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Agent 3: Execution

By ToonThink

1.2K 12 9

Ever since the days of Octo Valley, vigilante Agent 3 has been on a long quest to protect Inkopolis from crim... More

The Vigilante
Long Lost
Invulnerable
Death
Resurrection
Burn
Daniel
Identity
Childhood Memories
Sibling Rivalry
Voices
Burst
Science Hunt
The Weapon
Interrogation
Most Wanted
Ambush
Heart to Heart
Reunited
Team Effort
Hard Choices
Octo Valley
The Executioner
Beginning of the End
New Chance
At the City's End
Home

Judgement Day

40 0 0
By ToonThink

Johnson made his way around the building after Jessica left, stepping over broken glass and such as he searched desperately for his team. "...Guys!" He turned another corner of the building. "Guys!"

"We're here!" Another officer replied, with a group of the surviving officers. Unfortunately, not everyone made it out alive, and one of them was badly injured, bleeding heavily from the leg. "We need medical attention!" She shouted at him as she carried the injured.

He ran up, speaking into his radio as he did. "We need a medic! Now!" He stood over them as he approached them. "Tie up his leg, try and slow down that ink flow!"

Another officer tore off a part of his shirt, wrapping it around the injured leg to do so while they waited for actual medical help.

The female officer looked around, before she stood up, facing Johnson. "...Where's Murdock?"

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The Orphanage

The sounds of screaming, playing children filled the foyer of the orphanage, as orphaned kids ran around playing tag with each other. Dana came in, sighing as she smiled a little, before she picked up and rang a bell. "Alright, everyone! It's time for dinner!"

"Are you serving chili again?" A kid asked as most of them stopped what they were doing and ran to the kitchen.

"Yes, I am." She smiled.

He sighed. "Dammit..."

"Hey. Watch your language. You know the rule. Come on. Let's go eat." She took his hand to start leading him there, when suddenly, she heard someone aggressively bang on the front door. She looked behind her, while the kid jumped a bit in fear. "...It's fine, honey, just go eat. I'll see who it is and you won't have to worry about it. Ok?"

"...Ok..." He ran off to the kitchen.

She smiled and watched him leave, before the door was banged on again. "I'm coming!" She went over and unlocked it, opening one half. To her surprise, she was met with a bruised-looking Jessica, holding an also bruised and unconscious Vanessa over her shoulder. "...Jessica!?"

"She needs help!" Jessica speedily entered, catching the attention of some kids.

The room fell into silence as Dana and the orphans just stared at her.

"...Don't just stand there, get us a room!" She suddenly snapped, causing Dana to jump and lead them away.

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As soon as Dana let them into an empty bedroom, she laid Vanessa down on the bed, before she tiredly collapsed onto a nearby chair.

Dana followed them in and closed the door. "What happened?"

"I think she's been shot... I think she's missing a knee and she's been unconscious for who knows how long now..." She panted.

"I'm calling John!" She went over to a table and grabbed a home phone, but Jessica got up as well, taking it from her and smashing it against the wall. Instead of swearing in surprise like a normal person would, she just stared at her.

"We're likely being hunted! We need to lay low." Jessica explained.

"...By who?"

"...My brother now seems to be the grand Kingpin of the Underdogs and I imagine he wants both of us dead... if not him, then the police will be after us. Johnson let me go, but I imagine that's a temporary privilege. I would've taken her to the bunker, but I need someone actually trust-worthy to watch her this time. I know you have some medical experience..."

"...I can stitch people up if there's no one else to do it, but that's not much..."

"...That's good enough..." She sat back down. "...I don't think I'll be staying... I'm gonna wait until she's awake so I can ask her what happened and then I'm gone again..."

"You don't have to leave so soon... you know this is a safe place, Jessica."

"Well, I'm putting you in danger by staying here and I have a job to do... so..."

She sighed, looking down as she put her hands on her hips.

"...I'm sorry... for coming to you so suddenly..."

"No, no, it's fine." She sat down on the edge of the bed, looking Vanessa over a bit. "You know that I'm always willing to help you two... and after everything that's been happening lately... I had to convince all the kids here that the recent broadcast wasn't anything to be afraid of. That it was just silly TV."

