EMPATH | Five Hargreeves

•~-~• PROLOGUE •~-~•

"There's no time to explain," Hazel pointed into the sky, "Those are nukes, old-timer."

"What about my family?"

"You can't save them if you're dead,"

Five gripped Hazel's hand, as he flashed them away with his briefcase. They landed on a sidewalk in a very much not-destroyed town.

Five looked at his surrounding, "Okay... what the hell was that?"

"The end of the world, November 25, 1963," Hazel explained.

"'63," Five repeated. He chuckled, "You know, Hazel, I'm no history buff, but I don't recall there being a nuclear holocaust."

"No shit,"

"What about my family?"

"Dead, like everyone else," Hazel deadpanned.

"And where am I now?"

"Dallas, same street. Ten days earlier," Hazel moved to sit on the bench they landed by, "Plenty of time to restore the timeline and save them."

"Okay," Five whispered. He sat down next to Hazel with giddiness in his step, "So, where do we start?"

"We?" You're on your own, pal. I'm just here to keep a promise to Agnes," Hazel slung his arm on the briefcase.

"Is she...?" Five trailed, almost afraid to ask.

"Dead?"

"Yeah,"

"Cancer," Hazel blinked, "Took her quick. But we had 20 good years together. I guess forever just wasn't in the cards."

A blue bus pulled over to the sidewalk across the street, opened the door, and let a few passengers out.

"I'm sorry, Hazel," Five was no doubt sincere, "What about the Commission?"

"I quit those assholes, remember? I don't owe 'em the fuzz off my peaches,"

Five stared forward and eyed three platinum blond-haired men waltzing straight for them. "Then who the hell are those guys?" He stood.

The three men raised guns at the two of them.

"Shit," Hazel said, "Run!" He shoved his briefcase into Five's arms.

Five fell backward and blinked behind a car. Electricity crackled from the briefcase, earning a sigh from Five. "How many times did I say bullet-proof briefcases?"

Five peaked up, seeing the men aim their guns at him. He quickly ducked and blinked onto a nearby rooftop, panting to regain his breath. Five blinked back into the same alleyway he showed up in, glancing back as police sirens blared past him. He struggled to fix his tie in an act to collect himself when he turned back and look through a window with a curtain that just so happened to close. He glanced to the rooftop, seeing a camera contraption built. As always, his curiosity got the better of him and he blinked inside the building. He appeared on a staircase and took the steps two at a time. He stepped onto the landing and fixed his jacket before looking through a door with frosted glass, he shrugged and knocked. Immediately, the other door opened and the man poked his head out. The man glanced at the staircase, seeing if anybody was behind Five.

Finally, he turned his attention to the Hargreeves, "What do you want?"

"Hi, I'm selling encyclopedias for my youth group," Five did his best to put on a smile, "I was curious if-"

The man cut him off by slamming the door in his face. Five blinked inside, causing not-so-manly yelps to come from the stranger. The man pulled open his drawers as he searched for something that might help him. Five tilted his head at the man.