Splat Force IV: Radicalism; Chapter 15

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! I hope it's been a great day! I'm surprised I'm already at this point of the story, but here I am with the fifteenth Chapter of Splat Force IV: Radicalism!

Adding on to that last bit, this story has just flown by so quickly. It's hard to believe that I'm gonna be wrapping it up in a few weeks from now. I'm gonna try and make the most of the story with the time I have left on it.

So, the last Chapter ended with the team being called into Brookside, a village filled with refugees who survived a massacre at the hands of Cyrus Zagan and Project ZM.

I know exactly what it is I am doing for not only this Chapter, but also for the remaining Chapters as well. So, no more filler!

So without further ado, let's get into this!

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(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  1 5 : P E A C E F U L  C I V I L I S A T I O N

At the now-destroyed Neary Village, Cyrus Zagan and his henchmen had been camping inside the ruined houses. Project ZM was away on another mission at that time.

Inside his camping house, Cyrus was breaking down the wooden floor with a mini pickaxe. His assistant was with him, watching his boss from the front door.

"What are you doing, sir?"

"This, Austin, is the master's hut. These types of houses host all different kinds of secrets."

Cyrus replied as he removed a whole wooden tile.

"I've searched this place top to bottom and not yet found anything, so I thought that maybe it could be... ah ha!"

Just as he finished talking, he removed another tile and found a ladder leading down a small, square stone gap. Without hesitation, Cyrus threw himself onto the ladder and began climbing down. Austin followed behind shortly.

After reaching the bottom of the ladder, Cyrus was now in a pitch-black room. He walked forward for a second before accidentally walking straight into a wall.

"Ow! Damn it!"

He exclaimed before turning back to his assistant.

"Hey, have you got a light?"

"Of course, sir!"

Austin said before reaching into his small bag taking out a flashlight and switching it on.

The only thing left in the room was a dark grey table. It was completely empty. It was then because of the light that Cyrus was able to see a light switch by the ladder. He pushed past his assistant and flicked it on.

Only one light lit up. It was hanging from the roof and gave off a pale aquamarine colour. Austin switched off his flashlight to see the effect of the hanging light. It worked like a charm.

Cyrus then snapped his fingers and looked back at his assistant.

"I'm gonna ask a favour of you now."

M E A N W H I L E  W I T H  T H E  T E A M . . .

Traveling in a minivan provided by the R.A.I.C, the Splat Force parked at the side of the road and climbed out. Rex went to stretch his legs after driving the long distance whilst the others also moved around after being sat down for a long period of time, with Samantha needing to be dragged out. Everyone was wearing their Splat Force gear.

Heck of a distance, huh?"

Magnus said to the team.

"We've travelled greater distances."

Emily replied as the team began walking into the forest.

"True. But, it's still a long way from home."

Magnus said to which the whole team agreed.

As they all walked into the woods, they were quick to see a village in the distance. It was Brookeside. They had made it, it hadn't been destroyed yet thankfully.

As the team entered the village, they breathed in the fresh air and looked around them. The villagers had already settled in well and were out socialising with each other, with most of them looking at the team in awe knowing that the heroes had answered the call.

Some were helping out in building new homes whilst others moved spare storage into the empty huts. Farms were being started and there even was a Sea Slug woman playing a Ukulele and singing. She was singing in a unique language.

Most of the team walked past the singing woman, with a couple showing her a smile, but Shauna stood still and listened to the harmonic voice, closing her eyes and getting into it. The music satisfied her. She loved it. It wasn't long until she started waving her arms around slowly and delicately, dancing a little as she got to the chorus. She opened her eyes and slowly spun her body around whilst still waving her arms around, all whilst having a huge, adorable smile. She was like a child on Christmas morning. The magic that the song had on her was strong.

Noticing that her girlfriend had fallen back, Emily quickly looked back and saw Shauna in her little groove. She smiled lovingly as she approached her.

Emily took Shauna's hand. The pair looked into each other's eyes as they began doing a small dance routine. The dance was a small tango, with them taking both small and quick steps back and forth, not letting go of each other. Eventually, Emily spun Shauna around. Shauna spun like a professional ballerina, which only made Emily more in love with her.

As the spinning came to a close, the pair got up close to each other and did a few more steps before leaning in close and kissing each other. It had been a hot minute since the pair had been fully intimate with each other, and after all that they had gone through over the past couple of days, especially Emily, they both needed this.

