For people asking when is the next, I normally write a chapter, publish within 20 mins of finishing, then start the next, so no guarantee when. However, I've already written the script parts for "The Day That Wasn't" so hoping to publish it tomorrow, giving you TWO chapters this weekend instead of the one I promised. If you're lucky, I may even do "The Day That Was" as well this weekend.
"Children, all of this is unacceptable!" Reginald barked, shocking all of them, as they turned to him. "Not only do you neglect your duties, abandon your training, but you put your own pettiness above the Academy. Number Four tortured by enemy combatants and it shows none of you did anything to recover one of your own. Number Seven is being targeted by a rogue element that seeks to harm her by taking away her anxiety medication and don't seem to care about her health effects, only that this man seems odd. Have you lost all sense? It's time we put an end to this nonsense, once these recordings end, we shall see what happened, make notes on how to improve and all of you shall return home for training and proper guidance. Number One, you need to work on your strength again. Number Two, your inferiority complex and recklessness, Number Three, you will be learning to use your powers again, Number Four, you will work on your fears and on exploring your powers further, if I am correct, you can channel Number Six and his powers. As for you Number Five, we shall be having a long talk after all of this about your experiences and how we can utilise your powers. Number Seven, you will leave your siblings alone after all of this until they have prevented whatever the threat is, you will merely exist if we need a training aide."
"Sir, that may not be so wise." Pogo remarked, seeing the disbelief and the anger on the siblings faces, not quite believing what they were hearing.
"Nonsense, Pogo, they'll come to terms that this is what they owe the world." Reginald told him, before one of them finally found their voice. Surprisingly, it was Vanya.
"Excuse me, but what the fuck. We are grown adults, who can make our own decisions. I don't know what you thought when we were kids but you don't get a say in what we do now." Vanya told him, as the others looked at her, impressed.
"Number Seven!" Reginald exclaimed, shocked. "Have you already been ignoring your medication before now?"
"No, but now I'm thinking maybe I should, if it annoys you so bad, dad." Vanya told him. "I'd say this watching has at least brought us all a little closer together, and has shown just how much of a dick you are."
"Yeah, she's right. Look, I respect all you've done, dad, and I agree, maybe we should be looking at how we can come together to deal with this threat, but none of us will be doing it under you, not again." Luther told Reginald.
"Number One!" Reginald said, stunned. Luther had never dared to challenge him like this before, favoured enough to be nothing but loyal to Reginald and the target of envy of his siblings, how had seeing how the others lived been enough to change his views?
Luther fell back, nervous about what he had just said, when Klaus came to his rescue. "No, he's right, you're a terrible father and somehow a worse person, and we will all be better without you. If we do need to work together to stop whatever is coming, we will, without you." He said,as the rest nodded. Surely they could put it all aside to save the world, right?
Choosing to ignore their father for now, they turned back to the screen. Diego's face still contorted in rage at what he had seen, vowing that he would kill Hazel and Cha-Cha when they showed up this time, before they ever got the chance to hurt Eudora.
The screen opened up on Five traversing the post-apocalyptic wasteland, dragging Dolores behind him in a cart, showing him age as the seasons changed, before showing them settling in the public library that Diego and Luther had found him in.
"So that's why you went there in the last episode." Allison noted as Five nodded.
"Probably needed to vent." Five agreed.
As Five drank and talked to Dolores, a noise alerted him, aiming, he saw a woman in an old fashioned dress waving at him.
"Who is that and how is she there?" Luther asked, surprised. Reginald's eyes narrowed at the sight.
"That is my former employer, the Handler." Five said. "I'm sure it'll explain our lovely past."
"From what I can gather we have four days left." Five said, informing Luther of the impending calamity.
"You should have said something earlier." Allison said. "Those versions of us on the screen won't have nearly enough time to make a plan, let alone train for it."
"I know, but can you blame me? If it wasn't for these videos allowing us to see what the others are going through, we'd all still be entirely emotionally stunted children, as opposed to just mostly emotionally stunted." Five told her as she grinned.
