"Ah, shit. The Handler's back."
Famous words that Ris hated to hear. It was a good thing she hadn't been there or she might have finished the job and murdered the Handler the second she appeared in her line of site.
"Uh-oh."
"She's back."
Once again, a very good thing. She was not there. Not at all.
"Elliott, did you develop these photos yourself?" Five asked, glancing at the pictures, using a large magnifying glass. He looked though most of them, spotting his family or at least people who resembled closely to them. All except Ris.
Elliott's Apartment.
Morning.
Five.
"Of course." Elliott said, quickly swallowing his cereal. He decided against saying anything to the new arrival until he informed Ris. That was what she instructed him to do, in any case. "Can't exactly drop that stuff off at the neighborhood Fotomat. Government has eyes everywhere."
"I didn't see a darkroom."
"Yeah, I converted the hallway closet." Elliott said gesturing towards it. Five picked up a pen, scratching hard on the date of the footage; his heart sinking a little as he did so. He long since recognised Ris's rushed handwriting.
"Can you develop this?" Five asked handing it to him. "Huh. 'Frankel Footage.' Friends of yours?" Elliott asked, flipping the tape over. "Cousins on my robot mother's side. Can you do it or not?" Five said.
"Sure I can."
"How long?"
"Well, I mean, I'm running low on acetic acid. Beeker's Cameras is open today, but its two miles away. I mean, I'd have to take the bus." Elliott rambled. "On the other hand, Gibson's is only ten blocks away, but I gotta cut through the park, and there's pigeons..."
"Elliott." Five said, sharply cutting him off. "It's like five, maybe six hours." Elliott answered quickly. Just as his radio chimed out. 'Attention all units, we have a code 3-15 at the Holbrook Sanatorium.'
"The hell is a code 3-15?" Five asked, leaning closer to the radio. Elliott swallowed another spoonful. "Mmm, fugitives on the run."
'Twenty-five patients still at large. Many are considered armed and dangerous.'
"Oh, Diego." Five grumbled under his breath. "Oh, who's Diego?" Elliott asked, bending down to the radio.
Five shot him an annoyed smile. "Imagine Batman, then aim lower." he said, turning his attention back to the radio. "You get started on that film." Five said, setting down his pen walking out of the apartment. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Ris's Apartment.
Mid-Morning.
Ris.
'Attention all units, attention all units, we have a code 3-15 at the Holbrook Sanatorium.'Twenty-five patients still at large. Many are considered armed and dangerous.'
Ris's radio blared out.
Ris sighed, running her fingers though her short loose hair. She had chopped it off quite a bit. With her dark hair only just reaching her shoulders.
"Oh, Diego." Ris grumbled, pouring Quinque's breakfast grabbing a muffin. "Why?" she mumbled.
20th September 1963
It had been a few weeks since she had found Diego. And in that time, Ris had found out one thing, she had missed from their previous encounters.
He was a fricking psychopath.
If there were a list of people who should NEVER TRAVEL IN TIME. Diego would be the first person on that list. He was constantly attempting to change the course of events. As if they weren't interfering enough.
"Diego, what the hell are you doing!" Ris hissed, yanking the back of his jacket. It was early morning and Dallas was just waking up. And Lee Harvey Oswald was asleep. And Diego was prowling. And Ris, Ris was just annoyed.
"What you think?" Diego replied, lowering his voice too. "I'm going to kill Lee Harvey Oswald."
"No. No, you're not." Ris said (for what seemed like the millionth time), holding his arm tightly. This was not the first time Diego vocalised his plans to murder Oswald. It had only been this week that he had been attempting to put his plans into action.
"We need to get out of here, right now Diego." Ris said, attempting to walk away. Diego staying still, making Ris walk back. "What are you doing? I told you, you kill him, you will change the course of bloody history-!"
"I don't care." Diego snapped, straitening up, peering into Oswald's window. Ris glared at him, glancing across the road catching a glance of a police officer whistle to himself in a corner.
Ris smirked, glancing up at Diego. "Well, I'm not letting you. I'm warning you, Diego. I mean it."
Diego looked at her, seeming to consider this. Before shooting her a grin, raising one of his knives throwing it.
Ris lazily swiped her hand, making the knife curve in the opposite direction; embedding itself in a tree. "I'm not kidding. I'm serious, Diego. Don't push me."
Diego raised a hand about to throw it again, when he was cut off by a shrill loud scream.
That had come from Ris.
"Officer!" she cried out, her eyes big with think fat tears pouring out of them. Diego whipped around, suddenly remembering they were outside, the officer from across the road coming over quickly.
