Elsie let out a sigh from her position, lying across the hood of Vanya's car, her eyes closed to avoid the suns glare.
The three of them had managed to drag Luther's unconscious body from the ring, made past the two guards, who had both taken the opportunity to make snide remarks which Five had instantly reacted to. He'd taken a moment to punch the two men, knocking them out as Vanya and Elsie had put Luther to the car, Elsie pouting the entire time as she complained about missing out on the action. They'd then managed to drive him back to the place he'd been staying, The Piano Street Rooming House For Solitary Men, and managed to drag him up the stairs to dump him on the bed. She and Five had been content to just leave him there until he'd woken up but Vanya had insisted they stay. In the end they'd decided to split up – her and Five waiting by the car while Vanya took care of Luther.
Five glanced over at Elsie at the sigh, just able to see her head from his position leaning against the drivers side door, frowning as he saw her eyes glowing lightly. He lifted a hand and placed it on her closest knee, giving a small squeeze to break her out of her glimpsing. He knew she was exhausted, if he was being honest, he was too. The longer this went on, the less sleep they got, the more frustrated they became which led to mistakes. They were both trying to save energy where they could, and if it meant no glimpsing and jumping so be it.
"I don't think it was wise to let them stay together." Elsie breathed out, her eyes still closed but no longer glowing. Five turned his head to look at her, before returning to staring at the wall.
"Luther won't do anything." Five shrugged, not worried about Luther doing anything to Vanya. Elsie pushed herself up, opening her eyes and leaning back in her hands as she looked over at him.
"I'm more worried about what he'll say." Elsie admitted, earning a hum and slight nod from Five in agreement. They both knew that sometimes Luther didn't know when to stop talking.
The two settled into another silence. Five eyeing the surrounding streets as Elsie slid herself to so was just sitting on the side of the hood, slightly closer to Five. She bit her lip and nudged Five with her knee as she noted a frustrated looking man dressed in a fancy suit walking in the front door. Five followed her gaze, letting out a huff of air.
"That's not going to end well." He muttered, but still made no move to enter the building. Elsie glanced at Five, slightly worried with his reaction. It was unlike Five to not try to prevent things that could prolong his siblings from coming with them.
She knew he was frustrated, so was she if she was honest. Everything they'd ever done had been to get back to save the world and Fives family. All the murder. All the fights. All the injuries. And not one of his siblings seemed to realise or care. The two of them were nearing their limit, she could sense that much. They were both drifting back into old tendencies, her thirst for a fight, his coldness, it wasn't a good sign.
"Should we stop it?" Elsie asked gently, trying to see if Five had an angle. Five shook his head.
"No. I believe that's Luther's boss, so he'll hopefully cut him loose for losing the fight." Elsie hummed and nodded her head feeling reassured with the answer.
"Good thinking." She offered, giving Five another nudge with her leg.
The two fell into another silence, just waiting for a sign that Vanya or Luther or both were coming with them. Elsie tilted her head, nudging Five to get his attention, and nodding at the wall. It wasn't long before a hole was suddenly punched through where Elsie had just indicated, making Elsie snort and Five huff with laughter, shaking his head at his brother who they could see glaring at them. Elsie pushed herself off the car as Luther disappeared from view, the two of them walking side by side towards the front door to meet Vanya who was exiting the building very quickly, a frown on her face.
"Well, that clearly went well. You ready to go?" Five asked glancing back up at the hole as his sister matching off ahead towards the car.
"I'm going back to the farm." Vanya announced making Elsie and Five frown with annoyance, jogging to catch up with her.
"Hey. Unacceptable, Vanya. Remember, we need to stick together." Five reminded her as he followed behind, Elsie behind him, Vanya turning to glare at the two teens angrily as they reached the car.
"Oh, why, so I don't end the world again?" Vanya questioned angrily. Elsie rolled her eyes at Luther's big mouth as Five let out a scoff, turning to glare up at the hole in the wall.
"Stupid..." Five muttered angrily at Luther who would never have heard him.
"Were you even gonna tell me?" Vanya asked, sounding disappointed. Elsie moved to be on Fives right, letting out a sigh before she opened her mouth to admit her part when Five got there first.
"You know what? In my defense, no. All right? And can you blame me? When you... you get angry, shit blows up." Five admitted to her, Elsie just barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes at his excuse. Vanya ignored her, focusing on Five.
"Great. Are there any other family secrets you failed to mention?" Vanya replied as she climbed in the car and slammed the door.
