The city was silent.
The group didn't say anything about it. Or anything for that matter. Diego and Lila were still reeling from the fact of losing Stanley. Sloane and Luther didn't really know what to say to ease the tension with so much on the line. Five, on the other hand, having many questions couldn't voice any watching how Cielo watched the city. She didn't have to say it. She hated how the place she lived in for so long had become so empty. At some point she had stopped her roaming eyes to stare down at her walking feet.
Suddenly, her head raised and she was smiling as she would normally do. She tapped on Luther's arm, catching him off guard. "If I can ask, are you and the Gravity Defyer dating? Officially or are you guys still in that iffy situation type setting?"
The two started blushing hard at her random questions. Looking at each other then shyly looking away a few times like school children. "Well um I guess you can say we're dating."
"How cute! Someone that's lived on the moon and someone that can change gravitational fields creates such a uniquely connected relationship. Separated by not only timelines but family rivalry. Almost like a modern day Romeo and Juliet with superpowers mixed in. A story that brings a mix of emotions and questions of what will prevail. Ohh this would have been something I would have loved to read in my younger days."
"You're okay with our relationship?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"
"But before you were so against us teaming up with the Sparrows? Remember?"
She waved a hand to brush it off. "That was about sacrificing a living human. This is about two people finding love in the most unlikely of situations. I'm genuinely happy that in such a short amount of time you were able to establish that kind of connection. At least you admit it so easily. Unlike a certain friend of mine."
She giggled, clearly looking back at Lila. "Oh you're not any better with your somewhat nosy brat."
"I almost forgot to tell you guys. Five actually gave me a compliment today! Two of them! Isn't that amazing! I thought I was hallucinating when I heard it."
"Five complimenting someone? That's how you know that world is ending."
"Come on Diego, it's Cielo we're referring to. Five always had a soft spot for her."
"No he did not. Copycat knows my side but you guys saw first hand how mean he was when we first met. Listen to this Gravity Defyer, this old man read my childhood journals the first day we met without my permission. Then he lied straight to my face about what happened to my workplace. He truly has no tact. I've known him longer than you guys have met your significant others and have spent more time fixing his problems than with him."
"She's telling you to step it up old man." Lila snickered.
He sighed, turning Cielo to face him. "Per il Cielo che ha mostrato quanto può essere bello il mondo, non hai idea di quanto effetto hai sia sul mio cuore che sulla mia mente."
She blinked a few times. More shocked at how forward he was than his words. "You do know that my Italian is terrible, right?"
They all took a few seconds to process her reaction to his sweet confession before they burst out laughing. Besides Five that is. He should have known better and just patted her head. "I'm never complimenting you again."
"Rude! It's not my fault that I'm a second generation immigrant kid without a crazy adoptive parent to teach me a whole other language. And I do know a few things. Mostly swear words and basic conversation starters but still! It's something." Met with more laughter, she pouted. "Can one of you just translate for me? Please?"
"Nah I think Five wants to tell you again in English." He refused to look at her knowing that she was going to win him over.
"Qualcuno di voi glielo dice e siete carne morta."
"He's shy!" His brothers gushed at the same time.
He continued their walk, intentionally pulling her away from the group. "I really hate you with my siblings."
"I know but I love seeing you with them." She glanced back at the group joking at their expense. Above all she loved seeing them smile together.
A crow loudly crying out alerted them that they had arrived. Cielo stared at it as its beady eyes did the same towards her. Then she waved, making it flap its wings in response to appear more threatening. "How fascinating. It's nice to meet you. You have such sharp eyes. Are you a Sparrow perhaps?"
"Cielo, it's a crow."
"No no not Sparrow bird; like a Sparrow member. Look at it's eyes. Bird eyes are bigger than humans that they are always cocking their heads in order to look around. If we, potential predators, were to approach it a normal bird would do more head movements to assess the situation. But this one is still. Or at least like it's not afraid of us making it a not normal bird."
"She's actually correct about this." Sloane said as they caught up the short distance. "Long story short, Fei has a special connection to her crows. In a way, this is her but not exactly. It's impressive that you can tell. When Luther said that you were special despite not having powers, he wasn't kidding."
