~*~
Episode Seven: Auf Wiedersehen
Five and Ivy had gotten back to the hotel in the morning, going up to the White Buffalo suite where Pogo told them Project Oblivion was. They walked in to see Lila and Diego panicking while walking around the suite.
"What happened here?" Ivy asked as Lila rushed past her out of the room.
"Stanley got Kugelblitzed!" Diego shouted.
"Wow, okay, have either of you seen a secret door in here?" she asked, leaning out into the hallway to see Lila.
"On that wall right there," Diego said, pointing to it. "Now let us look for him!" Lila heard him, rushing back into the room as Ivy walked up next to Five.
"What the hell are you doing? Stanley is gone!" Lila shouted at Diego, who lifted up the mattress to see if he was there. "We need to face this!"
"Just check the chimney!" Diego yelled in response.
"He's not in the bloody chimney! He's been Kugelblitzed!" Lila shouted.
"Whose fault is that, huh? You're the one that brought him here!" Diego yelled at her.
"Congratulations. You're both mildly terrible parents," Five said, turning and looking at them. "Can we focus? Come on. How did this thing open before?"
"I don't know. It was already kinda open," Diego responded, bending down to the chimney and looking in.
"'Already kinda open,'" Five repeated with a nod. "Diego, you should have been an engineer. It's a lost opportunity."
"Why'd you wanna go in there anyway? It's just sushi and death," Lila snapped at him, now holding the slushie that Stanley was drinking before he got blitzed.
"When we met future me in the Commission bunker, I warned myself about Oblivion. Now, Pogo told me--"
"Wait, whoa, whoa! Pogo's alive?" Diego asked, walking up to him with wide eyes.
"Different Pogo, but yes," Five said, sounding irritated. "The monkey said Dad spent years training the Sparrows for some kind of super-secret mission into..." He trailed off, motioning to the door.
"Oblivion?" Lila asked.
"So, I come back here and find that you two sentient STDs have actually been in there. Everything's leading to Oblivion," Five said, walking to the door and shoving his hands in his pockets. "So we have to go in there."
"Hell no!" Diego yelled.
"No way!" Lila agreed.
"No. No."
"We barely got out of there alive."
"Not happening!"
"Yeah? So what?" Five asked, the two going quiet. "This is about more than just you two."
"Says the guy with all his fingers," Diego said, holding his hand up to them. "I didn't get this by giving a mummy a hand job, all right? I went in there, and I lost my fingers to this thing with... with a knife and on a chain."
"Aren't you supposed to be able to control knives?" Ivy asked, crossing her arms.
"Hey, look, Diego might be 90% moron and 10% pelvic thrusts, but he's right about Oblivion, okay? We're not just gonna waltz back in there just because you say so," Lila said, stepping forward for Diego.
"Good," Luther said, all of them turning to face him. "Because you're coming with us."
"This should be interesting," Five said, rolling his eyes.
"Where to?" Ivy asked, crossing her arms.
"Sparrow Academy," Sloane answered.
"The world's ending, so I think it's time we put our petty bullshit aside and work together on this Kugelblitz," Luther said, nodding confidently.
"Yeah? Or what?" Diego asked, Lila sighing as Five and Ivy were already walking away.
"Or Stanley won't be the last of us to disappear," Lila told him. "Come on." They all caved, and followed Luther and Sloane back to the Sparrow Academy.
~*~
Most of the Umbrella Academy was stood in the library of the Sparrow Academy, sitting and waiting for the Sparrows to get there. Ivy was scratching her wrists, trying to keep her sweat under control as she was also suffering massive paranoia.
"What if they're gonna kill us?" Ivy asked. "I mean you. I can't die. What if they try to kill you? I can't promise I won't kill every single person in this room."
"They're not going to kill me, Ivy. You would kill them before they had the chance to," Five responded. "Also, you're just paranoid. It's the psychosis talking."
"Yeah, I wish you could conveniently have that panic room brought along with you everywhere in like the form of a bracelet or something so this doesn't happen," Ivy said, scratching at her wrist again. "God, can we get this over with? What is taking so long?"
"Welcome," Fei said as her, Ben, and Sparrow Ivy entered the room also scratching at her wrists. "Please make yourselves at home."
"Bitch, this is our home," Allison muttered, puffing smoke out of her mouth.
"Excuse me?" Fei asked, sitting down and looking at her.
"Jellybean?" Luther questioned, holding a tray of them out to Fei.
"Where the hell is Viktor and Klaus?" Diego asked.
"With our luck, probably Kugelblitzed by now," Five said with a sigh.
"You're a dark little dude sometimes," Diego stated, Five shrugging.
"Ooh, what happened to your hand?" Fei asked, pointing to Diego.
"Okay! Can we get this over with so I can get that little bitch out of here so I can stop scratching my neck and sweating?" Sparrow Ivy asked, Umbrella Ivy nodding quickly.
"I agree! Completely," she said. "I hate this place."
"Everyone, sit down," Ben instructed them.
"'Please' would be nice," Diego said. Umbrella Ivy stood to jump at him, Five catching her and pulling her back. She fought against him, Diego holding his arms up as Ivy stopped struggling and sat back in her chair. Luther struggled to talk for a second, shifting back and forth before stopping and smiling.
"So, uh... This is kidna nice, right?" he asked. "All of us here together. One big happy family." He then leaned down to Sloane. "I feel like I'm sweating. Am I sweating?"