"Fair point." Allison conceded.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Luther asked, before Five informed him that they had tried to stop it, and that he had found all of their bodies in the ruins of the Academy, that they were together, trying to stop the end, and they had failed.
"I'm sure that was a lovely sight." Klaus remarked drily, trying to inject some humour into the bleak reminder that they had failed before, with whatever had caused this.
Diego burst into the room, furious at Five, before Luther held him back. Five explained who he worked for and why Hazel and Cha-Cha had been sent there, before Diego told him he would hunt them, Five called after him, saying they had killed far more dangerous people than Diego, which he ignored.
"Diego, the other me is serious. Hazel and Cha-Cha are the best of the best, after me, when it comes to killing. They have no mercy, or at least didn't, maybe Hazel does, but if you get in their way, they will kill you, especially if you go hunting them."
"It won't matter, they killed Patch. Even if they don't do it this time, they did, for that, the second they come after you, they're dead." Diego told him.
Diego then began hitting his car horn, remembering the night before and Patch, before looking over the clue he had found, heading towards Griddy's.
"Diego..." Vanya said softly, reaching out for him, but pulling her hand back before touching him, worried what his reaction would be, she knew he was still angry about the book, it certainly wasn't all forgiven.
"D-Don't." He said, refusing to look at anyone, his own body shaking. He knew this hadn't happened yet, and now he knew about it, he could make sure it never happened, but seeing her lifeless body, seeing his other self covered in her blood, crying over her body. He would stop this, he had too. He couldn't afford their pity, he had to focus, he had to train, he had to do something, anything, to stop this happening. Diego almost missed the show moving on, so wrapped up in his own thoughts as he was.
Luther then asked Five to explain what he meant by former employer, with Five explaining his first meeting with the Handler, and her offer of employment with the Temps Commission and his escape from the apocalypse.
"You did have rules though, right, things you wouldn't do?" Vanya asked, looking at Five in shock.
"I'm sure it'll explain." Five hedged his answer.
Five explained some of his kills, including Stalin, and being sent to kill JFK, but before he could pull the trigger, he worked out how to jump back to 2019, heading to do so, as another gunshot rang out on the Grassy Knoll. Five explained how he had no code and the idea of good guys and bad guys was a fantasy, that would soon be gone.
"Wait, you killed Stalin?" Luther asked.
"You were gonna kill JFK?!" Diego cried.
"It was my job, Diego, to take care of anyone who messed with the timeline, I wasn't told why his death would fix something, I was just told to make sure he died." Five said, turning back to ther screen before Diego could responsd.
The scene changed to show a flash of blue light and Klaus reappeared, dressed in army fatigues, tattoo on his arm, blood on his hands, dogtags around his neck, a different haircut and a haunted look in his eyes, tears streaming down his face.
"What happened to me?" Klaus asked, looking in horror at himself. Where had he gone, how come his clothes had changed, where was that tattoo from?
Klaus got off the bus and started slamming the briefcase into the sidewalk, causing it to explode as Klaus screamed into the air, before falling to the floor and curling up, crying.
"Klaus..." Ben said sadly, looking at his brother on the screen. The rest of his siblings looked shocked as well, whilst Klaus alternated between confusion and sorrow for his future self, what could have happened to him since he vanished on that bus?
"I needed that briefcase to redo the week!" Five bemoaned the loss of it. "If you somehow end up with one this time, Klaus, please, do not destroy it." Five begged him. "Give it to me."
Hazel and Cha-Cha explored the motel, going past the corpse of the cleaner they had killed, before they received a note from the Commission asking why they had travelled to 1968. The two of them split up, heading to prepare for another fight with the family.
"So I ended up in 1968?" Klaus asked. "I was in Vietnam?"
"I'm surprised you remember there was a Vietnam war." Diego remarked.
The scene moved once again to Vanya's apartment, with Allison at the door, holding coffees and noting Vanya was dressed up for a date. Allison tried to warn against moving too fast, with Vanya brushing it off, stating they hadn't seen each other in twelve years.
