"Yeah, well, it's a good thing my mom's dead."
"Harold Jenkins?" Allison read out.
"Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?" buzzed Diego.
Five finished off his stolen coffee, hurling the cup behind him. "I don't know...yet. But I do know that he's responsible for the apocalypse. So we have to find him. And we have to do it now."
"How is he connected to what's gonna happen?" Luther interview.
"I don't know."
"Wait, so you just know his name?" confirmed Number Two, "That's it?"
"That's enough."
"There's probably dozens of Harold Jenkins's in the city."
"Well, we just better start looking, then."
"I'm sorry." Allison stepped forward, "Am I the only one that is sceptical here? I mean, how exactly do you know all of this about what's his name?"
"Harold Jenkins." The boy stressed, shifting his weight around, "You know those lunatics in masks who attacked the house?"
"Oh, yeah, I think I remember those guys." Klaus joked.
"Yeah, the ones that attacked us while you were getting drunk." Diego mouthed off.
"Yeah. Them. "Five assured, ignoring the jabs, "They were sent by the Temps Commission to stop me from coming back and preventing the end of life on Earth."
Numbers three's face scrunched, "The Temps what?"
"My former employer. They monitor all of time and space to make sure that whatever is supposed to happen...happens. They believe the apocalypse is coming in three days. So I went to commission headquarters and intercepted a message that was meant for said lunatics. 'Protect Harold Jenkins.' So he must be responsible for the apocalypse."
"What do you mean, protect time and space?"..."Where is the Hazel, Five?"..."I'm hungry." The rest chatter over each other, "My skin is on fire."
"Do you have any idea how insane this is?" Allison voice boosted through.
"You want to know what else is insane? I look like a thirteen-year-old boy. Klaus talks to the dead, and Luther thinks he is fooling everyone with that overcoat." Five seethed, fed-up, "Everything about us is insane. It always has been."
"He's got a point there." Klaus mumbled from his coward position over the arm of the bench.
"We didn't chose this life, we're just living it. For the next three days, anyway."
"But the last time we tried to stop is, we all died." Allison protested, "Why is this time any different? Why shouldn't I go home to my daughter?"
"Because this time, we're here." The time-traveller gestured between the slouched ginger and himself, "We have the name of the man responsible. Guys, we actually have the chance of saving the lives of billions of people. Including Claire."
"You know her name?"
"I do, and I'd like to live long enough to meet her."
"All right?" The woman caved, "Let's get this bastard."
"You had me at Gerald Jenkins." Diego smirked.
"Harold Jenkins." Five corrected.
"Whatever. I've already lost two people this week, I'm not losing anyone else."
"And Luther?"
"Yeah, you guys go." Number one advised, "I'm gonna stay and go through Dad's files. I still think this has something to do with why he sent me to the moon."
"Seriously?" Diego glared, "Now you want to make the end of the world about you and Dad?"
"No. 'Watch for threats.' That's what he told me." Luther recited, "You think that's a coincidence? This all has to be connected somehow."
"No, we should all stick together." Allison grazed his arm.
"We don't have time for this." yelled Five at his pathetic brother.
"Let's roll." Diego forced, "I know, where we can find this asshole. Klaus, you're with me."
"Yeah. I-I'm good." The druggie declined, "I think I'll..." He struggled to get up, "I think I'll pass, I'm...feeling a little under the weather." He wobbled to the exit, Five, Diego, Allison and Echo on his trail.
-----------------
Echo rested her cheek against the car window, she could feel the light breeze strain throught the material, biting her skin. With each breath, a fog painted the window, she dragged her finger along it, attempting pretty doodles. "I know this Jenkins dude has to have a record." Diego fumbled with his seatbelt, "We gotta get our hands on this file."
"And your plan is to what?" Three tested him, "Waltz in there and just ask for it?"
"I know the station like the back of my hand, sis." Two reassured, "I spent a lot of time inside."
"Handcuffed."
"Whatever." The man brushed off, "Here's the plan."
"Plan?" Five rose, "I'm just gonna blink in and get the file."
"Or, you know," Echo lifted her head, smiling at them, "I could just go invisible and get it."
"No, that's not..." Diego shook his head, "You don't know the ins and outs of this place, okay?"
"I literally just did this yesterday." Five clashed, "My yesterday, not your yesterday. It'll take me two seconds. Why don't I just go?"
"Listen to me." The man spoke over his brother, "You are not going in there. I made a call. That's what a leader does. He leads." He tumbled out of the car, strolling into a dodgy alley.
The rest climb out of the vehicle as well, Allison using the pay phone, Five leaning against a wall, and Echo balancing on the cracks of the pavement. "You know, there's a saying." Five caught her attention, "Step on a crack break your mothers back."
"Yeah, well, it's a good thing my mom's dead." The red-head smirked, approaching him, "Now, what's up with you? Ever since you've gotten back from hell you've been shifty...wince-y, and just look constipated."
"It's nothing." Five dismissed, eyes surfing her shoes, "Don't worry about it." his brother pranced around the corner, "So?"
"You're welcome." Diego bragged, flexing the blue file.
Allison snatched it, skimming through, "Holy shit."
"What?"
"Harold Jenkins is Leonard Peabody." She showed them the picture, a familiar face.
-----------------
"Be careful, okay?" Three slammed the car door shut, the crew nearing the house, "We don't know what Peabody's capable of."
The ginger shrugged, "I think I could take him."
"Yeah, he didn't seem that dangerous when I first saw him." Diego agreed, "Looked kinda scrawny."
"Yeah, well, so are most serial killers and mass murders." Allison tussled, "I mean, look at them." She signed to the 'teens'.
"Thanks." Five puffed, limping.
