𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐂𝐅𝐋𝐘 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves²

6│A SINCERE APOLOGY

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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴛʏ ᴍᴄғʟʏ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀ sɪɴᴄᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢʏ ꒱　


❝ I'M SORRY ❞

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Training was a given, daily part of The Umbrella Academy. Sometimes there was one-on-one training with Sir Reginald Hargreeves, sometimes there was individual training and sometimes there was group training. There were times where all three could be happening at once in different rooms. Today, though, the children were practicing their abilities together on dummy robots that mimicked real villains.

Their task was to devise and execute a foolproof strategy as they worked succinctly as a team. Luther, as leader, came up with the plan with little pushback from everyone else (mostly because of their father's presence.) The robots wielded guns filled with rubber bullets that, while painful, weren't terribly deadly. The most useful power against these would be Alexa's shield which would prevent any of her siblings from getting hurt.

Then, with their barrier in place, Luther and Diego would take out the dummies while the rest of the team waited safely for the next step (here, Five said that they should call the dummies something else because he was afraid that Numbers One and Two would think they were talking about themselves. He was promptly (gently) smacked on the back of the head by Alexa.)

The training commenced. The blue of the shield lit up the already bright space and the simulation began. Alexa, still new to her powers, struggled to maintain her shield against the force of the bullets. Luther sprang into action and charged forward through the small opening she allowed. Diego hesitated, worried that his stutter would prevent him from alerting their siblings that it was safe to come out.

Luther needed help, though, and Number Eight grit her teeth as she struggled to keep up with the steady force against her. In trying to be encouraging, she gave a shout: "go, Diego, go!"

That got him into action and as he and Luther completed their part of the plan successfully, a familiar blue light flashed next to her and Five spoke quietly in her ear with amusement in his voice as he observed, "you know, it would just be easier to call him Go-Go."

☂☂☂

When they returned to Elliot's house, Five and Alexa made sure to keep plenty of space between themselves. The girl chose to sit on Diego's other side while Five paced away from them as one of his hands reached behind his head to scratch at the back of his neck in apparent discomfort. "Oh, he isn't dead."

"Disappointed?" Diego asked.

"To see you? Always."

Despite their recent argument, the past few years of being alone made her more forgiving as she asked with concern, "are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," her brother grunted.

"So much hostility in such a tiny package," Lila commented.

Alexa gave a snort. "He wouldn't be so cocky if I hadn't just saved him a great deal of pain."

Both the woman and Diego turned to look at her curiously but before she could say anything, Five brushed her off. "Yeah, thanks for that." He turned his gaze towards Elliot who was now snoring in his chair. "You didn't untie him?"

"Was I supposed to?" Lila asked.

Five didn't reply and freed the sleeping man before he kicked him awake. He jerked in response. "You guys tied me up!"