Splat Force IV: Radicalism; Chapter 4

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! I hope all is okay! As per usual, I'm back with another Chapter of Splat Force IV: Radicalism!

Things are moving on very quickly after that explosive ending from last week. With Craven dead, and a new threat arising, what will the Splat Force do next?

This Chapter will feature the return of a few Characters and (for those who haven't read Redemption or Emmie) the introduction of another.

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

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  4 : F A L L E N O F F T H E D E E P E N D

"Witnesses are saying that the attacker was standing in the middle of the road waiting for the van to come. He only had to wait nearly a minute before it arrived. Splat Force Commander Magnus Lang was hospitalized after the attack but has been confirmed to be okay. For more updates, please stay tuned."

The news channel broadcasted on the small TV in the top corner of the dark room.

Whilst watching, Magnus was sat on the edge of a blue hospital bed being cleaned by the nurses, all whilst being questioned by General Bishop, he had a concerned look on his face the whole time.

"So... a metal arm, covered face, and armor... anything else?"

"That's about it. He was too fast, before I knew what was comin', he already had me and Platinum taken down."

Magnus explained to him as the Nurses finished their jobs, leaving Magnus alone with the General.

"He looked just like one of Fisk's old assassins... but Fisk went down years ago, so it can't be! And the assassin, Emily and I took him down a couple of years back. It was one of your first missions, Luke."

"It was my fifth."

He recounted before turning the subject to Fisk.

"Last time I checked, Vincent Fisk was locked away behind bars. Even if he was involved, how would he be able to control this assassin? There has been no record of him ever trying anything weird or suggestive."

"Beats me..."

Magnus replied before removing the ice pack from his face. He got up and walked to the door.

"If anythin' happens, I'll update you."

Leaving the room, his first instinct was to find Platinum. He past each room until he found the right one, ing surgeries and births along the way. Magnus entered Platinum's room and saw her all bandaged up.

"Hey..."

She greeted with a small smirk.

"I'm guessing we lost."

"Craven is dead..."

Magnus informed. Platinum's smirk quickly dipped.

L A T E R T H A T E V E N I N G . . .

The pair of them were now out of the hospital and were in the Splat Force base, now back in their civilian clothes.

"I thought you and Emily kicked that guy's ass."

Platinum told Magnus upon learning of the murderer.

"I guess not, apparently."

Magnus replied as the pair of them walked out of the base, closing the door behind them.

"This is gonna be an interestin' story to tell Emily tomorrow, aye?"

"You bet!"

Platinum replied. As the pair of them entered the streets of Inkopolis, they gave each other a fist bump goodbye before going their separate ways. As Magnus went away quickly like he usually did, Platinum instead chose to take her time with the journey home.

Of course, Platinum wasn't as widely known as Magnus, which was ironic due to her being the daughter of two Splat Force Commanders. She walked down the street in peace, not being disturbed by the public. She still feeling the pain from earlier. All she needed was some good rest.

By the time she arrived at her apartment building, the sun had set and the wondrous cosmos were now visible in the night sky. Platinum walked up all of the stairs in the building before reaching her apartment on the top floor, grabbing the keys from her pocket, and unlocking the door to allow herself inside.

The apartment was crap and run down. There were two rooms, the first room having a bed, some drawers, and a TV, and the second room having a kitchen and a dining table, along with a bathroom door and a mini balcony. The walls were light grey and moldy, and the wooden floors would creak with every step. All across her apartment were old photos, most of which were taken either with or by her mother. Her father only appeared in a small handful of them, and even then those were only photos that featured his wife as well.

Platinum took off her work clothes and threw them onto her bed along with her gear. She then put on fluffy blue and pink pajamas made with soft fur. She spent the rest of the day watching TV whilst eating leftovers of the takeaway she had the night before, all whilst watching a live comedy show play out.

Big Man from Deep Cut made an appearance in the show as a guest star.

"You know, some people call me Big Man... yeah, I know... I am really tall."

He said to the audience, making them laugh and applause.

The joke itself was so unfunny that it caused Platinum to begin laughing at its stupidity. As the show came to an end, Platinum climbed out of her bed and walked out onto her balcony before staring at the cosmos in the sky.

The stars reminded her of her mother. Alyssa would always take her out to see the stars every night. It was their little thing, a thing that Platinum could never properly experience again.

"Goodnight, Mom, I love you..."

Platinum whispered to the stars before walking back into her apartment.

T H E N E X T D A Y . . .