"Come on, you two!"

Magnus called out as their little dance ended. Both Emily and Shauna held hands as they ed the rest of the team.

The couple arrived at the small porch of the main house where the others were. Both stood by the stairs. Among them was an elderly Octoling with no hair, light-brown skin, and stubble. He wore light grey robes.

"Greetings! I am Napier. I help lead this village."

He greeted, giving both Emily and Shauna handshakes. His lime eyes provided them with a nice, warm greeting.

"Commander Lang, Commander Allen, and I were just talking about you, Commander Rogue. I've heard about your greatest accomplishments in taking down Vincent Fisk."

"Oh, Fisk handed himself in. He's been doing better these days."

Emily assured, not wanting to take credit away from Fisk.

"All because of your heroism."

Napier replied. Emily nodded and went quiet, allowing Napier to move on to the big topic at hand.

"Now that we're all here, I suppose I should fill you all in on the important matter, yes?"

"Of course!"

Rex replied.

"Very well... for many years, my people lived in peace and harmony. Neary Village was always a home for the scared, and the misjudged. It was where anyone was welcome, both gifted and non-gifted, though we did end up getting more gifted folks here."

He explained, giving the team a background story on his old home.

"After Bolton's reign ended, we were all cured and were now just like the average folk, but that didn't mean it was safe. We managed to get by the past ten years, but last night, we had to activate our emergency protocol to move our surviving people down here."

"You were attacked, right?"

Platinum asked.

Napier nodded.

"Yes. Bad men attacked our home last night. Many of us died."

He replied quietly.

"I can still recall what I saw..."

L A S T  N I G H T . . .

Amid the madness, Project ZM was going around the village and slaying everyone in his sight. He leapt toward a running woman, crushing her back as he forced her onto the ground before beating the back of her head with his metal fist.

S L A M ,  S L A M ,  S L A M ! ! !

Those punches were enough to not only kill her but also crush her head like a pumpkin. Moments later, the husband of the woman charged at the assassin holding a large wooden branch, swinging it at him, only for Project ZM to catch it quickly and stare him down.

S K I T ! ! !

S L A M ! ! !

After being stabbed through the chest, the husband fell onto his back, dead. Meanwhile, another villager tried running out of the village but ended up running into him. She stopped herself before they could collide. She turned to run away, but Project ZM was quick. He leapt toward her, and before he touched the ground...

S L I C E ! ! !

The assassin decapitated the young woman with a single swing of his blade. As he landed, the decapitated head rolled forward and stopped before a young boy in his early teens. Project ZM pulled up his visor and scanned the boy... he was clear.

The boy's father ran up from behind Project ZM and tightly wrapped his right arm around the assassin's neck in an attempt to strangle him.

"RUN, SON! RU-"

He screamed at his child before being thrown forward. He struggled as he tried to escape the assassin's grasp, but it was no use. Project ZM had his regular hand tightly choking the father's neck as he proceeded to bash his face in with his metal fist.

S L A M ,  S L A M ,  S L A M ! ! !

S L A M ,  S L A M ,  S L A M ! ! !

As Project ZM proceeded to take out the father brutally, Napier Smith watched from afar, terrified. He had never seen such brutality and such animosity come from an Inkling man.

"HANDS IN THE AIR!"

Two of Cyrus' men screamed at him as they noticed and ran to him. Napier instantly turned and ran away from the men, causing them to open fire.

B A N G ,  B A N G ! ! !

B A N G ,  B A N G ! ! !

The second bullet fired hit Napier in his right arm, only knocking him slightly off balance, though he managed to stay stood up and running. Once he got to a safe distance, Napier took one last look at his destroyed home. Seeing it up in flames broke his heart. He took a moment to stare at it once more before running into the distance to catch up with the escapees.

P R E S E N T  D A Y . . .

"It was devastating... the carnage, the destruction... it was too much too bare."

Napier uttered whilst trying to keep a strong face. The team looked disturbed and felt sad for Napier and the people of Brookside. Emily was staring at the ground with her arms crossed. She was holding back a lot of emotions, and the more Napier spoke, the harder they were to contain.

"Half of our population was massacred just like that. I saw pure hatred, rage, and lust in that killer, things that I had never seen in anyone else prior."

