☂
I KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T
"I promise you that."
☂
- One, two -
- One, two, three, four -
- Na-na-na-na-na-na -
It was the Fall season, as Five walked down an empty street. He wore very thick clothes. He had a snow hat on, and a ripped up scarf. Behind him, he pulled a wagon. In it, sitting there was a mannequin. One which he named Delores.
The sky was almost clear, but the fire still stood, as eternal ashes fell from the sky.
- Na-na, na-na-na-na-na -
- Na-na -
- They tell me, You've touched the face of God -
- Like the sound of a rope, Crackling on your neck -
- They tell me you'd never give it up -
- Like the song that was soul singing, In your head -
He took another sip of his water. The whole world was destroyed. Which means water was scarce. Who knows how long he had left.
- So, honey, please don't let go -
- You'd better learn to fly -
- 'Cause they're gonna, Point you up at the sky -
It was winter now. The snow covered the ground, as an older Five walked through the wind. His wagon was bigger, and carried more supplies.
- The more that you want it -
- The more that you need it -
- I know you'll be by my side -
He wore a snow jacket, and boots. Googles were on his eyes, and a scarf was on his mouth to protect him from the wind. Delores, in the back wore a thick hooded jacket. Even though he was the last to survive, seeing that he purposely traveled to the future, and accidentally got stuck, Delores was like his friend. His only friend.
- In the heat of the moment -
- When the thunder and lightnin' come -
- I know that you'll be my my side -
He took off his goggles. Trying to get a better view of what was in front of him.
- Na-na-na-na-na -
- Na-na, na-na-na-na-na -
- Na-na -
- That lovin' man ain't no rollin' stone -
Soon, the snow disappeared, and grass and small plants grew out from the ground. Everything was more fresh, now that the human race was gone. Clean air, and tons of quietness. But it was Spring. It had to be quiet.
- At the sound of the drums, I'm gonna set you free -
- I talk to him on the telephone -
Five was now a very old man. He had a white beard, and long white hair. He added a bicycle to the wagon, getting as much exercise as he could, now that he was a fifty-eight year old man. Delores was still behind him. Sitting in silence.
- And these are the words, That he gave to me -
- So, honey, please don't let go... -
He and Delores stopped at a destroyed library. Though he found a chalk board for working out equations. He had a wine glass in his hand, as he licked it fingers from something he ate. Delores sat against a pillar. Listening to him. She obviously thought he was drunk.
"Do you remember that, uh, little mansion just outside the city limits? Where we--" In his head, he heard her answer.
'You mean where we first met. Tell me again, how old were you? Thirteen?' She spoke.
"Yeah." Five chuckles. "Yeah, well, it turns out the wine cellar was untouched. Picked up a few cases of your favorite Bordeaux." He chugged his glass of wine.
'First of all, Bordeaux is my favorite. Second of all, you drink too much. Like, hella tons.'
"Ah, that's an exaggeration. I don't drink too much. You know, I work hard all day. I-- Why would you even say that?" He suddenly some rubbles fall. Even though it could've just been a draft of wind, he knew the difference. He acted like he heard nothing, but it was only so he could take out his rifle and point it at whatever was watching him.
- And the more that you want it -
When he looked through the scope of his gun, He saw what looked like a woman with white hair, wearing a perfect black outfit, with a briefcase in her hand. She waved at him with a smile. Her lips were painted a perfect dark cherry color. Black sunglasses, covering her eyes.
- The more that you need it -
- I know that you'll be by my side -
- In the heat of the moment -
Five kept blinking. Thinking that he was getting sick and he was hallucinating. But he wasn't. There another human being. Right in front of him.
- When the thunder and lightnin' come -
He kept his gun aimed at the woman. Was she a threat? Was she going to kill him? Or was she here to help, and he's in a coma somewhere, where his mind is trapped in this apocalyptic world.
- I know that you'll be by my side -
- Na-na-na-na-na, na-na -
***
Five told Luther everything. From start to finish. Though he left a few parts out. The boy was sober again. And yes. He is a prick.
