Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 38: A show to die for

Warning: The following chapter contains a short gore scene.

Simon and Jill followed Bato as he lead the way out of the laboratory. It had been a bit of an ordeal to find the way out without a map, but now they were out...side...? Well, they were inside a... dome, was it really outside? They were underground too, weren't they?

'Well, I mean, I guess it's outside?'

Simon jumped, then let out a sigh of relief. 'Toda, I forgot you were there...'

'Sorry...!' He replied sheepishly.

'No, it's okay!' They thought quickly. 'Just– What is that?' They cringed as they saw a giant tentacle momentarily train a laser on them.

"Baaato..." Jill hissed.

"I'll explain later." Bato whispered. "But it's called an 'Octo sniper', I think. It won't fire at us if it thinks we're octolings so just... keep your head down."

"I thought I was supposed to keep my back straight...!" She hissed.

"Shhh!" Simon snapped. "We've got some real octoling pride, remember?"

"... Yep! I want to chew off an inkling– I mean squidling's toes and... make them beg for mercy!" Jill said awkwardly.

"Maybe you don't have to go that far..." Simon muttered, then walked a bit more quickly to catch up with Bato as he lead the way away from the laboratory, down a long metal bridge. "Hey, Bato–"

"Hachi set my mask to go by Otab." Bato hissed.

'Otab? Isn't that–' Toda asked before bursting into internal giggles.

Simon struggled to keep from snickering as this happened. "Right, Otab, you gotta explain more of this Hachi situation." They gave a quick glance around to make sure the coast was clear, then clarified. "Why did she help you? Help you to help us?"

Bato hesitated for a long moment, his expression unreadable inside the helmet he was wearing. "She thought it was appalling, the whole... mind-inside-a-mind thing. She couldn't find out what exactly they planned to do with it, but she was sure that they wouldn't stop with squids, not with this technology. But she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it herself, because it might also be her kind's last shot at survival. She was... conflicted, to say the least."

Simon thought for a moment. 'Toda, is that the truth?'

'He wouldn't hide something from us if he didn't have to, trust me.' He replied.

Simon nodded. "Right... But we might still have to fight her, you know."

Bato nodded in a forlorn fashion.

"Hey, is that the exit?" Jill hissed, gesturing ahead to a kettle.

"Yep." Bato said. "We're going to have to be quiet now, there are going to be lots of octolings on the other side."

"Understood." Simon said. "How do we work this thing?"

He walked in front of the kettle, shielding it from the sight of the Octo snipers. "Step onto the kettle and transform, it'll take you to the next dome; change back as soon as you get to the other side, if they see you in that form there could be trouble. Oh, and just be aware that it gets a little hot for a second."

"Ok, well.. I mean... It is a kettle." Jill pointed out, stepping on and giving a small peace sign before transforming through the grate. The kettle hissed and then popped, and Simon swore they heard the tiniest of squeaks from inside.