The Octo Bros: Zero to Hero

"This claw has gone insane."

***

Boom.

Off went a single explosive charge at the front entrance of Cephalon HQ—the signal they were waiting for.

Without delay, a horde of DJ Octavio's soldiers stormed the front. Leading the charge was none other than Octavio himself. At least, that's what Cal assumed was happening with all the ruckus going on above them. That was the plan, after all.

Meanwhile, he, the Sam twins, Marina, Callie, Pacifica, and a small squadron of octolings went in from the secret entrance. As Pacifica expected, robotic octolings were waiting for them. But they were ready.

Most of the octolings were armed with the weapon Marina designed to combat the robotic drones, so the enemy was quickly neutralized. From there, Pacifica retraced the group's steps to get to the same area they were ambushed in.

The plan was to rescue Sal, as well as retrieve the remaining zapfish. With Octavio and most of the Octarian Army storming the front to cause a distraction, Cephalon HQ should've been easy for them to navigate through. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Every hall they turned to seemed to be layered with robotic soldiers. Even if most of the machines were fighting Octavio's group, Marinus seemed to have plenty more to spare.

They were putting all their golden eggs in this mission, so they couldn't afford to fail. As such, Pacifica and her squad fought with a ferocity Team Hardbeak had never seen before. Cal had also joined in, as he still had the one antenna from last time.

The Sam twins followed behind the attackers of their group, as they had no weapons of their own—at least none that could hurt the robotic soldiers. That didn't stop said soldiers from targeting either twin, but fortunately for them, Callie and Marina had their backs.

Marina wielded a specialized splatbrella, using it to shield herself and Samantha from stray ink shots.

Callie, on the other hand, would hold her signature roller vertically, using it to block a majority of the projectiles coming at her and Samuel. For those that got too close, she would just wallop them with the roller.

This balance between offense and defense allowed the group to make steady progress through Cephalon HQ. Eventually, they were exactly where Pacifica wanted them to be.

"This is the place." Cal rushed in, deactivating a drone before slamming them to the ground.

Unlike last time, the place was now crawling with enemy soldiers. The group got into formation, steeling themselves for a long battle.

Then, suddenly, the soldiers stopped. They didn't shut down or anything like that. They just... stopped.

Everyone's confusion only lasted for a few seconds before the sound of static blared out through intercoms laced all around the room. "How interesting." A voice replaced the static, coming from every direction.

Though neither Cal nor the Sam twins knew who was speaking, the mean looks on most of their octoling allies' faces clued them in: Marinus.

"I was wondering when I'd meet an agent from the legendary Splatoon. But to meet so many at once? Why, I'm honored."

"You say that, yet you're nowhere to be found," Samuel noted, eliciting a dark chuckle from Marinus.

"Trust me, little squid. I'm much closer than you think." A horrid screeching noise shrieked from the intercoms, causing most of the group to wince in pain. Perhaps it was a warning not to interrupt him again.