Chapter Text
Luther was surprised that the gun Klaus handed him fit his hand. It’d been years since a normal gun had fit.
As children, the Umbrella Academy hadn’t used guns much. They hadn’t needed them.
But they all knew how to use them. Diego had been the best shot, but Luther always assumed Diego’s powers were responsible for that.
Diego had been making bullseyes since he could hold a gun, but he still preferred his knives.
Up ahead, Diego checked the next hall before motioning the others to follow.
Luther took the back. It was up to him to make sure they weren’t followed.
He’d always preferred taking the back. It was just as, if not more, important than the front and it gave him a chance to keep an eye on his siblings.
Klaus didn’t seem fazed. He didn’t appear injured, just focused.
During training, Klaus hadn’t paid attention much, but he looked comfortable with the gun in his hand. Actually, he was the only sibling other than Five that looked completely at home with the pistol in his hand.
Luther was reminded of what Diego said in the car. Vietnam War. It made sense in a Hargreeves kind of way.
He glanced over his shoulder again. The hall behind them was still empty.
Luther looked forward again in time to see Five stumble. He grabbed the wall, steadying himself, before continuing.
The others didn’t seem to notice.
While Klaus looked the same as he had at the bank, Five somehow looked worse.
He looked paler and his eyes were dark. His steps were unbalanced, and he was keeping one hand on the wall now.
Luther would be surprised if Five managed to make it out of the building without help.
A shot rang out as Diego looked around the corner.
He pulled back around, cursing. His hand was capped over his bicep, but it wasn’t stopping the bleeding.
“You alright Diego?” Five asked.
“Yeah.” Diego switched his gun to the other hand, wetting the handle with blood. “It just grazed my arm. But it hurts like a b—”
The last word was cut off by Diego firing a shot down the hall. Last second, the bullet turned direction and went towards the people who’d shot Diego.
Luther heard a grunt followed by someone falling. He assumed Diego’s bullet found its target.
“Let’s go,” Diego said. “The door should be right down the hall.”
They made it out of the building relatively safe.
If the only injury was a grazed arm, Luther considered it to be a success.
Luther continued watching the team’s six as they made it back to the car.
He could only imagine how they looked. Seven people who looked like teenagers running out of an old jail, guns in hand. One shot in the arm and two covered in blood. Luther hoped there weren’t security cameras. He was pretty sure a scene like this would change the future.
Luther looked away from the building and to the car.
Turns out, Luther had been wrong. Five had made it out of the building.
But he didn’t make it to the car.
His knees buckled, and Luther barely managed to grab his arm before he hit the asphalt.
“Stop it,” Five slurred. “I’m fine.”
“What is wrong with you?” Luther asked, looking at Five. Five didn’t reply and Luther shook his head.
They should just rename the Academy the Issues Academy. What did an umbrella have to do with anything anyway? At least ‘Issues Academy’ would be relevant.
Luther put Five in the car, leaning him against the door, before letting the others pile in after him.
It was a tight fit, but all seven siblings managed to fit in the car.
A few hours later, Luther sat in the Academy’s version of a hospital.
They hadn’t had a moment to speak freely yet. Mom or Dad had been around them the entire time since they got back. It was almost like Dad thought they would run out again.
Luther still hadn’t been able to ask if it had been the Commission or just some idiot robbers.
As soon as they’d made it to the Academy, Klaus, Diego and Five had gone to the hospital room and the others had to answer to their father.
Luther hadn’t spoken much. He’d watched their father as he spoke - well no, lectured was probably closer.
He had watched his father back before he died trying to learn how to emulate him. Their father had been Luther’s idol. He’d trusted him no matter what.
And it had taken a near apocalypse for Luther to question that devotion.
By the time their father dismissed them and they’d made it down to check on their other siblings, Five was starting to wake up.
Well, starting was the right word.
Five was black and white, even in sleep.
One second he would be completely out the next he’d be sitting up and, in this case, attacking.
