The Kraken was in an especially angry mood that afternoon. It was anyone in the cars guess on why, but they all figured it was probably because he was talked into conversing with Vanya who still couldn't remember anything. That always pissed him off. The thing that pissed him off most at the moment was all the traffic from rush hour and the small car he had to take to see Spaceboy because of an urgent call that they all figured wouldn't be too important. Not to mention him, The Rumor, 00.05 and the Séance had to find their ways of squeezing themselves in the car. The car and their cell phones were the only pieces of working technology left because of a bizarre tech outage in their humble abode that they could not explain. Obviously the levitator belts were not an option and they had to leave fast. The Séance could've levitated himself but he decided it would be more appropriate to drive with them.
The Kraken sat behind the wheel with a pissed off face, as usual, and The Séance in the passenger's seat next to them. Of course, none of them were in full costume; they were all in casual wear as they expected it to be a casual day. The Kraken stepped on the brake as another car cut him off from his right. "Shit! Learn to fucking drive." He mumbled irritated at the driver. "This is my only means of transportation."
"If I die and go to hell real soon, it will appear to me as this room." The radio sung obnoxiously.
The Séance let a smile creep across his face as he heard the song play. He pushed his long black bangs out of his eyes and turned the volume knob up. "For eternity I'll lay in bed, in my boxers half stoned, with a pillow under my head." He sang along with the song.
"Klaus, please." The Kraken grumbled, his eyebrows arched. "I'm trying to get to that thing that calls himself our brother without killing anyone and I don't want you to be the victim today."
The Séance crossed his arms at his brother. He knew that Diego had problems with Spaceboy but did he always have to be so edgy about everything? Of course, he was super unsympathetic, fighter-of-crime brother; he didn't have time for fun things like music anymore. Not even the entertaining stuff. "Man, calm down. It's just music." He suggested calmly. He took a lollipop out of his pocket, removed the wrapper and stuck it in his mouth.
"While I'm on it, I'd cut out the lollipop habit. I wonder how your teeth look." The Kraken suggested.
The Séance laughed. "Well, if they're not rotted out of my mouth now, they will be." He pulled about six more out of the same pocket he got the first one from.
In the back seat, The Rumor stared out the window and rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that Klaus would keep egging on Diego's anger issues. It was the most annoying thing. She knew that he knew he pissed him off with he said stuff like that, and still he didn't stop.
.05 just wanted to get the hell out of the damn car. He felt restrained by his brothers and sister but he had to see what the problem was. He just hated driving or worse yet, riding in a car. It was just a pet peeve. He crossed his arms and decided to pay attention to the fight happening in the front seat.
"I called her on the phone and she touched herself." The Séance sung along to the radio with a smirk on his face to his brother. "She touched herself, she touched her self. I called her on the phone and she touched herself, I laughed myself to sleep."
"Klaus, shut up." The Kraken demanded sternly. "What the hell is this shit anyway?" He muttered.
"It's Say Anything, man and it's not 'shit' it's 'art'. Don't you know anything about music?" His smirk widened to piss off Diego.
"You're the most—ugh!" He spat, and kept his eyes on the road. "I'm ignoring you." He muttered and clutched the wheel harder as The Séance continued to sing. He stepped on the brake softly as the car in front of him did the same before him. "I hate you." He muttered as the car stopped. They sat for a second before he was able to move again, but just as he stepped on the gas, they felt the car jerk violently from the back almost into to car in front of them but not quite. "Fuck!" He exclaimed as he realized he had just been hit by another driver. "Whoever the fuck that was, they are going to pay! I don't care if it's the Queen of England!" He looked in his rearview mirror and saw long blonde hair and not much of a face, since one hand was covering the mouth.
He let out the most aggravated noise and quickly drove the car off to the side of the freeway and parked away from the traffic. He saw the other driver pull up next to him. .05 was the first out of the car because he hated that damn piece of machinery. The next was The Kraken followed by The Séance and then The Rumor.
The Kraken walked behind the car and looked to the rather large dent in the bumper of his car. "Oh, fuck!" He grumbled and, in a rage, kicked the other car's front bumper.
Suddenly, the driver's side door of the other car opened and a boy with his hands in his long blonde hair and a worried face climbed out. His hands migrated down near his mouth and on his cheeks. "Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry!" He stammered.
"Sorry isn't fucking good enough." The Kraken told him and walked over to him. He grabbed the collar of his button down shirt and pulled him foreword. "Are you going to pay for a new bumper, you little punk?!" He demanded.
"I'm sorry!" The boy shielded his face and looked downward, obviously afraid he was going to be injured. "I promise I'll pay, don't hurt me, please!" The boy begged and let his eyes water.
"Yeah and how are you going to do that? You're like what, seventeen? Gonna get Daddy to pay for it, you brat?" The Kraken growled and pushed the boy in front of him onto the floor. "You most un-"
"Twenty-four!" The boy interrupted as he grabbed his ankle in pain.
