Splatoon 2: Lost In The Dark

9- The Foundational Thang

Eight scrolled through the map, trying to decide which level to try. The shuttle car door slid open and Cap'n and Padre meandered inside.

"G'morning, Eight!"

"Good evening young squire."

They stopped, scrutinizing each other.

"Y'know her name is Eight, righhhhttttt?"

"I thought the young squire lost her memories of her true name...is a codename any substitute for an identity?"

"Yes, well--Eight's a better name than young squire! It's more...raw, or whatever the young people call cool these days."

"Like how you must think good morrow is better than good evening? Yet we are wrapped in a perpetual twilight?"

"G'morning is better! Right, Eight?" Cap'n tapped his cane for emphasis.

"Do you even wish to be called Eight?" Padre countered.

"Uh, good morning...good evening..."

Cap'n's radio crackled to life, and Marina's voice came on. Eight gave Padre and Cap'n a small smile before diverting her entire attention to the radio.

"Looks like you've finished the first line! Oh, by the way...While you've been out there passing tests...Cap'n Cuttlefish had some time on his hands, so we've been chatting with him!"

"Oh ho! Yes, it's been a wonderful diversion from the same old routine down here!"

"We thought you might be interested, so we made the chat log viewable to you! Look at your CQ-80."

Eight smiled and thumbed through the log. She could hardly understand half of what Cap'n was typing with his spam-like use of character. Peral's slang was a bit difficult to follow at times. Even so, she reluctantly closed the chat once she caught up. Back to testing. A new line shaped like a rectangle had opened up. A circle stop shaped like Central Station waited opposite the train's current stop. She walked to the next car over, and flicked the map up in front of CQ Cumber, pointing to the new circle.

"Yes...that is the location of the first thang."

The first thang...

Eight rushed across the entire length of the train.

"Good! Good--" her breath came in quick gasps. Cap'n and Padre looked up as she opened up the map.

"First Thang...it's there!"

Cap'n swung his cane triumphantly, "Let's get to it!"

At least seven test stops guarded the path on either side of the rectangle. She toggled the CQ stick towards I09/B02 station. The neon lights in the window vanished as the train chugged through a darker tunnel. The roar of the engines filled the narrow space. Eight could hardly hear the chime of the CQ device as a green line unfolded on the map.

So many choices. A tangle of yellow, blue, green, and purple littered the screen. Purple looks fast. Oh but green cuts right next to the thang. The blue line should give me octo based mem cakes...

Closing the screen, she plopped down on a bench and buried her face in her hands. The rumble of cars in tracks turned into a softer gurgle

"Are you lost?"

An eel with a pointy head stood beside her. A foggy gray washed the view. The waterline danced overhead, but Eight couldn't tell if the train was above or below it. It doesn't follow the rules.

The eel sat beside her. He had on a bowler hat small enough to fit CQ Cumber.

"Roger doger," she finally answered. The eel nodded, hat wobbling to and fro.