March 30, 2019
This was it. Cielo was going to enter those hospital doors to find the apocalypse causer. The hospital wasn't able to provide any personal information but she could only hope to make do with what she did know. She managed to delay them getting the eye which was one good thing on her side.
After that? No clue. She did think to find Five but she didn't really have any leads to follow. She was only hoping that she could find the culprit and convince him the same as Five did her. A part of her scared that this was only another domino in the long ride for her to be the real end of the world.
Shaking her head, she forced herself out of her car and through the hospital doors. Kind of anti-dramatic with the slow automatic doors not moving fast enough that she had to slow down her strides a little. It wasn't hard to navigate her way through the hospital. As long as she looked like she knew where she was going, no one stopped her. Only until she reached the department she needed to get to did it solidify her nerves into a confident appearance.
"Hi I'm from Meritech Prosthetics. I'm here to re-evaluate the recent shipment?" She said putting on her best professional act.
"Ah yes, we were waiting for you. Follow me." They started to lead her back to one of the storage rooms. Cielo constantly checking her surroundings for something to catch her attention. A man that was missing an eye shouldn't be that hard to find.
Hospitals were not a place that she liked to be in for a long period of time. Granted, not a lot of people differed from this mindset. This was a place of life and death. Each person that passed by her was so easy to read. Frowns greeting her almost every corner. While she always tried to see the best in people and help them, hospitals had too many. Majority of them already past the point to even consider that help was an option.
On the other side of the same coin, that's why she loved prosthetics. Everyone that came to her office had experienced some sort of despair that they overcame to make their way to seek her help. Accepting a prosthetic was accepting a condition that was out of their control. Owning it in a way that not many could. Her patients were the strongest people she knew and she would do anything to help them. Now one of them going to end the world.
Keeping up the act, Cielo was escorted to a storage unit that contained all the hospital's non-custom made prosthetics. These were made with a more general idea of a variety of people. Sometimes used to teach people how to use them while custom ones were made or to get a feel for what would suit the patient more.
Though eyeballs were created the most due to their lack of major adjustments required to match a patient. No wonder Lance sold them so often in the black-market. Again, leading to this whole situation because an intern didn't properly check which a general shipment was going.
She kept a close watch on the wall clock that told her how much time until someone would come to claim ownership over the eye. Each tick of the clock making her more anxious. She did try to focus on her work copying all the information on the shipment for when workers came in but ultimately her mind was elsewhere.
A doctor knocked on the door before letting themselves in. She braced herself knowing that the appointment time was upon her. "The worker from Meritech I presume?"
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you doctor."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm not sure if anyone told you yet but one of the eyes was supposed to go to a patient today."
"I was told that, yes. Are you perhaps getting that for them now? I set it aside because I knew that it was almost time for the appointment." She gestured to the box sitting alone on the table.
"Actually that won't be necessary anymore. The patient has declined the use of a prosthetic. So you're free to continue working on your records without that to worry about."
A smile forced to her face. Wanting to ask questions that she knew they wouldn't be able to answer because of their contracts. "I see. Thank you for letting me know. I was just finishing up so I'll be out of your hair soon."
"Alright then. Good work." They waved to her as she left her alone once more in the room.
She rushed to reorganize the prosthetics and stuff her papers back into her briefcase. "They denied getting the eye? Why would they do that? Do they know I'm here? No way. But Five said he found it in the future held by one of his siblings. How did it get there if they never get it? Was it because of-" her?
She held onto the eye case as the last thing to put away. If the person never got it then there was no connection to them to the apocalypse. Only to her. She was the sole person in this room. Its records were thrown away. She would be the only person that knew of the eye's existence. Besides the Umbrella Academy.
Frantically, Cielo took a box cutter to cut the side ever so slightly. It was no longer usable and would be thrown away. Putting it back in the box, she scribbled in the records that it had gotten damaged in transportation and was unfit for use. That will be the end of this part of the story. No eye, no leads, no end of the world.
What should she be feeling at this moment? Guilt for marring a perfectly good eye? Defeated that all her effort to come here was for nothing? Relieved that she didn't find anything? Or should she be scared that she kept thinking she really was the cause of the end of the world?
She sighed, watching out the hallway window for some peace of mind. Across the way she could see the main entrance way. No one particularly looked around them as they came in or out. Lost in their own worlds.
