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Infectious Love

Chapter 22: Make a Choice

Summary:

3 is forced to make a choice to protect Callie.

Chapter Text

Two days. Two days since Irene woke up. Two days since 8's failed attempt at kidnapping 3. And two days since telling Marie and Callie what happened that day.

"So, Marie made you go with her and Callie to all their scheduled pop-deo activities cause she was scared to leave you alone?" Cassie summed up, carefully tilting down her oversized sunglasses to eye 3.

Cassie, 4, and 3 were sitting at a table in the Square. Cassie was wearing a hoodie, sunglasses, and a face mask to hide her appearance. They were meeting to relax and hear how things were going with each other. Since Cassie was playing a big part in Irene's recovery, Cassie decided to use the opportunity to check out Inkopolis Square.

"Yeah," 3 groaned. "I was pretty much their personal assistant the whole time. It's a miracle I was able to get out of going to that photo shot today."

"Let me guess, Marie played the 'older sister' card?" 4 teasely smirked.

"Yeb,"

It was true. Even though Callie and Marie weren't ink-related, they were like the older sisters 3 and 4 never had. However, Callie was more of the fun older sister, while Marie was the more responsible of the pair.

"Well, while you've been playing 'personal assistant,' I've been covering your patrol shifts." 4 sighed. "Darcy texted me quite a bit during the shift."

3 smirked back.

"That just adds fuel to my speculation," Cassie said, swirling her drink cup.

"And what theory is that?" 3 asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I did learn some animal biology in high school, including the octopus. Now, since octopus and squid have evolved and are now the superior that has replaced the human race, I speculate that octolings are a bit affectionate and clingy with their significant other." Cassie explained, taking a sip of her drink. "I mean, I've seen how Marina acts around Pearl, how...8 is, and what you said about Darcy, darling, only adds fuel to my theory."

4 adverted his gaze, a yellow blush dusting his cheeks. 3 was left speechless as Cassie sat there enjoying her drink. 3 would admit that Marina was very affectionate and clingy to Pearl, but they had a remarkable story between them. Then again, when Darcy ambushed 4, she humiliated him and was close to having a full-blow make-out session if Marie hadn't stepped in.

Still, it made 3 wonder about 8. Apparently, 8 had known 3 since her battle against Octavio. It wasn't until their battle against each other and saving the world (again) that they were finally properly introduced. 

"I still remember when Jeremy unlocked 8's phone cause he couldn't recall the passcode." 3 slightly shook her head. "He had so many photos."

"So, anyway, how's Irene doing?" 4 asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"She's doing better. However, she did suffer a bit of malnutrition, muscle weakness, and a weakened immune system due to the sludge's influence." Cassie sighed. "Irene's still a little skittish around inklings, though it is understandable. You can't expect the person to completely change overnight when given a new truth."

Cassie was right. There was still bad ink between inklings and octolings. Things like this take time. However, 3 has noticed more octolings in the Square since escaping from the Metro, so there was progress. She remembered 8 having trouble adjusting to the city when he first moved here and dealing with a few jerks.

"How are you and the others doing?" 3 asked.

"We had to talk Cat into getting some sleep. She's been working nonstop for over a day on 8's treatment." Cassie shook her head. "Becca and Jeremy are helping Irene with physical therapy and catching her up on what she missed. Geno and Leo have been working with Shelldon on blueprints for new turfwar weapons." 

"What kind of-"

Before 4 could ask Cassie, a yellow, honey-brown toned inkling hurried over to their table. She slammed her hands on the table while taking some quick breaths.

"You're 3, and you were hanging out with Cat, right?" the inkling panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah," 3 awkwardly answered, looking at her confused. "Pacer, right?"

"Oh, Cat made some new friends? That's nice." Cassie commented, taking another sip of her drink.

Pacer nodded.

"3, did Cat tell you what happened a few nights ago?" Pacer breathed, finally relaxing her posture.

"You mean what happened to your friend?" 3 softly answered, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Yes, well, uh, Headphone's friend is having a similar situation."