"...It's not..." Jessica replied.

"...I know it's not. I have a pretty good idea of what you've been up against lately, Jessica. I've been keeping a close eye on the news. You're pretty popular these days."

"...I wish I wasn't... I wish I had... stayed 'dead'... better yet... I wish I had just actually died..."

"...Then who would be our protector?"

"Bridgett sure looked like she was ready to step up to the plate. Things probably would've worked out fine..."

"...Or, have you considered the fact that if you never came back, things could've been much, much worse?"

Jessica didn't respond to that, and only looked at her. They paused for a moment, before she spoke again. "...You haven't heard, have you? About some of the things I've done?"

"...I have..." She nodded, somewhat awkwardly. "...I don't know how to feel about that..." She admitted.

"...Then you can see that I'm not some protector. I'm not some hero. I'm just... I don't know what I am... and I haven't for a long time..."

"...Well... I also believe it's more complicated than that."

She sighed. "Sure you do..."

"I do. The people you... killed... were all horrible people who had it coming. Weren't they? And I know they weren't your first, either."

She looked down, unable to come up with a response this time, before Vanessa suddenly gasped next to them as she awoke. She turned to her. "Vanessa?"

Vanessa looked around, apparently in some kind of fight-or-flight, panting heavily. "...D-Daniel..."

"Vanessa." She stood up and over her before she put her hands on her shoulders to hold her still. "I'm not Daniel. I'm Jessica. You know me. You're safe now..."

"I-I'm not safe... not safe... we're not safe..."

"Vanessa, I need to know, what happened? I know you set Daniel free, and I'm not gonna freak out about it, but I need to know where to find him. Do you understand? Do you hear me?"

"...Y-You don't understand... he has the nanotech weapon..."

She froze.

"...He's gonna destroy... everything..." She started tearing up. "I let him do it... but I couldn't stop him..."

Dana was covering her mouth as she watched and listened to what was happening, while Jessica just stood in an anxiety-filled silence.

Vanessa's crying was getting more intense. "We'll all be dead by tomorrow..."

"...Where did he go?" Jessica finally asked.

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The new Underdogs hideout was an abandoned, incomplete building in the center of Inkopolis, that had been bought out by Hugh Ward some time ago. It didn't take Daniel long at all to lead his new team into the building, where he led them to an incomplete elevator that led them somewhat deep underground. Daniel held his hands behind his own back as he waited patiently for it to descend all the way, while his now loyal Underdogs stood behind him.

"...I've gotta warn you, people..." He spoke up. "What happens next... won't be for the faint of heart."

"There is no faint of heart here." The Octoling behind him replied.

He smiled. To be honest, he was loving this job. Probably only because it made him finally feel purpose, but still. "...In that case..."

As soon as the elevator reached the basement's lowest point, they all stepped out, and Daniel led them to the main room, where the massive nanotech weapon was sitting in the center, guarded by some Octolings.

"Sir." They responded as he walked up.

Daniel walked up to it, admiring it, before he stepped to the side to let everyone get a look. "...It's beautiful... isn't it?"

"...It's only because of you, that the people of Inkopolis will finally feel pain." The Octoling said. "Even if you are an Inkling... we must thank you."

"Nah... don't thank me... I mean... for the first time in... forever, I'm finally feeling like I have a family... people who look up to me. Or... maybe I should be more frank, people who... worship me. And soon, the city will collapse into a giant heap of dust and metal, and my sister will go down with it."

"The vigilante?"

He nodded.

"...How soon can we detonate the weapon?" Another Octoling asked.

"...Well, not right this second. We have to send out another message first, letting them descend into chaos before the destruction hits. That's what Ward wanted, right?"

"It is."

He nodded. Again, voices in the back of Daniel's head were telling him to stop this and turn away, but he ignored them to his best ability. "...Think we can send that second message out today?"

"We can."

He thought about it, looking back at the weapon. A horrifying idea was just popping up in his head. "...You know what...? It doesn't even have to be Ward's message..."

"...Sir?" Another Octoling asked.