Too lost to see a pair of injured men make their way out without anyone stopping them. A man with an eyepatch frowning as he wheeled an unconscious man towards the parking lot. A hand on the shoulder to keep up an easy illusion that the wheel bound man was awake. The whole image being off putting.
It was the same as yesterday at Meritech. Call it instinct or paranoia or whatever, she knew there was danger close by. One that would end it all.
She knew it instantly and without a doubt. The one that caused the apocalypse was right there. There was no time to think. She couldn't lose them. Not now.
By the time she reached the parking lot, they were already turning out onto the road. The car passed by her to see the eyepatch man for a second. If her judgement was correct they would be heading for the freeway. A lot of open space and forestry to cover any tracks as needed. That's what she feared the most.
Racing down the freeway, and almost hitting 3 cars, it didn't take too long to find them. She followed behind at a far enough distance that he wouldn't be able to tell she was following. Close enough to see any sudden changes to their path. Close enough for her to see a large mass being pushed out of the car before it drove off again.
Pulling up to the side of the road, she didn't need to step out to know what it was. Or know who it is would be better wording. Away from any major intersections, barely any street lights, no nearby landlines to call it in. Minimally it would take a few days for anyone to find this random corpse.
Cielo walked out to them to bow her head in condolence. "I'm sorry that you were involved in this. I'll call it in as soon as I can so that anyone in your life will experience some form of closure. Please rest in peace."
There was nothing more she could do here. All she could hope was that she brings some form of justice to their killer. Now that it was starting to get dark, she worried that she lost sight of him when she couldn't see any car lights in front of her.
Slowing her speed down a little, she scanned the forest surrounding her. There were multiple paths leading in that she pictured this was a popular cabin area for summer trips. Horror movies also had a lot of scenes like this. One corpse has already been found. She really really really didn't want her to be the next one.
Her eyes focused in on two lights moving back to the main road. Turning her head a bit more there was a stationary light source as well. The action seemed odd. They went back home to leave in a second. Grab something important and ditch everything else?
To hide it out here must have been very important. The light was still on in the cabin. There had to be a reason why he left so quickly. She could have followed after him. Continue her chase into the night. Instead she went towards the cabin. Get a clue as to who she was dealing with.
She didn't turn off the engine as she got out of the car. There was no going back from this. Whatever she saw in this cabin was going to change everything. A body greeted her the moment she opened the door. She knew her. The famous actress Allison Hargervees, the Rumor. Bleeding out on the floor in front of her. She was going to die.
Her mind kept racing between following the murderer and helping the actress. Save the world or save a life? The decision was easy for Cielo. Save Allison. Focus on that and nothing more. She couldn't save billions on the Earth but she wouldn't let one die in front of her. Not another one in one night.
Thank adrenaline and years of experience in helping patients for the strength she needed to barely lift the actresses' unconscious, bleeding body out to her car. Seat belting her in as much as she could to keep the actress steady.
She removed her blazer to tie around her neck to somehow slow down the bleeding. It wasn't helping that her hands were shaking badly. Who knew blood could be so slippery? Her only thought that it was enough.
Speeding down the freeway once more today, she refused to look at the actress. She focused solely on the road. It was hard enough to see in the night that speeding past them wasn't helping. She repeated the road signs that pointed in the direction of the closest hospital. Not getting distracted by the speed limits she was doubling. Not caring that a car accident could happen. She needed to be faster. Get to the hospital faster.
If only she could teleport like Five. The boy that dedicated so much to save a world undeserving of it. No matter how little she thought she was, he told her that there was a chance she could result in more. That no one was unimportant. So if there was a chance that this was her role in time, she can save Allison. She needed to save her. She needed Five here. Allison needed her family here.
As quickly as the image of him and his weird family popped into her head, a car zoomed passed the opposite direction. A flash of a thirteen-year-old boy in the driver's seat. She clearly heard the sound of the car's wheels screaming as it drifted a u-turn to follow her car. No sooner, a flash of blue popped next to her. He was here.
"Cielo," he glanced at the back seat. "What-"
"Five your sister needs critical care and I don't have the mental capacity to hold a proper conversation so please shut the fuck up before any of your old man talk causes me to crash the car!" Her voice squeaked as she forced herself to take a deep breath after that ramble.
"Be right back."
"Wait don't-!" Her shouts turned to groans as he never had time to listen.