Platinum waited outside of a large, blue apartment building. She was wearing her regular civilian clothes that she had worn the day before. The only difference was her wearing a white crop top.

Coming in from a super jump, and after a long morning shift, Magnus ed Platinum, giving her a little jump as he landed.

"Are you not inside yet?"

"Well... I'm standing outside, aren't I?"

"Yeah, good point... but you don't have to wait for me."

"I don't know my way around in there!"

Platinum replied before giggling.

"Another good point..."

Magnus replied awkwardly before walking to the front door. He turned his head back and saw her just standing there not doing anything.

"Come on!"

Magnus and Platinum use the elevator to get to the right floor. Upon exiting, they were in a dimly lit corridor that had a green tint. Magnus led the way down until they reached the end of the corridor before knocking on the door to the right.

Answering the door was an Octoling with short pink and blue hair. Her tan skin was covered in patches of green sanitized skin. Her left eye was sanitized, though her right eye was normal. She wore a ripped crop top and a pale purple skirt, along with long black socks.

"Hi Magnus!"

She greeted, giving him a welcoming smile.

"Shauna!"

Magnus replied, giving the Octoling a hug.

"How was the trip?"

"It was good!"

Shauna May-Deacon replied as the hug came to a close. She noticed Platinum waving at her. She closed her eyes and smiled at Platinum, giving her a wave back.

"Hi!"

"Are we able to come in?"

Magnus asked.

"Of course!"

Shauna replied. Her soft-spoken voice made the guests feel warm and welcomed.

Magnus and Platinum entered the apartment. The front of the room was the living room, which only had a couch that faced a TV on the wall. Behind the couch was a black shiny dining table in the middle of the kitchen, which was all along the back wall with an oven, sink, microwave, fridge, and freezer. The walls and floors were pure white, and the ceiling was black. To the left of the front door was the door to the bathroom, and in the top right corner of the apartment by the TV was the door to the bedroom.

Shauna sat down on the brown leather couch, cradling a pillow with her right hand and holding a coffee mug in the other.

"Emily's just in the bathroom, she'll be out to greet you in... however long she takes."

"Noted."

Magnus replied before sitting down at the other end of the couch, taking a glance at the photo on the mini table next to him. The photo was of him, Emily, and Shauna from five years prior. Back then, they were all younger, and Shauna had longer hair tied into a ponytail.

Platinum began to wander around the apartment. I looked like a millionaire's home when compared to her own.

"This place is really nice! I wonder how you guys pay for it."

She said as the toilet flushed.

Out from the bathroom came Emily Rogue. Her white hair was longer now, going to just above her breasts. She wore a light blue pajama shirt and tight black shorts. Contrasting with her partner, Emily wore long white socks.

"Shauna works as a fast food chef and I... am jumpin' between jobs."

She answered the girl.

Magnus got up from his couch and greeted Emily with a strong hug.

"Hey Emily!"

He greeted as the two friends wrapped their arms around each other. They rocked side by side together before ending the hug.

"It's great to see you!"

"Missed me, have you?"

Emily replied before sitting down on the couch next to Shauna. She quickly called over to Platinum, who was about to enter the bathroom.

"Give it half an hour, love!"

Platinum took a quick sniff and cringed, instantly pulling away from the room and going to the couch where everyone was. She sat against the TV stand, facing the three friends.

"So... do you two know about-"

"Oh yeah, we both heard about it."

Emily answered before turning to Magnus.

"I could've sworn we already kicked his ass though."

"I guess not."

Magnus replied.

"It wasn't just that assassin, some of Fisk's old cronies were back too. They infiltrated the police. They were hidin' in plain sight."

Emily sat back, looking concerned. She looked back at Shauna and saw her worried face. To comfort her, Emily held her hand. Seeing this made Platinum curious.

"Do you two have any ties to Fisk?"

"It's a long story."

Emily answered before going on to explain her story.

"It was like seven years ago, I think, me and Magnus helped Fisk from an attack at a Gala he was hostin'. A night later, I found one of the masked attackers on the street, and it was Shauna, she ran away from the Gala. I took her in and learned of her story and decided that I had to protect her. Fisk found out about me and threatened me."

She said to Platinum, who gasped upon hearing the last sentence.

"He sent some of his assassins after us, of course, we beat them. Fisk was arrested, but he was broken out and Shauna was taken. I went to stop him, but he corrupted Shauna, which left a heavy dent in my mental health, but I got through it after saving her. Fisk planned to send out killers to wipe out the cured, and I mean all of the cured. I stopped him and he was sent to jail. He owned up the everythin' in court. I've visited him many times, so I know for a fact that he's changed, he's better now, he wouldn't get involved in this."