"...This is Judgement Day..." He rubbed the weapon a bit. "...I want to record a new message. I want them to know that today is the day everyone dies. We'll send it out as soon as it's ready, we'll have a few hours of chaos, and then we'll detonate the weapon at midnight. My sister... will die at midnight."

The Octolings looked at each other. They didn't quite expect that. But at the same time, no one had any arguments.

"...Sound good?" Daniel looked around again.

They all thought about it for another moment, before they replied with an Octarian chant.

He smiled. "...Then let's get started."

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Inkopolis Police Station

"...What... the... utteral... hell... HAPPENED!?" Hertz screamed as Johnson and his team arrived back at that station.

"...We got ambushed." Johnson replied.

"By Murdock!? I gave you permission to let that rat go, and she turned on you!? Who had a feeling that would happen and decided to trust you anyway!? ME! Who has trusted you, for YEARS!"

"Slow down. Murdock didn't turn on us, I had my eye on her the whole time."

"Then how'd she escape!?"

He sighed, trying to slow down the conversation so he could start at the beginning. "...We got ambushed by Underdogs. I was with Murdock at the time, and we had found a young woman who needed medical attention."

"That still doesn't explain how she got away under your watch."

"...She deemed it too unsafe for the woman to stick around, since I needed to regroup with my team. I..." He looked around at his team members, and they all fell into a painful silence. "...I willingly let her go."

They all somehow fell even more silent, while Hertz stared at him as if he had fire in his eyes.

He was gonna lose his job, Johnson could tell by that look. "...I made a last-minute decision under stressful circumstances with limited time, but... that does not excuse my reckless behavior, sir. I willingly let her go, and I... accept any consequences that may bring."

They fell silent for another solid minute, and Hertz clearly looked betrayed. He raised his finger and was about to announce to the whole police department that Johnson was fired, but they were interrupted before he could.

"Sir!" An officer pointed up to the TV.

They all stopped what they were doing and walked up to it, seeing the Underdogs symbol once again. "Shit!" Hertz finally said something.

"...Not again..." Johnson replied.

As all eyes in the station were soon turned to the TV, the picture finally changed, this time to a more poorly-recorded video of Daniel.

"People of Inkopolis." Daniel mimicked Ward's tone of voice as best he could.

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Again, all panicked eyes in Inkopolis were turned on the video just like with the previous one, as the afternoon sun was setting on the city.

"My name is Daniel Murdock. I doubt you've ever heard of me before, but, you probably recognize the surname. You're about to know full well who I am." A picture of Jessica in Octo Valley came on screen. "I am the brother of Jessica Murdock. You know her as Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. But I'm also more than just his sister. I am now a part of the Underdogs. I'm their leader, now that Hugh Ward is gone. I want you all to know, right now... that my sister is exactly what you feared her to be. She is a murderer and a bully. As much as it hurts me to say, she was the one who murdered her own family, in our beautiful Lishawn County. My family. Now, she has murdered Hugh Ward as well."

It turned back to his face. "...As a consequence of her actions, you will all soon feel the weight of her errors. Today is your judgement day."

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"DAAAANAAAA!!" A crying, frightened girl cried out at the orphanage as she, along with basically every other kid in the orphanage, were gathered around their own TV.

Only now did Dana and Jessica leave Vanessa's side and walk into the room, and Jessica's eyes widened as she saw the TV. "...Daniel..." She only got a glimpse of his face for a few seconds, however, as the video turned to edited footage of Inkling-created disasters throughout history, just like the previous video did.

"In the next few hours, as you all scramble in fear, the city will descend into chaos, before midnight strikes. At midnight, you will all die." It cut to a recording of the nanotech weapon, and then older videos of Octolings bursting open from the nanotech bombs inside of them, as he explained what it was over the footage. "There will be no hiding, and there will be no salvation."

As the threatening message continued, Dana panicked and started to get the terrified children out of the room, while Jessica listened intently.

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"As you experience your final hours, I want you to keep Hugh Ward and the Underdogs in mind." Daniel continued on the IPD station screen, as all the police continued to watch. "...I want you to keep me and my sister in mind. And I hope you can prepare yourselves... for whatever's on the other side. I even hope it'll be a relieving experience for you. The countdown to midnight starts now. My name is Daniel Murdock. And we are the Underdogs."

