Things had not gotten any less stressful with her friend by her side. "Any idea where the other musicians are?" Marina asked as they snuck along the outer ring of the stands.

"No clue. Probably somewhere way too far for us to get to right now. Let's ah..." Ahato looked ahead, scanning the seats. "Let's just pick a spot and sit down. The sooner we can get in the crowd the better."

"Oh, wait! Hold on, get behind that pillar." Marina quickly pulled the pack off of her back, and pulled out the armor she'd nabbed. "Put this on, so we can blend in better."

That got a small look of surprise from Ahato, before a small smile crossed her lips. "Wow, look at you! So rebellious."

Marina's cheeks flushed at the teasing. "It's nothing. Here. Also, your ink color. Can you start shifting it?"

Ahato paused, her armor halfway off. "I completely forgot about that." She shook her head and kept changing.

Before long, the two much more normal looking soldiers continued marching along the outside ring.

"There! That's a good spot." Marina pointed towards a section of stands a small way forward. "There's enough people that we'll blend in, but not so many that we'll be smushed." She didn't point out that they were only a short distance from one of the exits. There wasn't any reason to draw Ahato into her internal spiral.

The pair quickly slotted into the seats. Marina sat right on the edge of the isle, with Ahato right behind her. They made sure there were soldiers all around to prevent anyone from easily spotting them. With nothing else to do, they settled in, kept their heads down, and prepared for the event to start. They didn't need to wait long.

Marina spotted him before even the spotlight operators highlighted him against the dark. Something inside of her twisted at the sight of him. Memories of the Octostomp's failure tore through her mind. The embarrassment. The shame. The horror of watching her most ambitious project fail. Memories she'd refused to engage with, in fear of falling apart again.

He was here. Agent 3 was here. In the domes. About to fight her creation. Again.

I can't do this.

"Maybe it shouldn't get done then."

Marina's hearts raced as her breathing began to pick up. She couldn't do it again. She couldn't fail everybody again.

The Head Engineer should be capable of doing what must be done for the domes.

"You ok?" Ahato asked, gently grabbing her shoulder.

"Uhh..." For a moment, Marina's senses threatened to overwhelm her. The lights burned her if she didn't look away. Every scrape of the concrete as someone adjusted themselves behind her rung in her ears. Marina's own blood curdling scream from that day echoed in the front of her mind as she watched Agent 3 jump down into the arena.

"Y-yeah. Just nervous. This whole thing is kind of stressful." She gave her best reassuring smile, hoping it would be enough to placate things for the moment. She didn't have a choice. She needed to be here. She needed to see what happened, so she'd know her future.

If Ahato wasn't convinced, she didn't push it. "Looks like the little Hero is here. Heh, funny thing. I actually saw him again after that... day."

The Head Engineer must have as close to a comprehensive understanding of any given situation as possible.

"Why're ya doin this to yerself?"

"You what?"

"Yeah. It was a few days later. I was on the roof of my place trying to get something made, and he just showed with no warning, looking like he'd been put through hell. I was completely unarmed, of course, and apparently that was enough for him to not splat me."

Marina gave a hollow laugh. "Bless the sky for that."

"Right? He just jumped up into the roof, because apparently there's a crack in the dome up there or something. Honestly, it's what gave me the motivation to finally go to The Hollows. It was such a startling moment..."

What else could she even say to that? Marina nodded, and tried to keep the world from spinning. Agent 3 was here, and he was going to be fighting her creation again. But this time it had to be different, right?

The Head Engineer should take pride in her work, as it has revolutionized life in the domes.

Surely. The DJ himself is piloting it. There's no way it could fail. Everyone would see that she was the capable engineer that she claimed to be.

"But why YOU? Why not someone else, or a team of other engineers? Why YOU, Marina?"

But did she even want that? Did she want to be proven capable enough to handle these massive, stressful projects all by herself? Did she want to be forced to do it again? Maybe it would be better if Agent 3 did win... At least then I'd—"

The Head Engineer should be capable of doing what must be done for the domes.

—be a traitor to her people and the society that looked up to her. How could she even consider betraying everyone who depended on her to make things better? This was clearly something she could do, so wasn't it in the better interest of everyone if she—

"Marina, ya can't keep doin this to yerself. It ain't right."