"I'm sorry." Vanya said before Allison could say anything. "I know the other me doesn't know any better, she hasn't seen this Leonard pouring away her pills and being creepy, but I'm still sorry for how she's treating you."
"I get it, honestly, I don't blame her, we were crappy with you throughout our childhoods, and I for one am sorry for that, Vanya, and I promise it will change from here on out." Allison told her with a smile.
Leonard waited for Vanya whilst sipping coffee, remarking how different Vanya looked, Vanya stating that she felt amazing without her meds.
Reginald and Pogo gave a quick exchange of alarmed looks to one another, unnoticed by the others, except Five, who frowned at it.
Vanya mentioned how she always detested her birthday, having to share it with the others, before Leonard told her she put salt in her coffee. Vanya said how they were holding auditions for first chair, as Helen had quit, before Leonard encouraged her to go for it and that she could succeed.
"Why would Helen quit? She was unseated for three years?" Vanya asked, confused.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about all of this." Allison said.
"Don't get me wrong, you should go for it, Van, but he's acting way too supportive." Klaus said with a frown.
Klaus was lying in the bath, memories of what had happened to him running through his mind, the flashing lights, shouts of "Dave!" and the sound of helicopter blades whirring.
"I lost him, didn't I?" Klaus asked the room in general. "I was in Vietnam, I've cried, I shouted his name, I was close to him and lost him, didn't I?"
Klaus dried himself off as Five passed his room, seeing the blood, he went to check on his brother, pointing out the changes in Klaus and noting he showed the symptoms of a person who had time travelled. As Klaus looked stressed, Five rambled about time travel and needing the briefcase. Klaus explained he destroyed it as Five freaked out, saying he needed it to go back earlier in the week and start again, as Klaus left, Five began to pen a note.
"I mean, I'm not wrong. I really could have used it, but if you do end up time travelling this time, come talk to me? I can help, you know." Five told Klaus, who gave him a small smile back.
"I'll bear it in mind if it happens."
Diego headed back to the Academy and picked up his set of knives, preparing to hunt Hazel and Cha-Cha, remembering his last conversation with Patch. Meanwhile, Klaus headed into the Academy again, surveying the wreckage of the fight, before attaching himself to Diego, getting a lift from him.
"He's really got you wrapped around his finger, doesn't he?" Allison teased Diego, who glared at her.
Klaus just grinned and nodded to her from behind Diego.
The scene changed to show Allison looking up Leonard at the library, and finding his address, whilst across from her, Cha-Cha read up on the Academy.
"Why are you looking him up?" Vanya asked.
"I need to know about him, other you doesn't realise what a creep he could be. I do at least." Allison told her.
"That damn book." Diego growled, seeing that Cha-Cha was getting all the information about the family from Vanya's rantings.
Agnes talked to Hazel at the donut shop, using donut metaphors for his own life, and joining her for lunch.
"Does anyone else kinda feel a little bad for Hazel, despite everything he's done?" Klaus asked.
"Klaus, you just saw him torture you, why would you feel bad for him?" Luther asked, bemused.
"I don't know, he doesn't seem all bad, besides, it's because of him that I met this Dave guy, he sounds like he was important to me, so I guess it isn't all bad?" Klaus was confused himself.
Diego and Klaus talked about their past, and the bliss of Klaus being silent, before Diego dropped Klaus outside a bar for Vets. Watching as Klaus headed in, Diego began to drive away.
"Diego, you can't just leave him there!" Allison protested.
"I'm sure I won't." Diego told her. "I'm not that blind, I can clearly see Klaus needs help."
Klaus stood at the bar, drinking, before heading over to some old photos, drawing the attention of the Vets, who stared at him. As Klaus said "Hey, Dave." to a photo on the wall, and the PTSD hit him once again, one of the Vets approached him. Klaus turned to the hand on his shoulder, seeing Diego.
"See! Told you." Diego said smugly.
"I want to know what those guys are thinking, they clearly seem to think Klaus has no business there, this could get ugly, fast." Luther said.