"A boatload, Vanya, which I don't have the luxury of sharing them with the..." Five started shouting through the door. Elsie sighed, already knowing this wouldn't help their case. She gently grabbed Fives right hand and pulled him behind her before he could finish. She chapped gently on the window as Five let out a frustrated scoff from behind her. Elsie waited until Vanya had rolled down the window before she spoke.
"It's my fault Vanya, I knew you'd be scared if we told you the truth and try to run." Elsie offered, explaining why she'd not told the whole truth. Vanya looked down, nearly seeming to accept that she would have indeed fled if they'd told her she ended the world. Five seeing his sister calm slightly, let out a calming breath and joined Elsie back at the window.
"Look, The clock is ticking on doomsday. Just tell me that when I need you, you'll be ready." Five tried, Elsie giving his hand a squeeze of support.
"I can't help you, Five. I don't even know who I am." Vanya responded, an angry edge to her words. Elsie let out a sigh and stepped back, feeling partially responsible since it was her lie that had caused this.
"You're our sister." Five answered as Vanya started the engine, "And a member of the Umbrella Academy. Like it or not, that's who you are."
"Look, that's who I was, okay? New timeline, new me." Vanya bit out before she pulled off. Elsie letting out a dry laugh of frustration.
"No, that's not how it work..." Five shouted after her, glancing at Elsie who was rubbing her free hand over her face and let out a breath of frustration himself. Five looked down at his and Elsie's hand, squeezing it in comfort before glancing back up to stare down Vanya's retreating car. Feeling someone staring at him, he twisted his head to look up, where he could see Luther in his room giving him the middle finger. Elsie followed Fives stare, sending a dirty look Luther's way.
"Wonder if it's too late to be un-adopted." Five muttered to Elsie before gently tugging her hand and pulling her down the street. Elsie sent him a half smile for the effort.
The two of them walked for a few blocks in silence, both in their own thoughts as they walked. It had been a long couple days and neither of them were in a huge rush to get back to Lila and Diego. Elsie bit her lip as she walked, feeling a dull throb starting in the back of her skull and tried to distract herself. She stared down at the sidewalk, kicking a couple small stones as she tried to calculate how long she'd been awake. She'd only had a couple power naps plus that few hours when they'd left Luther the first time, and before that it was when Five had been shot. She cast a sideways look at Five, noting the frown on his face as he walked.
"How are you?" Elsie suddenly asked, earning a confused look from Five.
"I'm fine?" He replied slowly, making Elsie let out a small laugh.
"You sure? That sounded more like you were asking me." Elsie chuckled, Five throwing her a frown.
"Are you ok?" He asked. Elsie tilted her head up to stare at the sky for a moment before she let out a breath.
"No." She answered honestly before continuing, "We've been shot at more than 3 times in the past 10 days. We've both had gunshot wounds. We've barely slept and there's still an apocalypse on the horizon."
Five eyed her for a moment before pulling her off the street and down the nearest alley. Elsie let out a breath and leaned against the wall staring at Five. She watched as he started pacing.
"We're running out of time." Five muttered, Elsie rolling her eyes at him.
"No shit." She muttered under her breath. Five rolled his eyes before pulling them back to the topic at hand.
"How much longer until you need to rest?" Five asked pausing in front of her. Elsie let out a sigh and tilted her head as she thought for a moment.
"Probably have about a day before I risk getting stuck in a loop." She shrugged. Five nodded, beginning to pace again.
"We need to talk to my dad. He's our only lead." Five suggested. Elsie nodded her head.
"I agree."
"Let's go." Five held out his hand to Elsie who frowned down at it and shook her head making Five frown, "what?"
"You know what." Elsie countered, tilting her head at him. Five stared her down before letting out a breath and falling back against the wall opposite her, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"You're not seriously doing this now?" He questioned as Elsie closed her arms over her chest. Elsie glared at him.
"You made the rule." She reminded him.
"I didn't think you'd use it every time I said I'm fine." Five huffed. Elsie rolled his eyes at the theatrics but didn't bother to argue him on his point. He knew she was within her right to stop him, and he had been actively trying to avoid it by trying to move the job along.
It was something they'd agreed on a long time ago to try and stop them from rushing jobs and getting hurt, stop arguments or even sometimes to help sort through information on a mission so they could work out the problem quicker. It had been Fives idea originally, after one particularly nasty mission where they'd gotten into a huge argument and led to them splitting up, it had ended up with Elsie getting stabbed in the leg and nearly bleeding out. He'd offered her the option to take time out as a solution to their occasional bumping of heads, to stop them from even thinking about splitting up while angry again. It wasn't her fault that he hadn't put rules in to stop her from using it as time to sort through emotions that Five didn't want to deal with.