"Thank you but being able to turn yourself or see from a bird's perspective is special. I'm just good at reading people. Or birds in this case." She waved once more to Fei on the other side. "So to the sharp eyed folk on the other side of this bird, we'll be entering your home now. See you soon."
Fei focused on the mystery woman walking into the house behind the group. Of course before they decided to work with the Umbrellas, they heard everything they could from Luther and Allison. Currently present from the Umbrella side was Five and Diego. Their two brothers, though the two were troublesome to work with, they could be reasoned with in the long run. Lila was a different story but she was intelligent with a useful skill that they didn't have too many concerns over her.
Originally they didn't think much about Cielo either. From what they heard, she was a completely normal human that magically got her position in Commission. With the few interactions they had with her, they had a very positive image of her. They both vouched for her to come along because they recognized that her experience at Commission and that she couldn't physically harm anyone. Not that they ever sensed that kind of intention from her.
This small interaction said otherwise. No one has ever found out about her crows and their connections. Especially not after the first encounter. One look was all it took for her to come up with a pretty accurate hypothesis. It was intelligent yet harmless. The kind appearing guest didn't scare her enough to raise any red flags.
Ben stood nearby, watching Fei curiously. It wasn't often that she became lost in thought. He knew that she was watching over Sloane but couldn't imagine what could be happening to throw her off. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. They just seem like an interesting bunch."
He chose not to question it as time was of the essence. "Let's go greet our guests then shall we?"
All the remaining Sparrows gathered into the living room as the Umbrellas settled in. Cielo stopped with Five to approach Fei coming down the stairs. "Were you the one that I was speaking to earlier? I hope that my deductions didn't offend you."
The Sparrows really couldn't decide if she was an enemy or not. "Not at all. I'm Fei by the way. Nice to meet you."
The two shook hands. "I'm Cielo, nice to meet you as well."
"Tell me Cielo, you don't have powers like us do you?"
"I do not. Though I will try my best to not get in the way of your discussions today and offer my assistance as needed."
"How is it that you're supposed to be the one that controls Time and be so normal?" Ben commented in a suspicious way. This was the home of the Sparrow academy, heroes of the Earth. And this random person comes walking in because she used to be able to time travel? It was laugh worthy. The ill intent wasn't taken by Cielo who only wanted to make a good impression on them.
"Oh the final sibling. You're the brother that died but lived by Seance only to die again, come back to life as a new person in this timeline. You know we couldn't track ghosts on the ISB. Now with the Commission down, you practically haven't existed in nearly 20 years in two timelines. Not counting you travelling to different time periods as well. What a Horror of an anomaly you are."
Five had to slightly pull her back when he could see how annoyed Ben was getting. "She's the chairperson of the Temps Commission that helps manage the timeline. Not control it. But if anyone can understand the Kugelblitz, it's going to be her. Powers or not, she's proven that she's anything but a normal human. She means no harm."
Ben was skeptical for obvious reasons. He barely wanted to work with the Umbrellas in the first place that this stranger made it even worse. He also hated how her eyes looked at him. Everything about her including her way of speaking and the way she presented herself was different from those at the academy. Almost like he could see how the rest of them were broken.
"Whatever. Just don't get in our way." Ben turned on his heel to join the rest of the family. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why are you October 1st children so aggressive when meeting me? Do I give off something to make you all be cautious around me?"
"Yeah about that." He gestured for her to lean down to his height. "Cielo, maybe you should sit quietly for this meeting."
She saw this coming. Her thoughts of the situation rivalled theirs. Five too. This meeting was the first joining of the two academies. Not counting the times they were about trying to kill each other. First friendly meeting to say. Given how their acting leader just reacted to her, she wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms.
"Do you really think that this alliance will produce positive results?"
"I do." She sighed at how serious he was.
"As long as you know where I stand then."
True to her word, Cielo sat quietly through the whole discussion. Thinking back, it was similar to when she became co-chairperson. Herb lead most of the meetings with their goals and coordinating all their movements. He told her similar things to Five. That her mere presence upsetted many. It was best that she didn't overstep any boundaries because her role was to assist from behind. Being kicked out now and then, would benefit no one.
