Claire listened while trying her best to memorize what each gadget did.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqh1QthBOR
These weren’t just flashy props—they were more precise, more grounded than anything she'd seen in a movie. Almost everything had a backup system or some kind of emergency override.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPW8hBaHeC
Calling this place a “safehouse” was generous.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMihbIezjDC
It was a bunker. A battle-ready one.
“That’s the comm terminal,” Nightwing said, pointing to a row of devices on the wall.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpKufNmesh
“If you need to reach us, hit this. But only during this window—”
“—before the reset kicks in,” Robin finished, matter-of-factly.
Batman added next. He handed Claire a slip of paper with a long string of numbers and symbols.
“This is the door code. You’ll need it to get in. No keys, no fingerprint ID, no voice recognition—none of that survives the loop. Memorize it.”
Then came weapons hour.
His voice dropped, colder. He picked up a gun and handed it to her, but didn’t let go immediately.
“Only use it to protect yourself. Never to strike first.”
His gaze cut through her—through muscle, bone, marrow.
“I know you’re not a bad person, Claire.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiD3op9Gu5
But that doesn’t mean you won’t make a bad choice under pressure.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cbBuat0SN
This is a weapon, not magic. It doesn’t solve problems. It just ends them.”
Claire swallowed and nodded.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc6qOc8xQ6
I’m a good citizen.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSp4kW7CIW
Really.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvum6SeYGb
I’ll aim it at the crack, and only at the crack.
They circled back to the crack.
Notes spread across the table. Claire had drawn a few sketches—long shapes, sky proportions from what she saw with her eyes closed.
“What if it’s not just appearing,” Nightwing said, “but actually… approaching?”
“Then the point of contact is her,” Batman replied, circling her name at the center of a page.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9T3WLV5Nu
“It’s fishing. Claire’s the bait.”
Every conclusion went onto paper.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfpU8yCgsk
Paper remembered. Claire had to remember too. Just in case paper didn’t make it through.
By the next noon, Claire was slumped over the table, hand still resting on a sheet labeled PLAN F.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rhg2YgEKY
Her head buzzed, vision blurred, like someone had pressed rewind on her brain.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZyBxjoK6g
It was happening again.
“No…” she tried to say.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaJ3h5PD4t
But all she managed was a twitch of the fingers, a faint tap on the letter F.
Footsteps.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumC4lcyvqM
Someone approached.
Arms wrapped around her.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAN6MrFbRv
Firm, steady. Familiar.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjn60fOP5Yn
There was the faint scent of shampoo in the air—clean, comforting.
She squirmed, barely.
This isn’t my bed, she wanted to mumble.
But she had no strength. Her body gave in to the embrace, tucked beneath a blanket.
Right before slipping under again, only one thought remained:
Screw it. I’ll just come back tomorrow.
275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVyypL0LGk
Claire got used to it. For real.
She hadn’t expected to find rhythm in the repetition—not just survive, but start to live well-ish, like some glitch-proof war correspondent who recalibrates her memory each morning before heading back into chaos.
Every day started the same:275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu78fWpuOp
She woke up and wrote down the number of times she’d repeated the day.
She wasn’t sure if her count was accurate anymore, but at least it gave her something solid to check against.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIahgDbHtq
Something to prove she hadn’t snapped.
Then she opened the café.
The soft ding of the door chime gave her the daily illusion that the world was still spinning as usual. The hiss of the espresso machine kicked in. She counted the seconds.
Waited for the footsteps.
If Claire’s bagels weren’t available until 10 a.m.—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvzywMQ6AA
That cop named Dick would show up. In uniform. Hands in pockets. Always on time.
If Claire mentioned ghosts, or sounded a little unhinged—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRlglTPBzU
Like asking, “Do you think a soul can get stuck in a single moment?”275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eFGBW6iUQ
Or, “If today is yesterday again, then where did yesterday go?”275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TEb4WEp9J
Or anything else that made her sound like she needed to be gently escorted into psychiatric care—
The informant at the counter would discreetly alert Nightwing.
That’s how she found out “I might be having a breakdown” was an actual trigger phrase to summon a superhero.
She sometimes wondered:275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnLGbyTLcB
Who designed this whole failsafe system? Batman?
And sure enough, Nightwing would show up later that night.
Looking very much like he was “just passing by.”
Then he’d sit down. And start coaxing answers out of her.
But honestly?275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jxBEcw127
She’d already discovered a faster method.
Just leave a bagel on the balcony at 11 p.m.—275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZucPfabS8X
Worked three out of three times.
So depending on her mood, Claire chose her summoning style.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkMsnxvSkW
Same result either way. Just different openings.
Still, she preferred the “mental breakdown” version.
Especially since Nightwing always looked visibly conflicted when it happened.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfM2IoVw0po
Every time, he’d stare at her for a few seconds, calculating how much he should trust her today.
That expression—hesitant and tight—like she’d just told him the Earth was about to explode, and he had to smile back and go, “Cool. Let’s finish this coffee first.”
He had range.
Worry. Frustration. Doubt. Guilt.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5bl2WF9t2
Claire kept a mental chart: Nightwing’s Emotional Weather: Today’s Forecast.
In some twisted way, it felt like watching a drama series.
And she liked it.
Because in this endless loop, the only thing that really changed…275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbqEoDQPps
Was the light in his eyes.275Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmEaAFJBDT
and then Add to home screen.