"Are you ok?" Elsie asked, all humour and annoyance disappearing from her face. Five let out a breath, knowing there was no way he would get out of this.
"I'm fine." He repeated, his shoulders shagging slightly as Elsie hummed to herself, eyeing him intently.
"You're near your limit." She observed before letting out a sigh, "I'm not going to make us sit here and sort everything Five. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay. Seeing your dad, the apocalypse, your siblings. It's a lot. Not to mention you keeping an eye on me since my meltdown yesterday." She listed.
Five stared at her for a while before nodding, accepting everything Elsie had said.
"I am stressed but we need to keep going." Five admitted. Elsie sighed but nodded her head.
"I know. I'm sorry I keep bringing it up." Elsie muttered, holding out her hand to him as a peace offering. Five let out a breath of frustration, aimed at himself, but grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him.
"I'm sorry too." He offered, placing a kiss on her cheek. Elsie smiled a little, placing a kiss on his cheek in return and squeezing his hand. Five smiled reassuringly before jumping the two back to the alley outside Elliot's shop. Elsie glanced up at the building, frowning slightly as she remembered about their temporary housemates.
"What are we going to tell them?" She asked as Five started to tug her towards the entrance. He glance back at her for a moment and shrugged.
"What they need to know."
The two of them walked in, hand in hand as they climbed the stairs. Five released Elsie's hand as they got to the top of the stairs, throwing his hands in his pockets. Elsie kept her face blank as she surveyed the scene they'd walked into, eyeing a half naked Diego and fully dressed Lila with suspicion as they appeared from the kitchen. She threw a quick half smile over to Elliott before her eyes fell back on Diego who was eyeing her with suspicion.
"Where'd you go?" Diego questioned, eyes narrowing at the look Elsie was giving him. Five glanced between his brother and Elsie with slight concern but began pacing as he recounted the nights events. Elsie leaned back against the railing as Five spoke, her eyes flitting between Lila and Diego as Elliott started preparing some coffee. Elise tilted her head as she watch Lila start to change Diego's bandage as Five ended his story.
"So, what, you just let her go?" Diego questioned, staring at Elsie since Five had moved to pace behind the couch.
"Well, Vanya had a lot to process." Elsie shrugged as Five let out a sigh.
"She'll come around. I know she will." Five offered his brother.
"What about the guys that went after her?" Diego pointed out, tilting his head to the side as Five walked around the couch towards Elsie.
"The Swedes?" Five clarified, just as Elliott appeared with a few mugs of coffee. Elsie eyed the mugs with a tinge of jealousy as Lila and Diego got theirs first.
"Yeah, I mean, how do you know they won't go after her again?" Diego continued, ignoring the mug that Elliot placed down for them.
"We don't." Five and Elsie replied as Diego frowned.
"You're a psychic." Diego countered pointing at Elsie who rolled her eyes.
"I'm a walking probability map!" Elsie scoffed as her eyes glowed, "Theres a 30% chance they'll go after her, but I don't know what leads to it. It's like untangling spaghetti without giving me a day to write it out." Diego lifted his hands in surrender as Elliott arrived with her coffee.
"Mm, any idea who sent them?" Lila asked taking a sip of her coffee and leaning back on the couch.
"Oh, I have my suspicions." Five smiled, "But right now, our priority is finding Dad and getting answers, 'cause everything else depends on it." Elsie nodded her agreement, pushing off the railing to sit beside Five, sitting on the coffee table.
"Which, for the record, I found him already." Diego interjected, making Elsie smirk as she took a sip of her coffee.
"And then let him go before we could have a meaningful conversation." Five countered with a smug smile.
"He stabbed me." Diego deadpanned, glancing between the two smirking teens.
"I'm surprised he waited this long, Diego. We've all had the urge." Five retorted as Elsie nodded her head, muttering she'd wished she'd got there first under her breath. Diego glared at the two teens who smiled back as Lila and Elliott let out an awkward laugh.
"Good one." Lila cheered, holding up her hand for a high-five. Five and Elsie shared a look, ignoring the crazy girl they were both becoming more and more suspicious of.
"Good thing I know where Dad's gonna be tonight." Five offered as he stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper he'd found on their search of Umbrella Incorporated Co. Diego stretched forward to take the paper out his hand, looking it over with a hint of suspicion as he let out a sigh.
"Where'd you get this?" Diego asked, Lila leaning over to read the paper.
