The Time from Before

Almost There

"We bunkered down somewhere on Mt. Fuji. It was wave after wave of Nixus drones, with each one deadlier than the last. We contacted command, trying to get support, but received no response. So, a small three-person team left the battlefield in search of a better position. After about an hour of their departure, they returned with valuable information. It turns out, there was an entire facility deep beneath the mountain range, and our search party found a Supply Point. So, after fighting our way there, we descended, we went down, and, well, the rest is history." Mel recounted the events from memory. "I still have no idea how I became this, though."

She gestured to herself, from head to toe.

"We'll look into that." Allen said, scrolling through his PDA.

"Being an Inkling is weird, you know? I mean, look at me. I can turn into this tiny squid thing whenever I want. And it feels so different. So... squishy. It's fuckin' wild." Mel wiggled her arm in front of her face, fascinated by how it flopped around like a wet noodle. "And my eyes... They see things differently now. I see colors that I never knew existed."

"I wonder what that's like." Allen said, holding his PDA in his hand. "Let me scan you. Hold still." He pointed the device at Mel.

She felt a cold sensation run through her body as the device scanned her.

"Ugh... I hate that feeling." She said, shivering.

"Unknown creature detected. Sending data to Cv-7 for analysis."

"I'm surprised you can get a signal down here." Allen chuckled, looking back at Mel. "Anything else you want to tell me? Anything unusual or noteworthy?"

"Oh, where do I start? Well, for one thing, I have no bones. None at all. Not even cartilage. Just ink and a thin layer of skin that holds me together. And I can sense things differently now. I can feel vibrations in the air and the ground, like sonar or something. But I've lost some touch in my hands." She clenched her fists. "I can punch stuff really hard now, though. Which I guess is a plus."

"Noted..." Allen typed down some notes on his PDA. "How strong are you?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Hit me." He raised his hand in front of her.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, go for it." He nodded.

"Alright then." She pulled back her fist and swung it at his hand.

She struck him with all her strength, but it felt weaker than before. Allen's hand stung a bit, but he didn't flinch. He had sparred with her many times before, when she was still human.

She looked at her fist and saw ink dripping from it. She had hit him so hard that she broke her skin. Or rather, her membrane.

"You're weaker than before, but not by much. You can still handle a weapon." Allen said, looking at his PDA.

"What about your endurance?" He added.

"Haven't been keeping up with my PT, so I have no clue. I think I'm still fit." She stretched her legs, in anticipation. Allen is a sergeant after all.

"Alright. Run. Four laps around the generators." He ordered.

"Yes sir." She stretched a little more, took a deep breath, and sprinted down the hall.

"Analysis complete. Details will be listed in your Documents folder."

Allen nodded as he received the file from Cv-7, but his attention was drawn to Callie. She was on her phone, lifting it in the air and moving it around, trying to catch a signal.