The Sparrow Academy had a completely different atmosphere than the Umbrella Academy had. Cielo remembered how there was always this looming air with the Umbrellas. People knew of their disbandment. The building stood as a mystery to all the horrors those kids experienced. Even more so after Viktor's book had been published. The respect that people had for their young heroes slowly disappeared into the back of the citizens' minds to nothing.
Contrast to that was the Sparrows who had banners on display of all the members in heroic poses draping the outer walls. In this timeline, though the Sparrows were equally questionable in morals, they were still heroes. They were loved. Not that she couldn't see why. She grew up admiring the Umbrellas. If they hadn't broken up the way they had, she could easily see her among the crowd of fans.
It really was a shame that the two academies considered the other to be an enemy. Separated by timelines, but bonded in a way that was unique to only the 13 of them. Born of strange conditions, adopted by a genius billionaire, raised by a robot mother and chimpanzee mentor to serve an unknown greater purpose. Given the chance they could have been family to one another.
"I know right? We never got posters like that of us. Can't believe dad never thought to do that for us." Klaus commented next to her as they rounded the corner.
"Would you have liked to?"
"Yeah! I would have graced all the passing people in their boring everyday lives."
"That you would have. Though the rest of your siblings may have needed a bit of convincing to agree to that. The Sparrows are very put together from the looks of it." The two continued walking around the building.
"Not true. You do not get raised in that place and come out stable." She glanced back at the banners.
"Say, so I've never met any of the Sparrows yet but um are they really that bad? I mean you did sort of break into their home, call their dad your dad and talk about the Horror as if he was someone else. If I was in that position I wouldn't be very friendly either. You all live on the same dying Earth together. Is it that impossible to have the two families help one another? To make the relationship at least neutral rather than negative?"
"Who knows? It's too complicated. Not to mention that we technically killed 2 of them, maybe 3. I don't really know what happened to their number one. As long as Viktor sticks up for Harlan, it's really complicated. That's not even including what's up with our dad abandoning us for the new, fresh version. I don't know it's a lot that I'll leave for the others."
"I suppose so..." She almost bumped into Klaus's back from suddenly stopping. He patted the stony wall.
"Okay now the way to get in is very simple. Just follow where my feet go and don't look down."
"You're joking. I could barely climb the monkey bars as a kid. Plus, my attire is hardly fitting." Barely getting a pull from the dress pants she usually wore around Commission. They were designed to look formal. Not do any sort of physical activity.
"Well it's this or shimmying into the sewers. I'm fine either or." She groaned, looking back up the wall. The things she does for the world.
"Fine. Lead the way."
"That's the spirit!" Despite his lanky body, Klaus could move pretty well.
Years in a boring office job like Commission had weakened any little muscle she developed as a prosthetist. The only workout she got there was carrying multiple briefcases at once. Those were a lot heavier than they appeared. Nothing that was useful in helping her in this.
He said to follow where his feet were put but she couldn't even look down to see where she was stepping. Putting in the height difference she already could see that she wasn't going to have his reach. Her fingers hurt from how tightly she gripped the stones. The same stones that were scrapping her wrists. Her legs were still sore from that bad landing into the hotel. Ballet shoes had no grip nor cushioning for the bottom of her feet. With the accidental kicking to the wall to try finding her footing, it was all together not helping with the pain.
Her arms shook from the overexertion. Sweat was quick to form under her blazer. Might as well throw out this whole outfit after everything it went through today. Now Cielo didn't get afraid of heights that often but getting back to the flat ground was the most reassuring she felt in so long. Surprisingly not the most painful though. Today was quite the day for her.
Forcing herself back to push away from leaning against the wall, she turned to Klaus who was completely fine. "How were you able to do that with no problem?"
"I am a man of many talents. That and this was the quickest way to sneak in and out of home without anyone noticing. You okay?"
"Yeah, just a bit tired. Don't mind me. Bring me to the Kugelblitz. I'd rather not be close to it when another wave goes off." She was quick to collect herself, walking in the direction of the mansion. After she had gone through the trouble of coming here, she couldn't back down because of a few ripped clothes and sore muscles.
Klaus didn't try to convince her to take a second to rest. He already knew that it would be fruitless. Though she probably won't admit it, she was as stubborn as his brother. Especially about the apocalypse they dedicated so much of their time and effort into fixing.
"Hey, once we actually reach the Kugel-whatever thingy, what are we gonna do about it? Do you have some sorta secret weapon to suck it in or some magic tool to destroy it? 'Cuz let me tell you that this thing is massive."
"I don't exactly have a plan but by seeing it in person I can figure something out." She rubbed the corner of her eyes. Stopping her quick steps only momentarily.