Finally, the TV shut down, leaving the police station in silence. Even Hertz was painfully silent again.

They stood like this for a few minutes, drinking it all in, before Johnson turned to him. He hadn't been fired yet, so he still had a job to do. "...Orders, sir?"

Hertz was staring down at the floor, at a loss for words.

"...Sir, orders?"

"...I want you to send out an evacuation order. For the whole city." He finally spoke.

"...What about the Underdogs?"

He fell silent again. He didn't even have an answer for that. In fact, now he was thinking about all the mistakes the police had made to even get them here, and a general feeling of dread washed over the room.

"...Sir...?"

He slowly turned to them. "...I want you all to help get as many civilians out as you can. All of you."

Most the police quickly nodded and headed off, while Johnson stared at him, silently. Then, Hertz simply walked off, leaving Johnson to himself. He had one last idea left. And it was probably going to be their final hope.

"Let's move, people!" Some officers commanded as people started emptying the station. Johnson followed them out.

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Several Minutes Later

The streets of Inkopolis were now in absolute chaos as the sun set. Basically every Inkling, Octoling, Jellyfish, or any species of any kind were fleeing from their homes, backing up traffic to a halt and filling the sidewalks with panicking people. Helicopters flew over the city, including outside help at this point, as multiple fires throughout the city had been started, filling the night air with smoke and the sound of alarms. It was as if the city was slowly falling apart.

At the Inkopolis prison, chaos was also unfolding, as many prisoners started riots inside their own cells. The guards simply kept watch in the halls, while refusing to let them out, occasionally acting to hold back any hostile prisoners.

Johnson quickly made his way past security, walking down the halls with a younger guard.

"Sir, I-I don't know if we have permission to-"

"Forget about permission." Johnson interrupted him, walking as fast as possible. "I'm a Sergeant now and all I'm asking is one prisoner release."

"S-Sergeant or not, I can't just-"

"The city is falling to pieces!" He suddenly turned to him. "And if the threat is true and we don't do something about it, we'll all be dead in a matter of hours!"

"...I-I understand that, b-but I don't think I have the-"

"I don't need you to worry about clearance, right now, officer! We're on the verge of anarchy and the Captain isn't giving me orders at the moment, so just give me the DAMN KEY!"

Down the hall from where they were, Cap'n Cuttlefish was sitting alone in his prison cell, and he wasn't looking so good these days. His prison cell was uncomfortable, his hygiene had down a bit and he looked even more like a hipster with his longer beard, and all he had for entertainment was a stack of books nearby. He was sitting there silently, in direct contrast to the chaos outside his cell, but that doesn't mean his mind wasn't racing.

His mind was filled with frantic, panicked thoughts of where his granddaughters were, where Jessica was, and even about the rest of the Splatoon, rather than his own life. He couldn't even truly focus on any one singular thought, his mind was moving too fast and he was too old. As he shakily and desperately gripped his cane for comfort, Johnson came up to his cell, also seeming desperate as he fumbled with the guard's key and frantically opened his cell.

He sighed. "...Bucko, if you're here to ask me more questions about Agent 3 I don't know what to tell you..."

Johnson stepped in. "...Well, then I hope you know how to find her."

He looked at her. "...I'm not leading you to her."

"I never said you have to." He suddenly tossed him a change of clothes.

Cuttlefish looked down at the clothes, and then back up at Johnson, surprised.

"...Well, what are you staring at!? Let's get moving!" Johnson pressured.

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Meanwhile

The Orphanage

At the orphanage, people were also in chaos, as Dana was trying her hardest to gather every single kid in the building, while Jessica helped Vanessa out of her room, who was limping as she held onto her. The TV was now broadcasting an ongoing EAS message, detailing the evacuation orders.

"...This is all my fault..." Vanessa shuddered as she was seated at a couch.

"Worry about it later." Jessica replied, as she went over to Dana. Some of the children she was trying to round up were crying, scared out of their minds. "You'll get those kids out of the city? With Vanessa?"

"I-I'll try my hardest... I'm trying to contact John..." Dana replied, also freaked out.

