With scientific regards, Doctor Futurus, part 3
Five quickly approached the police caravan parked in front of the museum. Although the sirens had fallen silent, blue and red lights continued to flash across the scene, enlivening it with an unheard pulse. Even without the noise of the siren, there was a palpable sense of urgency in the air. Like moths attracted by the light, more and more people flocked to the square, craning their necks so as not to miss a second of the spectacle.
"Did you see all those police cars?" "What happened there?" "Maybe someone's been killed!" "What? Here? In the technical museum?" "I heard that someone stole a model rocket to build a real one at home in the basement!" "What nonsense! There's a conspiracy going on, for sure!" The murmur of the crowd swelled.
Five shook his head, the sensationalism of the people seemed to know no bounds. Surely the press would soon be on the scene and blow the whole burglary thing up into a huge story. That would really fuel the rumor mill. Damn! He was running out of time! He had to hurry to solve the break-ins before it was too late.
With the help of his elbows, he fought his way through the crowd of gawkers, - "May I? Move aside! Hey, you're in the way!" - He ducked under the police tape and headed straight for the back of the museum when one of the policemen standing around grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.
"Hold it right there, kid!" he said in a stern tone. "This is a crime scene, not a playground for children! Didn't you see the barrier tape?" The policeman pointed to the tape fluttering in the wind, behind which the onlookers were crowding.
Five's eyes narrowed to slits and without any warning, he grabbed the officer by his uniform and pulled him down by the collar. The policeman, taken by surprise, opened his mouth wide in shock. "What the hell?" he gasped.
"You're going to take your paws off my arm right now!" Five hissed menacingly. "And don't you dare call me kid! My name is Five Hargreeves. HARGREEVES! Do you understand? Me and my siblings are here on behalf of Detective Ortiz and that's only because you simpletons have a brain the size of a pea! So stop wasting my time and get out of the way right now!"
With a jerk, Five let go of the policeman's collar, who staggered back a few steps. Puzzled, he pulled his radio from his belt and mumbled a series of words into it. The device emitted a crunching sound. Then the policeman nodded at Five in acknowledgement, but he paid no further attention to him but had already left him behind.
With the sprawling forecourt behind him, he reached a low barrier. This was to prevent visitors from entering the manicured green area surrounding the museum. Light-footed, he jumped over the barrier and headed for the back of the building. This seemed to be the ideal starting point for his search for clues, as a burglar would be protected from view here. His plan was to walk around the entire complex, checking all the entrances for signs of entry.
He was sure the policemen had missed something, as sloppy as they were, but it wouldn't happen to him. After all, he was Five Hargreeves and not a dilettante policeman! He would have figured out how the burglar had gotten into the building in no time and then he would rub the solution in the police's face, ha! He could almost imagine the dumb expression on Detective Ortiz' face. Five's heart fluttered with excitement. He was a born investigator!
Grinning, he headed for the outer wall at the back, placed his hands on the bricks and carefully checked the surface for scratches or other signs of break-in. Hmm. Too bad. Nothing to see. At this point the outer wall was intact. He walked further along the wall. A window, a second window, another one. All were intact. No sign of forced entry. Crap! He began to feel frustrated, why couldn't he find anything?
He continued to work his way along the wall until he came to the supplier's entrance. Could the burglar have slipped into the house here? Five examined the driveway and shook the roller shutter lock. Firmly locked. But that didn't mean that no one had opened it at night. He made a mental note.
Then he continued his search for clues, his hand gliding over the rough bricks and window ledges. There was nothing unusual to discover here. That left the last two windows, which ... "Ouch!" What the hell? He jerked his hand away from the bricks. Had the wall just bitten him? He stared at his palm in disbelief, then at the wall, then back at his hand.
He couldn't see anything special, neither on his hand nor on the wall, and yet ... There was something strange about this wall section. Five frowned and narrowed his eyes scrutinizingly. His gaze slid from right to left. This part of the outer wall looked exactly the same as the one next to it. There was no discernible difference. He hadn't imagined it, had he? He carefully placed his palm on the spot again.
