Number Zero- The Umbrella Academy (Book 1)

☂20☂

After taking the Handler's hand the three were transported to the Temp Commission's base of operation set in 1955. The place was in constant loop, always coming back to the same day over and over causing it to always be sunny and green. Zero didn't know exactly how it worked but he always found it strange that things reset everyday but the people in the Commission weren't affected in the slightest. 

"I must admit, Number Five, I've never met anyone quite like you." The Handler said as she walked alongside Five and Zero towards the the building.

"Hazel and Cha-Cha, for example, are talented, certainly, but...they can't see the big picture. Your spunk, your enterprising spirit, well, it reminds me a great deal of myself, if...I may be so vainglorious." She said to him as they kept walking. "If things work out for you here, you could potentially make a fine successor, Five." She continued, making Zero roll his eyes.

"I'd like to discuss the logistics of our family's safety at your earliest convenience. As well as this body replacement." Five said as we walked up the step.

"Such chutzpah. It's refreshing, I'll admit. Slow down, Five. All in good time. In fact, now that you've finally agreed to work with us, we've got all the time in the world." She told him. Zero felt like the third wheel on a really awkward date, if he was being honest. "The Commission works in support of a delicate balance between the timeline of events and mankind's free will. The briefcase is no longer part of your kit, Five—free your mind. You're management now. One of us. All the people on this floor are case managers, each one responsible for one major event at a time." She told Five, leading him down the hall.

"So many of them." Five said, looking into one of the rooms,

"Impressive, isn't it? Being a part of something... so grand. Come along." The Handler said as she led the two down the hall.

"Whenever someone chooses the wrong path, and the timeline is changed, the Commission gets a report from field agents on the ground. These field reports are sorted and assigned to a case manager. They determine if anyone needs to be... removed from the equation to assure that their event happens as it should. Based on that determination, the case manager sends instructions via pneumatic tube to... temporal assassins like you two were formerly, Number Five and Zero. any queries so far?" She finished.

Finally, Zero thought to himself since she always talked too much.

"Yeah. Who was the case manager handling me?" Five asked her.

"Ah. you mean the apocalypse." She said, sliding her finger down his cheek and giving him a soft tap on the face. Zero looked on in disgust as he watched her. The woman was practically flirting with a thirteen-year-old even though he wasn't one.

She led Five to one of the offices and walked in after telling Zero to wait in the hall. As he waited, he glanced around to see if there were any cameras or anything that gave away a weak spot in this place.

When she finally walked out, she scrutinized him up and down before speaking. "Ready to get started on your new job?" She asked as she began to walk back down the hall they had come from a while ago; he didn't answer her and just continued walking.

"You know, I remember when you were recruited. One of our former agents did, to be exact. He was quite the looker too if I remember correctly. You two became rather good friends, didn't you? What a shame that he passed, isn't it?" She stated, trying to bait a reaction out of him, but Zero wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

They had walked down the staircase and were now headed towards one of the many hallways. "I must admit, even after everything you did, it was clever. You and your companions managed to keep everything in the dark until the last possible moment, but there was one thing you couldn't have foreseen, wasn't there?" The Handler asked almost teasingly.