—but she couldn't. She couldn't go back to that. The thought of so much as looking at another blueprint made her want to break down sobbing. No, no no no, nonononono, she couldn't. She couldn't—

"Marina?"

The Head Engineer must be willing to sacrifice everything she has for the domes. The position is, after all, a blessing.

She couldn't what? Just walk away from everything? Disobey the same laws that governed everyone under the screens? Abandon the society that raised her and sheltered her? Because she was a selfish, pathetic, weak excuse for an octoling who couldn't even do the one thing expected of her?

"Marina!"

"Marina, yer going to DIE if you don't change something!"

Maybe she should. Maybe she should just lock herself in her lab and write out blueprints and schematics for useless machines until she died! Then there'd be no problems! No betrayal, and no more work!

"MARINA!"

Head Engineer, WHY DID YA GIVE UP?

Her body instinctually sucked in a deep gulp of air. Marina glanced around, frantic and disoriented. What was happening? Who was yelling? Was she crying?

"Hey! Hey, breathe!" Ahato slowly waved her hand in front of Marina, before grabbing her hands. "Take a breath Marina. What's going on?"

She tried to speak, but all that came out was a choked sound. She was practically panting. Why was she breathing so hard? Marina focused on stabilizing her breathing. "Wh—" was all she managed.

Ahato moved closer, gently putting Marina's hands back in her own lap, but not letting go. "Stay with me girl. You just started shaking and crying."

"I... did?"

There was a moment of hesitating before Ahato responded. "Is this about... going back?"

The weak response Marina had died on her lips as a single droning note started to echo across the dome. Her entire body tensed more and more as each note layered on top. Until suddenly, up from the darkness burst DJ Octavio, piloting the Octobot King.

The Head Engineer should take pride in pushing yerself so far, as it has revolutionized life in the domes.

The world threatened to give out from under her. Actually seeing The Octobot King in the air made all the ink in her body feel like acid. This wasn't something she was ever supposed to be real. It couldn't be. She couldn't have done that.

The Head Engineer should be capable of doing what shouldn't get done then.

But there it was, showboating around the arena, every bit as capable as she made it.

Ahato let out a low whistle. "Wooow. Look at that thing. Crazy looking design there. What... are those fists?"

"They're... reinforced steel, propelled by both air and ink." Marina distantly explained.

Beside her, Ahato jolted. "I didn't even think about that... that's... you...?"

Marina nodded. The DJ's words echoed across the dome, and Marina didn't hear a thing he said. She could only watch as her creation was flaunted. As it broke through the roof of the dome.

As it turned on Agent 3.

The Head Engineer should keep doin this to yerself. Take pride in yer work, be willing to sacrifice everything ya have for the domes.

She watched as Octavio used her weapon to play with Agent 3. Countless manufactured close calls kept her thoughts so scattered she couldn't make sense of a thing in her head. Ahato kept a hold of her hands, and kept talking, but Marina couldn't begin to process anything around her. Her entire world zeroed in on Octobot King, watching it closely for everything.

The Head Engineer should be capable of doin this. Ya need ta ensure the betterment of the domes. Ya have ta do it.

She didn't flinch as the fists slammed into the platforms, or as the missiles rained down around Agent 3. She didn't flinch when the killer wail cut through the air. She didn't flinch when Agent 3 nearly fell into the void below. She stared at his trembling form, there on the ground, as the DJ taunted him from above.

That was it then. The Head Engineer would prevail, a hero of the domes. Renowned for her capabilities and intelligence. She would have work to do until she died. Why did she want to break down crying?

Ahato gasped, and tightened her grip on Marina's hands, pulling her from her thoughts. Looking down, Marina watched as Agent 3 struggled his way to his feet, weapon held high, as he stood in front of—

The Squidbeak captain. Marina's hearts twisted as her eyes locked onto him. When did he get there!? Seeing him in the arena broke a part of her that she didn't know she had. He didn't deserve this. He shouldn't be there. A strangled, desperate sound escaped from her throat as the DJ powered up the fist.

