Sheffield

Bickering. Their overlapping chatter just became noise that The Hologram thankfully tuned out for Lore as they watched themselves argue. “That message was the first of many attempts by Crait to contact us.” It paused. “Well, the first that successful attempt. They had asked to meet with us in every cycle and every time, we turned them down.” The shouting calmed down after one of the waitresses threatened to kick them out.
“Fine.” The First sighed. “We’ll cast a vote. Everyone holds out their fist. If they think one of us should go, put a Rel in your hand, if not, leave it empty.” Twenty six hands outstretched, The First opened theirs; the others followed suit. “That’s it settled then.” The First nodded to their Char.

The First appeared at the given co-ordinates. They recognised them by sight. The flash cleared and Lore recognised them too: They were in one of the numerous, empty rooms in The Guildhall where Crait had taken them after their meeting in the tavern. The First checked the time and date to confirm they were when they were supposed to be before heading for a lift. They walked the identical hallways like they were the scars on the back of their hand; they knew every millimetre. The First pushed the button to summon the lift. They entered calmly and pushed the button for floor fifty-two.
“Why are they going there?” Lore muttered to themselves.
“You’ll see.” The Hologram’s new attitude was almost more annoying than their robotic apathy.
The muzak played and, eventually, the doors opened. Lore remembered the journey from their first time walking. They felt inappropriately calm as they watched The First walk to the help desk and ring the bell. Brian appeared. As soon as his brain registered the input of his eyes, a second signal was sent; his face, for but a moment, contorted into a look of intense awkward fear before a mask covered it and replaced it with the smile of an overworked and overwhelmed customer service representative.
“Brian! Just the man I wanted to see. How’s the son? Won anything recently?” The First smiled.
Brian returned the strange question with an appropriately confused glance before gasping. “My son! I’m very proud of him. He won this last week.” He ducked behind the kiosk and removed a small box. He unlocked it and passed it to The First.
“Give the family my love.” The First pocketed the contents and started back to the lift. Brian gave them a nod before returning the box and getting back to work.

The Muzak and the lift didn’t help; the detail and recency of their own memory took them straight back to their escape. Lore’s vision began to blur; a figure emerged between The First and The Hologram.
A whisper echoed around them. “Options… options…”
The doors opened and their vision returned to normal. Lore picked themselves up from the floor and left the lift with them. Armed and armoured soldiers lined the walkways, each one laser focussed on The First. Their weapons were drawn but not aimed. The First knew their way to the room they were supposed to meet Crait in but the soldiers made sure they did, blocking off any corridors and creating a pathway just in case. The First didn’t even knock on Crait’s door, they just smiled and pushed it open.
“Who is it? Ah, come in!” Crait said sarcastically. “So, you finally choose to accept my invite. I have to say, if we weren’t guaranteed to meet on Quatarr in…” They looked at their Breacher. “Three months… I would think you were purposefully avoiding you and that… that would hurt my feelings.” Crait held their hands over their heart feigning injury. They broke down into a fit of giggles. “Come on then, get yourself comfortable.”
“So… Why am I here?” The First kicked back and rested their feet on Crait’s desk. A space had been clearly left empty for them to do so, the table worn and chipped. “I know why I’m here, I came because you asked but why did you ask.” The First saw the glint in their eye and predicted their response.
Crait shook their head. “I’m here to offer you an out. You’re causing unknown damage to the timeline; who knows how many of these ‘Cycles’ the universe can withstand before it cracks? So… I’m here, offering you an olive branch. Go back, one more time and prevent the time loops and I’ll reinstate you as an Inquisitor.”
“No.” The First said flatly. They lifted their legs off of the table and stood to leave.
“Wait.” Crait all but Breached over to them. “There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” The First sat back and got comfortable once again. “The day you escaped, the day of your trial, do you want to guess what I found in my office?”
“Reid’s resignation?” The First scoffed. “A complaint from human resources?”
Crait didn’t react as The First continued listing off increasingly ridiculous or scandalous things. They just reached under their table and produced a box. Lore recognised it as being the same sort of box that contained the two cubes they were using. They were about to move around to Crait’s side of the room to get a better look when they turned it around for The First to see. “Twenty five Memdexes. Twenty five lifetimes of memories. I know every move you’ll make, I’ve seen ‘Cycles’ that you’ve not even created yet; you cannot win and I know it.” They smiled. “I also know that you only did what you did because you thought it was right. If your trial was held now, it would have ended very differently, trust me. The Guild is a different.” They paused. “You could take your place again as my right hand. Co-leaders, equals… More than that maybe?”
“Hmm…” The First looked at the Memdexes. “Twenty five.” They scowled at the empty slot. “Thanks for the offer but I think I’d rather be beside myself than regret taking it.” The door behind them opened. White light masked the intruder. They were back in the diner. “Twenty five.” They smiled. The overlapping bickering resumed. Slingshot.