"How similar?"

"Well, that said person who is bothering Headphone's friend had the teal patches your friend 8 had," Pacer explained, her tone stiffening. "Is this person infected with the same illness your friend has?"

3's ink turned cold. 4's eyes widened in shock. Cassie nearly choked on her drink. Someone else,  who wasn't from the Metro Labs, was infected? The tunnel leading to the Metro was closed, which led to the sludge, so did it get smuggled in? If it did, who infected this inkling?

"Where are they right now?" Cassie asked, standing up from her chair.

"They're at Team Blue's house," Pacer answered. "I tried calling Cat, but it just went to voicemail. So, I went to find you."

"Let's go, gals," 4 stood up. "Pacer, lend the way."

Cassie grabbed her bag as 3 took up the rear. Following behind, there was something that was nagging at the back of her mind, something she should know. Something about another way into the city.

 

 

Bobblehat was pulled out of sleep as the constant blur of her alarm echoed in the room. She rose slowly, her eyes sticky with sleep. Bobble slightly shivered. She looked over to find her window open and bringing in fresh air.

"Weird, I thought I closed it."

She was about to get out of bed, only to be pulled back down to the bed.

"Uh?"

Bobbles turned her head to find Mask of the S4 beside her. He looked in a somewhat sleepy daze as he nested himself nearby, nuzzling the curve of Bobble's neck without his signature gas mask.

"Mask!?" Bobble said, now fully awake. "Why are you here!?"

Glancing back to the window, it finally clicked. Mask had sneaked in through her window last night. Yet, where was his gas mask? Mask had hay fever and would sometimes go into a sneezing fit if he didn't wear it while outside, so why wasn't he showing any symptoms? 

"C'mon, Mask, it's time to get up," Bobbles urged, turning off her alarm with one hand and trying to push Mask off with the other.

Mask grunted as he let go, letting Bobbles sit on the edge only to wrap his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Bobbles sighed as she grabbed Mask's arms, ready to pry him off, but froze. Mask was wearing his signature long-sleeve purple camo, and Bobbles could see teal patches on his hands.

"What the?" Before Bobbles could examine the patches, her bedroom door suddenly opened.

"Hey, Bobbles, are you okay?" Headphones began with Specs behind her, but she stopped when she saw Mask hugging Bobbles. "What's going on?"

 

 

"And that's what happened." Bobbles sighed, who was now sitting on the couch with Mask still holding onto her.

3, Cassie, and 4 stood around Team Blue's living room couch. Pacer stood next to Headphones, looking between Bobbles and the group.

"I didn't know who else to call, and Pacer knew Cat, so I called Pace." Headphones explained with a nervous tone.

"And that's when I found you guys." Pacer finished.

3 stood tense as Cassie carefully examined Mask as best she could without touching him. The reason was that when Specs, the leader of Team Blue, tried to pull Mask off Bobbles, Mask socked him in the face. Because of the punch, Specs broke his glasses, and Goggles had to guide Specs to "Headspace" to get a new pair.

"Unfortunately, darlings, Mask is infected." Cassie sighed, standing up. "It looks like he's in the early stages of infection."

"What, exactly, is Mask infected with?" Bobble asked, looking at Mask with worry.

Cassie looked over 3 and 4, unsure how to answer until 4 stepped in.

"Well, uh, me, Cass, and 3 are part of ah, uh, environment/city protection group that helps in environment and city clean-ups." 4 quickly said, trying his best to sound confident. "We 've recently been cleaning up a strange teal sludge found around the recently discovered statue on the outskirts of the ocean surrounding the Square."

"I heard about that statue on the news." Headphones spoke up. "I heard the waters around the statue were blocked off for a while."

"Well, judging from your friend's actions and condition, he definitely came in contact with the sludge," 3 added, trying to back 4 up, though Pacer still didn't look convinced.

"Is Mask gonna be okay?" Bobble asked, her smile lessening.