It wasn't like anyone was extremely hyped up after the argument they just witnessed. No one dared to speak besides Ben. Sometimes his eagerness to lead comes in handy. He was the one to demand everyone to focus back at what they needed to discuss. And though his tone was rude, he spoke logically that everyone could follow.
Ben being a Sparrow and more aggressive than their Umbrella Ben, wasn't necessarily off putting to the Umbrellas. Fighting among siblings wasn't anything new to either side. The Umbrellas loved to make fun of him and request for their Ben. The Sparrows loved to laugh and question his leadership. However, both sides deeply loved him. He was the bridge between the families that he was the perfect fit to lead them now.
The only issue was that he was prone to acting the moment anyone seemingly doubted him. All the talk was falling deaf on most of their ears mainly because they were people that liked to take action rather than talk. Thus leading them down to the basement where the Kugelblitz resided. They needed to see the physical effect of the enemy rather than what could happen.
Now that they all saw the monster that was responsible for their troubles, they were a bit more motivated to stop it. Though the idea of simply trapping it was a bit out there. The more complicated details not helping in easing them.
"What do you think, Five?"
"Could work. Or we could all die horribly. What about you, Cielo? Cielo?" He looked around to see that she was hidden behind everyone else. Maximizing the distance between her and the Kugelblitz but still close enough to hear the conversation. "Why are you standing back there?"
"Safety precaution. Better question is why are you guys so comfortable standing next to it?"
" Are you afraid of getting Kugelblitz'd or something?"
She shook her head at Ben's taunting. "Not at all. I'm more afraid of the distance you all stand at though."
"You're completely safe. The next wave isn't supposed to happen for approximately another three hours."
"While I thank you for the reassurance, your numbers do not take everything into account. See, things like that, don't like anomalies like me. The Umbrella academy should be fearful as well but it seems to have an affinity towards you lot. It makes me quite jealous."
"You're not making any sense."
"Yeah I get that a lot. Here I'll show you what I mean. If you all will take a few steps back first. For your own safety of course." They all looked to Five to decipher her intentions. He shrugged at them and stepped away from the Kugelblitz. The rest of them followed suit.
Once she determined that they were a safe enough distance away, she held her hands up and took a single step forward. All of them froze at the Kugelblitz sudden expansion that just barely grazed those closest. Holding their breaths, they wouldn't dare move with it acting so dangerously.
"Yeah I get it, no need to be so rude." Cielo returned back a step.
The Kugelblitz dropped its energy back to its former level. Though it didn't settle the fear they all experienced. The one that caused it was not at all phased by the reaction. "I never was the best at crunching numbers like you and Five. The way I work is by studying humans, patterns, emotions, those kinds of things. Your numbers may be accurate but you cannot calculate everything to the finest details no matter how much you try. You just have to learn with experience."
"Are you saying that thing... it? Is it sentient?"
"Sentient? Hmm I think that's giving it too much credit. It's not really acting on emotions or intentions. It can't really do anything either. The waves are merely how it's exerting energy that it's gathered. If anything I would say it's behaviour is pure... instinct. To put into simple words, this is just how it is. It's merely surviving in a way that doesn't work with us."
"With that way of thinking it's going to be impossible to predict what it's next move is going to be."
"Um not necessarily. If Five says your numbers are correct then I believe that. Not that I think you aren't intelligent, but two heads are better than one you know? But the fact that you can even come up with said numbers is impressive. I praise you for being able to do that. You say that it's impossible to predict but this room is filled with the impossible. I'm the imbalance here. I truly know as much as you do about this thing just in a slightly different way. My knowledge is of no help to you all."
"But what if there's something else that isn't accounted for? Like with you?"
"But you have an answer. That's more than anyone here can say." She leaned back onto the wall, a smile on her face. "You're one of the special children that will save this world. How you do it is up to you. To have your siblings and some of the Umbrella academy supporting you means something. Do not doubt yourself because of my little step. I am merely a silent bystander to your adventures. The decision is all of yours."