"Thi-Th-This man!" Ris trembled out, somehow playing clueless-defenceless-innocent-girl surprisingly well. "He-he-he-Ahh!" Ris wailed. Diego staring wide-eyed at her.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" the Officer shouted, suddenly spotting the knife in Diego's hand, positioned in Ris's direction.
"No, no, no—Officer! RIS! RIS!" Diego yelled out, as the man pinned him to the floor, calling for backup on his radio. Ris catching Diego's eye, while the man fumbled over of his handcuffs, still talking loudly on his radio.
She smirked. "I did warn you." she mumbled, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "I'll fetch you later. Just don't say anything." Ris said, just as the other officers began to run up to the other one. Helping him pin Diego to the floor.
Ris discreetly slipping away from the fray.
"Why did you never listen to me?"
"Is it on?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean? There's an "on" button. Just...There's something over...That jigga-ma-thing, whatever."
"I hit the jigga-ma-thing."
"Okay, well, just...Give it to me. I know how to do this."
"All right, here. Here. Hurry up."
"Okay, all right, let's see..."
"They're so cute. I love old couples. I'm always so proud of them for not murdering each other." Lila said, as she painted Elliott's toe nails.
Elliott Apartment.
Early Afternoon.
Five.
Elliott in question staring wide-eyed at the footage, fighting hard against his bonds.
Five and Diego had tied him up, long before he could call Ris in his panic. She would have known what to do. "Why are we watching this?" Diego drawled from on top of the counter. "Shush." Five said, staring intently at the footage.
"Yeah, I... I'm Dan Frankel. And..."
"I'm Edna Frankel."
"Edna Frankel. We are in Dallas, Texas, to see the president. Today's date is November 22, 1963."
"Well, that's six days from now." Lila said suddenly looking up. Diego straightened up. "Holy shit. This is it. The grassy knoll. Kenny's about to get shot." he said, glancing at Five. "How do you have this?"
"Hazel and Ris from another timeline died to get me this footage. It must be the key to stopping doomsday." Five said, turning his attention back to the screen where Edna and Dan were having another mildly boring conversation.
"Hazel?"
"Long story."
"What's doomsday?" Lila asked, looking at Five. "Longer story."
"What exactly did he say to you?" Diego insisted not seeming to drop it. "Well, he was killed before he could explain. But whatever he wanted us to see, it's on this film." Five said.
"This is very exciting." said Dan on the screen just as a loud gunshot went off.
"Oh, my God!"
"Oswald." Diego said.
"The president!"
Oh, no. This can't be."
Five stared at the tape, before going back, rewinding it and playing it again. The chaos on the screen insured again, before Five stopped it. He and Diego jumping up. Five pushed the tape-player back, effectively 'zooming-in' on a face.
"Okay, you gonna fill me in now, boys? What the hell is this shit we're watching?" Lila asked, as Diego and Five stood in front of the screen, staring at the face of their father. "No, that's impossible." Diego mumbled.
"Clearly, it's not." Five replied. "Wh...wh-What is it?" Poor Elliott croaked out from behind them.
"Dad."
Zipping up her jacket, retying the laces of her boots and giving Quinque a final goodnight pat. Ris slipped out of her apartment window (long story) and slowly began the climb up onto the Roof, before spatial-jumping herself onto the next roof.
She had one final place to go, just to be sure. D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing Co on Eighty-two Olive.
Ruffling her hair, Ris lightly touched the knife (one of Diego's (another long story) that he and given to her) carefully tucked away in her boot.
Smiling to herself, glancing around one final time; she jumped off the roof spatial-jumping into the night.
"How long's it been since you've seen the old man?" Diego asked, bending down beginning to pick the lock with one of his knives. Currently he and Five were outside D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing Co on Eighty-two Olive. They had waited patiently till nightfall, to break in and 'have a good old talk with the old man'
"Forty-five years." Five said quietly staring inside the building. "That's a trip." Diego mumbled.
"No kidding." Five said, leaning against the wall of the building. "You know, when I was stuck out there in the apocalypse, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't hear his voice in my head." he said softly.
"What was he saying?" Diego asked, his tone softer than it usual was. It was rare when Five had that look, that sound. His vulnerability. It was quite hard to remember he was like the rest of them. Screwed up in his own way. "Ah, shit." he hissed under his breath.
"I told you so."
Diego paused, looking down for a second. "Well," he said slowly. "If Dad's here, he's never met you before, so he can't say 'I told you so.'"
Five smiled sadly. "I'm sure he'll find a way." he said, glancing at the door before spatial jumping inside unlocking it.