"Listen..." She put her hands on her shoulders, trying her best to calm her down. "Just focus on their safety firsthand. Don't worry about anything else. Don't worry about me, just focus on the ones you care about. I know you can get them out."

She took deep breaths.

"...You're a savior, Dana. Alright?" She continued.

"...Alright..." She nodded.

She gave her the briefest hug ever, before she went back to Vanessa, kneeling down next to her. "...You're gonna be leaving with Dana. She'll be taking care of you."

"...I take it you're not leaving...?" She replied.

"...You know I'm not."

"...You remember the address I gave you, then...?"

"Yes. Just... don't worry about me. Alright?"

"...You don't have anything to take them on with, though... they'll kill you..."

She looked down and fell into silence. That was indeed true. The odds were heavily stacked against her, and she probably wasn't gonna make it out of this alive if she stayed.

"...Just... answer one last thing for me, then..." Vanessa continued.

"...What?"

"...Those moments that we shared... did you... mean those...?"

"...I mean... They probably weren't ideal... or smart... but I... um..." She sighed. "Look... if it provides you any comfort, I did enjoy them. A lot. So I don't necessarily regret it."

"...But you... prefer Bridgett... don't you...?"

She fell silent.

"Come on... I heard the way you two talked about each other... and I saw the way you looked at each other..."

"...Well, I'm probably not ever gonna see her again... so... all I can do now is hope that she's safe."

"I'm just saying... it's ok... maybe we weren't meant to be..."

"...No... maybe we weren't."

She stared at her for a moment and, knowing they probably weren't ever gonna see each other again either, leaned in to give her a last, passionate kiss, while Dana watched. Jessica didn't fight it, and even tenderly returned it, but she didn't hold it for long.

"...I'm sorry..." Vanessa finally told her afterward. "...For everything..."

"...Me too." With that, she stood up, shooting a last look at Dana.

Dana just gave her a last nod, and Jessica nodded back, before she headed to the door.

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Meanwhile

As all of the chaos was unfurling in Inkopolis, Daniel and the Underdogs were still underground beneath their tower, as Daniel watched the news on his phone. It was showing footage of police cars and people panicking on the streets, while fires burned nearby buildings in the backdrop.

"...This is exactly what Ward wanted, huh?" He asked.

An Octoling simply nodded.

"...Well... I suppose it's time, then. Start the countdown, I want this thing set to detonate at midnight like we discussed."

He nodded, and a couple Octolings went over the weapon, tinkering with the control panel. Daniel stood by and watched, until a red timer began counting down on its screen. Some lights on the rest of the weapon began lighting up and fading on and off out of sync, creating a pattern and the illusion that the light was moving. The countdown only had a few hours left.

"We're ready for detonation." The Octoling said.

"...We gonna evacuate?" Another one asked.

"...No..." Daniel replied simply. "We're staying here..."

They looked at each other, growing a bit nervous, but most of them seemed pretty resigned to the fate.

"...One more thing." Daniel continued.

They looked at him.

"The IPD sent an evacuation order. Too many people are trying to get out."

"The airport shouldn't be active." An Octoling replied.

"...I want you to get all of our fighter helicopters ready. Blow out any roads that lead to escape, especially the bridges. I also want you to keep a hold on any outside help or anyone who tries to escape on foot or by super jump."

"...Understood." He nodded, and some Octolings headed out to follow his commands.

Daniel continued rubbing the weapon a bit. "...Just a few more hours, Jessica..."

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Later

Although it took a while, thanks to traffic, Johnson soon regrouped with his fellow officers, by a bridge that led outside of the city. The officers that were there were working on evacuating as many people as they could. He speedily got out of the car, walking up to them. "Officers!"

"Where the hell have you been!?" Another officer asked.

"Something came up."

"Something more important than this!?"

"Potentially! How are we looking?"

He looked around. "...We're not doing good. There's too many people. We'll never even get a fraction of the city evacuated at the rate we're moving!"

He looked back toward the traffic that surrounded them, and then back to the city, which was still literally on fire. "...We'll have to keep trying our hardest!"

