Claire listened while trying her best to memorize what each gadget did.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzs1qfKIHX
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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9VSgZrooR
Calling this place a “safehouse” was generous.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmSYULEOH0
It was a bunker. A battle-ready one.
“That’s the comm terminal,” Nightwing said, pointing to a row of devices on the wall.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TTUfjAmga
“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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCxFkV1K4v
But that doesn’t mean you won’t make a bad choice under pressure.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIW1qIj53S
This is a weapon, not magic. It doesn’t solve problems. It just ends them.”
Claire swallowed and nodded.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20AbUJNg9K
I’m a good citizen.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAatEMVhVVh
Really.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pSTtgrBy6
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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPA3dzsMPr
“It’s fishing. Claire’s the bait.”
Every conclusion went onto paper.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXiYasf4YK
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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQqsDHdoRz
Her head buzzed, vision blurred, like someone had pressed rewind on her brain.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbo2YjhWgg
It was happening again.
“No…” she tried to say.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQWz3CMzKJ
But all she managed was a twitch of the fingers, a faint tap on the letter F.
Footsteps.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92mQI35yyX
Someone approached.
Arms wrapped around her.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnESkxvx1sZ
Firm, steady. Familiar.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlptOJvZ3I
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.
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGrVWheugW
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:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStNeJthiXe
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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iPdPnapQX
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.—70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQqR4IEvkG
That cop named Dick would show up. In uniform. Hands in pockets. Always on time.
If Claire mentioned ghosts, or sounded a little unhinged—70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvdklXyd95
Like asking, “Do you think a soul can get stuck in a single moment?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprJV5bJkQC
Or, “If today is yesterday again, then where did yesterday go?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iK4GhUPmN
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:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTqZbcn7Bf
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?70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnMjGC37d5
She’d already discovered a faster method.
Just leave a bagel on the balcony at 11 p.m.—70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PvV2hpLUc
Worked three out of three times.
So depending on her mood, Claire chose her summoning style.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8Z6KpDXHx
Same result either way. Just different openings.
Still, she preferred the “mental breakdown” version.
Especially since Nightwing always looked visibly conflicted when it happened.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tMjXO5sbh
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.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRfPlFj61P
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…70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVz09ng0Mf7
Was the light in his eyes.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFumOEDqQ8U
然後按「加至主畫面」