The former Commission members knew what she was implying. Fate was taking it's course here but not without her letting all the potential consequences be known. There was a chance to die. They all had to accept it before they did anything. However, it does not mean loss was not on anyone failing. Specifically, it was not on Sloane. She was the only one with a plan. If anything, the blame was on Cielo for seemingly holding onto vital information.
"Then we will proceed as planned. Any objections?" None were spoken. They were all lost. And if they were all lost then they were on the same page.
"Okay, so what do we need to do?"
"You're not the one we need."
"Excuse you?" Cielo shut her eyes, resting her head back. Being too close for the Kugelblitz for so long had already drained her of all of her energy. Still, she had done all that she could to warn them. What happened next was up to the academies to figure out.
Someone came to stand beside her. Without opening her eyes she knew who it was. "And you said I was clingy."
"Are you sure you're okay? What was that? And about Harlan. Did you know about that before Allison said anything?"
"Shhhh, you have to listen to the plan."
"I'm serious Cielo."
"If you're serious then listen to the plan. We can discuss other, non-important, questions and comments after."
"You are important here. That Kugelblitz was about to eat you because you took a step too close. How am I supposed to brush that aside?"
"Because it was your choice to cooperate with them today. Do not backtrack or go in half heartedly. It's only going to make things worse." Her eyes opened to stare at the Kugelblitz. The light from it reflected in her tired eyes. She only could see Five from her peripheral vision but he wasn't her main concern. Unlike him. "Yes, I had a feeling that Bargain point killed your mothers. Yes, I knew that the Kugelblitz would react this way because I visited here yesterday while you met with Mister Chimpanzee. Yes, I am fine."
"Please don't act this way."
"I'm not doing anything." Just as he requested, she was taking a step back from the whole plan to avoid jabbing anyone's ego. He thought that he was protecting her from all the shit that was happening. Instead he was putting her in a position where she had to be silenced despite knowing that she had more answers than they could imagine.
He reached a hand out to hold her. Only stopping when he noticed that everyone was quiet. "Hey Five, stop ogling Cielo and focus on the giant flaming ball, would ya?"
She nodded at him to go ahead. His hands tucked into his pockets. "I am focusing. Sorry that your tiny brain can't multitask like mine."
With his back finally facing towards her, he failed to realize that he was partially blocking her view. Snapping her out of her trance, she remembered where she was and the circumstances they were faced with. His back was so small. They all were so small compared to the threat present. It could easily swallow them whole. Yet none of them faltered in trying to understand it.
These were the supposed heroes of the world. They are only human though. They were fighting against a concept.
Raising up her hand to her head, she let out an inaudible sigh. She wanted nothing more than to go explain everything to Five but knew the Kugelblitz wouldn't let her get closer. Not that her body would want her to interfere. Stupid memories.
At some point in their discussions, they decided they needed a breather before they acted. Meaning that they were tired of being around their siblings for this long. The first thing they all agreed on all day was to separate for a bit.
Five watched Cielo speed walk away the fastest. Before he could blink to catch up to her, she linked her arms with Lila. She was making her next move. Is what he wanted to think but after what happened with the Kugelblitz, he didn't know what to expect. Everything that she did was still her. The kindness with the underlying mystery was 100% his image of her.
He just thought that after learning why she acted the way she did, he would have a better understanding of her. Instead it felt like he was always trying to figure out where his Cielo and that other version was acting. Whichever one it was, he couldn't understand what their next move was going to be.
"Sloane, let me see the calculations again." He chose to trust her, turning away.
On the other hand, Cielo briefly glanced at his back leaving. Silently thanking that he wasn't too demanding of more answers now. She had other objectives to handle that she couldn't be having Five hang around to scold her. "I'm going to be borrowing you for a bit. I'll return her in one piece."
Diego didn't get a chance to say anything as the two girls started walking away. Lila, though suspicious of her actions, didn't oppose following her lead. "So what are you planning to do, Miss Chairperson?"
"I don't know. I just need your help if it gets dangerous."
"What about Five?" Her feet started to slow down.
"He's reviewing more numbers with the Gravity Defyer. Besides, I think you need me more right now. You're a key part for later but you really shouldn't be putting yourself in such a stressful situation."