In the other car, all the men felt nauseous at being slammed against the car walls from Five's drastic change in direction. With nothing but a shout to Diego, in the passenger seat, to take the wheel before blinking away to who knows where.
"What the fuck Five?!"
"Spare me the attitude! Follow that car! She has Allison in it and she's bleeding a lot!"
"Wait what?! Allison? Bleeding?! What do I do ram the car?!" He slammed down on the gas to catch up.
"No! The one driving it is Cielo. I don't know what happened but I'll get her to drive back to the Academy. You guys try to get ahead to tell mom and Pogo to ready an emergency surgery."
"Wait, slow down! What do you mean-" Not listening, once again, Five went back to Cielo's car. His siblings all being left to just follow his instructions.
Still in shock of him going back and forth, Cielo nearly crashed when he reappeared. It didn't help that the reckless driver of the other car suddenly went into the other lane to overtake her. "Stop doing that!"
"Diego and the others are going ahead. They'll meet us at the Umbrella Academy. We'll take care of Allison there."
"What?! She needs an ER!"
"We can't explain what happened to her to the authorities. The Umbrella Academy has some of the best medical equipment and knowledge. She'll be safe there." She took her eyes off the road for a second to look at him.
Five always had an overbearing confidence in him. But like the night he got drunk, his defenses dropped around her. He was scared. Worried for his sister in the backseat and the driver so close to breaking mentally. Cielo could see that in him. No matter how much she depended on him to have answers, he had the same fears as her.
"Please Cielo. She's my sister."
She tightened her grip on the wheel, stepping on the gas pedal harder. "Alright."
Five clearly seeing that she was in a state of mental distress, placed a hand on her shoulder. He could feel her tension drop under his hand. Knowing that he brought her some comfort, he hopped to the back seat. The blazer around the neck was already stained red beyond repair.
Allison, herself, not having any reaction as he applied pressure to where he assumed the wound was. This was twice now he's seen her in this kind of condition. Didn't make it easier for him to see. He came back to them to keep them safe. If he didn't pass out yesterday she wouldn't have been alone. She was only there because of him. He was supposed to protect them.
Despite Cielo's own worries, she felt that Five's mind was worse. "Five look at me. Five-"
"What?!" He snapped.
She didn't react to his shout. He saw her offer a tiny smile in the rear view mirror. Making him focus on her, she could see his shoulders loosen up the same he did for her earlier. Speaking as softly as she could, she told him, "She'll be okay."
"Sorry."
"I understand. Let it out on me. When we get back your siblings will rely on you to help them. For now, just... breath. She's going to be okay."
"You were panicking yourself less than a minute ago."
"Then I yelled at you to release it. Now- now you need me to do the vice versa. It'll help me stay focused on not getting into an accident too. We are driving twice the limit and if any police car spots us, I will start a car chase. Not exactly sure if my driving skills will be up to the test though so I'm really really hoping that doesn't happen." He continued to look at her reflection. Hearing her confident voice contrasted the fear in her eyes. He didn't say his thanks but she knew that he was grateful.
"I didn't... I didn't burn down Meritech. The Commission must have followed me and..."
"I know. There was some security footage nearby. Next time please be more honest with me."
The two continued their ride in silence. Minus the sounds of her car's engine blazing at the high speeds.
Arriving at the Umbrella Academy was a blur. Luther practically ripping the car door off. Pogo and Grace rushing them into a room. Cielo trying to keep up with the family running into the room. Only to stop at the doorframe hearing them talk about the condition. They were in a completely different world than her.
This was normal enough that they had to have such an advance medical bay in their home. The way that each of them knew their role without being told. Moving in complete sync to grab all they needed. Not once bumping into each other or asking where something was. For the first time she thought, ah this is the Umbrella Academy. The group of superheroes that risked their lives to save others.
Instead, she moved to stand by the staircase by herself. Not that she wanted to intrude on a serious procedure like that.
She wasn't sure how much time passed when Five walked back out. She stood still as he approached her. "How is she?"
He nodded. "She barely made it but she'll be okay."
She let out a sigh of relief, losing all feeling in her legs. Five barely catching her due to the size difference. "Sorry, I... I didn't..."
He helped her sit down on the floor properly. "Diego is giving blood as we speak. Mom said that if she came in any later she wouldn't have made it. Thank you Cielo."
