There weren't a lot of places Five could go. The only criteria in mind of where to go was away from the basement. Thus he ended up on the roof top. Luckily the destruction around him didn't yet touch the roof tiles or he would have slid straight for the one that popped in next to him.

Five didn't have to look to know who could have followed him up here so quickly. "Didn't expect you to be the one to come after me."

"Me neither but you're stuck with it." Lila put a hand on his shoulder. Initially he thought that it was strange for her to show care like this until she put her whole weight on him to help her sit down. Purposefully pushing him around as she got comfortable.

"Was that really necessary?"

"You chose this place. Nice scenery." The apocalypse as far as the eyes could see. The only thing seen being the academy.

Unlike this morning, the straight line that separated the two sides of the city became more glitched. Random specs of apocalypse here and there mixed with the normal civilization. Though it was becoming clear that there were more apocalypse parts than civilization. The longer they spend here looking for a solution, the less time they had to fix things. At most they had a day remaining.

"I doubt Diego sent you after me. So why?"

"It was my idea that we find her anchor. Not only was he extremely annoying and different from what I was expecting, he didn't help too much."

"He calmed her brain waves. That means something. Thank you Lila."

She shivered and tried to push him away. "Don't be nice to me you little gremlin. Why are you so calm?"

He scoffed and leaned forward. His forearms resting on his knees. "It's weird. I should be upset that it didn't work. Instead I think about how I only just learned who her anchor is."

"Is that it? That's nothing! Cielo had to keep that a secret for her own safety. You and I know how dangerous of a position she was in. Keeping anchors close is second nature to us. Even Diego didn't get to learn who my anchor was until today."

"Diego didn't know what an anchor was until today."

It wasn't only who her anchor was. It was the constant flow of history running through her mind. She had a pet goldfish named after a mentor murdered in her place. The bond between them was strong enough that he stayed by her side as a ghost. She had lived a full life without Five. And he ruined it within a couple of weeks of knowing her. Now she rested in a coma. Someone was always having to teach him about her.

Throughout the whole week Five had been acting strange. His quips becoming less often and more boring. Lila may think of him as a crazy, know it all old man but he wasn't all that bad. Messing with him was the best part of their relationship. This version of him was giving nothing. It was unsettling to say the least. Too bad she had volunteered to be the one to talk him back to normal.

"If that Lance guy actually woke her up, she would tell you that it was her own choice not to tell you anything. Forcing that kind of information out of her would have only made you a bigger asshole."

"You really suck at giving pep talks. You can go back to the others. I know you're worried about Cielo too. I'll be fine." He really wanted to be alone right now. Though he knew that it would be detrimental to leave him to his own thoughts.

"And I'm doing her a favour by staying with you. If it wasn't for her, I would happily push you off this roof. Just for fun." He didn't respond back. She sighed. "I liked it better when you were bawling in the academy. It was easier to read what you were thinking then."

He had to admit, speaking his mind so truthfully had committed to the saving the world agenda more than anything else he tried. It felt nice too. Just letting go for a moment. "You were crying more than I was."

"If you weren't so emotionally stunted then you would have been crying like a big baby. She would have been proud of you for crying."

"Proud is not the word you're thinking of." She slowly shook her head.

During their time in Commission together, the two learned a lot about their significant others. While it was normal to pity all the Marigold children that were seen only for their powers, it didn't feel good knowing that even with the knowledge to change history, there was nothing that could be done to heal them. More than any of them, Cielo was the true powerless one that she had to work that much harder to match them.

Day after day, Cielo sat in front of multiple screens. Surrounding herself with as much information a single person could take in. When she wasn't studying apocalypses, she was the co-chairperson. Going through centuries worth of possible candidates for both on and off field replacement workers. Preparing everyone for the new official board. Hiring said new board.

At the end of each of her many long hours, she would return to her room to talk with Lila. She would feed Mister fish head 2.0 and promptly clean his tank. Each day was taxing yet she never pushed her responsibilities onto anyone else. She worked so hard because she wanted to give the easy life to others who lived within Time and Space. That included Five and all of the Marigold children.

