Octoling's cave complex                                                                                                                                                                             ten years ago     

Inside general Cephalopoda's private office, there were no sounds of suffering of other Sea creatures. Inside his office, there were no sounds of work or training. Inside his office, it was quiet.

Inside his office, it was safe.

No sounds of suffering. No groaning of machinery. No conflict whatsoever. But he could see it all.

His office was built into a cave wall. A bulletproof glass frame, wide as an apartment building is tall, tall as one is wide. Electrical light kept his office lit, and temperature control kept it cold at all times. Just the way he likes it. His office had a fabulous pair of double-steel doors on the opposite side, with Amethyst gemstones the size of a baby's head as door knobs, set on the silver steel. Inside his office, he also had a red velvet chair, one with tiny pink gemstones embedded in the arms facing the glass. The floor of the office was white marble, polished to the point one can see one's reflection in it, and light seemed to bounce off it. In fact, the whole office was spotless.

General Cephalopoda's office, which was more like a room, housed a lone figure. It was sitting on the chair, hands folded in his lap, watching the work of the Octoling's. But suddenly, his door opened with a creak. In walked an Octoling, wearing the normal Octoling uniform: A purple battle vest, brown pants and a utility belt. His eyes were stunningly blue; they would make one be drawn into them like moths to light. His skin was pale: An unusual color for an Octoling.  He spoke, his teeth white as paper:

"You sent for me, sir?" He stood in a military fashion, absolutely still. His hands were firmly at his sides. His vest was spotted with a few medals of varying colors. 

"Ah, yes, Colonel Blue-ring." Said the sitting figure, not turning around.

"Please, sir. Just call me blue." The huge doors closed with a bang behind him.

 "Of course, of course!" The figure stood up, still not turning. "You are our top agent. Correct?"

"Yes sir. Of course, I was never on an actual mission before..."

"Yes yes, I know." Said the figure. He turned around. His skin was very dark, and had green eyes with a calm appeal. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties, and his uniform was that of the same as Blue's, except with many more medals. "Please, Blue. Take a seat." He gestured to a black chair, with a few cushions on it. General Cephalopoda sat down, smiling.

"If it's all the same, sir, I would prefer to remain standing."

General Cephalopoda looked somewhat hurt, but then broke into a smile again. "No matter. Colonel, there's a little matter I wish to discuss with you."

"Yes, general?"

"What do know about... Above us?"

"You mean the surface, sir?" Blue's eyebrow shot up.

"Yes! Exactly. What do you know about it?"

"Well, sir, We've been taught that above us there are other types of organisms. Unintelligent, and constantly fight among themselves."

"Do you remember the names of some of the organisms?"

"Yes sir." Blue seemed be in concentration. "Shrimp, Jellyfish, many types of Crabs..."

"Yes, yes." Said Cephalopoda, impatient. "But does squid or inkling ring a bell?"

Blue thought about that for a moment. "Actually... yes, sir. I believe they are an unintelligent species who we conquered and control. But they are weak, and aren't very useful."

"Ah, yes." Said Cephalopoda. "But I am afraid that's not true. We don't control anyone but ourselves."

"Sir?"

"The Inklings nearly killed us all. They wanted to see us dead. They were responsible for the slaughter of '98." He walked up to Blue, staring him down. "It's time you learned the truth. For your safety, at my orders... Everything you learned was a lie. Just like everyone else did."

"I don't understand, sir."

"I know." Cephalopoda said. "But what I am about to tell you, you must not share with anyone. understand, Colonel?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, Colonel." Cephalopoda's face suddenly turned serious. "But you must not speak of what I am about to tell you with anyone. Clear?"

"Not even who I trust the most?" Blue suddenly looked somewhat sad. "Not even... Juliana?"

Cephalopoda shook his head. "Not even your girlfriend, even though she has an unusual name." He grimaced at 'unusual name'. "Yes, I'm sorry, but Ms. Johnson can't know about this either. This is entirely confidential, what I am about to tell you. You mustn't speak with anyone about this. Do I make myself clear, Colonel?"

"But I trust Juliana, sir! In fact, she's the person who I trust the most."

"No. You cannot speak of the information I am about to give you to anyone. OK?"

Blue's face was expressionless. "And if I do?"

"Then I'll have every spy I have in the entire Octoling forces on you ass." He said. "With orders to kill."

"And if I don't want to know this information?"

General Cephalopoda pointed to the door. "The door's right there, Colonel. You can just mosey on out there any time." His face was expressionless. "But you would have to quit the forces, and never speak of this conversation to anyone. Ever. Or you die."

  Blue hesitated. He looked at the floor, then looked at the general's eyes. "Okay, then. Lay it on me."  