As Diego and Klaus talked, the Vet told them to leave, Klaus insulting him as Diego tried to keep the peace, before the Vet demanded an apology. Diego did, but Klaus refused, saying to the Vet "I'd like to apologise, that you are depriving some village of their IDIOT!"
"You really don't help yourself, do you?" Ben asked Klaus, who glared at him.
"Snell!" Klaus said as the others looked over at him.
"Is Ben calling you out for being an idiot?" Diego asked.
"Does he ever do anything different?" Klaus joked.
The fists started flying, with Diego taking care of most of the Vets, with Klaus jumping on their backs, the camera panning to the photo, showing Klaus in army camo with a bunch of other guys, focusing on one in particular.
"Damn, you look like you were having a fun time." Allison teased.
"I bet it was warm beaches and cocktails all day." Klaus drily replied. "Though if that's Dave, he's hella cute, I can see why I'm into him, even I wish I knew him." Klaus finished, his tone dropping at the last part. If this other him had been happy, had gotten to meet this Dave, why couldn't he? He'd have to ask Five, once they had sorted all of this, if he could drop him off in the 60's for a few months, just let him get to know Dave.
Five looked over at his brother, he could almost hear the thoughts Klaus was having and sighed. Time travel was dangerous at the best of times, but for nothing more than a pleasure trip? If he could get a briefcase, fine, if not, Klaus would have to make do without Dave in his life this time around.
Agnes told Hazel about her birdwatching habit, discussing their lives, with Hazel asking her about her plans for the future, telling her she should hurry them along, before they held each others hands.
"I'll admit, even if he's a monster, it's cute." Allison said.
Diego staked out Griddy's with Klaus as they talked about Klaus' drug abuse, before demanding to know what was up with Klaus. Klaus admitting he lost the only person he ever truly loved more than himself. Diego said he was lucky as he could see anyone he lost whenever he wanted, before Diego noticed Hazel at his car. Klaus said that Hazel and Cha-Cha tortured him, then they set off in pursuit.
"Wow, you really cared for Dave." Diego noted.
"I guess I did. I wonder if I'll meet him this time around, part of me really wants too, another part wants to avoid ever meeting him." Klaus admitted.
"Why wouldn't you want to meet him, Klaus?" Vanya asked.
"Because I clearly care for him, I wouldn't come back unless something happened, and I said I lost someone, I don't want to see him die, I don't want to open myself up to it." Klaus told her sadly.
"Klaus..." Ben said to him sadly, reaching out to him, as Klaus tried to ignore everyone's pitying looks.
The scene changed to show Five doing equations with Dolores, before Luther interrupted him. Five said he narrowed down a probability map to find four names, one of them would be the most likely to cause the apocalypse. Five explained that Milton Greene was a gardener, before revealing he had grabbed Reginald's old rifle and planned to go kill him, shocking Luther. Before Five could act, Luther grabbed Dolores and dangled her from the window, threatening to drop her if Five didn't drop the gun, in the moment, Five used a spatial jump to save her, and Luther got the rifle, before Luther told him he didn't have to do it alone. Five explained there may be a way to save the world, but it would be impossible.
"YOU WILL NOT THREATEN HER!" Five said, eyes blazing with murderous rage as he turned his gaze onto Luther.
"I'm sure that me didn't mean anything by it, Five, but I agree, we don't just kill innocent people, even if they'll be dead in a few days. Once we know for sure who causes it, I might not like it, but I won't stop you, but until then, we don't kill innocents." Luther stated firmly, as Five stewed, glaring at him.
"Fine, I'll agree to not kill those you deem innocent, but Luther, if you EVER threaten Dolores like that, I will not hesitate to kill you, have you got me?" Five demanded as Luther gulped.
"So, why would your other way of stopping it be impossible?" Allison asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from fratricide.
"Because if it's what I fear it is, it means contacting my former employer, the one who is determined that the apocalypse was meant to happen." Five explained.