"Bloody hell!" he cursed loudly as the wall bit him again. He quickly pulled his hand away from the wall, his fingers tingling unpleasantly - as if a thousand little ants were crawling under his skin. It didn't feel like a bite though, more like a ... electric shock? He stared at his palm in disbelief. There was nothing there.
Anger boiled up inside Five. What was wrong with this damn wall? Why did he get a shock every time he touched it? Was there electricity running through it? He glared at the wall angrily.
It was impossible that the pain in his hand was caused by electric shocks. Bricks did not conduct electricity because they were made from fired clay or loam. Neither material was conductive, that much was clear. Five was certain that he was not mistaken, as he had had to learn early on what conducted electricity well and what did not. Human bodies, for example, were pretty good conductors due to their water and salt content.
Dark memories rose up in his mind. They were still toddlers when their father Reginald had already started experimenting with electricity. Not together with them - on them! They were his test subjects! Defenseless and weak. In countless series of experiments, he had tapped into their powers and experimented with their abilities. During this time, Five and his siblings had learned who the real lab rats in the Hargreeves house were ...
Five gritted his teeth and tried to shake off the memories. The past couldn't be changed and feeling sorry for himself wouldn't help him now! He had to concentrate on solving the case, finding answers to the questions. Why did Doctor Futurus only steal scientific exhibits? How had he got into the museum unseen? Did he have a key? Or an accomplice? Someone from the staff? But how did he get into the other buildings? The theft of the rocket model was just the latest in a long series of break-ins.
How did you get in ... how? Five put his fingers to his lips. As much as he pondered, he couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. He could only hope that his siblings had found out something. Discouraged, he made his way to the meeting point.
He met Luther and the others at the front entrance of the museum, where they were already waiting for him. "Please have found something, please!" Five pleaded inwardly as he approached the group.
"Have you been able to find out anything?" he asked as soon as he was within earshot.
Klaus and Ben shook their heads. "No ghosts far and wide!" said Ben. Klaus nodded in confirmation. "Yes, no ghosts anywhere! I checked it myself with my powers," he beamed, while Ben patted Klaus appreciatively on the shoulder.
Five sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, it was nothing that would help them in the case, but he was immensely proud that Klaus had dared to use his powers. He gave him a smile that seemed a little forced, but that was more due to the overall situation.
"Well, thank you Ben and Klaus! Good work! Allison and Luther, what have you got?"
"I questioned the guard again with my Rumor powers," Allison reported. "He really doesn't know anything about the break-in, he didn't see or hear the thief on his rounds. However..." Allison blushed and averted her eyes.
"What, Allison?" Five asked, annoyed. "Come on, give us all the information, we don't have all day here."
"Well..." she mumbled towards the floor, "I should probably work on my Rumor powers... I said something like..." Allison didn't finish the sentence, but hid her face against Luther's hugely expansive chest. Luther wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair.
Five stared at Luther and Allison with a furrowed brow. "Something like... what?" he demanded to know.
"Well..." Luther jumped into the breach for her. "Her Rumour powers were a bit off, we just wanted to know the truth from the guard and now... we know it," he concluded, also blushing.
Five waved his hand impatiently in Luther's direction. "Yes, and what is the truth?"
"So he ... he has a wife and three children and probably also a very... um... intimate relationship with the female student who works here at the till on Sundays. They seem to, um… know each other … physically and get along very well?" Luther's deep bass had drifted into a shrill register and his cheeks had turned cherry red.
Five slapped his hand over his face. Klaus burst into loud giggles and Ben had trouble suppressing a broad grin.
That couldn't be true! Were Luther and Allison serious? Was this really the end of their investigation? Hot anger boiled up inside Five.
"And how is this information supposed to help us now?" he shouted in frustration. "You're supposed to find out the truth about the break-in, not grill the idiot about his love life! Can't you be given a task without screwing it up straight away?"
Luther's face darkened and he hugged Allison tighter. "Don't talk to us like that! It wasn't malicious intent on Allison's part and at least we found out that the security guard certainly wasn't hiding anything from the police!" Luther glared at Five.
