The plan to travel back in time to get hamburgers was simple: Hiro would hold the teddy bear to his chest, his other arm locked with Samuel, whose arm was locked with Rena, whose arm was locked with Valeria.

“And then, we steal, threaten, do whatever,” Valeria reminded them. “Because like you said, three minutes.”

“That’s right,” Hiro told her. None of them seemed fazed by the fact Hiro hadn’t shared this power with them previously; none of them seemed fazed by anything at this point. The Doom System has either broken us or forced us to evolve out of constant trauma.

“Can’t believe we’re about to do a Macca’s run, but I’m here for it,” Samuel said.

“And we have to eat it there, right?” Rena confirmed as they got to position inside the restaurant, the four of them now behind the counter of the McStarbucks. “What about fries?”

“That’s right,” Hiro told Rena. “Fries might be difficult, but if you can stuff them in your mouth, Do it.”

“I can definitely do that. What about any of our gear? Your shield, for example.”

“Yeah, what about me?” Bianca asked. “Also, I’d kill for a fry. Seriously.”

Hiro looked up at the yellow McDonalds sign, which was missing a few of its letters. “From what I’ve experienced before, my weapons don’t come with me. I don’t remember if my backpack stayed on or not, but my katana definitely wasn’t there. So I don’t know.”

“What if I appear with you all and just fall off your back, or something?” Bianca asked him.

“Let’s hope that isn’t the case.” Hiro looked around. “I can put you on the counter. Actually, yes, that might be a better idea. To defend us just in case.”

“Because we can be attacked here while we are there,” said Samuel. “Is all of this really worth a hamburger? You’re bloody right, it is!”

“Fine, I’ll stay here and be everyone’s favorite guard dog after Hachi.” She removed herself from Hiro’s back, the fuzzy pink shield using her tentacles to take a position on the counter. “Have fun,” she said in a jealous way.

“Let’s give it a shot,” Hiro told the other Survivors. “We grab whatever hamburgers we can. We have three minutes. We can probably demand a burger too because they keep them in those little plastic cubbies, or whatever they’re called. But three minutes.”

“I’m so ready for this,” Samuel said as he licked his lips. “I just wish we could add a quick trip to the pub to this little sojourn as well. Next time!”

“Next time.” Hiro squeezed Chronokuma close to his chest and the four of them appeared behind the counter at the McDonalds in the One World Trade Center, startling the employees that were moving about.

“We’re here for your hamburgers!” Samuel announced with a grin as Valeria raided the metal pick-up tray. Three hamburgers had just come down the chute, already wrapped.

As the employee started to stumble backward, Valeria commanded that they make more. “Now. As many as you can!”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Hiro glanced to the other side of the counter, where he saw people waiting to pick up the orders they placed on electric kiosks. A few had already pulled out their phones. This isn’t going to play well on the socials, he thought, but then, he also didn’t give a shit.

He wanted a hamburger.

Hiro kept Chronokuma close to his chest as Samuel handed him a double stacked hamburger with melted cheese and onions on it. Samuel had even unwrapped it for him, Hiro not at all concerned about stuffing the hamburger in his mouth as he watched another one come down the chute.

So… Good… he thought has gobbled the hamburger down, the sweetness of the ketchup and mustard mix, the pickle, the toasted bread, all of it just about the most delicious thing he could remember ever eating.

“More!” Samuel shouted, the Australian able to finish his smaller hamburger in about two bites. “Bit of a dog’s breakfast, but it’ll do!”

“Where the fuck did you all come from?” an employee asked.

“Doesn’t matter, mate,” he told the guy at the fry station, who was trying to make sense of what was happening. “Hamburgers, now. Fries too. Thank you. Thank all of you.”

For once, Hiro ignored the time. It was as if here in a daze that revolved around how many hamburgers he could stuff in his mouth before everything reverted back to the present, where he was being hunted by Spectators.

Another one came just as Hiro finished his burger. This one was quarter pounder, hastily made yet juicy and delicious, certainly the best hamburger Hiro had ever had. He took his final bite, nearly choking on it as they were returned to the present.

“You’re back!” Bianca said.

The four of them unlocked their arms. Valeria bent forward like she was going to vomit, but then she stood, placed her hand over her mouth, and shook her head. “Nuh-uh.”

“That was bloody brilliant!” Samuel said the tail end of a loud belch.

“Literally the best thing I’ve eaten my entire life,” Rena said, her cheeks red. “And I used to hate McDonalds.”

“I didn’t like it as much here in the States,” Samuel told her, “a bit poorer quality than the Australian version, yeah, nah? But that was something else entirely.”

“Totally not fair,” Bianca said as she turned to them. The shield looked like it was now seated on the counter, one tentacle crossed over another as if they were her legs. “I would have eaten so many hamburgers.”

Hachi barked. And for a moment, Hiro thought that the demon dog could smell the burgers on their breath. But then he looked beyond into the cavernous main corridor of the One World Trade Center to see several pairs of red eyes staring back at them.

Spectators.

“The fight continues,” Samuel said. “Not really anything we can do now, or anywhere we can go to be safe.”

Valeria brought her crossbow up. “Why aren’t they attacking us, dammit? They’re just watching us like owls. Ask the shield if they’ve been here the entire time we were gone.”

“Um, she can just talk to me directly. Who wants to be called ‘the shield?’” Bianca asked.

“She doesn’t know,” Hiro said for Bianca. “But I did learn something from my Companion. The Spectators are the ones killing our followers.”

“Come again?” Samuel said.

“When we sacrifice them at a merchant, it’s the Spectators killing our followers. If we hunt more, our followers will be worth more in the Second Interim because less will be sacrificed. Or something like that.”

“I hate math,” Rena said.

“In that case…” Samuel burped. “Sorry about that. I was going to say something like, let’s get slaughtering, but I sort of ruined the moment there. Heh. Doesn’t matter. Let’s see what kind of damage we can do between now and the gates opening.”

Hiro drew his katana instead. He whistled, got Hachi’s attention, and commanded the dog to attack: “Get ‘em, boy!”