"She would be proud that you aren't trying to keep everything to yourself like she does." He glanced back at her. Rare for him to see her so serious.

"My powers came back after talking some serious sappy shit with Diego. I never thought that I could be serious with someone. Like genuinely I loved my occasional hookups but a real relationship? One where I have to consider someone else's feelings and improve myself? Yuck."

"Watch yourself. That's still my brother you're talking about."

She waved her hand. "Don't worry, he's not getting rid of me anytime soon. That doesn't change that I'm not a little scared to tell him everything. About my past and whatever the future brings. It's scary. But it's not like I'm thinking that he'll look at me any less. It's just... hard to change what we've known for so long. You and I have our walls up. Diego and Cielo, they know that about us. And instead of running away to be with someone more stable, he proposed to me."

His eyes went wide at the casual announcement. Diego and Lila were officially engaged? Diego had been one to mock Luther for his wedding at the end of the world. Turns out the man was just as emotional. Lila equally smiling to herself like a child at the memory.

"Cielo had a lot of chances to run away. To push you away. I gave her many reasons to do so. Trust me. I had a list at one point. And it really hurts to say this because it's disgusting and very questionable how it can be true but maybe she does like you. A little. You guys just haven't had the chance to breathe and have that open type of conversation about non end of the world stuff. Wake her up and give her that chance to prove you two can be somewhat of a decent couple. Or let her see how awful you are."

Five was never going to be the perfect partner. He had a lot of issues and a personality that contrasted Cielo's so much. She knew these things from the start. A part of her may have forced her to associate herself with the Umbrellas but there was another part of her that stayed with him passed out in a library. A part of her that was there to help him return Dolores. The one that kissed him in 1963. That held him as he cried for his family. She sacrificed herself to try protecting him and his family.

Time made her a weapon. A monster that would betray them from the inside. Cielo chose to be more. Her death was her own choice, her own desire fighting against Time's role for her. Falling into a love great enough to let the world burn. She was Time's most dangerous anomaly and the villain for their story. Everything she did was out of love for him.

She wanted to be with him the same as he did her. He wanted to learn more about that side of her. The terribly ugly version of her that she feared, Five wanted to embrace all of her. Like she did over and over for him.

"Never thought I'd see a day where you and Diego were the ideal reference for a couple."

"I didn't either. You better wake Cielo up because I want her as my maid of honour. I'm expecting a very heartfelt, touching speech from you like you gave Luther and Sloane. Think the aliens have any liquor in this place?"

Before they could jab around the idea, the house violently shook. Shaking both of them to nearly fall off the roof if it wasn't for their fast reflexes and a gripping onto what they could for their lives. The suit and dress shoes he wore, though very tidy in appearance, was not his choice in fashion for their adventures. Better than those stupid clown sized bowling shoes he supposed.

When the wave had run its course, and the house stopped shaking, the two silently confirmed that the other was okay before looking down at their feet. They knew that the shaking wasn't because of the apocalypse. The source was right beneath them.

They blinked into the basement only to be greeted by everyone passed out on the floor heavy damage to the machinery. Five turned to Cielo's case to find her not there. Instead, she was standing on the other side of the room. Her body swaying as it tried to keep steady.

"Cielo!"

Lila grabbed him at the last second to pull him back. Letting Cielo fall to the ground hard. Immediately, Five knew what Lila was doing but it didn't change that he had to check up on her.

Crouching down beside her, he hovered a hand over her body. "Cielo! How are you- Cielo, keep awake. What happened?"

Her head pushed to turn to the sound of his voice. Smiling, she tried to reach up but couldn't find the energy. "Sorry..."

Falling back into her slumber like everyone else. Despite how quietly she spoke, both heard her last words with clarity. It was the same as when they both woke up. They had been exposed to her mind and with that Time. The words they spoke was her's. Her guilt and pain. She had been trying to speak to them all this time.

"Let's get their vitals. Look around for any clues to what happened as well."