All of a sudden, Emily broke down. She let out a small, but loud sob, immediately getting everyone's attention. She covered her mouth with her hands and tried desperately to hold back any more emotions, but she couldn't. All she could do was stand shaking and let out a few loud sobs.

Shauna immediately went in to comfort her.

"Hey, hey! Shhhh!"

She whispered as she tried hugging her, but Emily didn't hug back. She remained still even through Shauna's comfort.

Magnus rushed over to her and held her left shoulder.

"Hey, do you need a minute?"

He asked. Emily took her time before quickly nodding.

"Okay, you can go."

Without saying anything, Emily turned and walked away, still covering her mouth with both hands. Shauna slowly followed behind her. Once they were gone, Samantha left the group as well to do her own thing, leaving the remaining three to do the talking.

Napier seemed lost.

"What's all that about?"

Rex had his arms crossed and his eyes staring at the ground, feeling bad for Emily.

"It is believed that the assassin in question is her cousin."

He said as he looked up at Napier.

"No."

Platinum said from Rex's right.

"It IS her cousin."

"Oh my... that must be troubling."

Magnus, who was now back to sitting on the side wall, decided to explain it further to Napier.

"Her cousin was thought to be dead for the past thirteen years until recently."

He explained.

"Vincent Fisk took over his mind and made him his personalised assassin. After he was taken in, it looks like Cyrus Zagan took over."

"Cyrus Zagan?"

Napier asked, unsure as to who he was.

Magnus nodded.

"It's a long story."

Meanwhile, Emily and Shauna were alone together, both sitting on the wooden stairs of a wooden cabin. Shauna sat behind Emily on the next stair up. Emily managed to calm herself down a little but was still on edge.

"Why didn't I recognise him back then, Sh-Shauna?"

Emily asked as she thought back to her first encounters with Project ZM back in the Fisk days seven years prior.

"H-He was right there, a-and I didn't do anythin'... I'm so stupid!"

S L A M ! ! !

In sync with her calling herself stupid, Emily clenched her left fist and punched her left thigh, startling Shauna, who tried to grab her left arm.

"No, no, no!"

She gently whispered, only for Emily to force her left arm out of her grasp.

Emily gradually became more and more stressed.

"I-I could've sa-saved him back then but I didn't! I'm so stupid, stupid, stupid!!!"

S L A M ,  S L A M ,  S L A M ! ! !

In unison with her saying stupid, she repeatedly punched her left thigh with the same fist.

This time, Shauna wrapped her arms tightly around Emily, making sure that she couldn't move her arms and hit herself. Emily struggled and groaned loudly as she tried to free herself.

"Please don't hit yourself! You'll get bruises on your thighs again!"

She exclaimed, saying it loudly to get Emily to stop doing it. After almost five more seconds of struggling, Emily eventually settled.

"I really don't like seeing you in this state: it makes me sad..."

Tears dropped out of Emily's eyes as she listened to her partner's plea. The more she listened to her voice, the weaker the urge to hit herself became. The only sound that she was making now was her shaky sniffling.

Feeling the tensing in her arms loosen up, Shauna began to ease her grip.

"Promise me that when I let go, you won't hit yourself again."

"M-Mhmm..."

Emily hummed. Moments later, Shauna let go of her girlfriend, freeing Emily. As promised, she didn't hit herself again. Instead, she stood up.

"I need a minute alone..."

"Of course!"

Shauna replied with a comforting smile that Emily didn't see. Emily left Shauna on the wooden steps and walked around the cabin.

1 3  Y E A R S  A G O . . .

A sixteen-year-old Emily Rogue was curled up against a tree. Her sobs were gentle and quiet, though her body shivered a little. It was cold outside for a summer day. Back then, she wore her father's jacket as well as her signature black beanie and black shorts. Her hair was shorter, only going to the shoulders.

Footsteps were heard approaching her from her left followed by a calm voice.

"Hey, Emily..."

The voice of a young man called out. Emily lifted her head from her knees and saw her cousin, Zane Miller approach. He had a sympathetic look on his face.

"I know you want to be alone and stuff, and if you want, I can just go and-"

"No. You can stay for a bit."

She replied with a sigh.

"Okay..."

Zane replied calmly as he stood by her side, looking at his fragile cousin with a small smile, hoping to lighten up the mood. He quickly glanced back to the library behind him, catching a glimpse of his Aunt Kyle walking back inside before turning back to Emily.

