The Reluctant Hero (Splatoon)

Chapter 20

"The Terrifying Biology of the Inkling! Strength: Can leap up to five feet. Brain: Simple and predatory. Eyes: Can spot prey from 300 feet away."
—Sunken Scrolls 1:5 (2.2)

Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.
Octo Valley Outskirts

Sheldon's black and lime-green box truck bumped along an unpaved road, determinedly chugging onward. To its left was a high peak, to its right a straight plunge back into Octo Valley. Against this backdrop of rocky crags and verdant forests, the truck's bright colors appeared dreadfully out of place. They were high up on a mountain now, and Cole wondered if anyone below looking up might see the truck with all of its colorful decals.

As Sheldon drove the agents closer to Slimeskin, Cole did his best to fight off sleepiness. He sat in the middle of the cab again, squeezed between his cohorts. He tried his best not to fall over backward between their seats or sideways onto either Sheldon or Marie, and the concentration required to stay upright was enough to keep him awake. Marie stared straight ahead, looking like she was focused on the road. Cole supposed that she was also quite tired.

Sheldon parked the truck at an overlook. "Slimeskin is over there, down that side of the mountain," he said, pointing beyond the peak. "Good luck, agents."

Cole exited the truck and went around to the back. He opened the cargo, clipped two smaller pistols on his belt, and lifted the silver machine gun out and slung its strap over his shoulder. Marie did the same with her sniper rifle. She also strapped the Stingray's red tank to her back and attached the handle to her belt. The agents then both hooked climbing ropes and harnesses to their getup, put face masks on, and slipped their earpiece radios in.

Marie clicked her radio on first. "Captain, we've arrived at the drop-off point," she spoke into her transmitter. "Preparing to move."

"Bring her back," came Captain Cuttlefish's voice.

They made their way across the overlook and began descending down the other side of the mountain. Below them was the tail end of Octo Canyon and the town of Slimeskin, surrounded by alpine slopes and sheer cliff faces. It was a beautiful view. The town seemed so idyllic and peaceful, cut off from the rest of the world. From where Cole stood, it hardly looked like a terrorist stronghold—Slimeskin was just a collection of little yellow roofs in a vast gorge of frosty greens and browns.

Cole still wasn't sure what to make of the whole Octarian deal. He had believed their entire species a myth until just a few days ago. As it turned out, Octarians were not monsters. They were an intelligent, discerning people, complete with their own language and society. How did they manage to completely disappear from the public eye in the one-hundred years since the Great War? Did anyone else in Inkopolis know about them?

The half-hour hike down to Slimeskin ended with the sun just above the agents' heads. True to the captain's word, the west end of town was nothing more than a wall. Slimeskin's main fort was built right next to a 150-foot cliff, atop which the agents now stood. If the Slimeskin Garrison had a watch, it was either off-duty or not doing its job, because it let the agents rappel down the cliff face and land at the base of the fort without consequence.

Once on the ground, Marie unhooked the Stingray from her belt. Pointing the metal tube at the steel wall in front of her, she stiffened her posture and squeezed the handle with both hands. For several seconds, nothing happened. Cole opened his mouth to say something when the end of the tube suddenly burst into life. A thin beam of white-hot light shot forth, nearly blinding him. The pulsating laser bore into the fortress wall. Dust and sparks shot forth from wherever laser hit steel. The tank on Marie's back also began humming and shaking. It vibrated with an intensity that looked rather unsafe.