"Then who would send that killer out?"

Platinum asked. She sounded alarmed upon learning what Fisk's motive was.

"This assassin seems to be going after the cured, not just people like Craven, but also good people. Fisk had those motivations, right?"

Shauna decided to speak up and tell what she knew.

"Fisk wasn't the only one, he was only the boss."

She said, all eyes were on her now.

"When I was a prisoner, I saw with my own eyes death and brutality. The guards there hated the cured, as did the cafeteria worker, everyone who worked for Fisk hated the cured. Who's to say that someone just continued where he left off?"

"But who...?"

Platinum whispered back. The whole room went quiet for a moment as they all began to think. Almost a minute ed and yet they hadn't thought of anything.

At last, the silence was broken by Magnus.

"All we know is that someone is continuing Fisk's work, and someone is pullin' the strings, and that assassin is a danger to all of cured."

He said. Everyone agreed with him.

"This is bigger than what it was seven years ago. Fisk's men are walkin' among us as we speak, and we don't know who's pullin' the strings here!"

"Not to mention that assassin is no joke!"

Platinum continued off of Magnus' point.

"What do we do then?"

Emily asked her friend.

Magnus contemplated the answer, knowing how one of them in particular would react to it, but he knew that it was what had to happen.

"We need all hands on deck for this. We need to bring the team back."

He answered. A couple of seconds after saying it, he turned to Platinum, who had an annoyed look on her face.

"I know how you feel about your dad."

"Yeah, and you know that he won't return, right?"

"If we just talk to him and-"

"He won't!"

Platinum interrupted aggressively. Her body was tensed up and her moody stare said wonders to Magnus.

Emily and Shauna both saw the pain in Platinum's eyes, with the former deciding to switch to the other surviving member of the team.

"What about Samantha? Do you think she'd help?"

Magnus sighed.

"The last time I saw was around five years ago. I've kept my distance from her, but I know where she's workin'."

He explained to them, taking a long pause as he slowly said his next few words.

"Problem is... she's fallen off the deep end."

Emily leaned forward.

"Why? Where is she now?"

L A T E R T H A T N I G H T . . .

All four of them were on a night out. Magnus led them to a wrestling bar close to the base known as the Salted Seahorse. There were stairs leading down to the entrance of the bar. Two bald Inkling security guards in white suits stood by to look out for any suspicious activity.

The four of them walked down the dark stairs and waited in line until they were able to get in.

"Table for four, please?"

Magnus requested. The receptionist looked up at the group and gasped upon seeing Magnus, who now had an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Oh no..."

"Tiffany Rivers!"

The receptionist exclaimed at Magnus, waving away his wavy black hair to get a better view of him.

"I never thought I'd see you here again!"

"Please don't call me-"

"Who's that?"

Emily asked an embarrassed Magnus.

The receptionist got out his phone and began to scroll through the social media of the bar.

"I'll find a photo!"

"Nooo!!"

Magnus groaned, filling the other three with even more anticipation.

"That is not necessary! We don't need to go through."

"That's him!"

The receptionist said before showing the gang a photo of a drag queen with long, blood-red hair, beautiful eye makeup, and a long white and green dress.

Emily covered her mouth in shock before laughing out loud in excitement.

"Hahahaha!! You were a drag queen?!"

"Yes..."

Magnus said whilst blushing, looking to the ground in embarrassment.

"You never told me this!"

Platinum said, she too was in shock.

Shauna tapped Platinum on the shoulder and gave her the same look. Emily was still freaking out.

"You didn't even tell me this!!!"

"Look, I was sad and I needed money, and also love, so I signed up to be one. I dropped everythin' when I got my job."

Magnus replied awkwardly.

Emily gasped as another idea sprung to her mind. She looked at the receptionist.

"Dude! Do you have any footage of him?"

"There is plenty of footage on the inter-"

"Yeah, there is! Can we just book the table... please?"

Magnus groaned, wanting to save himself from any more humiliation.

After a long minute, the four of them were allowed access to the building. The area was a large square room with two floors, each floor having wooden floors and tables. The walls were smooth and yellow, and the ceiling was made from stone. The bottom right corner had a bar that was mostly visited by middle-aged men wanting a bear. There was a mini kitchen behind the bar.