At the same time, Lila had tried to wake up Diego. Moving eventually to Klaus and Luther or even Abigail. None of them reacted. "They're all asleep. I can't tell for how long but they look okay. What about Cielo? I can-"

"Focus on everyone else. I don't need you unconscious as well." There was a good chance that Lila would be fine. That wasn't a chance that he was willing to take at the moment. She didn't argue.

The two of them working silently around one another to find anything. Five managed to get the furthest monitor back on. Unfortunately, the footage from the room's surveillance camera couldn't be retrieved. And besides guessing that this was mainly caused by a Viktor sound boom, they couldn't figure out the events leading up to it. Nor why the comatose woman was across the room.

Lila held up the wires that were inside Cielo's case. "These look okay to use."

"Those were what they used to read Cielo's mind. You think we can use it to see what happened here?"

"Worth the bet?"

"Then who should we hook up? We can't control what we see either so it has to be someone that will have something of use. Even if its not related to what happened here." The two immediately looked at the aliens. Getting into their heads would be the most ideal situation. Though the threat of touching them was different than Cielo, there was a slight fear of bothering real aliens in their sleep.

"Your dad. Do the honours."

He snatched the wires out of her hands. "Diego is lucky I love him. You are still insufferable."

"Love you too brother in law." She jokingly made heart hands towards him. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was Commission raised. Then again, Cielo had hardly the personality of a Commission head. The two living nightmares for the new board.

With Commission training came studies of human anatomy. The brain played an important role as it was a key one shot trick to getting a target dead. Along with their crazy adoptive parents drilling hundreds of lessons about anything and everything, these two were walking encyclopaedias about how to work around the human mind.

Problem was that Reginald wasn't human. Trying to attach the wires to his head through the sticky pads wasn't working. Turns out the man had been wearing a hyper realistic mask the whole time. Shocking. Truly shocking that the man that covered himself in secrets and lies never showed his true face. And though they were curious as to what the true monster looked like under his guise, what little 'skin' they did expose was grotesque enough to let their imagination fill in the gaps.

So his dear, beloved father was out of the question.

Five looked once more to Cielo still on the ground. She was too far from her case that it wouldn't have been possible to attach her back. It just wasn't sitting right with him how strange they all were placed around the room. It was so different than when they left but they couldn't see what could cause such a stir. The way that everyone was positioned was a possible clue. From these hints it looked like Allison and Reginald were talking to her. Strangely enough, the closest to her and the furthest away from everyone else, was Ben.

Logically speaking, Ben had a whole view of the room all the way back there. He wasn't bloomed as far as they knew either so his body would be normal. Peering into his mind wouldn't hurt.

"Hey Five, Mrs. Reginald isn't wearing a mask." He turned back to Lila still playing with the wires. In her experimentation to try figuring out how they could get into Reginald's mind, she had attached one to Abigail. It stuck. Lila compared the two and the material covering Reginald wasn't the same as Abigail's.

Her skin was real. It felt human-like. There weren't any incisions to indicate a way to remove it. The elasticity returning to its spot after being pulled. No show of anything out of the ordinary beneath it.

"She's human?"

"She can't be human. Your dad is an alien! He said that he created the Marigolds to save her and then came to Earth to follow the particles! The order of things wouldn't add up if she was human. Nor would I think that he would fall in love with a human with how pompous he is." He took the wires and put them over Abigail. Sure enough, they read her vitals all well within human range.

The two moved over to the screen that read Cielo's brain activity before. They weren't entirely sure what Abigail was but it was working. And now with access to her brain, they could answer anything they didn't before. Five growing worried when he realized that instead of showing the scene here, they instead were shown a young Umbrella Ben.

Sirens blared through the Umbrella Academy. Little over 17 years of this routine had gotten all of the children used to the pattern. Didn't mean they liked to comply. Nonetheless, they dully followed the routine that had been drilled into them. Number One, the only one filled with energy, was the first to be done changing into his uniform. He ran through the academy, knocking on everyone's door to signal them to be faster. That was until he came to a stop at the final number. Number Six.