It was close. It was so similar to the feeling of Five's blinks that she almost wanted him here to verify it. It was a possibility that he could feel the energy that she had at this moment. Though she doubted it as his powers hardly hurt him like it with her. Already from this distance, she was learning about the truth of the Kugelblitz.
Covering her eyes with her arm, she tilted her head in the direction of Klaus. "Seance, has Five ever used his powers on you or your family before? You know besides accidentally trapping you guys in 1963. Actually, no include that as well. How did you guys feel? How did you feel?"
"Physically? Uhhh a little carsick I guess? Confused? Lost?"
"And can you compare that to your experiences with a Commission briefcase?"
"Umm the same? Wait no Five's powers are way more unstable. I got dropped from the sky in 1963. Not to mention way more reliable. Compared to Five, I prefer briefcases. Maybe when someone else holds onto it." She dropped her arm and brought a smile to her face. Ignoring the building underlying pain she had.
"I see. Thank you for the information."
"Are you sure you don't need a minute?"
"Yeah no I'm fine. Promise. Just... the Kugelblitz. It's definitely here." He looked around to see if anything stood out. Nothing did.
"You can tell? How?"
"An instinct. A very annoying one." She continued her strides in the direction that hurt the most. It didn't matter that she's barely ever been here, she knew her way towards the Kugelblitz.
Occasionally she'll take a peek back at Klaus following after her. Someone that appeared thoughtless but always had fear in his posture. To him, this place always had its doors open to return to. That was until this timeline. Though the Hargreeves often called this place their home, all she saw was a prison with decent decoration and memories.
Passing by the living room, she spotted the large portrait of Ben. In the spot as Five's was in their timeline. Though she couldn't reason why they would put one up for someone still alive. The reason probably not being the one she wanted to hear. She could tell that much from the frown painted on his face. Despite the large banners displaying their heroic acts right outside these windows, they were trapped all the same. Even these birds were singing in their cage.
Every time Cielo stepped foot into this place, she learned to hate it even more. "Sorry, I made you have to come back here."
She mumbled as they started to descend to the basement. "It's fine. I'm glad that I could be of help."
"Thank you." They both temporarily froze seeing the flashing lights filling the space beneath them. It was bigger than the last time Klaus saw it. Cielo held him back while she got closer.
The Kugelblitz was exactly as she pictured it. Pure energy. Approaching it, the ball only increased its pulsing rate. Like it was taunting her. Speaking to her. Raising a hand up, she could roughly hear Klaus telling her not to get closer. She chose not to listen to him. She wasn't leaving without the answers she wanted.
During her time in the bunker with Old man Five, she never once felt the 'Kugel wave'. Commission only had people vanishing before the big one took them all out. The first one she felt was when they were telling the Umbrella Academy about everything. She thought the headache came from all the explanations. Lila blinking her made her realize she knew the feeling well. Up close to it, she confirmed her suspicions.
"I see. No wonder why you're so out of control. It must be hard for you too." She whispered. "But why? Why must you take your anger out on humanity?"
Taking one more step, the Kugelblitz had enough with her presence. It blew back a wave of energy that sent only her flying. The brick wall to the spine was an easy message to understand. Her body fell limp on the floor. Pain failing to register in her mind. It didn't mean to hurt her. It just really really hated her.
She could faintly hear Klaus shouting for her as her vision became blurry. Still she could see the ball of fire burning violently. The end of the world was coming. Cielo couldn't stop it.
"Cielo! Cielo!" Klaus ran up to her. Carefully pulling her body up from the floor.
"Seance..." She weakly reached up to cover his ears. "Sorry you have to see me like this. Just a tiny nap. Okay? Tiny tiny nap."
As she tried to focus her mind to calm down, she started to realize how dangerous Five's powers were. Being able to manipulate Time to his own clock. Moving freely through Space. Commission could only dream of creating technology that matched to their founder. She could only pretend that she was in control of those fundamental concepts.
No, it wasn't only Five. All the Umbrellas and Sparrows were exceptional. They could cross the border of life and death, manipulate human will, change natural forces, their own bodies and more. Cielo right in the middle with nothing to offer nor protect herself. As always, she was faced with the consequences of trying to step out her line.
A television playing was what woke Cielo up. It was playing a soap drama. At least that's what she thought it was from the dramatic acting. Shifting in her position, she could tell that she wasn't on the concrete floor she knocked out on. Though still not very comfortable.
Moving a bit more to adjust herself, she unknowingly rolled herself off the temporary bed and smacked onto the ground once more. Not the best thing to wake up to after getting thrown by a universal concept. "Fuck me."