Luther had only just walked into the room, Allison, Vanya and Ben in tow when Five had sat up with a gasp.
He tore off the monitors, sending the heart machines into a frenzy and tried to get off the table he’d been sleeping on.
“Five!” Vanya said.
Diego jumped towards Five at the same time Mom did, both of them trying to keep Five from getting away and hurting himself.
The look in Five’s eyes wasn’t the disinterested, aloof look Luther was used to. It was slightly mad.
Five pulled one knee up, slamming it against Diego’s chest.
The hit knocked the air out of Diego’s lungs.
Diego stumbled back with a gasp. He probably hadn’t been expecting such a hit from someone in Five’s state but then adrenaline was a hell of a drug.
When Diego’s grip faltered, Five slipped out. Five then took the opportunity to punch – Luther did a double take – their mother.
“Five!” Diego yelled.
“Five, there is no need for violence,” their Mother said, frighteningly calm. “Let us help you.”
“Yeah, I remember how that worked out last time,” Five snapped.
Luther frowned.
Last time? That didn’t make sense.
Luther took Diego’s vacant spot trying to hold Five down.
Luther’s eyes widened. Five wasn’t seeing them. He thought they were someone else.
Maybe from the Commission?
Five’s hands started glowing blue.
“He’s going to jump!” Ben yelled.
Before Five disappeared, he hissed through his teeth and the blue around his hands
died.
My spatial jumps aren’t exactly reliable right now, Luther remembered him saying. They didn’t t appear to be unreliable- it looked like his powers were fighting him.
It was like the attempt at using his powers had zapped him of any strength he’d been using in the fight.
“Five, you back with us?” Klaus asked.
Five blinked up at Diego then Mom.
“Diego? Mom?” Five frowned.
“Obviously,” Diego snapped. “What the hell was that?”
Mom let go of Five first, Diego following albeit hesitantly.
Five sat up looking around the room.
“Where did she go?” Five asked, ignoring Diego.
“Who?” Vanya asked, looking over her shoulder.
“The Handler. The tall, blonde woman.”
“Dude,” Diego said, falling back onto his seat, “the only blonde woman in here is Mom.”
Five’s eyes had stopped darting around the room and focused on Diego.
“No, she was in here just a second ago. I saw her.” Five looked around at his siblings and apparently didn’t see anyone believing him.
“Five, if you don’t mind, I’m going to fix these back,” Mom said. It was probably because she was a robot, but she didn’t show any visible sign of the punch.
When Five didn’t object, Mom fixed the cords back and the heart monitors stopped its obnoxious tone and started back to the normal blips.
However, Five’s heart rate was still too fast. He kept glancing around the room as if waiting for the woman, The Handler, to show up any moment.
The machine he was hooked up to was beeping fast enough to give Luther anxiety. After a few moments, Five seemed to decide the Handler wasn’t there or he was once again too tired to keep looking.
Curling his hands into fists at his side, Five laid with his eyes shut, breathing almost robotically.
Like he was trying to keep himself calm.
Luther was starting to think Five didn’t like hospitals, at least when he was the patient. But Luther didn’t remember him having a problem with it when they were kids. Perhaps something went wrong when Five was with the Commission? Luther was pretty sure their weren’t hospitals in the apocalypse.
“How long have the migraines been happening?” Mom asked.
Five looked to their mother, as if trying to figure out how she knew.
“We told her Five,” Vanya said.
After a second’s delay, Five answered, “Not long.”
“Have there been any other symptoms?” Mom said. She held her hands together and watched Five even though he wouldn’t look at her.
“No.”
Klaus held up a hand. “What about the nosebleeds?”
Five opened his eyes to send Klaus a glare.
“Well?” Mom said.
“It’s fine.”
“When did they start?”
“I’m fine. It doesn’t matter.”
“They started on Tuesday,” Allison said, causing Five to cast her a furious look. Allison didn’t seem fazed by the look.
“And did you see how he reacted to the mission alarm?” Ben added. “I think the migraine has been for days.”