"When's it supposed to happen? This... apocalypse." Luther asked. He wanted to be as patient as he could. But he had over a billion questions. I don't think anybody on the planet would be able to answer them all.
"I can't give you the exact hour, but... from what I could gather, we have four days left." Five admitted.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Luther asked.
"It wouldn't have mattered."
"Of course it would. We could've banded together and helped you try to stop this thing." He reasoned.
"For the record, you already tried." Five said out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" Luther asked.
Five looked down. Not wanting to say anything. But he had to. "I found all of you. Your bodies."
"We die?"
Five looked at him. He remembered how cold they felt. "Horribly." Luther looked at him in disbelief. "You were together, trying to stop whoever it was that ends the world."
Luther looked back at him. "Wait, how do you know that?"
Five pulled out the same eyeball prosthetic wrapped in a black rag he'd shown Y/N. "This was clutched in your dead hand when I found you." He held it up, then threw it to Luther. "Must've ripped it out of their head right before you went down."
"Whose head?"
"Like I said, I don't know." Five answered.
"Well, there's a serial number on the back. Think maybe you could try--"
"No, that's a dead end." The boy chuckled. "It's just another hunk of glass." Luther gave the prosthetic back to Five.
Diego suddenly slammed the door open. "Piece of shit." He murmured. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" He demanded as he quickly approached Five to kick his ass, until Luther held him back. "Nope, let me-- Get your ape hands off of me!" He yelled.
Luther lifted him off the ground. "I can do this as long as it takes you to calm down." He said softly.
Diego panted. "Fine." He whispered. And Luther let him go.
"Now, wanna tell us what you're talkin' about?" Luther asked.
"Our brother and sister's been pretty busy since they got back. Him and Y/N were in the middle of that shootout at Griddy's, and then at Gimble Brothers, after the guys in the masks attacked the academy, looking for him and Y/N." Diego spat. Sweat was still on his forehead, as he pointed at him.
"None of which is any of your concern." Five says.
"It is now." Diego panted. "They just killed my friend, and they took Y/N." He said.
"What?" Five stood up.
"Oh, what do you care? You've never cared about anything in your entire life. You're just using her. Well, you know what? I'm done with your shit. You're gonna stay away from her." Diego said. Backing away as he did. Trying to calm himself down.
Luther turned to the boy. "Who are they, Five?"
"They work for my former employer. A woman call The Handler. She sent them... to stop me. Then, soon as Diego's friend got in their way, well, fair game." Five said. He knew that if Y/N were here, she'd smack him in the head for saying that.
"And now they're my fair game. And I'm gonna see to it they pay." Diego started walking towards the door.
"That would be a mistake, Diego. They've killed people far more dangerous than you." Five said.
"Oh yeah? You think Y/N's still alive then?" He asked, walking out the door and closing it.
Diego got into his car. He turned on the ignition. But he began hitting the honker, as more tears began to group up in his eyes. He wanted to avenge her. He wanted someone to blame. He wanted someone to kill. And then he remembered. The receipt. He pulled out the crumpled paper. He had malicious thoughts, as he started driving.
***
"Former employer? What's this really about?" Luther kept asking questions, as he stood in front of the boy, who didn't have any energy to run away. "And don't give me any of this 'It's none of your business' crap, all right?"
Five looked down. "Well, it's a long story." Luther sat down. So Five told the story. It was like it happened yesterday.
"Who the hell are you?" Old Five asked. His gun still raised.
"I'm here to help." She walked down the broken steps in her bright red heels.
"Tell me why I shouldn't put a bullet through your head right now!"
"Because..." She set her briefcase down. "If you did," She took off her sunglasses. "You wouldn't hear the offer I'm about to make you. Which would be rather tragic given your... current circumstances." She took a seat on a large piece of rock. Five walked a little closer to her, lowering his gun. Not knowing if what she was saying was true. "I work for an organization called the Commission. We are tasked with the preservation of the time continuum through manipulation and removals." She spoke as she took pulled out her black cancer stick.
"I don't understand."