At that moment, she saw herself standing next to the old man. She saw Marina, the girl who only wanted to be friends with the people around her. The girl who was scorned and mocked for being better than them, when all she wanted to do was help people. The girl who just wanted to laugh and make music with the only person who'd taken the time to understand her. She saw everything that she couldn't be, standing next to him.

The Head Engineer must be willing to sacrifice everything she has for the domes. The position is, after all, a blessing.

Marina made her peace. For a terrible, everlasting second, she looked at Ahato, her one true friend, and said her silent goodbye. The Head Engineer would have no time for social calls. She watched as the fist flew out of the bay, propelled by a twin stream of ink and air, towards the inklings that stood there, and towards the life she'd never get to live.

Goodbye, Marina.

And then Agent 3 screamed. He screamed so loud that it overrode any thought she had in her head. She watched in abject horror as his attack met the fist head on, suspending it mid air and buying him seconds to live.

In an almost trance like state, her eyes slid to the back of the fist. Rings of magenta ink blew out of the back as the twin propulsion mechanisms fought the inkling's attack. But she knew that system. It was the only thing she hadn't finished.

The color seemed to drain from the world as the stream of magenta ink dried up. She could only watch, completely stunned, as her creation again failed, and the fist rocketed back into the Octobot King.

Loud, blaring synths began to echo through the domes, pushed on by a punchy drumline. Each beat was like a hammer against her chest, echoing the frantic beating of her hearts. Words in a language she didn't know rang out over the crowds, cheerful and upbeat. Marina didn't know how to react. There was so much happening, that it left her completely stunned.

Beside her, Ahato stared up at the screens with a look of awe. That melody... was the same as Ahato's song. And for a moment, Marina understood why her friend could abandon everything to pursue it. The music had an energy to it, a call to anyone who could hear it to join them and indulge in it. To forget their worries and just enjoy the experience. It didn't DEMAND attention like all the music she'd heard before spending time in The Hollows. It made Marina want to join. For a moment, she lost herself in the music, overwhelmed by it's joy and wonder.

A memory sparked in her mind, of hours sitting on the bed in Ahato's room, lazily kicking her feet in the air as she listened to her friend work on this exact melody. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Until the Octobot King drifted through her line of vision, and reality slammed back into her. The fight, Agent 3's last stand, the... fist. She failed. Again. Agent 3 beat them. Agent 3 beat her. She was a failure. She..

You are alive.

Marina was alive.

You weren't good enough.

Marina was a failure.

They couldn't expect you to be perfect.

What else could she have done? She was just one person!

You have to be. It is your purpose.

That did not matter. Her creation was not enough.

This isn't the life you want to live.

She couldn't do that again. It didn't matter what they wanted. She couldn't do this again.

There will be consequences for your failure.

Her entire body shook as the full weight of the situation started to set in. The Octobot King failed. Her creation failed. Their entire society depended on her succeeding, and she failed.

Marina couldn't stay here.

You need to run

Marina jerked out of her seat, and wheeled backwards, immediately tripping and falling back down. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. She didn't slow, immediately scrambling back halfway to her feet and lunching for the stairs. She couldn't be here. She couldn't die like that. Her poor footing sent her back to the ground again as she reached the stairs, but that didn't phase her. Marina grabbed the next step, pulling herself forward until she was crawling up the steps, as fast as she could move.

Ice gripped her entire body as she fled, one desperate hand in front of the next. No duty or responsibility was worth this. Stars above, she'd even accepted her own death a moment ago. No. Never again. This wasn't something she would ever let happen again. But she had to get away.

"MARINA!" Ahato's voice only cut through the storm in her mind as she grabbed her shoulder. Marina flinched back before she could process what she was seeing. Ahato was a step in front of her, with a hand extended, and a resolute shine in her eye.

They didn't need to say a word. Marina grabbed Ahato's hand, and was pulled to her feet. The pair immediately charged forward, footing much more assured, straight towards the exit. Music echoed after them, the strange but familiar melody slowly growing more distant and distorted as they ran. They burst into the next dome, escaping the transition with not even a stumble.

Silence soon engulfed the both of them. Compared to the well of sound she'd been trapped in, the sudden quiet was suffocating in its own right. The quiet hum of the air recyclers was the only sound that met their frantic footsteps and ragged breathing.

