The next episode opened up on Vanya buying a typewriter, then publishing her book, showing the reaction of all of her siblings reading it.
"I'm sorry for hurting you all." Vanya said softly, seeing how they all responded.
"I've already made it clear I don't blame you, it helped me out there, Vanya." Five told her with a smile.
"I get what you were doing now I've seen all of this, that and Ben talking to me, but I'm still a little angry." Klaus admitted, with Vanya giving him a short nod.
"Yeah, I get it, I can't let it go, not yet, but I see why." Allison told her. Luther just nodded.
"You had no right to do it, none at all, you think people deserved to know anything about us?" Diego asked. "But I do get you had just as shit a childhood, even if it was in different ways. I guess what I'm saying is, fuck dad?"
Vanya gave a small laugh at that, as well as a smile at Diego.
"Fuck Dad."
"Number Two! Number Seven!" Reginald protested, as Pogo looked shocked.
"You hear something?" Diego asked as Reginald fumed.
"Master Diego, Mistress Vanya, that is no way to address your father!" Pogo exclaimed.
"He's not a father to any of us, just our abuser." Diego spat, gesturing for the video to continue before Pogo or Reginald could respond.
The scene showed Vanya arriving late for practise and joining in, the conductor noting that he had not even noticed she was absent. Then it changed to show Grace leaving Reginald's room as he collapsed, with Allison and Luther watching the footage.
"But Mom? She's not capable….is she?" Allison asked, a look of worry on her face.
"No, she isn't." Diego growled. "There has to be another explanation for what we all just saw."
"What other one could there be?" Luther asked him. "Dad died, and clearly we see Mom messing with him just before he does."
"That doesn't mean anything, you see her taking his monocle, she could have been taking it to clean!" Diego protested.
"Look at the likely scenario, Diego." Allison said, softly. "She probably was involved."
"Even if she was, she won't be this time." Klaus interjected. "We will change all of this."
"Well we need to know everything behind it all first." Luther said. "We can't rule anything out just yet. Once we know fully what happened, then we can make plans." Luther stated as some of the others nodded.
Luther and Allison sat and ate breakfast that Grace prepared for them, asking her about the day their father died, and realising that she had forgotten things about it, with Grace about to admit something, before cutting herself off.
"See! Something is wrong!" Luther crowed.
"That doesn't prove anything." Diego hissed. "Mom could have been about to tell you anything."
"Yeah, but it's not likely, is it?" Allison asked sadly.
"Shut up, Allison. You and Luther want Mom to be guilty, you want a scapegoat for the old man being dead." Diego snarled at her, Allison recoiling and looking slightly hurt as he said it, seeing the look of hurt on her face, Diego immediately felt sorry for his words, but chose to focus back on the television, hoping he may be able to just move past it all.
The scene moved to the department store with Diego investigating whilst annoying Patch, talking about attacks all over the city, and flirting with one another, before Diego headed off, promising to help find these people.
"Could you two be any more into each other?" Allison asked, Diego flushing as she did.
"It's not like that between Patch and I." Diego said. "We're just friends, who used to be with benefits."
"Oh, sure, and I've not taken drugs before, only opioids." Klaus sniggered as the others looked at him in concern.
"Whatever." Diego said, his face still bright red. "Can we just get this over with and find out why these loons are after Five so badly?"
"I came here to stop the end of the world, their employer, my former employer, wants it to happen." Five said. "They're just mindless assassins, they won't know what my mission is, all they will know is they have to stop me."
Vanya entered a bathroom at the concert hall, speaking to Helen in the bathroom, asking who Vanya was, and telling her that sometimes, it came down to just raw talent, and maybe Vanya didn't have it, before telling Vanya to think it over.
"Ok, who does she think she is?" Came a call from Five of all people, the rest of them regarding him in shock.
"Five? I didn't know you cared about my playing." Vanya said softly.
Looking confused for a second, before his face morphed into one that could almost be called understanding, Five spoke. "Of course I care about it Vanya, I wouldn't have risked everything to come back for you guys if I didn't care. You're my sister, no matter what."
"Thanks, Five." She mumbled, her face turning red at the thought of someone caring for her.
Vanya pulled out her pills and took one, before it changed to Hazel and Cha-Cha preparing for their next attempt to find and eliminate Five. The two o them discussed the beauty of the mundane before the Commission sent them a missive, telling them of docked pay due to a delay in the contract being fulfilled, leading to Hazel complaining that the admin types would never get their own hands dirty for once. The scene moved again to Five stitching himself up before sneaking out of the window, finding Klaus, and Ben, unseen, rooting through the trash.