"Things sure got heated back in there, huh?"

"Yeah."

She responded dryly.

"Mum and Dad just can't go a day without fightin'!"

"Hey, as a recent victim of divorced parents, I know how it feels."

He counselled her before sitting opposite her.

"It feels like a mess, you don't understand what's going on. You want to know, but there is a part of you that doesn't. Before you know it, you are being taken into one of their custody. I was just lucky enough to stay with Mom."

"Yeah... well your Dad was a prick."

"My Dad... was absent. He was too busy in his job as a VFX worker to spend time with any of us. It didn't help that he was underpaid."

Zane told her before moving on to the brighter part of the story.

"After it all went down, there was only going up. Mom has been more social with me now than ever before. Yeah, she is still busy at work a lot of the time, but at least she's getting better. And besides, if she's too busy, then at least I've got my friend group and my girlfriend to fall back on."

"Lucky you... I don't have any of those things..."

Emily said ive-aggressively as she looked away from him.

Realizing that he might have just stuck a nerve, Zane reaches out and gently touches her knee, stroking it as if she were a pet.

"Hey, I'm sure you'll find that group one day!"

Zane assured. Emily despised attempts at optimism from anyone, but that wasn't going to stop Zane anytime soon.

"School finishes in only a couple of weeks, and after that, we can go anywhere! We can make new friends at College, or start a part-time job, or just stay at school for an extra two years, I think."

"Yeah, you've got that right."

She replied before getting moody again about the whole thing.

"Then again, who would even go for me? Who would want to be my friend? I'm the annoying weird kid with anger issues and lactose intolerance who is incredibly flatulent ninety percent of the time."

"Yeah, that's true... but, do you know what what also are?"

He asked. Emily looked at her cousin as he rose to his feet. He looked down at her with a smile.

"You're my cousie-buddy!"

Emily began smiling, closing her eyes and chuckling to herself.

"I thought I told you to stop with that!"

She said playfully.

"Hey, you're the one who insisted on calling each other that back when we first met!"

He joked before offering his hand.

Emily giggled a little before taking her cousin's hand. Once up, the pair of them began walking to the library across the road from the left of the tree. The pair continued to speak as they walked up the large steps.

"How did you get that friend group of yours again?"

Zane chuckled.

"Well... it kinda just fell out of the sky for the simple fact that I was the new kid."

He said as he gave a brief story.

"I got placed next to Ami during registration. We became friends, and she introduced me to Drift, T-Dawg, Ivy, Kris, as well as other friends of hers. Like I said, it fell out of the sky."

"Now I wish I was a new kid..."

"Hey now, you will be if you go to College... or wherever you are going."

"True..."

Emily whispered back with a small eye-roll.

After the talk, the pair of them arrived at the front door of the library. Before going inside, Zane stopped walking, prompting Emily to stop as well.

"You know what to do when we go back in?"

Emily let out a frustrated sigh.

"Tell Mum and Dad that I'm sorry and that I won't be runnin' off again..."

"That, and just try and remain... civil about it."

He said before offering a suggestion.

"May I suggest possibly finding someone to talk to about all your baggage?"

"Dad said the same thing to me, and I'm goin' to say it to you as well. I don't want to talk to a random stranger who I don't know about my feelin's. I'm not comfortable with that."

"Oh, I'm not suggesting a therapist, I'm just saying that there are people here who lo-"

"Love me and would help me through everythin'?"

She asked, making Zane completely freeze.

"Thanks, but I'd much rather get by on my own."

"I know... but do at least know that I will be there for you, always."

Zane assured her before putting his comforting left hand on her right shoulder.

"You're my cousie-buddy after all."

Emily closed her eyes and smiled. She couldn't help but feel amused about it still, despite what she would normally claim.

"Stop!"

"Not until you say!"

Zane replied playfully.

"Go on! You can do it!"

Emily sighed, still containing her smile as she opened her eyes.

"I'm your cousie-buddy!"

"There we go!"

Zane said to her. The two cousins traded smiles with each other as they enjoyed this peaceful moment together.

P R E S E N T  D A Y . . .

Emily was sitting on the grass, leaning against the back of the wooden cabin. She stared off into the forest as her face dried up after crying so much. She was quickly ed by Shauna, who quietly sat down next to her on her left.

