Learning to Love Time Loops Without Going Insane

“And what exactly is that plan, Bart?” Harold asked. Things were now spiraling beyond his control fast, and he wasn’t happy about it. Yes, Twonger’s ability to secure Cal in the next loop was immeasurable, but the man had likely also sped up the Gryalth attack on Earth. Harold had a strong feeling that the years they had thought they had left in the loop had turned into months.

“Apparently, we need to get to Dallas, break into a research facility almost certainly controlled by the agency, and make our way up the floor where Andrew’s original lab was where this mess all started. Then Libby, the robot librarian, is going to feed the calculations to Excalibur in order to make the smallest surgical cut between realities they can safely drop the syringe wrapped in an abyssal beast’s eggshell through to us. Sounds easy enough, right?” Bart answered.

“I’m sorry, you just said all of that as though it was a completely sane explanation for what we need to do,” Harold responded, shaking his head as he did so. He considered the possibility he had just gone insane but doubted this was a path his brain could even find to take.

“Yeah, I get ya. Once you start interacting with this bunch, it’s all fucking insane from here in. None of it makes any damn sense, but you do start to get used to it once the second loop starts…” Twonger trailed off in his attempt at reassuring Harold.

“You understand a one-eyed alien who apparently spent dozens of loops trying to kill the man who the loops are tied to isn’t the best choice to reassure me I’m sane, right?” Harold sighed loudly and continued before Twonger tried to answer. “Okay, let’s just accept the reality of what Bart told me. We need to arrange transport to Dallas, Twonger. Can we use your ship and just teleport us all down?”

“Yeah, probably the easiest way. It won’t get us into the building if it’s shielded, though,” Twonger answered.

“Will it work if the Gryalth are attacking right now?” Trashcat interrupted, poking her head out from behind a small television screen.

“...What are you watching Trashcat?” Harold asked, afraid he already knew the answer.

“The news says several large alien craft have been spotted near the moon. I don’t think any of them have attacked yet, but we probably don’t have a ton of time,” She answered.

“Okay, new plan. We are done with stealth. Everyone grab everything you think will be useful and meet me in the van in ten minutes. It’s in the garage. Bart, go tell the others we are out of time and will be making an attempt at breaking into the lab,” Harold ordered as he walked towards a small door on one of the walls that he was still locked. He quickly entered the code and pulled the door open, revealing one of his cache of weapons. They may not be very useful against the invading aliens, but he was sure guns and grenades worked pretty well against humans.

“Fancy, but I think have some better shit in my bag. Well, the explosives might be useful, assuming they are what I think they are, ya sure you're ready for this kind of fight?” Twonger clapped Harold as he asked.

“No, but people rarely get that kind of choice when the moment comes,” Harold answered, watching Twonger somehow pull a strange-looking blade from a backpack much smaller than the weapon. “Magic backpack?”

“It was one of the big things on my to-steal checklist and the only one I really got to, but I loaded it up with some pretty helpful shit. I was hoping to get it into the void house and see if it duplicated itself when the loop restarted, but it looks like I’ll have to steal it again another time. Take the blade. It should have enough of a charge built up to cut through some walls or people that get in our way,” Twonger said, passing it over.

“Thanks,” Harold still decided to grab several of the items from his weapons cache. Magical alien tech may turn out to be very useful, but he preferred things he had some actual training on.

***

Despite the many looming threats, not the least of which was the Gryalth ships in orbit, their drive was somehow entirely uneventful, which worried Harold even more. Things were happening in the background that he had no knowledge of, and that never sat well with him. He wished he had a way to get his finger back into that pot, at least briefly, before their upcoming break-in. It was too late to change that, though, they were doing this blind.

These thoughts played out as he parked the van in front of the building. A voice on the radio managed to interrupt both of these things, holding Harold’s concentration. “We repeat, hostile contact has been made with the creatures in the craft. Please, if you can hear this, take shelter immediately as the military moves to engage with the invaders,” a man’s voice said, barely concealing its panic.

“I was wondering how long they’d take to make a move,” Twonger said.

“The real question here is what the Agency is planning to do against them. You may have actually created a giant question they can’t answer Twonger. If they aren’t fully aware of your connection to Cal, then they have to assume the early Gryalth invasion is due to something they changed, not something you changed,” Harold replied. This might be the distraction they needed to give them a real chance at success here.

“Thanks, I think. Just so I’m clear here, yos want me to grab Cal, Bug, and Stan and get them into the void house as soon as possible in the next loop, right? I figure we ain’t likely to have much time to discuss these plans further once we get outta the vehicle,” Twonger said.

“Yes, just get them to safety and make sure they are caught up on the events of this loop from our side. I will wait for you to make contact as long as I feel it’s safe, but if I have to disappear, I will, and in that case, I’ll find you, hopefully. Now, are you ready for this?” Harold asked.

“Always,” Twonger said, smiling. “Let’s go cause some mayhem!”