Golden Leaves

Maybe This Was A Bad Idea

I wasn't even halfway up the stairs before Luther was hurrying after me. His thudding footsteps announced his presence long before he ever spoke. I swear, he couldn't be quiet if his life depended on it. Every step he took sounded like thunder, every breath like a tornado. Even from several steps behind me, his footsteps echoed in my head and made me wince.

"You're supposed to be taking care of Klaus, Luther," I hurried into Elliot's living room and looked around.

Luther's thudding footsteps were almost too loud. I was searching for one sound in particular and it wouldn't come from Luther. When he finally stopped next to me, I was able to focus, "Klaus is fine, Clove, he's Klaus."

"He's Klaus but that doesn't mean he's fine," I shot Luther a pointed glare, "Honestly, Luther, you're a pretty shitty Number One."

"You take that back."

I shrugged and gave him a cheeky grin, "Unlikely."

"You know, you and Five really are a lot alike," Luther commented, "You're both grumpy old bastards."

I pointed at him in a sort of mock-threat, "One hundred ways to kill a man, Luther."

"You can't even reach me."

"I'm one of the two deadliest assassins in the space-time continuum, I'll find a way."

Luther rolled his eyes. In tune with Luther's eye roll, both falling into the exact same rhythm, came the thumping of footsteps. I let my hand drop as a smile crossed my face. I knew that pattern anywhere; Five was pacing.

The pacing came from the backroom. Without giving Luther time to think of a comeback, I spun on my heel and rushed to the locked door. Luther hurried after me as I furiously knocked, "Five! May I come in?"

The footsteps paused. I listened as the lock clicked and Five swung open the door. He didn't even look at either of us as he did, instead choosing to gaze out the open window on the opposite wall. I gratefully stepped in. Luther was close behind, but Five slammed the door in his face.

"Five!" Luther shouted, "Come on!"

Five began to pace once again, "Imbecile."

"He means well," I fell to sit on Elliot's spare bed, "They all do."

"A lot of good that's done us."

The room Five was pacing was Elliot's old store room. It had once been a bedroom, evident by the single twin bed and two nightstands pressed up against one wall. The rest of the room was filled with boxes and racks of clothes. Most of the boxes had papers or wires coming out, a few had old film negatives popping out of ripped edges. The entire room had a fine layer of dust, so much so that a tiny cloud poofed up around me whenever I fell onto the bed.

"You're not giving up, are you?" I tilted my head and watched him pace.

Five tugged at his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, "Of course not, when have I ever given up?"

"And that is why we're best friends," I pushed myself off of the bed, "What're you thinking?"

"We have one day left," Five muttered, "We have to get out of this timeline and we have to do it now, the best chance we have is to get a briefcase."

I scratched under my hat, "We could try and steal one from the Swedes? Or the Twins?"

"They're trained to guard those briefcases with their lives, it would take us the entire day just to get them," Five rung his hands together, "We need people who are already on our side."