They kept trying to slowly evacuate as many civilians as possible, up until a helicopter flew over, shining its light down at them. They all looked up at it.

"...Is that ours?" Someone asked.

"...I don't think so."

The helicopter casually floated above them for about a minute, as if staring at them, before it flew over and hovered above the bridge.

"...What it is it doing?"

To their surprise, the helicopter quickly turned out to be that of Octarian technology, and before they knew it, a slot opened up, before multiple bombs fell from it.

Johnson gasped. "MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

Fiery explosions quickly erupted on the bridge, incinerating anyone who was unlucky enough to be within the direct blast radius, before even more bombs rained down, rocking the bridge.

The police desperately moved themselves and anyone they could pull back out of the way, as the bridge continued swaying by the barrage of explosions. It wasn't too long before the ropes that helped stabilize the bridge were giving out, and its very foundation began to crumble, as it began to crumble into the lake below, along with all the cars and people on it.

All Johnson could do was stare, wide-eyed, before the helicopter moved on.

It wasn't just that bridge, either. Several helicopters had already been dispatched, and were attacking all the bridges and exits to prevent further escape, while extra helicopters and Octarian jets took care of any opposite fighting forces that were in the air. As such, the city was sent spiraling even further into chaos, as the Underdogs managed to bomb down opposite helicopters or even jets, sending them circling down to the streets where they promptly exploded upon contact with the ground.

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Two Hours From Detonation

As the chaos burned the streets of Inkopolis, Jessica had meanwhile hit yet another low point, as she silently stepped into the currently empty Inkopolis Plaza. What Vanessa had told her was right; currently, thanks to her arrest, she was completely powerless, and had no weapons or gear on her. Not even her spear. Walking into the Underdogs hideout was a death trap in her current state. And everyone in the city that she was supposed to protect, even her friends, were now doomed to death. And thanks to the Underdog's more recent attacks, she had even been blocked off from accessing Cuttlefish Bunker.

There was one last hiding spot that the Underdogs weren't really thinking to block off, and that was the sewer entrance in the plaza that led straight to Octo Valley. Looking around to make sure there was no helicopter that could see her, she slipped in through the grate, before quickly navigating the sewer until she arrived at Cuttlefish's shack in the Valley itself.

She looked around. The vibe to the area was now different than she was used to, since the sky was an unpleasant tint of red, as smoke from the Inkopolis fires were still filling the air, even back here. Despite the chaos, though, this area was eerily silent, or maybe that was just because she had been navigating the city beforehand. She sighed, walking up to the shack itself.

She looked around for a bit, for something, anything she could use against the Underdogs. So far, all she was able to find was the notes Cuttlefish had about their prior hunt against the Underdogs, back from when the NSS was still an active thing. But otherwise, the area had been abandoned and left to rot. Not a single weapon or anything useful remained.

Panic started to sweep over her: the type of panic she hadn't exactly felt since her apartment got bombed. That feeling of utter, absolute helplessness and anxiety. A small sound escaped her mouth, as she desperately tried to keep herself calm. She took a deep breath. "...I'm invulnerable... I am Jessica Murdock... the one... the only... Agent 3... come on... the one... the only... I am invulnerable... I am invulnerable..."

But that line was no longer working like it used to. She wasn't invulnerable. She wasn't Agent 3. She had let everyone she cared about down, and now she had nothing and no one. She was just... Jessica. The sad, helpless, orphaned child. And that's all she felt like deep inside now. Tears started streaming down her face as her mind collapsed into a full-blown panic attack, and she shakily and slowly sank herself down, her back against the shack as she took desperate deep breaths. How had it all come to this?

She sat like this for who knows how long, unable to keep herself contained, before she heard a simple plop at the grate. Gasping slightly, she slowly looked up and over.

Cap'n Cuttlefish was standing there, watching her, his usual cane in one hand and a somewhat large suitcase in the other, although he still looked just as hairy as he did in the prison. They stood in silence, staring at each other, as a wordless relief washed over her.

"...Cuttlefish...?" She stood up. It felt unbelievably good to even be able to see his face again.

He just nodded a bit. "...I thought I might find you here."