To a certain degree Number One knew each of his siblings' feelings towards missions. The eagerness of Number Two and Three had faded with age but they compiled for the most part. Number Four often didn't even know what was happening and just went along in order to avoid a scolding. Number Six never liked missions mainly due to the use of his powers. He always took the longest to get ready but always appeared out of fear of a punishment.

In order of their numbers, the Umbrella academy assembled. Minus the obvious one that stood off to this side. They were trained not to look in that direction. It was considered a privilege to even be able to listen in anyways.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves, their father, made his grand appearance. His steps spaced out equally with the same repetitive clack on the floor. His eyes scanning each of the children to make sure they were all up to protocol. The monocle staring each of them down.

He came to a stop and turned to face Number Six. At this age, they were almost the same height. Not enough to make up for their difference in character. "Number Six."

Number Six slightly bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Number Six, care to inform us why you are tracking dirt around our floors?"

He lifted his foot to see that there was some dried mud around his heels. Normally Grace would have cleaned them spotless after each mission but he had used them last night while on a late night walk. The only time he had to himself in a while. "I apologize. It must have slipped my mind after the last time I used them. I will clean the mess."

"Leave it. I will alert Grace later. As long as you know your mistake. Pogo, prepare his spare pair before we leave."

They were mini soldiers. It didn't really matter that there was a speck of dirt on the floor. What mattered was that Number Six was put in his place and made to seem less than those who were properly prepared. He was well aware of the situation that it was useless to fight back.

"Children, today's mission is a rather simple one. A lab facilities cargo containing highly radioactive material is in need of guided transportation. Yesterday the containment system temporarily failed, leaking some material out. The substance has been contained but delivering it has become a high risk hazard. They've requested our assistance in getting it to its final designation."

Number One raised his hand. "Sir, if this substance is so dangerous then wouldn't we be at risk as well?"

"As I've already stated, Number One, the substance is properly detained at the moment. It is merely fear." And there was still fear in his children. Regular workers wearing high end protective gear versus teenagers that mainly wore outdated school uniforms. What did their dad even expect them to do if the leak continued?

"Understood." Number One never stood up for them. What their dad said became facts. If they were assigned to this mission, then so be it.

A simple escort mission from point A to point B. A bit of an odd use of their abilities but sure. Numbers One and Three would remain with the transport personnel to ensure that the package remained on the proper route. Number Two and Four would keep the farthest from the package. This being because Number Two with the best vision and spatial awareness of them got a good view of everything. Meanwhile Number Four needed constant supervision with minimal contact to normal folks.

Number Six remained right outside the package's first security door. Number Six, being one of the calmer and intelligent members, was tasked with solving any issues if need be. And if it became necessary to use his powers, there wouldn't be anyone around to potentially harm.

Since Number Five had disappeared there weren't many missions where Number Six had someone beside him. None of them were fast enough and his control was too sporadic that he was deemed dangerous to be paired up with. That never stopped Number Seven from constantly volunteering for the spot. Someone to talk to would have made missions a bit more bearable.

"I wonder what Five and Seven are doing now." His head knocked once back the package.

How he missed Number Five. Number Seven probably missed him the most though. The three of them were at the bottom of the number hierarchy. The ones that fought back against Sir Reginald Hargreeves the most. That's probably why Number Five left in the first place. Restrictions never suited him.

A knock came back. Number Six jumped from the package. Approaching it slowly, he raised his hand to knock twice. Three times a return knock came. It most certainly was not an echo or something falling over. Something was responding to him.

"Hey guys? I think something is inside the package." He paged over the radio.

"Something? Like what?"

"I don't know but it's making noise."

"Did it open again?! You have to stop it before it starts leaking!" He winced at Number One's screaming.

"I don't think it's leaking? None of the detection equipment is going off. I'm sure that there's something inside though. Should I check it out?"

"Wait, no. Let me ask dad." There was another knock. Like it was waiting for Six to respond.