"No, you're fine," she whispered.
"Look, I know there's been bad blood between us. Whatever. Bygones, right?" Ben asked, Diego raising his hand. "Question?"
"Yeah, if I kill you, do we get our Ben back?" he asked, Fei snickering at his question. "Hypothetically."
"Keep talking, and your hand won't be the only thing bleeding," Ben said, narrowing his eyes at Diego.
"Okay, if the testosterone twins are done, I'd like to get back to a plan," Five said, leaning forward and extending his arms. Viktor suddenly walked into the room, looking among the group.
"Where is he?" he asked, looking at Allison.
"Viktor," Allison greeted him.
"What did you do to Harlan?" Viktor asked, turning to Ben.
"They didn't do anything. I did," Allison announced, standing from her chair. "I killed Harlan."
"What?" Viktor asked. "I... I don't... I don't understand. Why?"
"Because he didn't deserve to live," Allison snapped.
"Allison, I swear to god, I'm gonna punch you can we just get back to the matter at hand?" Umbrella Ivy asked, now scratching as her thighs. "God these pants are so much tighter than I thought they were."
"What?" Viktor asked, eyes wide. "Because they said so? You don't have to listen to them." Ben picked up the container of cheese puffs, sitting next to Five and Ivy.
"20 bucks on the little one," he said quietly.
"They don't get to tell us what to do," Viktor went on.
"I'll take that action," Five responded.
"You coulda talked to me. We could've figured out something else," Viktor said.
"So, what, you could lie to us again and take his side?" Allison asked, raising her eyebrows.
"That's not what happened," Viktor argued.
"Oh, no, that's exactly what happened," Allison snapped. "I know Harlan killed all of our mothers."
"What?" Diego asked.
"Whoa," Luther breathed out.
"What?" Five asked, sounding actually hurt by the information. Ivy placed a hand against his back, Five glancing at her before looking to Viktor again.
"Shit," Luther stated.
"Bloody plot twist," Lila said, mouth dropped open.
"Who told you that?" Viktor asked, sounding scared.
"Harlan," Allison shrugged. "After you lied about it to my face."
"Is that true, Viktor?" Diego asked. "Harlan started all this?" Viktor got quiet for a second, looking around as he didn't know what to say.
"Yeah, but he didn't mean to hurt anyone. He-"
"How do you know?" Five asked, sounding even more angry than before.
"Because I knew him," Viktor said quickly. "And he was sweet and kind until I made him like us. Okay? So, I screwed him up. And if you need someone to blame, I'm right here-"
"What makes you think I don't?" Allison asked, cutting him off.
"This wasn't about saving the world," Viktor said, shaking his head at Allison. "This was about hurting me. Payback for-" Viktor stopped, Allison standing and walking to him.
"Go on," Allison pressured. "Say her name."
"You know what? Maybe we should all just take a minute-" Luther was cut off by Allison putting her hand to his face and he nodded while sitting back down.
"Did killing Harlan bring Claire back?" Viktor asked, tilting his head up.
"Did protecting him bring Sissy back?" Allison countered. "Because it was just as personal for you-"
"I didn't kill anyone!" Viktor screamed.
"But you risked everyone!" Allison yelled back. "Do you know what that felt like? Watching you fight harder to protect the man who helped destroy my daughter than you ever did to bring her back?"
"I don't know how to bring Claire back. Okay?" Viktor said, more calm now. "No one does. But I was there for you. I tried. I was-"
"To what? Help me grieve?" Allison asked, still angry. "God, this whole family is so quick to tell me to suck up my pain and so worried about fixing yours! Somebody had to pay because you never seem to. Destroy the world, kill Pogo, almost kill me, and for what? So we can all run around and clean up your mess? I'm sick of it."
"Take it easy, Allison," Umbrella Ivy said, narrowing her eyes at the two. Ben shushed her, Ivy glancing at him.
"Okay, I-"
"Shut your mouth!" Allison screamed, her voice echoing as her eyes were now yellow.
"Allison," Luther said, standing as Viktor was now choking. Ivy stood from her chair, watching as Viktor was struggling to breathe.
"Every time I build a new life for myself, you end the world and take it from me!" Allison screamed into his ear.
"How are you doing this without saying, 'I heard a rumor'?" Five asked, now on the edge of the couch.
"Just a little residual gift from Harlan," Allison said, leaning towards Viktor to emphasize her point.
"All right, that's it. Knock off the power shit, Allison. It's not okay!" Ivy screamed, Viktor finally coughing and doubling over while gasping for air. Allison leaned down right next to his ear, staring forward.
"We should have left you in the basement," she spat.
"Whoa! Allison, all right!" Diego said, him and Five now standing. Viktor stood up and punched Allison across the face, making her stumble back as they all watched in shock. Viktor turned and walked out of the room, Ivy watching with wide eyes.
"You okay?" Five asked, making Allison nod.
"I'm fine," she said. "Let's continue." Ivy went to go for Viktor, Five grabbing her hand. She looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Not now," he said. "Later."
"But-"
"Ivy, later," Five stated firmly. She stared at him, then past him to the door. He let go of her, Ivy sighing and slowly sitting again while the itching and sweat immediately came back.
"So, let's get back to it," Ben said, setting down the cheese balls. He stood in front of them, clasping his hands together as they started to devise their plan.