"What are you looking at?" Five shouted from next to Ris, who yanked him away from the wide-eyed couple that were passing them. "See something funny?"
"Worst case of paradox psychosis I'd ever seen. Eh... What's wrong?"
"Can you shut up? People are staring." Ris hissed. The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky as they made their way to the park nearby the Dealy Plaza. It was the perfect day to kill President.
"We should be more worried about the big one than the cattle." she mumbled to him, still glaring knives and daggers at Luther, who was walking closely with the gasbag Five.
"Well, I... feel bad for him, them, both of them. You know?"
"Mind your business! Or I'll give you something to stare at." Five yelled at another group, pulling Ris closer to him. "I don't like how they're looking at us." he whispered to her. "You don't like how anyone looks at you." Ris replied, but still huddled close to him, her sharp eyes scanning the area.
The feeling of eyes constantly on them, talking about, being near them; made her skin crawl and her body itch for a kill. As it turned out, paranoia and murder seemed to go hand in hand with her, not that there was anything wrong with her.
She was fine.
"He's just a little guy. And you…you know she's just a tiny girl."
"Everybody's a little guy to you. And that tiny girl, could rip your tongue out and feed it to you."
Luther was the little bitch.
"You wish you could pull off these shorts!" Five yelled at a few boys below them. "They're up to something, Five." Ris said, pulling off her cardigan and throwing it in the bin, leaving her long sleeve white shirt.
"You look like King Kong and the Hitler Youth had a baby. Luther, I... I don't have time for you to tuck and squeeze here. Can I count on you to keep him under control?"
"They're going to do something. I'm telling you they're going to kill us." Ris said unbuttoning first three top buttons of her shirt and rolling up her sleeves. The cold hair offered the mildest of comfort to her burning skin. How Five was surviving in that vile blazer she would never know.
"I know." Five wriggling about clearing finding an itch elsewhere, making him dance about a little way away, before half slamming into her, offering her some shade. "They're going to off us and skip to 2019."
"Yeah, I'll do my best, yeah."
"All right."
"Assholes." Ris said, watching Luther draw back suddenly.
"Hey, brother. How you doing?" Luther asked joining Five and Ris; who were clinging to each other's arms, dripping with sweat, with murderous intent in their eyes (Ris's more than anything else.)
"He's gonna kill us, isn't he?" Five said, glaring at his brother. "What? What, him?" Luther sniggered, rubbing his neck. "He's gonna kill you? Yeah, right. That's ridiculous."
"You're a better exotic dancer than a liar, you shitty monkey." Ris spat. Luther stepping back at the extreme hostility.
Five holding tightly onto Ris's arm. "I think what Rissa is trying to say is that you're a terrible liar, Luther. You're a worse liar than you are a spotter." Five continued.
"Okay, whose fault is that? What good is having a spotter if you won't even listen to him?" Luther snapped.
"So you admit you're conspiring against me?" Five cried. "He admits. Shameful." Ris breathed out, shaking her head. "Do...Do you admit that you're suffering from paradox psychosis?" Luther replied.
"Let me kill him." Ris moaned. "I'll make it quick, you got to murder. I want to murder." Ris groaned, wriggling in Five's grip. "All we're suffering from is bracing clarity about you and your murderous intentions." Five hissed, tightening his grip on the girl.
"My murderous intentions?" Luther said gesturing to Ris. "And I mean…Look, it's not like he's gonna "kill you" kill you. He just wants to kill a, um...version of you."
"But I am that version of me." Five snapped. "And what about Ris? You gonna off her too?" he said, almost daring Luther to answer. "Yeah you gonna off me too, monkey man?" Ris said jumping in, making him squirm.
"Hey, I don't love it, either," Luther started; Ris letting out a mocking laugh. "But he's actually got a pretty good plan."
"What? The one where you guys off us and then jump to 2019 to save the world?" Five sneered. "Disgusting." Ris said, shooting him disgusted looks.
"Yeah, wait, how did you know that?"
"Because I'm him, and that is exactly what I would do if I were trying to kill me!" Five said angrily.
"Okay," Luther cried, raising his hands in a surrender motion. "All I know is we've got one Five and Ris too many. We haven't even seen Ris's other self and Ris already looks like she escaped from prison and is acting like a psychopath and you're the one acting like a maniac."
"Maniac?" Five repeated. "Maniac." Ris whispered.
"Luther, you have seen nothing." Five hissed, jutting out at his brother like snapping crocodile. "If you want maniac, I will show you maniac."