"Do not throw those things away, Master Klaus, in fact, please do not even touch them." Pogo pleaded with him.
"Fine, looks like it's more hassle than it's worth anyway." Klaus said, turning back to the screen.
"So, they hate their job, huh?" Luther asked.
"Hazel definitely. I've heard stories of his constant complaining before." Five said.
'At least Number Seven is still on her medication.' Reginald thought to himself, mentally making notes of the screen and the interactions between the Academy members. He would have lots to do to mould them back into peak fighting ability in a little over a month, though he knew it would be do-able with his talents. Just as long as Number Seven remained on the medication and kept her powers suppressed.
Five snuck off in a van to camp outside the Meritech building, discussing the plan with Delores, before it changed to show Luther and Allison discussing their mother and what was going on, as well as Allison's own falling apart life. As they discussed what had happened between Allison and her family, the scene changed once more to show Vanya meeting Leonard at his shop, with him inviting her in with him discussing what he had done over the years, and Vanya complimenting him, before he showed her the carving he had made of her the night before.
The others looked at each other worriedly as Vanya looked at the screen in shock, a pink tinge on her cheeks as she thought about how thoughtful Leonard was being to her.
"Vanya, you do see how creepy that is, right?" Klaus asked her with concern, Diego and Allison nodding. "He just met you, and he's making little wooden carvings of you all night? That's more than a bit stalkerish."
"It's nice, that's all..." Vanya protested as the others shook their head.
"I've seen it before, Vanya." Diego told her. "Men like that, please, if you do meet him this time around, watch out."
Leonard asked Vanya on a date who accepted, before Allison interrupted the two of them, asking Vanya to return to the house for a family meeting. Vanya left to go join the meeting, with Leonard offering a rain check on the dinner, Allison teasing Vanya about having a boyfriend, before they began to apologise to each other about their own poor relationship.
Five then found himself back in the apocalypse in a dream, before Luther and Klaus tracked him down, to bring him back to the house.
"You think you're better than us, always have, even when we were kids." Luther said.
"I don't think I'm better than you anymore, I know I am." Five shot back at him.
"Wow, got something in your eyes there, sis?" Allison teased quietly as she saw Vanya wipe a small tear at the interaction she had in on the screen, knowing how desperately she wanted that affection and connection with Allison when they were younger.
"So, what do you mean, you're better than us?" Luther challenged Five who glared at him.
"You just saw my time in the future, again!" Five said. "I know you would never have survived a world like that, even your time on the Moon was nothing compared to that. Meanwhile, I did. I know I'm better than you all, Luther, it doesn't mean I don't care about you all though, you saw I clearly do."
The scene changed to show Hazel and Agnes talking in the donut shop, discussing the production of donuts, with Hazel awkwardly flirting with her, before Cha-Cha dragged him away to find Five again, after Agnes drew Five's tattoo that she saw for them.
"Aww, donut flirting, love to see it." Klaus smiled as Luther hit him in the back of the head.
"You do realise one of them is trying to murder our brother and she may have just helped them find him?" Luther said to Klaus as Ben nodded at Klaus.
"Still the one true ship, either way." Klaus said as they all focused back on the screen, choosing to ignore whatver rubbish that Klaus was speaking about this time.
The family talked about Grace and Reginald, before they saw her take his monocle, Diego explained that he had disposed of it, before he and Luther prepared to trade blows, Vanya breaking them up. Luther spoke about turning Grace off, with Diego arguing to save her. Vanya sided with Diego as Allison sided with Luther. Klaus sided with Diego in anger at Luther, with Ben saying he agrees with Luther, causing Klaus to hiss at him. As the family broke apart, Diego and Vanya went to speak to Grace, who they saw stood in the doorway. The two of them talked about whether it was Grace that cared for them or if it was what Reginald had programmed, Diego saying that she evolved as "Dad only loved himself." As they walked away, Pogo looked down from the upper floor in sorrow.
"I can't believe you've done that, Ben." Diego said, at where he saw Klaus pointing. "Why the siding with the ape man?"
"Number Two!" Reginald protested.
"He says that he's sorry, but Luther is right, if she is degrading, she needs to be taken offline, for our good as well as her own." Klaus said. "Personally, fuck that, but it is what it is I guess."
