EMPATH | Five Hargreeves

XI •~-~• "It's Been A While"

"Angel!" She heard a gasp, but she ignored it.

Her hands began to shimmer and a star pierced her chest. She let out an inhumane howl as Louis screamed in pain, a star burning into the flesh on his chest. His eyes mimicked Angels, now a bright blood red. Blood began to pour from his ears and to the floor. His body paled and shriveled to nothing but a mound of flesh in bones as his organs ate themselves, causing him to bleed out.

"Put your hands in the air!" She heard behind her.

Her face paled and she rose her hands above her head. She turned to see a swat of cops pointing their guns at her. From her spot in her room, she could see into the kitchen, where a terrified family sat, glancing in her general direction. The cops locked her away that night, and she wasn't let out until two years later when the judge ruled purgery in the court of law. Her witnesses couldn't seem to get their story straight at her final hearing, where they were gonna give her life.

•~-~•~-~•

ANGEL TRAMPLED THROUGH the door as Luther held it open for her. When she refused to go into the diner, Five pushed her through the doorway. Loud Irish music played over the speakers in the ceiling as people mingled throughout the room. Luther and Five walked in behind her, glancing around at all the faces. Five peered around Angel's shoulder, staring at one man in particular.

"Well, there I am," Five mumbled.

Luther, Angel, and Five leaned ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of an old man writing on a piece of paper, a familiar briefcase sitting at his feet.

"Why don't we just grab the briefcase and run?" Luther questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

Five looked appalled, "Luther, I would never let that happen. We're trained to guard these briefcases with our lives."

"Right," Luther nodded.

"Plus it's the inherent paradox where this gets tricky," Five fidgeted around, "I'm endangering my existence just being in the room with myself."

"What do you mean?" Luther glanced back at Five.

"Luther, try to keep up," Five sighed, "If old me doesn't travel back to 2019 like he's supposed to, the whole thing unravels itself," Five gestured toward himself, "I cease to exist. You got me?"

Luther slowly nodded, "I got you."

"So, our best chance is to talk with him, to reason with him. He'll understand, trust me," Five nodded, "I know myself better than, uh, better than I know myself."

Five unconsciously scratched the back of his neck, earning a jaw drop from Luther.

"You just itched your neck," Luther pointed, "That's stage two of paradox psychosis."

"No, I didn't," Five argued.

Angel raised her eyebrows, "Oh, denial, stage one."

"I am fine, okay?" Five snarled, "Let's stay on task, shall we?"

Five started toward his older self but was pulled back by Luther. "Wait!"

"What?"

"Maybe Angel or I should go first?"

"Why?" Angel shrugged.

"Well, you'll freak him out. Bumping into your own tiny doppelganger? He will lose his shit," Luther explained.

Angel sighed, "I'll break the ice."

Angel slowly inched her way toward the old man, growing a smile on her face when she stood next to him.