"We can treat him, but from what you told us, it may prove a challenge to bring him back to the Lab for treatment." Cassie looked between Bobbles and Mask.

"Bobbles, has there been a single moment where Mask left you alone? Even for a tiny bit?" Pacer urged.

Bobbles pondered for a moment. "He sat out in the hallway when I told him I needed to change and when I needed to use the bathroom."

"Does your guys' bathroom have a window?" 4 asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah?" Headphones tilted her head before it came to her. "oh." 

Cassie nodded to Bobbles, who nodded back. Bobbles got up, struggling to keep her footing as she headed toward the bathroom. Cassie started going through her purse only to pull out a taser.

"Why are you carrying that!?" 3 asked, shocked at the small black taser.

"For self-dense," Cassie said as though it were obvious. "I mean, Jeremy started carrying pepper spray. Plus, I can stun him enough for us to apprehend him, darling."

Cassie pointed to 4 and then back toward the hallway where the bathroom was. 4 nodded, begrudgingly following Cassie, leaving 3 behind with Pacer and Headphones.

"So, how's Cat doing?" Pacer asked, turning back to 3. 

"She's doing okay," 3 awkwardly answered. "Cat's been working on 8's treatment plan. She locked herself in the lab to work, so it's somewhat of a form of grounding."

"3,"

"Yeah?"

"Is it possible to visit her?" Pacer asked, taking a step forward, ignoring the commotion behind her.

3 stood there tense. Pacer wanted to visit Cat? As much as 3 wanted Pace to check on her friend, she couldn't. Cuddlefish wasn't as secretive as he used to be. They had to keep the Splatoon and Angent work a secret. Besides environment clean-ups, they sounded more believable as a cover story.

"I'm sorry, but we are not taking any visitors, " 3 said in an apologetic tone.

Pacer raised a brow. She turned her head slowly as though Pacer was debating something.

"So, what exactly is the name of your little environmental group?" Pacer asked her expression tight.

"T-The name?" 3 stuttered. "It's, uh, 'Keep our Environment Tidy.'"

"Really? I haven't heard of it." Pacer pressed, turning and pacing to 3's right. "Is the organization new? Have you ever heard of it Headphones?"

"N-No," Headphones whispered.

"It's been operating for a while," 3 countered, having to lean forward a bit to keep looking as Pacer circled her.

Pacer's eyes narrowed a bit, stopping right in front of 3. "Well, based on your posture, tone of voice, and how you and your friends have been acting, it seems you are lying."

3 flinched. She didn't expect anything different from Pacer. Pacer was the sniper of Team Emperor, one of the top teams, of course she was very observative. Still, 4's story wasn't compelling to begin with.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the hallway, followed by a "Got him!" and a grunt.

Pacer sighed. "Just tell her that Prinz and I say hi and to answer her phone."

3 quickly nodded just as Cassie came out, with 4 following behind, who was struggling to carry Mask, who was somewhat unconscious. 

"So what's gonna happen to Mask?" Headphones asked, looking at Mask and the others.

"We're gonna take him back to our Lab to treat him," Cassie explained. "As soon as he's fully healthy, we'll send him back home."

"You may want to be careful; from what I heard, Mask has hay fever, which is why he wears the gas mask," Pacer added.

"Noted," 4 grunted.

"We'll message you when he's feeling himself again," Cassie said before heading toward the door.

"But what about this sludge stuff," Headphones asked, a hint of fear in her voice. "What if more of our friends get infected."

"We've already got the treatment ready," 3 reassured. "We'll inform the hospitals in case someone else shows symptoms." 

"Thank you,"

With that, the gang left the house, now with a teal-patched, cyan inkling in tow.

 

 

3 groaned as she stepped out of the elevator of the Squid Sister's apartment building. It was already late, and the sun was setting, showering the skies with deep reds, oranges, and yellows. Though the view from where 3 was standing was breathtaking, the scenery did little to ease the growing worries gnawing at her. 