"So, why do you think it was Dad speaking to us through Mom?" Allison asked Vanya. "You know he's never cared for any of us really, especially not you."
"I just hoped it was him, showing that he really did love us." Vanya said. "I know, stupid, right?"
Diego headed through the house, as he walked down a corridor, they saw a flashback to a mission preparation, and how Grace checked on them all, helped Allison with her mask, checked in on Luther and Vanya, doused a fire on Klaus' bed, pulling up the zip on Ben's suit and helped Diego with his stutter.
"See! She's more than just what Dad made her to be, she cares for us, she loves us." Diego crowed. Now that they had seen this, there was no way the others would even consider turning her off, would they?
"Remember, Diego, just picture the word in your mind."
"Don't move."
"You did it! I'm so proud of you!" Grace beamed before Reginald cleared his throat and interrupted.
"She really is more than just what Dad made her to be." Allison admitted.
"Now, just need to get Luther to see that." Diego said, as Luther shifted.
"I mean, yeah, I can see it, but I don't think you'll convince tv me of that." Luther told him.
Diego could be seen sitting on his old bed, remembering that event, when it changed to show Grace sat by her paintings, stitching as Diego came to talk to her. He asked why she helped them as they were kids, with her explaining it was because she was their mother. Grace said how she respected Reginald and he was a good man, as Diego tried to tell her that he understood if she hated him, that he didn't care for any of them.
"Stop! Do you hear me? Stop trying to defend him!"
"Master Diego!" Pogo said. "Your father is a great man!"
"No, Pogo, he's a fucking monster. I'm pretty sure I've made it clear, we all have. I don't know why you still defend him, even if he did make you what you are today, but he's a monster, plain and simple." Diego told Pogo, as Reginald's frown deepened, his lips almost vanishing from view they were that tight.
Grace talked about her paintings again as Diego left her, with the scene changing to show Five in his van, seeing the head scientist of Meritech leave, Five wondered what he was doing, as the screen showed Hazel and Cha-Cha parked up outside of the Academy, looking at the drawing of the tattoo that Agnes had made for them.
"Still think it's a cute relationship, Klaus?" Ben teased him.
"Still is cute, even if she gave two psychos our address." Klaus said to him.
They climbed out, holding their weapons, breaking into the house, they stalked through the rooms silently, seeing a large portrait o Five, they knew they had the spot. Klaus lay in the bath, head under the water and relaxing, as the spirits of the dead appeared, demanding his attention, making him grab his head in fear and sit upright, shaking in the bath.
"God, Klaus I'm so sorry." Luther said, the others looked stricken as well. "Is it always that bad?"
"No." Klaus smiled. His eyes betraying the lie."Don't worry about it big guy, that's a pretty bad one, but most aren't that bad."
The others looked uneasy but agreed to drop it, turning back to the screen, whilst Ben, who knew full well when Klaus was lying due to their time together, looked at his brother in concern, as Klaus tried to ignore him.
Putting on headphones to drown out the spirits, Klaus lit a cigarette as Cha-Cha and Hazel passed the bathroom he was in. Checking Luther's room, it moved to show Luther staring at the moon from the attic, being joined by Allison, they discussed what it was like or him on the moon, with Luther saying at times it felt like he was meant to be there, when it looked perfect up there.
"It sounds like it was perfect up there." Vanya said softly.
"Remind me to show you all the photos I've taken up there." Luther said. "It really is magical at times."
Diego marched into the hallways, turning to see Hazel and Cha-Cha in their masks, guns raised, they stared at each other for a long moment, before the two of them opened fire on him, throwing knives at them as he dodged, Allison and Luther headed to help, alerted, Hazel and Diego coming to blows before Diego leaped onto the sofa of the floor below to avoid Cha-Cha's gunfire.
Diego ducked behind a table as they fired, Grace humming to herself from above, Diego smiled as the bullet holes shredded a portrait of Reginald, before Luther attacked Cha-Cha as Allison went after Hazel, who lifted her by the throat, Diego ineffectively punching him, before Luther grabbed him and threw him down the hall. (Yeah, had this fight been both at full strength, even with his Commission augments, Hazel would have lost. The only reason they managed really a pyrrhic victory against Luther is because he hadn't adjusted to Earth again yet, having been back only days, and them dropping a full chandelier on him, Give Luther a week more or so to adjust, and odds are Hazel would have lost.)
"Oh god, Luther, are you alright?" Allison asked the screen, as everyone else looked concerned, even Pogo looked worried. Reginald simply made mental notes about what Luther was doing wrong and how they could work on it in his future training.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Allison asked.