"Sometimes, people... make choices that alter time. Free will, don't get me started. When that happens, we dispatch one of our agents to... eliminate the threat." Five suddenly lifted his gun back up. He wasn't ready to die just yet. "No, no, no, no." She chuckled. "You misunderstand me. You're not a target. You're a recruit." He started to lower his weapon once again. "I've come to offer you a job, Number Five. We've had our eye on you for quite some time. And we think you have a lot of potential. Your survival skills have made you quite a celebrity back at headquarters. That and your ability to jump through time."
Five thought about the idea. "You saying that I... I could actually leave here? Go... Go back?"
"In return for five years of service. Once your contract is done, you can retire to the time and place of your choosing with a pension plan to boot." The Handler explained.
"If you can alter time, why not just stop all of this from ever happening?" Five questioned.
"That's quite impossible, I'm afraid. You see... all of this, it was supposed to happen."
"That's insane. The end of everything?"
"Not everything. Just the end of... something." She grinned. "So..." She reached her hand out. "Do we have an agreement?"
Five scoffed and looked back at Delores. 'This is your one chance to walk away, Five. I'll be fine. Go on. Take her hand.' She spoke to him.
And so he did take her hand. He killed people. Innocent people. He didn't want to, but it happened.
"They turned me into the perfect instrument for rehabilitation of the time continuum. Or 'corrections' as they called them. I wasn't the only one. There are others like me. Beings out of time, fractured, extracted from the lives that they knew. I don't know how they got there. But I do know that none of them were as good as me."
Number Five was assigned to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He made sure that he was killed.
"...Dallas Love Field, the Dallas- Fort Worth area broadcasters bring you a special description of the arrival of John F. Kennedy." The announcer on the radio spoke. "And the crows yells, and the President of the United States..."
Five stood behind a fence with a gun in his hand. He had a small vintage radio hung on the fence. "...To get another view of the president as he and his First Lady depart Love Field. The presidential car moving out. The president and First Lady... head out for downtown Dallas," Five put his gun down. He knew what he had to do. "Where thousands should already be on the street right now..." He took out a little book. Vanya's book from the apocalypse, as he searched through the equations.
"They didn't realize it, but I was biding my time, trying to figure out the right equation so I could get back. If I could just get back, I knew I could stop the apocalypse. Save the world."
And he found the equation. That one equation that held his fate in his hands. "Dallas police out here in force today, doing a beautiful job of handling the crowd along with a contingent of Texas Rangers."
"So I broke my contract."
Five made his hands into fists, as they turned blue. "...all the way down... it'll turn on Houston Street and go past..."
That's when his siblings walked out into the courtyard. That's when Five came home.
Diego was the first to walk out. "Oh..." He saw the blue hole in the air.
"What is it?" Vanya asked.
"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly." Luther stated.
"Out of the way!" Klaus yelled with a fire extinguisher in his hands.
"What are you doing?" Diego asked. Klaus tried spraying it, but it did nothing. "Wait!" Klaus rolled his eyes and threw the red bottle into the blue hole.
Five saw a fire extinguisher come to his side, and it landed next to him. "...no coincidence that remarkable security measures are in effect," If the piece of metal could go through, then so could Five. "Checking the routes of travel of the people with the president. Everything and anything involving..." He started pushing himself through the portal. "...has been checked, rechecked, and then checked again.
"Wait!" Diego yelled.
"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Luther yelled. They saw person trying to get through.
"Everyone, get behind me." Luther said, pushing Klaus back.
"...without exhaustive security investigation. The presidential suite has been examined, and..."
Five yelled as he struggled to push. "...until the president's security and safety are confirmed..."
And that's when he became a boy again.
The portal in Dallas closed. Never to be seen again. "The shot appears to have come from a grassy knoll... near the street where the motorcade was moving."
"They shot the president!"
"He is dead. The president is dead."
And the story ended. Luther then gave Five a cup of coffee and plate of food, since he'd gotten drunk the night before. "So... you were a hitman?" He asked.
"Yes." Five answered.
"Uh... I mean, you had a code, right? You didn't just kill anybody."
"No code. We took out anyone who messed with the timeline." The boy explained.
"What about innocent people?" Luther asked irritably.
"It was the only way I could get back here."
"But that's murder."