Around the edge of the dome they ran, until reaching the next transition. Rather than run through the tunnels, they ran straight for the kettle on the side. Marina slapped her hand against the intake and ducked into swim form. The seconds it took the machine to prepare were agonizing, but finally she was sent rocketing down the line, into the next dome.

She immediately started running the moment she got out of the other end, but forced herself to stop before she got far. Ahato was still coming down the rail, and as much as Marina's entire being was screaming at her to run, she needed her friend too. So, she stopped herself and waited, despite everything feeling so off. Her hearts hammered in her chest and she took ragged, deep breaths, but there was nothing around to cause them. The bizarre vacancy of this place, usually so full of life, was more off-putting than it was upsetting. Marina busied herself by pacing back and forth, afraid that she'd give up again if she stopped moving. Finally, in a splash of blue ink, Ahato emerged from the kettle, and they were off again.

The process repeated several more times until finally they were running through the abandoned domes, towards the darkness of The Hollows. They didn't hesitate as they charged through the entrance, blistering through the darkened pathways until they burst through Ahato's door. The same suffocating silence blanketed the inside. The memories of warm nights confronted her as she stepped through; that time away from everything she was supposed to be.

All that remained of it was two bags, perched on the edge of the bed, and a spray of equipment out behind it. Ahato stumbled on into the room, and heaved an additional large bag onto the bed beside them.

The sight of the bag was enough to break Marina's train of thought. "That was... you grabbed it?" She asked, while gesturing towards the bag.

"You seemed pretty out of it at the moment, and I didn't really want to leave it behind..." Ahato stood awkwardly for a few moments, seemingly unsure of what to say next. "Heh, now I can keep the rest of my gear too." She reached across the bed and grabbed the nearest amp, and set it in the bag. As she was reaching for the next piece, she stretched her arm out, and immediately her knees buckled as her spare arm shot towards her shoulder.

"Acht!" Marina cried as she ran forward to catch her friend.

"I'm fine! Just... augh. Shouldn't have stretched the muscle like that." Ahato gave her a weak smile, and tried to reach across the bed again, only to flinch not even halfway there.

"You sit down." Marina insisted, maybe a bit too forcefully. "The least I can do is pack this for you." She immediately stepped forward, towards the bed, and started working.

Ahato hesitated for a moment, before relenting and sitting on the edge of the bed, bumping her shoulder against the headboard. For a few moments, they sat in the silence, weighing the memories fresh in their minds. Only the most immediate implications of the loss were present in her mind, but those were damning enough on their own.

Marina shook her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. She stopped packing for a moment to meet her friend's eyes.
"Are you ok?"

Ahato scoffed and tried to shrug the concern off. "It's just my stupid shoulder. Nothing I've not felt before. How about you? Didn't seem like you were in a good state a bit ago."

Marina looked away, carefully grabbing the next few things to go into the bag. "It was like the Octostomp all over again." She mumbled.

"Oh, rust it, I didn't think of that." Ahato sighed.

"No, it's..." Marina stopped, debating her words. Did she really feel that way? Yes, I do. "I needed to see it."

Ahato gave her a curious look, but didn't say anything. The conversation stalled for a moment as Marina returned to packing the bag. It felt... odd, admitting that. The awful feeling from just before Agent 3's turn around still weighed heavy on her mind. The fact that she'd been so willing to give up like that was terrifying. Marina's hearts still hammered away inside her chest, even though rationally, she felt calm right now.

There was no celebration as Marina grabbed the last item, an old keyboard that Ahato had salvaged from recycling some time ago. She fit it into the space she'd deliberately left for it, right along the back of the pack, but stopped as she realized it was just too long to close the bag on top of. Hesitantly, set the keyboard to the side to see what was in the way.

Said blockage turned out to be a field radio. It was a large, metal box about the size of a brick, and weighed similarly. The front had two sections, a microphone at the bottom and a speaker at the top. There was a large button on one side, a hand strap on the back, and a retractable antenna at the top.

"Yo, where'd you get the walkie talkie from?"

The sudden question made Marina jump. She took a moment to catch her breath and tried to ignore the sound of her blood pumping in her ears. "I think the engineer I took this bag from was part of a field technician squad..."