The main attraction was the massive wrestling ring in the center of the room. Two fighters were facing off in there, both female. One was a slim, but strong Inkling woman with short blond hair, the other was an Inkling woman who wore a mask covering her face and hair. She was chubby and had a bear belly. Both of whom wore a black shirt with baggy pants. On top of the action, dubstep music was being played loudly by a DJ in the booth, enticing everyone.

The gang all sat at the table to the left of the ring. Magnus sighed before reminding the team of why it is that there were there.

"Stay focused, she's workin' tonight."

They were greeted by an Octoling waitress with a black ponytail. She wore a black shirt with black baggy shorts, which was the uniform of choice for the workers.

"Would you guys like anything?"

We're good over here, don't know about-"

Magnus paused after seeing Shauna dive into the menu. She seemed to be the only one who was hungry.

"They might want something."

"Oh?"

The waitress turned to Emily and Shauna.

She focused on Emily first, who shook her head.

"They meant her."

Emily said before pointing at her girlfriend to the right of her.

"Shauna goes by she or they, but mainly she."

"Oh, my apologies!"

She said before looking over to Shauna.

Shauna reached into her pocket and got out cash for her order.

"I'll have some fries and garlic bread, please!"

The waitress smiled at Shauna before taking her cash and writing down her order.

"Is that all?"

She asked, to which Shauna nodded.

"Brilliant, it'll be with you when it's ready!"

"Thank you!"

Shauna said, giving the waitress a cute wave as she left the four of them.

Emily began the conversation.

"You said she works here, right?"

"Well..."

Magnus replied with a sigh before turning to the boxing ring.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

The slim woman had managed to get a few licks in against her opponent. She had managed to damage the woman's mask, making her fall back.

"Come on... that all you got?"

She taunted as the woman slowly stood back up.

Now pissed off, the woman removed the broken mask from her face, revealing herself to be none other than Samantha Stewart herself. Her long purple hair fell down her face on both sides now. This move intimidated her opponent, but she still stood her ground. She charged at Samantha and tried to throw another punch, but Samantha grabbed it.

S L A M ! ! !

Using her free left hand, Samantha rammed her fist into the stomach of her opponent, catching her off guard before picking her up and slamming her to the ground.

S L A M ! ! !

Samantha pinned the weak groaning woman to the floor. It was clear that the blond woman was in a world of pain because just moments later, she tapped out, unable to continue fighting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner!"

The announcer called out. The referee raised Samantha's arm in the air and cheered as loudly as he could, hyping up the wild crowd.

Samantha let out a loud battle cry as she looked all around her. Seeing all the faces in the audience was enough the satisfy her. However, her cheery mood faded the moment she laid her eyes upon the gang, all of whom looked stunned and intimidated, though Shauna did try to give her a friendly smile and wave.

After a long few minutes, Samantha arrived at their table with a beer in one hand.

"Long time no see."

Samantha said emotionlessly as she took a sip of her drink.

"Samantha, hello!"

Magnus greeted. Platinum gave her a small smile, Emily just didn't know how to react.

After her sip, Samantha let out a loud belch before questioning her old allies.

"What do you want? Make it quick!"

She said aggressively. It was clear from her scent and her behavior that she had already gone through a few drinks.

Magnus placed both hands on the table, making a loud tapping sound that caught Samantha's attention.

"Listen, a new threat is arisin', one that threatens all of the cured! It's becomin' too big for us to handle alone, we need to bring the team back."

Samantha glared at Magnus, making him slowly fall back in his seat. To the right of him, Platinum decided to finish his sentence.

"Well... are you in?"

Samantha then looked down at Platinum, recognizing her.

"You're Rex and Alyssa's kid... you're pretty big now."

"Look who's talkin'..."

Emily whispered under her breath, annoyed that the topic had once again diverted.

"Yeah, I know..."

Platinum responded with a frustrated sigh.

"So are you in?"

"In what? Some plan to save a bunch of assholes?"

Samantha said with a drunken chuckle before downing the rest of her drink.

As she drank, Shauna decided to speak up.

"Not all of us are bad! The innocent ones are being killed off just for something they can't help."

Samantha finished her drink, letting out another belch before looking down at Shauna, giving her a confused look.

"Who are you?"

"Samantha..."

Magnus called out, bringing her attention to him.

"Please, we need you. There is still hope you, for the wor-"

"Oh, piss off! You guys are such idiots!"

Samantha exclaimed before targeting both Magnus and Emily respectively.

"You're a blind idiot, and you... you're a bratty child."

"Bitch, I haven't even said anythin' yet!"

Emily replied in surprise. Of course, Samantha's depiction of her is long outdated, which only pissed her off even more.