"Show him maniac. Rip the betrayer's head off." Ris said gleefully, for once seeming to take the greatest joy in violence.
"Okay, as your spotter, I think the best thing I can do for you right now is put you two out of your misery."
"He talks murder then he wants to commit it." Ris sang, shaking her head. "Disgraceful." she spat. "Okay, Luther, listen." Five said grabbing Luther's arms. "I know your feeble mind only responds to age and authority, so listen very closely." Five said stepping back.
"Yet again, you are experiencing daddy issues," he said poking his brother in the chest. "This time with your own brother, which honestly is making me a bit crazy." Five said, swiping his hair back.
"But remember this: I'm 14 days older than him. I have seniority here." Five said smiling widely. "So it is me you should be listening to, Luther." Five said pointing to himself. "I'm the daddy here!" he shouted.
"Yes, you are!" Ris shouted supportively, throwing a fist in the air, making more people stare at them.
"How's it going?" Luther said to a few passbyer's. "Five, please, you're being unseemly. Look at you."
"You know what unseemly means?" Ris said in surprise. Luther scowling.
"I admit there is a possibility that I may not be in my fully...right mind right now." Five admitted. "Lies, you're fine. I'm fine. Everyone's fine, but him." Ris said pointing to Luther. "There is no way he know he knows what unseemly means."
"Okay, good." Luther said slowly. "But whatever I've got, he's got it too." Five said pointing to his Older self, who was walking calmly in front of them.
"Exactly." Ris said, scratching her ear.
"What?"
"You three quit grab-assing. We're here." Older Five said, setting down his equipment. Opening up his other briefcase, a loud fart emitting from him.
"Flatulence. Stage four." Luther blurted out. "See, we told you." Ris said, prodding him in the back.
"What's your plan now, bucko?" Five jeered, a fart resonating from him. Five deflated slightly. "That was just lunch, all right? Shut up."
"The Dallas-Fort Worth area broadcast, here to bring you a special description of the arrival of President John F. Kennedy. At this moment, three special..."
"This is my favourite part." Older Five mumbled, assembling his gun. "The calm before the storm."
"Look." Five said tapping Ris and Luther, pointing to the black briefcase on the ground. "The briefcase."
"No, don't. You won't be able to get there in time." Luther said reasonably. Ris licked her lips, her dry throat and sweat hands, making her shiver in the cool wonderful wind.
"Of course I will. This is our only chance." Five said shaking slightly. Luther glanced between the two sweaty children. "Hey, uh, just remind me...what was the final stage of paradox psychosis again?"
"Homicidal rage." Ris said softly. Not like her usual kind, it was her dangerous soft.
"Right. That's great." Luther said in remembrance, before realising his awful situation. "Okay, listen to me. I..." Luther started, as Five started to stalk towards the briefcase. Ris stepping back, covering him.
"No. No!"
Five crept up behind him, spatical-jumping forwards. The Older Five spatial-jumping back, behind in front of Ris, adjusting his gun.
"Oh...shit."
"Bad idea, shit-heel." Older Five said, aiming it for Five. Ris reacted before Luther could, kicking Older Five in the leg, snatching the gun from the Older Five. Twirling it around, clicking off the safety, aiming at him. "You were saying, shit-brains?"
"Stop it!" Luther said, snatching the gun from Ris's hands. "All right? The all of you. Pull it together." Luther said, standing between them. "Now, Kennedy is gonna be coming around that corner any minute. Okay? So, everyone, let's just take a deep breath...Now, we're all family here, okay? So can we all just try to get along for a few more minutes?"
"Five! What the hell's going-" a new voice started walking up. Luther, the Fives and Ris turned around. Ris sighed. "Shit." she said staring at her older looking self, which stepped back in surprise.
"On." Older Ris finished. "What the hell?" Luther said, glancing between the older Ris, younger Ris and the older Five and the younger Five.
Dark hair and taller, dressed in a suit and (unlike Five) there was no doubt that she was the younger girl standing behind him. Even at fifty-eight, he had to admit Ris aged well.
"Okay," Luther started again. The Ris's and Five's walking to their respected partners, staring the other down as they circled each other like rival lionesses and lions.
"So, everyone, let's just take a deep breath...Now, we're all family here, okay? So can we all just try to get along for a few more minutes?"
Ris glanced at Five and her older self, who seemed to have been whisper-filled in on the current situation.
Silence.
Five sighed, looking at his older self. "You want it?"
