Chapter Text
For a couple of seconds, things were bleak, blurry. Sounds were muffled, as if Jackie were floating in a sea of vast nothingness, her ears just beneath the surface. It was weirdly peaceful, here in the abyss, suspended in time. In space. In the quantum…
Then the pull in her chest tightened and she was thrust into a world of surround sound and technicolor. The smell of donuts and cheap coffee hit like a truck, and she wasn’t sure whether it made her hungry or nauseated. She looked down at her hands and watched as they repeatedly opened and closed in her lap, not able to fully feel the movements yet, her consciousness and current body still slightly out of sync. She rotated her shoulders and wrists, let her head roll from side to side, listened to the popping sounds of her joints moving. Opening and closing her jaw, wiggling in her seat, she tried to make sense of the chaos of the foreign yet familiar memories that rushed to her head.
Her name was Jackie, and was one of the forty-three babies born on October 1st, 1989, to mothers who had not been pregnant the day before – and hers sadly happened to die in childbirth. Besides the circumstances of her birth, Jackie had seemed as ordinary as any other girl. She had been lucky enough to be adopted by a loving couple, who couldn’t have biological kids of their own, and she had lived an ordinary – albeit a tad boring – life.
Until that cold November-night in 2006 where someone had left the stove on and Jackie, just barely at the age of seventeen, became an orphan once again. She should have died that night, but somehow, though she had been found ingulfed in flames, she came out untouched.
Even stranger, she remained untouched – by age. Sure, her mind continued growing and expanding, developing into adulthood, but her body never did. As if she was frozen in temporal ice.
That was Jackie in this reality.
Jackie in her original reality had never been orphaned, nor had she ever walked through flames and come out unburned. She had also aged just fine. She had been a shut-in, feeling empty and alone more often than not, and seeking refuge in various media and daydreams. She had needed something more from this world. Hopelessly. Desperately.
Those memories were quickly fading, however. It wasn’t so much that they were disappearing, rather than they were rabidly muffled. Focusing on them was like remembering a dream, like looking through a kaleidoscope in a darkened room. She didn’t mind, though. She knew that they’d come back once she returned, and the most important thing at the moment, was remembering her preexisting knowledge of this reality.
“What about you, sweetheart, do you need a refill?”
Jackie looked up to see a familiar face. Agnes’s greying hair was pulled up and away, displaying crinkles in the corners of her eyes that deepened as she smiled. She gestured with a coffee pot towards the empty cup on the table.
Jackie’s muscles felt stiff against her cheeks as she smiled back. “No, thank you. I’m good here.”
Her eyes followed Agnes as she left and it dawned on her what had just happened, who she had just been talking to.
She searched the diner for another familiar figure, and once she saw the scrawny teen at the counter, she felt like she could cry.
It’d worked. It’d actually worked.
On unsteady legs she got up and walked to sit next to him. He didn’t acknowledge her presence, but the truckdriver on the other side of him was polite enough to send her a tight-lipped smile, which she pitifully returned with his fate in mind.
She waited with bated breath for the man to finish up and leave the diner, before she turned to stare at the boy beside her, eyes wide and unbelieving.
She had gone over this moment in her head countless times on sleepless night, trying to fall into a fantasy that could follow her into dreamland, yet now that the day had arrived, her voice was digging sharp talons into the soft flesh of her throat and refused to leave. When she finally opened her mouth, all that came out was a pitiful croak, making him turn towards her with a scowl.
“What?” he spat.
“I – “ Her voice squeaked, and she winced, wishing the earth would open up beneath her and swallow her whole.
“Do I know you?” Five seemed like he had had one hell of a day – which, to be fair, Jackie was well aware was the case.
“You don’t,” she said, and watched as his brow furrowed. “But I know you, Five Hargreeves.”
Before she knew it, Five had grabbed a fork off the counter and was clutching the collar of her shirt with one hand, pressing the utensil into the side of her neck with the other. He applied just the right amount of pressure for it to render her unable to move, without piercing her skin.
“Who are you? Are you with the commission?” he seethed.