"Jesus, Luther, grow up. We're not kids anymore. There's no such thing as good guys or bad guys. There's just people, goin' about their lives. But when the world ends, all those people die, including our family." Five spoke harshly, like a father giving his son a lecture. Luther looked at him scared and understanding at the same time. "Time changes everything."
"Then how do you explain Y/N? She hasn't aged a day." Luther said. He believed there was a reason why she came back. He just had to figure it out. But he'd need some help.
"I don't know. All I know, is that I have to find her. Before Hazel and Cha-Cha kill her."
***
A man on a city bus, enjoyed his day as he read a newspaper. Suddenly, a flash a blue and gust of wind knocked the paper out of his hands. He went to pick it up from the floor. When he did, he noticed a man suddenly sitting there. His skin, hair, and clothes were covered in dirt, and sweat. His hands were covered in what looked like blood. And he had a brief case in his hands.
- The planets in a rose -
- Who knows what they contain? -
The man looked at the Klaus in confusion. Where did he come from?
- And my brain is like an orchestra -
The man ignored him, and went back to reading his paper. Klaus sat in the metal chair in shock and fear and... well, nothing really. All he really felt was sad. Sad and cold.
- Playing on, insane -
- Will you love me like you loved me -
He started to cry. He lost someone. He lost him. He wanted to scream and shout his name a billion times, so everyone would know. So everyone would know what happened to him.
- In the January rain? -
The bus stopped at a bus stop. Klaus went to get off.
- Mom and Dad and violins -
- Somber country silence -
He stumbled as he stepped out. He didn't recognize anything anymore. All he could see was the death. He looked down at the object in his hands. This. This 3D rectangular cube did this to him. So much death, coming from such a small object. Pathetic, really. Why did it exist?
- The needle stopped the ticking -
He slammed the brief case angrily onto the metal bench. Why him? It could've been anyone else but him. Why him? The mechanism sent sparks flying as it became violently dented with each swing of Klaus's arm.
- The clothespins on the floor -
- And my heart is playin' hide and seek -
He threw the briefcase across the sidewalk. He was done with that. Done with that. Done with being naive. Done with everything, really. He screamed in anger, as it exploded, and sent sparks flying, and created a burst of fire. Klaus didn't care if other people were watching him. He didn't care if people were worried. It didn't help that people worried. He didn't need anyone's pity. He didn't need it. All he needed, was silence.
- Wait and count to four -
- Will you love me like you loved me? -
He fell onto his knees. He began digging an imaginary hole into the ground, though he knew nothing was happening. There was nothing he could do, to bring him back.
- And I'll never ask for more -
He cried softly. All he wanted was him back. And he'd never ask for more.
***
The cleaning lady from the motel was now lying against the wall, dead. There was a bullet hole in her skull, and her earphones were plugged out of her ears. The music still blasting loudly. Hazel and Cha-Cha were scavenging the wash room for their brief case that they assumed Klaus had taken. They honestly didn't care who they had to kill. Who they had hurt. All they wanted was the black rectangular cube with a handle on it.
"It's not here." Cha-Cha says.
Hazel turns to her as he finishes checking the lockers. "Maybe the junkie took it."
"No shit. Any other brilliant insights you wanna throw at me?" She argued.
"Yeah, I got a couple." The two assassins heard a whoosh and a clank in the wall. Another message. Hazel opened up a locker door to reveal a tube with a number fifteen labeled on, with a canister inside. Hazel grabbed the copper cylinder and gave it to Cha-Cha. She opened it and poured the note into his hands. He opened the rolled up paper and scoffed as he thought of all the things that could be written on it. "'Violation code 6870-4A, unauthorized round-trip travel to 1968. Explanation required.'" Hazel passed the note to Cha-Cha, as he went to put the canister back in the tube.
"Shit, the junkie. What the hell does he think this is? A travel agency? Damn it, Hazel."
"I know. If we don't get the case back soon, we're screwed."
"We wouldn't be if you stuck to protocol and carried the briefcase with you." Cha-Cha complained. Knowing what kind of answer she'd get from the guy.