The gang had to sneak Mask to the sewer gate, which was a challenge getting him to the Lab since Mask had regained total conciseness from the taser shock. Mask had put up a fit the whole time they dragged him in, to which Geno and Becca had to hold him down for Cassie to administer something to calm Mask down.

"We'll start him on the orange sludge treatment," Cassie sighed, dropping the needle in the hazard bin, and Geno and Becca tied Mask down. "We'll start with a low dosage since he's an inkling, while octolings have a higher pain tolerance but have a slower regeneration than inklings. He has hay fever and is in the beginning stages of infection."

"So they found a way into the city," Captain Cuddlefish said, stroking his beard in thought.

"And infecting people," Jeremy added, staring down at Mask with discomfort. "We should inform the hospitals and clinics about the sludge symptoms and supply the orange sludge." 

"We can't risk bringing more people here, so we better get to it," Leo said, studying Mask.

The rest of the day was spent informing clinics and hospitals using Cuddlefish's connections, packing the orange sludge into specialized coolers for transport, and contacting "Off the Hook" about making a news report.

"I thought this day would never end," 3 muttered, unlocking the door with the spare key the Squid Sisters had given her.

Upon entering, 3 found Callie on the couch watching some kind of drama show.

"Hey, 3!" Callie chirped, turning around to look over her shoulder as 3 locked the door behind her. "How's Irene doing?"

"She's doing better, but we have another problem to deal with, " 3 said with a sigh. I'm going to head to my room."

"K, I ordered some pizza, so it should be here in a bit. Marie's gonna be back late." Callie said, turning back to her show.

3 nodded before retreating to the guest room she was using. Closing the door, 3 fell onto the bed, using her feet to kick off her shoes, not bothering to use her hands. She pulled out her phone, about to check her messages, when a photo popped from her phone's memory. The photo was of her and 8 when he moved into his apartment, with the afternoon rays shining in through the windows and a few boxes scattered in the background.

"8," 3 muttered, trying to hold back her tears.

Over the past week, 3 has been finding it increasingly difficult to control her emotions, to push them down, and to focus on the task ahead. She knew she shouldn't be thinking of 8 when they had a more significant crisis at the moment. But it didn't stop eating away at her slowly, wanting to hear from the 8 she knew and loved.

3 was pulled out of her distressing thoughts when the doorbell rang. Food was here.

"Maybe we can try to follow an infected to see where they go." 3 thought, sitting up. "The Metro tunnels are cut off, so where else-"

Suddenly, it came to her. There was another way—a whole system that led anywhere in the city, to Octo Canyon, and more. 

3 quickly jumped to her feet. Callie and Marie knew the tunnel system better than anyone besides the Captain, so maybe there were a few tunnels leading down to the Metro. Before 3 could grab the doorknob, a loud crash sounded in the living room, making her freeze.

"What the-why are you!?"

"Nice to see you again, Callie!"

3's ink ran cold as her heart dropped to her stomach. 3 recognized that voice. 8 had found her.

3 pulled her hand back. She heard two more sets of feet coming into the apartment. Panicking, 3 quickly locked the door and turned off the lights as she strained her ears. Trying to pick up where these other soldiers were. What 3 heard next sent chills down her back.

"So, Callie," 8 asked with a tense yet calm voice. "Won't you be a good friend and tell me where 3 is?"

"I, I don't know," Callie answered, trying her best to sound confident. "I think she's with Marie." 

There was a brief silence before 8's laugh filled the living room.

"Callie, I know you. You can't lie to save yourself." 8 snickered. "You're not in a good position to lie to me like this."

3 slowly slid to her hands and knees, pressing her back to the door while holding her head. This felt like a bad dream—a bad dream she would give anything to wake up from. Her whole body was tense and paralyzed with fear, given how close 8 was. Scared that any movement would alert him.

"~3," 8 purred, making 3 shiver slightly. "I know you're here, 3. I'll give you a choice: either come out and surrender, and I'll set Callie free. If you choose to stay hidden or escape, well, Callie won't be leaving in one piece." 

