The troubles of knowing yourself

An adventure in the domes

The trio entered the first dome, their tentacles all turning that same shade of turquoise. Eight stood out from the pair of them; while Three and Four were both wearing their hero suits and held weapons (Hero Shot for Three, Hero Dualies for Four), Eight was still wearing her comfy clothes, and was unarmed. They'd offered to lend her a weapon, but she had refused, firmly asserting that she didn't want to give off the wrong impression to her fellow Octarians.

They progressed through the dome, which was uncharacteristically empty, until they were about halfway through. Eight frowned, puffed out her cheeks, and changed her ink color so it matched that of the other Octarians. Then, she called out something in the language of her people.

"Hey! Hey! Where is everyone?!" She yelled in Octarian. There was silence for a few long, tense moments, before a blubbering sound called out in reply. Her eyes lit up.

"There's a 'Trooper here!" She cheered to the other pair, before excitedly swimming off in the direction of the sound.

Three and Four carefully followed, still having to ink the ground themselves, but now having to deal with Eight being the enemy color.

Eight found the Octotrooper first. He was hiding behind a pillar, without his weaponized stand and gun. He peered out from his hiding place, and when he saw Eight, he did a double-take."

"Wh-what?! Since when are elites stationed here?! M-ma'am, I'm sorry I'm not on duty, I-I didn't mean to-" He rambled fast, bowing nervously to Eight.

Eight waved her hands to shush the blubbering Octarian, giving what she hoped was a reassuring laugh. "Hey, hey, calm down, I'm not an elite, and you aren't in any trouble!"

He blinked. "Not...an elite?"

"Not an elite."

"But...you look like one."

It's then that the other two agents caught up with her. The expression that came into the Octotrooper's face then could only be described as pure, unadulterated terror. He let out a garbled cry of fear and turned to run.

Eight cried something out at him, and he stopped, asking something in reply.

The Octoling turned to her friends. "Could you guys put down your weapons?"

Four shrugged and complied, but Three squinted. "I will, but can I ask why?"

"I told him that you aren't going to attack him for no reason, but he doesn't believe me. All he's ever heard about Inklings is that they're killing machines."

Three grimaced, then carefully set her Hero Shot on the ground.

The Octotrooper observed with hesitance for a moment, then his look changed to one of morbid curiosity. He said something to Eight that made her have to stifle a laugh, and she replied in turn. He said something back, and she shook her head.

"Ok, definitely not him either. Haven't you heard? Octavio's been caught again. And he probably won't be escaping this time."

The Octotrooper shot a confused look in the agents' direction. "Then...I must be missing something. What are you here for, exactly?"

Eight pulled out her phone, scrolled through her music, and played the Calamari Inkantation. "Is this song familiar to you at all?"

The Octotrooper was silent as he listened, and his eyes got progressively wider the longer it went on. It was like his world was shattering before his eyes.

"Wha...you...this, this can't be true. You can't be serious, we...we..." He mumbled in disbelief.

Eight leaned down, patting his head. "We've been lied to. He lied to us all. You are no less a fool than I was."