July 18th, 2019 -

You examine a ballot located near the splatfest terminal. The machine advertises two colored teams.

Chaos and Order

"Just pretend like I'm not here," Callie urges. "You don't have to join my team if you don't want to. Trust me; team chaos is already dominating the competition," She boasts.

• You hesitate on the decision, attempting to get a rise out of Callie.

"Well, I would certainly appreciate your support," She adds.

• You continue to fiddle with Callie's emotions, cycling back and forth between the two selections.

"Come on, don't tease me like that," Callie mumbles.

• You hover your finger over the team order button.

"Fine, I don't care anymore. I give up," Callie says, tossing her arms in the air. She crosses her arms and pouts like an unfed puppy. You turn to Callie and pat her head. Callie immediately snatches your hand, "Hey, I'm not a dog, you weirdo. You roll your eyes and promptly scratch her under her pointy ears. She instantly succumbs to your playful ear rub. "Carp, how do you know my weak spot," Callie pants.

You press the team chaos button and receive your splatfest shirt. "This calls for a celebration," Callie exclaims. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her jeweled cell phone. She performs a cute pose and a peace sign before snapping a photo with you.

You lean your head over, hoping to catch a glimpse of her phone password. "Hey, no peeping," she says, hiding the phone in her chest. "How do I know I can trust you. You know how the saying goes, no one dupes old Callie. Although, if we could spend more time together, maybe I'll let you sneak a peek."

"For the first trust exercise, I want you to close your eyes," Callie requests.

• You grumble and proceed to follow her instructions.

"Give me one sec," Callie insists. You can hear the taps of her fingers along on the keyboard. "Okay, open them." You look around and notice nothing out of place. You blink a couple of times, hoping to spot some sort of difference. "Look up," Callie hints. When you do so, a familiar image pops on screen. From tiny TV screens inside electronic shops to large-scale billboard mega screens. Every TV in Inkopolis Square displays a picture of you and Callie.

You're overcome with a wave of pure shock, powerless to move your body. Popularity wasn't everything, but it was definitely something else. Callie grins with glee, "This is only the beginning; just wait until our next date."

Error Code 67251461278

You remove the virtual reality helmet and the simulation of Inkopolis subsidies.

"Excellent job, Agent 4," The director states. "Your hard work is much appreciated. I know it's challenging to reminisce on old memories, but we need the intel. I assure you that you will be compensated handsomely for your courageous endeavors."

The director utilizes a voice modifier to relay information to you. The director goes by C, but his true identity remains a mystery. "If you're able to discover Callie's password, we could finally put an end to the shark's reign of terror. Let's take a quick break and resume in five minutes," C instructs.

You use this time to collect your thoughts and analyze your surroundings.

You're sitting in a cold dark chamber. Machinery and computers litter the room. C sits up top, monitoring the process through a transparent glass window. The atmosphere is incredibly suspicious, and you find yourself skeptical of C's motive. The simulation was a perfect recreation of the events that transpired. And after only spending five minutes with Callie, you could already feel your heartstrings being sliced in two. The experience was nothing short of emotionally taxing. However, you had no choice but to comply with the director's demands.

The fate of the world depended on it.

Heck, you'd jump at any opportunity just to see Callie's face again. Although this might not be the reunion you expected. This kind of emotional exposure probably isn't the best for your mental state. Maybe you shouldn't see her again. You know she isn't real. She died a long time ago. It's best to move on...

"Are you ready, Agent 4? Let's begin the simulation again." You neglect your own advice and strap on the headset. "I like your enthusiasm, Agent 4; let's keep it up. Set the time on the device to July 15th, 2019. From there, we'll work our way up," C commands.

The days you spent with Callie are still etched into your psyche. You were traveling back three days before the final splatfest, the beginning of the apocalypse.

"I'm turning on the power, Agent 4, be careful," C yells.

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