Six knew that the door in front of him was only the first out of three. Going inside to have a quick peek shouldn't hurt. He did have the proper tools to manage if there was a leak too. It was better to deal with it at the start than wait for it to potentially explode.

"Dad said that the knocking is normal. Just some metals knocking from all the transportation movement. Leave it."

"Alright." But Number Six knew it wasn't normal clatter. This whole mission was strange from the start. They weren't used for escorting materials. If this package was so dangerous then why would they be rushing the process to move it? And why would their dad care enough to do this for some none given company?

Carefully looking over to Number Two observing, he was distracted by whatever Number Four was doing. Giving Six the perfect opportunity to inspect the box. None of the radioactive detectors went off. Not even a shut off his communication so he could have a few moments without his siblings listening in.

Opening the door was the same. Nothing was off in any of the readings. It was weird to think that if there was a recent leak that nothing around them had a trace remaining. Their dad did say that it was properly fixed but this was almost too perfect.

"Hello?" A voice spoke from the inside. Now that was something that was off.

Number Six threw caution to the wind and walked inside. Closing the door behind him. He didn't know what he expected but it most definitely wasn't her.

A sole woman standing on the edge of another box inside the container. Skin so pale from the lack of sun. Or any type of exposure. Long, blonde hair kept straight. She was skinny but not malnourished. Dressed in thin clothing to only cover up what was necessary. Everything was just bare essentials.

She was practically a living, breathing doll. A fragile creature that would crack the moment anything touched her.

"Hi... who are you?" The girl slightly jumped at his voice. She looked around the wall that faced him. He slowly approached. His steps naturally soundless after years of training. "Can you not see me?"

"I can not. Can you see me?"

"Yeah." A one way looking glass. He looked around her box of a room. White walls, a clean bed and a desk with thick textbooks collecting dust. Then on the corner of the glass was the symbol of the Umbrella Academy.

This girl was their dad's property. That's why he had sent them to deal with her escortment. Any speculations about how strange this mission was flipped the moment Reginald was involved. But the question was why?

Why would their dad use his highly trained group of superheroes to simply protect a single girl? Same with lying about it? He could have pretended that she was an important celebrity that demanded protection. Instead he isolated her in this barren case with the threat of radiation to keep others away. Just who was she?

"Wh-what's your name?"

"I don't believe I have one." She stared at him with such pure eyes. Like nothing was wrong with the condition she was in.

"My siblings and I didn't have names for the longest time too. I can give you one. If you want?"

"Is it bad that I don't have a name?"

"Not bad. It's just not heard of a lot. I'd kind of like a way to address you while we talk. How about I give you a name? I picked my own and helped my siblings too. We can find one that best suits you!"

This was the first time something spoke to her that had fluctuations in their voice. His voice somewhat muddled through the glass. But one thing was clear even without seeing his face. His attention was on her. She wasn't used to this feeling. She didn't even know if this feeling had a name.

"What's your name then?"

"Ben." This was the first time that he actually used his name to a stranger. Reporters already knew them by numbers or their code names. Their names were only made to be used among siblings. Though it felt nice to have a bit of normality.

"Then I'll leave my name up to you Ben." She sat back from the glass. Cross legged and waited. Ben sat down to fully look at her. He loved the way she said his name and he wanted to return the favour.

"But um why are you in this box? If I can ask."

"I'm not sure. As far as I know, I've never been outside this room. I'm aware that I've been moved from location to location. Where and why, I am not sure." And here he thought that his family knew nothing about the outside world.

"Do you ever get lonely?"

"Lonely?" She thought of it for a moment. "No I wasn't. However, you are here now. If you were to leave, I suppose I would be."

Ben was lonely. Surrounded by his siblings that were constantly at death's door with each mission, a loyal chimpanzee, a robot mother, and an emotionless father, Ben was ever lonely. Buried in books that stole him away from reality. Worlds where family could mean people who chose love and gave it willingly. Worlds where superheroes were truly heroes. And not damaged children forced into the position. Or kept in these empty cages.

"Do you want to leave here?"