As Vanya played her violin, Allison came to visit again, revealing she had searched up Leonard, and stating there was almost nothing about him, saying he didn't exist until recently, with Vanya arguing that Allison didn't trust Vanya, and that someone finally thought Vanya was special, saying that Allison should worry more about her own daughter than Vanya.
"I'm so sorry, Allison." Vanya told her, shock and horror on her face. "I didn't mean it, you know I didn't!"
"It's ok, Vanya." Allison told her, reassuringly. "I kind of had it coming."
As Hazel and Cha-Cha let themselves into a new motel room, Cha-Cha revealed all she had learnt about them, before Hazel told her Diego was the one they needed to worry about, since he was planting something on their car, pointing him out.
"Busted!" Klaus sang as Diego glared at him.
"Great, guess my stealth needs a bit of work." Diego grumbled.
Hazel and Cha-Cha received a note from Number Five, giving them a location and stating he had their briefcase. The two of them pulled a diversion, escaping and firing at Diego, who was saved by Klaus pulling him out of the way. They got back to the car to find that their tires had been shot out.
"Thank you, Klaus." Diego said as Klaus nodded.
"I do come through once in a while, bromeo." Klaus said as Diego sighed. Maybe he was too soon with that thanks.
"How are you going to chase after them now?" Luther asked.
"I'm sure we'll think of something, but they're coming to meet Five and I assume you, you two need to have a plan." Diego told him.
"We'll have one." Five insisted.
The scene changed to Vanya auditioning for First chair, and originally starting to fail.
"You can do it Vanya!" Allison and Klaus encouraged her as she smiled.
"Thanks." Vanya said.
"You have passable skills with the instrument, Number Seven." Reginald remarked, Vanya looking surprised at his acknowledgement.
"Thanks, Dad." Vanya said, a look of confusion on her face as she said it.
Whilst Allison visited Leonard's house, breaking in and exploring before she started to focus her playing, the judges looking intrigued by her as a wave of energy seemed to move from her bow to them. As Allison explored, she was disturbed by Leonard returning, fleeing before he noticed her.
"What was that?" Everyone asked, looking at the screen in confusion.
Reginald and Pogo just glanced at one another, worry and shock etched on their faces.
'Please don't let them figure it out.' Pogo thought to himself, Reginald dismissed the notion that they could have worked it out and decided he would pretend as if nothing was amiss.
"Does anyone else think that looks like when our powers are used?" Klaus asked.
"That's impossible, I don't have any powers, I'm just ordinary." Vanya insisted.
"I don't know, it does look a lot like it." Diego mused, just as confused as all the rest.
"We all know I'm just ordinary." Vanya said again, as a voice inside her head insisted she was just ordinary, that she wasn't special in any way and to just dismiss the notion.
"I guess..." Allison said, none of them looking entirely convinced either way, except for Vanya, who was resolute that she had no powers whatsoever.
As Five and Luther arrived at the meeting spot, holding a briefcase, Five admitted to Luther he never enjoyed killing. Luther asked if they would buy it, Five said they were desperate enough to do it, Five telling Luther to be careful when he insisted he would make the handover as they may try kill Five. As Hazel and Cha-Cha pulled up, Five told them he would send the briefcase over once they called the Commission for him, that he needed to speak to their boss.
"It's a risky move, Five." Luther told him. "I agree with my other self on that one."
"It may be, but it's the best move we have. I need to speak to the Commission, I need to see if there's a way we can cut a deal." Five stated. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to get them to budge on the issue, but if he could at least get the safety of his family secured, he could live with himself.
As Cha-Cha called the Handler, and Five and Luther waited, they heard the chimes of an ice cream truck approaching, looking at it, they saw Klaus driving and waving with Diego urging him to go faster in the next sea, Ben sat on the dashboard shouting "Weeeeeee!"
"Ben!" Everyone except Klaus and the two adults called, sure, they remembered that Klaus could see him, but it was another thing to see him appear on the screen himself.
"Having fun?" Klaus teased, looking at his brother, and who knew a ghost could blush?
