The Story of the Squidbeak Splatoon (My Splatoon AU Fanfic)

Chapter 9: A Collection of Recollections

Throughout Agent 8's long journey throughout the Metros. She began locating more and more Thangs, as she waited between stops, she recollected her mem cakes, and slowly before a story was being retold to her. A story of her memories, how she got, yet she couldn't remember herself still...

I recall a time, concluding two years now.

I recall a fight which angered the commander.

Anarchy resulted in exaltation, yet Anarchy was born from me.

Because of the uproar I am here, it is because of my opponent I am here.

I fell, and so did my friends. They're here because of anarchy.

They're here because of me. And I'm here because of them.

Yet I still have not recalled who it is that I call my "opponent."

Yet still have I to recall my savior who is why I stand here alive.

"You write a lot of poetry, Eight." Cap'n Cuttlefish remarked. "Are these your memories?"

"What I can remember." Eight replied. "I know I was in battle two years ago when I fell into the metros... something else happened that I can't remember. And it leads to when we met." Agent 8 felt like she was close to the end. She thought about the strange Octolings for a moment. She realized that she was so focused on escape and her memories that she never stopped and questioned anything.

Before she could bring up the topic, she came to her stop. She exited, chose her weapon, and entered the area.

"The goal of this test is to protect the orb from your opponents until the timer dings." CQ explained.  Eight stood at the highest platform, there she saw seven strange Octolings, all lifelessly moving together in harmony. Eight put up her dukes as the Octolings come on the attack, each with her own weapon, they came in pairs, gaining an advantage slowing on Eight. Eight became more and more overwhelmed as the Octolings dominated over her almost immediately. Desperate, Eight ran over to one of the many canned specials lying around the area. Ink Armor. She ran back in quickly and took down two Octolings before one of them broke her barrier. Eight kept up the attack until there was only one that blankly stared at the ground.

Then suddenly the timer dinged. The test concluded. Eight stared at the Octoling as she stared straight at her feet. Eight approached her, waving her hands at the Octoling, still she stared at her feet lifelessly. Eight shook her head and threw the Octoling over her shoulder and carried her to the platform. there, two Mem Cakes appeared instead of one. Eight took both of them, and after boarding with the Octoling, gave her one of the Mem Cakes, the one she felt less connection to than the others, as if it wasn't hers. 

The Octoling lifted her head as Cap'n Cuttlefish awoke from a nap. As he saw the Octoling, he first shrieked, then contacted Marina.

"Eight, did you bring a zombie onto the train?!" Pearl asked.

"This is what I was trying to tell you." Marina replied. "That Octolings doesn't have a pulse. So, I have no idea how she's even moving... or even... awake for that matter."

"M...mm..." The Octoling murmured. 

"Did it speak?" Cap'n asked.

"What's your name?" Eight asked the Octoling. 

"P...Purah...Aikuchi...." The Octoling muttered as she clutched the mem cake tightly in her grasp. "Purah Aikuchi."

"How did you get here? How did you end up like this?" Marina began to ask her over the radio.

"...Octo...Excavation....expulsion..." She managed to mutter while still in a daze. "where's... my friends?"

"What is she muttering about?" Pearl asked.

"I think I know what she may be talking about." Marina replied. "I think she may be talking about the 'Octo Excavation Association'."

"That Octo-what now?" Pearl asked.

"Oh yes, I think I remember something about that..." Cap'n Cuttlefish stroked his beard. "Isn't that that organization Octolings formed a long time ago in order to go to the surface. I think Agent 3 had something to do with that... Ah, my memory isn't what it used to be."

"I think from how it sounds. I think those strange Octolings are the remnants of that Association that wasn't able to leave the Octarian Army like I was able to." Marina replied.

"How terrible." Eight whispered as she removed the shades from Purah's face. Purah's white eyes broke contact from her feet to staring straight at Eight. The two stared at each other. for a long while before Eight finally broke the silence. "Well, green or not, I want you to come with us to the surface too!"

"The...surface?" Purah muttered.

"Yeah!" Eight smiled. "You're gonna come with us!"

"I... want to..." Purah began. "See the surface..." She smiled warmly.