"I'm just… so happy, so glad she's alright. It was a lot of blood." She was uncharacteristically quiet. Rubbing the dried blood on her hands. Five sighed, teleporting away. He soon came back with a blanket and a damp cloth. He didn't say anything as he draped the blanket over her shoulders and helped her wipe her hands clean.
"Thanks..." she mumbled out. They spent a few moments in silence. She didn't move much as Five cleaned her hands. He moved slowly out of respect. Now that Allison was safe, they were both ready to crash.
There was never a normal meeting between the two of them. Each time something new shows of their personalities. Though she thanked the silence to allow herself to calm down, she knew that Five was holding back for her sake.
"You're probably wondering why I was with your sister." His hands stopped moving.
"That would be added to the many questions I have about you, yes."
"I think I found the owner of the eyeball. No, I know I found them."
"What? How? I thought it was already sold illegally."
"I thought so too but when Meritech burned down I was allowed to go in to recover any files possible. Including those in Big Boss' safe. Recently we had an intern that messed up a lot of files and they accidentally sent some of Big boss' black-market eyes to a nearby hospital. I followed up with them and it had already been in plan for a patient. No more information was given for patient confidentiality though so I had to check it out myself. When I got to the hospital, it wasn't hard to guess that the man with the eye patch and injuries was the culprit. His remaining pupil and sizing matched the prosthetic that I knew it had to be him. Five... he murdered someone."
"You saw this?" She shut her eyes. Though she helped to save Allison, she let that random patient die.
"There was another man... Critically injured. The eye patch man kidnapped him unconscious. By the time I reached the car, he started driving off. Half way down the road, he tossed the body aside like nothing. Following further I found the cabin and he just left in a second that it looked really weird... I went inside... that's when I saw Rumor... I-"
Cielo started tearing up. She witnessed death this day. Almost two. Her own life was at risk as well. All of it was hitting her at once. In this empty house, she heard how her voice echoed back to her. How weakly it sounded. Faced with death by a normal human rather than an apocalypse, why was the former scarier?
"Finding the eye was enough. Saving Allison, I could never thank you enough. I know I involved you in this but you can stop now." She suddenly grabbed his blazer. The tears were apparent now that they were streaming down her face.
"Don't you dare think about abandoning me because you think I can't handle this." He pulled on her wrists to no avail.
"You can't handle this Cielo. You're carrying too much now."
"Says you! How can you do that? Shut off your emotions as if you weren't scared shitless car? Yes, I'm crying right now! Yes, I was this close to getting murdered by a potential apocalypse maker! But I made this choice myself! You didn't force me to do anything. I followed up on those reports. Went to the hospital. Followed him to the cabin. All of it I did myself because I wanted to. Now mister smarty pants, answer why. Why do you think I did all of this and still want to continue?"
Desperation. Five felt it in her hands that refused to let go. Her eyes. From 2002 to 2019, her eyes were exhausted. Watching his every movement. He couldn't understand her nor her goal. All he understood was that she was desperate to have her words reach him.
He knew that feeling. Wanting to talk to someone that wouldn't listen. His dad, the Commission, even his siblings in this time period. Yet when he told her who he was and the whole ordeal, she didn't question its legitimacy. His intentions, yes, but not about his experiences. She offered her assistance. Until he was the desperate one asking for her help. He saw her in 2002 and knew something was going to happen. To just stay beside her, it gave him a reminder that he wasn't crazy. He needed her help.
"Because..." She dropped her head onto his shoulder. Too tired to keep fighting. "You're a weirdo who only wants to help... a stupid human that puts others' needs in front of yours..."
It hit Five that she was going to be around, not because she was trying to trick him but because she was what he never thought himself to be. A good person. Cielo was not his enemy. She wanted to save the world as much as he did because this was her world too.
"I can't tell if you're complimenting or insulting me." She weakly punched him on the shoulder. "Listen Five, I don't need to have a reason for wanting to help you. I just know I have to. I keep getting roped in. Please don't push me away. You're not alone. Please don't burden yourself more. So please don't leave me alone either. Why can't we do this together?"
They were both exhausted. No energy to give more sassy remarks or bicker. For now, the world wasn't in ruins and Allison was okay. The only thing they could do was chase after the one eyed murderer. Not that they could right now. It was through watching Cielo finally relaxing that Five started to feel himself drop.
"You're exhausted. You should stay the night. Think you can stand? My room is just up these stairs. Dolores can help you get settled in."