It was frightening to think about. She had only read about such a fantasy through the textbooks. "What's it like? Your world?"

"To be honest? It's a shit show a lot of the time. There are a lot of problems and not enough answers. At least to those in charge the answer becomes extremely blurry. Don't get me started on global warming. It can feel like nothing is worth it. I'm not sure how I deal with it at times. But even though that's my world, that's not the only way to view it."

He placed a hand on the glass. "This world has wonders that can take your breath away. People and things that can defy the very laws of nature. It has nurtured said people to create works of art and brilliance. I am honoured every day through my questionable missions that I am trying to protect. I don't regret trying to at least fight for this world that I, unfortunately, have come to love."

"You love this world?"

Ben still hadn't figured out what her importance was. Her entire presence was a mystery. That if he were to blink she would vanish like smoke. An apparition. He couldn't let her disappear. "I do. And if you let me, I would like to show you why as well, Jennifer."

Jennifer. A name relating to the Old Irish word 'síabar'. A supernatural being. Just like him and his siblings. A phantom. One that would haunt him if he let her go today. A name coming from Proto-Celtic word 'Windo-*sēbro'. The fair one. The pure being that could disappear. Ben wanted to save her. To show her the world that had been stolen from them.

She placed her hand on the glass, coincidentally against his. Or maybe not coincidentally. Because she knew. Her eyes that stared forward at him knew he was there even though the mirror glass on her side only showed herself.

The glass cracked. Jennifer immediately flinched back. She looked at the shattered mirror. The cracked version of herself reflecting back. Why was she in there? What was her importance that she couldn't be in a single spot for long? Her sights never changing. She only learned what she was given. In her isolated bubble, a face that she couldn't see was offering to change it all. Was she experiencing anticipation or fear?

Ben, seeing her hesitation, placed another hand on the glass. He was not going anywhere. Not without her.

"Is that name okay, Jennifer?" That was her name. He was calling to her.

She took a deep breath in and nodded. Not sure herself if he could see her. "It's a fantastic name Ben."

"Then do you want me to help you out of here?"

She did. She really did. She wanted to learn more about what was out there. And if it was Ben that led the way, was it possible for Jennifer to truly live?

Through the cracks, through the shards of her reflection, she could make out the shape of him. He was shaking. Wearing a lot of black that was meant to help hide him but only made him look like a blob. But he was a real life person. Just like she was. And he was here. With her.

A hand was raised towards the figure. "I want to see your world."

The room that had been all Jennifer had known all her life was coming to a crumble. The mirror that loved to judge her was shattering right before her eyes. White walls falling faster than either of them could process. As she worked up the air to call out to her saviour, his hellish scream echoed off the walls. There was a strange sloshing sound that she never heard before. He started coughing. Heavy breathing, trying to find his breath until there was a thud.

And silence. The sound of her rising heart rate filling his presence.

"B-Be- Ben?" There was no response.

The silhouette that she was previously able to make out was gone. Replacing it was another black blob on the floor with red oozing out. Still, she couldn't make out any defining features of him. Nor could she reach him.

Jennifer retreated to the furthest part of the room. Tripping back over the tiniest rock that came from her imprisonment's roof. She winced then saw the blood coming to her scrapped hands. The shock of what just happened slowly dawning upon her.

Ben was dead. There was no question that it was Jennifer that did it. She would never hear his voice again. Nor could he call her name.

She wasn't given any time to grieve when a familiar, nearly silent, beep demanded her attention. Jennifer rushed to the bed. Moving the white sheets marred red from her hands up to reveal a landline and safe. She picked up the receiver with a hard grasp.

"Help! Help! There's- there's a boy- he's hurt and-"

"Silence child." A British accented man sternly spoke. "Your readings are higher than normal. Is the package okay?"

"Your- the-", she looked down the safe that was untouched, "the brain is fine! But Ben- he is dead because of me! You have to do something!"

There was a moment where she could hear him doing something on the other side of the line. His voice muffled while speaking to another she wasn't aware of. "Do not fret. Number- This Ben you speak of will be handled appropriately."

