The Umbrella Academy: The End

The Mark

One morning, their father assembled them in the front hallway. All except Vanya. They dragged her along too, but she held back. Five left her on the landing where she could duck out of sight if needed.

A man stood in the middle of the room with some sort of machine hidden behind his legs. One of the wooden chairs from the dining room sat next to him while five others stood opposite.

Five didn't like the look of this. The air felt full as if today held another big event from their history. And he had to change it. He racked his brain from the book. What was going on?

"You are more than a team, children. You are an elite group of individuals. We must inform the world who you are with one look." He glared at them, examining them through his monocle.

Five stared back, anger began to boil under his skin. It was a bad thing. But which one?

"Number One, sit here." Dad indicated the chair next to the man. "The rest of you, there." He pointed to the empty chairs. They sat, shooting each other looks of trepidation.

"Remove your jacket, Number One, and hold out your arm."

Luther glanced at Five for a millisecond before "Yessiring" their father. His face looked pale as he held his arm out.

Next to Five, Diego was a ball of tension, ready to sprint from the room at any second. The others looked no more at ease.

The man started his machine, and a horrible buzzing noise sounded in the room.

Finally, it clicked.

Luther with his arm out.

The machine about to dig into his brother's skin.

A tattoo needle.

This was when they got the tattoos, and Vanya had to stand by and watch. She noted in her book how it constituted pure torture for all of them and one more way she was left out.

Team Zero didn't have matching tattoos.

Before the man touched the needle to Luther's arm, Five flashed across the room and yanked his brother away.

"Are you insane?" He directed his remark to the tattoo artist, not his dad. "This is a thirteen-year-old boy, and you're giving him a tattoo?"

The man stared wide-eyed at Five then at their father.

"Continue," Dad said.

"No way." Five protested pulling Luther back farther. Not an easy feat as the boy was half a foot taller than him. "You're not jabbing us a million times with a dirty needle."

The statement caused two of the siblings to jump to their feet.

"Dirty?" Allison asked.

"N...n...needle?" Diego stammered.

"Number Five!" their father roared, but Five kept going.

"You can't put tattoos on kids. It's child abuse." He glanced over at Klaus and Ben who sat stunned in their chairs. Five cocked his head, giving them a knowing look.

Klaus slid off his chair, onto the floor. He sobbed hysterically and waved his arms.

Allison and Diego kept up their banter about dirty needles, gesticulating and announcing they didn't want a tattoo either.

Finally, Ben stood amid the noise and chaos. He looked at their father. "I don't feel so good." He put his hands over his stomach and widened his eyes into perfect circles. "Dad, I don't know if I can stop it." Two small tentacles emerged from his stomach.

Ben never had a problem controlling his power—never once. An uncontrolled Ben was a killing machine, and all of Reginal Hargreeves' family stood in that one room.

"Enough," Dad yelled, cutting everyone off. "Number One, sit down. Allow the man to do his work." Ben's tentacles disappeared as he sat down quickly.

Luther side-eyed Five, who shook his head.

"No." Luther's word came out as a whisper.

Dad glared at him. "Then, Number Five, you will be first."

Luther looked down at Five and noticed his little brother still held his arm, trying to pulling him away. Tiny Five was protecting him. Their gazes met, and Five attempted to look scared. Luther reversed, pushing Five behind him.

"No. You aren't doing that to him."

"Or any of us," Allison said. She pulled in a deep breath. Before she could speak, their father pointed a finger at her.

"Do not even try, Number Three."

Allison backed down from speaking but did not sit.

Reginald Hargreeves inspected each of his children except Vanya who stood at the top of the stairs witnessing the entire scene. "Fine. You are not excused from this, children. We will attempt the activity another day."

Defeated but unwilling to admit it, Five thought.

"You will all be on punishment for the next month, thanks to Number Five." No one flinched or even threw Five a dirty look. "Return to your rooms and write an apology to both me and this man who was trying to do his job. You will each clean one bathroom with a toothbrush." He glared at Klaus who let a giggle slip out. "Your own toothbrush. No dinner." His dark eyes lit on each one of them, "Go. Now."

And they fled.

Unmarked.

Undamaged.