"Found it at his office while he was busy stabbing you." Five explained, Elsie taking another sip of her coffee to hide a snort of amusement. Diego let out a sarcastic chuckle as he threw a glare at the two.
"Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas cordially invite you to a gala." Diego read, Elliott edging his way back into the room as his interest piqued.
"Whoa, wait. Hoyt Hillenkoetter? Are you serious?" Elliott questioned, looking between the two couples as he pointed at the letter.
"You know him?" Five asked, Elsie tilting her head as she looked over at the jittery man.
"We should go. Says there's gonna be a seafood tower." Lila gasped, Elsie trying her hardest to stop herself from rolling her eyes and scoffing at Lila getting back into the act.
"No, Hillenkoetter is... is one of the Majestic Twelve." Elliott offered, bringing Elsie's attention back to the nervous man.
"The hell is the Majestic Twelve?" Diego asked, his attention between the letter, Lila and Elliot.
"What? It's a... a secret committee. Uh, scientists, military, uh, deep state. No one knows what they really do." Elliott explained, dashing over to a desk to flit through some paperwork. Elsie got to her feet, walking over to glance over the documents on the desk as she took another drink. She set her empty mug down, using both hands to flick through some newspaper clippings.
"Wait, so they're government?" Diego asked, grunting as he pushed himself up and tugged at his stab wound.
"Shadow government. Yeah, Kennedy was the first president to try to push 'em into the light, but these guys are not to be trifled with. Oh... Oh, here we go. Ah, right here." Elliott continued, finding a clipping and taking it over to Five, Lila and Diego. Elsie trailed over, peaking over Fives shoulder, "This, uh... Oh, right here. That's Hoyt right there."
The group all gathered round the photo, eyeing the men in the picture. Elsie frowned, eyeing Hoyt with a frown before sweeping round the rest of the faces, not recognising anyone. She felt her frown deepen as she realised there weren't twelve men in the photo of the supposed majestic twelve.
"I only count 11." Lila pointed out.
"Well, that's because they've only identified 11 so far." Elliot revealed.
"Who's the twelfth?" Diego thought aloud. Elsie hummed for a moment, lifting her eyes from the photo to share a look with Five. The two teens then turned their gaze to Diego, who frowned before his eyes widened. The three of them already having a chief suspect for member number twelve. The group said nothing, breaking out of their staring as Lila jumped up to go to the bathroom.
Elsie felt leaned over and snatched the invite from Diego's hand, reading the invite as she walked over to pick up her empty mug and headed to the kitchen. She glanced over at the clock as she poured herself half a cup of coffee before looking back down at the time on the letter. She let out a small breath of pain as a migraine started to hit, happy she at least had 5 hours before the gala to get rid of it. Elsie turned leaning back against the counter, rubbing her forehead as she started drinking the half cup, debating her options for a moment.
Five and her both needed some rest, but she was too suspicious of Lila to chance sleeping at the same time. Elsie knew they could easily take shifts but the 5 hour window wouldn't be long enough for either of them to fully recharge if they split it in half, that would barely fix her migraine. Five would probably just tell her to take the time to nap and he'd survive, but out of the two of them, he was the best for an escape and if he burnt out they would be in trouble. It was tricky.
Elsie set the now empty mug down on the counter, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling as she heard footsteps coming her way. She twisted her head to the side, frowning as she saw Diego not Five, like she'd expected.
"I wanted to ask you something." Diego shrugged as he noted the confused and slightly pained look on Elsie's face. Elsie's eyes narrowed but nodded her permission for him to continue.
"Take Lila dress shopping?" Diego eventually asked, earning a hollow laugh from Elsie until she realised he wasn't joking.
"What?" Elsie questioned, rubbing her hand over her eyes to block out the light.
"You'll both need a dress for the gala. Why don't you make a day of it?" Elsie narrowed her eyes at him.
"She's your girlfriend, you take her. Besides, what are you and Five gonna do?" Diego sighed at her.
"She needs a girl's opinion. Plus you're like my sister-in-law so shouldn't you be trying to get on my good side?" Diego questioned. Elsie scoffed.
"Oh so saving your ass from the apocalypse isn't enough to be on your good side." Elsie muttered with an eye roll, before turning her head to the open door, "Five!"
An unamused dark haired teenager appeared a moment later, eyeing Diego with thinly veiled annoyance. Diego rolled his eyes at him, gesturing to Elsie to try and indicate it was her creating the problem. Five rolled his eyes, coming over to stand beside Elsie.
"What are you doing Diego?" Five questioned, glancing between the two.
