Number Zero- The Umbrella Academy (Book 1)

☂10☂

One year after Five's disappearance...

Zero let out a deep sigh as he and Vanya sat in the garden, three plates of peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches laid before them, each untouched. Today marked the first anniversary of Five's disappearance, an entire year without a trace of the boy who had wanted to time travel.

"Do you want to eat?" Vanya asked, looking at the boy beside her. Glancing down at the sandwiches, Zero grimaced. He had always hated peanut butter, but Vanya had made the sandwiches to honor Five, and it would be disrespectful if he refused. "You don't have to if you don't want to." The girl continued.

Zero shook his head, picking up his sandwich, "No, it's okay. I just can't believe that he finally got me to try his disgusting combination." Vanya laughed as she picked up her own sandwich before the two took a bite and began eating in comfortable silence.

Five's sudden disappearance had affected Zero the most out of everybody. His and Five's relationship was unique; it wasn't like his relationship with any of his other siblings. The two understood and respected each other in a way that none of their siblings could. Some of their siblings even said they could read each other's minds because they were so in sync.

And the fact that Zero took Five's disappearance the hardest wasn't a surprise to anyone. The two loved each other; they were one-half of a whole, and now they were incomplete.

Zero hadn't been the same since Five disappeared. He was distant and cold, the complete opposite of the kind and caring brother he used to be.

Instead of reading in the library or hanging around his siblings, he could now be found locked in his room alone for long periods or until Pogo, or their mother managed to get him out for training or to eat his meals. The only people Zero made any effort to speak to were Vanya, Ben, or even Klaus on the rarest of occasions.

He and Vanya would always leave his favorite peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich for him before going to bed. Today was the last day they would be doing that since their father had told them to stop after a year.

At times, Zero would read a book while Vanya played her violin in either of their rooms. Zero always ensured to include Vanya even in the little things since she was always left out of everything else he wanted her to know that he cared for her.

Zero often tried to help Ben deal with his problems. He was there for him when Ben just needed someone to listen while he talked about his issues. He and Ben formed a book club and would get together to discuss what they had read and what they thought.

Klaus was Zero's out for when he didn't want to feel anything. He and Klaus would drink and smoke together to forget their pain. At times Zero felt like he was using his brother, but he also knew that Klaus was the only one who could remotely know his pain.

Zero had been planning a way to get his brother back, but he never seemed to have the correct calculations or the technology required to time travel everything he did always seemed to lead to a dead end.

Later that night, the boy hit his desk in frustration, causing papers to spill all over the ground, wondering what he could be missing until it hit him. He needed to find a way to make a time machine possible by using negative energy and pushing against positive energy. It could theoretically exist, but if it did, it might only be in quantities too small to construct a large enough time machine that could fit a person. So he needed to find a way to make a small one with enough power to take a person through space and time.

Months passed before Zero had finally figured out the right calculations. The object he would be using as his time machine was an old watch he had taken from his father's study while looking for research on how Five's powers worked and how it could be applied to travel through time, and modified it to work to his needs.

All he needed to do was find a location with an intense energy surge and a lightning storm. Lucky for him, it seemed like tonight was the night to set out his plan. What he didn't know was that he wouldn't be coming home for a very long time.

As Zero turned to look at the house one last time, he assured himself that he would be back soon with his brother, and then things would get better.

Zero was on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city while lightning struck around him. He looked down at the leather watch, with its many gears and three ticking clocks that would be adjusted to when in time he wanted to go.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Zero to turn quickly.

Looking at an unfamiliar young man in front of him, Zero tensed up, reaching into his jacket and feeling the cool touch of his gun. "Who are you? What are you doing up here?"

The man let out a small chuckle, "I could ask you the same thing." He said, walking closer, "You see, technically, you're not supposed to be anywhere near here. You're supposed to be at home doing whatever causes those marks under your sleeves."

Zero's eyes widened in shock while his arm unconsciously pulled his sleeve down.

"But of course, sometimes free will causes people to go off course, and people are assigned to take care of that." The man said as if he were talking about something simple like the weather.

Zero stared at the man suspiciously, putting his hand on his gun once again, ready to pull it out at any moment. "You won't be needing that I'm not here to hurt you. Just here to make you an offer." The man said, waving his hand dismissively.

"What makes you think I'll be interested." He told the man.

"Trust me, you'll be interested. It's about your brother." That caught Zero's attention. The man walked over to the edge of the building before looking over the side. "Now that I have your interest, here's the deal. My boss sent me to eliminate you because you pose a threat to the timeline because of the decision you've made, but I think you have great potential. And want to recruit you."

"Recruit me for what?" Zero asked him cautiously, his inner instincts telling him not to trust the man, but the man's word's had caught Zero's attention enough for him to ignore his instincts.

The man turned to him with a smile, "You get to help people fulfill their destinies and take out those who stand in the way." He said nonchalantly, causing Zero to stare at him in disbelief. "But the important thing is you'll get your brother back." He continued.

Zero took a few moments to think, feeling the rain soak through his jacket, causing his skin to get colder by the second, but he didn't feel the cold instead, he felt the thumping of his heart as it beat faster with the sudden opportunity.

"I get to have my family back together?" Zero asked him.

The man smiled his back to the young boy, knowing he had just hooked him. "Yes, you all get to be together again." He responded, leaving out the part where all but one would be alive in their reunion, but it wasn't an entire lie.

Zero thought about it for a moment before looking up at the man and saying, "I'll do it." The man smiled devilishly, stretching out his hand, "We got a deal then."

Hesitantly taking his hand, Zero wondered if he was making the right choice, but before he could think any further, he and the man disappeared in a flash of light.