"What did you say, punk?" He demanded an answer.
"I'm twenty-four and I have a job. I'll pay." The boy watched The Kraken kick his car again.
The Séance watched the whole scenario go down with awe. Not that the fact that his brother was beating a kid up, he was always doing that, but at the fact that he was beating up a really good looking and obviously helpless boy. Enthralled by the boy's ability to be femininely handsome, he fiddled with the stick of the lollipop in his mouth uneasily. Maybe he could be his hero from his brother and find a way to get to know him, even if he has a very threatening brother. "Diego, leave him alone." He ordered and walked over to the boy, bending down to his height. He placed an arm around him. "It was an accident."
The Rumor gave a threatening look to The Kraken and crossed her arms. "Seriously, Diego calm down."
The Kraken reluctantly did so and leaned up against the car. He never listened to his siblings but after a moment of thinking, he realized he was a little harsh to the kid, even if he was stupid. He watched the traffic go by as The Séance tended to the boy. Since when did The Séance care about anyone's health? Why was this kid any different?
"Hey, are you okay?" The Séance muttered as the kid held his ankle. He stuck the lollipop he had earlier on the inside of his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He lightly shrugged The Séance off of him and let him stand next to him. The kid placed his arms on the hood of his car to steady himself and tried to stand up. He held himself up, but has soon as he took his hands off the hood he tripped from the pressure on his most likely broken ankle.
The Séance caught him as he fell. "Whoa." He mumbled and looked into his green almond shaped eyes, grabbing the stick of his sucker. "You're not okay, here…" He picked him up from off the floor and set him on the hood of their car. He looked down at his left ankle and saw a bruised swollen mess. He'd broken his foot. "Yeah you're hurt. I don't think you can drive." He looked over to The Kraken. "We're going to have to get him to the hospital or something, his ankle is broken because of you." He informed with insult in his voice.
The Kraken clenched his jaw at his brother's attitude. He did his best to ignore it. "Fine, we'll take him with us, but I'm going to see monkey boy first." He said referring to his other brother.
The Séance looked at the boy and realized he probably thought they were creepers or something. "Hi, I'm Klaus. Klaus Hargreeves." He smiled and stuck out his hand for the boy to shake. "This is my brother Diego and my sister Allison and my other brother number five. Just call him number five."
The boy nodded and smiled as best he could, even though he was obviously shaken up. "I'm Kale Williams." He told him and shook his hand. "I think I can call someone…" He muttered obviously unsure about that statement. He bit his lower lip.
"No it's okay." The Séance smiled as sweetly as he could, his recently re-dyed hair pushed back behind his ear to see the pretty boy better. "We're just going to get my other brother, Luther and then I'll take you to a hospital, okay?"
Kale, obviously skeptical about what was happening, suddenly let his face brighten. "Hey, you guys are the Umbrella Academy." He pointed out with his arms crossed. "But you aren't in your costumes. You're dressed like normal people."
The Séance, impressed with the boy's observation, nodded. "Well, deep down, we're normal people too." He smiled and placed his arm around the boy's back and under his knees, picking him up off the car and holding him damsel style. "Believe it or not. Anyway, you can ride in the back with me and Allison."
The Rumor sighed and nodded. "Yeah, me and Klaus." She mumbled obviously not favoring the idea of bringing some random kid with them. Of course, to her, he didn't seem any more evil than any other civilian but The Séance had seen something else in him. What it was exactly was completely beyond her but it must have been special.
The Kraken growled at the fact of the boy with them, but it was his fault he was hurt and even though he didn't like the idea of helping out the punk that took out there car, it was only fair. Stupid politeness rules, he thought. "Let's just get in the fucking car." He mumbled and hopped in the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him.
Kale raised an eyebrow at the angry brother, giving a look as if he was not sure if he should go with him. But then again, what choice did he have? He looked up to Klaus. "Thank you."
The Séance nodded, holding him gently. "No problem."
.05 got in the passenger's seat and smiled at Diego. "Karma." He mumbled at the blonde man.
The Kraken sighed irritated and started the car. "Yeah, well I could kick you out of the car and leave you on the side of the highway if you want." He warned and bit his lip, something he took a habit to doing when he was angry.
The Séance opened the backseat doors and placed Kale inside in the middle seat. He watched The Rumor get in the other side and buckle herself in. She looked to Kale next to her. The Séance watched the boy look back and smile. He was so pretty, he couldn't help but feel attracted to him. He grabbed his seat belt and crossed over to the boys left side to help him get buckled in. In the process, he breathed in the boy lightly, out of curiosity and he smelled sweet. "There you go." He mumbled and sat up.
"Thanks but I know how to use a seat belt." Kale let out a snicker that sounded more like a giggle. "I drive, you know." He fiddled with the tips of his blonde hair.