3 froze as a breathless gasp fell out of her mouth. The 8 3 knew would never hurt his friends. No, it wasn't the time; she needed to save Callie. However, she wasn't leaving the others empty-handed in this wild-goose chase.

Jumping to her feet, 3 looked through the small desk as quickly and quietly as possible. A small smile broke on her face when she found a small notebook and pen. Tearing out a page, 3 quickly wrote down some info before folding it up.

"You're minute's up, 3!" 8 called out, startling 3. "Sorry, Callie, guess that's-"

"Wait!" 3 yelled through the door. "Just give me a sec!"

Glancing around, 3's gaze landed on her bedside lamp. Moving quickly, 3 hid the paper underneath but left a small portion of the corner sticking out to hopefully peak the Squid Sister's attention. 3 jumped when a bang came from the door. She grabbed her jacket, cross-body bag, phone, and shoes as the doorknob rattled.

"I'm coming out," 3 said, standing in front of the door.

The rattling stopped. 3 took a breath, bracing herself as she reached for the knob. Opening the door, 3 was greeted by a sanitized octoling holding an N-Zap. She motioned for 3 to go in front, letting 3 walk past her. Upon entering the living room, 3 found Callie on her knees, holding her hand-ups with a terrified look, while another sanitized octoling was keeping a splatter shot aimed at the back of Callie's head. 8 was standing in front of Callie, his back turned to 3, and he was looking down at Callie with his arms crossed. As much as Callie was trying to put on a brave face, it didn't stop the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Commander, We've found her."

8 turned around. His smile grew wider upon seeing 3.

"I knew you were here," 8 softly said, caressing 3's cheek. 

3 glared up at him despite the slight blush on her cheeks. She noticed that the teal patches had grown on 9's body through the gaps in his clothes, and his left was nearly completely teal. 

"You took your time." 8 said, pulling 3 out of her thoughts.

"I was changing when you burst in," 3 snapped, slapping away his hand.

The two octolings tensed, glaring at 3. To which 8 simply waved them off.

"3, don't go-"

"Zip it, Callie!" 8 snapped, shooting a glare in her direction. "Cover her mouth."

While the octoling covered Callie's mouth, 8 looked back to 3 with a smirk.

"You have me 8, keep your word,"

 3 demanded, furrowing her brows.

"Of course, sweetie," 8 pulled out a small plastic bottle with a sickly white/yellow liquid. "All you have to do is drink up, and I'll let Callie go."

3 looked back and forth between 8 and Callie.

"Okay," 3 nodded. "But we're going outside. Give Callie time to lock the door before I drink it."

"Why, you don't trust me?" 8 put a hand to his chest, faking hurt. "That's fair. Making sure I keep my word."

3 gave Callie a sad smile before 8 grabbed her arm, pulling her with him toward the door. The octoling covering Callie's mouth pushed Callie to the floor as the other octoling that found 3 followed 8 outside. When both octolings were outside, the door slammed shut, followed by the click of the lock.

The noise brought a sense of cold relief to 3. Callie was safe. Hopefully, she and Maire would find the note.

"3," 8 softly spoke, making 3 look back to him. He held out the bottle to her. "Drink up, 3, it's good for you."

3 cringed. Cautiously taking the bottle, 3 studied it briefly, trying to figure out what the strange liquid was. Seeing the sanitized octolings staring at her, along with 8's penetrating gaze, made her imminently unscrew the cap. 

"Here goes," 3 thought.

3 tried to swallow the mystery liquid in one gulp, but its bitterness nearly made her gag. What was this stuff!? The question died on 3's tongue as a strong wave of calmness and drowsiness washed over her. The bottle fell from her hand onto the floor with a clatter as 3 struggled to keep her footing. Suddenly, 3 began to sway, falling into 8's open arms. She looked up to find him smiling down at her. Before her vision went completely dark, 3 could hear him.

"3, my dear friend, won't you let me take care of you?"

 

 

(Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a great day. Artwork by me.)