The man shook his head. "Go ahead."
Luther blinked. "What's that?"
Five ran forwards, kicking him hard between the legs. The Ris's laughed, watching Luther double over in pain, dropping the gun to the floor.
"Shit."
"Now..." Five said straightening his blazer. "Where were we?"
Older Ris threw of her blazer. "Murder, if I'm not mistaken." Ris cracked her knuckles. "Best thing you ever said." Ris hummed, launching herself at, herself.
The four were like lightning and thunder, blazing with kicks and punches and crashing into each other and slamming each other into cars and tar and they thing they saw fit all faster than anything, that one could blink and they were gone.
The Fives were a blur of spacial-jumping, blue blinks. The Ris's being a little more creative, telekinetically throwing things at each other, spatial-jumping, throwing each other over cars and at the Five's.
Ris and threw her Older self at the Five's, knocking the two down like pinballs at one point. Another time, Older Ris, seeming to miscalculate punching Five instead of her younger self, making her apologise, before Ris kicked her in the stomach, making the Older woman, grave Five like he was a basketball and hurdler him at her. Older Five and Ris were in a fight, Ris grabbing his hat and smacking him with it continuously.
"Would you please..." Luther started. The Fives jumping in, kicking Luther from the side, the Ris's appearing kicking him between the legs again.
"Ah!" Luther yelled again, doubling over. "Hey!" he yelled. "I'm getting really sick of this!"
Ris threw herself off herself, kicking the Older Ris in her chest. The Older stumbled back, swiping her hand sending a few rocks flying at her. Ris spatial-jumped behind her, grabbing the Older one, by her hair, spatial-jumping them away.
Throwing the Older Ris on the ground, near her old post. Ris half-tackled her, hitting and hissing like an agitated cat. Old Ris threw her off like she was a doll.
Ris jumped up, spatial jumping. Older Ris stayed still, waiting her eyes scanning the scene. Ris jumped onto Older Ris back, clinging to her like a Koala, wrapping her arms around in a croak hold.
Older Ris slammed herself onto the tar, half crushing Ris. Ris's body stung on the impact, but she didn't dare let go. Ris squeezed hard, until her older self and turned red, wriggling hard, scratching and clawing at Ris's arms.
Ris sucked up the pain, trying to focus on the real problem and not the biting inching feeling of curling her body and snapping her neck. After a good five minutes of the struggle, older Ris had uneasily passed out.
Ris let out a breath, releasing her, letting her older self, roll onto the ground. "Sorry, old gal." she mumbled, clenching her fist. "You'll forgive me later." she mumbled, running her fingers though her damp hair; spatial-jumping back to Five.
"Luther, shoot him!"
"Luther, shoot him."
Ris landed, a few metres away, turning around watching Luther hold the gun, the two Five's on either end, Luther swinging the gun between them. "Luther! Luther!" Ris started, running towards them. "Luther don't shoot anyone!" Ris shouted, running towards them.
"Now, Luther!" the Older Five yelled. "Luther..." Five started. Luther turning around, pointing the gun at him. "I'm sorry, buddy."
"No!" Ris shouted, spatial-jumping, pushing Five to the ground, just as Luther swung the gun at Older Five, knocking him out. Five and Ris landing hard on the ground, Five on top of Ris, the two looking up at Luther.
"Well, I didn't expect that." Ris breathed out, gazing lazily up at Five. "You can get off me now." she said. "Sorry," Five said quickly, scrambling up, helping her up.
"Now! Open the portal!" Luther shouted at Five.
"Right." Five said, shutting his eyes, squeezing his fist taking deep breaths. A blue portal beginning to open.
"Almost there." Ris said, holding onto Five's shoulder. "Keep going." she said, digging her heels in, covering her eyes from the dust and noise.
In the corner of her eye, Older Five slowly got up, reaching out for the briefcase. "Luther." she called out. "Don't even think about it." Luther said, pointing the gun at him.
"Into the vortex you go, asshole." Five said, the wind from the vortex blowing them back, making Ris's hair fly in the air.
"Fine! But give me the math." Older Five yelled. "So I don't end up looking like Tiger Beat over here." he called over, gesturing between Five and the swirling of the vortex.
"You stand next to the vortex and I'll tell ya." Five bargained. "Go!" Five yelled, the man edging towards the end of the vortex. "Closer!"
"Closer!" Ris shouted. "Come on, never pegged you for a coward!" Ris dared, happy that the Older Five took her bait, standing next to the vortex.