Shauna gently held Emily's hand, making her feel fuzzy inside. After a moment of relaxation, Emily finally broke the silence between them.

"When Zane "died", my entire family was in disbelief. My Mum was upset for my Aunt Selina, and my Dad spent the next weeks after tryin' to look for him but found nothin'."

She told her whilst still staring off at the trees.

"I refused to go to his funeral, not just because I refused to believe that he was dead, but also because I just... c-couldn't bare the idea of sayin' goodbye to someone I had only just reconnected with. My Mum and my Dad went to the funeral, but I stayed at home and ate chips all day to try and eat my sorrows away..."

Shauna had a huge frown on her face. Hearing the broken tired voice coming from her girlfriend took a toll on her. The past few days had especially been tough on her, and Shauna knew that she needed to be there for her as much as possible.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that... it must've been horrible."

"You had to watch your parents die and spent the next few years in a testin' chamber... I'd say you've faced worse... yet I'm the one makin' a huge fuss over my issues."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with it! You're allowed to feel that way sometimes! It's what makes us-"

"Please..."

Emily interrupted, finally looking at Shauna and raising her shaking hand as she felt the emotions getting heavier inside of her once again.

"I don't want that kinda talk right now."

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

Shauna apologised, looking to the ground in shame for startling her.

Seeing how Shauna was feeling, Emily quickly looked away once again, her focus being back on the trees ahead.

"Don't be, you were just tryin' to help."

Emily replied, immediately trying to make amends after seeing her mistake.

"I think... I think I just need to be alone for a little bit, ya know?"

"Of course..."

Shauna whispered worryingly before standing up. She walked around to the side of the house, but before walking off, she quickly turned back to her girlfriend to say one final thing.

"I love you, Emmie."

That old nickname was enough to bring a small smile to Emily's face.

"I love you too."

She replied before being left alone once again.

M E A N W H I L E  W I T H  S A M A N T H A . . .

Downing a bottle that she bought from the market, Samantha was getting gradually more irritated the longer that she was there. She didn't have a clue as to what the others had been discussing, meaning that she was completely out of the loop.

Seeing her out in the open, some of the kids of Brookeside began running up to and circling the soon-to-be drunk woman. She didn't approve.

"Hey! Go away!"

She exclaimed, only making the kids giggle, which made her groan loudly. She began waving her hand around like a fly swatter.

"Shoo! Piss off!"

The children all playfully screamed and laughed among themselves as they ran off together. Samantha watched them run off behind her with a scoff.

"Little squits..."

She grumbled to herself before turning back. As she walked forward, she accidentally bumped into a woman who had a mixture of blue and purple hair. The pair of them fell onto their backsides, annoying Samantha even more.

"Ugh! Watch where you're going!"

The woman quickly picked up her spilt basket and tried recovering all her belongings that had flooded the stone floor.

"I am so sorry! I didn't see where I was going!"

The woman replied before looking up at Samantha. The woman gasped and jumped onto her feet, covering her mouth.

Samantha went from angry to confused and worried. Why was the woman giving her that face? Did she know her? Samantha thought it would be best to ask.

"What...? Why are you giving me that weird look?"

"It's you... you came!"

The woman replied before lowering her hands. Her eyes were tearing up.

"It's been nearly three decades. You've grown!"

"I-I'm sorry, th-three decades?"

Samantha asked. Her fractured mind was still unable to process who was standing before her.

"Who are you?!"

The woman then took a gentle three steps forward and held Samantha's sweaty hand.

"It's me, sweetheart."

She answered with a huge smile on her face.

Samantha mentally felt her entire world turn in on itself as she looked into the woman's blue eyes. She was only able to say one more word to the woman.

"M-Mom?"

Caroline Goldson nodded as a couple of tears dropped from her eyes. She placed her right hand on Samantha's soft left cheek and stroked it.

"The world hasn't been kind to you, has it?"

Those words were enough to tip Samantha over the edge. She felt her heartbeat increase as her breaths slowly became heavier and more frequent.

"N-N-No..."

Seeing her daughter about to enter an episode, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.

"Come here..."

She whispered. Before she realized it, Samantha was now engaged with the first hug she'd had with her mother since she was a toddler. She breathed heavily and quickly as she looked at her mother's multi-coloured hair. She was in disbelief.

