Order Up - Splatoon3 Side Order

Part 2 - "Up the Tower"

Agent 4 and their drone buddy sat in the elevator. It sure was taking a while...

"Oh, hush. I'm working as fast as I can, Agent 4." H4CKER's voice was heard from... who knows where. Agent 4 could admit they were being harsh on him, but the fact that they weren't sure how to get their body back to normal...

"Nah, I understand. I'd be pretty freaked out if my body was turned into a robot, too."

They nearly forgot he could read what they were trying to say through lines of code... actually, what was he doing here, anyway? Why would H4CKER hack this place if he didn't know someone was stuck there...?

"Oh, easy. I'm trying to create my own game. Unfortunately, starting from the bottom is kinda tough, so... you could say I'm taking a little inspiration from bigger games."

Agent 4 didn't like the way he said that.

"Yeah, I'm basically stealing assets."

They looked up at the ceiling and angrily clenched their fists. Their helper was a criminal?! Stealing assets without permission is very, very illegal!

"Maybe! But hey, I'm the one that found you, right? So if it wasn't for my criminal actions, you'd be stuck here forever! Right?" He spoke with a tone of arrogance.

Agent 4 sighed. He was right. In a situation like this, maybe crime does pay. After all, they couldn't really complain about who was saving them as long as they were getting saved. He better not say that they're in debt to him, though...

"Debt?" He laughed, "Hmm... maybe. I'll have to think about that, Agent 4!"

Dangit!

"Joking, joking... or am I?"

Agent 4 groaned.
The elevator was going up, but slowly. It gave them a lot of time to think. How could a person get trapped into a virtual reality? How was their own body brought inside of a game? How was it turned into a Parallel Canon - and who created Order? Who did this?

Maybe...

Could they have done it themself?

...No, that's crazy. They may not remember who they were, but if they're this distressed over their new form, it can't be intentional on their part.

Could it have been - no. Could it have been H4CKER?!

"Chill, Agent 4!" H4CKER interrupted, snapping them out of their thoughts, "If I were the one who created Order and put you into that robot body, why would I be helping you out?!"

...Yeah, he had a point. Agent 4 quickly apologized.

"...Again, it's fine. To be honest, I'm just as confused as you are. Who would do such a thing, anyway?"

Exactly! What kind of twisted mastermind would put them into this situation?! And for what reason?! What was their overall goal?

"You and me, Agent 4. We're gonna get you to the top, and we're gonna find out. Team Four style!"

Agent 4 tilted their head.

"Y'know, because you're Agent 4, and I'm H-4-CKER. We're Team Four!"

...They shrugged. It wasn't the catchiest name, but it worked, and they were ready to stick to it!

"Yeah! Now guess what, Agent 4? Prepare to make it to Floor 11!"
With that, the elevator moved - but it moved pretty slowly. The process took... time, but at least it worked, and at least they were now up 1 floor.
Still, with 19 more floors, at this rate...
It'll take hours.