"Trying to get me to take Lila dress shopping." Elsie explained, only frowning deeper when Five eyes narrowed in thought. She started shaking her head.
"You can't be serious." She hissed at him, eyes narrowing as she dropped her hands to her sides. Five looked over at her, an apologetic look on his face.
"It could be good to get to know her." Five offered. Diego smiled smugly opposite her, not catching the double meaning. Elsie's eyes narrowed further, but pushed herself off the counter.
"If you think I'm not debating a divorce, you're very much mistaken Hargreeves." Elsie threatened, the pounding in her skull getting worse, before turning to Diego, "and don't think you're out of this. If you don't stop thinking with your downstairs brain, I'm going to cut it off."
Diego scoffed at her, rolling his eyes as he left the room to tell Lila to get herself ready. Elsie stepped away from Five, avoiding his hand as he reached out to grab her only to stumble slightly and nearly fall into the table Five blinking quickly to her side to catch her. Elsie let out a groan of pain, crumbling a little in Fives arms as another wave hit her. She could feel Five move his hands to hold her face and could hear him talking but couldn't focus enough to listen or say anything to him. It took everything in Elsie not to fall to the ground as new possibilities began flashing in front of her eyes as the possible futures seemed to change.
"El? Elsie?" Five asked, trying not to panic as Elsie's eyes began to glow. He watched her carefully, unsure of what else to do but wait for it to be over. He let out a slight sigh of relief as she lifted a hand to squeeze his arm. He watched her for a few more minutes, letting go her face as the glowing stopped.
"What happened?" Five asked as Elsie lifted her hands to rub her face, leaning back heavily against the table as she shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know, it was like when I arrive somewhere new and the possibilities change." She muttered quietly, Five stared at her for a while, frowning in thought.
"Could someone from the commission have arrived?" He asked, Elsie bit her lip but shook her head slightly.
"No, no that's different. It does affect things but normally that's just like a niggle in the back of my mind. That was almost like someone knew what was going to happen and decided to change their future and it affected everything." Elsie admitted, frowning to herself as pushed herself off the table and nervously took a few steps. Feeling she wasn't going to collapse, she took a few more towards the main shop area. Five followed after her, not saying anything as he tried to work out what this could mean.
Elsie gingerly placed herself down on the couch, casting an eye over towards the bathroom where she could vaguely see Diego trying to convince Lila it would be good for her to go out. She shook her head slightly, leaning back and turning to look at Five who'd began pacing. Elsie watched him pace back and fore a few times before closing her eyes. Letting out a slight hum she pulled her legs up on the couch and set her head on the armrest, trying her hardest to keep herself aware of what was going on. She listened out for Lilas footsteps getting closer, trying desperately not to drift off at the ever familiar sound of Fives pacing.
"Throw that at her Diego and I will kill you." Five suddenly hissed quietly, eyeing his brother who had picked up a metal spoon. Diego threw a glare but set the spoon down, gesturing angrily towards a near sleeping Elsie.
"Wake her up." Diego hissed across, lowering his volume at the deadly glare from Five. Five rolled his eyes.
"Be my guest Diego, but be warned, she will probably try to kill you." Five shrugged, stopping his pacing to smile dangerously at his brother and Lila who could now be seen behind Diego. Lila eyed the sleeping Elsie with glee.
"Ooh let me get a pen!" She cheered, diving off towards the kitchen. Fives stare became ice cold, making Diego roll his eyes and sigh.
"You're so whipped man." He muttered before turning and heading back to the kitchen, muttering angrily about having to take Lila out himself.
Five rolled his eyes at his brother and shook his head as he returned to pacing. He glanced over at a now fully unconscious Elsie as he passed her, very concerned with what she had told him and not blaming her for practically collapsing on the couch. The time travelling migraines had always taken it out of her, the first few times she'd experienced them she'd not been able to get up for hours, he would have to carry her to the motels. Those days were long gone, he'd noticed even now the pain seemed to be passing quicker when she arrived somewhere new, and he was grateful for it, he hated seeing her in pain.
Five glanced up as he heard Elliott shuffling in the kitchen, pausing in his pacing to try and see what the man was up to and if it would make a lot of bangs. Elsie did sleep like the dead but after everything, they both had triggers that would quickly wake them up, and he wanted Elsie to relax.
Five wasn't stupid. He had noticed Elsie being slightly more angry and frustrated than usual. She'd been under a lot of stress the past 9 days, and that compiling with his siblings not exactly being the most welcoming or helpful was bound to be grating on her nerves, it was grating on his as well. Elsie had always been the calmer one, but even she reached a limit.