"Well, maybe if you carried it once in a while, we wouldn't have this problem. My physical therapist isn't even covered by insurance. You don't hear me complaining!" Hazel raises his brace wrapped arm.
"Oh, so this is you suffering in silence."
"Can we not do this right now?"
"Fine. We need to get back to that family compound and find that junkie." Cha-Cha declared.
"Are you serious? We barely got out alive last time."
"We can't go back until we know what we're dealing with. I'll do some digging on the family while you look for that junkie. Let's get our briefcase."
"Fine." Hazel and Cha-Cha walked opposite directions. "Wait!" He called out.
Cha-Cha walked back in the room. "What?" She asked irritated.
"What about the girl? What do we do with her?" Hazel asked.
"Keep her knocked out for now. When the time comes, they'll tell us what to do with her."
And so their mission continued.
***
Vanya made her way to the front door as she heard someone knocking. She grabbed her scarf and put it around her neck. She opened the door to see Allison. "Hey."
"Morning. Hey, nice scarf." She walked in with a cup holder with two coffees, and a breakfast bag. She closed the door. Something caught her eye. "Are you wearing makeup?"
"Just a little." Vanya was looking through her mini fridge. She couldn't find what she was looking for. "Damn."
"What's wrong?"
"I ran out of my meds yesterday. I usually keep my refill in my butter container, but all I seem to have is butter, so..." She went to put on her jacket.
"Well, I brought you a surprise." Allison held up one of the coffees and the breakfast bag. "Bomboloni, from Petrola's Bakery. Just like when we were kids."
"That is so sweet, but... I'm gonn save it, 'cause I'm meeting Leonard for breakfast." Vanya took the coffee cup from her and took a sip.
"Flowers yesterday, brunch this morning. You're really jumpin' in with both feet." Allison said in a concerned tone.
Vanya scoffed. "What's wrong with that?" She made her way to get her keys.
"Well, how well do you know him?"
"Well, enough to get breakfast, if that's what you're asking."
"It's just, after yesterday, I don't... I have a bad feeling." Allison gripped onto her coffee cup.
"Allison. I haven't seen you in twelve years, and all of a sudden your giving me dating advice?" Vanya asked. She felt good today. A bit less light-weighted, too. In a mental way.
"I'm still your sister, and I am concerned about you... and him." The actress took a seat on the back of the couch.
"What are you concerned about?"
"Leonard seems perfectly charming, perfectly thoughtful. Perfect, really. But I've been around long enough to know that when something seems too perfect, it's usually anything but." She reasoned.
"Like a woman who's based her whole life on rumors." Vanya countered. Allison took a deep breath in, trying not to be affected. "Some people actually mean what they say." She opened her door and stepped out.
"Uh... Vanya!" Allison scoffed. Though this was a playful little argument, she was still concerned. So she pulled out her phone, and dialed the number that Grace had given to her. Y/N's number. The phone began to ring, but there was no answer, so she waited for the voicemail to come.
"There's a reason we have voicemails." She heard the greeting say. Allison chuckled. She heard a loud 'BEEP'. So she started talking. "Hey, uh... it's me. Um... I know, you're probably somewhere, doing whatever you do. It's just... Vanya is seeing this guy, and I know it's none of my business but, I'm worried, and I need help, so... just, call me, when you get a chance, please..." She sighed. "I love you, sis."
***
Leonard sat on a bar stool by the window. He drank his coffee as he waited for Vanya to show up. The cafe he chose was small and pretty lofty-like. It was simple. He knew Vanya liked simple. It was why he picked it. He then saw Vanya walk by and go towards the door. They waved at each other.
She walked towards him and started shrugging her jacket off. "Hey. Whew." Inside the restaurant played 'Feels Like Heaven'.
- Heaven is closer now today -
"What?" She asked as Leonard looked at her.
He laughed. "Nothing. You just seem happy."
"Well, honestly, I feel the best I have felt in a long time. I haven't felt this way since the last time I saw Y/N."
"Who's Y/N?" He asked.
"She's one of my sisters. She's the best. I mean, it's crazy. I've been on this medication since... I can't even remember. And I ran out yesterday, and I feel great." Vanya admitted.