"I kinda want to sleep on the floor though. You looked real comfortable back at the library." Despite being numbed out to process much, she found the need to put on a positive act. There was no truth in what she said. No easy smile on her face that always contrasted his frown.
This was the exact reason he didn't want to involve anyone that wasn't absolutely necessary. Just because he was subjected to decades of isolation and stained hands, did not mean he wanted to drag any with him. He knew he was beyond repair. For a woman who he saw being full of energy, it was depressing seeing his effect on her knowing full well that she was acting for his sake.
Against his desire to stay beside her during her moment of weakness, he blinked away. Faintly hearing her shout out in frustration when he landed in the kitchen room. That brought some enjoyment to his stressful day.
He grabbed some small snacks and water for her. This was only because he didn't want her to be passing out on him. A reward for saving his sister he supposed. Walking through the mansion, he still found his mind wandering back to her selfless actions. It was always this way with her. Since he met this version of her, she had put more of herself out there than he did.
The only questions she didn't answer were the ones she didn't know. It was easy to read her mind in the few cases she didn't state it herself. Wearing everything on her sleeves in both a positive and negative way. She would say what was on her mind without a second thought. Opposite from Five that only kept to himself.
"Oh hello there. You must be the partner I heard of." Five stopped near his opened bedroom door hearing her speak to his lover.
Dolores was often a woman with little words. She didn't like to speak to people, not Five. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself last time when Five was pissed out drunk. I'm sure he told you all about my so-called nefarious actions. I don't really know how I'm involved with all this apocalypse stuff but here I am. "
He heard the bed creak a little, telling him that she must have sat down on it. "Can I be honest with you? Girl to girl mannequin? I know you two are in an intimate relationship. I don't mean to offend what you think about him but he can be childish for an old man. Do you know what I mean? Don't answer that, it's rhetorical."
Five? Childish? Minus his appearance, he was anything but childish. Have her trying to scavenge for survival in a world that where nothing lived. He was forced to grow up. Even before he jumped, his dad made them proper figures of society. Most of his siblings not really following the message. If anyone can call him childish, it had to be the woman he had a million questions about. How could anyone think he was childish?
He waited a bit longer when he didn't hear either of the women speak. Peeking his head through, he found Cielo fast asleep on his bed. He shook his head. Talk about him being childish. She was the one falling asleep while sleeping sitting up. He didn't hide his presence walking into his own room but she was fully knocked out. Placing the food down first, he moved to sit on the desk with Dolores.
"She's quite something. Can't believe you thought that she was the enemy when you first met her."
"Can you blame me? Now with Allison, she's made contact with every single one of my living siblings. I still haven't ruled out that she didn't cut her either. She was the only one at the scene of the crime." Dolores scoffed.
"Look at her Five." He didn't need to turn his head to see that she was soundly sleeping. "She isn't Commission material. You said that yourself. We still can't explain how you met her in 2002 but even then she didn't harm you. If she really was your enemy there were many opportunities for her to end you. Yet here she sleeps with the chance for you to betray her."
"I'm not that heartless to attack a defenceless person."
"I know and it's another thing I love about you." She whispered. He pulled her closer.
"Hey, what's wrong?" It wasn't hard to understand that there was more to her quieter tone than tiredness taking over.
"Only 2 more days. Less than that since it's past midnight. You're so close. Once you find Harold Jenkins tomorrow you'll be done with it all. What happens to you then?"
"I don't understand. We're going to stop the apocalypse. Live our lives. We wouldn't have to scavenge for food. We could sleep on a comfortable bed. Shower in clean, warm, filtered water. Best of all, we wouldn't fear for our lives."
"Exactly. You'll get a chance to live a normal life. Grow up like a normal kid without your dad controlling everything. I want you to have that life but I'm not going to be the one that can give that to you. She can."
"How can she give me anything you can't?"
"Because she's normal." Dolores turned to the woman sleeping on the bed. "She may have more to her but it doesn't change that she understands you despite having no reason to. She has the typical morals, fears, experiences and anything you don't. She will always take a path that you could never come up with."
"And that's a good thing?"
"For you to finally get the life you deserve, free of pain and suffering? Yes. Absolutely." He leaned his head against her. Not denying anything she said. As always, she was right.
Cielo had a different upbringing, a different view of life. One that Five needed. He had to wonder, why did she have to walk into his life the way she did? Why didn't she leave when she could? If things were meant to be, then what was Cielo to him?