Samantha turned back to Magnus with a snarl.

"You're a real dumbass if you expect me to get out and help the people who killed my sister!"

She growled.

"They're all pieces of squit, and whoever is going around and killing them, I'd give them a thumbs up!"

The table went quiet. Shauna felt uncomfortable, this was not the first introduction that she was expecting as she had only heard nice things about her up until this point. Platinum, also cured from the gifted, didn't take her comment well.

"You know, if Ami was still around, she'd hate what you're saying."

That comment struck a huge nerve in Samantha, she glared at Platinum, leaning in closer, slamming her hands on the table. Her close-up scent almost made Platinum gag.

"You don't know what I've been through! What I had to endure with Ami gone!"

"I lost my mother that day too! We all lost people, Samantha! But that doesn't mean we should just give up and let innocent people die!"

Platinum replied urgently. She felt upset over Samantha's comments about the cured, especially considering both herself and her late mother.

Samantha chuckled and hiccupted before giving an awful response.

"At least you had Daddy to cry to and feel comforted by before he too woke up to all this squit and disapp-"

S L A M ! ! !

"FUCK YOU!!!"

Platinum screamed after punching Samantha in the nose, making her fall back, and smash her glass on the wooden floor. The music stopped, and everyone stopped what they were doing and glanced over at the scene.

Samantha looked up at Platinum, her fists were clenched. She was ready for a fight. Platinum looked down at Samantha with angry tears in her eyes. Magnus held on to her left arm so as to not let her attack again. Platinum took deep breaths before turning away and leaving the bar.

Samantha struggled her way back onto her feet, holding her bleeding nose.

"There, that's your answer, assholes!"

She whispered before walking away. It didn't take long for the DJ to restart the music, bringing life back into the bar.

"I'll go and speak to her."

Magnus said before leaving his seat and following after Platinum.

Moments later, the waitress returned holding a bowl of fries along with a plate of garlic bread.

"Here you go! Are you alright after that little moment?"

"I'm doing good, thanks."

Shauna replied before eating a fry.

"Thank you for the food!"

"You're welcome!"

The waitress said with a subtle giggle.

"You're really sweet!"

Shauna giggled as the waitress left them. She immediately dug into her food.

"I'll stay with you, don't worry."

Emily said, assuring Shauna that she wouldn't run off like the others did, giving her a pat on the back as Shauna happily bit her garlic bread.

Outside, Platinum ran up the stairs and entered the streets. She slammed her back against the wall of the building and let out a loud grunt. She wiped her tears and stared at the floor. Magnus calmly approached her.

"Hey, I just wanted to check on you."

"Thank you..."

Platinum whispered, sniffling before explaining her actions.

"I just got really heated in there, you know? I probably deserved what she said after bringing Ami up, but-"

"I know."

Magnus intervened, knowing what it was that she would say next. He signed before leaning against the wall to her right.

"Ya know, Samantha used to be the kindest member of the Splat Force, minus your mother. Ami's death changed her, it made her bitter. As you saw in there, she never really got out of that phase..."

"Yeah, you can say that again..."

Platinum responded coldly.

"She's not fit to fight, and I mean that both physically and mentally. I don't know why we came here, it's a waste of time!"

Platinum got up from the wall and walked away. Magnus followed her.

"Platinum, wait up!"

He called out.

Platinum stopped walking, lifted her head to the sky, and groaned before looking back at her friend.

"I'm sorry about how I reacted."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. If someone brought up someone close to me like that, I'd do the same thing. It's okay to feel mad at your father, it's okay to feel upset over your mother, and it's okay to feel frustrated when someone brings you down like that."

He told her before he continued, he noticed a red dot briefly pop on the wall next to her. He then saw it touch her face. Magnus dashed forward and pushed Platinum out of the way.

B A N G ! ! !

The bullet missed Platinum and hit the wall. The security guards moved out from their post by the entrance and aimed up at where the bullet had come from. They saw that attacker and were ready to fight when suddenly.

B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Both of them were shot in the head and died instantly. Their bodies hit the pavement, their blood spilled on the road. Magnus, now seeing where the attacker was, super jumped to the roof.

Emily and Shauna rushed out, with the latter still having half of her garlic bread sticking out her mouth.

"Are you hurt?!"

Emily asked Platinum desperately, rubbing the dirt off of her red coat.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Platinum replied. The three of them looked around them, seeing the two dead bodies. It was a nasty sight, even if it was one that they were familiar with.

