She with The Flowers in Her Hair| Number Five

🌻CHAPTER 27: Inside HQ🌻

As much as he was an evil motherfucker, Reginald Hargreeves was right. Time travel could not only mess up your mind but take a toll on your body just as well. It took a lot of getting used to, to become accustomed to the immense headache that often induced vomit. Simply enough, time travel was a bitch, but there was an even bigger bitch that the couple needed to face. The Handler smiled widely, guiding the two teenagers towards HQ. The path sounding a cry with every step that they took. Ellie grabbed onto Five's hand, fear bubbling into her stomach the more that she was in the woman's presence. Despite her trying to keep up the façade, this was still the woman who had hurt her into near insanity, and the remnants of her abuse still made an appearance in her life here and there. Beyond her toothy smile and sweet tone, she was nothing but pure evil and they mustn't forget that.

"I must admit, Mr. and Mrs. Hargreeves. In all my life I haven't met a pair quite like you. Hazel and Cha-cha are talented, certainly... but they don't get the big picture, might I go far enough to single you out, Five. You're spunk, your enterprising spirit..." She started, her hand even going onto Five's shoulder pulling him in, much to Ellie's distaste. "Must admit, reminds me a bit of myself... if I may be so vainglorious. If things work out here, you'd make a great successor, Five. You could give you and your wife a fine life." This made Ellie squeeze Five's hand, the fear replaced by annoyance as the woman spoke as if she wasn't there at all.

"I'd like to discuss the logistics of my family's safety. At your earliest convenience. As well as our body replacements." Five said earnestly while the tall woman shed her coat, handing it to a man before climbing the stairs, the couple following after her.

"Such, chutzpah. It's refreshing I'll admit. Slow down, Five. All in good time. In fact now that you've finally agreed to work with us, we've got all the time in the world." The Handler led the couple through the facilities, Ellie zoned her monologue as she explained things about time and all that jazz, she looked around, some of the people passing even doing a double-take with the sight of the teenagers walking around with the main bitch. Ellie didn't even notice that they had slowed down to a near stop, until she bumped into Five's side. Her head snapped to him and then towards his line of sight, and as she saw it she got why he was lost in thought.

"The briefcase is no longer part of your kit. Free your minds, both of you. You're management now." The woman spoke up in reply as she faced the two of them. Pulling them-- well for the record, just Five by the shoulders making hem let go of Ellie's wife. The loss of contact rendered the girl speechless, she was annoyed yes, but now she was anxious. Her heart beat faster as she stood there for seconds before snapping out of it and stepping forward to follow them. She walked alone behind the handler and Five, the trio entering a narrow hallway. Her chest felt hot as she walked alone, flashes of the incident running in her mind. She felt a scream clawing at her throat, but no sound came out, nor did her lips move. Someone was screaming into her ear and she let it. She let all of the monsters engulf her, eat her alive. Trap her in darkness.

"Ellie... love..." She heard from afar, the whispering getting louder and louder until she felt arms around her and Five's scent invade her nostrils. "I'm right here, come back to me." Her breath hitched as she looked up to Five and then towards her unfamiliar surroundings. She was no longer in the same hallway, she was further in and she could tell because it was darker and the entire mood was creepy. "Are you okay babe? You've been out of it for a few minutes." As he said that she craned her head to look towards the door she was standing in front of. Five doing the same thing and the gears in his head churning as he looked at the distant expression on Ellie's face. "Come on babe, it's not good for you to be here any longer... plus we need to meet someone." 

Five walked back towards the office in order to meet the handler. On the way there he could feel Ellie's shaking form and he wanted to do nothing but lock themselves in a room, hug her tight and whisper sweet nothings into her ear until she would fall asleep. But he knew they were so close and they had to do this. They arrived in the office area where the constant tapping and dinging of type writers lived. The handler stood in the middle row in front of a desk where a woman sat.

"Five, Eleanor. Meet Dot. She is the one responsible for all the apocalypse matter. In fact, she was the one who first flagged your appearance in 2019." Dot had a wide smile on her face, her face bright as she listened to how the Handler's introduction to the legendary couple.

"No hard feeling." The dark skinned woman putting one of her hands up in apology.

"Well you certainly put us in a ringer. Outsmarting two of our so-called best temporal assassins. If that doesn't spell leadership material..." The handler said, her voice getting louder as she said the last two words, getting the attention of the people around them. "...I just don't know. I suspect that you both would like a challenge. Which is why I've given you a particularly complex first case. Too bad Joseph Spah decided against sabotaging the fuel tank , it would have been easier... anyhoo. If you have any questions. I'll be right behind you." The handler finished, handing a file to the teenagers and then shooting a look towards Ellie, that sent a particularly chilling feeling burst inside of her. She was frozen until she felt Five squeeze her hand guiding her to sit down on the chair beside him. She breathed out, her mood changing drastically now that the Handler had finally exited.

Five breathed as well, looking at his wife. She now had the file in her hands, a crease appearing on her face as she read through the details, the concentration simply adorable to Five. She grabbed a pen on the table as she began to craft a probability map of her own. She was scribbling on the paper oblivious to her husband's gaze. Once she finished, she leaned back on her chair, cracking her knuckles and then examined her work. When she was finally satisfied with everything she turned towards Five, who, to her surprise was already meeting her with a smile.

"You know sometimes you just come off as really, really creepy. I guess that makes me even more creepy cause, I am, for a fact in love with you." Ellie told him, kissing him on the lips before handing him the file. "I guess that's not a very professional move..." This then mad the boy chuckle, reaching over to take her hand, his other one opening the file that now had a piece of paper clipped on it. He read through her messy scribbles, analyzing everything, until he read out the name written in capital letters.

"Karl Weber huh?" He asked his Ellie, a smirk upon his lips, his eyebrows up in mock questioning.

"Yup!-- Boom!" her respond accompanied with a giggle.

Five gave the girl beside him a smile. Her work was perfect, no doubt about it. He adjusted the way he sat, completely facing the typewriter, rolling in a piece of paper and began tapping loudly on it writing the name for extermination.

"Hiya, guys. How you doing?" Dot asked from behind them, this made Ellie smile to her knowing that she had no ill intentions towards them, Five was a different story. Ignoring the woman and prepared with a harsh response.

"I must have utter silence in order to accomplish this task." His statement earned him a smack to the side of his head. But ignored the piercing Ellie was giving him.

"Oh okay. A few of us were having lunch, and I was wondering if you... you're doing something." The woman stopped as she realized that the boy wasn't planning to answer at all as he continued to roll the piece of paper and shoving it into the tube. Leaving Dot to say goodbye to the couple's back. When they were able to reach the hallway Ellie made her annoyance by squeezing his hand extremely hard.

"What was that for?" He exclaimed to her, pulling his hand from hers.

"You are one hell of a dick Five." She said, her green orbs sending daggers his way. 

"Oh, you'd know would you love?" He said suggestively with his eyebrows bobbing up and down. 

"Ugh, you frustrate me so, my love."

"Oh and I am beyond enamored by you." 

EDITED