The Time from Before

Absolute

With the entire Squidbeak Splatoon huddled together, Callie led them down the dim, echoing corridors of the bunker. Her footsteps reverberated in sync with the others, the group descending deeper and deeper into the depths of the facility. They arrived at a colossal door, set against the bunker's structural core - a panic room built into one of the structural pillars attached to the mountain the bunker was built into.

"This should do." Cv-8 announced, its voice crackling over the speaker in the corridor with a faint electronic buzz. "Oh, and a word of advice: don't touch anything in there. One wrong move, and you could vent the oxygen tanks. And trust me, suffocating is not a fun way to go. Alrighty, stay safe!" With that, Cv-8's transmission cut off, leaving only the hum of machinery to fill the silence.

"Yeah, that's super reassuring." Agent 4 muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Just... you know, don't touch anything. No pressure."

Marie sighed, her eyes rolling as she tilted her head to get a better look at the door. "Honestly, when isn't it like this with Cv-8? It's like every time, it's trying to mess with us just a little bit more."

"Oh, definitely." Callie agreed, placing her hands on her hips. "I swear, it gets a kick out of making everything seem a little more dangerous than it really is."

Her gaze settled on the enormous door, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "So, how do we get this thing open?"

"Well, we could try..." Agent 3 began, stepping forward but then quickly shook her head. "Actually, no idea. This thing is gigantic and doesn't exactly have a doorknob."

The door itself was easily fifteen feet tall and six feet wide, towering over even the tallest among them. Its core was reinforced with ceramic plates framed by a strange, woven black material that made it look out of place against concrete structure of the bunker. It was unlike anything they'd seen before, even in their line of work.

"Are we seriously gonna stand around staring at a door all day?" Kai interjected, already shifting impatiently from one foot to the other. "I swear, if I have to wait any longer, I'm gonna lose it."

"Okay, well, do you see a handle anywhere, oh great and mighty problem solver?" Marie shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Wut." Kai crossed her arms defensively. "I ain't to door expert."

"Then who is?" Agent 4 asked, blinking in genuine confusion.

"Probably Marina." Agent 3 chimed in, her voice cool and calm as usual. "She's the only one who ever seems to know how to deal with this stuff." She shot Marina a look, as if to say, Well?

Marina, who'd been quietly observing the door's control panel off to the side, finally stepped forward, brushing past the others. "Alright, let's see..." She began tapping at the screen, muttering to herself. "It's got to be something simple, like an access code or..." Her eyes lit up as the Arctos Dominion logo flickered into view. "Aha! There we go."

"And here I thought we'd be stuck outside forever." Agent 11, Rhea, commented dryly, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. "Guess you're not just a pretty face, huh?"

"That's so mean." Kai chuckled, nudging Rhea playfully.

Marina rolled her eyes, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys."

She entered a few commands, but the screen suddenly flickered with a confusing array of numbers and symbols. Her brow furrowed. "Okay... this is more complicated than I thought." She bit her lip, tapping a few more buttons. "Thirty-two digits? Are they serious?"