"You stole it!?" Ahato stared at her in shock for a moment, causing Marina to blush, before suddenly smirking. "Niiice. You're really jumping at this whole 'quitting' thing. I like it."

Desperately, Marina tried to stammer a defense, but the combination of embarrassment and nerves she was struck with stopped any real words from getting out.

Ahato just laughed, and leaned forward to take the field radio with her non-injured arm. "Damn. No wonder that bag was so heavy. There's another one in there, right?" When Marina gave her a nod, she continued. "Then I'll hold onto this one, and you keep the other. That way, if we get separated once we're on the surface, we can find each other again!" Ahato gave her a smile before pulling one of her existing bags closer, and sliding the radio into it.

Marina turned back to the backpack, and set the keyboard inside. It zipped up perfectly. She sat there, staring at the bag as her mind started to race again. Was she really going to do this? Did she really have to run to the surface? There was no chance she was going to return to her life as it stood, but surely, there was something else she could do. There had to be.

"Hey." Ahato gently grabbed her hand. "You're shaking again."

"O-oh! Sorry... I-I'm—"

"It's scary, right?" Ahato sat down next to her, and leaned forward, resting her arms against her legs. "We're going out, away from everything we've known. And don't get me wrong, this place blows, but... it's still... home. You know?"

Marina nodded. Honestly, it was a bit surprising, hearing her friend say something like that, but she supposed the sentiment wasn't exactly foreign.

Ahato sighed, deeply, before turning her head to look at Marina. "But I can't stay here. Not if they're to destroy the only two things that matter to me. I've only been here a month but, I don't know what I'd do without The Hollows..." There was a pause while Ahato looked her up and down. Eventually, she sighed again, and turned her head away, before mumbling "Don't let them break you, too."

The words stirred the slurry of emotions Marina was feeling. "I..." She struggled, grasping at words in her mind, trying to find the right things to say. "You... are my connection."

All of Ahato's subtle movements stopped: the subconscious rolling of her shoulder, the tapping of her fingers, and the slight bouncing of her leg. All of it stopped, as she sat up to look at Marina.

With a resolute huff, Marina drew her next breath, and continued. "I don't have anything here. No friends, no passions, and now, no purpose, anymore. You're the only connection I have, Acht." Her fists tightened as she steadied her resolve. "And if you're going, I'm going to follow."

Ahato looked back, surprise written across her face.

Marina held her breath, waiting for something, though what specifically she didn't know.

They just stared at each other, lost in the moment. They might be going into the unknown, but they would do it together. That idea made Marina feel warm and safe, despite whatever lied ahead.

A dash of red tinged Ahato's cheek as a small, gentle smile broke through the surprise. "Well... if you're going to follow, we'd best get going." She didn't wait for Marina's response, breaking eye contact and reaching for the bag she put the field radio into. It slung onto her shoulder easily, but she paused when reaching for the second one.

The problem wasn't hard to spot. "Here," Marina said, pulling the second bag away from Ahato. "You rest your shoulder. I can carry these." She took a moment to throw the now-full backpack onto her back, before preparing the second one. A squeak of surprise escaped her as she brought the bag's weight onto her shoulder. "Gha, what'd you put in here?"

"That's our food and water. It's nothing fancy, just ration bars and a single metal container. The weight adds up fast, so watch out."

"You could say that again!" Marina grunted before putting the strap of the bag over her head, so that it rested on her side like a satchel. She took a few steading breaths, before looking back to Ahato. "Are we really going to do this?"

"If you're ready, I'm ready."

Neither of them said a word as they stepped through Ahato's door— for the last time.

This was it. Could she really just abandon everything? Walk away from her life? Her prestige? The only place she'd ever known?

The magnitude of the situation suddenly settled on her shoulders. This wasn't a weapon specialization, or choosing elective classes. This wasn't as banal as a career choice or a partner. This was abandoning EVERYTHING she'd ever known, worked for, and believed in. The complete betrayal of everything her life had meant up to this point. Abandoning every person she knew and worked with, all to run off into enemy territory for the chance at something better. Could she really do that?

Yes.