"I knew you'd see the logic." General Cephalopoda nodded to his chair and the black one next to it. "Please, Blue, take a seat." He gestured to the seat facing the massive window. Blue sighed, then obliged. The general sat down in his seat as well. "Now, Blue..." He started. When he said this, the window turned black, unable to be seen out of. Blue leaned forward in his seat, not expecting this. He was focused on the window screen. "What do you know about... us?" A picture of a female Octoling soldier in a black body vest appeared on the screen. It was gripping an Octoshot in it's left hand, a machete in the right. It's purple eyes seemed to bore into Blue's forehead, white skin reflecting light he couldn't see.

"Us?" Blue still didn't take his eyes off the Octoling. "Sir, I believe we are guardians. We protect the innocent. We protect ourselves. We were created by science we can't explain. We were made to protect, to rule." He looked at the general. "And we do. We watch over our citizens, our own race, the other races. They wanted us to rule."

"Well, Blue. I see that you've been taught well."

"But It's a lie, sir."

"Beg pardon?"

"You said so yourself, sir." Blue's face was now expressionless, and his eyes slightly narrowed at the general. "Everything I learned. Was a lie."

"Yes." Cephalopoda looked at Blue with a sad expression, almost in regret.

"But why?"

Cephalopoda inhaled sharply. "Colonel, there are things that people aren't meant to know."

"Like?" Blue growled.

"Like the fact about how we don't control the world."

Blue looked shocked. "Wh- what?"

"Colonel." Cephalopoda said, as the screen lit up again as the lights dimmed. A blue sphere appeared on the screen, dotted with patches of darker blue. "This was our world. Approximately twelve thousand years ago." The sphere started to grow slowly. Blue was clearly interested, but tried not to show it.

"...And?" Blue swung his gaze to the general. "Why do you show me this?" He darkened his expression. "Why do you lie, to everyone, about everything? Only to show me... This?" He gestured to the screen. "Why?"

"For the betterment of the race." Said Cephalopoda firmly. "Now, colonel." The screen an image of two Octolings, male and female, in a diagram of their cave system, a part Blue had never seen. "We Octarians dwell in a world deep underground. The individual caves in which we live are connected by a network of transport devices known as kettles."

This Blue already knew. "Wow... You learn something new every day!" He said, sarcastically. "Uh, no disrespect intended, of course, sir." He quickly corrected himself.

"Now, going back toward the world, now about eleven thousand years ago..."

"Sir? Why is this important?"

"Because, Colonel." Said the general. "This is how the Mollusc Era began."

The words struck like lightning. Blue had heard of this era. The evolution of their kind. The beginning of civilization, before they were nominated to lead life on earth, underground.

Blue was about to ask, or tell the general what he knew. But before he opened his mouth, he was already shaking his head.

"Colonel, I can tell you think you know everything about this... era." His expression turned cold. "But remember, Colonel, everything you know. Was. A. Lie."

The screen re-flashed. Now a strange creature Blue had never seen before was at the center of the screen. To blue, frankly, it looked much like a blob.

"Evolution is a strange thing, Blue-ring." The 'blob' that Blue noticed moved across the screen, all the way to the left. Then, one after another, more shapes appeared, each one looking more humanoid than the one before, to the left of the one before.

"Now Blue," said the general. "This is the evolution of not us, but a different race."

"The... Inklings, sir?" Guessed Blue.

"Correct, Colonel. And this-" The screen flashed one last time, showing a modern Inkling farthest to the left. "This is what they look like now."

"Why do these creatures matter, sir?"

"With the creatures of the surface driven to extinction by rising sea levels, the ancestors of the Inklings were free to haul their 10-legged bodies up onto the abandoned land." Said the general.

"This is truly how the Mollusc era began!" Exclaimed Blue.

"Yes," slithered the general, "But these creatures matter, because they are murderers. Traitors. Backstabbing no-good sonuva bitches!" He slammed his fist on the arm of the chair.

"So... Why do need me? Sir." Blue inquired, visibly shaken by the generals' sudden display of anger.

The general inhaled deeply, like a swimmer taking in a breath of air before leaping in the water. "Colonel." His face turned hard, and Blue tilted his head at him. "This may be hard to understand now, but we... We are insanely few in number. The Inklings must be stopped."

Blue waited for a deeper explanation, but none came. So he asked: "Anything else, sir?"

"That is all you need to know, Colonel." He paused, then added, "And the fact that you are going on a mission to spy on them. I have one in particular in mind...

"Anyway," He continued, "You will not be accompanied. You will gather information. Here is the target's information." He handed Blue a purple case file, bearing the Octoling symbol.

"Sir?"

"I know it seems sudden, soldier, but you must do it. For us. All of us."

"Understood, sir." Blue walked out with the case file, the doors slowly swinging shut behind him.

Yes Colonel. Thought the general. This will spawn a new turf war. A third. My forces will be the army. He walked out to the window, gazing out. The Inklings will be the victims.

And you, Blue-ring, will be the battlefield.

Behind the doors, Blue examined his file. He could barely make out the name scribbled at the top.

Steven Cuttlefish.