"It looks fun." Ben defended his future/alternate himself.
"Go faster?" Luther teased Diego, after they had gotten over the thrill of having seen Ben again on the screen.
"Shut up." Diego growled at him.
Hazel and Cha-Cha began shooting at the van, Luther spreading his arms to protect Five and ensure the briefcase was shot, as Hazel and Cha-Cha dived to the side, when time froze. Five looked around to see nobody else moving, when he heard a voice say "Neat trick, isn't it?"
"What happened?" Diego asked.
"The Handler." Five simply said as he turned back to the screen.
Turning, he saw the Handler. "Hello, Five. You look good, all things considered." The Handler explained how even she could not stop the apocalypse, no matter what Five wanted, when Five aimed a gun at her head.
Five growled. "Bullshit. She knows full well she could do something."
"Master Five!" Pogo rebuked him. "Language."
"She knows she can do something about it." Five remarked. "So, I'm sorry, Pogo, but no. Fuck her."
"Shoot her!" Klaus called out as the Five on screen aimed a gun at her.
"I doubt I will, she would just be replaced." Five told him. "Though I do wish I would."
The Handler explained that would do no good, and that he was wasted trying to do this, when he could come work at the Commission as a case manager with a promotion, an older body and saving his siblings from the upcoming doom.
"You'd sacrifice the world for us?" Luther asked his brother, partly touched, partly horrified.
"I came back for you all, I tried for forty five years to do so." Five simply stated. "Sure, I want to prevent the apocalypse, but if I was offered a deal where at least I could save all of you, I'd take it." Five admitted.
She offered to see what she could do, before Five went and moved the bullets away from Luther, taking Hazel and Cha-Cha's guns and throwing them away, before he took the hand of the Handler and vanished with her, time unfreezing as they went.
"I just hope she keeps the deal." Five said, watching his other self vanish.
"You think she won't?" Allison asked.
"I'm certain she won't. I'm wondering what the other me is planning."
Luther, Diego and Klaus escaped as Hazel and Cha-Cha scrambled for their guns, Luther launching the briefcase away, as they got them, they found out the briefcase was a case, and they were stranded, with their car destroyed and the Hargreeves escaping.
"Nicely played." Vanya laughed as the three guys grinned at each other.
The scene changed to show Vanya visiting Leonard, celebrating that she got the promotion to First chair, and that it felt deeper and more meaningful without her meds. Leonard told Vanya that it was her time to shine, before the two of them kissed. As they did, the wave of energy left Vanya and headed through the house, into the attic, showing the body of Helen Cho wrapped in tarpaulin. Next to her, Reginald's book opened and flicked through the pages, cracking the window as the energy travelled further.
"That's Helen!" Vanya cried, covering her mouth in shock. So Leonard was definitely a bad guy.
"That wave thing again, it's got to be a power!" Allison insisted.
"It isn't!" Vanya insisted. "We need to stop Leonard though, if he's killed Helen in this, what if he's killed people before now, before we started watching all of this?"
"We'll definitely look into him when we get out of here." Luther told her. "If he is a criminal, we'll stop him. If not, at the very least we will make sure he doesn't come near you."
"I can take care of myself, Luther." Vanya frowned. "I think I can remember to stay away from the creepy murderer."
"We know you can take care of yourself, Vanya, but we're still here to help." Allison tried to appease her.
"What I want to know is that wave, is it a power from Vanya, we saw it with her twice now?" Klaus questioned.
"You all know I don't have any powers, it isn't from me, whatever it is." Vanya protested.
Heading to the Academy, Pogo seemed to stare at it, before turning Grace back on, and ensuring she remembered everything, before saying to her "And you understand that the children can never know?" "I understand." Grace said, looking uncertain, before Pogo smiled and said "Good." Then the screen turned black again.
"What was that, Pogo?" Luther asked. "What can't we know?"
"I wish I knew, Master Luther, this is the future after all." Pogo lied, looking relieved when Luther seemed to drop the line of questioning for now.