Panic quickly arose as she fumbled for words. “No, I’m not with those assholes!”
“And why should I believe you?”
“Because I know about the apocalypse, and I want to help you.”
The was quiet for a beat, his face turning blank. But then something dark and furious painted itself on his features. “How?”
“I’ve seen it happen on a tv-show.”
Five scoffed, and his grip eased. “Jesus, kid, what mental hospital did you escape from?”
“It’s true,” she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a team of black-clad men, and she let out a deep breath through her nose. “But speaking of the commission, we have company, and I would like to hide behind the counter while you do what you do best, if that’s alright with you.”
The bell above the door nearly cut her off, and Five let the fork fall to the floor. “That was fast,” he hummed. “I thought I’d have more time before they found me.”
Jackie felt her mouth go dry as the commander of the group approached.
“Let’s be professional about this,” he spoke to Five. “On your feet and come with us. They want to talk.”
Five shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
“It doesn’t have to go this way,” the man tried to reason. “You think I want to shoot a kid?” He glanced at Jackie. “Or a pretty, young witness? Go home with that on my conscience?”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that.” There was almost humor in Five’s voice, and he tilted his chin the tiniest bit. A ghost of a smirk grazed his lips, a spark of something dangerous dancing in his eyes. “You won’t be going home.”
Five’s fingers pressed into the flesh of Jackie’s shoulder, and in a fraction of a second, she stopped existing, before her cells and atoms rearranged and put themselves back together in a flash of blue. It felt like organs had been centrifuged and she dropped to her hands and knees behind the counter, throwing up a vile mix of coffee and donuts.
Five downright massacring the commission hired team had been one of Jackie’s favorite scenes. The camerawork, the choreography, the song – truly iconic. She’d find it on YouTube and watch it on repeat from time to time. But as she crouched behind the counter, pressing the palms of her hands tightly against her ears, she found there was no humorous soundtrack to cover up the sound of gunshots and carnage, and she couldn’t wait for it to be over.
She increased the pressure of her palms ‘till it felt like her head would cave in and hummed like a child. Less than a minute passed before the firing ceased. On shaky legs she stood up to assess the damage, but quickly squeezed her eyes shut and held her hands against her ears once again, as Five twisted a man’s neck, the crack audible through her fingers.
When Five went back to the counter to dig around in his forearm with a knife, Jackie averted her eyes. It seemed silly, really, but when stuck inside the body of a lanky fifteen-year-old, it was easy to forget that he was probably one of the deadliest men in this reality, and Jackie had just gotten a reminder.
He scoffed when she handed him a couple of napkins but took them none the less and held them against the bleeding slit in his skin.
“So, a tv-show?” he said.
Jackie steeled off her nerves and looked at him. “Yeah.”
“How?”
She scratched the back of her neck and felt her mouth go dry. “It’s kind of complicated. But I’m from another reality.”
“Of course you are.” He rolled his eyes. When Jackie did nothing but look at him, he cocked his head, his brow furrowing as he squinted at her. “You want me to believe that in another reality – the one you’re allegedly from – there is a tv-show about the impending apocalypse?”
“Well,” she bit her cheek, “the apocalypse, and your family. A whooping three seasons so far.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she was a lunatic.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.” Her mouth felt like cotton as she frantically searched for the right combination of words to make him believe her. “Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, considering you just got thrust into your fifteen-year-old body and had such a lovely reunion-slash-funeral with your family, but come on. After everything you’ve seen and done, this can’t be that unfathomable, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“I just told you, Five, I’ve seen a good portion of your life on tv.”
Five looked at her and shook his head in disbelief. “Whatever,” he said. “I’m gonna go now, take care.”
Jackie followed him as he left the diner. “Yeah, no, I’m coming with you to see Vanya.”
The name felt awkward on her lips, but Viktor hadn’t yet figured out who he was, and Jackie neither could nor should be the one to out him. For now, she would have to put that knowledge into a tiny little box inside her head, close the lid and put it away.
“How did you know I was planning to – “ Five dared ask again but she cut him off with an exasperated groan.
