The Time from Before

In and Out

Callie was basically attached at Allen's hip, and honestly, he wasn't sure why.

Sure, he's got his theories, but nothing concrete.

It all started when she insisted on joining him for the ride on the rover. Well, that made sense – he was driving back to the city while the ACUs opted for a stroll. No reason to leave her behind with them, and there was only one rover.

Then, she proposed sticking by him all the way to the bunker. So, they parked the rover on the city's edge, and together they strolled through the streets, taking in the sights.

Callie was practically buzzing with excitement over the reconstruction efforts. She peppered Allen with questions about the city in the Splatlands, to which he happily provided answers, noting that similar efforts were underway there too.

The only thing left unspoken was the lack of progress in rural areas, where Allen's influence didn't quite reach yet. But he expected that to change that in due time.

And after all that, when they finally got back to the bunker, Callie walked with him up to the Control Room. Hell, she even sat near him when Allen started writing up a report.

And now, here they were, with Allen scribbling away on a document while Callie peered over his shoulder. He didn't mind; she was already well-versed in the details. She was there. For all of it.

Harper breezed in, offering a cheerful wave upon spotting them.

"Hey, welcome back! I was wondering when you'd show up!" She grinned. "Everyone else cleared out, so it's just us."

Allen sighed, penning his signature at the document's bottom. "Surprised my bunker became the hangout spot."

"Nah, I think it would've happened eventually. That, and the bunker is on not only a deserted island, but a secure deserted island." Harper walked up to the two of them. "Oh, and hi there, Callie. Good to see you in one piece. Did you have fun on your little adventure?"

"It was... something. I honestly can't account for most of it. I was out cold most of the time." Callie shrugged, glancing back at Allen. "Does anyone else know I'm back and safe?"

"If 'everyone' includes just Harper n' me, then yes." Allen replied, rising from his seat and skimming over the report. He'd have to fill out a more detailed form later.

Callie stood up with him and placed her hands on her hips. "Wow, not even Marie?"

"To be honest..." Allen trailed off. "I figured they'd all be here by now for a heartfelt reunion, but they're not. So, here we are."

"Should I give Marie a heads-up then?" Cv-8 piped up.

"Did you make any headway on the culprits behind Callie's abduction?" Allen asked the AI.

"Ooh, I should get on that. Let me set a background thread. And speaking of which, have you checked on the servers yet?" Cv-8 fired back.

"And I'll take care of that." Allen nodded. "Callie, if you need to reach out to anyone, go ahead. Just stick around until–"

"Done!" Callie beamed. "Not budging an inch, so consider it done!"

"Uh... okay then." Allen shook his head, turning his attention to Harper. "Keep an eye on things here. Don't let the place go up in flames."

"Yessir." Harper gave a quick salute.

With that, Allen left Harper in charge and made his way down to the server room.

Meanwhile, Callie kept her ear glued to her phone as she called half a dozen people, eventually leading back to her grandpa.