After their reunion, Samantha was taken inside of her mother's home and sat at the table. Caroline was in the kitchen pouring Samantha some tea. Once done, she took it to Samantha and placed it on the table.

"You look like your father in that gear."

She told her.

"He always told me that our kids were gonna be fighters when they were older."

"He was right for a short time..."

Samantha said before taking a sip of her tea. She gently exhaled as she finished her sip, placing her mug on the table before continuing.

"Nowadays, I'm not that person anymore."

"Well, you're wearing that gear, right?"

Caroline asked to which Samantha nodded.

"You know what that means?"

"Yeah..."

Samantha replied before something on the shelf opposite her caught her eyes. She got up from her seat and walked to the shelf. On it were old photos. In the photos were herself, Caroline, baby Ami, and Jamie Stewart. They all looked happy and at peace. Samantha looked happy and at peace. She frowned at the photos before looking back to her mother.

"Why did you leave?"

There it was. That was the question that she had been dreading to answer. She knew no matter what she said, it would not justify her actions. She approached her daughter carefully, who hesitantly took a couple of steps back.

"When your father died, I-I didn't know what to do... he was my life, my day, and my night. Everything we went through, we did together, and now he was gone, just another casualty of war. I-I didn't know how to raise either of you after he died, I wasn't ready to be a single parent..."

"So you left us?"

Samantha whispered angrily.

Caroline's lips trembled and her eyes closed before nodding.

"Once word of my leaving came out to the veterans of the Gifted Wars, a lot of them came together to financially the pair of you. They gave you a home, food, everything you needed. That's more than what I could've ever given you on your own."

"You're a coward!"

"I know!"

Caroline exclaimed in shame, taking a deep breath.

"There is another reason I never came back."

Samantha rolled her eyes.

"Here we go! What could possibly be your second reason?! I'm already rolling my eyes at the first, so the second better be good!"

Caroline took more breaths to calm her nerves before revealing the second reason through three short words.

"I was gifted."

Samantha was left speechless. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Once again, her world had just turned in on itself. She remained silent and waited for her mother's explanation.

"On the night of the meteorite, I went outside to have a look at it falling in the night sky. I was curious about it. Your father, worried about potential safety, rushed me back inside. We locked all doors and windows and closed every curtain in the house as it blew up. I thought I was in the clear, but I wasn't."

She told her.

"A year after your father died, I suddenly started feeling cold, too cold for a winter's day. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get warm. Eventually, I came to realize that it was my gifts manifesting. I had gained the ability to control ice."

"Wow..."

Samantha gasped as she tried to process all of this new information.

"I guess that explains the hair."

"Heh! I guess it does."

She said before continuing.

"I was unable to control my abilities, and that made me a risk to both you and your sister. Now, I was never able to come back, not even for a short time. It was a curse, I felt alone and afraid. I didn't know who to turn to. All I had was myself and the ice I'd make."

"I knew someone like that once."

Samantha commented, taking her mind back to ten years into the past.

"He helped us take down Bolton."

Caroline smiled.

"Bobby Tundra?"

She asked. Samantha nodded, surprised that she knew him.

"He was a good friend of mine, in fact, it was Bobby who helped me through all these years. He found me close to his old village by the swamp. He took me to a mountain and trained me until I was able to master my abilities. We still kept in touch even after I left. He helped me find my home here, well at Neary Village, just before Bolton's reign started. It was my home from then until last night's attack. I was the one who recorded that message to your team. I knew one of you would see it, and I knew that meant you all coming down. I saw you on the news this week, so I knew that you were still with them."

"You just wanted to see me again?"

She asked to which Caroline tearfully nodded. Samantha didn't know how to think about that story. Of course, she couldn't forgive her mother for all of those lost years, but at least she now had some understanding. As she thought back to her mother's story, there was one factor that lingered.

"D-Do you know about what happened to Bobby?"

Caroline nodded.

"From what I heard, he sacrificed his life to bring libation to Inkopolis. He died a hero, much like your father."

She said with a sad sigh afterwards.

"That day will forever be at the back of my mind... I lost both a close friend... a-and my baby girl..."

Samantha flinched after hearing those last words. She felt her body whiplash and her heart race again.

"Y-Y-You know?!"

"Yes."

She answered before giving her the explanation.

"Around six months after she died, Rex Allen tracked me down and broke the news to me himself. I-I didn't know what to say. All I did in response was cry for hours, not just because she was gone, but because... I couldn't imagine how you were coping."