"I don't think any part of this is not stressful. Don't worry about me." Lila stopped walking when she felt her pull on her arm. Cielo looked at her with concern.
"What about this morning? You both looked pretty rough and I don't only mean his missing hand." Lila looked around the empty hallway before sighing.
"He found out about Stanley not being his. Minutes before we lost him. Bloody hell, how am I supposed to be a mom when I can't even babysit for a week?"
"These circumstances are completely different to regular babysitting. You're showing concern over a kid that hasn't been born yet. That means something. There probably isn't a parent in this world that felt fully prepared for having a kid. You're not that different. And you have to admit, Kraken was doing a pretty good job with your Fake spawn. You know, minus trying to hide Seance's corpse."
"Can we please not talk about it right now? All I want to do is get rid of the impending doom in the basement. How about we talk about how you told Five that you don't speak Italian?" She rolled her eyes.
"I told him that it was terrible. Not that I didn't understand it. But fine. I see where you're going with this conversation. Just don't forget that eventually you're going to need to talk about it. If your distracted mind doesn't get you killed first."
"Nice to see your humor hasn't changed." The two shared a giggle.
"You know I really take for granted how nice it is to have you on my side after our start."
"Are we off to make another enemy?" They had plenty of those back in Commission. It became a joke that at meetings they would walk away with at least one person to add to the list of people that hated him. One of them not having an upper hand than the other.
"Hopefully not."
Cielo let go of Lila to walk ahead. A small wave of the hand silently telling her to lay back a little. Putting a smile, she skipped into the courtyard. Out of the Sparrows that Lila expected she wanted to speak to, Christopher would not have been at the top.
Christopher turned around, emitting a threatening red light. Making his signature inaudible noise. "Hi there. I haven't gotten the chance to introduce myself to you. I'm Cielo and that over there is Copycat. I understand you're busy so I'll like to make this quick."
"Leave."
"Only a minute of your time. Maybe a little more. I won't take up anymore than needed. I don't mean to fight."
"Lie."
"Not a lie."
His light died down to its usual light blue. "Understand?"
"I can. I worked with a lot of different humans and creatures. Not really sure where you fit in though. You speak in simple terms with certain pitches and tones for each word. Almost like an accent that your siblings are used to. Your siblings' reactions helped in showing this fact to me. If you speak slowly I can piece together what you want to say. You're quite the Chatterbox. Would you like to listen to me now? Your life is in danger."
"Danger how?"
"The plan is going to fail. You will die with it." She bluntly told him.
"How know? Sloane calculations. Perfect."
"Perfect calculations don't exist for this. You saw how it reacted to me. Even your sister was concerned over that. If you'll hear me out, I want to tell you why I did what I did earlier."
Christopher couldn't deny that she had knowledge above them all. Earlier she spoke almost in riddles. Now she was laying it all on the table for him to understand. With Lila standing behind her, she could have attacked him easily. Though he didn't want to doubt his sister, he understood that she was speaking for his sake.
"Go." He floated down to her height. She smiled to show that she wasn't a threat.
"There is a major flaw that she didn't account for. The Kugelblitz isn't Time based; It's Space. Space cannot be calculated with human made rules. Try as she can- we can, it's random. It's powerful. Beyond human comprehension. The only thing that can be accounted for is it's desire. More than anything it wants freedom to move. If you try to contain it, it will only burst out from the inside of you. Your survival rate is… not looking good."
"Kugelblitz Space?"
"Think about it. If Time was truly all gone, we wouldn't have day nor night. But we all felt it subconsciously. Time is shortening. With all these anomalies around it, it can't restore itself. So then how would it be able to create a powerful force that is the Kugelblitz? The Kugelblitz is merely Space losing control. Without Time restricting it, it wants to expand. The entirety of Earth is getting in the way of that. The only way to stop it is to restore Time. Not try controlling Space."
"Why didn't speak? You."
"As much as I know this plan will fail, it's not like I have an alternative fix. Fixing Time requires an immense amount of energy and rewriting. We would have to, essentially, start the world's history from scratch. Not exactly easy nor plausible with what we have now. Your family already has red flags with me. They wouldn't hear me out long enough to reason that your life was at stake. I'm powerless here. However, it feels wrong to let you go through with this without knowing all the real conditions. You already lost 3 siblings. To add you to the list, I feel bad for the Sparrows."
