10:20 a.m. – Helix Building, Main Lobby
The usual hum of morning chatter was pierced by sudden confusion. People blinked, glanced at their watches, then at each other, as if time itself had skipped a beat.
Talia watched from the security room, eyes darting between screens.
"Eron," she whispered into the comm, "something's wrong. The loop's glitching beyond anything we've seen."
---
10:22 a.m. – City Streets
Eron moved swiftly, the memory of countless tries sharpening his senses. Around him, people hesitated—some repeated gestures, others froze mid-step, then resumed like a broken record.
A woman gasped, clutching her chest. "Why do I feel like I've been here before? Like… yesterday?"
Eron's jaw tightened. The cracks in the loop were no longer just glitches—they were starting to affect the world itself.
---
10:25 a.m. – Rooftop
Try One leaned against the railing, eyes scanning the cityscape flickering in and out of focus.
"The loop is unstable," he muttered. "We're the only ones who remember, but others… they're beginning to sense it."
He pulled out a small device—an old analog watch, its hands spinning backward and forward erratically.
"If the loop breaks," he said, "everything we know could collapse."
---
10:30 a.m. – Helix Command Center
Talia's voice was tense. "Eron, I'm picking up anomalies. Systems shutting down for seconds, then rebooting. People showing signs of déjà vu."
Eron's fingers tapped on his phone. He typed a message to his contacts inside the powerful organization he led.
"Prepare for instability. No one leaves their posts. The loop is breaking."
---
10:32 a.m. – Unknown Location
A shadowed figure watched a screen showing the city's chaos.
"They're waking," the figure whispered. "Soon, the loop will be our battlefield."
10:35 a.m. – Helix Building, War Room
The large screen flickered with erratic data streams. Eron stood before it, calm but alert, eyes scanning the patterns of anomalies cascading across the city.
"Talia, compile every incident report. We need to map this 'glitch wave' before it spreads further."
Talia's fingers flew over the keyboard. "Already on it. Reports of people having déjà vu, glitches in electronic devices, even some minor structural shifts in the city's infrastructure."
Eron's mind raced back to the countless tries, the endless repetition. "It's like reality itself is unraveling."
---
10:38 a.m. – Streets Near Helix
A young man, eyes wide with confusion, walked into traffic. Cars screeched to a halt, barely avoiding disaster.
Passersby froze, their expressions flickering like corrupted images in a bad video feed.
A woman screamed, clutching her head. "Why does everything feel wrong? Like I'm trapped in a nightmare?"
Eron's voice echoed in her mind — the calm he had honed through endless repetition — but she didn't know that. She only knew the fear.
---
10:40 a.m. – Rooftop Overlooking the City
Try One paced, watching the city flicker like a broken hologram.
"The loop's foundation is cracking. If it breaks, we lose control," he muttered.
Eron nodded. "Then we fix it from inside."
Try One looked at him sharply. "How? You're human. You're not supposed to be able to control time."
Eron smiled coldly. "I've learned more than you think. This isn't just time — it's human behavior, patterns, psychology. People are predictable."
---
10:42 a.m. – Helix Command Center
Talia interrupted, urgency in her voice. "Eron, we've got another problem. The organization is fracturing — some of your own people are questioning reality. They're confused, scared."
Eron clenched his fist. "That's why I need you to rally the loyalists. Use everything. Fear, hope, manipulation — whatever it takes."
---
10:45 a.m. – Unknown Location
The shadowed figure smiled. "Let the fractures grow. Soon, the 100,000th try won't be about survival — it'll be war."
10:50 a.m. – Helix Building, Executive Office
Eron stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city flickering in and out of sync. His reflection stared back, tired but unyielding.
His phone buzzed. It was a message from Talia: "Insiders are nervous. Suspicion rising. We need a plan."
Eron tapped a quick reply: "Meet me in the war room. We're rewriting the script."
---
10:52 a.m. – War Room
Talia and Eron faced a digital map littered with red flashing dots — incidents of reality glitches.
"We need to control the narrative," Eron said. "If people think this is some isolated tech failure or mass hysteria, we can contain the panic."
Talia nodded. "I can leak controlled info to media, blame a cyberattack or government experiment gone wrong."
Eron smiled thinly. "Perfect. Meanwhile, I'll use my influence inside the organization to neutralize anyone who steps out of line."
---
10:55 a.m. – Organization Headquarters
Eron's voice echoed through the conference call. "This is a controlled situation. No leaks, no panic. Follow protocol."
His team's hesitation was palpable but masked by discipline.
"Remember," he added, "fear is the enemy, but control is our weapon."
---
10:58 a.m. – Rooftop
Try One watched Eron's careful moves, a rare hint of respect in his eyes.
"You've mastered manipulation," he said. "But this is more than a game now. It's survival."
Eron's gaze hardened. "Then let them come. I'm ready."
---
11:00 a.m. – City Streets
Unseen by all, cracks in reality deepened. Time flickered violently. People's memories fragmented, and whispers of déjà vu turned into growing dread.
Some stopped, sensing the world unraveling, but for most, the carefully spun lie kept chaos at bay—at least for now.
11:05 a.m. – Helix Building, Control Room
Eron sat at the center of a storm he had carefully orchestrated and now struggled to contain. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, dispatching orders with the precision of a seasoned general.
"Talia," he said, "initiate Phase Two of the containment protocol. We need misinformation flooding every channel—social media, news outlets, internal comms."
Talia nodded, eyes fixed on her screens. "It's already rolling out. The public will think this is a cyberattack or system failure."
---
11:10 a.m. – Organization Headquarters
Eron's loyal agents worked swiftly to identify and isolate dissenters, using subtle persuasion and intimidation.
"Remember," Eron's voice came through encrypted channels, "anyone who questions the narrative must be brought back in line—by force if necessary."
One agent smirked. "We've handled worse, boss."
Eron allowed himself a brief smile. After thousands of repetitions, control was his strongest skill.
---
11:15 a.m. – Rooftop Overlooking the City
Try One stood silent, watching the city's flickering lights.
"The loop weakens," he murmured. "Soon, the rules will change."
Eron joined him. "Then we prepare to rewrite those rules ourselves."
Their eyes met—two men bound by time, both wielding power in a world unraveling.
---
11:20 a.m. – Streets Below
Unaware of the war brewing above, people went about their day—some anxious, others oblivious.
But for Eron, every second counted.
He had survived a hundred thousand tries. This time, failure was not an option.