𝙲𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙰𝚂 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚄𝙼 ☂ Five Hargreeves

10 ☂ A trap

☂ A trap ☂

Time froze. Everything and everyone froze, except for Number Five and Number Eight.

Why?

Might be because they both manipulate time. Five can time jump and Eight had harvested her powers enough to slow down everything around her.

Or, maybe..

Because The Handler wanted to pull a dramatic entry - like her existence wasn't a whole drama show to begin with.

Either way, the two teenagers were confused, frantically looking around, searching for an explanation until they heard the voice they absolutely did not miss.

"Neat trick, isn't it?" The woman asked, smirking. "Hello Five, Eight. You look good, all things considered."

"It's good to see you again." Five greeted the woman.

"Yeah, love the outfit, where did you get it?" Eight asked, sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the sigh of the tall woman standing in front of the two.

"Feels like we met just yesterday, course, you were a little bit older then. Congratulations, on the age regression, by the way." she smiled at the two, "Very clever. Threw us all off the scent." she praised them.

"Ah, well, I wish I could take credit. I just miscalculated the time dilation projections, and... Well, you know. Here we are." the boy explained shortly, his hands deep in his pockets as he faced the woman with a devious smile.

"That's what happens when you don't listen to women." Eight joked, trying to lift the tension.

"You realize your efforts are futile. So why don't you tell me what you really want?" The Handler hurried them, wanting to spend no more time together than they have to.

"We want you to put a stop to it." Eight spit her words at the tall woman, having no shame in it whatsoever.

"You realize what you're asking for is next to impossible, even for me. That's our raison d'être." the woman scoffed.

"Yeah? Well how about survival as a raison?" Five pulled out the pistol he had on himself, holding it up on the woman, threatening to kill her.

Eight caught up and phased her hand, getting ready to fight. They knew the Handler wasn't easy to kill, hell, she never aged a day in 45 years, at this point, she might even be immortal. So if they wanted to get somewhere with the situation they were in, they had to be ready.

"I'll just be replaced. I'm but a... small cog in a machine." the woman gestured with her hands.

"This fantasy you've been nurturing about summoning up your family to stop the apocalypse... is just that. A fantasy."

"I must say, though, we're all quite impressed with your initiative, your... stick-to-itiveness, really quite... Quite something." she added, "Which is why we want to offer you two a new position back at the Commission, in management." she finished her speech.

Five and Eight were surprised to hear that. After everything they've done, the Commission wants them back? No, it must be a trap.

"Sorry, what's that now?" The boy chuckled,not believing what he heard.

"Come back to work for us again. You both know it's where you belong." the woman stated.

Eight snorted at her words. Where they belong.. They don't belong anywhere. Not the Commission, not back in 2019, not with their family, nowhere.