Five let out a sigh, before heading to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, knowing he was just going to think himself round in circles if he didn't stop. He had taken two steps towards the kitchen when a small gasp made him pause. He looked back at Elsie, debating if he should even try and wake her when a shout of pain shot through the air. Five had little time to react as Elsie's familiar figure threw itself at him. He managed to dodge a punch aimed at his head and spatial jumped to place the couch between them.
"Elsie!" He shouted gaining her attention, "El, you're ok."
He watched carefully as her shoulders sank and she blinked a few times, as if trying to register what she was really seeing. Five could see the pain in Elsie's eyes as she took a few deep breaths and lifted a slightly shaky hand to rub her eyes.
"Five. I'm so sorry." She apologised after a moment, removing her hand from her face. Five jumped back so he was standing in front of her, frowning in concern.
"What happened?" He asked, throwing a glare over Elsie's head at Elliott who'd come into the room at the shout. Elliott said nothing and turned quickly back to the kitchen, allowing Five to refocus on Elsie.
"You died." Elsie breathed, shaking her head as she took a seat on the couch, "one of the Swedes got you."
Five couldn't help but snort, making Elsie side eye him.
"I'll be fine." Five shrugged as Elsie rolled her eyes.
"Funny. You said that exactly thing before we split up and he got you." Elsie muttered, lifting her hands to cover her face as she took a breath. Five pulled her hands from her face a somewhat cheeky smirk on his face.
"So were you planning on punching him to death or…" Five trailed off as Elsie started laughing.
"Something like that." She nodded before sobering, "Please, don't split us up tonight." She pleaded lightly. Five eyed her before offering a single nod of the head in agreement.
The two teens spent the rest of the afternoon drinking coffee and reminiscing about days gone by to Elliott, who looked ever confused as the stories contained more and more unbelievable details. Eventually, Five and Elsie's stories slowly coming to an end as they both got lost in their own thoughts. Their attention suddenly turned to the staircase, hearing somewhat angry sounding footsteps coming up. It wasn't long before Diego appeared at the top with a gleeful Lila after him, her swaying a blue dress back and fore as she came up the stairs.
"You owe me." Diego mouthed to Elsie once he caught her gaze, Elsie rolling her eyes.
"Successful trip?" Elsie questioned as she stood up from the couch, brushing off her skirt before picking up the empty mug on the table.
"Very. Good nap, shorty?" Lila returned with a grin, Elsie's eyes narrowing at the nickname.
"Very." Elsie replied shortly, turning to the kitchen to deposit her mug.
"Get ready. We need to leave soon." Five ordered the group, glancing up at the clock on the wall. Elsie let out a sigh, coming back to stand next to Five as Diego and Lila headed toward the bedrooms, the two ignoring the blonde as they went past in favour of eyeing each other flirtatiously.
"Must we take them." Elsie muttered with a face of disgust, earning a smirk from Five. He opened his mouth when Elsie lifted her hand and put a finger over it, "I don't want to hear about our escapades, we were literally the only people alive for most of them."
Five laughed, lifting his own hand to pull hers away from his mouth. He gave her hand a squeeze, throwing her a flirty look which she countered with an eye roll.
It wasn't too long before Lila and Diego appeared from the bedroom, thankfully for Five and Elsie. The two had changed into more formal wear, much more appropriate for the gala they would be crashing. Elsie eyed Lila's dress with slight envy, wishing she had taken up the offer of an older body from the Commission before her and Five had blown part of it to bits. She had always liked wearing period outfits but given she was back to being a teenage, she really didn't feel like trying on so many outfits to work out what would suit her. It had been so long since she'd been this age, and during the apocalypse she'd just worn whatever she could find.
A nudge to her side snapped her out of her stare and she twisted her head to face Five who was eyeing her with slight confusion. Elsie shrugged, holding out her hand, ready to go when he was.
Five grabbed her hand, leading the four of them down the stairs to the car Diego had stolen what felt like weeks ago. Diego took the drivers seat as Lila and Elsie sat in the back, no one making any moves to imitate conversation as they drove to the address on the card. Elsie occupied herself by looking out the window, enjoying the scenery and the sounds of the city, sighing as they arrived on the opposite side of a dense forest that surrounded the mansion. The group exited the car, glancing at each and nodding before they began to make their way over.
The four of them remained silent as they crept up to the wall that surrounded the mansion, keeping low to the ground to avoid being spotted by the guards strategically placed to prevent intrusions. Diego was the first to hop over the wall, Lila following after before Five then Elsie. The group remained crouched down the side of a parked car, keeping them out of view from guests and guards alike.