Samantha stopped listening halfway through that explanation after hearing one specific detail, one that angered her to the core.

"I'll be back..."

She whispered before abruptly storming out of the front door.

Both Rex and Platinum were stood at the North part of the village. Magnus had left them to check on Emily and Shauna. The pair of them were quick to take notice of the angry Inkling woman storming at them.

Rex stepped forward and raised his right hand.

"Samantha, what's-"

S L A M ! ! !

Landing a right hook to Rex's face, Samantha made the Commander fall onto his back. Platinum quickly rushed to his need and helped him sit up. The pair of them looked up at Samantha, who swore at Rex.

"You asshole! YOU ACTUAL ASSHOLE!"

"Samantha, wh-what's gotten into you?!"

Platinum asked, alarmed at her sudden outbursts.

"You knew about my mother! You knew where she had been this whole time! You even told her about my dead sister!"

She growled at him. Rex now had a look of shame on his face.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT HER! I NEEDED SOMEONE, ANYONE, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TELLING ME ABOUT MY LONG-LOST MOTHER?!"

The area around them went silent. Platinum looked at Rex, concerned. Rex sighed.

"In the state that you were in after Ami's death, I knew that you wouldn't be able to handle it. I knew how you'd act and-"

"Shut up, dickhead! You also knew that I needed SOMEONE in my life after I failed my sister! You had the chance to give me that someone, and you didn't!"

Samantha exclaimed.

Rex nodded slowly and shamefully as he helped himself back onto his feet, brushing the cut grass off of his Splat Force gear as he looked into Samantha's eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

Samantha glared at him, not blinking, making sure that her new-found hatred for him struck him hard.

"Screw you..."

She whispered before turning and walking away.

"Unbelievable..."

Platinum whispered. Her father turned to her, giving her a down look.

"I know her pain in needing someone after a great loss like that... it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one you screwed over in the parent department..."

"Platinum..."

Rex called out as she walked away from him. Rex was left alone to think about what he had done and how it affected Samantha. Once again, he had failed someone, and it was a terrible feeling.

L A T E R  T H A T  N I G H T . . .

All of the villagers were in their homes, ready to fall asleep, however, they were all too anxious to sleep. They locked all of their doors and windows, closed all of their curtains and turned off all of their lights.

The Splat Force were all outside, patrolling the town to look out for activity. They were all on high alert. An attack could come from any direction at any given time. They had to stay focused.

The team patrolled all corners of the town. Samantha stayed close to her mother's house on the west. After what she had learned about her today, she didn't want to risk losing her all over again. Rex and Platinum patrolled the north, neither of them spoke to each other as the tensions from earlier were still high to Rex's dismay. Magnus, Emily, and Shauna patrolled the south.

As of right then, the only sounds they could hear were the cold winter breeze and the sounds of the trees and bushes swaying. Brookside sounded too peaceful despite the serious situation that it was in.

So far... nothing. Samantha only checked around her mother's house, circling it multiple times every few minutes to check for danger near it. Rex and Platinum also found nothing.

The three down at the south point weren't seeing anything. Magnus and Emily turned and gave worried looks to each other, with the latter giving a good suggestion.

"Maybe we should try lookin' elsewhere. I don't know what we could even be findin' by stayin' down here."

"Rex and Platinum got north and Samantha's got west. Goin' east would just lead us straight to the road."

Magnus explained.

As the two friends talked, Shauna was on the grass picking flowers out for herself to turn into a bracelet once it was all done. She hummed quietly to herself and smiled like a young child when putting the flowers in her utility belt.

Shauna then looked up from the grass and saw a red light in the distance. It looked as if a flare had just gone off. She rushed to Emily and Magnus, tapping them both on the shoulder and pointing at the red light.

"Danger!"

She told them.

The pair of them became instantly alerted by the red flare light. Magnus took the lead.

"Let's go!"

He whispered to them before running off into the woods. The other two followed behind him and stayed close as they ventured to a dangerous turf.

T O  B E  C O N T I N U E D . . .

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T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading the fifteenth Chapter of Splat Force IV: Radicalism! Wow, we're now ¾ into the story! The finish line is just up ahead as we venture into the final quarter of the story. Speaking of the future, the next Chapter is going to be a very heavy one, like, really heavy, so stay tuned for that! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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