Life as We Know it [Five]

Fifteen

If Klaus is the Seance, and Allison is the Rumor, what would Emery be?

"Who is he? I just asked for you boy since you seem to be the sensible one of the bunch." Reginald asked when Emery came in with Five.

"This boy has a name. Five. Five Hargreeves." Five explained, trying to keep his composure.

"Five? But that's a number."

"Exactly. You named us numbers. We had to give names to ourselves."

"How unfortunate. And him?" Reginald said, sympathy dropping away in a second.

"This is Emery."

"And what business does he have here?"

"He may be the only other competent leader or so as you put it. He sticks with me."

"Very well."

Five sighed. "The reason I am the sensible one of the bunch is because I'm the oldest. You know, technically, I'm older than you right now."

A decanter was placed in front of Reginald. "Cognac?" He offered.

"Just a smidge." Five said. Emery himself didn't respond since he knew the question wasn't directed at him. He was inconveniently there to bear witness to the following conversation and knew the old man wasn't in any hurry to involve him.

"The other night you quoted Homer at me. Why." Reginald asked.

"You forced us all to learn it as kids. In the original Greek, no less." The two toasted glasses and took a swig. "This world ends in five days I'd we don't get out of the timeline." Five said.

"Worlds end. Paleozoic, Jurassic, and so on." Reginald said uncaring.

"We can do something about this one." Five insisted.

"Man's greatest flaw: the illusion as control."

"I need your help." Five said, trying to remain civil. "All right? You're my last sane option. Otherwise, I gotta make a deal that I- that we both really don't want me to make. What do you know about time travel?"

"In theory?" The man asked.

"In practice." Five clarified.

"I know it's akin to descending blindly into the depths of freezing waters and reappearing—"

"As an acorn, yeah." Five finished.

"What transpired when you tried traveling before?"

"I botched it." Five admitted.

"How?"

"I jumped too far forward, got stuck in the future for 45 years in an apocalypse. Then I jumped too far backwards... except this time I brought Emery and my entire family with me."

"Maybe your appetite is disproportionate to the size of your abilities. Start small. Seconds. Not decades." Reginald suggested.

"Seconds?"

"Mmm."

"Look, no offence, but i need a bit more time for what I'm trying to accomplish."

"So much can change in a matter of seconds. One could overthrow and empire." Reginald said. "One could fall in love." He added. "An acorn doesn't become an oak overnight."

"I was really hoping you had more than that." Five said.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"I'm sorry too." Five sighed. "I gave you such a hard time as a kid. I didn't know any better."