"So, what's the plan?" Lila whispered as they held position behind the car. Diego looking over the trunk to eye the guests, straightening his suit.
"We infiltrate, we identify, we extract. Double time." Diego relayed, earning a nod from Five and Elsie and a look of confusion from Lila.
"What the hell's he talking about?" Lila asked, turning to Five and Elsie. The pair shared a glance before looking back at Lila.
"Find the old man and get out fast." Five explained, as Elsie straightened up slightly to peak through the car window at the crowd.
"That's what I said. On me." Diego muttered back to them, before he walked lowly along to the car towards a car closer to the mansion than the one they'd been behind.
"After you." Lila offered, earning a suspicious stare from Five, "What, I can't be polite?"
"Cut the crap. All right? My dimwitted brother
might buy your bullshit, but we don't trust you for a second." Five hissed at Lila, Elsie's eyes narrowing as a small smile of amusement started to grow on Lila's face.
"O ye of little faith." Lila somewhat taunted back at the pair.
"Stick it up your ass." Five threw back with a glare. Lila shaking her head slightly, smiling somewhat smugly at the two before turning to follow after Diego. Five grabbed Elsie's hand, the two sharing an uneasy glance. After a moment, Five let out a sigh and moved, his eyes firmly on Lila even as he gently tugged Elsie after him, towards Diego.
The group managed to sneak quickly around the view of the guards that had been placed beside the front door, and headed around the side of the building. They kept close to the wall of the tunnel that led them to the back garden. Diego paused at the exit to the tunnel, straightening his tie and nodding back to the other three before walking calmly out into the open. The remaining three watched for any shouts of suspicion, before eventually following Diego out. Five kept a hold of Elsie's hand as they entered through the back door of the mansion.
The slow mariachi music playing along with the chatter made Elsie tense as they walked in, having flashbacks to the start of her dream from earlier. Five glanced back at her, giving her hand a small squeeze before returning to looking around, absently picking up a glass of champagne with his free hand to quietly sip on as they walked.
Elsie but her lip but let out a breath as she forced herself to focus. She glanced around the room as Five pulled her after Diego, searching for any sign of Mr Hargreeves.
"I don't see Dad anywhere." Diego muttered to the others as they grouped back together at a table filled with hors d'oeuvres.
"Just keep an eye out for the Majestic Twelve. We got the upstairs. Diego, try not to do anything too stupid." Five ordered the two before leading Elsie towards the staircase. Elsie glanced back at Lila who almost looked like she was about to follow when Diego stopped her.
Elsie turned back to look at Five who was still looking around for his father. She hummed to herself, taking a few bigger steps forward so she could lead them up the stairs as Five continued to glance around. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she got a gut feeling to move quicker, and tugged Fives hand twice. His focus instantly moved from the crowd to Elsie, moving with her up the stairs. Elsie twisted as they got to the top of the staircase and pulled Five in through a door. Five frowned at the action but said nothing as Elsie leaned her head against the door, a hand on the knob as she waited for the gap she needed.
"What…?" Five started when Elsie lifted a hand to stop him talking. She gestured for him to stay quiet before pointing at the door, telling him there were people out there. Five nodded.
Elsie waited one minute longer before she quietly pulled the door open, allowing the two of them to tilt their heads out slightly to watch a group of twelve men head down the corridor and into one room. Five and Elsie shared a knowing look before the exited the room to follow the men. Five debated their options for a moment before grabbing Elsie's hand and jumping them.
The two of them landed somewhat crammed in a wardrobe. Elsie gave Five what she hoped was an unamused look but said nothing as they tried to listen in to what was being said.
"The president is continuing to make inquiries into Roswell and the other crash sites, gentlemen. And, as you know, we cannot allow him to get his nose into our business. I've confirmed the motorcade will indeed be turning left on Elm Street. We'll have our people in place." Some man explained to the group as Elsie and Five tried to get a good look at the space.
"Gentlemen, this plan of yours seems ill-timed." A familiar voice spoke. Elsie cast a look at Five hoping she was right and it was Mr Hargreeves. Five didn't look over at her, his eyes narrowing as he tried to get a good look at the figure that had spoken.
"It's going to be a turkey shoot." A different man countered from the couch just as Mr Hargreeves twisted to eye the wardrobe they'd landed in with suspicion.
"Dad?" Five whispered to himself.