“Shut up. It doesn’t matter.”
“He was also practically unable to stand on his own the entire time we were trying to save them,” Luther said, ignoring Five.
“I had it under control!”
“Sure ya did, Five,” Diego said, rolling his eyes.
“Have you told them about the hallucinations?”
Luther jumped when he heard his father’s voice behind him.
Reginald stood in the doorway, watching Five.
Turning back to Five, Luther saw Five had pushed himself up on his elbows and was glaring at their father.
Just the small effort of sitting up had caused Five to pale.
Luther shared a glance with the others.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? You’ve always been a terrible liar, Number Five. You didn’t think I’d catch it? I’ve been watching since you showed up with your siblings. After you were gone attempting to timetravel for weeks—”
“It’s been a lot longer than that.”
“—I had to get answers. Tell me, how is the future?”
“You’re dead there.”
“Ah. Unfortunate.” Reginald didn’t look surprised. “Time Sickness. I had my suspicions you had it since you walked through my door.”
Five pushed himself up to sitting. He held onto the edge of the table to keep from falling and squeezed his eyes shut.
He didn’t look like the assassin he claimed to be. He didn’t even look like the Five they’d been fighting moments before. He looked exhausted.
“Five?” Allison asked.
He sighed and opened his eyes again. They weren’t as clear as they usually were. Not as sharp.
“I’m fine.”
“Like I said. A terrible liar.”
Fives glare had no power, no energy behind it.
“How do you even know about Time Sickness?”
Reginald ignored Five’s question. “You know the cure, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then fix yourself.”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
“Five,” Diego interrupted, “what’s he talking about?”
Five sighed as if debating whether to answer. “Time travel has a price tag. Our, uh, friends use briefcases for a reason. Being the briefcase comes with too high a price.”
“What does that mean?” Ben asked.
“It means that unless he takes the time to fix himself,” Reginald said, “he’s going to get himself killed. It will kill him.”
Five looked at the floor while the others gaped at him.
“Five, is that true?” Vanya asked.
Luther didn’t think he was going to answer, but he eventually nodded.
Diego stood up from his chair. “Damn it, Five!”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Klaus said, waving a hand at Diego as if to tell him to calm down.
“There was not and is not anything you can do about it. We had bigger problems to deal with anyway.”
“Bigger than you dying?” Luther asked.
Five pressed his lips together in a thin line. “I can fix it on my own.”
“Then why haven’t you?” Diego asked, his tone enough to let Luther know he was gearing up for a fight.
“We haven’t had time.”
“Make time!”
Five’s eyes narrowed. “In order for me to fix this, I have to stop. Stop everything. No more time travel, no more spatial jumps, no more anything until I am back to normal. However, with the organization we are up against, I don’t have the privilege of stopping.”
“And if you die?” Allison asked, arms crossed. “What then? You would be dead, and we would be stuck. Here. Seventeen years in the past, looking like children. Your friends would find and us and we’d all be dead. So, no. Fix yourself.”
“Allison—"
“We’ll hold them off,” Allison continued. “The six of us can hold them at bay for now.”
Five shook his head. “You don’t understand who we’re fighting.”
“You killing yourself over this isn’t an option, Five,” Luther said.
“When the Klaus and I got away, that didn’t convince them to stop. The Commission never stops. They will track us down to wherever and whenever we are. They’ll come here next. I’m your only chance of survival.”
“And if you try to save us,” Ben said, “you’ll die.”
Five shrugged. “I’ll figure it out. I’m not watching you die again. Not when I can stop it.”
“I taught you children as much as I could,” Reginald said slowly, the note of disproval l Luther knew so well evident in his voice.. “But the first thing I taught you was to survive. I expected better of each of you! You,” Reginald pointed at Five,” are just going to die? And the rest of you are going to allow yourselves to be killed in a poor attempt to get him to keep himself alive?”
Reginald shook his head, almost disgusted. “Grace, call Pogo to my office. We are locking down the Academy.”