"If you feel better without it, then why even bother taking it? Oh, speaking of drugs, I got you a cup of coffee." He pointed at the coffee cup in front of her.
"Oh, thanks. Allison came by earlier and brought me one. Think I'm good."
"Well, you two are spending a lot of quality time together, huh?" Leonard said. Trying his best to hide this dark tone that seemed to be slipping out.
"Hmm, sort of. We haven't seen each other in years. Ever since she's been back, she's been... trying to be a big sister." Vanya explained.
"Uh-huh."
"Even though we're the same age."
"You are?"
"We were all born on the same day." She said.
"Oh, right. Right. The, uh... uh, whole umbrella thing. I forgot that. That must've been weird." Leonard shook his hands in the air.
"You have no idea. I mean, no birthday boy, no birthday girl, just birthday kids. I mean, can you imagine sharing your birthday with seven world-famous assholes who all know they're better than you?" She joked. Somehow half the sentence was true.
The man scoffed. "I can't." He chuckled.
Vanya looked down in thought for a few seconds, until she decided to lighten her mood. "Maybe I will have some coffee." She grabbed the salt shaker, and sprinkled some in her coffee... oddly enough, I'm not sure she noticed.
"You know, I don't think your sister likes me very much." Leonard admitted.
"No. No, it's... She just doesn't think I'm capable of making my own decisions." She stirred her coffee with a spoon.
"She may have a point." Vanya looked at him with wild eyes. "You did just put salt in your coffee."
"Oh, shit, sorry." They both laughed wildly. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."
"Hm."
"I got a call earlier that... Hm. They're holding auditions for first chair in my orchestra."
"Wait a second, what happened to the... What happened to the other girl?" He asked.
"I don't know, she just stopped showing up." Vanya moved in her seat.
"Well, good. That's great news. You get a chance to audition."
"No." She chuckled. "No, I'm-- I'm not ready for that."
"Vanya. You are an amazing violinist. You already taught me how to play "Frère Jacques" in under an hour. That's pretty impressive." She grinned at him. "I'm telling you, if you... believe in yourself for once, just once, great things are gonna happen for you." He put a hand on her folded arm. They smiled at each other for what seemed like minutes.
Leonard knew exactly what happened to Helen.
***
Klaus turned the water in the bathtub on. His head still in a haze as he still remembered what had happened. He had dog tags around his neck, and a new tattoo on the side of his right shoulder. He let the water cover his entire body as he rested his head on the rim of the tub. More tears started to well up his eyes as he heard noises. He knew it was all in his head, but he believe completely that they were right outside the window.
He heard helicopter blades. He gasped as he though he saw the lights buzzing in and out rapidly. There was blood on the inside of the rims of the bathtub from Klaus's hands. He started hearing his own voice in his head. How he wished he could've saved him.
"Dave!" He heard. There were more helicopters flying around, as he heard them. "Dave!" His voice echoed into nothingness.
"Dave!"
"DAVE!"
He gasped loudly as if he had just been underwater for many hours as a time. He lurched forward to turn the water off.
There was nothing he couldn't handle, am I right?
He got out of the bathtub and went to his room. He stretched his arms. Trying to get his ears to stop ringing. "Oh, boy..." He murmured.
Five walked towards Klaus's room. He saw a trail of bloody from the bathroom, to his room. He put his hands in his pockets as he knocked on Klaus's open door. The man was tiredly putting his shirt on. "You okay?"
"Hey. Yeah, I just... Long night." He answered. His nose seeming stuffed.
"More than one, from the looks of it."
"Yeah."
"Don't remember the dog tags." The boy noticed.
"Yeah, they belonged to a friend."
"How about that new tattoo?" Five asked.
Klaus looked at his arm. "You know, I don't totally remember even getting it. Like I said, it was a long night."
"You did it, didn't you?" The boy asked.
"What are you talkin' about?"
Five walked towards him as Klaus sat down on his bed. "You know, I can recognize the symptoms, Klaus."
"Symptoms of what?"
"The jet lag. Full body itch. Headache that feels like someone shoved a box of cotton up into your nose and through your brain." He said softly. "You gonna tell me about it?"