Yes she could. She wasn't running for a reason as petty as betrayal. This was survival. She would die if she stayed here, pushed to her limits as the military demanded more and more from her. Her capability had been proven, even if it had faults. There would be no peace for her. No moments of quiet to decompress. No days with her friend, making music that she wanted to hear. Even if they went out of their way to hook an IV drip into the body of the Head Engineer as she worked, Marina wouldn't ever get to live again.

Realization crashed through her. Heartbeats grew erratic and her breathing began to stutter. The world seemed to close in around her. Suddenly, the screens that she'd known all her life were to close. Pressing down on her, trying to shuffle her into any nook or corner they could get her into, just to keep her trapped down here.

Urgency clashed with the panic flooding her system. She needed to move. She needed to GO. Marina couldn't be here. She would DIE if she stayed here.

"HEY!" Ahato grabbed her hands and leaned close to Marina's face. "Hey, breathe! Talk to me. What's going on?"

Marina tried and failed to get words out between her desperate heaving breaths. "I ch-" It felt like she was going to puke. "I-I can-t" Like her blood was on fire. "Stay!" Like she was frozen to the spot. "Nnnneed to run! We need to go!" She gasped, sucking in as much air as she could. "I can't DIE Acht! I can't!" She could feel the tears running down her face.

"Die? What do... no. We'll talk later. Right now— listen to me— right now, we're going to run ok? Our goal is to get to my old apartment, alright? We're taking the exit that Agent 3 did."

After a deep breath, and a moment to swallow the bile in the back of her throat, Marina met Ahato's eyes and nodded.

They didn't waste another second. As fast as they could, the pair sprinted to the edge of the dome. Through the transition. Through the next dome. Marina took her first breather in the next transition while Ahato rode the kettle, but it was short, and she was on her friend's tail the second she was able to be. There was still no one in the domes they cut through, but they made sure to take a slightly longer route, avoiding the central and performance domes as best they could to minimize their chance of running into someone who could stop them.

Her hearts hadn't calmed down since she realized what was at stake here. Worse, the closer they got to the exit, the worse the feeling got. A part of her was growing hopeful, but that hope was being drowned in an ever expanding void of fear that something will go wrong. Each transition only multiplied the feeling. It was too easy, too free. Running away wasn't supposed to be easy like this.

They burst into the residential dome where Ahato lived with reckless abandon. They both knew what building they were running to, so neither of them spared more than a second glancing at the other. Through the streets they wound, the silence pressing in on all sides. Again, only the buzz of the air recycler met them, but it was nearly impossible to hear over the sound of her hearts pounding in her ears. The gnawing pit in her stomach opened more and more as they approached.

Finally, they slowed as they approached the front of the building. They only needed to round one more turn, and then they'd be at the door, where 15 flights of stairs and one super jump stood between them, and freedom. They waited for just a moment, breathing hard as they recovered from the inter-dome marathon they'd just run.

"Hey." Ahato gently put a hand on her shoulder. "You're shaking again. We'll get through this, ok? Just into the building, up the stairs, and then through the big gap between the screens, directly up. Once we're there, were out ok? Free. They can't possibly get soldiers in the caves fast enough to catch us after that."

Marina nodded, but it took her a second to work through the panic stalling her mind. She could do this. They could do this. "Ok. Ok, let's go."

She got one final smile before they started forward. This close, there was no need to sprint, so they simply walked forward for the moment. It felt surreal, approaching the building again. The last time she'd come here, she was looking for Ahato, and it hadn't exactly been an enjoyable trip. Lingering bits of that memory only compounded with the overwhelming need she felt to escape. But it was ok. They were here. They were doing this. Marina was not going to die.

Ahato suddenly tensed, wheeling backwards as she let out a cry of surprise. Marina flinched hard at the sudden reaction, her anxiety spiking as her eyes darted locked onto her friend. When Ahato didn't burst in a spray of ink, she frantically looked around, trying to see what was going on. When she found it, Marina didn't gasp or stagger like her friend did; her entire body locked up, like a salamander in a searchlight.

Imari stood in front of the apartment, stiff and rigid, with an Octoshot on her hip. On her face was a look of utter disgust and hurt. She snarled as she saw the pair, a dark shadow crossing over her eyes as she locked eyes with her sister.