"Right. Gotta remember that."
Ris landed inside the building, wrinkling her nose at the smell. It was old, musty like no one had been in there in ages.
She had been watching the Majestic Twelve and Reginald Hargreeves long enough to know this wasn't really an Umbrella Manufacturing Company. That and her own personal knowledge of hidden facilities and hidden experiments were also a useful bit of knowledge that she also had.
He was hiding something here and she had a pretty good idea of who.
But that wasn't the question, she was currently asking herself. It was why. Why Reginald Hargreeves would hid Pogo in such a place and what for?
And how did it tie in with his Majestic Twelve business? Particular with her grandfather (AKA the Devil incarnate?)
Attempting to focus on the task at hand: Find Pogo and/or anything that might hint the pervious, but not limited to the questions she had just listed.
Sighing quietly to herself, as she looked around the empty bland hall filled with doors, she had a feeling it was going a long night.
"Shit."
"Guess Dad wasn't much for home decor."
"Feels more like a front."
"A front for what?"
Ris slowly closed one of the doors, revealing a few fake mannequin people (well, mannequin family) all sitting together having dinner (suffering from an excessive blast of memories involving Delores) she awkwardly closed the door, turning off the light before making her way deeper into the building.
"What are you hiding?"
Five rummaged through the 'letters and envelopes (most were filled with just plain blank paper, a family (of mannequins) sitting and having breakfast behind him. Opening another envelope he pulled out an invitation from: Mr Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas.
Tucking it into his pocket, Five looked up instantly as the creaking sound of a door being closer and a flick of the light rang out. Walking silently to the door, he peered down the hall.
Empty.
Shaking his head, Five was about to leave, when another sound rang out in the room.
"Pogo. Hey. It's all right, little buddy. Pogo. It's good to see you….Diego! Diego!"
"Five?" Ris said, instantly turning around when a small figure jumped on top of her; toppling her to the floor. "Pogo!" she shouted, jumping up chasing after the small monkey.
"Pogo!"
"Ris?" Five said, staggering to his feet, clutching his neck painfully. He knew that voice, he adored that voice. He missed that voice. "Ris! Ris!" Five shouted, running out of the door. "Clarissa!"
Bursting through the doors, Ris ran to the edge of the building, almost falling right off if it weren't for the railings.
Cursing under her breath, glancing around in vain. "Damn it." she hissed, giving the area one last glance before spatial-jumping away.
"Ris!" Five shouted, skidding to a halt, almost falling down if it weren't for the railings. "Ris?" he mumbled quietly, looking around his shoulders slacking. "Ris?!" he called out hopefully, hearing nothing but the lower whistle of the wind. Before turning around and running back inside.
Groaning loudly, Ris dumbed her jacket onto the couch. "Elliott!" she yelled, ruffling her hair, giving it a good long shake (knowing she'd be needing a very long shower) "Elliott!"
"Elliott! Where the hell are you?" she called out, bending down picking up a bullet that was lying on the floor. It was about the same size as Elliott shotgun. "El? Did you forget how to use a gun or were you attacked?!"
Nothing.
"Elliott, if you're not dead. Make a noise." Ris ordered, the second he words came out of her mouth, a few chairs toppled over to the floor.
Running to the sound, Ris pulled down the screen, revealing poor Elliott. "Elliott!" Ris cried, running over, checking him for injuries as she undid his bonds.
"Elliott, I'm so sorry, who did this to you?" she cooed, ripping off the tie that covered his mouth.
"I-I-it-it-"
"Okay, who the hell are you?" said a voice from behind her. Whipping around, Ris stared at a woman, who she couldn't help, but feel she knew her face from somewhere.
"Who the hell are you?" Ris shot back, facing the pretty woman (Ris was angry not blind) "I asked you first."
"I'm angry and I have a knife." Ris snapped back, standing in front of Elliott. The woman nodded, seeming to take this information under care. "I'm crazy and I have-" the woman faltered, not really having anything in her possession. "I'm Lila."
"Ris."
Lila's eyes widened. "You're Ris?"
"Last time I checked." Ris said, folding her arms. "Do I know you?"
"Hey guys! I need some-" the voice paused, half dropping the near unconscious Diego when he saw who was standing in the living room. Ris stared at the boy, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Ris."
"Five."
Hiya! Super sorry this was late, I've been super busy and got some writers block, but all good now!
So thoughts? The long awaited? If anyone has any answers for the questions in the last chap, please answer whenever...
Happy holidays!
Anyway please fav, follow, review, PM, ect. I accept all! :)
Till next time...