The Séance nodded as The Kraken got their way back on the freeway. "I know." He snickered and paused, staring at the boy's green and blue woman's flannel. The sleeves were cut off just above the elbow and he was wearing a turquoise shirt under it. Man, he was girly; of course, he had to say something else besides his femininity to the boy in fear he would hurt his feelings. "So you must think we're crazies or something." He blurted out. "Picking you up off the street or whatever. How do you know we aren't homicidal maniacs or something?" He let out the sweetest smile he could, worried that he would be nervous.
"I was." Kale admitted. "Then I realized you were what's left of the Umbrella Academy." He bent down and placed a hand on his ankle. He pulled his tight pants up a little more and took his shoe off, to see the wound.
The Séance sucked in threw his teeth at the mess. His foot was very black and blue, but not so swollen as he thought, though. "Jeez that looks bad." He sympathized and bent down to help place his foot into a comfortable position. As Kale started to look at ease, The Séance moved himself back up breathing in the boy once more has he bent back into pose. "You smell like Apples and Pears." He commented.
Kale's once pained expression twisted into a delightful one at his observation. "Really? That's the soap I'm using!" He exclaimed in a quiet sort of way. "You're the first to notice."
The Séance laughed lightly at his easily excitement. His whole body jerked back as the Kraken sped the car off onto the highway as the traffic was now, a little more lucid to drive through.
After five minutes of silence, because Diego turned off his radio, he sat up a bit and whispered "Turn on the music for me" to .05.
Sighing .05 did as was suggested but didn't get far as the Kraken stopped him by yelling at him and demanding him not to touch the radio.
The Séance sighed and sat up lightly in defense. "C'mon D, I think it would make Kale feel more comfortable." He looked to the boy and clandestinely winked to him.
Kale let out a giggle, then a nod to The Kraken in the rearview mirror. "I like music."
The Kraken muttered something in a growling voice, and reluctantly turned on the radio, in which a pop-rock band, that The Séance knew, was playing.
"Can we fast forward 'till you go down on me?" Klaus sung with the radio. "Stop there and let me be corrected,"
"I want to live a life from a new perspective." Kale sung a long with Klaus.
As both of them sung the chorus, Diego looked to both of them in the rearview mirror and sighed. "These two are going to be the best of friends, aren't they?" He asked with a scowl in his voice.
The Rumor, not looking at anyone in the car, snickered out the window. She knew this was going to be a long ride.
--
As the radio still played, and no one talked except for the occasional singing of The Séance or Kale, the car stopped at a surreptitious dirt road. Everyone looked around the car expecting to see a familiar face, but to there surprise, no one was in sight.
After a couple of minutes of silence and puzzlement, The Kraken let out an irritated sigh. "This is ridiculous." He murmured and leaned back in the seat. "What the hell could he have to tell us, that's so important one moment, then the next…" He looked out the window, letting his voice trail off in anger. Getting even more enraged at the pop rock music, he quickly clicked a button on the radio and jerked back violently, debating on his next initiative.
"…World wide –fzz- Are now saying that almost all technological devises are disabled, including, TV's ,-fzzz- traffic lights, wall radios and -fzzz- not functioning. We are having a hard time getting through ourselves through –fzzz- and no one knows if the Umbrella Academy has anything –fzzz- with it…"
Everyone in the car looked at each other.
"Wait, what's happening?" Kale asked showing some anxiety.
"I guess it's not just our place." .05 said nonchalantly looking out the window.
Kale looked to The Séance. "What's happening?" He repeated a little more nervously that before.
Klaus sighed. "Technology is down I guess." He muttered. "You didn't notice? We thought it was some kind of local power outage."
Kale shook his head. "No I've been driving since eight this morning. I was coming back from my parents' house." He bit his lower lip. "Is something bad happening?" He asked innocently.
The Séance stared at his worried expression for a while before he decided to respond. He was so scared, poor thing. As far as he was concerned the world could have been ending again, but he couldn't tell the poor kid that. He sighed amazed at how much sympathy he had for him, and how he didn't understand why. "No, I'm sure it's nothing." He lied quietly and let a small smile creep across his face.
The Kraken started the car and turned off the radio. "This is his fault," he said to himself obviously referring to his estranged brother. "We've gotta find out where that crazy fuck went." He sighed and began to drive off. As they were getting back on the road he sighed. "And we got to get this kid to a hospital…before he learns anything important."
Suddenly The Krakens cell phone rung and he grabbed it out of his pocket and pressed it to his ear."
"Kraken!" It was Spaceboy's voice and it could be heard throughout the car.
The Rumor sat up in her seat. "Is he okay?" She asked fiddling with her hands.
The Kraken let out an irritated noise. "Where the hell are you?"
"Don't come find me-fzzz- not safe! We're in trouble with –fzzz-"
"What's wrong with him?" The Rumor asked anxiously.
"What? In trouble with who?" Kraken asked.
"Don't go –fzzz-click."
"Space? Space!" The Kraken yelled in the receiver but since there was no voice, he hung up. He looked around the people at the car through his rearview mirror. "Academy," He mumbled sternly. "I think we have a problem…"