"Besides, it was only thanks to Allison's powers that the security guard showed us the surveillance video! Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. Just a blurry figure that flitted through the image twice, once with empty hands and once with the model rocket under his arm, but how he got in and out of the museum... well, no idea. The videos from both the front entrance and the supplier entrance show that no one entered or left the museum on the night of the theft." Luther shrugged his shoulders. "That's all we have."
Five, who had struggled to hold back the rage in his stomach during Luther's remarks, exploded. "You're completely useless as detectives! Both of you!" he shouted at Luther and Allison, stomping his foot on the floor.
"But Five, it's not their fault!" Klaus objected in a gentle voice and put his hand on Five's shoulder to reassure him, but Five shook it off angrily.
"Of course it's their damn fault! If Allison had her powers under control and the security..." Allison sobbed against Luther's chest, whereupon Luther's expression darkened further. He loomed menacingly in front of Five.
"You apologize to Allison immediately!" he demanded in a brisk tone. "She did her best and that's more than enough! What did you find out anyway, you smartass? You've probably already solved the case, haven't you? You with your mastermind that's so superior to all of us!" Luther was fuming with anger. His muscles were tense to the breaking point, his gaze hard.
Five froze. He looked sheepishly at Allison, who was crying on Luther's chest. A tense silence fell over the group.
"Go on!" Klaus whispered encouragingly in Five's direction. "I know you can do it. Just say: Allison, I'm terribly sorry."
Five looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Allison!" he mumbled silently.
"Well done!" Klaus praised him, "and now let's all hug!" He beamed and before the others could protest loudly, he pulled them into a huge group hug.
"Ouch, you're squeezing me, Luther!" "Get off my foot, Allison!" "Five, stay here, you can't avoid it!" "Klaus, please take a shower more often, you smell like a skunk!"
"Oh ... family! Isn't that wonderful?" Klaus giggled. "Sticks to you like glitter, you just can't get rid of it!"
After Five had finally freed himself from Klaus' grip, he bashfully adjusted his clothes. A smile flitted across his face and he cleared his throat several times to get rid of the frog in it.
"There's something else I have to tell you. I have ... nothing. I mean, when I was out alone and examined the outer wall, I didn't find anything. No traces, no clues, no the slightest hint," he admitted meekly.
The others looked at Five in disbelief. "What do you mean ... nothing?" asked Klaus, scratching his head.
"Well, nothing as in NOTHING!" Five admitted angrily. "There were no clues, no signs of a break-in, just nothing! Well..." He hesitated. "Nothing, unless you count a wall that obviously enjoys giving out electric shocks!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest. There, now he'd said it!
"Now he's gone completely mad," Luther muttered. "First he picks on Allison and now..."
"Stop it, Luther," Klaus interjected pleadingly. "Five apologized to her!"
Five's eyes were burning. He had known it. Allowing feelings was a mistake. They only made you weak and vulnerable, his apology wasn't worth anything. Luther and the others were still angry with him. Now they didn't even believe him about the wall. Why hadn't he kept that to himself? Now it was too late.
"If you don't trust me, why don't you try it yourself?" he nagged. "Come on!" Without waiting for his siblings, Five walked ahead with long strides until he was standing at the back of the museum again. The others followed him hesitantly.
"See, here, right here it is!" Five announced, pointing to the outer wall.
"What exactly is here?" Luther asked in confusion, staring at the bricks.
"This is where the wall gave me electric shocks!" Five explained in an annoyed tone. "I just touched it and then it gave me a shock! This section is electrified! I don't know how that's possible, but it is!" he said desperately.
The others looked at each other, perplexed. "Five, I don't think a wall just gives out electric shocks like that," Ben hesitantly objected.
"You can try it out for yourselves!" growled Five. "Then you'll see that there's something wrong with the wall!"
An awkward silence. Five looked at his siblings challengingly. "Well, why so hesitant? Do you believe me after all?"
Luther took a step forward. "I don't think a wall gives out electric shocks, but if it does, a little pain won't bother a hunk like me," he grinned and boldly placed his huge hand on the spot Five had pointed to.
Five held his breath. He waited for Luther to cry out, to pull his hand back, waited for the stunned look on his siblings' faces when they finally realized that he had been right (as usual!), but ... nothing of the sort happened. Luther's palm rested quietly on the rough surface of the wall.