She sniffed as she tried her best to contain her emotions, but was unable to, and she suddenly broke down into a sob as she ran over and embraced him. He put down the suitcase and embraced her back, starting to tear up a bit as well.

"...I... I-I... I didn't think I'd ever see you again..."

"...Me neither, young lady... but we need to have a talk..." He broke the hug. "...I've been... keeping an eye on the news... well... as much as I could, anyway..."

She just stared at him.

"...I thought you were dead for the longest time..."

She started sobbing more. "...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be... now's not the time for that... we have to leave the past in the past right now."

"...I... I did things... things you probably wouldn't like..."

He nodded, a bit somberly. "...I know you did..."

"...I let... everyone down... I... I let you down..."

He just nodded again. He didn't have any sort of argument to that, but didn't seem pissed, either.

"...Aren't you mad...?" She sobbed some more.

He shook his head. "...Everyone lets people down, sometimes, young lady... it's just in our nature..."

"Not like I did..."

"It doesn't matter..." He held up a hand. "...I'm not completely blind to what you're going through. I've gone through rough patches back in the war. I've done things I haven't been proud of. Things that made me lose sleep, even. I've had times where I wonder if I'm even a good person, or if I deserve the pedestal I'm put on. But I can tell you right now... after 130 years of living on this planet, none of that matters."

She stared at him, silently. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but tears were still coming out.

"...Sometimes we just can't help but fail. To let people down. But what matters after that, is if we can pick em' back up again. That's all any of us can do, you know? Make mistakes? Learn from them?"

She turned away a bit, walking back into the shack silently, still trying to absorb his words.

"...I've said it many times before, young lady. The reason I recruited you back in Octo Valley."

She knew the answer. She had already heard it a million times. But right now, she needed to hear it again.

"...You have always had that spark in you." Cuttlefish continued. "That adventurous, brave, heroic spirit. And you've used it for the greater good so many times. But I've never, ever, said you were perfect."

"...I don't... know if I can be that hero they need anymore..." She finally said, back still turned to him.

"...I know it doesn't feel like it. It rarely does. But you just said it, they do need you."

She looked back slightly.

"...I think out of anyone in the whole Splatoon, you were always the one who was capable of taking down the Underdogs. It wasn't Agent 4, it wasn't Agent 8, I chose you. I took you on that mission because I believe in you. I still believe in you."

"...I can't take them on... I have no weapons... I get seizures now... I can't do anything..."

He gave her a knowing look, before he picked up the suitcase and stumbled up to her, silently handing it to her. "...You don't have to worry about that."

She looked down at the suitcase, but didn't take it. She felt too sick of herself to take another gift from him.

Cuttlefish noticed, but only kept his comforting voice. "...Just take it."

She stared at him for another moment, before she finally yet slowly took it.

He gave her a reassuring smile underneath his beard. "...I love you."

"...I love you, too..."

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her again, which she silently returned, before he soon broke off, tapping his cane against the ground. "Now... I have to go see if I can find my beautiful granddaughters before midnight."

She sniffed. "...Careful out there, traffic's a bitch..." She suddenly joked, a bit of the older Jessica coming out.

He chuckled in response, before he wobbled back to the grate, as Jessica looked back down at the suitcase. He turned back to her. "...You'll do good, young lady. I know you will. Even if you don't succeed... just know that we're all rooting for you. And we believe in you."

She didn't respond at first, but silently nodded.

He gave her a last reassuring smile, before he plopped back down into the grate, leaving Jessica alone.

She silently went back to the shack, and sat back down, feeling only a bit more calm. She looked at the suitcase, then back at the grate. What the hell could he possible have left her this time? Somewhat nervously, she unlocked it, and slowly opened it.

She gasped slightly, again tearing up as she was met with replacements for all her old, forgotten gear. Her Hero Outfit. The Hero Shot. Even the goggles she only ever got to use briefly. Cuttlefish had actually been holding onto this the whole damn time. He had never, ever, lost faith in her. But, most emotionally for her...

She reached in and used both hands to pull out the new Hero Cape, the proud 3 symbol staring back at her. Her old, more brave expression slowly started to form on her face, and a warm feeling took her over. It was time for her to be the hero again.

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