Setsuna touched a button on the strange file, and a hologram appeared. A tall man with a white handlebar mustache faced them, spectacles on his face and hands clasped behind his back.

“So Myon, you’ve finally made it. I hid all this information here in the hopes that you would find it. Now, I know how impatient you are to find what you came here for, but I have a bit of a request as well. Please, take care of my daughter. Her name is Lexa, and while I placed her with Z-mo I feel as if you would be a bit… different of a guardian. I know not her age right now, hell, she may be too old for a guardian anyways, but if you tell her how you know me I at least ask you to befriend her. Now, we can move to what you came for.”

Thickton pressed a few buttons and turned a few dials, moments later bringing up a large screen in front of him.

“Now this is the time anomaly. It has been damaged by something strange, and there are a few pinpoints which seem as if they are holding time in this one place. Strangely enough, these pinpoints are people, not events.”

“Not events?”

“They are tied to people around us, including you yourself. Now, by this point, your pinpoint should already have been fixed, so you needn’t worry. I’ve got Z-mo and a man whom I haven’t met on the job.”

The bushy haired man smiled and shook his head.

“Pretty good chances, eh? Either way, they are our only hope, so you must trust them. I created these bands which can be worn by a human to go back in time per the loop but still remain memory. It took many tries, but I’ve finally perfected it. Z-mo is to give the bands to this third party and everything should work out in the end, provided he goes with the plan. Sadly, one affected by being a pinpoint cannot wear them, so please do not try. We must trust in them.”

Setsuna looked from the hologram to Luke. Thickton had stopped talking for a moment, so Setsuna smiled over at the younger man.

“You’re the one, aren’t you. You’re trying to repair the loop.”

“I am.”

“So, how did you fix me boy-o?”

“I honestly have no idea… Z-mo told me that each of you had a problem, and I was to fix it.”

“How long have you known this?”

“Probably a day.”

“A day?! And how long did you go through the time loop?”

“I thought I lost count around eight-hundred.”

“WHAT?! You went through a time loop and kept your memories that many times?! How are you still mentally…”

“I have a goal, and I intend to succeed.”

The older man closed his eyes and shook his head.

“How long is a loop?”

“About a week.”

“Mmmm and you’ll have to help all of these individuals in that time won’t you.”

“I will.”

“I have no idea how you could even begin to help… how many is it?”

“Four more people.”

“Four more people in six days, can you really do it?”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“With little enough sleep a man can do anything.”

“You’re insane aintcha, must be that girl of his hmm?”

“Yep, it is.”

“Man you answered that fast…”

“I’ve wasted enough time over the past few weeks of time looping.”

“Haha! I suppose you have! Now, let’s get out of here.”

Setsuna picked up the file and walked out followed by Luke. Much to their surprise, there were no secret alarms or police standing outside when they emerged from the carefully hidden basement, nor were there any mishaps on the way back to the store. For once, Luke was surprised. He’d half expected that Setsuna would be one of the harder ones to deal with since he was involved with the government. It was refreshing. The older man stretched as he sat back down at the small table in his home, plopping the file down as well.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.”

“No, it really wasn’t. I half expected the army to be outside of the house and to be sent off to prison until the loop started again, then spending weeks trying to find out how to avoid just that one thing.”

“Heh, that sounds terrible son.”

“Son?”

“Oh, sorry. I just…”

“No, it’s fine. I just haven’t been called something like that in a long time.”

“Your father never call you anything like that?”

“My father could barely even be called that. As soon as he could send me off to this city he did, and I haven’t heard almost anything from him since.”

“No shit…”

“You’re practically a better father than he ever was, heh… you’ve given me a lot of food and stuff over the years.”

“Bah, I’m a failure as a father. I let my family die.”

“Oh you did not, you couldn’t have stopped them.”

The old man shrugged and poured two cups of tea.

“It’s better for me to think that I could have done something. It gives me a subject to think about sometimes.”

Suddenly something felt strange. Luke looked down only to see that the rings were glowing and something was whirring inside of them. Setsuna noticed it too and stood up.

“What’s going on?!”

“The bracelets, they’re doing someth-!”

Suddenly the light stopped, as did the whirring noise and Luke sat back down, hearing a feminine voice come from the bracelets.

“Subject: Sayuri, Myon. Approved.”

“Approved? Luke, does that mean that…”

“I think old Thickton jumped the gun a bit. Now you’re finished. Nobody ever told me something like this would happen…”

“Good thing we were inside my house.”

“No kidding.”

“What now?”

“I move on to the next one I suppose.”

“And who is the next one?”

“Either my landlord or a robot that tried to rob me and is without a circuit regulator.”

“Seems like you’ve got a lot to deal with… I’d offer my help, but I feel like it would go easier the more casual you can be with the subjects. Bringing an old man like me with you would only prompt questions. If I may help though, you should consider starting with the robot. Somehow it feels like that one is going to be rough…”

“You’re definitely right on that one, and you’re probably right about this being easier if it’s just me as well. I’d like the help, but time is something that I need right now.”

“I know you’ll do great boy-o, and if you have any questions or need any help just come rushing over. I’ll do what I can. I’m pretty good with robots, and if you need me to fix him up I believe I can get him started again.”

“That might be more of a help than you know.”

“No problem! After all, you’re like a son to me ya damn steel worker.”

“Former steel worker!”

Luke smiled along with the older man and they shook hands. After a brief exchange of goodbyes, Luke left, feeling emboldened. He thought about just what Setsuna’s problem had been. It hadn’t been the need to find the file, it hadn’t even been trying to break into Thickton’s house. After thinking about it, he’d probably found the real reason. Setsuna had wanted someone that he could be friends with, someone to act as his son. He’d wanted to be a father so long that he’d barely thought anything about treating Luke as such. Luke, on the other hand, hadn’t had a father for almost an equal amount of time. Finding one in Setsuna was easy, the older man had always been good to him and Luke was sure that if he hadn’t given Luke food a couple of times he wouldn’t be here even for the time loop. Thankfully Setsuna had been so good to him. The old guy really was like the dad he never had. Though this one hadn’t been so hard, he still had almost a full week left. He felt as if Crash’s quote on quote trial would be quite a bit more difficult than Setsuna’s, so he went back home to sleep for the night. For once, it would be without Lexa, which felt strange, but he had to just keep remembering that it was all for her. Damn she’d better thank him after this. Needing to be rested for the next morning, he fell asleep quickly. That stupid robot better not hurt him tomorrow that is, if he could find him.