"Ah! You're awake! Splendid!" Cielo's eyes shot open at the unrecognizable voice next to her. Turning her head, she was met face to face with the Sir Reginald Hargreeves himself. Though she knew that some of the troubles started in this timeline because of his actions, it was unreal that he was here. That he was alive and that she was in his presence. His death had made news for days. He was more of an image in her head than a real person.
"W-what?"
"Now now up you get! You've slept a full day already. Tell me child, how do you feel? Getting a blast like that must have been quite an experience. Yet you have sustained near no injuries. Surviving nonetheless. Absolutely fascinating."
She scrambled to sit up. Wincing once at her muscles tensing up. It was just her and him in what appeared to be an bedroom. Though the lack of any comforting décor made it more like a bed in a room. It wasn't hard to remember what happened to her given the soreness she was met with. Klaus must have resorted to asking his past father for assistance after she had passed out. "Where's Seance?"
"If you're referring to Klaus, he already went back."
"You're lying." She said without missing a step.
"Whatever makes you say that?"
"Seance is loyal. Leaving me unconscious in this house, with you, sounds unlikely." Not to mention the way he said it so calmly. She couldn't read him like other people. The mask he wore was almost like a physical appearance. She just couldn't put her finger on his objective. Right now or in general.
"You," he adjusted his monocle, "you are not one of the 16 children."
Standing up, she started to clean herself up. "I'm not."
"Then how is it that you are aware of everything here and survived for this long?"
"Luck, I suppose." He thoughtfully nodded with a stroke of his chin.
"You may not be one of the children but you do have something special about you."
"Wow, thanks. That means a lot coming from you." She sarcastically commented. This was the first time that they had met yet she could practically feel how his eyes continuously scanned over her. Trying to find an answer in who she was. Somehow he had already determined that she wasn't the same as his adoptive kids. Though compared to what she did know about him, that simple deduction wasn't surprising.
"It seems I have a bad reputation with you as well. What have I done to you?"
"Nothing. Just word of mouth. Now about Seance. Where is he?"
The two stared at one another. Waiting for who would make the next move. Reginald had no information on Cielo besides that it was irregular. Standing up to him with no powers would make it so easy for her to 'mysteriously' disappear. Though not knowing what she was capable of made her dangerous to mess with.
"Sleeping in that room." He admitted, pointing to the next room over.
"Thanks." She ignored her pain to rush over to the next room. Not too different than his bedroom in terms of decoration, Klaus was fast asleep on the couch. His posture sprawled over it making her guess he most likely crashed from exhaustion. His rising and falling chest reassuring her that he was fine.
Crouching next to him, she lightly shook his arm. "Seance, wake up. It's time to go."
He groggily nuzzled into the couch. "Ten more minutes."
"Seance we should get back to the hotel. You can sleep when we get back. The bed will probably be better than this couch anyways."
Klaus peeked open one eye. Immediately launching at Cielo with a hug. "Cielo! You're okay!"
"I'm okay. I'm sorry that I worried you. Thank you for not leaving me in that basement and for putting up with my requests." She soothingly patted his back. Even Five didn't show this level of care finding out that she was alive. The two times to boot. "We can talk more when we get back to the hotel. We need to leave."
He suddenly pulled back. "No I-"
Following his gaze, she frowned at his dad watching their interaction. Klaus may be labelled an Umbrella but he was caged all the same as the Sparrows. "You want to stay? I shouldn't have to warn you that this place- that man, is dangerous."
"He's different than my version of dad! They've been drugging him numb. And- and he helped hide you from the Sparrows when you passed out. Doesn't that count for something? Or- or what about the fact that Ben's alive in this timeline. Maybe us meeting him in 1963 changed him to be- I don't know- a better dad?"
"And what if he isn't? What if he's using that family bond that you previously had to take advantage of you? There's a reason that he was drugged. There are a multitude of reasons as to why your family fell apart. At the root of it all, it comes down to that man and his decision to adopt the children he did." She didn't trust Reginald in the slightest. Getting to meet the Umbrellas proved that. He was a selfish, goal oriented man that didn't care that innocent people were being used. And while she didn't know either versions' intentions, she knew that he hadn't learned anything from his first attempt at doing whatever he aimed for.
"Well it's the end of the world anyways, isn't it? What does he have to gain from some kindness before the end?"
"Well what can he gain from hurting seven children in two timelines? Is trust even possible for him? I don't trust someone that locks children in a room because he can't control them. I don't trust someone that has met his broken children as adults and instead of taking fault, chooses to replace them. And in the end? What does he have to gain from kindness? Why is that even a question? Why is there a need to question someone's morale? Because he's him." She turned to glare at him. "I am not one of the special that will save this world nor am I one of yours to control. So you tell me face to face right now Monocle, what is your goal?"
