"What could have happened to the two embracing? No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era."
—Sunken Scrolls 2:6 (2.3)

Twenty-four hours ago
Beaker's Depot

Callie could not sleep. She could not stop thinking about Natalie's eyes silently condemning her. Agent 3 must have recognized her, Callie thought. She must have known.

She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find a comfortable position. The barracks at Beaker's Depot were a welcome change from the cots and sleeping bags of outdoor camps, but the depot itself freaked Callie out a little. Specifically, the research and development arm of the facility had some weird stuff going on, what with mechanical limbs, mind-altering drugs, and horrifying bio-weapons in the works.

Agent 3 and the captain had been successfully captured. Octavio had ordered them to be moved to the depot about a week ago, which was concerning. The only other prisoners at this place were test subjects, volunteers and criminals who could look forward to being experimented upon. The Octarians wouldn't do anything to Callie's former comrades, would they? Captain Cuttlefish was too old for that, and Natalie was an Inkling. It wouldn't make sense to perform any Octarian enhancements on Inklings, but Callie feared that Octavio had other plans for them that she wouldn't like.

Beaker's Depot was the first weapons development center that Callie and Octavio had gotten in contact with. Octavio was particularly eager to see what the Octarians still had at their disposal, and he wasn't disappointed. They had arrived only a day ago, greeted with a warm reception. The Octarians were happy to have their leader back safe and sound, even if they were still wary of Callie's presence. The scientists at the depot were taking Callie and Octavio on a short tour when Callie finally caught a glimpse of the prisoners, and she had immediately wanted to hide her face in shame. Although Callie had been disguised with an Octarian uniform and a set of black shades, she was still afraid of either of them recognizing her. They'd never forgive her.

Octavio had spent several minutes taunting his old enemies. He easily provoked anger in Captain Cuttlefish, poking fun at his rival's helplessness and age. They went at it for a good while, but thankfully the old seaman paid his granddaughter no heed. Callie prayed that he did not recognize her. But when Octavio tried to get a response out of Agent 3, the young girl refused to speak. Instead, the NSS's star agent directed all of her attention at Callie. Natalie walked up to the cell door and shot her former comrade a dirty look. There were hints of disappointment and anger in there, with a dash of heartbreak.

Perhaps it was just a hostile exchange from one Inkling to another, but somehow, Callie doubted it. She found herself unable return Natalie's glare. A half-second's glimpse was enough to imprint the captive agent's message in the former agent's mind. I hate you. Agent 3 must have recognized her, Callie thought. She must have known.

Compounding this unsettling notion was the fact that the NSS seemed to be active again. Callie had underestimated her cousin, as Marie was apparently getting a lot done. A cell of three Octoling agents went into Inkopolis to snag some much needed Zapfish, but they were stopped dead in their tracks. Literally. One of the Octoling agents was found blown up inside a gymnasium, while the other two had been shot down and kidnapped, in that order, according to a news station from Inkopolis. That had to have been Marie's handiwork. Not only that, a nearby lookout was recently decimated—the very same lookout where Agent 3 and the captain were being held just a week ago. If Marie was capable of storming a military outpost by herself, she had never shown it before, but Callie wouldn't put it past her. That, or Marie found help. The NSS did have a decently large network of contacts, after all.

Marie was potentially a huge threat, and Callie urged Octavio to take measures against the lone agent. But somehow, she could never get through to him. Octavio kept brushing her off and refusing to listen. He was more concerned about getting the Octarians to cooperate and build new weapons than he was about immediate obstacles. Sometimes, it seemed like Octavio cared more about the fact that his orders were being followed at all rather than the actual orders themselves.

Tomorrow, they would leave for Slimeskin Garrison and reestablish communications between Octo Canyon and the Valley. Callie suspected that Octavio just wanted to enjoy another welcoming party. She got up off her bed and began pacing about the darkened halls of Beaker's Depot. Callie was starting to doubt the strength of Octavio's convictions. How much did he care about his people, really? For all his sweet talk about life and liberty, Octavio acted like he barely gave a crap about the well-being of his subordinates. For all the work that they did, he berated them, never showed them any appreciation, and even struck them. Yet, he basked in their reverence and expected perfect obedience. Something about honor or piety or whatever. Octavio was so full of himself. It was no wonder why so many Octarians defected from his ranks. He was an awful boss to get stuck under if you were an average grunt. How was Callie supposed to support somebody like that?

The barracks and holding cells were on the same floor, and Callie soon found herself face to face with her former ally. Natalie's face was hidden by the darkness, but Callie could make out her silhouette. The girl behind bars cocked her head to the side, as if waiting for Callie to say something.

"And how am I supposed to hurt my own family?" Callie mused, mostly to herself. She looked into the cell next to Agent 3's, finding the captain fast asleep. That old man had no idea what real justice looked like, but he was still her grandfather.

In response, Natalie only crossed her arms. Callie narrowed her eyes at the imprisoned agent. Could the fearsome Agent 3 ever understand the troubles of an enemy nation? Could she ever sympathize with the downtrodden Octarians? Nah, probably not.

"Hate me all you want, but I'm the reason you're both still alive," Callie asserted. "If it weren't for me, then Octavio would have had you buried at sea."

She couldn't see her friend very clearly, but Callie could picture her rolling her eyes and turning around. Natalie did exactly that and backed away from the bars.

A wave of guilt washed over Callie. "Okay, okay, sorry, that wasn't very convincing," she stammered. "I ruined everything. This is all my fault."

Natalie stopped and turned back around.

Callie continued. "Look, after seeing how Octavio works, I don't want to know what he's planning for you and Gramps." She pulled out a key ring. "But I will stick by him for now. He's convinced me of a better way, and I plan to put myself where I can make the biggest difference in the world."

Callie slipped the keys through the bars and into the cell. They landed on the floor with a jingle. "I still owe you one, even if we're on different paths now. Please keep Gramps safe. Octavio has already left, and I'll be gone by morning, too."

Natalie pocketed the keys and retreated into her cell, while Callie made a beeline for the nearest set of stairs. Time to move out. She didn't want to be seen breaking a prisoner out, and she certainly didn't want to be anywhere near a loose Agent 3. That kid tended to spill a lot of blood.

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