Paradoxical time: A dual destiny (five Hargreeves)

Chapter 4: The Bank Mission

Eleanor observed from a balcony along the riverbank, where she and her siblings had stealthily infiltrated, as a group of marauders pillaged the place. "Make sure they stay behind the counters!" one of the robbers bellowed, brandishing his firearm. "Now, I didn't want to do this, but unfortunately, you forced my hand."

"Oh, for God's sake," Eleanor muttered under her breath, exasperated.

Allison crept up beside the robber, casting a sideways glance at him. "Hey, go back with the other hostages, now!" the man growled.

"I heard a rumor," she said, giggling mischievously. "I heard a rumor that you shot one of your buddies in the ankle," she whispered in his ear.

The man slowly turned around, his grip on the gun tightening as he was captivated by her words. "What are you—ah!" A gunshot pierced through the ankle of another robber, who crumpled to the floor in agony.

Eleanor leaped onto the balcony's edge just as Luther came crashing through the ceiling, shattering glass upon impact. He forcefully pinned a robber against the counter and then flung him through a nearby window.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and raised her hand, her eyes turning pitch black as a shadowy entity emerged, assaulting two armed men and siphoning away their life force.

"Only sissies use guns; real men use knives," Diego remarked to one of the robbers, hurling two silver blades that defied physics, finding their mark in another body.

Eleanor borrowed a blade from Diego and used it to dispatch several of the robbers. The last remaining robber stood atop the counter, waving his gun erratically and aiming haphazardly at the siblings.

"Get away from me!" the man screamed in fear.

"Watch yourself, man," Diego taunted with a smirk.

"Careful so you don't take a tumble," Allison added smugly.
Five materialized on the counter next to the robber with a resounding whoosh. "What could you possibly do?"

Bang! Bang! In a swift spatial jump, Five leaped behind the robber to evade the gunfire. The man spun around, his gun poised. Five peered down at the scene. "Hmm, that's a really nice stapler! Quite the statement piece," he quipped before forcefully slamming the office tool into the man's head. The robber tumbled off the counter, unconscious.

The seven children cautiously approached a nearby door. Eleanor could discern the silhouettes of more individuals within. "Really?" Ben asked with a pout.

"Come on, Ben, it's only a couple more guys," Luther encouraged, gesturing toward the door. As Ben entered the room, he unleashed four elongated tentacles, each one ensnaring a man.

The other siblings could hear the men screaming and pleading for help. When Ben emerged from the room, he was drenched in blood. Even the white of his domino mask had turned a deep shade of red. His vision was obscured.

"I wanna go home," Ben whined to the others. Eleanor's attention shifted to the commotion outside the bank.

"I think there are reporters outside," Allison noted with excitement. When they left the building, Number Eight's smile faded as she stood alongside her comrades, cameras flashing and reporters firing off questions faster than they could answer. After a while, their father stepped forward.

"The only constant in life is that things are always changing," Reginald announced to the assembled audience. "As observed, there are individuals among us who have obtained fantastic and extraordinary abilities. I have taken seven such individuals under my wing. I introduce to you 'The Umbrella Academy.'"

The reporters erupted with excitement. One inquired, "Mr. Hargreeves, did they not have parents? What happened to them?"

Reginald positioned himself behind the siblings. "They were rewarded properly for their cooperation," he responded.

Another reporter shouted, "What about the safety of the children? Aren't you worried that they could get hurt at a young age?"

"Obviously, but I am more concerned for the fate of the world at large," Reginald declared with pride.