Claire listened while trying her best to memorize what each gadget did.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYsvX2o9o6
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEeFIbUc0X
Calling this place a “safehouse” was generous.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8P5yH7Qnx
It was a bunker. A battle-ready one.
“That’s the comm terminal,” Nightwing said, pointing to a row of devices on the wall.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IRy9xzaVH
“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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZKnmaOs9f
But that doesn’t mean you won’t make a bad choice under pressure.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBMCbLFnLP
This is a weapon, not magic. It doesn’t solve problems. It just ends them.”
Claire swallowed and nodded.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QwjJqBKvl
I’m a good citizen.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSR6jh2hVAA
Really.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMbihmM3Ls
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYXoy7lZGq
“It’s fishing. Claire’s the bait.”
Every conclusion went onto paper.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzsd4toKBv
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpadAiaMLOV
Her head buzzed, vision blurred, like someone had pressed rewind on her brain.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQAbdGd39T
It was happening again.
“No…” she tried to say.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5drXSdgvx
But all she managed was a twitch of the fingers, a faint tap on the letter F.
Footsteps.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiVtvRfhCo
Someone approached.
Arms wrapped around her.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTRvKenbpn
Firm, steady. Familiar.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aYEDcV2FZ
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.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhhlP0l2pp
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:10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCTNUKGcUp
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiA5Sb1Wwv
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.—10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwz8ezgswYd
That cop named Dick would show up. In uniform. Hands in pockets. Always on time.
If Claire mentioned ghosts, or sounded a little unhinged—10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqT5ayfinz
Like asking, “Do you think a soul can get stuck in a single moment?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKApDK2piWn
Or, “If today is yesterday again, then where did yesterday go?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRdUUS2xAj
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:10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7SC954HmE
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?10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcg5PkSM3J
She’d already discovered a faster method.
Just leave a bagel on the balcony at 11 p.m.—10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCPW04YSqL
Worked three out of three times.
So depending on her mood, Claire chose her summoning style.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DbtfJ7PMT
Same result either way. Just different openings.
Still, she preferred the “mental breakdown” version.
Especially since Nightwing always looked visibly conflicted when it happened.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLmxoxhFto
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ276GR2u9CP
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…10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlZaDpbLmF
Was the light in his eyes.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF0CiMOMTr
and then Add to home screen.