"Cielo..." Klaus almost started to second guess if saying here was the way to go. On the one hand, he wanted to learn more about his powers and find a purpose for his place in this world. On the other hand, everything she said was true. He was betting on this form of his dad to be different. This was still the man that adopted the Sparrows because he deemed his original set of children to be useless. He hurt Klaus. And the last thing Klaus wanted was to be hurt again.
"I see. It wasn't just luck that allowed you to stay alive this long."
"What are you talking about?"
"The reason why you are here today! It's not because of luck or any superhero powers. Its because you're a nosy child that wants to live in a perfect world where everything is smiles and rainbows."
"Excuse me?"
"Tell me if you were in my position, what would you do differently? You want to stand there and critique my work when you hardly have any thought as to why I put in the effort in the first place. My methods may be considered cruel to you but the results are present. The Sparrows are now world renowned heroes with full control of their powers. The same cannot be said about the Umbrellas. The one sitting behind you is proof. He wants to learn more and you're butting into a situation that you have no part in. You cannot protect them from their fate. As if you are anything as special as these children are to interfere. You couldn't make a difference if you wanted to."
She knew that. She knew better than anyone. Cielo was normal. Reginald figured that out the moment they started talking.
"And neither can you. No matter what your goal is, you cannot get everything you desire. At least I understand where I lie in this world. You want to know why I survived for so long?" She stood up with a noticeable stretched arm over his view of her friend. "I am the lone survivor of the Temps Commission and time anomaly taught in all ways of Time management. I will not be the one to save nor destroy this world. But be it Time, Space, Fate, I don't give a fuck what you call it, I will do everything in my power to accept and compromise my type of ending. Not yours. That is the role I've been entrusted with."
"Insolent child."
She paid no attention as she turned back to Klaus. "Seance, I will not force you to stay or leave. I know you have your reasons for wanting to stay. Whether it be your heart or head, I believe in your decision to choose your own path. You are special. You can change the impossible. All you have to do is choose something you will not regret. And if you do come to regret it, I will be there to give you a shoulder."
Suddenly thrown off by the attention, he struggled to find an answer. What did he want? To learn more about himself or protect himself? Cielo was giving him, not only the choice, but the reassurance that whatever he chose that she would stand by him. And ultimately, he had wanted answers long before he met her. His self preservation was not something he particularly cared about. Now that she was supporting him regardless of her own desires he had no regrets.
"I want to learn more about my powers and about why my dad is this way. I'm sorry." She lightly patted him on the head. Ignoring the smirk that his father no doubt had on his face.
"You don't need to apologize for or explain anything. I get it. If you need me, I'll be back at the hotel." He weakly nodded. She smiled to make sure he understood that she was in no way mad. Though she didn't fully understand why he made this choice, she couldn't control him.
She checked her watch. Late afternoon. She really did sleep in. Now with all of this and the presence of the Kugelblitz beneath their feet, her headache was starting to kill her. With a sigh, Cielo passed Reginald standing tall. A glare in both their eyes as she exited the office.
At least finally out of the Academy building she could feel her headache lighting up. This visit only solidified what Cielo already thought of both Sir Reginald Hargreeves and his building of the academies. She hated it all. The constant apocalypses, death, paradoxes, betrayal, mind games, all of it. She hated all of it.
If only she never got involved with Five and his family.
Her hand slapped to cover her mouth despite not actually voicing her thoughts. Slowly moving her hand down, all she could do was stare at it. Her thoughts empty of any feelings of regret or anger. "What the..."
That's when she remembered what exactly she was. There was someone else that took up her thoughts and actions. But at the same time, it wasn't fully of a stranger. When Old man Five explained her situation, she didn't think of it as crazy. That there was a feeling she couldn't deny. To say that she always felt in control of her will would be a lie. This was, however, the first time she started seeing her strange actions in effect.
A sickness was forming in her stomach. By letting Five talk to Klaus, he was going to find out something at the Mothers of Agony. She just left Klaus alone with his crazy, former, adoptive father! Each action was going to have a ripping effect on the ending of their story. She couldn't see it but she most definitely could feel it.
"I need to get Seance back." Her feet wouldn't let her move towards the Academy. A fear taking over that her knees shook at the idea of going back in there. Holding her watch, she started to curse at Time itself. This was all a game. From the start? Probably.
No way to figure it out the way she was now. She needed someone else that could decipher between the two minds. Someone that would think like herse- not in the mind of Time management. She needed a normal person. Looking around, she knew this city like the back of her hand. This is where she was raised and built a career. And if there was one person she could count on to know the majority of herself, it was herself.