“Tele. Vision. Show. There, I chopped it up into tiny bite sized snack pieces for your old-man brain to digest, is it any easier to get through your adolescent skull this way?”
“Don’t talk to me that way, you brat!” Five snapped, looking every bit the old, condescending asshole he was.
“You know, I’m starting to fear that I really overestimated your intelligence.” Jackie let out a dry chuckle. “Maybe I confused brilliance with ego.”
“I am the most intelligent man you’re ever gonna meet.”
“Really? Because for someone who’s supposedly so intelligent, you’re seriously lacking comprehension skills.”
Five shut his mouth, his face turning red as he bit down his retort. “Fine!” He spat.
They walked in silence. Jackie could practically feel the burning waves of fury rolling off of him, clashing against her, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to hide her amusement. It didn’t seem fair to rile him up, knowing the state of his mind and the hell of a day he had had, but seeing a grown man in a child’s body throw tantrums, was strangely entertaining.
In reality, Jackie could never hold a candle to Five – she had fought tooth and nail to get her high school diploma without being held back, and she had dropped out of community college after three months because she simply couldn’t be bothered – but he did not need to know that.
Jackie waited outside the door as Five blinked into Vanya’s apartment. For a second, she feared he would leave her there, and she made peace with the fact that she might have to stand outside until Vanya came home, making their first interaction even more awkward than it was already going to be. But then she heard the lock click, and she opened to reveal the small apartment shrouded in darkness. She considered turning on the light, but it had been amusing in the show to see Vanya startle. Devilishly, she left it off.
She seated herfelf on the couch opposite Five, on the end furthest away from him, and rested her elbows on her knees. The feeling of his eyes on her made her nervous.
“Start talking,” he said.
She paused, recalling the impending events in her head. “I’m not sure how much to say yet, honestly. I’m scared to fuck you guys over even more than you already are.”
Five was far from satisfied, but before he could start arguing, he was interrupted by the click of the lock and the hinges creaking. Five turned on the lamp beside him and Vanya jumped.
“Jesus!”
“You should have locks on your windows,” he said coolly.
She placed her keys on a stack of magazines, on the radiator next to the door and let out a sigh. “I live on the second floor.”
“Rapists can climb,” Jackie and Five spoke in unison, and Five sent her a glare.
Vanya finally noticed her and her brows furrowed. “Who’s this?”
“A migraine I can’t seem to get rid of,” Five said.
Jackie sent Vanya a kind smile and reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you, my name is Jackie.”
“Vanya,” she said, and shook it. She shucked off her jacket and sat down on the couch, filling the gap between Five and Jackie. Tense silence enveloped the room for a moment while Vanya and Five just sat there, eyeing each other. Then she noticed the red spatter on the white on his shirt and gasped. “Is that blood?”
“It’s nothing.” Five shut down her concerns immediately. When she asked him why he was here, he sighed. “I’ve decided you’re the only one I can trust.”
A crease formed between Vanya’s eyebrows. “Why me?”
“Because you’re ordinary.” Five said, and a shadow fell over Vanya’s face at those words. Jackie felt her heart ache for her. If only she knew. “And because you’ll listen.”
Vanya stayed quiet as she got up to fetch a first aid kit and Jackie turned to Five.
“Great job, asshole. As if she isn’t insecure enough already about how ordinary she thinks she is.”
Five furrowed his brow. “Thinks?”
She bit her tongue and watched as Vanya returned. Vanya hissed when she saw the wound on Five’s arm, but Five didn’t even flinch when she disinfected it. Instead he just looked at her for a moment, before asking: “when I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?”
Vanya covered his wound and shook her head. She looked at him when he didn’t answer, and saw that he was gazing into nothingness, like he was observing a memory.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He finally said. His face turned void of emotion. “As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race, but I did find out the date it happens.
“The world is gonna end in eight days,” he glanced at Jackie, then back to his sister, “and I have no idea how to stop it.”
Vanya’s mouth fell open. For a moment, she just sat there, gaping like a fish. But then she rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh.
“I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”