"Good point." Diego gave in, "So what's this guy want with Vanya?"
"I don't know. How about we ask him after we kill him?"
"Whoa, whoa." The man stopped the partners, "Hey, look, I'm gonna burst through-..." He looked around for his missing sister, "You know what? It would be nice for people just to stick to-..." He was interrupted by Echo and Five disappearing into a blue light, "the plan. Great." he charged with his good arm, bursting through the doors window, "Ah!"
"Subtle." Allison remarked.
"You know, the door was unlocked." Five twisted the knob, swinging it open.
"Yeah, well, my way works just fine." Two faltered, getting up, "Spread out. Yell if you, uh...you know, you're in trouble."
"Ah, inspiring leadership."
"One of the greats." Allison quipped, wandering off. The ginger did the same, letting her body lead her to the kitchen, over to the fridge. She opened it, scanning, a long, green thing catching her eye. Echo read the label, 'cucumber', she grinned in excitement, peeling back the clear packet. She snapped it in half, noming on one, stuffing the other in her pocket, dancing off and up the stairs. "Guys, you need to see this." The woman's voice alerted them all, everyone now cramped in the creepy attic. It was lined with Umbrella Academy figures, poster, memorabilia. A stalkers lair. "All are faces are burnt off."
"Well, that's not creepy." Diego needle, cringing at the obsessive behaviour, "This guys got some serious issues."
"Shit." The two males queued together.
"This was never about Vanya." Allison realized, "This was about us." A thump spooked them, as Five's feeble body dropped to the floor, "Five. Wh--..."
"Five." Echo fell to her knees near his head, dropping her snack, gripping his shoulders and shaking him, "Christ sake, Five! What did you do!?"
"Wh-...Blood." Three revealed a gunshot wound under the boys shirt.
"Why didn't you say anything?" grilled Diego.
"You have to keep going." Five graoned, suttinghis eyes, "So...close."
"Five! Five, god damnit, stay awake!" The ginger slapped his cheeks, breath unsteady, "What are you assholes standing around for, lift him to the car!" She ordered the stunned siblings, "Now, come on!"
-----------------
The girl rested at his bedside. She felt worried, sick, panicked, every word in the book. He would be fine, Grace promised, but that Handler bitch hurt him, just how she had hurt Echo all those years. Envy bubbled through her sapphire vines, sizzling, it felt like heroine, a drug pumping in her. Although, she could bring herself to leave him, Echo admired his resting face from the side-line, wanting to stroke it, whisper sweet nothings to it until he awoken. She didn't understand it, why was she feeling this way? What was this feeling? Maybe she just caught a bug? Naïve in the face of life.
"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" Echo blinked up at the robot, arm around Delores.
"I promise, sweetie." Grace brought her hands up to the girls face, thumb tracing under her eyes, "You look tired, dear. You should have a nap."
"No, no." The red-head swallowed at the motherly touch, sinking into it, "I-...I gotta stay up, encase Five wakes up, you know?"
"You could sleep right here." The woman grinned, moving her thumb down to Echo's cheek, "I can make you warm milk and cookies if you're having trouble."
"No, I-..." Tears soaked her eyes, "I-I'll be fine. Thank you, um..."
"Grace." she removed her hands, returning to Five.
"Grace, Thank you." The ginger smiled down to the lap, fiddling with Delores' fingers.
"No problem, dear." She rose, "Now, if there's a problem with Five, come and get me."
"Of course." Echo nodded, watching as she descended. Shuffling up, closer to the boy, she rested her elbow on the mattress, chin in palms, "You're a real idiot, you know that?" She chuckled, "You could of died, asshole. And where would that of left the rest of us, huh? Where would that of left me?" She sniffled, "But, I-...Shit, I just can't let myself get angry at you. No matter how hard I try, I look at your face and I'm immediately calm. Like, what's that all about?"
"You keep putting yourself in these dangerous and horrible situations for your family, for the people that love you. And I want to understand that, I really really do, but I can't. You are the only person I would hurt myself for, and if you would have died, I-...I wouldn't have a purpose." The girl snaked her hand into his, "So, please be okay. I don't want to sound selfish, but please be okay for me. Please." Finally tears escaped her, face shoved deep in to the bed, soft whimpers floating through the room.
-----------------
"Hey, hey!" Two arms locked hers behind her back, "You need to calm down." She flared her legs around, body flinging from side to side, "Relax, Echo! I'm not gonna hurt you." The man's voice seemed trusting, homey. She stopped struggling, once he let her go she backed up into a far corner, hiding in her knees. "I'm not gonna hurt you...But they did, right?" he signalled to the deep scar on the woman's ankle.
She wrapped her hands around, to hide the scab, furrowing her brows. "Echo, I won't do that. But can you tell me why tell did?" Five sat before her, criss-cross. She pointed to her mouth, then shook her head. "Because you won't talk?" she nodded, "Right? Do you know why you don't talk?"
The ginger woman whipped out her notepad scribbling in it, "I did at first. Stopped. Now I can't." It read.
"So, you spoke when first got here. Decided to stop. And now you just can't." She approved his therory, "Okay. We can work on that." She hastily shook her head, panting. "No, not like the way The Handler did. And different way." Five reassured her, "Let me tell you about my brother, Diego..."
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A/N: hey, again.
Okay, I'm really excited to write season two because I have such a character change form Echo. But right now, what do you guys think of her, at first I was like this is not Five he won't act like this to anyone, then i was like who cares i'll make him Echo's bitch.
But, yeah, please do be a silent reader, tell me some fend back, what do you think about Echo? Do you like her? Do you like that book so far? Anything:)
Anyways, thank so much for reading, I really appreciate it<3
Peace out losers,
xoxo PansAreSmoken