"Shh." My Hargreeves ordered the men that had started chattering. Elsie grabbed Fives hand as they watched him walk to the fire place to grab the poker. Elsie and Five held their breath as he came over, poker aimed directly at their chest height. Elsie squeezed Fives hand, him blinking them away just as Mr Hargreeves began his assault on the wardrobe.
They landed back in the corridor, Elsie bracing her hands on her knees and taking a few breaths. She looked up to speak to Five when her eyes caught the figure that was glowering down at them.
"Shit." Her and Five both breathed just as the Swede brother grabbed Five and threw him into the wall on their right. Elsie dived out the way as he tried to throw Five at her, Five also blinking himself out the way with a grunt. The Swede moved his focus to Elsie, jamming a foot down into her stomach making her groan in pain.
Five landed behind the Swede, marching forward to land his heel into the back of the man's left knee, forcing the man to his knees. Elsie rolled over, pushing herself off the floor to come over and land a punch on his face only for the Swedes to punch her back in the stomach. Elsie grunted as she stumbled back, feeling the breath leave her again. Five grabbed onto the Swedes head, twisting it as he tried to break the man's neck. The Swede grunted as he tried to stop Five, lifting his arms until he got a good grip on Fives blazer and pulling the teen over his head. Elsie managing to roll out of the way before Five was thrown onto her. Five glanced at Elsie who dived for him, grabbing his hand. Five managed to jump them to the other end of the corridor, giving them both a chance to take a breath.
The Swede marched down the corridor towards them, Five about to blink them away when his abilities stopped working.
"Oh, shit." Five muttered as the Swede started getting closer dropping Elsie's hand and stepping ahead of her.
Elsie rolled his eyes at him, closing her eyes as she pushed him to the side taking centre stage. The Swede threw a punch, her blocking it just in time as her eyes started glowing. She grabbed the Swedes hand and moved to throw her own punch when her mind suddenly flashed and a migraine hit her. Five watched in slight horror as Elsie fell to the side, allowing the Swede to punch her across the face making her to crumple the floor. Five quickly landed a punch on the Swede, moving the bigger man's focus to him as Elsie groaned from the floor.
Elsie grunted as images hit her head and flashed by so fast she could barely keep up. She bit her lip, trying to shove it all back when it disappeared. She felt her mind clear, possibilities changing as Fives chances of dying disappeared. She watched for a few more moments with confusion before remembering what was happening. She opened her eyes to see Lila in front of the man that had just handed Five and her their asses, and pushed herself up to lean against the wall.
"You're welcome." Lila spat out, eyeing Five. Elsie twisted to look at a bruised Five with a frown, wondering what she'd missed, just as Five dived forward and threw the Swede out the window.
Elsie pushed herself up to stand as Five stopped beside the other window, staring down at something. She watched in shock as he flashed her an apologetic look before jumping away, leaving her there. Elsie felt her mouth fall open and was about to follow when Lila picked up her shoes and ran down the stairs, chasing after him. Elsie paused, taking a moment to centre herself and wondering how hard the Swede had hit her head when she noticed the other two with Diego. She shook her head, rubbing her temple as she quietly walked over so she was behind the Swede that was holding Diego by the neck. Elsie threw out a quick jab at the man's kidneys, freeing Diego from the grasp.
Diego nodded over at the blonde who landed another kick in the Swede that had been holding him before turning to face the last one.
"Oh, yeah, mofo. It's just you and me. Show me what you got." Diego taunted, raising his fists.
Elsie rolled her eyes at Diego, twisting to look at him after landing a kick to her Swedes chest.
"Hope you've still got the skills." She somewhat teased Diego, who threw her a look of annoyance but said nothing as he returned to focusing on his Swede.
Elsie grunted as a fist landed in her side, and twisted to block off the next his that had been heading for her head. She returned the punch, managing to land one in his stomach, and twisted to land a kick in his face once he bent over. Elsie grunted, grabbing the Swedes blazer and throwing him into the wall, finally knocking the man out.
She let out a couple breaths, turning to glance at Diego who had managed to get the best of his own Swede.
"Dad." Elsie heard Diego breathe. She walked over so she was standing beside him, seeing both Grace and Mr Hargreeves standing below them. She eyed the scene for a moment longer as Diego abandoned her and took off down the stairs, watching as Five shouted something across the grass to his father. She let out a sigh, lifting a hand to rub her lightly bruised cheek as she turned and made her way down the stairs.
She followed Diego as he exited the building, eyeing Lila who suddenly appeared from the shadows as they walked towards Five.
"Was that him?" Diego asked, Five glancing back at the group before letting out a breath.
"Yeah."