"Five, there's nothing here." Luther raised his eyebrows questioningly and stroked the wall in a wide arc, checking every spot in the immediate vicinity for electricity.
Five turned pale. How could that be? Why didn't Luther feel the electricity?
"That ... that can't be!" he stammered in confusion. "It was just..."
"Let's give it a try," said Klaus and approached the wall with Ben. He hesitantly stretched out his hand and placed it on the wall, examining it closely, but he didn't seem to get hit either. His hand did not flinch.
Five, who couldn't believe his own eyes, just stood there and watched, transfixed, as one after the other touched the wall. Not one shock. Not a single one. His mind began to doubt reality. What was going wrong here?
After everyone had thoroughly searched the wall, Klaus turned to him with a pitying expression. "Five? I'm not saying you're lying, but... Luther is right. There's absolutely nothing here. It's just a normal wall. I'm sorry." He shrugged his shoulders.
At that moment, Five felt something break inside him. He no longer knew what was a dream and what was reality. The wall had given him a jolt of electricity, but his siblings didn't believe a word he said. Not even Klaus, who usually stood by him, seemed convinced by his words. And that hurt Five the most. He looked at his siblings one by one.
"I'm not lying to you! It was right here!" he insisted. "Look!" To prove it, he put both hands on the spot, only to pull them back a second later, his face contorted in pain. Tears blurred his vision as he felt the familiar pain and tingling. Five shook his hands until the numb feeling was gone. The shocks were so painful. How could the others not notice them? What was wrong with them? Or ... Was there something wrong with him?
Back in the team bus, his siblings told Diego everything they had found out so far, which - to Five's regret - was very little. Accordingly, he sat in his seat and sulked to himself at a loss for words. The thoughts about the strange wall also left him no peace. He went over everything again and again in his head, only to end up even more confused and frustrated.
"You should have let me come with you, I would certainly have found something," Diego grumbled, casting a scathing glance in Five's direction. "I was excluded from the mission just because our brainiac had to show off like that again! Even though I'm by far the best detective of all of you! It would have been completely different with me, that's a given!"
He clenched his fist and punched the front seat, which earned him an angry look and a hissed "Stop that right now!" from Allison.
"Your tantrums aren't helping anyone here," Luther stated matter-of-factly.
"And even if you had come along, it wouldn't have changed anything, there were just no clues, there was nothing to find at the scene, well, … except for a mysterious wall that electrocuted Five." Luther peeked at Five, who made an "I'll - strangle - you - right - now - gesture" with his hands.
"A what that did what exactly?" Diego asked, his ears pricked up and his mouth twisted into a broad grin.
Luther bit his lower lip and didn't say another word.
"Our beloved Five claimed that the outer wall of the museum had given him electric shocks. But we didn't feel anything, only he did!" Allison said maliciously, pointing at Five and grinning at him. Five hated her from the bottom of his heart at that moment. He would never apologize to that sneaky git of a sister again!
Diego's face lit up. "Man, how did I miss that?" he groaned and slumped back in his seat. "Our smartass gets hit on the head and I wasn't there live!"
Five clenched his teeth so tightly that they made a grinding sound. It took all his willpower not to shut Diego's big mouth. And Allison's of course.
As much as he hated Diego and his bragging, he was unfortunately right about one thing. He had taken on the nose today, and not just from the wall. Their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, had also looked at him with anger and disappointment when they had presented him their meagre results of their search for clues. "I would have expected more from you, Number 5," he had said before they had boarded the bus.
At that moment, Five thought the worst part of the day was behind him. But he didn't yet know what was waiting for him at home.
As soon as the front door had been slammed shut behind the children, Sir Reginald Hargreeves summoned Five to his office. What followed next was the most painful thing Five had ever experienced. He hadn't had a chance to brace himself, because his father came straight to the point.
"Number 5! I have called you here to share a single thing with you: I, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, am extremely disappointed in you and your performance today. As it turned out, at no point were you able to live up to the responsibility entrusted to you . You failed in every aspect of today's mission!"
