One day, fifteen hours, and four minutes before Sententia.
Vanya walked absently through the streets to the other side of the carnival. The violin. She hated that instrument with a passion. She hadn't touched the damn thing since Rumor's wedding. She didn't have any plans to do so either. That wretched instrument was the sole cause of so many of her woes.
Digging her hands into her pockets she trudged through the carnival. Many children were laughing with their parents. Vanya kept her eyes downcast. She knew that Kraken had said it in a fit of rage. He had often said things that he didn't mean. Still, she couldn't help but feel terrible any time those words came from anyone's mouth, even worse when it came from the lips of someone you loved.
Every time she heard someone say that to her she internally cringed into a ball and hid. God how she hated her own cowardice.
"OBSERVATION_!!! A DISTRUBING LACK OF CONCERN! TERMINAUT BRUTUS--!!!"
"CALAMITY_!!!"
Flecks of carousel flew past her. Vanya quickly moved behind a bench. Her heart sank when she saw the Terminauts aiming laser beams at random people, rides, and garbage cans. Slowly she moved away, trying to get better cover. From what her siblings had told her Terminauts were fixated machines of destruction. She also heard that they had a weird sense of humor. This was proved right when she heard one call;
"ACTION, ADVENTURE, THE TASTE OF POWERADE_!!!"
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.
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"I don't understand," Athena said as she turned the car, "Why would they be at their Pop's funeral if when they hate him? It's like saying we'd go to Mom's ."
"Technically we did go to Mom's funeral Athena," said Arkady.
"Try getting used to using your codenames around them," Reaper said tiredly as he looked out the window absently.
"Technically we did go to Mom's funeral Alchemist," corrected Arkady.
"Only if you count dumping her in the harbor as a funeral," snorted Athena.
"Whatever," said Arkady.
"Anyway," she continued, "Who do you want?"
He paused for a minute before grinning.
"The pirate one."
"The what?" she asked.
"You know," he said vaguely, "the one with the hair."
"They've all got hair."
"I remember now. Hydro."
"Oh. Trying to prove something?" she grinned.
"Just think it'll be fun."
"I want Perjurer," she said, "Think about how fascinating that'll be."
"If you want to take that on," Reaper asked tiredly, "Just make sure Ghost's backing you up."
"Yes Reaper," chorused Athena and Arkady.
Looking in the review mirror Athena frowned.
"Hey Ark- Phoenix, is the carnival supposed to be on fire?"
"Not unless the fireworks got out of hand," remarked Arkady,
Reaper looked analyzingly out the window.
"Hmmmm," he said thoughtfully, "Carnage. 'When Evil Rains.' Alchemist, go to the carnival. Phoenix, call Comet and tell her and Ghost to go there too."
"Who?" Athena asked.
"Helene and Cat," answered Arkady.
"We'll find them there," he said, smiling.
"How do you know?" asked Arkady.
"Just go," he snapped.
Athena glanced at Arkady before shrugging and making an illegal U-turn.
"You're the boss."
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.
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Ever since coffee and cake things had gone from bad to worse. Now Kraken and Vanya were off God knows where and they were being attacked. Not that Séance cared. Not that he ever cared. It was still kind of annoying to have to deal with flying trash cans at that time of night. Normally he'd be sitting down to watch Happy Tree Friends with a can of coke right now. Not cola coke, cocaine coke. In any case, now he was hiding behind a large metal plate and surrounded by brats.
"I was better off at Shinyview," he groused, "At least you get a sponge bath from a large ex-con."
"Séance, I don't think this is the time or the place," Space growled.
"COWARDICE_!"
"The papers all said I was cracked but I checked myself in. Comatose ward. I preferred the company," he continued.
"Jesus Klaus!" Rumor snapped.
A large explosion rocked the plate. Space peered up above it and his face contorted into surprise.
"Ever wonder what a vegetable thinks about?" Seance digressed.
"We have an interesting problem," Space said.
"Firecrackers…"
"Define interesting!" snapped Rumor.
"Bee stings…"
"Maybe you should see this."
"Happy face eggs…"
"Huh."
Deciding to copy his siblings he peered over the plate. A red-haired woman with her hair in a pony tail sighed as she looked at the remains of the Terminauts. She wore a dark brown corset with matching fingerless gloves that went up to her elbows. Her shorts were matching, interrupted only by a red belt that had been looped around her waist.
Nodding to her was a woman wearing a long rag-tag leather vest/apron over a cream shirt. More importantly then their odd attire Séance noted that they both wore masks. He saw the second woman high-five the first. Laughing the second woman turned around. Her face lit up when she saw them. She nudged the other woman.
"The Umbrella Academy?" she asked.
Each of them turned to each other, various expressions of confusion in their eyes.
"Yes," Space said at last.
The second woman smiled. She flicked at something near her ear and whispered into it before turning it off again. Stooping to the ground she picked up a rock and started hefting it in her hands.
"Who are you?" Space asked tiredly.
"I can answer for them," said a hooded man carrying a long package bundled in cloth, "Don't feel bad about us having to finish off the flying trash cans. I do believe they weren't expecting an attack from behind."
His tone was patronizing and he smiled sarcastically. Rumor turned to Space with a questioning look. He shrugged but gave the man an enraged look.
"I repeat," he said sharply, "Who are you?"
"Well," he said, "That's my sister, the Alchemist, and that's my other sister the Comet."
The second woman waved at the mention of her name and the other one nodded.
"I'm the Reaper," he said, once again giving a sarcastic smile, "My brother the Phoenix saw your other brother going into the Tunnel of Terror and followed. Ghost will be joining us soon."
Once more Reaper smiled.
"We're the Sentinels," he said, "and now that we're introduced, Umbrella Academy, I'd like to tell you that we're here to kill as many of you as possible. Nothing personal, it's just in the Sententia rules."
Séance turned to Space.
"Man," said Séance, "I'd like some of whatever the hell it is he's smoking."