~~~~~~
8:05 a.m.
Fifth awakening.
Noah opened his eyes to the same soft rattle of the train, the same indifferent morning light. But this time the calm felt brittle, like glass about to crack.
Lena was already standing over him, arms crossed and her expression unreadable.
"We're getting predictable," she said without greeting. "That's dangerous."
Noah stood slowly, rubbing the phantom ache in his ribs from the platform collapse. "Good morning to you too."
"Don't." Her voice was sharp. "We've died four times. Humor isn't helping."
He met her gaze. "What is helping, Lena? Tell me. Because every plan we've tried ends with us burning or bleeding."
She glanced away first, jaw tight. "We need better intel. We take Echo alive early. We make him give us the full layout, every device, every trigger."
"Agreed. But we do it together."
Lena's eyes flicked back to him, cooler now. "Together got us crushed under a platform last time. Maybe I handle Echo while you search the train."
Noah felt irritation rise up his throat. "Splitting up will only get us killed faster without us gaining any intel."
"You can't be so sure," she said looking away from him.
The train lurched.
8:06 a.m.
They moved into the aisle, but the easy synchrony of previous loops was gone.
Their shoulders brushed without the instinctive adjustment, their steps didn't match.
Noah spotted the black backpack first this time. "Same seat."
Lena nodded curtly. "I see it."
Echo was in his usual spot, hoodie up, fingers drumming on his thigh.
"I'll approach," Lena said. "You cover from behind."
"No," Noah countered. "Last time you went first, he bolted. I'm taller, he'll focus on me."
She hesitated, then gave a tight nod. "Fine."
Noah moved forward casually, sitting one row ahead of Echo and turning as if to ask the time.
"Excuse me.."
Echo's head snapped up. Recognition wasn't there, he didn't loop but suspicion was.
Noah smiled disarmingly. "You got the time?"
Echo relaxed fractionally. "Eight-oh-seven."
Lena slid in from the side, swift and silent, hand closing on Echo's wrist before he could react.
He yelped, drawing stares.
"Quiet," she hissed, pressing a point on his arm that made his fingers go slack. She relieved him of the phone. "One move and I break it."
Noah leaned in. "We know about the bombs. Talk, and maybe you walk away."
Echo spat on the floor and said. "You know nothing."
8:08 a.m.
The lights flickered and almost immediately, smoke began to curl from under the seats—earlier than before.
Lena swore under her breath and muttered. "They moved the primary device."
Noah scanned frantically and said. "Or added more."
"We don't have time for both," she snapped.
"I'll search forward. You stay with him."
"No." Noah's voice was flat. "We're not splitting."
"You're wasting time!"
"And you're charging off half-cocked."
Her eyes blazed. "Half-cocked? I'm the one with bomb disposal training."
"And I'm the one who's cleared more rooms than you've filed reports."
The words landed harder than intended.
Lena's face went very still. "You don't know anything about my record."
"I know you keep trying to go lone wolf and it keeps getting us killed." Noah said.
"Maybe if you trusted my judgment…"
"I do trust your judgment. I don't trust your need to prove something." Noah said.
She stared at him, color rising in her cheeks.
Echo laughed softly. "Lovers' quarrel? Cute."
Lena's elbow connected with his throat angrily, not hard enough to crush, just enough to silence.
8:09 a.m.
The vibration was a growl now as flames licked up through the floor panels near the rear.
Passengers finally reacted, gasps, standing, shoving.
Noah grabbed Lena's arm. "We do this together or we die arguing. Your choice."
For a second he thought she'd pull away.
Then she exhaled sharply. "Together."
They dragged Echo toward the front, away from the fire.
Lena spotted the new device first, a slim case wired under the conductor's compartment door.
"Remote linked," she said, examining it quickly. "Same frequency as his phone."
Noah held Echo while she worked with her fingers flying frantically.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Come on…" she muttered.
The fire raced closer with heat blistering and with a final twist, she severed the wire and the new device went dark.
But the original undercarriage charge which was left untouched detonated anyway.
The floor heaved and they were thrown forward, slamming into seats.
Echo's head cracked against a pole out cold.
Noah instinctively shielded Lena as debris flew.
When the air cleared enough to see, the carriage was split open as flames roared on both sides.
They were trapped in a shrinking pocket of space.
Lena coughed, blood at one side of her lip. "My fault. I focused on the wrong one."
"No," Noah said roughly. "We both did."
She looked at him, eyes fierce through the smoke. "Next time we prioritize, no egos."
"No egos," he agreed.
Her hand found his, their fingers lacing tight.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "For snapping."
"Me too. I was an ass."
A small, pained laugh escaped her. "We're both asses. But we're alive right now. That counts."
The flames closed in.
They held on until the end.
~~~~~~
8:05 a.m.
Sixth awakening.
This time, when Lena approached, Noah stood and met her halfway. Neither spoke at first. Then, simultaneously:
"I'm sorry—"
"I was out of line—"
They stopped, followed by a beat of silence.
Lena's mouth twitched. "We're idiots."
"Certified," Noah said smiling wryly.
The tension broke, just a little.
Then, the lurch came.
8:06 a.m.
They moved together again, but differently now, no assumptions, clear roles were spoken aloud.
"You take Echo," Noah said. "I'll search rear to front. We regroup in ninety seconds."
"Copy."
It worked better.
Lena subdued Echo cleanly, securing him with his own belt while Noah found two devices this time, one in the overhead rack disguised as a laptop bag and one clamped beneath a seat.
He disarmed the visible one and marked the hidden one. Then, they met mid-carriage.
"Two confirmed," he reported.
"Echo's talking," Lena said, dragging the bound man. "He Said there's a third in the vestibule between carriages. It's pressure triggered, it opens if the door's forced."
"Smart," Noah muttered. "That punishes evacuation."
Passengers were restless now, sensing something wrong.
8:08 a.m.
They reached the vestibule, the device was there, sleek, professional and wired to the door mechanism.
Lena studied it. "I can bypass, but it'll take two minutes."
"We don't have that much time."
Noah looked around. The next station was approaching, visible through the windows. "I've got an idea, We get everyone off at the stop," he said. "Normal exit. No panic. Door stays closed until everyone gets to the platform."
Lena nodded slowly. "Risky because if it's remote…"
"Then we're already dead." Noah completed.
They worked fast, with calm voices, they directed passengers toward the doors like concerned citizens.
"Technical fault," Lena said smoothly.
"Better to disembark here."
Most of the commuters complied without question.
Echo struggled, but Noah kept him pinned down.
The train slowed down and the doors opened. People streamed out.
Noah and Lena were last, dragging Echo.
They stepped onto the platform safely for five full seconds.
Then Echo grinned through bloodied teeth.
"Dead man switch," he rasped incoherently. "Heart rate monitor. Stops beating…"
The explosion originated from the train, but the shockwave traveled to the platform and the platform edge crumbled and they all fell with it.
~~~~~~
8:05 a.m.
Seventh awakening.
Lena didn't approach immediately.
She stood across the aisle, watching him.
Noah waited.
Finally, she crossed.
"We keep fighting the wrong thing," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"The bombs change, the triggers change but we're always here, always dying." Her voice cracked slightly. "What if the loop isn't about stopping the explosion?"
Noah felt a chill. "Then what is it about?"
"I don't know." She looked suddenly very tired. "But I'm scared, Noah and I hate being scared."
He reached for her hand. This time she let him take it.
"Me too," he admitted.
In the window behind her, the woman in the charcoal coat watched again.
This time, when their eyes met hers in the reflection, she didn't smile.
She looked almost… concerned.
The vibration began…..and then, a black out.