"Who the hell are these people?" Cha-Cha also asked.
"Twins." Klaus smirked as Allison smacked him in the head.
They started shooting at the Academy lot again, Hazel grabbing a mace and following the sound of Vanya's voice, who was calling out for the others. Swinging at Vanya, Luther called him out, the two of them trading blows. Hazel threw Luther to the ground as Klaus danced in the hallways, oblivious, Allison being chased by Cha-Cha into the cellar, tripping her and fighting pool cue to pool cue, before Diego joined in. Cha-Cha kicked Allison away before duking it out with Diego, being forced onto the defensive by him and Allison, throwing a knife at her retreating form, catching her leg. Ben tried to get Klaus to help as he listened to his music, Luther calling for Vanya to leave as he and Hazel continued to punch one another, throwing Hazel to the floor, who got back up and slammed into him. Thinking Luther down, he headed away again, looking for Cha-Cha. Cha-Cha then slammed the chandelier down, catching Luther as the two assassins made their escape.
"How did I miss all of this?" Klaus asked.
"At least you didn't get hurt as well." Diego said.
"I will admit, amazing team work between the two of you." Klaus said to Allison and Diego, who nodded to each other.
"You fought well, yet all of you fought sloppily. We will work on it in your training in future, to prevent the apocalypse, you'll all need more training." Reginald announced, though the majority of the watchers just ignored him, It wasn't likely they would be listening to him ever again.
Allison and Diego looked at him in shock as his overcoat tore, revealing his ape like body beneath it, staring at Allison, who looked shocked, Luther saw Allison, Diego and Vanya all staring at him, before he fled back to his bedroom.
"Oh..." Luther said sadly, looking at his hands as he saw his bare chest. Nobody in the room would want to talk to him now, maybe they could hurry through all of these so he could get back to the Moon?
"What happened to you, Luther?" Diego asked, shocked, as Luther ignored him.
"Dad, what happened to Luther?" Allison asked Reginald, who just stared at her.
"I'm sure it will be explained, Number Three." Reginald simply said, electing to ignore them as they stared at the Luther on screen and the one in the room in shock, unsure on what to say to him.
"Did you know?" Vanya asked Allison. "No." She replied. Diego realised they had forgotten Grace and headed to find her.
Finding Grace, he realised she hadn't noticed what had just happened and that her systems were indeed failing, like Allison and Luther had stated before. Watching her, wrestling with himself internally, Diego came to a decision, revealing her circuitry.
"Diego..." Vanya said sadly, looking over to him, seeing him staring at the screen with a haunted look, tears in the corners of his eyes.
Diego just felt numb.
"It's gonna be..."
"Remember what we worked on, just picture the word in your mind." Grace told him.
"It's gonna be okay M-Mom." Diego said, flicking the switch as she dropped her stitching. He watched as she shut down, calling out his name once more and telling him to remember before her eyes closed.
Diego felt something wet on his cheek as he just stared at the screen in horror.
Vanya and Allison discussed about who those people were, before Diego asked why Vanya was still there, that she had no powers and should leave before she dies or gets any of them killed, Allison agreeing with him, leading to Vanya walking out.
"Vanya, I didn't mean it like that." Allison protested as Vanya smiled at her.
"I get it, Allison. I'm sure if we were switched, I'd say the same." Vanya told her, as Allison relaxed. Internally though, Vanya felt sick that they were still treating her like a fragile child, she could take care of herself.
Luther headed back to his room and stared at himself in the mirror, as the scene changed to show Vanya exiting a taxi and being greeted at a door by Leonard. He let her in as Hazel and Cha-Cha regrouped at their hotel, Cha-Cha insisting it was a waste of an attack.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Hazel told her, taking her to the car. Opening the boot, they saw Klaus bound and gagged inside it, as the screen turned black once more.
"The plot thickens." Klaus joked, seeing the rest of them looking shocked at their own actions or looking in horror at him. "I'm sure I'll be fine." Klaus smiled.
"I'm not sure on that one." Five muttered darkly. "They don't usually leave survivors."
"Oh, thanks for that Five." Ben grumbled to Klaus who smirked.
"I'm sure I'll annoy them into getting my freedom within an hour." Klaus assured him, Allison, Pogo and Vanya looked stricken that Klaus had been taken, Luther and Diego were still stuck in their own heads and Reginald just looked curious at all these developments.