Jennifer could hear something happening on the other side of her case that she couldn't see. She weakly made her way back to where she thought Ben was. But her steps became muddy. Heavy. Each breath in making her more tired. But that didn't stop her from trying to call his name. None of them on the outside hearing her pleas.

Her consciousness was fading fast. She could hear those with Ben screaming his name. It was happening just on the other side of the wall that she was supposed to cross with him. Such a short distance yet she couldn't get any closer.

Through her hazy mind, she heard the voice that only spoke to her via the landline. The mystery people crying with Ben called him dad. He didn't console any of them. His voice as cold and commanding as when he called her. Some kind of dad he was.

The journey to Earth was long and not without complications. Reginald had expected as such but it was harder on Abigail's weak body than planned. It wasn't solely arriving on Earth that created an issue. It was in trying to sustain her as well.

They had release the Marigolds into the universe with the path that they would arrive on Earth after the aliens did. This would give them time to gain all their pieces like finding Oblivion and establish some sort of business to blend in. At the declining rate of her health, she didn't stand a chance to last until the Marigolds landed.

Resetting the universe was a process that required many meticulous steps. If Abigail's mind and soul disappeared long before the reset, it would be near impossible to bring her back. He needed to keep a part of her alive. Cryopreservation? No, that technology was still too advanced for Earth-kind. Not only that but Abigail was too weak to handle the process of freezing. Even then it was a short, temporary solution. He needed to find a way to strengthen her body first.

Or get a new body.

Brain transplantation.

That's how Abigail Hargreeves lived for decades. The process was relatively easier than trying to save the whole body. Merely taking the most important part of her and putting it somewhere safe until they could reach a different alternative. At some point her alien brain would mix poorly with the human physic and force another change in host. Rinse and repeat.

Over time they had gotten better at the transplantation but it wasn't a permanent solution. Eventually her illness would take over the body that they needed the miracle cure of Oblivion or cryopreservation to slow down the process overall. The question was constantly which human body could be strong enough to survive the process and handle an alien brain inside?

On the 12th hour, on the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Only one woman had a clue as to what the light was in front of her. When a single orange light floated down in front of Abigail, her joy turned to horror. The Marigold had chosen her.

Reginald couldn't stop the process before she was forced into labour like the 42 other women in the world. Her human body was already on edge from taking in the brain that giving birth was out of the question. Abigail gave her last breath exactly 51 seconds after the birth of her Marigold child. She couldn't even hold her lover's hand as his attention was on the miracle that was their Marigold.

But when one door closes, another opens. In his arms was a child that would be stronger than others. This child had the bare minimum of alien genetics in her. She was the perfect specimen to implant Abigail's brain in and undergo cryopreservation. The only issue being that she wasn't of age to receive a fully grown brain. The child needed to survive until she became an adult.

She was placed under strict supervision. She couldn't let anything potentially make her sick or injured. No one could find out about her. Especially not the Umbrella Academy. Push came to shove when the child's special containment readings showed high levels of concerns one day. All the children were reaching the age of maturity. Her powers became harder to control since he couldn't put her on drugs like Number Seven.

She needed to be moved to a more secure facility. And the only ones capable of moving her in such a risky state were her fellow Marigolds. Reginald never imagined Number Six would disobey his clear orders to not to enter the box and end up dead by her hands.

All the Academy children saw his body. They saw her. They had so many questions. She would have them the same when she woke up. But none of them had bloomed. None of them were ready for the truth. Nor would they have accepted it. So, putting them all to sleep and changing their memories was the quietest solution.

It went off without a hitch. Ben was declared dead from a radiation package named 'Jennifer'. They had found his body and nothing else making it a team failure for not keeping an eye on him. He was labelled a hero for protecting everyone from the dangerous package. Memorials were held to honour him. A statue built in the academy as a reminder of his heroic deeds and the consequences of his actions. The ghost not knowing any better as even his own memories was blurred from the rush of things.

No one knew the truth. Except Reginald himself, Space, and Time.