He believed her. He had no reason not to. She was the one in danger here. No powers, no solution, nothing. All she had was her sincere words. She didn't see them as an enemy. He was merely someone going to die a harsh death. They all were. He could see her honesty.
"Time and Space are concepts made by something beyond what we can ever understand despite our best efforts. You are living. As long as you have the will to try, you can change fate. That all being said, it's your choice to try or not."
Christopher remained quiet for a little bit. If her words were real, he would die. Leave behind Ben, Fei and Sloane. He was scared. But another thing she said scared him more. There was no solution. If he stuck around, if he chose to not continue the plan, they were doomed either way. He was, essentially, choosing how they would die.
"I... try."
She nodded. She made her peace with him. Whatever happens next is up to his decision. "I see. Then I wish you the strength needed to continue. I will leave you to rest up for what's to come."
"Thank you." Though she had decoded his language she couldn't hear emotions through the grumbling. She saw it in his light. The way he kept changing colour in confusion, red in anger, and now with a soft purple. Whether it be sadness through accepting his fate or gratitude to her, she couldn't figure it out. He didn't hate her though. That was a plus.
"Thank you for your hard work." She respectfully bowed her head. No words of comfort she offered could settle the building fear in him. She just told him of his death. Her role here was to merely inform. Not comfort. "You still have more than an hour until you're needed. I suggest that you relax and try to get your head into it. I'll leave you be."
"Wait. Leave message Sparrows." She nodded to Lila that she was okay to leave them be. Turning back to Christopher, she offered him a hand to join her inside.
"Of course. Do you happen to know where I can get some pen and paper?"
It has been over 3 hours since she spoke with Christopher and returned to the hotel. Cielo hadn't told them that she wouldn't attend the whole operation but assumed that they wouldn't miss her presence that much. It was for the best given the risks that were already present; she didn't need to be provoking anything to make it worse. Given that the next Kugel wave didn't go off when it was expected meant that the plan had been a success.
Tinkering with the briefcases seemed useless now that everything was fine. Still, she couldn't stop trying to fix them just in case. If anything it kept her busy while she waited for everyone to return.
Allison was the first to come back. Spotting the slightly fixed briefcase drew her to approach Cielo. "Is that a Commission briefcase? Is it working?"
"I'm afraid not. I managed to replace what I could but many of the original pieces don't exist in this era. Not to mention the main power source is completely shattered. There's nothing much I can do at this point."
"Then there was no point in what we did today." Cielo held back a scowl at her statement. She set the briefcase to the side to grab two glasses. Filling them both with water and ice.
"Come sit. I think we should have a chat."
"Water? Seriously?"
"Water is good for you. I want you to have a clear mind for our conversation." She stood behind the bar, making it very clear that the two needed to talk. Allison rolled her eyes but took the seat. Unfortunately, the sip of water being more refreshing than she'll admit.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Stop trying to find one step solutions. It's not helping you. Briefcases are not going to solve your problems. Time travel is complicated and it is not meant to be used for personal desires. Breaking such rules is what caused this mess in the first place."
"You sure that wasn't just Viktor blowing up for the nth time?"
"And that's the other issue we need to talk about. What happened earlier today, all those comments were uncalled for."
"Uncalled for?" Cielo held her hands up defensively.
"What I meant was, you were harsh. I understand why you feel betrayed by him. However, I cannot reason with you actively killing an innocent person and not showing any remorse. And for what? To get back at your brother? Violinist may have stood by him but you would have done the same if your daughter was in the same position. He and you are so similar that I cannot understand why you are so filled with hatred towards him."
"You don't understand anything about him, me or us. I've always stood by Viktor. And this is how he pays me back?"
"You're not innocent. You rumored him as a kid." She flinched at her bluntness. Quickly regaining her footing against the calm demeanor that Cielo had.
"Dad made me do that."
