it was missing, leaving a gap several feet wide. He could probably have superjumped, but he wasn't about to kill his feet landing on the Kettle the wrong way.

Shouldering his weapon and taking a few steps back, the boy charged up the ramp, flinging himself at the tower. He grunted as his forearms collided with its concrete surface, grabbing on and hoisting himself up.

Hoisting himself onto the platform at the top, Three pulled out his Splattershot, firing at the ground. He was rewarded with the satisfying pinging and crack of the shield failing, the metallic vent shimmering into existence. "I've got one over here, I'm going in."

"Good luck, lad."

"Don't worry, Cap'n, I got this." A little smirk crossed the boy's face as he switched forms, slipping into the Kettle.

— — —

Three grunted as he landed, his finger on the trigger. No enemies waiting to blast him, thank the Great Zapfish. Platforms were carved out of stalactite and stalagmites off in the distance, held together by beams of steel and netting.

"What you got, lad?"

"Just another Kettle, no sign of the Zapfish." The agent stalked forward, ears pricked for the slightest sound. The only other thing on the platform was a bright red wheel sticking out of a manhole cover. He cautiously approached the object, reaching out with one hand to turn the wheel. It slowly gave way, squeaking as its threads rubbed against each other.

Slowly, Three wound it around and around, round and round. Gaps in the cover suddenly shot open, releasing a torrent of ink.

"Woah-" The pressure was so great that the liquid bore the Inkling up, carrying him up until it finally reached a point that it could no longer raise him further. Shakily, the agent balanced himself on the geyser of ink. Standing on nothing but ink alone was horribly awkward, but he managed. Netting ringed the fountain of ink he stood on, which he gladly hopped onto.

"Holy shrimp..." he muttered, stumbling back onto solid ground. "That was... something." Something garbled from just around the corner. Octarians. Leveling his weapon, Three turned the corner, splatting the unfortunate guard, who had been posted in front of an Inkrail. Activating the rail sent a thin wire shooting across the massive gap to a nearby stalactite platform.

Everything was fine until he emerged on the other side. As soon as Three popped out of the Inkrail, he heard a robotic growl. A pill-shaped robot waddled aggressively toward him, its thin mechanical legs squeaking and body hissing threateningly as it advanced on him. The Inkling fired at the automaton, but the ink splattered harmlessly off its metal face. Crud. Dropping into a deep crouch, it sprang straight at him, its eyes glowing red. The agent ducked underneath it as it sailed through the air, listening to it explode on the ground behind him.

More robotic growling. Three pivoted, hurriedly painting over the purple on the ground and switching forms, darting away from his pursuers. He was not about to die to a swarm of walking metal pills. Explosions sent ripples through the ink behind him, stray drops of purple stinging his skin as he fled. Popping back into his terrestrial form, the Inkling whirled around, hearts pounding and adrenaline surging through his veins. The ground was stained with massive swathes of purple, but at least the explosive mechs were gone.