On the roof, Magnus landed on his feet and found the very assassin that had interfered the day before. The assassin just looked at Magnus, waiting for something. Suddenly, the com in the assassin's ear went off.

"Retreat, soldier."

The mystery voice said. The assassin followed the order and ran away from Magnus.

"Oh, I'm not done with you!"

Magnus shouted as he chased after him.

The pair of them jumped from rooftop to rooftop, sliding under and jumping through the railing until they reached the final roof at the end of the street. The assassin stood still, looking down at the ground below. Quietly, Magnus grabbed a Splat Bomb from his jacket pocket, activated it, and lunged it at the assassin.

Right as the bomb reached him, the assassin turned around and grabbed it with his metal arm. The visor on his mask was lowered, revealing his white eyes and blue pupils. He had a heavy, dirty amount of eye shadow on. Moments later, he crushed the bomb in his grip.

Magnus was stunned. The assassin threw what remained of the broken bomb to the ground before setting off a flashbang. Magnus covered his eyes for a quick second. When he opened them, the assassin was gone.

He ran to the edge of the roof and looked down, but he was nowhere to be seen. Magnus looked back at the destroyed Splat Bomn and picked it up carefully. He then threw it aside, went into his swim form, and then super jumped back to the bar, greeting the others.

"He got away..."

"Was it that assassin again?"

Platinum asked to which Magnus nodded.

"Any of Fisk's men?"

"No, but something weird happened up there."

Magnus said before going on the explain his experience.

"When I got up there, he just stared at me for a moment, and then out of the blue he just ran... it was like he was waiting for somethin'?"

"Waitin' for what?"

Emily asked.

Magnus thought back to his face-to-face experience with the assassin.

"Waitin' for orders, maybe. Someone must be behind the scenes, but who?"

Shauna finished off her garlic bread before asking another important question.

"What's our next move?"

"Well, Samantha was a bust, so..."

Magnus said before turning to Platinum, seeing her stare at the ground with a moody look on her face.

"I know you don't want to see him, but I don't think we have a choice anymore..."

Platinum stared off into space for a moment, upset about what Magnus was about to suggest. She sighed.

"Fine... when do we leave?"

E A R L Y I N T H E M O R N I N G . . .

It was now sunrise, Samantha finished her shift, walking out of the Salted Seahorse exhausted and sober. She wore a dark green baggy coat over the same clothes that she wore in the ring. In addition, she wore sandles and had dark circles around her eyes as she looked to her left to see police cars and flashing lights, with body bags being carried away.

Not wanting to walk through it, Samantha decided to walk straight ahead across the road. She went on a walk around town, ing by buildings, trees, and traffic lights.

As the orange skies went brighter, Samantha arrived at a bridge by Moray Towers. She walked to the middle of the bridge and looked at the metal bar she held her hands on. She closed her eyes and thought about all the times in the past ten years in which she had tried to climb over them and fall, all times being failures due to her either cowering out at the last second or just falling backward. Regardless, she never successfully went through with it.

She opened her eyes again and looked down to her left to see a portrait of a young Inkling man with a pile of flowers next to it. Though she was unsuccessful in her attempts, it appeared that many had unfortunately succeeded. Samantha walked past it.

Eventually, she walked back into the city and reached her home. Even after a decade, she still lived at the back of the old Stewart Sisters' Diner. The place was run down. The lights were barely working, and there was no food being sold. The tables were dusty, as were the seats and flooring. With one of the two sisters being gone, the other sister no longer had it in herself to keep going, so she had the place shut down.

Samantha picked up a letter from the floor. She opened it to reveal her monthly bills. She grabbed the cash that she had just gotten from her shift and placed it inside the envelope before throwing it at a wall.

Samantha walked to the back of the restaurant and entered the bedroom. Though her side was unorganized and messy, Ami's side remained untouched, as if nothing had changed in over ten years.

Samantha laid on her bed and placed both hands on her belly, squishing it with the weight of her hands. Samantha then leaned her head to her left and looked at an old photo of Ami, getting emotional all over again. The woman covered her mouth with both of her hands as tears started to fall down her face. Before long, she was sobbing.

T O  B E  C O N T I N U E D . . .

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading the fourth Chapter of Splat Force IV: Radicalism! Quite the shock seeing the state of Samantha, huh? Don't worry, we'll be seeing more of her in the future. With Samantha not interested, the team have one more person in mind to turn to, one that Platinum is hesitant about. Who is it...? You probably know, but stay tuned for that regardless! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

#CuratorReview