Five looked down at the ground, shocked. What his father had said was true. The Academy had failed and it was entirely his fault. He had been the leader, the mission had failed under his leadership. A thick lump stuck in his throat, he felt like an absolute failure. Five hoped that the conversation would come to an end, but his father was far from finished with him.
"The problem here, number 5, is not your skills!" continued Reginald. "The only problem is your boundless ego. Your hubris. It's bringing you down."
Bang! That blow had hit home. He had a problem with his ego? But he just wanted to show what he was capable of, he only wanted his family to be proud of him! What was he without his brains? An ordinary and scrawny 12-year-old boy that nobody liked.
"But that's not the only problem!" Reginald hissed, narrowing his eyes around his monocle.
"The police told me about your extremely disrespectful behavior. Let me get things straight! The Umbrella Academy not only prides itself on being an institution for superheroes, no, it is also characterized by the impeccable behavior of its students! A behavior that you have not shown today nor in the past, Number 5! You lack respect and I will not tolerate such a lack, neither towards me nor others!" His father looked him up and down.
"But... But I didn't want to..." Five's lower lip quivered.
"What you intended or not doesn't matter! You listen to me carefully now, because I'm not repeating myself!" His father's face was now only inches away from his.
"If I ever see you misbehave like that again, I'll send you back to the miserable hole I got you out of! Do you understand that?"
Tears streamed down Five's cheeks and he didn't dare look up. "Yes...I do."
Without another word to him, Sir Reginald Hargreeves pushed Five out of his office and closed the door behind him. As Five ran into his room with a tear-stained face, he almost collided with Diego, whose comment caught in his throat when he saw Five's tears.
"Five! What's wrong with you?" he asked, unusually worried, but Five pushed him out of the way, sobbing, slammed his bedroom door behind him and locked it. Over the next few hours there were repeated knocks, but Five ignored all attempts at contact; he couldn't bear to see anyone. He didn't really care if he lost his father, let the old man go to hell, but the idea of losing his siblings, of being all alone, frightened him terribly.
Tears streamed into his pillow, he sobbed and screamed until he fell into a restless sleep. In the nights that followed, Five was repeatedly tormented by the same nightmare. He was alone, far away from his family. Reginald had abandoned him like an unwanted pet and then sped off in his car while he was frantically running after the car until it was no longer in sight. Every morning that followed he woke up drenched in sweat, tears streaming down his face, and some nights he was so tormented by the horrific images that he jolted awake screaming.
He didn't confide in anyone, not even Klaus. During the day he put on a brave face and at night he took the precaution of locking his door and stuffing his blanket in the door slot so that none of his screams could be heard outside of his room.
Over the next few weeks, Five brooded incessantly over a plan to finally put a stop to Doctor Futurus. Countless ideas circled in his head, but one seemed more impracticable than the other, and so his despair and frustration was growing from day to day. If they didn't do something soon, Reginald might carry out his threat, and that was Five's greatest fear.
There were more break-ins in the city, new exhibits disappeared, but the Umbrella Academy was not called to a single crime scene. Five feared that this was his fault. He had annoyed the police, paraded and lectured the officers although he hadn't even been able to solve the case. His big mouth had gotten them into this mess. Even Detective Ortiz had let them down as a call to the station showed.
"Help from the Academy? We don't need that! Hadn't helped in the past either! You are just niños, simple children! You have no respect for the police and our work! ¡No tienen ni pizca de respeto! To solve this case, we need the real policía, no!" he had said, slamming the phone down.
Five's mood hit rock bottom one a Wednesday morning when he opened the newspaper at breakfast. An article immediately caught his eye: "Umbrella Academy - superhero factory or just a holey umbrella?"
According to the latest insider reports, the "Umbrella Academy", which is under the patronage of eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, has suffered another devastating blow. Despite its outstanding successes in the past, recent events suggest that this institution has passed its zenith and is as useful in emergencies as a holey umbrella in force 12 winds. Detective Ortiz from the local police ... (Continued on p. 15)
Five slammed the newspaper on the table so hard that the milk into Diego's cereal bowl splashed around.
"Hey, what's wrong with y…?" Diego growled angrily, but Five didn't let him finish.
"Emergency meeting, in the living room, NOW!" he shouted and out of the kitchen he stormed.