"That is very true. However, intention does not change that you permanently changed who he was as a person. After your throat was slit, your powers were no doubt affected. Did it feel nice having a part of yourself locked away? Even if you choose to not use your powers that will be and should be of your own choice. With your altercation to Violinist, that choice was removed. Without him even knowing it."
"So my one action as a kid, again acting under our dad, will never match up to all the kindness I've shown him through the entirety of our lives?"
"It's not solely about rumoring him. You want to act like you were the only one that stood with him? When? Because in the 3 years that I lived as his neighbour he never had visitors until the apocalypse was upon us. Were you there when the pipes burst and the tenants and families collectively helped each other clean up the flooding? When the release of his book had people harassing him outside the building? Were you asking Monocle to bring him on missions as kids? At the dinner table, did you speak with him? He wasn't even invited to your wedding. He never even met this daughter you care so deeply about. Yeah, you were there to point out his ex-boyfriend with the fake eye was suspicious but is that the only thing? Sure, you didn't actively hate on him but that does not make you a saint that stuck by him through everything. You hurt him as much as your brothers and dad have."
"That does not give him the excuse to ruin my life and constantly play the victim!"
"And that does not excuse you from killing someone he cared about!" Cielo grabbed Allison's hands, pulling her close. "Tell me Rumor, what did killing that old man do? Did it quell your anger? Did it bring your daughter back? Summon your husband from 1963 to present time? Stop the Kugelblitz? Yes, your life was ruined but you are still living unlike the body you had thrown away! You have your family next to you through it all. Who understands you deeper than anyone in the universe ever could? Do you truly believe that Violinist, your brother, wished for your pain the same as you are doing now?"
Allison didn't say anything. "I hate to tell you this but your daughter is no longer here and it's not anyone's fault. Your father decided to not adopt you and your siblings because of this you would have had a completely different upbringing. But even if your doppelganger found a miracle way to meet your ex-husband, and they got married, had a daughter, that would not be your life. When you arrived in this timeline you do not get to replace the one who has lived. We, your siblings, Copycat, we do not belong here and so we cannot decide what happens here."
"What am I supposed to do then? Just live with it? Rebuild my life only to have him ruin it again?"
"We were supposed to die 3 days and another timeline ago. Your life, whether it be to be with your daughter, your 1963 husband or whatever it is that you desire, does not exist. We do not exist. What you do next? You adapt and give thanks that you are still breathing. Because you are one of the special children that was chosen to survive. You can't use that power of yours without taking on that responsibility. Accept it or you will burn this world the same as Violinist."
She snatched her hands back in favour of her empty glass. "Then maybe this world should burn."
Cielo's shoulders sank. Nothing she was saying was making a real difference. Allison was so set on what she had lost that she was failing to see what she still had. Because what she still had was the reason she lost so much. And like the rest of them, she was sick of it all.
"Then I'm sorry that that is the one wish of yours that will come true."
"Maybe you missed it but they already saved the world." She slowly shook her head. She covered her watch.
"I told your family before that sacrificing Bargain point is meaningless. Though the two families are now joined, it would have happened once the threat became apparent even if only temporary. A saved world isn't empty like this. It isn't built through a single tracked mind fuelled by hatred. Each one of you continued to split apart and it will continue this way now until the end. Something is coming too soon for a single apology to make up for the mistake. There's nothing you can do now besides wait for it all to unravel."
Allison never really met Cielo like the others did. She's heard about her. Somehow she was able to charm her brother and become Commission head but those didn't mean a lot. Their only true interaction was over 2 years ago in the Super star lane when she managed to convince them to save Viktor. She said stuff about how they were family and they needed to be together because no one else would.
Since the start, they never really questioned why they should listen to her. It was the way she spoke that made them question themselves. Kindly, softly, yet aware of everything all at the same time that the family always ended up beneath her. Minus her tone, it reminded Allison of her dad.
Raised in the Umbrella Academy meant plainly seen secrets. They knew they were special yet they never knew what for. Or how they came to be. They had many questions as children that never truly got an answer despite knowing that their dad probably had them all. Knowledge was power and it was the only power that Reginald and Cielo shared. One that they didn't give up for a reason that Allison couldn't understand.