"Your pals, when they broke into the house and they couldn't find you, they took me and Y/N hostage instead."
"And in return, you stole their briefcase." The boy grinned wickedly. One that only Klaus Mikaelson could pull off... that's not really true anymore, but you know.
"Yeah. I thought there was money in it, or I could pawn it, you know, whatever. And then I opened it."
"And the next thing you knew, you were... where? Or should I say when?" The boy asked. His eyes wide with hunger to know more.
"What difference does it make?"
"What diff-- Uh-- Okay, how long were you gone?"
"Almost a year." Klaus answered sadly.
"A year?" Five said in shock. "Do you know what this means?"
"Yeah, I'm ten months older now." Klaus joked.
"No, this isn't any sort of joke, Klaus. Hazel and Cha-Cha will do whatever they can to get the briefcase. Where is it now?"
"Gone. I destroyed it. Poof." Klaus made a little explosion with his hand. He really didn't care about anything at this point.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Five snarled.
"What do you care?"
"What do I care? I needed it, you moron, so I could get back. I could start over."
"Just... Just..." Klaus stood up. Not wanting to hear his now de-aged brother yell at him more about the so called "apocalypse".
"Where you going?"
"Interrogation's over, just... leave. You should probably find Y/N, or something..." Klaus said as he walked down the hall.
That's when it hit Five. He could find Y/N. If Hazel and Cha-Cha still had her, it would be the easiest task. He grabbed a paper and a pen and started writing a message.
'I HAVE YOUR BRIEFCASE.' He wrote. He needed a plan.
And fast.
***
Diego walked into his room. He started taking off his knives off his vest and plopping them on the bed. He then took off his vest, and kneeled down to pull out the large gray tin box out from under his bed. It had an Umbrella Academy logo on it. He clicked it open and took off the mask from the placeholders. He put all his knives in their placeholders. One of his knives caught his eye. His lucky knife. But it reminded him of too many things.
"Diego, you need to let me handle this. You're not equipped--"
"You always loved telling me what I can and can't do. You know, maybe for once, just try things my way."
He breathed in deeply. He should've tried things her way. He told her so many times. To be carefree for just once. And she did. He died because of her. He put that last knife into the box, and swiftly clicked it shut. He grabbed his gloves, and walked out of the room.
***
Klaus tiredly walked down the hall to see Pogo sitting by Grace, as he was working with her wires to wake her back up. Klaus then walked down the steps. He couldn't bare to hear anyone's voice anymore. He made it to the entrance to see a fallen and broken chandelier on the ground. He soon saw Diego, who he thought would give him answers. "What happened here?"
"You look like shit." Diego walked passed him.
"Why, thank you. Hey, where you going?"
"Nope."
"What?"
"I'm not giving you a ride." Diego said.
"Oh, come on, man. You know I can't drive."
"I don't c--"
"Okay, great. I'll just get my things. Two minutes."
Diego exhaled harshly and headed for the door.
***
Allison sat at one of the vintage computers in the Argyle Public Library. She looked through documents and newspapers about the many people named Leonard Peabody, who were celebrated for many different things.
'Peabody accepts Civic Pride Award.'
'Mr. Peabody celebrates 100th birthday.'
She scoffed at what she saw. Suddenly, she heard a woman sneeze. "Bless you."
"Oh. Thanks." Cha-Cha, unknowingly said from the other aisle of vintage computers. She had the famous Umbrella Academy biography in her hands. She couldn't believe what was in this book. She read everything about Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, the boy they were after, Ben, who is deceased to this day, Vanya, and Y/N. It's said that she was the kindest person in the world. Cha-Cha didn't believe that. She saw the girl in action. She mine as well be The Predator's human version.
Allison continued looking looking through the newspaper. She suddenly saw a person that looked a lot like Leonard in one of the pictures. He was in his workshop, with two people on either side of him. She zoomed into the image. It was Leonard. She then went through the list of names that worked at the workshop. She found his name. 'L PEABODY, 147 Murillo Street.' The actress took a out a pen and wrote down the address. She smiled at herself in victory, picked up bag, and hurried off.
