I pulled my finger away, and the button rose back up out of its square hole.

'You need to work on your lying face woman,' I said as I put my hands in my pockets and pivoted on the spot, ready to stroll down the strange metal corridor with my smug grin plastered over my face.

'You shouldn't have done that,' she said behind me as I walked away, a note of condescension in her voice.

'Yeah, good luck guarding the button that does jack-all for the rest of your life.'

'It just hasn't started yet.'

'Maybe I'll press it again to help you along then,' I said as I waved a hand in the air casually.

'Pressing it does nothing.'

Immediately there was a whirlwind of confusing, nauseating motion all around me, and when it ceased I found myself facing her and the empty metal wall with the single button at the center, my index finger on the pressed button.

'It's when you let go that things get nasty.'

'Wait, what just happened?'

'You see, this one button deconstructs this reality, and we couldn't allow subjects like you to wander in through one of the shifting paths and initiate the destruction of us all, so our people developed temporal loops. Like the one you're stuck in right now.'

'W-what?'

'In simple terms, you can't let go of this button. Because we won't let you.'

'This is bullshit,' I muttered as I let go and began sprinting down the corridor. This woman was dangerous. Had she drugged me? What was happening? Nevermind, I'd find out what-

I was staring at a face. A woman's face, who had a pleasant, submissive smile on, like most of the service staff in the building. My finger was pressed against the hard, grainy plastic of the button on the wall.

'What. The. Fuck. Is. Happening.'

'Let me try again. As I've told you before, bad things will happen if you let the button go, and we can't let that happen, so time will rewind to the moment you pressed the button every time you let go of it.' 'What? Why didn't you keep the goddamn button hidden or locked then?'

'This reality has been coded to facilitate subject access to the button. Measures of resistance fail.'

'Why can't you rewind the time to where I hadn't pressed it if it's that fucking important?'

'That would create a temporal anomaly, a paradox, and so it can't be done.'

'Fuck you.'

'If you have any more questions, I'm here for your assistance,' she said with that pleasant smile of hers.

I started thinking. It seemed like I had all the time in the world anyway. A few hours and dozens of questions later, I began to realize the trouble I was in. I had to figure a way out of this shit, and for that I had to find out as much as I could about the hole I was in.

'What's a paradox?' I asked the woman.

'A paradox is a contradiction in logic. For example, If you went back in time and killed your grandfather before your father was born, it would create a temporal paradox, and hence that can't be allowed to happen.'

That didn't help. I didn't really care about whatever bad things were supposed to happen if the button was let go. What I did care about was not spending my entire life stuck to this dumb piece of plastic, next to this evil service staff woman.

An idea began to form in my head. What I needed before trying it was just one answer.

'Are you causing the rewind, or is it automatic?' I asked her.

'It's automatic. I'm sorry I can't help you there.'

Hmm. So as soon as I left the button, it basically started a countdown. At the end of the countdown, I was sent back to the button.

I stepped away from the button, and began counting in my head.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.

And I was back pressing it again.

Okay. Time to act.

I took in a deep breath, smiled at the young woman in plaid shirt, and pounced at her with my free hand. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me. Catching hold of her hand, I pushed her palm to the recessed button so that both of us were pressing it now. And then I let go before she could.

She had a shocked expression on her face. I had broken past her stamped-on smile.

I briefly thought of running, but then a better idea entered my mind.

'Good luck guarding the button that does jack-all for the rest of your life,' I said as I put my hands in my pockets, pivoted on the spot, and strolled down the strange metal corridor with a smug grin plastered over my face.