"This is close enough! Now give it to me!" Older Five shouted. "It was a typo." Five said. Ris grabbing the gun from Luther, walking behind him, back to the fence. The radio feed was crazy, but they needed to make sure Kennedy died.
"Typo?"
Ris positioning the gun properly pointing it at where Kennedy would be shot, looking through the lens, checking her watch. 12: 15
"We put the decimal in the wrong spot in our proof of the existence of a bound for the number of limit cycles of planar polynomial vector fields of fixed degree. We wrote down five-point-seven. It should be..."
"...zero-point-five-seven. Son of a bitch. I knew that didn't look right." Older Five mumbled.
"I was right!" Ris called over her shoulder. "Just letting you know!"
"All right...I guess this is it." Older Five said. Ris walking back, pointing the gun at the Older Five.
"This is it. Go." Five replied. Suddenly a fire extinguisher flew past Ris, smacking Luther on the head, making him fall to the floor. "Lu-" Ris started.
"No!" Five shouted, the Older Five running for the briefcase. Ris dropped the gun, grabbing onto the handle. Older Five snagging onto it too, Ris yanked it back, Five grabbing onto the handle pulling it away from him, helping Ris pull it from his grasp, which was surprisingly tight for someone who was sweating out of their clothes.
"Let go, you old fart!" Ris shouted, getting a better grip on it, simultaneous holding onto Five's hand, giving it a hard yank making the Older Five stumble forwards, his grip loosening.
"Five! It's shrinking!" Luther yelled. Ris pulling the two, in front of the vortex, digging her heels in from the added pull of it.
Luther ran forwards, kicking Older Five back. "No!" Ris cried, their grip on the briefcase slipping clean off. Older Five falling in, with the briefcase as the vortex closed.
Ris and Five fell back onto the floor. Five getting up, staring at the briefcase which was cut in half from the strength of the time vortex.
"And there's the president of the United States."
"We did it!" Luther shouted happily. Ris groaning, covering her face with her hands.
"I can see his suntan all the way from here."
"The briefcase, you idiot." Five said tiredly. Ris snatched the gun off the floor, re-positioning it on the fence.
"What?" Luther said noticing the damaged briefcase. "Hey, you know what? A thank-you for preserving your existence would be nice."
"A thank-you." Five scoffed.
"And here they come. The presidential car is moving out..."
"Luther! Luther! Here he comes! Kennedy's turning." Five called, pulling Older Five's other briefcase. "Hey, give it. I need to see over here." Ris snapped. Five tossing it to her, standing on his toes to see over the fence.
"What are you doing?" Luther said, looking over at Ris. "Making sure, someone dies." she said, looking through the lens.
"What? Five, we can't let her."
"We can and we will." Five said, glancing over at Ris, who clicked off the safely, peering through the lens, finger already on the trigger. "And you're not going to do anything." Five hissed.
Luther licked his lips, glancing at Ris, before back over the fence. "Look, there's Dad."
"Uh-oh. Agh." Five groaned. "What?" Ris asked, the shooter in her gaze. He had a gun ready, she wouldn't have to do a thing if he decided to pull the trigger.
"Oh, shit." Luther breathed out. "What is happening?" Ris hissed.
"Diego." Five hissed. Ris leaned forward watching the shooter, the man in front hesitated aim off when someone had run in his line of fire.
The first shot went askew, missing its target from the change of the charging Diego.
Ris pulled the trigger, the sniper barely making a sound with the silencer.
The bullet hit her target perfectly. Screaming had started, the third shot from the shooter going off. Ris dropped the gun into the bushes, the Commission would come for clean up when they fetched her Older self later.
"We gotta go." Ris said, poking her head next to Five and Luther.
"KLIF bulletin, from Dallas, three shots reportedly were fired at the motorcade of President Kennedy today, near the downtown section.
"Did you-" Luther started. "No, I didn't have to." Ris lied easily. "We've gotta get outta here though." she said Five glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She knew he knew, what happened.
"This is a sad time for all people."
For some reason it was more a comfort than a pain.
"She's right, we have to go." Five said, pulling Luther's self, the three of them walking back down the street.
"We have suffered a loss...that cannot be weighed..."
Hiya!
First of so sorry, for the overall delay of all my stories, there was a good reason, I promise, but good thing is, I'm back!
Thoughts? This was one of my fav chap, so love to hear them!
Thank you for reading, reviewing, faving and following!
Don't forget to review, PM, fav or follow :)
You all amazing!
Till next time...