Cha-Cha, sitting in the other aisle, continued reading the book. I guess some people were cold and mean for many reasons.
***
Hazel walked into the a packed Griddy's Doughnuts. Agnes saw him walk in and smiled. "Long time, no see." She greeted.
"Well... busy today, huh?" He asked, taking a seat at the bar table.
"Oh. Tuesday specials. Cream-filleds are half off. If we don't sell them by midnight, they get as hard as hockey pucks." The woman chuckled. "So," She took out her pen and notepad. "What can I get ya?"
He smiled at her. "That's a good question. Glazed. Reliable, simple. Chocolate's rich and sensual." Agnes chuckled. "Cherry-filled. Big upside, greatest potential for disappointment." Her smile faded away. "I don't know what to do. I think I'll just sit here and... think about it."
"Well, you better... figure it out in a hurry, because I'm about to go on my lunch break." Agnes reminded.
"Well, I could eat." Hazel said.
"Ah." Agnes grinned. She seemed, in love.
***
Diego drove his car in the light rain, with Klaus sitting beside him. He was usually more talkative and vibrant, but now, he seemed quiet and dead inside. "You okay?" He asked the druggie. Klaus said nothing but lazily took a sip of his vodka. "Wow. This is a first. My brother Klaus is silent. Last time you were this quiet, we were twelve. Ran down the stairs wearing Grace's heels, tripped over, and broke your jaw. How long was it wired shut again?"
"Eight weeks." Klaus answered hoarsely.
"Eight glorious weeks of bliss. I remember Y/N was the one who had to handle you when you tried ripping the wire off. Good times. " Diego grinned at himself.
Klaus had seen something out the window that caught his attention. "Hey, just... just drop me off here. Diego looked at him confused, but drove towards the little strip mall anyway. They parked in front a bar.
'VFW Lakeshore Post B392.' It was called. Klaus opened the door and stumbled out of the car with the bottle in his hands. "You sure you okay, man?" Diego called, but his brother ignored him as he shut the door. Diego looked at him confused from inside the car. 'What is he doing inside this place, anyway?'
Klaus rubbed his eyes and opened the door to the building. On the door, it said, 'Welcome To Veterans Of Foreign Wars'.
Diego shook his head in disbelief, and started his car again.
***
Y/N laid awake in the trunk of Hazel and Cha-Cha's car. She would've tried getting out, but she'd never had to break free from a car trunk before. I guess it's first times for everything. Her wrists and ankles were bound together by duct tape. Dried blood stuck to the sides of her face. Her hands were bruised. Her clothes were also a bit bloody. Her wounds had actually been patched up. Courtesy of Hazel. You could say he was feeling a bit sad for the girl. Even though Y/N was really thirty-one years old, mentally.
She heard footsteps coming towards the car.
'Please be Five. Please be Five. Please be Five.' She thought. Not that she needed saving. She was just saving her anger for him so she could kick his ass for getting in such a mess from his time away.
The trunk door opened. It was Cha-Cha. The woman grabbed her by the shoulders of her shirt. Y/N knew she wanted answers. But she would never give them. "I'm gonna give you one last chance. Where. Is Number Five?" Cha-Cha demanded.
"Even if I knew, why the hell would I tell you?" The girl answered.
'I knew this would happen.' Cha-Cha thought. "Fine, then. I wanna propose a deal. If you tell me where your frustrating heck of a brother is, me and my partner can protect you from our former employer." Cha-Cha announced.
"So your employer wants me. How nice. Does she wanna give me a job, or something?" Y/N asked. A small wicked grin on her face.
"Just answer the question. Deal or no deal?"
Y/N chuckled. "I don't need your protection. I don't need anyone's protection. You can cut me. You can beat me. You can hurt me as many times as you'd like. But your not gonna touch him. Because if you do, I will kill you. I promise you that."
Cha-Cha stared into the girl's cold (e/c - eye color) eyes. She then shoved Y/N back into the trunk. "Your life kid. Not mine." She shut the trunk and walked away.
Y/N promised her that.
And she's pretty good at keeping her promises.
☂
Author's Note:
Sorry. It's been too long. I hope your okay.
Are you okay?