It made working with them tiresome, annoying, pointless, and overall frustrating. She hated the way they made them feel so powerless without their help. Speaking in riddles that basically belittled them for not understanding the greater picture. What even was their goal in the end? Why did their dad bet so much on his children to restart everything in this timeline? What did an outsider like Cielo have to gain from being so mysterious? Why was it so hard for either of them to just say the fucking truth?!
"I heard a rumor," Cielo's body tensed up as Allison's swiveled her bar stool in her direction, "that you told me everything you know about the Kugelblitz."
The scene was old to Allison. The eyes turning white, the body slowly coming into terms with her powers. However, instead of speaking, she started biting her lip. Hard. She was trying to resist. Which made Allison angrier. She doubted it at first but now she knew for sure. Cielo knew how to save the world.
"Open your mouth and speak."
Her entire body kept shaking. Her bleeding lips being pried open by an invisible force. "I- I ... told you e-everything..."
"Then how do we save the world?"
Allison almost felt bad seeing her start to cry in desperation. But she was doing this for the sake of everyone else. Cielo was the outsider. If she managed to get the answer to all their problems, they would all thank her. Some tears weren't anything they should stop over.
"I... I have to- ple- ... I can't-" her voice kept trying to come out despite her lack of breath.
"What do you have to do?!"
Her strength fell all at once. As much as she wanted to hold on, Allison's powers were absolute. Especially after that little power up she experienced. Her head went blank and her body fell limp, no longer having any energy to resist. The tinge of blood from her lips grazing her tongue.
"... kill your family... In order to stop the Kugelblitz a force stronger than greedy desires must remove the children born of unnatural means. Cielo Cavallone must kill the marigold children to put an end to this."
Her body was practically resting on the bar counter at this point. The white in her eyes still not lightening up despite the request being accomplished. Allison was in too much shock that her powers continued to rain over Cielo. The wetness of her tears being wiped by her face dragging onto the counter.
"W-what- How long- h-how - and when..." Allison couldn't form words to give the next order. She convinced herself that she would do anything to stop the Kugelblitz and get back to her normal but getting assassinated wasn't one of them.
To die by Cielo's hands to top it off? They always insisted that she was the furthest thing from being a threat. If this truly was her goal, then there had to be a reason why she saved them all those times before. She even saved Allison's life when she could have left her to die in an accident. As much as she thought that Cielo was an annoying know it all, she wasn't a killer. Not when she was begging for all of the siblings to be friends just a minute ago.
She slammed her hand down on the table right next to Cielo's stone face. So it was all for nothing? Travelling back to 1963, saving Viktor twice, coming here, killing Harlan, everything that they did was all for nothing. They just had to die?
"How is that the only solution?"
"It's not. Cielo Cavallone had told you on multiple occasions how to prevent the end of the world. Not that you children ever listened. Now the only possible solution is through Oblivion."
"You keep referring to... are you not-" her question cut off by the ground violently shaking. Allison clutched onto the counter in support, catching a glimpse out the window. Her eyes widening at the slight of the Kugelblitz expanding over the city.
This was the end of the world again. Just Cielo said, they hadn't saved the world. And more people were going to die because of them. But the haunting part was that there was a solution. It was semi-conscious in front of her now. All she had to do was rumor her to be their killer. It was so simple.
On the other hand, it wasn't. Allison did everything that she did so that she could return to Claire. But if she was already dead? She may be prepared to do whatever it takes to get her daughter back but embracing death was counterintuitive. It was terrifying. And not only her but the rest of the Umbrellas too. Those were her siblings. They may not be on the best of terms right now but she couldn't deny that she feared for their safety out there in the burning landscape. She didn't want to kill them.
"Whoever you are- whatever you are, you are to go back to your room and forget this entire conversation. All of it." Cielo's body ruggedly stood up and walked out the door without another word.
Allison shattered the glass cup at the wall. She could feel her control over her disappearing as the distance increased. It didn't give her a lick of comfort knowing all that she did now. Even if she killed Cielo, there was no solution that would help their case now. Some hero she planned herself to be. She couldn't save a single person. Instead, her selfish demands killed billions. Including her own family.